21. Robert Schrader
Robert, just like other men or women you already met here, decided that he needed to live, see the world and embrace its beauty. His story isn’t much different, but it is indeed spectacular, as from a young man with little money and experience for traveling, in just a few years became one of the most respected and beloved travel bloggers in the world. He needed just a little bit of imagination, hard work and motivation and now he’s comfortably globetrotting while sharing with us precious travel guides and tips we might find useful in our future adventures.
The Blog
Leave your daily Hell (interesting name, to say the least!) is all about helping us planning our trips. From travel guides (very well researched and detailed) to trip ideas and budget travel tips, the blog can even compete with Lonely Planet’s guides, which seemed to be less satisfying for Robert, as himself confesses. So his blog doesn’t speak of how he managed to organize his trips, but teaches us how to organize ours. Informative and educational, there is no wonder why his blog was listed by The Expeditioner among the best travel blogs of 2012 and 2013.
Blog Metrics
PR – 3
DA – 39
Alexa Rank – 145545
Fans and Followers: You can join the bunch of over 50,000 travelers closely watching Robert’s tips and guides or follow his adventures through his Facebook page, counting 4,255 fans. His Twitter bunch gathers over 3,000 followers, while big brands such as Samsung and Contiki have already worked with Robert.
Getting in touch with Robert
You can contact Robert by mail or through the social media channels and you can partner him up for brand exposure through advertorials, multimedia campaigns or reviews.
His Philosophy
“I always knew that I was destined for a life of travel, but many of the people closest to me had other ideas. In spite of their best intentions, they knew nothing other than “real life,” and felt it their duty to deflate my dreams when they got too big. With Leave Your Daily Hell, I’ve taken the opposite approach: I encourage you to dream as big as you can!”
22. Heather Cowper
There may be more Heathers traveling the world, but this one is one of a kind!
Her Story
Coming from a family that loved to travel, Heather inherited from her parents the thirst to see new worlds and experience new adventures. Her trips carried her steps to Europe, Africa and even the Amazon basin and from that point on, she knew she will continue her journey all over the world and document her experience for everybody to enjoy and learn. Setting up a travel blog was the next logical steps and taking a look over her Media Portfolio, she surely made the right decision.
The Blog
Heather on Her Travels documents all her travel adventures, talks about cool traveling gear and gives the readers helpful insights on accommodation around the world, together with tips, tricks and guides. She has an impressive collection of podcasts and photos, videos and personal impressions. As we said before, the blog became successful in a very short time, being awarded on numerous occasions by The Expeditioner, the Holiday Discount Center, Tamar SEO and Social Blog and even Nomadic Samuel (which we met here earlier).
Blog Metrics
PR – 4
DA – 48
Alexa Rank – 126004
Fans and Followers: With an average of 20,000 unique visitors per month and an average of 30,000 page views per month, Heather can be called a successful blogger. And with a social media combining 4,000 fans and followers from Facebook and Twitter, there is no wonder her blog is so popular.
Getting in touch with Heather
You can contact Heather by mail or through the social media channels. She is very much open to guest blog posting, advertising partnerships or reviews and you can find out more about the ways you can work together by taking a look over her PR page.
Her Philosophy
“…what I really loved about travel, to experience new cultures, connect with people who lived a different way, and enjoy beautiful surroundings, away from my normal busy life.”
23. Mariellen Ward
Unfortunately, her story cannot be comprised in a few words here, as it is too important, too deep and too personal to not read it yourself. Mariellen isn’t by far the regular globetrotter we met until this point, but a woman whose life has been marked and saved by traveling. She writes with a passion few other bloggers can reach, and with an honesty few people can take pride in. She is bound to India, physically, emotionally and spiritually, but this doesn’t mean she doesn’t take trips in other parts of the world. Her stories have a certain Oriental exoticism, a charm and a finesse that cannot leave anybody indifferent to the beauties and experiences seen through her eyes.
The Blog
Breathe Dream Go – tales of travel and transformation is everything you could ask from a travel site: award – winning blog related to “the kind of travel that changes you”; listed in Top 50 Indian Blogs (2012) by Indian Top Blogs, awarded with a Canadian Weblog Award for Travel (2011), listed and nominated among the best travel blogs in the world, with distinct nominations for Mariellen as a solo woman traveler and writer. It is not only about the author’s traveling tips, useful, necessary, but about the way she tells her stories, a modern Scheherazade who intertwines magic and beauty in her tales.
