Last updated on January 22, 2024
Today is International Women’s Day, a time that, as a charity worker, I normally spend highlighting the obstacles that women and girls face around the world and the ways they’ve managed to overcome them. It’s an important day for that, and I suggest heading to a site like Plan, or whatever your favourite charity is, to read about those stories.
But here on Bridges and Balloons, I want to celebrate the women from my other sphere of work – the travel blogging world and the women who inspire me within it.
I subscribe to hundreds of blogs – I have a self-confessed addiction – but within that giant hoard, there’s a smaller list called “Writing I like”. In there I have all the blogs that I read regardless of their content – I don’t seek them out for their travel tips, but simply for their words and the way they make me feel. They are all, without exception, excellent writers and many have written books.
Some are men, some aren’t travel writers, and there’s a whole separate folder for the photographers/artists, but today I’m focussing on the female travel bloggers. From solo travellers to couples to families, these are the female travel bloggers whose words I love the most.
Happy International Women’s Day everyone!
The best female travel bloggers (who write bloody well)
Geraldine DeRuiter – The Everywhereist
I don’t think I’ve ever read a piece by Geraldine that hasn’t made me laugh or cry – she even managed to find humour when writing about her brain tumour. Geraldine has just signed a book deal for a travel memoir, which I really can’t wait to read – she’s definitely one of the best travel bloggers out there.
Torre de Roche – Fearful Adventurer
Torre is the author of a brilliant travel memoir called Love with a Chance of Drowning. Like Geraldine, she makes me laugh a lot on her blog and has a beautiful knack with words and the kind of philosophy I can get on board with. She doesn’t post often these days, but when she does, you know it’ll be excellent.
Kim Dinan – So Many Places
I’ve been following Kim since before she left on her travels. Fast forward four years and she’s back in the USA with a beautiful baby, a book deal a whole lot of wonderful travel stories. Kim focuses a lot on her personal story, which is one of the things I love the most in travel writing. Her words are always heartfelt and beautiful.
Jodi Ettenberg – Legal Nomads
Jodi has one of the strongest voices in travel blogging. She’s a specialist in all things food-related, especially Vietnamese pho, but it’s her passion for telling personal and cultural stories through food that really sets her apart. She writes deliciously long blogs that are always a delight to read.
Shannon O’Donnell – A Little Adrift
Shannon has been National Geographic’s Traveller of the Year, a title she earned for her devotion to always “giving back” as she travels. She not only volunteers herself, but has also set up a site to help others to find grassroots volunteering positions. She also travelled with her niece for a while in Asia. Essentially, she’s a hero and on top of that she writes about all her experiences beautifully. Definitely one of my favourites.
Flora Baker – Flora the Explorer
I’m not alone in knowing that Flora is an exceptional writer – she just won first place in National Geographic Traveller’s Travel Writing Competition. From walking the Camino de Santiago to trying Ayahuasca in South America, Flora writes about cultural experiences in an attentive and sensitive style.
Brenna Holeman – This Battered Suitcase
Brenna has a great talent for writing personal stories that delve deep into the heart and have the reader nodding along in recognition. Her ‘The last time I saw you’ posts are some of my favourites, and she also does a good line in ‘What to wear’ posts for various countries around the world.
Liz Carlson – Young Adveturess
Liz writes things like they are and prides herself on honesty and authenticity. She’s not afraid to share her opinions even when they result in a ton of hateful comments, which makes me respect her even more. She’s also an Instagram queen.
Frankie Thompson – As the Bird Flies
Frankie has been blogging for years, covering topics from London to travel to writing to, most recently, motherhood. Whatever the topic, I’m in love with her words. She also has written two collections of short stories, with a new one coming soon.
Candace Rose Rardon – The Great Affair
Candace is an artist with both words and watercolour. Her paintings are gorgeous to look at and her writing evokes the same whimsical vibe. Nowadays she seems to be focussing more on her artwork, but I definitely suggest subscribing to her blog so you can catch anything she does write.
Erin McNeaney | Never Ending Voyage
Erin is part of couple’s blog Never Ending Voyage, and she’s also one of the best female travel bloggers I know. Erin doesn’t write a lot about her personal story, but she’s an expert in writing useful blog posts about all the places her and her partner Simon have been – and that’s a lot of stories after six years on the road! Erin has a book coming out soon about how to travel with just carry-on luggage.
Audrey Scott | Uncornered Market
Audrey is one half of the highly acclaimed blog Uncornered Market. Both her and Dan are excellent storytellers, writing thoughtful posts about cultures around the world with sensitivity and insight. Audrey’s recent pieces on the terror attacks in Paris and The Power of Two-Way Storytelling were particular favourites.
Let me know if you have any others who you’d add to my list of the best female travel bloggers who write beautifully.
And here’s another list of all my favourite travel bloggers on Instagram. Or just a list of my favourite things 🙂