# data[].attributes.body
I looked up 'best travel blogs 2020' and chose the first website that listed travel blogs (https://blogonyourown.com/best-travel-blogs/). Then I picked nomadicmatt.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
top travel blogs every traveller should read

"If I were rich, you would never see me again." I'm pretty sure during your social media rounds you must have come across this quote at least once. Travel has become a favorite for very many people around the globe to the extent that I'm careful not to say favorite pass time because it has even turned into a professional and self-discovery or spiritual affair. Some travel to see the world, others to tell people's stories, others as therapy, others to make money, and so on.

The world being as vast as it is, there are several places to visit. Of these, at least we have blogs and bloggers who have gone out of their way to document their travels by either taking photographs, videos, or storytelling.

They even go a step further to make recommendations, review and rate their travel escapades. You have to agree that this has made activities such as picking your next travel destination, planning, and actual travel much more straightforward.

That being said, I've put together a few of my favorite top travel blogs and bloggers, to make your travel plans a little bit more inspired, informed, and money-wise.

So let's get right into it.

List of best travel blogs

1. Legal Nomads

Jodi Ettenberg was a practicing lawyer when she decided to take a whole year to rest and travel the world. After saving up, she embarked on her journey, only to never go back home to practice law. Then her blog Legal Nomads was born. She documented the experience for those who knew her so that they could also have a taste of her travels virtually.

The exciting part of Jodi's experience is that she developed the blog to also share about food. She believes that food has a way of bringing you closer to the people of a place as well as their culture. It also reduces the chances of sickness during travel because you are aware of what exactly you're taking in.

She is passionate about finding the right food for people with celiac so you can get gluten-free restaurant cards on her blog. A celiac, Jodi has also developed a long list of gluten-free guides based on her travels, to help other celiacs travel safely around the world. Also, she offers travel tips and resources.

Her travel blog has been featured on so many renowned platforms- the New York Times, National Geographic, The Guardian, Fast Company, BBC Travel, CNN, and more. Legal Nomads has also bagged several awards: multiple Lowell Thomas Awards and North American Travel Journalism awards for writing and photography.

2. Expert Vagabond

Expert Vagabond is the creation of a guy called Matt (full names: Matthew Karsten). His story is not far from Jodi's of Legal Nomads. He has a degree in Business, but he one day decided that he would save up, sell his possessions, and leave the US for a year. A year turned into 9, and he has never looked back ever since. He bought his ticket to Guatemala, and that was it!

He says he aims at teaching people how to make memories rather than collecting possessions. Matt shares his experiences through photography, videos, and articles.

On his blog, he shares on his travels to different destinations: Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, Middle East, North America, and the Polar Regions. He also features travel resources and tips.

Besides that, he talks about how to find cheap flights, to book cheap hotels, the right travel gear you need to get as well as travel safety tips. What is travel without keeping the memories?

In light of this, he features photography tips, giving you ways in which you can take better photos and the best travel cameras you can get. On a matter of money, Matt helps you get better at nomadic living by directing you on how to save money, get travel jobs, and how to get paid for traveling.

3. The Voyageur

This travel blog is a work of art. The minimalistic thing going on with The Voyageur is breathtaking. It is by a lady living in Paris called Pauline.

In the blog, she features various countries like Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Austria, and Brazil. Her itineraries section is unique. There, she gives a snapshot of what you would do in a place or country in a certain number of days, which helps in planning and getting inspiration for your next adventure.

Pauline also lets you in on hotels and homes you can consider staying or eating at during your travels. Paulina is a photographer, fashion designer, and art director; therefore, the gallery, food, art & architecture section in her blog is brought out with so much grace and creativity.

4. The Poor Traveler

If you've always wanted to travel the world, but you find yourself lamenting about how you have no money, this is one of the blogs you should check out sometime.

The Poor Traveler offers diverse content from different travelers who are on a budget around the world. A prominent perk from this is that you will get to see travel from various perspectives. You will be shocked at how people are traveling with just enough to get by.

The blog aims to document the misadventures of two buddies, Vins and Yosh who give tips on budgeting so that other travelers can have better adventures.

5. Nomadic Matt

His goal is to help travelers to get to destinations better but with less. With travel experience of over ten years, Matt is in a position to give sound travel advice on matters ranging from packing, insurance, vacation ideas, how to get the right travel backpack, preparation tips, travel scams and more.

