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THE UK'S BEST BUDGET TRAVEL BLOGGERS
By
LaurenC
20 May 2019
Thought you had to be well-heeled to be well-travelled? These budget travel bloggers have seen the world on the cheap, demonstrating that you don’t need to be rich to roam.
If you have big dreams but small pockets, there are plenty of things you can do to finance even the most daring round-the-world trips – one of which is starting a travel blog yourself! Follow in the footsteps of these successful budget travel bloggers who escaped the UK on a shoestring.
One of the bloggers in this category will be put forward by our panel for the British Travel Awards’ brand-new Blogger Award that we’re making possible this year!
MEET BRYONY, FROM TRAVELS AND MORE
“I first began blogging back in 2015 from a small coastal town called Huatulco in Mexico. I was a few weeks into a backpacking trip through Latin America and a friend of mine inspired me to start documenting my travels on a blog. At the time, my blog had no name or identity. I just typed the words 'travels and more' as a title and travelsandmore.co.uk was born.
In the beginning my only followers were my friends and family, I'd upload a post (mostly ramblings) and send it to everyone who cared to read. Now I have a small following of people I regularly speak to online via social media and a steady number of monthly blog visits.
I'm a massive fan of the blogger community and how supportive it can be; a lot of my follower base was born from being active and helpful within those communities. I actually work in digital and this has allowed me to help many other travel bloggers even when I haven't had the time to invest in my own blog.
Unlike other bloggers my blog isn't a source of income for me; I do it purely for the joy of blogging and the love of budget travel. Perhaps one day I'll monetise and grow, but right now I'm happy to just help the occasional person through my travel experience.”
MEET LAURA, FROM WANDER WITH LAURA
“Born from a love of sharing how to travel the world on a budget, Wander with Laura has a niche but growing audience of over 3,000 blog readers and 2,000 social media followers. After I was made redundant in the same week that my five-year relationship ended in 2015, I took the plunge and took a solo trip around Europe that changed my life. It turns out that when you're scared, there's nothing like a new perspective to make you see how beautiful the world is and I want to bring that joy to my readers every time they visit.
By creating personality-filled yet SEO-friendly blog posts, my audience come to gain real insights into the practicalities of visiting a destination, particularly when they're embarking on an adventure for the very first time. By following my blog, they can stay to keep up to date with my journey and my efforts to live more sustainably.
What makes me different from the rest? My honest, no-fuss outlook, my passion for making travel better for the planet and my detailed approach to how you can travel well on a small budget.”
MEET STEPHANIE, FROM BIG WORLD SMALL POCKETS
“As a passionate traveller with 7 years’ experience of intrepid world-wandering, I knew I had a wealth of information that could potentially help make travel more accessible to many with minimal budgets – especially solo females looking to travel off the beaten track.
As so it was that Big World Small Pockets was created in 2015 by a technophobe who knew absolutely nothing about building a following online! In four busy years and a steep learning curve, the blog has developed from being a concept to receiving over 100,000 page views a month, with a dedicated social following of over 80,000. It is now monetised through advertising, both visual and affiliate avenues, as well as sponsored content, including press trips.
I engage my follower base by showcasing my personal journey with a sense of down-to-earth realism and humour and through a voice that is always 100% authentic about the highs and lows of global travel.
Big World Small Pockets stands out because it is dedicated to making low-cost travel, especially for solo females, more accessible; it breaks down barriers that prevent people adventuring in less frequently visited places and it shares only the highest quality content based entirely on real personal experiences.”
MEET DAVE, FROM MAN VS GLOBE
“My journey into travel blogging was a slow process. Back in 2014, after a few family tragedies, I had a realisation that life was short and that if I didn’t get out there and make the most of it, it would pass me by. At the time I was working a job I hated so the next day, I handed in my notice, packed my bags and a month later I was on a plane to South America.
I initially started a basic blog as a place to store my travel photos and give travel updates to my friends at home. Even still, as I travelled, the blog fell by the wayside as I didn’t want to spend time cooped up in a hostel typing away at a laptop.
On my return to the UK, I decided to revive the blog; I had so many photos and travel stories that I wanted to share. I had also read so many other blogs that helped me on my trip that I felt I could do the same for other travellers – offer them information and tips to help them on their own journeys.
It took a long time to grow a readership and following, but my passion for writing and telling travel stories kept me going and now that my blog has been running for 2 and a half years, it’s getting 10s of thousands of visitors a month. I try to make sure that I always respond to emails and social media comments from people that read my blog.