Blog Metrics
PR – 4
DA – 46
Alexa Rank – 158968
Fans and Followers: From ancient times people love good stories and Mariellen tells them like no other. Her social media gathers 5,500 Facebook friends and over 10,000 Twitter followers, while the blog is visited on an average of 30,000 views per month. The blog and the author were featured in tens of major online authority publications and the almost 20,000 unique readers per month are proof that she is indeed a brilliant globetrotter.
Getting in touch with Mariellen
She is reachable through the regular social media channels or via e-mail. She runs campaigns, speaks at conferences or writes travel articles, so in the case you want to partner her up, her PR and Press portfolio will help you make up your mind.
Her Philosophy
“So, breathe, dream, go is a summary of my experience — but it’s also a formula. If you are feeling stuck, if you want more from your life, if you feel you haven’t achieved your potential or met your destiny … try it. It doesn’t have to be yoga and a trip to India. Maybe for you it will be running and art classes. Or hiking and overseas volunteering. Or therapy and learning Spanish. Whatever it is that gets you breathing, gets your heart pumping and motivates you to “follow your bliss.””
24. Barbara Weibel
Barbara is one of those globetrotter who realized it was about time she made some changes in her life (which was not satisfactory at all, according to her confession). But holding on to her backpack, selling her apartment and belongings and becoming a perpetual traveler seems to have been the smartest decision of her life, as pure happiness transpires from every word she writes on her blog and every photo she takes, capturing the beauties she is set to see wherever she may roam.
The Blog
Hole in the Donut is a mix of traveling tips and stories with a powerful cultural side, as Barbara is driven not only by the thirst to check every spot on the face of the world, but to blend in with the local cultures she travels to, to meet people, listen to their stories, take part to the events and write a cultural diary that is not only fabulously written, but thoroughly documented. And her passion for traveling and writing didn’t went unnoticed: the blog has been nominated as one of the “Most Influential Travel Bloggers” by Mapo, appraised by Washington Flyer as one of the Best Travel Blogs of 2011, consistently ranked on Brendan van Son’s list of Top 100 Independent Travel Blogs and featured by ABC News, among others.
Blog Metrics
PR – 4
DA – 50
Alexa Rank – 61560
Fans and Followers: Hole In The Donut counts an average of 21,640 unique visitors per month and 45,017 page views per month, while Barbara is happy to share her travel tips with over 12,000 Twitter followers and almost 4,000 Facebook fans.
Getting in touch with Barbara
You can contact her by e-mail, G+, other social channels and you can always ask her to listen to your business proposal in regards to advertising on her site.
Her Philosophy
“Today I travel perpetually, staying up to a month in each country in order to immerse in the local culture. Hole In The Donut Cultural Travel features stories about the destinations I visit; the interesting people I meet, the crazy (and often humorous) things that happen to me along the way, and the never-ending spiritual lessons that come from travel.”
25. Laurence and Vera
Some people travel the world. These two travel the Universe. Current location? Earth…
Their Story
Laurence was born in the U.K. but has globetrotting in his blood and childhood memories. Vera was born in Germany, but she didn’t stay too much in a place either. They met in Australia where both were taking separate trips, embarking on their trips almost in the same time. Just as they say, fate is like that and worked for them to meet and continue their journey together. Now they are travelers to this Universe, having a deep interest for Planet Earth and its miracles, while they are documenting their trips throughout the world.
The Blog
Their blog Finding the Universe is a wonderful place to be if you’re interested in travel tips, incredible photography and incredible stories, such as the one in which they traveled New Zealand to find and explore the filming locations for one of the most famous and best movie trilogies in the world, Lord of the Rings. The guys are exploring everything and anything and if you’re interested, the site also has a German brother.
Blog Metrics
PR – 3
DA – 46
Alexa Rank – 75446
Fans and Followers: According to the updates in July this year, the site has around 30,000 unique visitors per month, over 10,000 Facebook fans and 0ver 10,000 Twitter followers.
Getting in touch with Laurence and Vera
You can contact them by mail and even ask them about working together. Their advertising kit offers a lot of possibilities and you can hire them for photography services and writing services also, travel advice and planning and social media consultancy.
