Welcome to our pick of the 50 most underrated travel blogs this side of WordPress. Whether you’re looking for some light travel reading to bookmark, a new RSS feed to subscribe to and useful info from people on the ground in the destinations you dream about; we think you will find something new and beneficial in the list below.
South African Travel Blogs
1. Mzansi Girl: Meruschka is as passionate about South Africa as she is writing about it and this comes through on her blog Mzansi Girl. If you’re looking for some local inspiration, or just want to see what’s what in South Africa Tourism, her blog should be your first port of call.
Editor’s Note: Meruschka is also doing a lot for the South African travel writing scene through her Facebook group as well as through the GTBC initiative.
2. Duff’s Suitcase: Ex Getaway Digital Editor Sarah Duff explores the world through her travel blog Duff’s Suitcase. Recent excursions include trips to Afrikaburn and Turkey.
sarahduff.com/blog | @SarahDuff
3. Ranger Diaries: Having won a South African Blog Award for “Best Travel Blog”, Ranger Diaries is gaining the recognition it deserves. Bringing you firsthand safari encounters from guides in the field, Ranger Diaries will have you salivating after your next bush getaway.
rangerdiaries.com | @rangerdiaries
4. Travelstart blog: The blog from the experts in cheap flights (us) 🙂 – has built a substantial following in recent years thanks to our “Global Citizens” that contribute the latest and greatest travel tips from their locations around the world.
travelstart.co.za/blog | @Travelstart
5. Getaway Blog: The recipient of a 2012 SA Blog Award, Getaway’s blog compliments their established print magazine offering extremely well by providing a hub of awesomely curated travel content. Their escapade into digital has resulted in an event called the Getaway Travel Bloggers Conference – a platform that takes blogging to the community via an annual meet up with a lineup of such established guest speakers as Nellie from WildJunket and Keith from Velvet Escape. They also have some fantastic giveaways.
blog.getaway.co.za | @GetawayMagazine
6. Cape Town Tourism: One look at Cape Town Tourism’s online presence and your faith in the websites of typically dreary city bureaucracies is restored. Seriously though, Cape Town Tourism has done a superb job of showcasing the Mother City on the Internet for the desirable destination she is.
capetown.travel/blog | @CapeTownTourism
7. Bright Continent: Bright Continent is a digitized collection of published and unpublished writing and imagery compiled from journeys in Africa. Creator, Anton Crone, is a freelance writer and photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa.
brightcontinent.co.za | @antoncrone
8. Capturing Africa Journeys: Stuart Parker’s blog gives readers a glimpse into his most recent journeys through the “Dark Continent”. Discover the best of Southern Africa and seek advice to help plan your African vacation.
9. Travel Wires: Muzi Mohale blogs about the business of travel and tourism in South Africa on his website Travel Wires.
travelwires.com | @travelwires
10. TravelGround: This locally produced blog is here to inspire and inform with a stimulating selection of stories about South African travel.
travelground.com/blog | @TravelGround
11. The Incidental Tourist: Dawn Jorgensen is a self-described natural born traveller with more than a decade’s experience professionally designing dream holidays, as well as taking numerous herself. Her globetrotting experiences culminate on her website in a series of beautifully crafted, visually rich posts.
theincidentaltourist.tumblr.com | @DawnJorgensen
12. The Travel Manuel: Lauren Manuel’s itchy feet have taken her to more than 6 continents… and she’s still at it. At the moment settled in Thailand as an English teacher, who knows how long it will be until she’s on the road again. Keep up with her adventures on The Travel Manuel.
thetravelmanuel.com | @thetravelmanuel
13. Travel Comments: Seb from Travel Comments ensures his readers are kept up-to-date with frequently posted tidbits of useful travel information. The man is quick to break travel news so follow him on Twitter for a daily dose of weather, flight, accommodation and advisory information.
umhambi.blogspot.com | @travelcomments
14. Food and the Fabulous: Ishay Govender-Ypma explores local and exotic cuisine through a series of delectable blogs inspired by the places she visits in South Africa and overseas.
