Best Travel Blogs to follow in 2021

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Here are the best travel blogs to follow in 2021. We’ve searched, read, followed, and admired many great travel blogs and after careful consideration, we’ve culled the list down to the best of the best. You’re welcome.

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Traveling has long been a passion for some, a job for others, and somewhere in between for many. That is until 2020 hit. Then it all fell apart.

The travel industry took a huge step backward in 2020 thanks to the deadly pandemic that wreaked havoc on the entire travel industry not to mention many travel bloggers and influencers. Many bloggers didn’t survive. Some pivoted and some managed to even thrive. Those with a strong foundation were able to endure. While many bloggers left the blogosphere in 2020, those who are left have emerged stronger and we’ve found some of the best still in business.

Best Travel Blogs 2021 Edition

Since 2018 we’ve been publishing a directory of great travel blogs each year. We don’t really view these fellow bloggers as competition, but rather as inspiration and we are always honored to share these travel bloggers with our readers.

• See 2020’s list here

Now, with 2021 finally here (thank God; we were so over 2020), we’ve updated our list. Like we do each year we’ve tweaked the list this year. This involved adding and removing some blogs. Recategorizing or adding new categories. eliminating entire categories and so on. This year is no different in that regard.

However, 2021’s list of travel blogs is smaller. Much smaller.

Yep, we’ve simplified and consolidated our list of inspiring travel bloggers to follow.

Why did we do this? 2020 was a year that culled a lot of travel bloggers out of the business. Those that remained either have nothing better to do and are crazy or had a solid business foundation in place or were able to pivot (we did a little pivoting ourselves and broadened out base to cover remote work & work from home)

• See our list of the Best Work from Home / Remote Work Bloggers here

Best Travel Blog Categories for 2021

Believe us when we say this: there’s no still no shortage of great travel bloggers to follow on the Internet. Sure, many bloggers didn’t make it through 2020, but there’s still plenty of great ones around. As we noted earlier, here in 2021, we’ve simplified things quite a bit. Here are the categories for top travel bloggers to follow in 2021:

• Top 10 Best Travel Blogs. In this category, we’ve included all types of travel blogs. The very best of the best travel blogs. Some of the very top travel writers land here. Ranging from pleasure travel to business travel to everything in between, we’ve picked out the 10 Best Travel Blogs in the world!
• Best Points, Miles, Frequent Traveler Blogs & Business Travel Blogs. Here we are highlighting travel blogs about points and miles and the frequent traveler lifestyle (which often ties into the points & miles game). Learn how to travel hack using credit cards, frequent flyer miles, along with general travel industry news, and more. Given the radical change in the business travel landscape, we’ve merged business travel blogs into this section as well.
• Best General Travel Blogs. Here in 2021, we’ve greatly reduced our list of favorite blogs. As such, we didn’t need as many categories. We’ve lumped them all together with our solo bloggers, our family bloggers, unique travel blogs, couples who travel, solo female travel blogs, general travel blogging, rising stars, etc.
• Best Video Logs (aka Best Vlogs). Here we have the video bloggers. It’s video all day, every day – because we desperately need stuff to stream now that we’ve finished Netflix (one month 3 of the pandemic for some you…)
• Best Travel Podcasts: a new category for 2021 that features some of the top travel-focused podcasters for 2021.

So let’s get to it. Without any further ado, here is the ultimate list of the best travel blogs 2021 edition and some of the best travel blog websites you can find on the internet. And, by the way, this list is merely our opinion in case that wasn’t obvious.

Top 10 Best Blogs about Traveling

We have spent a LOT of time looking at travel blogs. We’ve looked at personal travel blogs, tourism blogs, adventure blogs, solo female blogs, family travel blogs, frequent traveler blogs, points and miles blogs, business travel blogs and just about any other category. SO. MANY. TRAVEL. BLOGS. LOL…

During that time, we’ve discovered 10 travel blogs that we think pretty much everyone should be following. These travel blogs, in our opinion anyway, are the best of the best travel blogs. They are the tip of the spear, the creme de la creme. Even here in the new “travel normal” of the post-pandemic world we all live in now. We think you will like them too.

