18 Travel Bloggers with Different Perspectives to Follow in 2018
Here's a fun fact for you: There are more than 2 million blog posts published online every single day. Tens of thousands of those are published by travel bloggers – because, yes, there are a ton of us out there!
Being part of the travel blogging community for the last 8 years has been amazing; I've made so many friends and found so much inspiration.
But this community (and the travel industry as a whole) is not without its flaws. For as much as I love this community and industry, it's difficult to ignore that in 2018 travel blogging is still extremely… white.
Read any list of “top” travel bloggers, watch any travel show on TV, or do a Google search for “traveler,” and you pretty much only see good-looking, able-bodied white people represented.
But the truth is that white people aren't the only ones who spend money on travel – and they certainly aren't the only ones who rock it in the travel blogging world.
I like to think I'm pretty open-minded and inclusive on my travels, but as a white, straight, middle-class American woman (i.e. pretty darn privileged), I can never tell you what it's like to travel as a minority, or as a non-straight person, or as a person with a disability. But guess what? Those voices are still part of the travel community – and an important part for people like me to amplify when I can.
So to kick off the new year, I'd like to introduce you to (in no particular order) 18 travel bloggers with perspectives different from mine that I think you should follow right now.
18 Travel Bloggers with Different Perspectives to Follow in 2018
1. Oneika | Oneika the Traveller
I've followed Oneika's blog for years, from her time spent teaching abroad in London and Hong Kong to her move to NYC to her becoming a host for the freaking Travel Channel! This woman is not only super smart and charismatic, but she's an active advocate for diversity in (travel) media and the blogging world. Her social channels (especially Facebook and Instagram) are where I love following her adventures the most – and does she ever have adventures! Oneika has been to more than 100 countries all around the world.
(Oneika's post lamenting the lack of racial diversity in travel and offering some solutions for it was the catalyst for me writing this list.)
2. Shivya | The Shooting Star
Shivya is an inspiration to me for multiple reasons. She's a vegan solo traveler from India who has been permanently nomadic for four years and counting. She travels slow and mindfully, and writes (very well) about her budget travel experiences all around the world. I love following her blog and Instagram especially, where she has dedicated followers and lots of beautiful images.
3. Cory Lee | Curb Free With Cory Lee
As a person who has always had full use of all my limbs, I've never had to think about accessibility on my travels. But of course there are lots of people who never travel because of it (or rather, because of the lack of it). And that's where Cory Lee comes in. He writes about traveling as a wheelchair user and answers all the important questions: how can you fly with a wheelchair? what cities around the world are the most wheelchair-friendly? His blog won the Lowell Thomas Award for Best Travel Blog in 2017 from the Society of American Travel Writers.
4. Elena | Muslim Travel Girl
Islam is the second-largest religion in the world – and Muslims definitely travel! Elena began Muslim Travel Girl in 2013, and it's now the largest website covering Muslim and Halal travel. Elena focuses mostly on travel from her unique Western Muslim perspective, but publishes guest posts and Muslim-friendly guides written by other travelers, too.
5. Gloria | The Blog Abroad
You've already heard of Glo, right? Gloria calls herself an “adventure junkie,” but when I read her blog posts and watch her Instagram Stories, so many other phrases come to mind. Like hilarious. Brutally honest. Sassy. And just plain fun. She's been to more than 45 countries on 5 continents, and her selfie game makes me seriously jealous.
6. Stefan and Sebastien | Nomadic Boys
Stefan and Sebastien have been traveling together since 2014, eating everything and focusing on gay travel all around the world. What I love about their blog is that they make it a point to support local LGBT businesses wherever they go, and often make friends with local gay people in order to gain a better insight into the culture. This has expanded into the “Gay Stories” section of their site, where they often interview people they meet on the road.
7. Annette | From Annette with Love
Annette is a digital nomad from California. And she. is. fabulous. Annette is a travel and fashion blogger, and started the Fat Girls Traveling account on Instagram, which is inspiring in so many ways. As someone who has never been a size 2 (seriously, I was a huge-thighed gymnast in high school and am now just an ex-gymnast who got chunky), I sometimes despair when scrolling through Instagram because I feel like I don't look like any of the women I see there. But then I come across blogs like Annette's and feel much better – because yes, curvy girls travel, too!
You can also check out Travel With Curves, a body-positive plus-size travel blog.