Their Philosophy
“We’re hitch hiking our way through the Universe folks. We just ended up on Earth for longer than expected. This blog is about life, the universe, and everything. And us finding our place in it :).”
26. Alexandra Kovacova
Alexandra has traveling in her blood, as she traveled quite a lot with her parents in her childhood years. But traveling became more than a passion and installed as a current lifestyle in 2009 when she decided this is what she wants to do for the rest of her life. She has already lived in 6 countries and planning to globetrotting some more. She likes to document her adventures through photos and videos and if you’re in for some very fun travel guides, her blog is the place you want to check.
The Blog
What is Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler about? Well, let’s let Alex speak for herself: “if you are looking for just one thing on my blog, I have to disappoint you. I would get bored doing the same thing all over again, so this blog is about crazy travel, fun adventures and sexy photos. It is about spa, swimming, snorkeling, massages, adventures, flying, beaches, hiking, animals, city breaks and other experiences around the world“. That says pretty much everything, right? The blog was also called “inspirational” and “amazing” and was featured by Nomadic Samuel among his top 100 best travel blogs list.
Blog Metrics
PR – 3
DA – 44
Alexa Rank – 70934
Fans and Followers: Over 15,000 people are Alex’s Facebook fans and over 7,800 also follow her on Twitter, while the blog gathers around 44,817 visitors per month and around 226,083 page views per month.
Getting in touch with Alexandra
You can follow her through social media channels and write her via e-mail to say hello and work together even, as she is available for partnerships, including reviews, PR promotion and brand ambassador services.
Her Philosophy
“Why I travel? To see new places, adventures, different cultures, local food, music, habits … meet new people and much more …”
27. Wes Nations
Also known as Johnny Vagabond in the globetrotters’ world, Wes intended to make an one – yer trip around the world but he never finished it, as he is still making that trip, now reaching his fourth year on the road. The story is quite similar with others’ stories: left everything behind to see the world and got hooked. South East Asia, of course, was the miracle land where everything started. Now Wes is traveling low and slow, on a budget and mostly in the same way as the locals he gets mingled with and he doesn’t regret for a second his options.
The Blog
Johnny Vagabond is a world – wide famous traveling blog and this is not only because Nomadic Samuel said so, but because prestigious magazines and travel media representatives called Wes “probably the best storyteller in the online travel niche.” And they were right. His stories are something else, as he doesn’t just speak about places to travel to and things to do while you’re there, but he also filters every experience, every adventure through his personal emotions, judgement, humor and vision, offering thus the world incredible savory tales of the unknown. The section Crazy Stories on his blog are worth every second of your time.
Blog Metrics
PR – 4
DA – 51
Alexa Rank – 83941
Fans and Followers: Johnny has almost 2,500 Facebook fans and over 7,500 Twitter followers. Him and his blog were featured in countless of magazines and specialized journals and his storytelling reputation is still circling the globe.
Getting in touch with Wes
You can become one of his travel buddies in the online media or you can just contact him via his e-mail.
His Philosophy
“So, what do I mean by “low and slow”? To me, traveling low to the ground, taking ground transport where possible, and traveling as the locals do is the ideal way to experience a place. Being poor, it’s also my only option. 🙂”
28. Juno Kim
Remember that Bon Jovi song “She’s a little runaway?” Maybe Bon Jovi didn’t know Juno, but he must have definitely had her in mind! Juno was a mechanical engineer in Korea but she managed to escape her own career and become a globetrotter. She has a backpack and a plan to see the world and there is nothing to stop her. A very good storyteller, she is both a full time traveler and a full time blogger and she loves to share her adventures through pictures and personal impressions from the places she travels to.
The Blog
Runaway Juno is that type of special blog that follows a person’s personal adventures and speaks of her personal experiences in an exciting manner that will keep you from ever wanting to leave her blog aside. Because Juno took a great number of impressing press trips, her blog is featured by some of the most important travel media authorities out there, including All Women Talk (10 Inspiring Travel Blogs by Women), Kenya and Tanzania Travel (Top 50 “Around the World” Female Blogger Awards), JetsetTimes (Top 10 Travel Bloggers to Follow on Twitter) and many others more. Oh, and if you weren’t convinced, here’s another one: the blog was nominated #19 in Top 100 Travel Website by Google!
