With the year coming to an end, we have asked our readers, users, and travelers to nominate their favorite blogs which they continued to follow throughout the past year. After going through hundreds of submissions and speaking to each nominee to find out more about their inspirations and unique offerings, we put together (in no particular order) a final list of the best travel blogs! See also, Wanderu’s Best Travel Blogs of 2013.
Without further ado, please scroll on for Wanderu’s Best Travel Blogs of 2014 part 3.
In 2010, Angie Orth traded her career as a travel publicist for a suitcase. She sold all of her belongings and embarked on a solo trip around the world. Angie Away is a blog that uses storytelling to convey practical tips and experiences. Her mission is to “help travelers with limited vacation time to make the right travel choices before [they] get on the road.”
The Longest Way Home captures the “raw reality of travel.” With practical, real-world guides, the blog captures personal experience and useful facts, figures, and information. And stay tuned for more because next year The Longest Way Home will be expanding into guidebooks!
“People often think travel involves hopping on a plane and going to somewhere exotic and while it certainly can, I think it’s useful to think of travel from another perspective,” says Laurel Robbins. She urges travelers to find interesting places no more than 2 hours from their home. But above all, the mission of Monkeys and Mountains is to “encourage people to explore and to get out into nature and off-the-beaten track.
The mission of Ken Kaminesky is to share his passion for travel and photography in as many ways as he can. He hopes that his photographs encourage his readers to travel to these destinations and that the information he passes along helps them with their journeys.
Virtual Wayfarer strives to talk about travel honestly and to give its readers a sense of “nagging curiosity.” “I find that more often than not, the best revelations and most useful content comes from an honest look at my own lessons, failings, misadventures, and questions,” says Alex Berger. “Added to that, I specialize in cross-cultural communication and am a bit of an anthropologist and amateur historian. These serve as great tools for boiling down and explaining key aspects of the travel experience.”
Nomadic Notes began as a way for James Clark to connect with other travelers but has evolved into a resource for how to travel as a digital nomad. He writes about long-term travel and working while on the road. He likes to prove to his readers that if they wish to long-term travel, it is possible to do so.
“My endless curiosity motivates me to travel around the world in search of the best once-in-a-lifetime experiences to share, and it is my ultimate hope that these stories will inspire readers to not only dream but to also do.” From swimming with the whale sharks in Mexico to watching wrestlers practice at a sumo stable in Japan, in her blog, the Bucket List Journey, Annette White provides her readers with valuable information while helping them overcome their fears and anxieties.
The inspiration for Breathe Dream Go began with Mariellen Ward’s 6-month trip to India that she took in 2005. She often posts tips and advice, especially for women, about traveling in India. She says, “India, Canada, meaningful adventure travel and female solo travel are the main focuses of Breathedreamgo. But underlying everything I do is a philosophy of overcoming fears and following your dreams.”
Dave’s Travel Corner provides a wide range and diversity of travel content, ranging from guides, travel journals, photography, videos, interviews, and more. He says, “Creating the site at the time allowed me to combine my passion for writing with my new found interest in international travel.”
“We usually don’t tell our readers what to do, but we tell them what they need to know,” says Yoshke. Through their many failures, the creators of The Poor Traveler hope to divert their readers from mistakes that they themselves have already experienced by providing them with specific info like directions, admission fees, opening days and hours, and dress codes.
“By using my stories I want to set an example, encourage people to take a chance and do what they really want to do with their life: travel, discover the world and go with the flow,” says Clelia Mattana. Keep Calm and Travel provides its readers with real stories and misadventures to entertain and help them avoid mistakes.
In her blog, Hole in the Donut Cultural Travel, Barbara Weibel provides her readers with narrative stories about her journeys and often includes details such as contact information, driver accommodations, restaurants, etc. She also has the occasional “tips and tricks” guides, such as tips on packing, safety, travel-gear, travel insurance, etc. She says, “By immersing in other cultures through independent travel, I am able to publish stories that demystify other cultures, foster understanding, and convince my readers that travel is not dangerous.”
We sincerely hope that after exploring some of these amazing blogs and checking out Wanderu.com, you are inspired to travel more in 2015!
