Translated by Núria Adell
Have you finally made up your mind about creating a blog of your trips? Does your current travel blog need a change and you’re looking for inspiration?
No matter what your situation is, I recommend you take a look at the websites and advice from great professionals. In this case, I’m not talking about WordPress developers or content marketing experts, but professionals who make a living mainly from their blog.
You’ll find great bloggers in all sorts of topics, but today, since we love traveling at Nelio (in a few days Toni’s going to New York for his honeymoon ?, and I have a couple of trips planned towards the east of the continent ?), I’ll tell you about some of the most popular travel blogs. Sorry, let me correct myself, nowadays there are so many popular blogs that I don’t think it’s possible to make a selection of the best. So, taking into account that in this blog we publish both in Spanish and English, I’ve selected 5 blogs in each language. Unfortunately, I’ve had to leave out many that are also worthwhile. In these selected blogs you’ll find spectacular trips and tips that you should keep in mind if you go to any of the destinations they recommend.
But it’s also very interesting to see how most of them dedicate some posts to discuss aspects of how to make a living from traveling, or rather, from being travel bloggers. The great majority are great experts in the field (some of them have a team of professionals behind) and offer tips or even courses to be a great blogger, which can be very useful if you already are or want to become one, no matter what your specialty is.
In the following list I’ve put the 5 posts in English first and then the ones in Spanish. From each of them, I first talk about the WordPress theme they use on their website in case you like it and serves you as inspiration. In addition, you’ll find here some posts that can help you become a better blogger.
Leaving aside their design and other advice, without a doubt, the most interesting part of all these blogs is their content and the incredible journeys they talk about. Speaking of trips, in some of them I’ve selected a post that you shouldn’t miss if you haven’t yet visited our wonderful city Barcelona ?. In others, I’ve highlighted other trips that you can’t miss.
Image of the interior of the Sagrada Familia (Naomi Hutchinson from Unsplash)#1 Nomadic Matt
Matthew Kepnes is the author of the New York Times best-seller How to Travel the World on $50 a Day. So you know, if you want to travel with a low budget, take a look at this blog. It has about 1 million visits per month, with a frequency of publication of two posts per week. You’re probably familiar with the blog‘s design because it uses the Genesis framework developed by StudioPress. Matt is a reference blogger and he offers The Business of Travel Blogging program of 12 weeks + 10 interviews with great digital experts to become a travel blogger expert.
The post on How to spend 5 days in Barcelona is highly recommendable. Personally, I’d just like to add that when you visit the Gothic quarter, you cannot miss the church of Santa Maria del Mar ?.
Another Matt who’s an adventure lover. Matthew Kartsten has been sharing his travels and stories for the past 4 years and he’s got some very spectacular photos. In his blog, he publishes about one post per month. The theme he uses is the WP-Prosperity premium developed by Michael D. Pollock. Matt also has a post in which he talks about his 11 Secrets to Becoming a Professional Blogger.
I’m afraid he hasn’t had the opportunity to visit Barcelona yet… what are you waiting for? Oh well, his amazing pictures of Iceland make it clear that we’ll have to make time to travel there someday.
#3 The Blonde Abroad by Kiersten
Kiersten is a traveler who’s visited 62 countries and is especially fond of sea activities and fashion. Her blog‘s been awarded for best travel and women’s style blog. She publishes about three posts per week. The theme she uses is Avada by ThemeFusion. Kiersten offers a Blog Mentorship Program where you’ll learn the tools to become a professional blogger.
She also has a basic guide to visit Barcelona that’s fairly complete (The Ultimate Barcelona Travel Guide).
#4 The Planet D | Adventure Travel Blog for Couples
This blog was created by a Canadian couple, Dave and Deb, who believe that adventure is for everyone. The truth is their photos make it clear that they have a great time on their trips. They publish about three posts per week. The theme they use is a child theme specifically customed for them from the downbeat theme, both developed by Mitch Canter. The article How to be a Travel Blogger – From Dream to Reality and How We Make Money is very interesting.
In The Planet D you’ll find more than one article on Barcelona, but the photo I found fantastic is this one of Deb in a 600 with the Catalan-English mix “Gambes on wheels” (“prawns on wheels”).
Image of Deb in a 600 in Barcelona (source: Cool City Tours in Barcelona)
Yaya and Lloyd have this travel blog specially inspired by food and photography. And they do have some very spectacular photos. In the blog they use the Theme-Ruby by ThemeForest
They have a post about what they’ve learned after two years of creating content on their blog (What We’ve Learnt in Two Years of Blogging and… Other Stuff 🙂) and the sympathetic and sincere tone they use should serve to encourage anyone to start a blog and discover that starting with no previous experience as a blogger is not that bad.
Their post dedicated to our city: 12 Amazing Things To See And Do On A First Trip To Barcelona has very good photos. Ah! But speaking of food, dear reader when you come to Barcelona, let us know and at Nelio we’ll make sure we take you to some authentic places ?.
#6 Inteligencia Viajera (Traveling intelligence)
Turning to the blogs in Spanish, Antonio G, a digital nomad, has focused on explaining how to make money with your travel blog (Cómo ganar dinero con tu blog de viajes), which is where he gets the attention of many. With lots of tips on how to monetize your blog, blogger interviews, training, and plenty of resources for bloggers, he also posts what he earns every month. The blog has a publishing frequency of up to 5 posts per week. Creativolandia is in charge of the website’s design and graphics using the Genesis framework. Antonio is very aware that his blog is his business.
#7 Los viajes de Nena (Nena’s travels)
Laura Lazzarino is an Argentinean who loves writing, and she narrates very touching stories of her travels. She’s the author of several books and received the winner prize for the best travel blog in 2016. She publishes one post per week and on her website she uses the theme Throne by meks.
Her “anachronistic” of her trip to Barcelona is highly recommendable.
#8 Nelson Mochilero (Nelson Backpacker)
Nelson is a travel journalist who has a blog and is also the creator of mochileros.org, a community to inspire new travelers. The website uses the theme Tempera created by Cryout Creations. With over 67.5K subscribers on his youtube channel, you’ll find more than one video explaining how to make money as a backpacker.
To get inspiration for my next trip, I really liked the Travel Guide: places where Game of Thrones was filmed.
#9 Viajeros Callejeros (Street Travelers)
Vanessa and Roger, from Girona, decided that, like most travel bloggers, traveling is their way of life. Their blog already has more than 1 million visits a month. The routes and travel tips they provide are very complete and they also explain how to create a travel blog step by step. They publish a post per trip they make, and they use the Genesis framework developed by StudioPress.
Their three-day Barcelona route is one of the best you can find.
#10 Viajando por ahí (Traveling around)
Aniko Villalba, Argentinean-Hungarian, is the author of this blog; she knew that writing was her passion and decided to dedicate her life to it. She publishes one post per month. What she likes the most is to see what everyday life is like in other parts of the world. I recommend her post on 10 tips for future digital nomads. The theme of her website is Oshin by Brand Exponents.
Her post on music to travel by car to Barcelona is very original.
And that’s it. You’ve met the blogs of 10 professional travellers. They make one jealous, don’t they? I could continue browsing these blogs and many more without ever getting tired of dreaming about traveling… but I’m afraid I should get back to work, right?
In any case, don’t forget to share in the comments your favorite travel website or post, which you think may be useful for those wanting to create a travel blog.
Featured Image by Bogdan Dada on Unsplash
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