Travel Blog Awards 2017
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Voting has now closed...
...and our winners have been announced! Thanks to your many votes, we're delighted to announce our overall winner in the 2017 Travel Blog Awards is Ross Jennings, aka, The First Piper! Ross received the most votes out of all our carefully selected nominees, and as such has bagged himself a £1,000 Flight Centre holiday voucher.
CONGRATULATIONS ROSS!
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(image: Ross Jennings)
We're so excited to reveal the best bloggers in their field too – here are the rest of this year's winners:
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Travel Photography Blog (and overall winner): The First Piper – received 80% of category votes
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Established Travel Blog: Eat Sleep Love Travel – received 52% of category votes
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Up and Coming Travel Blog: Salt in our Hair – received 46% of category votes
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Australia Travel Blog: Food, Wine Travel – received 28% of category votes
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Luxury Travel Blog: P.S. I’m On My Way – received 46% of category votes
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Foodie Travel Blog: Sana on Food – received 45% of category votes
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Expat Travel Blog: Live with a View – received 45% of category votes
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Travel Publications: Suitcase Magazine – received 40% of category votes
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Travel Instagrammers: Girl vs Globe – received 32% of category votes
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Travel YouTubers: I am Aileen – received 59% of category votes
Find out more about this year's nominees below:
Established Travel Blog
The candidates for this category are all established travel bloggers who have written extensively about their worldly adventures for many years:
Eat Sleep Love Travel: Vicky & Chris are a married couple from Yorkshire, England, who both work full time but have also been travelling together since 2007. Between the two of them they have been to 70 countries.
Emily Luxton Travels: Emily Luxton Travels is a personal travel blog focusing on solo female travel, adventure, and personal development through travel. Championing a deeper, slower travel style where possible, Emily tries to really get to know each new destination and encourage others to do the same.
My Adventures Across the World: Claudia is a former human rights lawyer and academic who abandoned her career to follow her true calling, which has taken her on many adventures and misadventures across the world. Through her blog she shares her inspiring stories, gives lots of travel advice and occasionally goes on a rant.
To Europe & Beyond: At age 19, Marie-Eve packed her suitcase and moved from Montreal to England. Eight years, 21 countries and a handsome husband later, her bucket list is longer than ever and she's turned her passion into a profession.
Mondo Mulia: Originally from Rome, Giulia Mule is a food and travel blogger and photographer living in London. Her blog focuses on baking recipes, restaurant and coffee reviews and travel guides.
Polkadot Passport: Nicola Easterby is an Australian blogger who has travelled to 37 countires. By sharing unique, bucket-list experiences, destination guides, travel photography tips and endless adventures, Polkadot Passport simple goal is to inspire everyone to go out and explore this beautiful world we live in
Established Travel Blog category winner: Eat Sleep Love Travel
Up and Coming Travel Blogs
Showcasing emerging bloggers with a passion for travel who have recently come to prominence:
Thrifty Trails: Originally started by newlyweds Tim and Pam as a way to keep family and friends informed and updated on their travels, this blog slowly turned into a medium for keeping track of their experiences as well as sharing useful tips they've learnt along the way.
Salt in our Hair: Salt in our Hair comes from Hannah and Nick, two creatives travelling the world together as a couple. In the Netherlands, they graduated school in the creative industry as a graphic designer and web developer, and began working on their blog which focuses on unique photography, videos and guides.
Little Big Traveler: Little Big Traveler is created by Evelina, a blogger based in Amsterdam but with a passion for travelling the world.
Explorista: Currently based in London, blogger Milou travels about 20 times a year and documents these experiences on her blog.
Twins that Travel: Twins Claire & Laura began with an Instagram account that they turned into a travel blog. They believe in honest and authentic blogging (food poisoning included), that is both relatable and inspiring for any type of traveller.
Clausito's Footprints: Having lived in Mexico, Canada, Australia and the UK, and visited 32 countries, Claus is a travel writer that brings a knowledgeable and honest perspective to the blog world.
Up and Coming Travel Blogs category winner: Salt in our Hair
Australia Travel Blogs
As an Australian company ourselves, we love looking to these local Australian bloggers to gain insider information, travel inspiration and local tips:
Sofia in Australia: Originally hailing from Lisbon, Portugal, Sofia now blogs about her life in a small town by the beach in Australia.
2 Aussie Travellers: Toni & Drew are an Australian travel blogging couple with a passion for travel in the Asia-Pacific region. Their site shares their love of food, adventure and amazing places through destination guides, reviews and travel tips.
Bitten by the Travel Bug: Bitten by the Travel Bug was created by Nicole for people who don’t fit neatly into a box when they travel.