foodandthefabulous.com | @Foodandthefab
15. The Great Adventurer: The Great Adventurer is the result of nomadic writer Chris’ spontaneous adventures. If you’re a happy-go-luck trekker unfazed by mishaps that can happen on the road then you will love this blog. Chris and his guest editors love to rough it and this comes through in posts that cover camping, hiking, sports, eating out and events.
thegreatadventurer.com | @tgadventure
16. Inspired Living: Fiona rediscovers the beauty and creativity of Cape Town on her blog Inspired Living. By combining an eclectic mix of décor, lifestyle, photography, fashion, food and travel topics, Fiona Rossiter has created a virtual world that is as inspiring as it is elegant. With an eye for style, it’s no wonder “girly girls” will be first in line when a new post pops up on Fiona’s website.
inspiredlivingsa.co.za | @inspired_lifeSA
17. Mother City Magic: From the blog’s URL you can tell the tales inside Mother City Magic will take you far beyond the famous rock that watches over Cape Town. Veronica started her blog as a vehicle to get her out into her own city more often and it’s worked! Nowadays her website is a goldmine of stories, quirks and spots in and around the Mother City that you would otherwise miss.
mothercitymagic.blogspot.com | @MotherCityMagic
18. Jozilicious: Some might argue that there’s nothing else to do in Joburg except shop and eat out, but Jozilicious will certainly convince you otherwise. Hasmita Nair takes her readers on a journey through all things fabulous in and around Jozi including where to eat, what to do on the weekend and Joburg’s mushrooming market scene.
joziliciousblog.co.za | @Hasmita
19. That’s Cape Town: Continuing with the Cape Town focused blog trend (We’re not sure what they’re putting in the water down there but we love it) is That’s Cape Town! If you want to read about the Mother City – the good, the bad, the funny, the sad – they’ll be writing about it. That’s Cape Town was created to showcase the “other side” of the city, mountain and oceans. Writers focus on what makes Cape Town home, and what makes the Mother City such a unique location.
thatscapetown.co.za | @ThatsCPTblog
20. Tamika Doubell: While it isn’t setting out to be a travel blog, we love the pictures and stories on Tamika Doubell’s website. Thanks to her job as a filmmaker Tamika gets to travel… a lot. She’s currently in New York City and you can keep up with her Big Apple adventures on her personal website.
21. Love Affair Cape Town: Ok stop the presses… Another Cape Town blog!!! I mean we’ve heard rumours about the quartz inside the mountain making locals more “creative” than other mere mortals, but we didn’t think it true until we started looking into Cape Town’s hyperactive blog scene.
Lucky for us, Love Affair Cape Town run by Karisa Nicholls is a meeting place for likeminded Mother City romantics who live by the #LoveCapeTown code. Karisa blogs about anything & everything Cape Town related with some other destinations thrown in here and there.
loveaffaircapetown.com | @CTmylove
22. 2Summers: Heather Mason’s (AKA 2Summers) site is a personal account of the adventures of a self-described “American Suburbanite in Quirky Johannesburg”. She’s been based in Jozi since 2010 and she’s forthcoming about the passion she’s developed for the city. This passion comes through in the beautifully crafted combination of words and pictures you’ll find on her blog. Through 2Summers you can expect to discover places that most locals don’t know about, and find a renewed passion for a city that has had quite a bad rap in recent years.
23. 66 Square Feet: Marie Viljoen was born in Bloemfontein, came of age in Cape Town, and grew up in New York. She’s a self-proclaimed Writer / Gardener / Forager / Cook – interests which come together on her blog in the New York or South African setting. There is also a book in the making called 66 Square Feet – A Delicious Life and it’s due to be published in September.
Oh, and if you’re wondering how the name 66 Square Feet came about, that’s the size of the tiny Brooklyn (NYC) terrace she shares with her husband.
International Travel Blogs
24. Fly Naija: This Nigerian based travel blog is an excellent source of breaking travel news, airline news and Visa information.