Featured on CNN, Times, National Geographic, The Guardian and several other platforms, Nomadic Matt continues to be a point of relevant travel information and inspiration to travelers as well as those who are looking to travel. Impressive features on this blog include a couple's travel, female solo travel, and family & senior travel.

6. Hand Luggage Only

Yaya and Lloyd started the blog while at the University of Cambridge. They loved to travel and photography and so they wanted to see what travel was like in the eyes of other travelers and to have conversations around the journey with them. So they put up their travel posts on their blog and voila! Hand Luggage Only was born.

On their blog, they offer travel advice and inspiration. You can visit the travel journal for documented travels. Food and hacks are also exciting features on the blog.

7. Maptia

This site is inspiring. It brings together the stories of different people and communities. Maptia works with writers, photographers, fashion designers, art directors, and conservationists to use storytelling to bring out the beauty of the world, its challenges and to give inspiration. It is an impact-centered and informative project that empowers the world to be better.

Maptia features inspiring stories from around the world that are under the editor's picks. They also show a 7-day series of short stories in a segment dubbed journeys. A quick glimpse at the stories and photos on the blog will genuinely inspire your travel spirit.

8. Adventurous Kate

Seventy-seven countries and seven continents. That's where and how far Kate has traveled. Similar to the stories of most full-time travelers, she also quit her job to travel and has never looked back. Kate aims at showing the world that it is easy, safe, and fun to travel the world even if it is solo travel.

With no particular inclination to specific topics she blogs about, you can get just about any piece of travel advice on her blogs. Adventurous Kate also tells of her travel adventures in fascinating and engaging ways.

9. Dan Flying Solo

Dan left his restaurant job, picked up his camera, and went to see the world. Today, his travel blog, Dan Flying Solo, offers inspiration on places to visit around the world.

He takes photos, videos, and writes articles on his experiences, giving you a comprehensive account on tips and lessons he's learned along the way. His blog is big on Asia, Europe, and Oceania's travel guides.

10. Migrationology

Food and travel: Mark Wiens is waiting for you to name a better duo. For him, there's no better way to understand a place and its people than exploring their food.

His blog is made for people who appreciate both food and travel. If you're wondering if some food you're trying out is traditional and authentic, chances are he has already covered it on his blog, especially for Asia. Mark currently lives with his wife Ying in Bangkok. Together, they frequently travel the world for food.

Mark's travel blog is also instrumental in providing city guides. Above all, a visit to Migrationology will give you enough inspiration to travel: food.

11. Amateur Traveler

Chris Christensen began his adventure by creating podcasts in 2005. I think he was one of the first people to do a podcast at the time :). The Amateur Traveler blog was only created two years later. It became a great addition to the podcast series mainly because it offered young travelers movies, travel photos, and lots of useful content.
As a result, today, at amateurtraveler.com, you'll find the award-winning travel blog and podcast that will help real travelers plan real trips to their own backyard or around the world.
Here you will find content that will help you plan your trip, save money, or tell you where to go. And also information for people just starting to travel, such as the Travel 101 list.

12. Backpacking Matt

Among the best travel blogs on my list, there can be BackpackingMatt.com. What captivated me in this blog is fantastic positive energy and beautiful photos. Until you want to throw everything, pack your backpack, and hit the road.
Matt is a guy from Iowa who came to New Zealand in 2010, like he says one of the most beautiful places in the world and unexpectedly lived here permanently.
His blog mainly focuses on discovering New Zealand, but not only. You'll also find tips on how to travel around the world, stories of adventures and explorations, travel reviews, and inspirations for travel. Through this blog, Matt shares his fascination with beautiful New Zealand and an unconventional lifestyle.

13. A Broken Backpack Travel Blog

The author of this travel blog is Mel. Melissa Giroux comes from Quebec, Canada, and began her adventure in 2014 by starting her journey around the world. This energetic, smiling woman not only travels but primarily lives in places she writes about. She spent two years in Australia, a few months in Southeast Asia, Then a year in the UK, and now lives in Bali. That is why, on her blog, you will also find advice for travelers on how to find occasional work to survive and be able to travel further. These are the main reasons why I put A Broken Backpack on my list of the best travel blogs.

14. Spin the Globe

The author of this blog is Sylvia Longmire. After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005, this Air Force veteran refused to let MS define her. She has also refused to let her wheelchair confine her. Sylvia has visited 54 countries, 43 of those as a wheelchair user and 34 of those by herself. Her mission is to share information about the accessibility of her destinations with fellow wheelchair users around the world and inspire them to explore the world around them. She only writes about destinations she has personally visited, and as a result, provides only authentic and reliable information about a location's wheelchair accessibility.