Little by little I have started to make an income from my blog – it comes from affiliate sales (links to hotel booking sites, tours etc), paid press trips and campaigns with tourism boards and travel companies, and sponsored blog posts. I still have a full-time job, however, and have to squeeze blogging in alongside it.
What sets my blog apart from others?
• I really take pride in the photos I produce as I feel they can be as essential as the writing when telling a story
• Although I still write guides and listicles, I feel that my strong point is long-form stories, which actually won me an Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award in 2018
• I like to write small vignettes of meetings I’ve had with people and things that I’ve done, rather than extensive ‘weekend in’ style posts”
MEET JAMES AND SARAH, FROM THE WHOLE WORLD OR NOTHING
“We started thewholeworldornothing.com at the end of 2015, almost as an afterthought before setting off on what was meant to be a one-year trip. Neither of us knew a thing about blogging. It was just intended as a convenient way to keep our friends and family in the loop.
Our first posts were embarrassing, diary-style entries that no one but our mums and a few close friends felt obliged to cast a glance at. But we persevered, and after publishing some well-received money-orientated posts, we realised that many people are extremely interested in tips on travelling well for less. Fast forward three years and we haven’t stopped travelling. We write almost exclusively about how to keep it affordable with lots of practical advice.
We’re not massive - around 60,000 readers a month - but through affiliate sales and adverts we make enough to support ourselves. Plus, we’ve recently started selling “The Whole World Or Nothing” t-shirts – shameless plug.
We’re different because we do everything independently – no tours or press trips. We like to challenge our own and others’ preconceptions by visiting less popular locations. And we enjoy these amazing experiences for less than anyone could ever imagine.”
MEET ELLIE, FROM THE WANDERING QUINN
“I started travelling in 2010 and started my travel blog in 2014 when travelling around Asia. I was consuming a lot of blogs to help me get around and I wanted to share my knowledge and tips to help fellow travellers as well.
I started taking my blog more seriously and monetising it in 2017; since then I have seen a huge increase in page views due to the helpful and specific posts I publish, and an increase in social media engagement due to the amount I have travelled and shared online in a relatable way over the last few years. As a result of this, in July 2018, I quit my job in London to pursue travel and blogging full time.
I stand out from the crowd because I show all sides of travel; I share the good and the bad in an honest way and I get really good feedback online about this.
I pay for most trips myself rather than doing all sponsored trips, which is something I am really passionate about. I want to be able to travel in a way that is authentic and freeing to me and create the content I believe will be most helpful to other travellers. Not only do I encourage travel, but I also use my platforms to encourage a happy and positive way of life.”
MEET CLAZZ, FROM AN ORCADIAN ABROAD
“I started my blog at An Orcadian Abroad to creatively document my travels and help other people to plan theirs. I am an avid writer and storyteller, and love to create digital content so it seemed natural that a blog would be the best way to express myself.
Since then, I have gained a close-knit loyal following - travel is a community, after all - which has inspired me endlessly. In a world of social media facades, people find my honest approach refreshing, and enjoy my down-to-earth outlook on life and travel. As a budget travel blogger, I aim to inspire people to travel who may not realise that they can; that it's possible if they know how.
I also enjoy doing things differently and highlighting off-beat attractions around the world, as well as bucket list items, working abroad and adventure travel. Across the blog and social media, I have around 4,000 followers - I am small but mighty, honest but positive, and adaptable but true to myself. Together, I feel that these attributes are what helps me and my blog to stand out from the crowd.”
MEET CLAIRE, FROM TALES OF A BACKPACKER
“I started Tales of a Backpacker when I quit my job to go travelling around South America. In the beginning, I just wrote a diary instead of a useful travel blog, so I think the only people who read it were my parents! Over the last 4 years, I’ve built up a community of around 57,000 social media followers and get 45,000 page views per month, a number which is steadily increasing.
I try to combine personal stories and adventures with tips and recommendations, providing practical advice for other travellers on a budget. I’ve been involved in podcasts and speaking engagements, which have helped me to reach more people and get my name out there. I was interviewed by the BBC about solo travel and safety last year after the death of Grace Millane – a topic which I’m obviously very passionate about.
For the first 3 years, I hardly made any money from the blog; it’s only been in the last year that I’ve started to earn money through affiliates, advertising and a few sponsorships. This summer I’m working on a project with wombat’s HOSTELS as their brand ambassador, so it’s lovely to see all my hard work finally paying off!
What makes me stand out:
· I love learning about the local culture, especially by talking to people
· I focus on slow travel where I can, sometimes spending months in a destination to really get to know it
· I love exploring small or unusual destinations that often get overlooked”
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