Most travelers prefer to book their own vacations, but many don’t have the time for trip research. So whether you’re looking for budget travel, luxury trips, family vacations, solo adventures, or roads less traveled, this list of the best travel blogs has honest reviews, must-see sites, and tons of ideas for your next vacation. So get clicking and enjoy the world!
Best Travel Blogs for Family Trips
1. Travel Babbo
Every year Eric Stoen takes his children on one-on-one global trips to experience new cultures and learn about people’s experiences in other countries. So far, they’ve traveled all over North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. His kids are not shy about picking destinations like Hong Kong, Belize, Easter Island, Iguazu Falls, Palawan, Bali, Japan, the Maldives, and Antarctica.
His family’s travels are detailed on his blog, Travel Babbo. With over 800,000 miles of travel with kids under his belt, Eric learned what works and what does not. When traveling with children, there is no one-size-fits-all approach but rather an exploration until you find something right for your family.
“I started blogging because I saw what families were spending for a week at Disneyland, and it killed me. They could take their kids to so many amazing international destinations for less money. In the process, they’ll have fun, unique experiences and be introduced to different cultures,” said Eric.
“I’ve kept my website purely inspirational to show parents great family travel destinations that they may not have thought about before. So sure, take your kids to Disneyland or Walt Disney World, but next year move on and show them the real places that Disney has recreated at its parks!”
2. Bridges & Balloons
Bridges and Balloons is all about traveling to special places. For travelers short on time or not interested in vacation research, this site provides handpicked, unique itineraries filled with beautifully designed places to stay and ways to experience the destination like a local. They love road trips, indy bookshops, glorious nature, thoughtful Airbnbs, farmers markets, street art, and discovering the creative side of a city. So if this sounds like your idea of exploring a place, check their site out.
3. Travel Plus Them
Travel Plus Them is on a mission to create inclusive global citizens through both worldwide travel and at-home learning. They believe that traveling and learning about the world teaches children curiosity, respect, and empathy. They help bring those travel and cultural insights to life with homeschool lessons and encourage donations to local communities when visiting a destination. Through their own experiences, they provide tips for traveling internationally with picky eaters and advice for those inevitable public meltdowns.
Best Travel Blogs: LGBTQ
4. 2 Travel Dads
“I started 2TravelDads.com after our second son was born because I wanted to share our story and provide visibility of families like ours. At the time, there weren’t any LGBTQ+ family travel blogs, so finding a resource with reliable information about what it’s like for a family like ours to visit certain destinations was difficult,” said Rob of 2TravelDads.”
“Thankfully, others saw the need as well, and we have been able to grow 2TravelDads into a trusted resource for LGBTQ families everywhere. Living in St Augustine, FL, we get to share a lot of the beautiful and welcoming side of the South, which many people are surprised about. Whether we’re on a road trip on the Georgia Coast or heading into the forests of Florida, we get to share interesting and unique places other families can feel confident exploring.”
5. Mikah Meyer
Documenting his 3-year, 200,000-mile journey to all of America’s 400+ National Park Service sites, MikaMeyer.com offers National Parks travel advice, LGBTQ+ vacation inspiration, adventure travel ideas, and adventure gear and apparel suggestions. In addition, he was the first openly gay man to be featured in an outdoors recreation industry ad in October 2018 for REI.
“There is very little representation of LGBTQ+ outdoors travel figures. Specifically, there’s a stereotype that gay men aren’t manly and outdoorsy,” said Mikah.
It’s his mission to be the openly gay outdoorsman he never saw growing up, to help change people’s perceptions and show LGBTQ+ youth they can have their pick of careers.
Best Travel Blogs for Solo Trips
6. Just One Way Ticket
Sabrina, the founder of JustOneWayTicket, has been living her dream of seeing more places than she could ever imagine. She encourages people to explore worldwide destinations by giving them valuable tips and inspiration. And she does it all with humor and realness not seen on most blogs. That’s one reason she’s featured on this list of the Best Travel Blogs.
“I started travel blogging in 2012 as an outlet for all my travel photos, to document my experiences of living abroad and exploring new cultures. I love to share stories and inspire people to see the world even when you’re on a budget,” she said. “Some of my favorite stories are about how I became a house sitter, traveled the world, and never paid for accommodation.”
7. The Solitary Wanderer
Aleah Taboclaon is a location-independent writer, editor, and travel blogger behind Solitary Wanderer. As an extreme adventurer who prefers hiking and caving over sightseeing, she started her blog to chronicle her solo travels and adventures with friends.