Here are the Top 10 Best Travel Blogs overall:

1. Nomadic Matt. Matt, in our opinion, sets the standard for all travel blogs on the internet. He meets all the criteria: Useful content, attractive website, highly popular, and despite his unbridled success, his authenticity still comes through. Plus, he’s a fan of Pinky & the Brain, which honestly is all that was really needed here. He is still one of the most successful travel blogs out today and certainly one of the most famous travel bloggers. His blog is literally one of the most-read travel blogs around and in our opinion is the best blog site for travel!
2. BoardingArea.com. The Boarding Area (BA) is really a suite of frequent travel blogs, points and miles blogs, and a smattering of business travel blogs. BA is a platform that houses somewhere (at last count) around 50+ blogs – many very good, some that are great, some not so much. This is one of the best sites for travel blogs. Lots of experienced travelers here though and lots of great content. Really good stuff. [Full disclosure: the CBoardingGroup is part of the Boarding Area blogging network]
3. One Mile at a Time. This popular travel blog is run by Ben Schleppig, AKA Lucky, and it’s bursting at the seams with great travel content including insightful takes on the travel industry, credit card information, points and miles tips, and relevant travel news.
4. View from the Wing. Gary Leff is the travel expert. Widely respected and a prolific content generator, Gary’s been in the points, miles, and travel hacking game for a long time. Excellent advice, well written and organized. People refer to him as the Air Genius and he regularly appears on TV, podcasts, etc. I’ve not met a fellow blogger who doesn’t respect Gary.
5. God Save the Points. Really strong points and miles blog with a very creative writer, Gilbert, who flies around the world (usually first class due to his points and miles game). Gilbert is an earnest, fair, and well-connected blogger based in the UK who usually has great scoops and in-depth, fact-based converge of the industry. Plus he doesn’t put up with any bullshit.
6. Upgraded Points. We think these guys are the next “TPG” – and they appear to not be near as credit card focused and/or don’t appear to have completely “sold out” to the credit card industry, per se. We actually like reading them more than TPG.
7. The Points Guy. Speaking of TPG, this is a travel blog that’s all about points and miles (and credit cards). A long legacy in the blogosphere, and good roots. Many think they’ve lost their way in recent years, but they still have some good stuff here!
8. A Dangerous Business Travel Blog. Despite the name, this is NOT a business travel blog. It is, however, a wonderful collection of wonderful spun travel tales told by Amanda. They are full of vibrant pictures and an earnest voice that inspires you to get out and travel!
9. YTravelBlog: I found the YTravelBlog by accident while searching for ideas on how to structure my blog and boy am I glad I did. Their travel blog is more of a general travel blog, that’s a bit more focused on family travel blogging. Their site is clean, well organized, and they offer well written, engaging, and authentic content. They are also one of the most famous travel bloggers around. My family has used their site when planning family vacations! #MustFollow. If I was building a Top 10 Family Travel Blogs list…they’d be #1.
10. Expert Vagabond. Matt Karsten runs a beautiful travel blog with a heavy emphasis on photography and adventure. He’s an American Expat living in Italy – but still traveling all over this beautiful planet.

Honorable mention: TBH, one of the travel blogs I read the most is from fellow Boarding Area blogging team Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV). This dynamic duo may not be the largest blog on the internet, but they always seem to create really interesting, quirky content, often answering questions we all had but never thought to write about. Things like “Why are airplanes often painted white?” or “How many of these airline acronyms do you know?” I guess I just like that stuff. Anyway…you really should follow them.

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Best Frequent Traveler Blogs, Points & Miles Blogs or Business Travel Blogs

Frequent travelers live here. Sometimes business travelers, sometimes recreational travelers, sometimes its pros who know how to gamify the system. They know how to get it done; know all the secret travel hacks, the special rental car tricks, the hotel tips, etc. And they, like we often do, impart that wisdom to their lovely readers.

In this category, there’s lots of travel news, travel deals, credit card offers, quirky travel stories, travel advice, tips, best practices, horror stories, general information, and much more. For 2021, we’ve combined the Frequent Traveler Blog category with the Points & Miles category as well as the Business Travel category (now that business travel is basically dead…for now).

This means we’ve highlighted the best points and miles blogs to teach you how to get in on this interesting and amazing world of earning points and miles to use for free travel (often in first or business class). Or for those of you still traveling for work, we’ve got you covered too.

The below list is not in any specific order.