8. Donna and Alan | My Itchy Travel Feet
I'm currently in my 30s, and while I do sometimes travel with my parents, the fact is that I'm not a Baby Boomer and can't really write about traveling as one with any authority. But thankfully blogs like My Itchy Travel Feet exist. Donna (the writer) and Alan (photographer) cover both adventure and luxury travel for the Boomer crowd. Sections on their site include “Boomer Travel Gear,” “Boomer Road Trips,” and “Romantic Getaways.” Even though I'm not a Boomer, I love reading about their adventures (and Alan takes some amazing photos!).
You can also check out Getting on Travel, the premier online magazine for luxury travel for the over-50 crowd.
9. Emma | Simply Emma
Emma is one of the leading disability bloggers in the UK, writing about accessible travel and life experiences from a wheelchair user’s perspective. And while she does write great accessible travel guides for cities, hotels, and experiences, what I enjoy most about Emma's blog is how personal it is. I feel like I know Emma after following her blog and Instagram – and she's awesome!
10. Lola Akinmade Åkerström
Born in Nigeria, Lola now calls Sweden home and is a kick-ass writer and photographer. Even though I've yet to visit places like Morocco and Greenland, Lola's photos have taken me there. She's also just a really lovely person in general, so at the very least go and follow her beautiful work on Instagram.
11. Siddhartha | The Wanderer
Siddhartha is an India-based, blogger, photographer, and designer. His dreamy Instagram photos could inspire anyone to travel to India, I think, and his blog covers both India and the rest of the world. Siddhartha has given TEDx talks about turning travel dreams into reality, and writes about India from a perspective that only a local can.
12. Zoey and Mari | Lez Wander the World
Zoey and Mari are a lesbian couple writing about what it's like for them to travel all around the world. They share their personal experiences (like what it's like to be queer in different countries) and recommendations (like the best lesbian bars in different cities), making their blog a really useful resource for LGBTQ people who may be wary about traveling.
13. Olivia Christine | O. Christine
At first glance, Olivia's social channels might look like those of a lot of other female travel bloggers out there. But she isn't just a travel and wellness blogger – she's also living with lupus, an autoimmune disease. Olivia's story is inspiring. She took what was supposed to be a 6-month sabbatical in 2014 (assuming her lupus would keep her from long-term travel), but then never looked back. She's been traveling and focusing on wellness (and yoga) ever since, blending both on her blog.
14. Ed | Rexy Edventures
Ed “Rexy” Rex is a travel blogger from the UK who also happens to be deaf. His blog chronicles lots of “normal” travel adventures around the world, but also includes stories about being deaf while traveling and getting a cochlear implant. Ed also started the site The Deaf Traveller to provide even more travel resources for deaf people who want to travel.
15. Bani Amor | everywhere all the time
Because I can't possibly do a better job of describing Bani than they have themself, here's the beginning of their bio: “Bani Amor is a queer travel writer from Brooklyn by way of Ecuador who explores diasporic identities, the decolonization of travel culture, and the intersections of race, place and power in their work.” If that sounds a bit intense and heavy, it's because it is – but these are fascinating topics and Bani tackles them well both on their site and in major publications.
16. Rob and Chris | 2 Travel Dads
Rob and Chris run a family travel blog as they travel the world with their two young sons (which would be enough to make this list, really, as I don't write about family travel at all!). But the twist is that Rob and Chris are gay, giving their family travel blog an interesting LGBT perspective. I dare you to scroll through their Instagram account and not come away smiling – this is one happy, adventurous family!
17. Lakshmi | Travel with Lakshmi
Lakshmi is a writer, blogger, photographer, and media professional. And she also runs one of the most successful travel blogs in India. Lakshmi has traveled to more than two dozen countries, but it's her extensive travels within India that I enjoy reading about the most. Her YouTube channel has lots of India content, too, including spotlights on things to do in Bangalore.
18. Ashley | A Southern Gypsy
While putting together this list, I knew I wanted to include at least one blogger with a food “perspective” different than mine. And while I know some gluten-free bloggers (like my friend Jodi) and bloggers with severe food allergies, there aren't many travel blogs dedicated solely to traveling with those food restrictions. So I want to introduce you to Ashley, who recently rebranded her blog to focus entirely on vegan travel. She's started publishing vegan destination guides on her site, which I think are a great resource!