WA and Far Away: Perth local Rebecca writes about her home state of Western Australia as well as her other travels abroad.
Food Wine Travel: Christine Salins and Maurie O'Connor produce this entertaining and inspirational guide to travelling, living and eating well, in Australia and abroad.
Sunset Travellers: Sunset Travellers is run by Steve and Sabina who moved to Australia from Ireland in 2013.
Australia Travel Blogs category winner: Food, Wine Travel
Luxury Travel Blogs
This category hosts the shortlisted nominees for the best luxury travel blogs. These are sites for discerning travellers who enjoy residing at some of the world’s finest hotels and holidaying at exclusive resorts:
The Tales of a Traveler: The Tales of a Traveler is one of the top luxury travel and lifestyle blogs in India, and shares the best of luxury stays, offbeat locations, food finds, weekend getaways, restaurant reviews and travel tips to plan your vacations while also having a full-time job.
Silverspoon London: London blogger Angie Silver covers the latest in luxury travel and life in London.
Mrs O Around the World: Originally from Lisbon, Portugal, Ana Silver O'Reilly is based in the UK and documents her luxurious travels regularly.
The Travelista: Run by British blogger Jess Gibson, The Travelista is an award-winning UK luxury travel blog with a focus on savvy city guides, boutique hotel reviews and honest recommendations. It’s the ultimate destination for stylish travel inspiration.
Wish Wish Wish: London-based blogger Carrie documents everything from fashion and food to London and cities across the world.
P.S. I'm On My Way: Trisha made a job out of travelling with her blog P.S. I'm On My Way. Her blog features a huge range of far-flung destinations and how to enjoy luxury travel on a budget.
Luxury Travel Blogs category winner: P.S. I’m On My Way
Travel Photography Blogs
This category showcases places around the world captured through a camera lens, to incredible effect. Here’s our shortlist:
Young Adventuress: Liz Carlson began her blog when she moved to Spain to teach English. Since then she has turned into a full-time blogger and has even moved to New Zealand.
Getting Stamped: Hannah and Adam are travel photographers and writers who've been traveling the world non stop for the past four years. They have a passion for photography and showing people the world through their photos and travel blog.
Urban Pixxels: Jacintha is originally from the Netherlands but now lives in London. Urban Pixxels is all about travel inspiration and information for the traveller who wants to explore the most interesting destinations in the world.
One Tiny Leap: One Tiny Leap is an award-nominated family travel blog charting the world adventures of Maria, her partner Rob, and their son. From a round-the-world trip to adventures closer to home in Europe, One Tiny Leap aims to show parents that having a family can only mean more travel.
Petite Passport: With a love of hotspots you won't always find in the guidebooks, Pauline seeks out and photographs some of the coolest places in the world with a focus on design.
The First Piper: Combining his love of travel and music, Ross Jennings travels the world with bagpipes in hand and documents his unique experiences along the way.
Travel Photography Blogs category winner: The First Piper
Foodie Travel Blogs
The shortlist of nominations for this category features bloggers with an adventurous appetite for travel and cuisine in equal measure:
Sana on Food: Sana's blog shares her food journey through her current city of Dubai, including the best places to eat in the city as well as recipes and travel recommendations.
Little Miss Katy: Little Miss Katy is a place for Katy to document and share her love of cooking, travelling, and life as a 20-something year old in London.
Catch52: Catch52 is a London-based food and travel blog, offering readers tips on where to eat, what to do and where to stay. Originally created as a 52-week bucket list project of doing something new each week, Em now aims to eat her way around the world – one restaurant and location at a time.
Will Fly for Food: JB and Renee are the "traveleaters" behind Will Fly for Food, a travel blog for the gastronomically inclined. Aside from looking for the best places to eat in every city they visit, they've also made it their mission to try every country's national dish.
Our Tasty Travels: Originally from California, blogger Erin splits her time between Belize and the Netherlands, as well as documenting her travels and search for the world's best wine and food.
Veggie Visa: Veggie Visa’s mission is to discover vegan lifestyle options all over the planet. Whether it be a delicious restaurants to dine at, great places to shop, vegan recipes, or health and wellness information, the site is devoted to traveling the globe to bring you great vegan resources, tips and stories.
Foodie Travel Blogs category winner: Sana on Food
Expat Travel Blogs
The list of nominations for this category features expat bloggers who have experienced life abroad and share their encounters of embracing new cultural experiences:
Jess on Thames: 12 years ago, Jess moved from the USA to Europe for what was supposed to be a one-year stint. Over a decade later, life abroad is just as entertaining, as evident in her blog.
A Wanderlust for Life: Sean and Jessica craved the European lifestyle, so they sold everything and moved to Amsterdam to be able to travel throughout Europe. They give a unique perspective on the cities you know and love while also going outside the city limits for new experiences.