Sylvia's writing about wheelchair accessible travel has been featured in The New York Times, New Mobility magazine, on Lonely Planet, and the Matador Travel Network. In November 2017, Sylvia published her first travel photography book, The View from Down Here, and The View from Down Here II was published in January 2019.

Spin the Globe

Conclusion

Travel is one of those things that have a positive impact on a person, whatever their reason for traveling. People who travel are happier, appreciate diversity, and tend to find their purpose.

I hope through this compilation of blogs and bloggers who are heavy into traveling and documenting their travels, you will get inspired to leave your comfort zone and all the familiarity it comes with, and pack a bag and go. Who knows what you will find out there? Happy travels!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
14 Best Travel Blogs and Bloggers in 2020 - Blog On Your Own

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
top travel blogs every traveller should read "If I were rich, you would never see me again." I'm pretty sure during your social media rounds you must have come across this quote at least once.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get the budget travel tips you need to travel cheaper, better, and smarter today from the world’s #1 budget travel writer!

# data[].attributes.body
Nomadicmatt.com is an instructional niche blog about travelling, that focuses on “How to’s”. The author of the blog is Matt, who is a best-selling New York Times author. The blog is a personal brand, as Matt, also introduces himself as Nomadic Matt.

The purpose of the blog is to help people find ways to travel cheaper and to find destinations to visit. It addresses people of all ages who want to find a way to see the world on a budget.

The blog is part of a genre ecology of travel instructions. It is similar to the traditional printed travel guide.

The blog’s style can definitely be described as hybrid, both informational, as well as personal. Examples for the informational style are:

·       “Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks”

·      “Taking a stroll atop them offers an unbeatable view of both the city and the countryside’s rolling hills. Plus, they’re free!”

·      “You can go an entire trip without ever stepping foot on The Strip or in a casino.”

Examples for the personal style are:

·      “But I miss the outdoors, seeing my friends in person, glasses of wine at restaurants, and going to cocktail bars. I miss freedom.”

·      “I hope my future self will one day read this post and say, ‘You kept it up and found balance.’”

·      “But there is one city that captures my love of the country the most: Girona.”

·      “If you’re like me, you probably have preconceived notions of certain destinations.”

The author mostly tries to engage the audience by building a sense of community. On the one hand, he addresses the reader with the personal pronoun “you”, on the other hand, he refers to himself and his readers as “we”, p.ex. „the places we expect“. Furthermore, through phrases such as “If you’re like me“ he assumes that his readers share some qualities with him. Other than this, not much audience engagement can be found and overall, it can be said that the author establishes quite an authorial stance. By not asking the readers for suggestions in return, the author achieves a monologic writing style, which contributes to the author’s stance as a professional and expert. It’s expressed through the following phrases “I recommend taking“, “I suggest”, “Your next stop should be” “No visit to Cape Town is complete without coming here. Do not skip this!“. In addition to instructional words, written in the imperative, like “avoid, fly and go”, those phrases convey the sense that the author knows what is right, and that the reader should follow this advice.

In terms of layout, the blog is well structured. The headlines are mostly very concise and often try to motivate the reader to take an active step. But they are also very subjective, especially, as many of them start with “my favourite…” or “Best..”. As a result, they are often not as brief as they could be. However, the headlines are clear and do not need any deciphering. They are in accordance with the content of the blog entry, hence, satisfying for the reader. Under the heading, there is a picture, depicting the place that the blog entry is about. Followed by a short introduction, there is a series of numbered subheadings. They are brief and consistent in style and are immediately followed by another picture, that should attract the interest of the reader. The blog entries end with a short summary and often a P.S. section in which the author gives some extra tips and tricks.

Both sentences and paragraphs are neither particularly long or short but have the perfect length to facilitate reading and skimming for information. The font is easy to read and might be avenir. It is written in black, except for links and some key words, headings and subheadings and the P.S. that are bolded and printed in a light petrol blue. Bullet points are frequently used in the text.

Written form a first-person perspective, the narration mode is journalistic as it is nonetheless neutral in style and not overly informal.

The author does not use many rhetorical devices. The most common one is rhetorical questions that should engage the reader and contribute to the sense of community that the author tries to create. The author uses numerous adjectives and adverbs, such as “absolutely, amazing, super exciting” to make the text more natural, as if it was narrated to a friend. This makes the author more relatable as well.

