The Best Travel Blogs to Follow

In this day and age of digital nomads, travelistas who have left behind the world of desks and Pret lunches to blaze across the continents, documenting their findings for followers, there is an ever-growing rise of luxury vagabonds who are seeking out authentic experiences. Travel blogs offer a personal and enriching window into places to dream about and book that ticket to…

Here at Ampersand, we’ve been specialising in some of the most unique and remote areas of Asia and Africa since 2003. We do everything we can to make travelling smooth and easy for our clients, but conducting your own research can help bring your travels to life. And what better way to familiarise with a new country or culture than reading first-hand experiences of intrepid travel bloggers?

Travel blogs have provided an eye-opening view to new cultures over the years and here are some of our favourite Travel Blogs to follow...

1). Matcha Japan

An invaluable guide for any traveller to Japan who wants to go deeper into the heart of its culture, Matcha Japan is a brilliantly curated insider glimpse into this sometimes inscrutable but always captivating land. From cherry blossom forecasts to the best fish restaurants in Fukushima and esoteric festivals – explore areas of Japan largely unseen by tourists and set your Instagram alight with the colours and sights only this guide will lead you to.

2). Breathe Dream Go

Inspiring female blogger and Canadian journalist, Mariellen Ward started one of the first travel blogs about India way back in 2005. Based in both Toronto (her home city) and the temple town of Rishikesh (her second home), her expertise of India and other countries is truly motivating. Her intrepid travels across the globe shows the world that it’s not hard becoming an independent female city-hopper. We love her ability to integrate herself into each community, taking on the customs of her newfound friends; it’s not unusual to see Mariellen photographed wearing an Indian Sari on her travels or volunteering for local charities. If you’re looking for travel information for India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Nepal or Bhutan, be sure to follow Breathe Dream Go.

3). A Luxury Travel Blog

With a wide-ranging amount of high quality content from some of the best travel writers (more than 700 writers and guest bloggers, including our own James Jayasundera) out there, A Luxury Travel Blog is one of our top go-to portals for the latest news, upcoming launches and happenings in the world of discerning travel. Voted one of the best travel blogs in the world, this is a trustworthy and original platform to delve into everything of interest to the sophisticated and curious traveller.

4). The Incidental Tourist

From ocean-conscious festivals in Cape Town and tree-planting in Zambia to the wild horses of the African outback and vlogging through the villages of Vietnam, ‘writer, earth advocate, conscious traveller and consultant in sustainable and ethical practices’ Dawn Jorgenson’s enlightening blog is a love song to her native South Africa but also further afield in Asia, Europe and the Americas. She travels the world highlighting eco-activist projects, environmentally friendly destinations and other delights. 

5). Culture Trip

Tap into this unrivalled network of travel bloggers, photographers, journalists and plain old adventurers at the Culture Trip. Be spun stories about everything that makes life interesting, from the only LGBTQ museum of New York to brunch spots in Notting Hill, tips on solo travel in China and Indonesia’s literary festival – we love the eclectic and informed scope of the content as well as the easy to navigate ‘search by destination’ homepage.

6). FT’s How to Spend It Travel Section

Not strictly a blog but a stand-out collection of insider and sharply-curated travel stories, from 24 hours in Mumbai’s new Soho House outpost to tracking snow leopards in the Himalayas, Cambodia’s jungle camps and moonlit concerts in Palermo palazzos – How To Spend It Travel is one of our go-to resources for all that is happening and fabulous across the globe in culture and travel.

7). Kyoko 1903

Kyoko grew up in Düsseldorf, Germany but now lives in Tokyo and documents all things in Japan. Kyoko’s Japanese travel site is dedicated to the country, not only a comprehensive travel guide for all regions but also a written illustration of Japan’s people, its culture, its history and the values of the nation. If you want to know ‘everything Japan’, Kyoko is a must-read blog. Kyoko’s travels take you through the different destinations including Osaka, Hokkaido, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Tokyo, Hakone and Okinawa. If you’re more of a photo-blog fan, Kyoko’s Instagram account is dedicated to beautiful, well-shot imagery.

8). Asian Wanderlust

Bringing you the best of Asia in one blog, Asian Wanderlust is both prolific and high-quality in its frequently-updated posts that jet between the temples of Bali to boat journeys on the mighty Mekong River of Southeast Asia and the seaside idylls of Vietnam. Explore the myriad secrets of Asia through the many superb guides, reviews and spellbinding tales. 

9). Migrationology

Mark Wiens is an author and video producer, but first and foremost, he introduces himself as an “eater”. His entire website is created for people who love to eat and travel so foodies with wanderlust will love the dynamic and wide ranging vlogs of Bangkok-based Mark which garner millions of views. Mark’s philosophy is that food brings people together; no matter what country you’re in, what language you speak, food is what connects us all. Whether it is testing the street food of Karachi, hot springs and octopus and plum wine Kaiseki at Japanese ryokans or the night dishes of Chiang Mai, Wiens’ passion for the authentic, earthy and colourful creates a video blog that is a magic carpet ride of taste around the world - the more bizarre the better!

10). Ironwulf En Route

Ferdinand Decena is an award-winning photographer so expect nothing less than excellence when it comes to the story told by his pictures. Each image has a vivacity and is a depiction of thoughts and feelings. What’s wonderful about this blog is the creativity behind it; Ferdinand graduated from Far Eastern University in the Philippines and landed his first job as Art Director, before becoming a fully-fledged freelance photographer in his own right. Today he channels his creativity through his travels across Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, China and Hong Kong.

11). Travelfish

Travelfish specialises in the Southeast Asia region, including the region’s best islands. Get information about Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Launched back in 2004 and managed by the Aussie travelling duo, Stuart Mcdonald and Samantha Brown, this website aims to create exposure on some of Southeast Asia’s lesser known travel destinations.

12). Tieland to Thailand

This is the moving story of an unstoppable couple. A couple who were unfulfilled with their 9-5 jobs back in the States; Chris and Angela handed in their notices, sold their belongings and escaped for the better life abroad. They now live in Bangkok and spend their days travelling Thailand and Southeast Asia, and advising wannabe expats on starting a new life, just like they did. These two know how to live and their expat blog divulges every corner of Thailand and what it can offer. But they’re never condescending or preachy. In fact, their entire site is written and presented in such a light-hearted way, that it seems accessible to every traveller or holidaymaker.

13). I Eat, I Shoot, I Post

The self-explanatory title says it all, perhaps an introduction is not needed. But we can’t let this amazing food blog slip through the net without letting you know why we love it so much. As soon as you visit Dr Leslie Tay’s website, you’ll agree. It’s rare to find a blog dedicated just to Singapore and as one of our most desirable destinations at Ampersand, we just had to bring this blog to light for those who don’t already follow. Dr Leslie Tay’s photographs make every single dish look lip-smackingly delicious and his friendly nature makes you want to become his friend.

For more information or to start planning your tailor-made holiday, please get in touch:

info@ampersandtravel.com  // +44 (0) 207 819 9770