Even though I tried to be as inclusive as possible with this list, it's by no means all-inclusive. There are SO MANY amazing blogs out there run by people of color, LGBT writers, people with disabilities, and people with very different life experiences and perspectives than mine.
For example, I also think you should check out the cultural collective site Black & Abroad, the leading female-run LGBT blog Dopes on the Road, and the awesome collaborative site Travel Latina.
And I'm of course missing hundreds (probably thousands) of others. The Internet is so big, and it's impossible to read everything. But hopefully you can find at least one new blogger to follow in 2018 from this list!
Do you read blogs written by people with perspectives different from your own? Share your favorites in the comments below!
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Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Dangerous Business Travel Blog. She has traveled to more than 60 countries on 6 continents from her home base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and thoughtful travel through the US, Europe, and rest of the world. Amanda only shares tips based on her personal experiences and places she's actually traveled!
Hi Amanda I love reading blogs with different perspectives! Another category of travel blogs I’ve discovered are people traveling with mental illness. When we hear the word “mental illness” we think of crazy people and psychopaths. But often the most normal people suffer from a form of mental illness. I talk about my battles with depression from time to time in my blog.
Definitely true! I suffer from anxiety (albeit not extreme), and know that many other travelers do, too.
What a cool selection! I am really surprised that I knew only few bloggers from your list, so excited to check them out 😛
Glad to be able to introduce you to them!
Fantastic list! I follow a few of these already but I love how many awesome ones you’ve shone a light on. 2 Travel Dads just put a huge smile on my face!
That’s great to hear! It took me a while to put together (what I hope is) a really diverse list, so I’m glad people appreciate it!
Great article Amanda!
Found some inspiring stories and finally some inclusivity in the world of travel blogging!
Cheers for this,
Cátia
There are other blogs out there who do a good job of being inclusive of diverse voices, too, but I figured it was my turn!
I LOVE you for writing this! It absolutely needs to be said and these writers need to be heard and read. Thank you, Amanda!
Thanks so much! (Both for the nice comment, and for checking the post out!)
I love this post! I think it’s a great idea to highlight people with different perspectives – it’s always better reading about places and things from multiple views!
I agree! No one has the exact same experience in a destination, especially with so many varied viewpoints out there.
Hooray for diversity! Love this list.
Awesome list!! Please excuse me while I spend the next 2 weeks reading every single post on every one of these blogs XD
Haha! Lots of good stuff to read!
Great work!
You and your blog are awesome and thank you for promoting diversity. It’s important to hear from many voices and I appreciate you sharing these wonderful travelers.
I’m all about listening to different voices – this post was fun to put together, and I’m glad others are enjoying it!
Thanks so much for putting the list together (including the shout-out) Amanda and hope to see you soon again!
I hope our travel paths cross again soon too!
Really, really good post. Thank you for recognizing what you recognize. You and your list are truly inspiring to beginner bloggers like me.
Thank you for the kind words! This post was a lot of work to put together, but I’m excited to share it!
Fantastic roundup, Amanda. Thanks for using your voice to amplify others’ voices!
Happy to introduce you some new kickass bloggers!
This makes my heart soar!! Before I started blogging in Aug 2017, I hadn’t paid much attention to blogs. Now I am on all kinds of groups and trying to learn as much as possible. I have been searching for blogs with different perspectives from people with different abilities, ethnicities, lifestyles, etc. I am following all of these bloggers now. Thank you & thank you some more for putting this list together.
Thank YOU for the great feedback! There are so many great blogs out there. I’m sure I’ve missed a lot (like I said, it’s impossible to read every blog out there!), but I’ve been making a conscious effort in the past year to diversify the blogs I follow and read regularly.
Awesome list, Amanda! I’ve definitely seen more conversation about diversity in travel media recently, and I am so glad about it. I already knew a few bloggers on this list (I discovered Gloria’s blog a few weeks ago and I’m in love with it!) and I will definitely check the rest of them out. I think it’s important to search for blogs with different perspectives on purpose since they are hard to just stumble upon. One of my new favourite blogs with a different perspective that I found last year is Minka Guides, a travel blog by a drag queen.
Hopefully we’ll keep the conversation going! It really is important, and I’m happy to do my part to help amplify the voices of others!
And wait… a travel blog by a drag queen?? I’m definitely checking this out! That sounds awesome.
Thanks for the shout out Elina ? Great list Amanda ?