• One Mile at a Time. This popular travel blog is run by Ben Schleppig, AKA Lucky, and it’s bursting at the seams with great travel content including insightful takes on the travel industry, credit card information, points and miles tips, and relevant travel news.
• View from the Wing. Gary Leff is the travel expert. Widely respected and a prolific content generator, Gary’s been in the points, miles, and travel hacking game for a long time. Excellent advice, well written and organized. People refer to him as the Air Genius and he regularly appears on TV, podcasts, etc. I’ve not met a fellow blogger who doesn’t respect Gary.
• God Save the Points. Really strong points and miles blog with a very creative writer, Gilbert, who flies around the world (usually first class due to his points and miles game). Gilbert is an earnest, fair, and well-connected blogger based in the UK who usually has great scoops and in-depth, fact-based converge of the industry.
• Live & Let’s Fly. Long term travel pro and LA based blogger Matt shares travel news, frequent flyer programs/updates and travel tips and tricks. We like that Matt’s not afraid of controversy. He’s not afraid to wade into the deep end and we respect that.
• Upgraded Points. We think these guys are the next (or maybe “new”) “TPG” – and they appear to not be near as credit card focused and/or don’t appear to have completely “sold out” to the credit card industry, per se. We actually like reading them more than TPG.
• The Points Guy. Speaking of TPG, this is a travel blog that’s all about points and miles (and credit cards). A long legacy in the blogosphere, and good roots. Many think they’ve lost their way in recent years, but they still have some good stuff here!
• Cranky Flier. A great name, first of all! But also, great content. The Cranky Flier is run by a gentleman who’s been in and around the airline industry for years. His unique perspective on the industry with a healthy dose of “crank” (which is hilarious). Check out his section on the “worst airline ever” and watch him lambaste some bonehead moves by some big-name airlines.
• Your Mileage May Vary. A quirky travel blog that covers a LOT of ground. Really insightful takes on frequent travel.
• Bald Thoughts. Lee shows readers how to take amazing vacations using noting more than points and miles. Use their travel hacks and tricks as you plan your next trip! For example, their post 11 IMMEDIATE steps you must take when getting a new credit card contains solid advice on how to get the most out of a credit card rewards system.
• Business Travel Life: Business Travel Life offers competent biz travel information. They feature a clean, simple site, loaded with useful practical information that every business traveler can benefit from – with a particular focus on healthy travel. Looks like 2020 may have slowed them down a bit as they aren’t posting as frequently anymore. We hope that changes. They are kinda one of the “OG” biz travel bloggers.
• Travel After Five. A fellow business travel blogger that puts out great content about life on the road. Clean site. Good pics…and great guides for what to do AFTER 5pm…which is a real problem for us regular business travelers. She also has a Road Warrior Handbook you might want to check out.
• Frequent Miler. Fellow BA bloggers Greg and Nick know how to earn points and LOTS of them. In many cases without ever leaving their homes. If you are looking for a blow by blow approach to earning a ton of points and miles, read these folks on a regular basis. Plus they have fun while they are doing it.
• Stuck at the Airport. This business travel blog is probably my favorite in terms of aesthetic appeal. The well-respected Harriet Baskas (a real journalist, btw) has done a tremendous job with her site. It’s like Pinterest, but a travel blog. Pretty sweet looking. It’s also, FULL of wonderful content that the business traveler can use on their daily grind.
• The Military Frequent Flier. The Military Frequent Flier is run by a couple of vets who know how to travel. While they are no longer actively serving, their years of travel during their service have given them a unique perspective on travel. Definitely worth a follow. As fellow vets here at the CBoardingGroup, we dig that.
• PointChaser. An incredibly detailed blog that explains exactly how to get started in the points and miles game.
• Travel Hacking Mom. Pam and Alex are a mother-daughter duo teaching us about points and miles with a bit of emphasis on the family angle. Strong content and easily consumable.
• The College Points. A new-ish points & miles blog targeted primarily at college students. Learn how to get into the points and miles game WHILE you are in college and then travel for free and/or save some serious money. Love what these guys are doing! Worth noting the fellas behind this blog are not new to the blogging game having built and run other successful travel blogs.
• Thrifty Traveler. Another blog in the style of TPG, although Thrifty Traveler tends to highlight flight deals and routes a bit more.

Best General Travel Blogs

Here is a fun list of some of the best and most interesting general travel blogs worth following. Some are just personal travel blogs, others are more lifestyle blogs with a travel angle, some focus on food blogging while traveling. Think of this section as a giant “honorable mention” list! Check em out! These are some really great travel blogs!

Note: the list is not in order. 