Blog Metrics
PR – 3
DA – 48
Alexa Rank – 94703
Fans and Followers: Social media: Twitter – over 11,700 follower, Facebook – over 2,000 fans, together with 16,000 unique visitors per month and and average of 47,300 page views.
Getting in touch with Juno
You can become one of her co – partners in globetrotting by following her through social media channels or you can discuss further possible partnerships, including sponsored posts, advertorials, banners and even social media campaigns.
Her Philosophy
“Since I took a first step into the world of ‘backpacking’, I knew this is going to be a big part of my life. And, I was right. If you are meant to be with something, there’s a sign you can’t describe it by words. That is travel to me.”
29. Matthew Karsten
He is Matthew and he is addicted to traveling. Like any other serious globetrotter, of course. After realizing that his life was stirring to an unsatisfactory direction and he wasn’t happy about his job or lifestyle anymore, he did the same crazy thing (but perfectly rational in his point of view): “in the fall of 2010 I quit my job, left my girlfriend, sold everything I owned, and bought a plane ticket to Guatemala”. So his adventures began, leading Matthew to becoming in just three years one of the most respected travel globetrotters and bloggers in the world. He embraced the life of a nomad, he learned a lot of tips and tricks to travel on a budget and still to enjoy life’s experiences and his stories are dream candies for those thirsty for blood rushing adventures.
The Blog
The Expert Vagabond is Matthew’s online project of sharing with the world his travel tips, tricks and impressions from his constant voyages. Considering that challenging our comfort zones is healthy, Matthew constantly challenges his one, and the blog is a living proof that nothing gets in his way when he’s aiming at trying and seeing something new. The author and the blog have been also featured in a number of sites and journals including Travel Channel, National Geographic, BuzzFeed, Chicago Tribune, and CNN, among others, while he partnered up with travel companies from all over the world.
Blog Metrics
PR – 4
DA – 51
Alexa Rank – 781923
Fans and Followers: Considering that over 30,000 people visit his site on a monthly basis, there is no wonder that the Expert Vagabond gathered over 17,000 Twitter fans and over 7,000 Facebook buddies, while the blog registers around 70,000 monthly page views.
Getting in touch with Matthew
Try reaching him by e-mail and while you’re there, you can take a look over his PR kit, as there are some interesting partnership ideas you two can implement together.
His Philosophy
“Adventure travel is much more than just participating in extreme activities — it’s also about immersing yourself in other cultures and trying new things. Seeing the world from another perspective.”
30. Christine and Drew Gilbert
Their Story
Well… how do we begin? One day, in 2008, Christine left her job as a corporate manager and decided she wanted to travel and become a photographer. Drew, her husband, helped her pack, sold everything and left to discover the world while he was still working as a graphic designer for a company. Two laptops and two dogs and they started their adventure. Soon the family got a new globetrotter, son Cole, placed the dogs in custody and kept on traveling. Now Christine is finishing a book for Gotham/Penguin, while Drew is editing the video documentary they have produced revolving around the lives of others who decided to travel and write, just like them. Their story is so compelling and so emotional, it is worth reading any time you may feel that everything just became impossible to accomplish.
The Blog
Christine writes on Almost Fearless since she decided for traveling the world and you won’t find out there your regular tips and tricks about traveling, but more of her impressions, their life experiences, their quest for achieving their goals, tons of beautiful photos, inner thoughts and fears and a lot of culinary recipes gathered by Christine in her travels around the world. And if you read her blog, you definitely must see Drew’s graphic designs which are available for sale.
Blog Metrics
PR – 4
DA – 60
Alexa Rank – 69978
Fans and Followers: this awesome blog (and authors) has over 4,500 Facebook fans and over 46,500 people follow Christine on Twitter. The blog was nominated by Nomadic Samuel among his top 100 favorite travel bloggers.
Getting in touch with Christine
She can be contacted via e-mail and if you take a look at the bottom of the home page, you’ll see the couple also manages other personal websites. You can wish them luck with their movie starting to be presented at festivals and you can also ask them about possible partnerships as they accept paid artistic projects involving writing and photo / video producing and editing.
Their Philosophy
“Whirlwind? Yes, absolutely. What have we learned? Anything is possible.”