“I started blogging about my travels in 2009 when blogging wasn’t as popular as it is today. There just wasn’t a lot of information online at that time about solo female travel, much less as a Filipina traveler. So the thought of setting off on your own, pre-smartphone days, was a little bit scary,” she said.
“When my blog post Date a Girl Who Travels went viral, I learned how many women around the world could relate to how I feel about traveling. I’m glad my blog was able to inspire countless women to take the first step in traveling solo.”
Best Travel Blogs for Digital Nomads
8. Boundless Roads
Boundless Roads helps people find a way to leave cubicle life behind and become digital nomads. The site offers inspiring stories and valuable resources about working while traveling full-time.
As a female solo traveler, she inspires other travelers to push past their fears and travel solo anyway. Her site also offers travel guides for off-the-beaten-path adventures in Mexico, the USA, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Peru.
9. Red White Adventures
Red White Adventures specializes in hiking and other adventures for those living a nomadic lifestyle. If you’re short on time, you can easily plan excursions using their detailed guides that are simple, informative, and to the point. If you love long-term travel and want to connect with like-minded people who enjoy the outdoors, then this blog could be for you!
Best Travel Blogs for Adventure Travel
10. The Lovers Passport
The Lovers Passport helps people plan U.S. and global adventures like camping, road trips, hiking, and backpacking. They offer itineraries, packing lists, and tips and tricks on saving money while traveling. They illustrate that it is possible to travel to amazing places on the weekends. For those with a busy 9-5 job, this is one of the best travel blogs for planning shortcuts. Grab one of their custom itineraries and go!
11. Adventures of Nicole
The Adventures of Nicole is a travel blog written by adventurer, photographer, and expedition leader Nicole Smoot. Founded in 2015, she helps others plan adventures to some of the least visited places worldwide.
Her entertaining and wild stories of misadventures she’s had while exploring these destinations make it one of the best travel blogs out there. Through her site, Nicole hopes to inspire others to travel to some of the most misunderstood areas of the world and give travelers the tools and tricks to organize these journeys.
12. RV Love
Marc and Julie Bennett started their blog to inspire and educate people about how they, too, can live and love the R.V. life. Their goal is to answer all your questions, help you make intelligent decisions, and make the road ahead so much easier for you.
Their site, RV Love, gives tips on how you can work remotely from an RV as you travel. So if you aspire to a life of more freedom, fun, and travel in an R.V. and wonder how to make it happen, this is one of the best travel blogs.
13. Parks Collecting
Parks Collecting is designed to help people plan their perfect trip to U.S. national parks. It’s filled with information for people at every stage of their planning process. The site provides ideas on things to do in the parks and practical guides on exactly how to plan their trip. It’s a one-stop U.S. National Parks planning shop to explore these areas while avoiding the crowds.
Best Travel Blogs for Travel Hacking
14. Travel Hacking Mom
Travel Hacking Mom is run by a mother and daughter duo teaching people how to travel for little to no money by using credit card points. They educate and dispel myths on credit cards, so people aren’t afraid to travel this way. Some think travel hacking will mess up their credit, so they teach others how to leverage the opportunities without misusing credit cards. For those looking for step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks, they have also created a course on travel hacking.
15. The Frugal Tourist
Kris Abad, also known as The Frugal Tourist, views travel hacking as the juncture where frugality and travel intersect. So far, he has visited a total of 85 countries using points and miles for free travel. These travels include bucket list destinations that he couldn’t afford otherwise.
He was born and raised in Manila, Philippines, and is currently based in the San Francisco Bay area. His life is devoted to globe-trotting – exploring every nook & cranny of the world in the most frugal of ways by using points and miles.
Aside from traveling for free, he is also a huge fan of personal finance. Growing up poor, he has learned the value of hard work and saving. Initially, his extreme frugality posed a dilemma. How could I afford all of these trips if I’m terrified of spending?
That problem motivated him to start deep-diving into learning about miles and points. According to Kris, anyone remotely interested in travel should look into reward travel as it has the potential to save people a lot of money.
Best Travel Blogs for Global Trips
16. Every Country in the World
Henrik Jeppesen is a full-time travel blogger and the founder of Every Country in the World, a website for those who want to travel to most of our world’s countries. Despite a super small budget, he visited every single county in the world before turning 28.
With stories and tips, he outlines how he travels on an average of $20 a day. “What I’ve done can be done by anyone,” he says. His “Top 10” posts are a great place to start, all built from his personal travel experiences.
17. The World Travel Guy
The World Travel Guy is a travel blog with guides, tips, photos, and videos of scenic destinations around the globe. David, an American traveler, has lived in multiple countries with his wife, Intan, a Bali local. They use their own travels to build destination-specific guides for remote islands, hidden beaches, waterfalls, volcano hikes, and more.
