I have to confess, I’m a travel junkie. When I’m not travelling, I’m dreaming about places I want to visit next and strategizing how to make it happen. I also love to read, and fortunately there is no shortage of travel blogs to feed my appetite for travel content.
But finding good quality, informative, and helpful blogs can sometimes be a chore. I’ve hand selected 18 great travel blogs worth checking out. From family travel to frequent flyer tips, spas to responsible travel, there’s something to peak your interest.
Extra Pack of Peanuts – Extra Pack of Peanuts is a travel website built specifically to help everyone achieve their travel dreams, whether its to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef or sip wine in Tuscany. From flying around the world for less than $100 to scoring free nights at some of the world’s top hotels, information on how you can travel in style but without the hefty price tag is all there.
A World to Travel – Born in 2013, A World to Travel is a travel blog with a focus on Round the World experiences. The authors of the blog are actually a photography and travel writing team that delivers quality content and inspiring stories. The blog founder had the good fortune to live in Vancouver BC for a while during 2009 and spent a lot of time in my home town — Victoria.
One Mile at a Time – One Mile at a Time aims to help readers maximize their miles and points, both when it comes to accruing and redeeming miles. Ben Schlappig keeps a keen eye on the latest promotions in industry news so readers always get the best experience possible. Personally, I’m a sucker for the “guess where this photo was taken” feature. Can’t wait for the next one.
LL Worldtour – Lisa Lubin is a three-time Emmy® Award winning television writer, producer, photographer. After more than a decade in broadcast television she decided to take a sabbatical of sorts which turned into nearly 3 years traveling and working her way around the world. She documents her adventures with stunning photographs and witty articles from the road/train tracks/rickshaw/camel. Follow her wanderings, tips, and quips as she schleps around the world making friends, stuffing her face, and nourishing her soul.
Cancelon.com – Technically not a blog, but a pretty cool website and something value to visitors of HotelDealsRevealed.com. Cancelon is a market place that allows travellers who have non-refundable hotel reservations to sell them on a secondary marketplace. Cancelon is to hotels what StubHub is to event tickets. Definitely worth checking out.
Fishing4Deals – Deborah shares pragmatic tips and tricks about ways to save money, travel cheaper, and have fun doing it. Written by the “Priceline Queen”, her blog will show you how to outsmart “The Negotiator” using various internet resources and Priceline bidding strategies for various markets. Her focus is on domestic travel and ways to save money at modest hotels. In other words, travel for the rest of us.
Have Baby Will Travel – Have Baby Will Travel is a website with a mission to motivate, inspire, and help families travel with babies, toddlers, and young children. Founder Corinne McDermott is a professional writer, producer, and certified Travel Agent specializing in family vacations. She has written articles for publications such as Canadian Family, Today’s Parent, The Toronto Star, and appears regularly on national television.
Spa Travel Gal – Spa Travel Gal Ava believes that spa, travel and skincare experiences are not a luxury, but essential to a healthy body and mind. Ava has been touting this for years (and so has my wife) and it seems like the travel industry is listening. Spa travel is now on the rise in a big way with the movement toward wellness travel. Her website features deals, inside information and tips on planning a spa vacation.
Spaghetti Traveller – A couple of years ago, Tom set off from the United Kindgom on a road trip across the United States, from San Francisco to Miami. This instigated a fondness and passion for travel which seems insatiable. Tom’s travel adventures include a bucket list which he remains determined to complete. I’ve got 32 crossed off my list. Check it out and see how many you’ve done.
Travel 50 States with Kids – Written by a mom with three kids on a mission to take the kids to all 50 states before they graduate from high school, Travel 50 States with Kids focuses on family-friendly travel destinations within the United States. Blog posts about destinations are organized by state and contain information about a single destination, with family-friendly tips and lots of pictures. Other posts provide general travel tips for families.
EveryLodge – Travellers who love Groupon and other flash sale websites will love this site. EveryLodge is an aggregator of daily deals and the like, but for travel. How can you keep track of all the daily deals? You don’t need to — with a very slick interface, travellers can just use EveryLodge. My favorite part of this site: no signup required so you don’t get email overload.
Frequent Miler – The Frequent Miler blog is dedicated to finding creative new ways to earn and use frequent flyer points and miles. Read Frequent Miler to learn how to earn far more points than you ever dreamed possible. Then, use those points to travel in luxury for free. This is a must read for anyone unfamiliar with the phrase “Mileage Run”. This is essentially taking flights for the sole purpose of racking up miles. Very cool for die-hard point collectors.
30Traveler – Technically, I’m 2 months too old to read this blog, but if you’re in your 30s, check it out. The authors like to mix high and low budget options, showing you how to save money without sacrificing comfort. They mostly travel “flashpacker style” but splurge when it’s worth it. They also prefer to stay a month or two in a single place. If you like to be comfortable when you travel but also like to take long trips, this blog is for you.
Traveling 9 to 5 – A couple on a career break, travelling the world together and, as far as I can tell, haven’t killed each other yet. Traveling 9 to 5 is for everyone looking for a break from the 9 – 5 grind. Caroline and Josh Eaton are former corporate ladder climbers who quit their jobs in search of a location independent lifestyle. They traded in their business attire and briefcases for flip flops and backpacks. Join their journey as they inspire you to stop making excuses and start now writing a better story for your life.
Canadian Kilometers – There is a lot of buzz in the United States about how churning credit cards can easily and effectively get you essentially free trips in business/first class and five star hotels. But until now there really has not been anyone in Canada talking about this. As a fellow Canadian who loves to travel, can definitely related. This blog seeks to show readers how to maximize promotions based on Canadian access to points or even how to effectively redeem their points.
The Pointster – Another Canadian blog! The Pointster has a few great articles on Hotwire and Priceline from a Canadian perspective, and also offers tips for Canadians flying out of Victoria / Vancouver and Toronto. And this guy knows his stuff. Having lived in Victoria for 40 years, I can attest that the Poinster’s detailed info on west coast travel is spot on and 100% accurate.
Frayed Passport – Founded in 2012, Frayed Passport highlights travel advice, news, and stories from around the world, and provides training for aspiring travel writers, photographers, and filmmakers. Thinking about becoming a travel blogger? This site is for you. Later this year, they’re launching a series of mobile apps, digital publishing services, and lots more to help you travel like a pro!
1Life196Countries – 1Life196Countries is a blog that supports and promotes Responsible Travel and Local Tourism, Poverty Alleviation and Cultural Awareness by collaborating with DMO’s, service providers, tourism authorities, airlines, tour operators and travel agents through sponsored press trips. 1life196countries was founded by Kelly Little, a former news paper reporter with a background in socio-cultural anthroplogy.
Congratulations to these great travel blogs and websites! I’ve personally enjoyed reading your blogs and learning from your wisdom.