The New Diplomat's Wife: In this blog, Ania documents her unique expat life as a diplomat's wife in which they spend two to three years in different parts of the world. Currently she lives and blogs in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The (non-existent) Bucket List: Emma is a teacher from Australia who blogs about her life as an expat life on the South Pacific island of Fiji.
Life with a View: Jeannie is an American expat, blogger and travel addict living in Iceland. Her blog features a great range of checklists, itineraries, maps and guidebooks for getting the best out of a trip to Iceland.
Girl Tweets World: Jayne Gorman is a British blogger based in Sydney and Girl Tweets World offers a window into her life of travelling, eating and Sydney-living. With a fondness for street art and sweet treats, you'll find Jayne's Australia travel guides crammed full of colour and calories.
Expat Travel Blogs category winner: Live with a View
Travel Publications
The candidates for this category are all leading online resources produced by a team of passionate travel writers:
Jungles in Paris: Focusing on culture, craft, geography, and wildlife, Jungles in Paris attempts to tell edifying, inspiring stories that celebrate the multi-coloured variety of the world around us.
Roads & Kingdoms: Roads & Kingdoms is an independent journal of food, politics, travel and culture. In its second year of existence, it was voted the Gold Winner for Best Travel Journalism Site by the Society of American Travel Writers.
Tiny Atlas Quarterly: Helmed by Emily Nathan, Tiny Atlas is known for a signature visual style specialising in telling rich, beautiful stories that unfold through images, art, and personal accounts.
Melting Butter: Melting Butter is the online source for curated travel hotspots for the aesthetically inclined, cultivated traveller.
Escapism Magazine: Escapism Magazine is the UK's biggest free independent travel magazine that will whisk you away from urban life and transport you around the globe.
SUITCASE Magazine: SUITCASE is the world’s first multi-media travel and fashion magazine targeting readers with a global mindset. One step ahead of a tour guide, SUITCASE aims to inspire people, to help them discover different destinations; in essence, SUITCASE exists to change the way people travel.
Travel Publications category winner: Suitcase Magazine
Best Travel Instagrammers
Instagram is quickly becoming one of the best ways to source travel inspiration. These are our favourite accounts to follow:
Girl Eat World: Girl Eat World captures the delicious travels of Melissa Hie, who cleverly photographs classic local eats in front of their iconic destinations.
Allan Edward Hinton: Allan Edward Hinton is a former London-based Digital Marketing Manager who quit his job to pursue a life of travel and photography. His personal blog documents his journey and highlights valuable top travel and photography tips, as well as social media marketing strategies he learns along the way
The Blonde Abroad: The Blonde Abroad is Kiersten, a California native, who, not too long ago, left her career in corporate finance to become a world traveller. Since then, she's travelled to over 50 countries and has knocked some big adventures off her bucket list, all the while documenting them for Instagram.
Girl vs Globe: Sabina is the girl behind the Girls vs Globe Instagram account. Her images perfectly capture each and every destination she visits while also focusing on eco-friendly travel, fashion and vegetarian food.
Journey Wonders: Raphael Alexander is a nomadic digital marketer and travel influencer, and the man behind the camera on Journey Wonders. He captures his travel through an incredibly colourful lens, making for an inspirational Instagram feed.
Globetrotting Ginger Travel: With her vibrant red hair always in shot, Aubrie's Instagram is filled with enviable images from her stylish travels around the globe.
Best Travel Instagrammers category winner: Girl vs Globe
Best Travel Youtubers
If you like to do your travel research via Youtube, these are some of our favourite video creators to check out:
Pommie Travels: Pommie Travels is the vlog of a British girl travelling around the world solo since 2008. Victoria is an aviation enthusiast and loves to share insider videos of flights she takes. She also uploads videos of fun and quirky things to do in destinations across the globe.
What About Her: Laura is a travel writer, content creator and founder of travel blog What About Her. She is continuously wandering around the world in search of perfect places on planet Earth, while persuading others to follow their dreams.
I Am Aileen: Aileen is a young traveler and entrepreneur who proves and shows that our circumstances are never a hindrance to reaching our dreams. Adventure, fun, inspiration, and tips — you'll find it all not only at her blog but at her YouTube channel too as she brings the world to you!
The Planet D: Dave and Deb have been travelling the world full time since 2009. They've explored 105 countries on seven continents and inspire their followers to step out of their comfort zone and live life to the fullest through their motto "Adventure is for Everyone".
Best Travel Youtubers category winner: I am Aileen
OVERALL TRAVEL BLOG AWARDS WINNER: The First Piper
For more travel blog inspiration, check out Flight Centre's own travel blog.