The 9 Best Travel Blogs to Follow

Best Travel Blogs & Social Media Pages – Top 9

Becoming a successful online presence is simple, right?  You can build a blog, Facebook account, Twitter feed, and Pinterest page within hours… no prob.  Then, you write those three or four blog posts you’ve been sitting on for months… your trip to the Greece when your baggage got lost… the time you hiked Mt St Helen and “found yourself”… the deep-sea fishing trip when you puked.  Next, you sit back and wait for the traffic to come pouring in.  You check your blog comments every 20 minutes and become obsessed with Google Analytics.   “WTF… why am I not a famous author yet?!?”

I’m sure you’re a very interesting and witty human.  But, it’s going to take much more to build a successful online presence.  Unless you’re McJagger’s kid, or sleep with Sergey Brin, getting found online is a massive uphill battle… way worse than your Mt St Helen trip.

It can be done, however!  Any Matt, Johnny, or Earl (all noted below) can get there.

We’ve chosen to highlight 9 exceptional travel bloggers that have achieved success online.  Each has a unique writing style and obvious love for Travel.  They’ve each amassed a significant social following, as noted below.

These aren’t necessarily in order of our favorites.  We found the Top 9, then sorted them by their social clout.

We’ve purposely excluded large, corporate travel entities from our Best Travel Blogs list, like Conde Nast or Gadling.  These giants automatically accumulate followers based on their brand awareness and marketing dollars.  Whereas, our chosen 9 Travel Writers are their own brand.

Please check out each and find those that attract you most.  Some are more humorous, more artistic, deeper, etc.  But, everyone should be able to find one or two that will truly get them excited to explore this world!

We’ve also included a few examples of the social media posts you can expect when you decide to follow these individuals.

#2 Nomadic Matt

Meet Matt. His blog, Nomadic Matt, provides cost effective solutions to your travels needs.  He dispels the myth that traveling has to be super expensive. He was originally inspired by a group of backpackers he met in Thailand.  They showed him the art of traveling on the cheap.  Matt wants to share this philosophy with others, hence the blog. 

To get to know Matt better, here’s some fun facts:

• Matt loves airports, but hates flying
• As a kid, Matt was obsessed with the cartoon, Pinky and the Brain
• He passionately engages in politics
• Matt has been to over 30 Dave Matthews concerts

Here’s a little peek behind the curtains of Matt’s Facebook page and evidence of his position in our 9 Best Travel Blogs.

Matt has a huge following on both Twitter and Facebook.  To access his pages, you can use the following:

#4  Johnny Jet

Johnny epitomizes what it takes to be a successful travel publisher.  Rather than attempting to create content and jam it down readers inboxes, he had people requesting this information from him.  Originally, he started helping his buddies become more efficient travelers, through pointers like calling specific phone-numbers to earn “double miles.”  He then created an email list to help distribute his helpful tips.  Eventually he had strangers asking to join.  To keep up with the demand, he created his web site.  He’s an easy choice for a spot in our Best Travel Blogs list.

The purpose of his site is to help others travel “economically, comfortably, efficiently, and with plenty of style”

Here are some interesting tidbits about Johnny.

• Johnny has traveled 150k miles/yr for the last 10 years
• He’s been featured on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, Forbes and others
• Johnny hated flying until his first-class experience flying to Hong Kong
• Johnny once dated a legitimate princess

If you follow Johnny’s Facebook page, here’s a little sample of what you’ll get.

To follow Johnny Jet on Facebook, Twitter or RSS, you can click below.

#6 – Wandering Earl

You can tell that Earl is a great guy from his writing.  He has a distinct view of traveling when compared to others.  Many people travel to see specific attractions – not Earl.  For him, the most important piece is the human interaction. “The idea is to explore not only countries, but cultures.”  His passion and fun writing style make him an easy choice for our 9 Best Travel Blogs.

Earl’s love of travel began in 1999 when he landed in Southeast Asia for a three-month, post-graduation trip.  He never came home and has since visited 70 countries.

Here are some interesting facts about Earl.

• His first name is actually Derrick
• He was placed on the US Terror Watch List
• Earl has an afro
• He was involved in a two-day kidnapping
• He has very flat feet

If you’d like to subscribe to Earl’s Facebook, Twitter or RSS page, click any or all of the following.

#8 – The Everywhereist

This is a personal favorite.  Geraldine’s blog, The Everywhereist was started after she was laid-off from her previous job. Her husband frequently traveled for work – she started accompanying him on his travels and blogging about the experiences the two would share.  She describes The Everywhereist as “a travel blog. But at its core, it’s a love letter to my husband. A big, long, cuss-filled love letter. The kind he’d appreciate. The only kind I’m able to write.”

It’s obvious that Geraldine was a copywriter in her pre-Everywhereist life.  Her style of writing is entertaining in its own right.  When applied to topics like the following, it makes for a great blog.

• Ambiguous Taxidermy in Bavaria
• WTF Weds: Pop Tarts in France
• Superfluous Travel Item I Need (Kinda): Pajama Jeans
• Naughty Thoughts in Italy

As a side-note, we’re also big fans of her husband, and SEO guru, Rand Fishkin!

When you follow The Everywhereist on Facebook, you’ll see posts like the following.

To follow Geraldine and The Everywhereist on Facebook, Twitter and RSS, click below.

Which is your favorite??

Tell us which travel blogger mentioned above you’re most interested in.  Also, if we’ve missed your favorite, feel free to mention them below.