For those looking to travel to off-the-beaten-path locations in Asia and The Middle East, it is one of the best travel blogs to see a place like a local.
18. The Planet D
ThePlanetD was born to inspire others to live an extraordinary life and follow their dreams.
“We started ThePlanetD in 2008 after spending nearly a decade splitting our time between travel and our careers. During our years of travel, we found that adventure transformed our lives, and we wanted to share our experiences with people to let them know they too can change their lives,” said Deb.
Best Travel Blogs for Specific Trips: Accessible, Sustainable, Affordable, Boutique Cruising, and More
19. Wonders Within Reach
Twenty percent of the U.S. population has a disability, and mainstream travel magazines and websites don’t often speak to their needs. That’s why Jennifer Allen started Wonders Within Reach.
“When we first found out that our middle son would never walk independently, I thought our lives of travel and adventure were over. After I got over the initial shock, I was determined to stop focusing on the problem and find solutions,” said Jennifer. “Since then, we’ve been exploring the world around us and inspiring and enabling other special needs families to do the same!”
“Once we began sharing our journey, I realized there are not many travel families that look like ours. We’re meeting a real need in both mapping and improving accessibility and inclusion. We show families with disabilities what is possible, and we work with locations to improve accessibility,” she continued. “All of this has also raised awareness for the disability community. I see other travel writers including accessibility information in their write-ups because they’re beginning to see the difference it can make!”
20. Sometimes Home/Sometimes Cruising
Sometimes Home was born when wedding photographer Mikkel tacked on vacations to her work travels. “I found I enjoyed writing about the trips in hopes of helping family and friends who would ask me about planning details afterward. Shortly after, I met my husband, and it became a couples travel blog, where we share our adventures as a duo and hope to inspire other couples to plan their next trip,” said Mikkel.
“We already knew we loved travel blogging from Sometimes Home. And, as most people were home during a pandemic with plenty of time to think, our wheels began turning about whether or not we wanted to start another travel website,” said Mikkel. “We have a passion for small format cruises, especially, and sustainability. So many people have questions about cruising, and we want to help. So, that’s how Sometimes Sailing was born.”
21. Honeytrek
Mike and Anne Howard decided to embark on a trip around the world together after realizing that life is short and the value of travel was too great to wait another day. So they left on their global honeymoon in January of 2012 and haven’t been back.
Using Mike’s background in digital media strategy and photography and Anne’s expertise as a magazine editor, they started HoneyTrek while traveling to Indonesia, Australia/Oceania, Africa, and Europe. While exploring seven continents over three years, National Geographic eventually noticed and asked them to write their first book on couples adventure travel. It’s now a bestseller that has been published in four languages.
“HoneyTrek started as a way to share our one-year honeymoon around the world, and ten years later, we are still going! We’ve been full-time digital nomads since January 2012, traveling to 60+ countries across all seven continents for under $1k a month, all in. Our couples travel blog, and NatGeo book focus on off-the-beaten-track places, uncommon adventures, and the human stories that make each place special,” said Anne and Mike, Founders of Honeytrek.com
22. Cheapest Destinations Blog
Tim Leffel runs the popular Cheapest Destinations Blog, which covers bargain travel tips, the best values worldwide, and living abroad in less-expensive countries. He provides information gleaned from 25+ years of global traveling and his base in central Mexico. He is also the author of multiple books, including The World’s Cheapest Destinations and A Better Life for Half the Price.
23. Planner at Heart
Whether you’re a new timeshare owner or new to timeshare exchange companies due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Planner at Heart aims to inspire better vacations for millions of timeshare owners. Its mission is to help the 9 million U.S. households who own a timeshare (and the 22 million owners worldwide) make the most of their timeshare ownership.
“Timeshare vacations and ownership is beautiful yet complicated, and there’s a steep learning curve. As a timeshare owner of 15 years and a member of nationwide owners groups, I have seen firsthand that many people struggle to learn how to use their timeshare and the leading exchange companies, RCI and Interval International. So I created these completely free resources after seeing the need,” said Monica Fish, Founder, PlanneratHeart.com.
Speaking to today’s timeshare owner, the site includes free tutorials and modern guides such as how to leverage a membership with the largest timeshare exchange company to go on bucket-list trips. The first guide, “Timeshare to National Parks,” is a unique, exclusive offering that pairs 277 RCI affiliated timeshare resorts near 44 U.S. National Parks to quickly see how a timeshare owner can see 70% of these America’s National Parks with timeshare exchanging.
If you’re a timeshare owner looking to learn from a happy timeshare owner, this is one of the best travel blogs in the space.