25. The Travel Tart: Anthony Bianco writes about the funny, offbeat, and downright bizarre aspects of world travel today on his website, The Travel Tart. With features that include a worldwide beer index, gap year tips and funny travel guides, Anthony has made name by taking the seriousness out of travel. WARNING: This blog may contain traces of humour.
thetraveltart.com | @TheTravelTart
26. Karim Nafatni: Not so much a blogger as he is a photographer, Dubai based Emirates pilot Karim Nafatni uses his unique “office” location at 30 000 feet as a vantage point for some beautiful photos displayed on his photo-blogs.
knxposures.com | http://500px.com/GostRidr
27. Everywhereist: Geraldine DeRuiter says being laid off was one of the best things that happened to her, something that becomes immediately evident when you arrive at her travel blog. Born out of the FOMO she experienced when her husband started travelling a lot for work, Everywhereist provides a hilarious insight into Geraldine and hubby’s jaunts to the far reaching corners of the world.
everywhereist.com | @everywhereist
28. Almost Fearless: Christine Gilbert’s accounts of travelling the world with her husband and young son are the source of much hilarity and include gems such as “How to have Sex on the road and not wake your child”.
almostfearless.com | @almostfearless
29. Lisa Bettany: Apple fan boys will love Lisa Bettany’s travel blog. She’s dedicated nearly an entire website to getting the most out of your iPhoneography when on the road. Lisa also happens to be the significant other of Pete Cashmore of Mashable fame.
30. Travel Dudes: Melvin from Travel Dudes has built a formidable online travel community that spans thousands. The result is a lively hub of honest travel info created by travelers, for travelers. Their weekly #TTOT (Travel Talk on Twitter) is a really nice touch too.
traveldudes.org | @traveldudes
31. Jetset Extra: This multimedia travel website aims to inspire travelers of all levels to embrace and explore the world. Their writers, known as “Insiders,” hail from around the globe and share their unique perspectives about the destinations they travel to and the cities they live in.
jetsetextra.com | @JETSETextra
32. Tripwolf: With trusted travel information for more than 50 000 destinations; Tripwolf offers a smorgasbord of delightful travel content through multiple platforms. Plus they let you create your own PDF travel guide to print out and go… for free!
33. Tnooz: If you’re interested in the technology behind travel then Tnooz is the quintessential read. The website offers the latest in travel tech news, opinion pieces as well as startup tips from the pioneers of many successful and unsuccessful online travel ventures.
34. Simpliflying: Shashank Nigam’s niche blog is taking the friendly world of social media and blogging to stuffy old airports and corporate airlines in inimitable style. Shashank is something of a travel thought leader, and his blog offers valuable insight into the science behind aviation marketing.
simpliflying.com | @simpliflying
35. Global Grasshopper: This UK based husband and wife run travel blog is a meeting place for people who appreciate fine travel photography and stories. In their own words Gray and Becky “love independent travel, discovering places away from the usual tourist haunts, quirky hotels and beautiful photos”, and their website is the product of all their favourite things.
globalgrasshopper.com | @globalgrasshopr
36. TravelFish: This is the essential resource for passengers in love with South East Asia. It includes all manner of useful reviews, an active forum and exposes those off the beaten path destinations.
37. KLM Blog: From the same guys that brought you social seating, KLM Airlines’ blog brings you behind the scenes stories about air travel, destinations they fly to, and their people.
38. Pam Ann: Everyone’s favourite flamboyant air hostess Pam Ann returns in this delightfully humourous blog that reveals everything about “the morning after the flight before”. Her entertaining insights cover anything from travelling tips for gay pride to an airline guide with a twist.
39. Wandering Earl: For a guy that started out with the intention of “travelling for a bit, and then going home”, Earl certainly has gone a long way. It’s lucky for us though as we get to join in the fun on his website.
wanderingearl.com/blog | @WanderingEarl
40. 1000 Fights: “Couple travel fights? We got’em. Exotic locales? Yep. Relationship ideas? Gottcha covered. Fun? ALWAYS!” Visit this funny travel blog and discover 1000 places to fight with your significant other before you die.