In the introduction the author uses lexis that is related to liking, loving and favourites, which should excite the reader for what’s to come. The conclusion briefly summarises the content of the blog post and the author adds some more personal references about his own travels to that place and why he enjoyed it.

# data[].attributes.body
10 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN GIRONA, SPAIN

Nomadicmatt.com is a travel blog which was started in 2006 and has since then regularly been updated with entries informing readers about countries and cities to visit. The author of the blog is Matthew Kepnes who created this blog to advice other avid travelers on how to get the most authentic travel experience for a fair price.

Nomadicmatt is part of the genre ecology of travel instructions and is structured like a travelling log and review. The author usually lists various sights and locations he visited and describes the experience, adding personal but also public information (addresses, opening hours, prices etc.) to the paragraphs. Thus, the blog shows a hybridity of styles. It fulfills its purpose of informing by introducing the various sights and places but it also involves the reader by introducing personal experience into the writing (“I first visited here in 2012 and have been back a total of four times. I love Girona”; “It’s one of my favorite countries…”). Further evidence of involvement and audience engagement are the use of the personal pronoun “you” (“To help you make the most of your trip”) and the use of imperatives in paragraphs but also in the headings (“Make it part of your next trip to Spain”; “Tour the Arab Baths”). Additionally, this strengthens the relationship between the reader and author and changes the reading to a more conversational style discourse.

Layout and visuals of a blog are almost as important as the writing itself. An unclear structure makes the reading experience not enjoyable and unappealing visuals can cause the blog to be overlooked. The headline of the blog (“10 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN GIRONA, SPAIN”) is a rather typical example of a headline in a travel blog, however, it can be considered quite engaging. The subheadings then subsequently list the places and activities referred to in the main heading. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, subheadings use imperatives to engage with the readers. Furthermore, the subheadings are numbered, and the font is larger and bolder which gives structure to the whole text. Visuals typically follow the subheadings introducing the sight optically and supporting the description of the sight. The chosen visuals are vibrant and appealing. This makes the blog more attractive to the reader and appeals to the core feeling of traveling which the readers most likely share.

Throughout the text the author uses emotive language (“love”, “lovely”, “awesome”) and the register in general is rather neutral or informal which is probably due to the blog’s first-person perspective. This style allows the author to further build a relationship with the reader and, thus, trigger audience emotions. Phrases like “Spain is awesome”, “lovely people” and “city that captures my love of the country” in the introduction appeal to the readers’ emotions and, thus, capture their attention. The promise of “10 things to see…” in the headline further guarantees information and “here are my top things to see and do in Girona:” lures the readers and sends them down the road to the fulfillment of the promise. Finally, the conclusion summarizes the guide, once again appeals to the readers’ emotions (“I love Girona. Most people do.”) and motivates the readers to travel to the described place.

# data[].attributes.body
I have uploaded my analysis in the file below:

# data[].attributes.body
NOMADIC MATT

Type of blog:

mainly an instructional blog (most blog posts revolve around “what to do”, “how to …”, et cetera), but it also has some informative elements (“our new…”, “how to be a travel hacker”, et cetera), lists (included in instructional blog posts as well)

niche blog: travel blog

personal brand

Who is the author? What is the purpose? Who is the intended audience?

The author is Matt Kepnes (or Nomadic Matt, as he calls himself on his blog), an author and self-declared traveler. He also founded the blog; sometimes, guest authors write posts, but generally it’s Matt himself

the purpose of the blog is to help its readers “travel more for less”, give advice on how to spend less time and money with getting more out of their trips

the blog promotes itself by stating that they don’t include sponsored content or paid trips

the intended audience of the blog is people who want to travel individually and want to save money and/or be more efficient when travelling

Is the blog part of a genre ecology of other genres?

the blog is part of a genre ecology of travel instructions

Does the blog remind you of any other offline equivalent genres (diary? Photo album? Travel log? Review? Editorials? Personal webpages)

many of the posts remind of actual travel guidebooks (with information on where to stay, what to see, …)

Register and purpose?