41. Where the Hell is Matt: Matt Harding is a self-confessed “36-year-old deadbeat from Westport, Connecticut who used to think that all he ever wanted to do in life was make and play videogames.” We know him better as a globetrotter famous for his video blogs that show him dancing in exotic destinations around the world.
wherethehellismatt.com | @WhereTheHIsMatt
42. LandLopers: Matt Long is a travel blogger, writer and photographer specializing in luxury adventure travel. With 7 continents and 60+ countries under his belt, LandLopers enables Matt to reflect on the things he’s seen and learned, as well as a place to find information on a variety of travel topics.
43. Scene by Laurie: Laurie DePrete is a marketing exec passionate about New York City, travel and art. So far her adventures have taken her to Mexico, Morocco, China, Spain, Italy, Canada, Ireland, Greece, Paris, the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Barbados, London, Bath, Wales, The Virgin Islands, and a year long tour of the US.
scenebylaurie.com | @LaurieDePrete
44. GoMad Nomad Travel Mag: With the world as its base, this online magazine for independent travelers edited by Stephen Bugno focuses on popular and off-the-beaten-track destinations, volunteering and working opportunities abroad, and practical travel advice on long-term, adventure, alternative, and budget travel.
45. Active Backpacker: Active Backpacker is a really well-designed blog from Australian travelling couple Trudy & Tom. Their site offers awesome travel advice, guides, & tips from fellow backpackers, as well as a free, downloadable “Backpacking Europe Guide”.
activebackpacker.com | @activebackpackr
46. My Travel Affairs: Marysia is a traveler by heart, jet setter, and nomad. She’s dedicated to exploring the world in search of unique places, amazing people and immersing stories – stories which are poured on to her space on the web on a regular basis.
mytravelaffairs.com | @MyTravelAffairs
47. Neverending Footsteps: Lauren Juliff left England in July 2011 for what was supposed to be a one year trip around the world. Within a few months of leaving she knew that a year would never be enough. Nowadays she works online and travels permanently, seeking misadventures in unique, beautiful and fascinating places. Readers will love her “Incidents” posts which include punching a scammer in Shanghai, being attacked by monkeys in Bali, and sitting next to a dead woman on a boat in Laos.
neverendingfootsteps.com | @nefootsteps
48. CC Food Travel: These traveling foodies are after life’s little adventures. They travel with eyes wide open, run with their hearts and eat like there’s no tomorrow. Read all about it on the couples blog, CCFoodTravel.
ccfoodtravel.com | @agentcikay
49. Bite-sized Travel: This Canada based blog combines food, wine, epic treks & travel adventures at home and abroad. Krista Spurr’s primary objectives are to see the world, eat as much of it as possible and share the best of what she finds, a couple of times a week or so.
bitesizedtravel.ca | @bitesizedtravel
50. Globetrottergirls.com: Currently in Berlin (though this will probably have changed by the time you read this), Globetrotter Girls is Dani and Jess – a couple who met on the road in 2006 and have have been travelling the world since breaking free from corporate life in 2010. On Globetrottergirls they share their combined passion for ‘slow travel’ which includess the good, a little bad, and sprinklings of the ugly…
globetrottergirls.com | @GlbetrotterGrls
51. Buffert: A Swedish travel blog that writes about destinations they’ve visited themselves which is portrayed in their articles. As a finance website as well they recommend destinations on low budgets and how to find them.
Editor’s Note: When you start doing some research into travel blogs you will be astounded by the sheer amount of high quality websites out there as well as some not-so-lovely ones. With that being said, it becomes apparent that we’ve missed thousands in the list above. In light of this admission we’re always on the lookout for more Internet wanderlust so please share your (online) world with us in the comments below.
This list might have been published in 2013, but the ones I clicked through are still very active. I wonder what they looked like when they first launched? That would be interesting to know.
When are you updating this website? Many. of these people arent active anymore
Hi there,
Thanks for getting in touch.
All information on the blog page was correct at the time of publishing and information could have since changed.
Thanks for the information.
I will look at some of those blogs for my East African travel content projects.
A very entertaining read. Do you think it might be time for an updated version?