the blog clearly shows a hybridity of styles and often combines language that reflects a purpose to inform and involve in the same blog posts

purpose to inform (informative formal style):

especially in informational passages, the register is rather higher than low (you are required to, opportunities to bypass the traditional travel infrastructure)

mostly full sentences, even though structure is not overly complex

dry’ information is often included (number of inhabitants, geography, …)

cohesive devices for structured texts (additionally, also, here are some…, so)

purpose to involve (emotional, personal, conversational style):

colloquial and humorous phrases, on the creative side (when you are starved for time and money)

some sentences are rather short and structured like in spoken language (but, let me tell you, we live in an age of…, I mean you’re spending the money anyway

contractions often used (there’s, don’t, I’d like)

emotions and feelings are often included (I still feel like a caged bird)

imperative creates a notion of ‘we’ -> conversational

personal pronouns you and I are often used (in combination), we

Audience engagement?

lexical choices for engaging the audience:

lexical field of emotions

strong adjectives (but not necessarily superlative – e.g. excellent rather than best)

personal experience is often added (to make audience sympathize with the author), personal asides

grammatical choices for engaging the audience, creating a sense of community:

personal pronouns in 1st and 2nd person -> you and I are often used (in combination), we

imperative is often used, often combined with conditionals (if you like… then + imperative) -> conveys a benefit to the readers

hyperlinks to sources that are described in the posts -> practical, useful for readers

Features to build a relationship with the audience include use of the first personal pronoun “I” (expressing deep subjectivity and suggesting authenticity).

The second person pronoun “you”, or imperative mood – conveys a conversational type of discourse – involving the reader in the experiences of the blog author and the blog author being involved in the experience of the reader)

Author identity?

The author describes himself as expert on travelling (in the “About” section) and shows this attitude in the blog posts as well. Pronouns in 1 st person (I, my) are featured when the author lists and recalls his/her own experiences and travel hacks

by the use of imperatives, the notion of the author being the expert (plus the readers being eager to learn and the instructions being almost infallible) is enforced (be sure to…)

Lay out and visuals

at the top of the page, there usually is a heading in bold capital letters, followed by an image that fits the post’s theme

the blog posts combine multiple ways of structuring, which fits their writing style (e.g. often, the blog posts are about lists and the items are listed as subheadings)

images: not more than 5 or so per blog post (due to loading the website?) – one general image reflecting the general ‘vibe’ of the topic and the others depicting some of the smaller items of the text

images mainly show cities, urban life, etc. – people are less common (e.g. when travelers are introduced)

subheadings in every blog post (that I looked at) – quite short, sometimes only 1-3 words, are meant to be informative

after one subheading, numerous paragraphs may follow, but they are quite short (5 sentences tops)

in between paragraphs, there is one blank line -> creates lots of white space, text appears light

Hyperlinks are written in bold and blue while other text (incl. headings and subheadings) is in black

bullets are used (rather unnumbered than numbered, which may have to do with the blog posts being structured as lists)

Headlines

headlines are not particularly long, ca. 15 words tops

no full sentences

are clear to a broad audience

often promise something (how to get untold stories, the ultimate guide to…, 6 best…) and therefore convey a benefit to the audience

strong adjectives, sometimes in superlative (new, best, …)

Discourse Particularities:

the register is mainly neutral (most vocabulary is not particularly formal, informal lexis occurs when the engagement between reader and writer is in focus)

the blog posts are mostly written in narrative mode (experiences are handed from the author to the audience) but some bits are in a journalistic mode (when it comes to describing particularities of cities, countries)

rhetorical devices: for example, metaphors play a certain role (a wave of)

Introduction:

the introduction often starts with general statements, leaving out personal information

it features key information on cities, countries, etc., mixed with the author’s opinion about it

strong & positive language, e.g. adjectives (awesome, favourite, popular)

possible moves: lure reader down the page (headline promises 25 things to… and then in the introduction the reason why these things may be worthwhile is given but the 25 things are not yet mentioned)

Conclusion?

the conclusion is often introduced with ***, followed by a blank line

it seems like the blog posts jump from general (introduction) to more specific (main text) to general (conclusion) –> often, the topic if the introduction is repeated in the conclusion, but imperatives are added

Moves:

Motivate readers (go there!)

Summarize

Call to action

Genre ecology of the internet:

outside texts per se are not really featured, but what is often done is adding links to websites and companies that are recommended in the blog posts

the blog posts also often refer to each other and are linked (From lively Barcelona to island paradises…, Confined inside for the last six weeks, no matter how often I shut my eyes, it’s simply not the same.) -> purpose is to keep the readers on the website as long as possible (since they have paid advertisements on their website, this might be why)

Story design:

-