• Stuck in Customs. An insanely visual photo blog from a world renowned photographer with accolades from folks like JJ Abrams and Hans Zimmer, Trey is one of (if not THE) best photo blog sites in the world. If you are looking for tips on photography, cameras and gear it’s all here. Or if you just want to look at some beautiful travel photos, he’s got that too.
• The Blonde Abroad. You know her. She’s been in this business for a while and continues to write inspiring content about this lovely rock we live on.
• The Down Lo. Cool name and logo but better content. Lauren has a massive blog with a huge social media following and it’s justified given all of the exciting places she’s been and solid content
• Legal Nomads. A former lawyer who said “I’m outta here” and hit the road. Strong content and easy to read writing style (despite being lawyers…lol).
• Spin the Globe. As one of the few accessible oriented travel bloggers Sylvia refuses to let MS hold her back. This Air Force vet (we love veterans here at the CBoardingGroup…even Air Force vets…haha…sorry the Jarhead in me can’t resist) has been featured on Lonely Planet and even won the Miss Wheelchair USA competition in 2016. Follow her as she solo travels the world!
• Diana’s Healthy Living. Diana’s Healthy Living blog is a balanced lifestyle blog that covers everything from travel to food, to a healthy lifestyle. She has a huge following and that’s probably because she puts out great content – stuff worth reading! For example, the Top 5 Things To Do in Tempe, Arizona contains solid suggestions on what to do in this interesting town (and I know Tempe, my in-laws live there). Most compelling, though, are her pictures which are I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E.
• Be My Travel Muse. Kristen is a SOCAL native and video game nerd who loves to travel solo. She is, by far, one of the best female travel bloggers around.
• Amateur Traveler. Chris Mortensen has traveling and blogging for a long time and his target audience is the North American traveler who’s only got a couple of weeks of vacation time. He helps readers maximize their once-annual vacation. Chris was kind enough to comment on last year’s version of this and point out that he too should be included in our list. Oddly, I’ve never heard of these folks (shame on me), but it turns out Chris was right. He definitely should have been on our list. He’s been at this a long time and continues to provide practical, useful travel advice and information.
• Luggage and Lipstick. Patti, aka the Boomer Blond, is a professional writer, who’s won dozens of awards for her blogging and photography. She hosts a MASSIVE blog that is full of great content from the perspective of a Baby Boomer. For example her. She also has a book, Girls Go Solo: Tips for Women Traveling, which is, in her words, “is chockablock with Patti’s own tested and proven tips wrapped in her witticisms.” Haha! Highly recommend adding this site your regular reading list.
• Andy’s Travel Blog. Andy Luten is a serious travel photographer. His pictures are top-notch and he’s a pretty nice guy too. In addition to blogging, he also sells his travel photographs which are a bit out of my price range, but probably worth every penny. See his portfolio here.
• Family Flys Free. Part of the TravelUpdate consortium of travel bloggers, Ian from FFF provides a practical, earnest take on the points and miles industry with an emphasis on family travel. Plus he’s a good dude so that’s a bonus.
• Executive Thrillseekers. A cute couple that’s taken their love on the road. Budget travel tips, exciting destinations (like Scuba Diving the Red Sea!), and more. Try to keep up if you can!
• HandLuggageOnly. Here are two buddies from college who travel the world. Their blog is clean and well organized, and highly visual. Great stories, hacks, and more. They also have a MASSIVE following on Social Media. Worth adding these fellas to your regular reading list.
• Travels with Mei & Kerstin. Mei and Kerstin have been traveling this world as a Lesbian couple since 2002 and they’ve got the evidence. Their extensive blog is full of great slow travel stories, smart travel tips, and they’ve been featured as one of the 33 LGBTQ blogs Travelers to follow on IG.
• The Globetrotter Guys. Two dudes out on the road (see what I did there). Sion and Ben showcase LGBTQ adventures and attitudes from across the globe. You can check out some of their Gay Travel Guides here for more information.
• Expedition Wildlife. A great duo that specializes in bird identification and wildlife photography. They aim to bring our wild encounters to readers through their travels, blog, photos, and videos. They use drones extensively and talk about the impact of drones on wildlife.
• A Couple for the Road. This duo markets itself as a cultural travel blog that celebrates international art, history, architecture, music, language and culinary traditions. They offer travel tips, food recommendations, and destination guides. Definitely worth a follow!
• Passing Thru. A boomer travel blog (aka a Senior Travel Blog). I just love this. With the kids gone, hit the road! I wish my parents were in better health (and had the finances) to pull this off. By the way, senior travel blogs are fast becoming a popular travel blog niche as more and more boomers retire and hit the road armed with the technical skills, know-how and money to become a successful retirement travel blogger.
• Worthy Go. These folks focus on the weird, the not so popular and the unique. Of course, they also cover some of the more traditional stuff, but we love that they march the beat of a different drum!

I’d love it if you’d go check out this great content (and them come back to the best travel blogs directory…we’ll still be here!): 47 Best Travel Books of all Time – the Ultimate List of Books to Read while Traveling

Best Travel Podcasts

• Amateur Traveler. We mentioned Chris earlier in this post, but his podcast is pretty legit too.
• We Travel There. The same guy who runs Bald Thoughts, Lee, also runs this excellent travel podcast site and it’s packed full of interesting guests and practical advice on great destinations.
• Travel with Rick Steves. Maybe the “OG” Travel Podcaster back before there was even such a thing, Rick is still bringing it.

We are actively looking for more travel podcasts to follow. If you have a submission, drop us a comment and we will take a look at it.

The Best Video Blogs – aka Best Vlogs or Vloggers to Follow

Here we go…a new category for us last year, but one that turned out to be pretty necessary while quarantining. Our collective insatiable lust for more stuff to watch as we stayed at home and didn’t travel in 2020 led us to YouTube and vloggers. While we have no interest in doing video ourselves, we do love to watch others. Here are the best video blogs, aka best Vlogs. Enjoy (and help us build out this list!)

• Delightful Travellers. A Canadian couple with a LARGE Vlog and big following on YouTube.
• theRTWguys. Two dude who travel and post a lot interesting videos – especially about scuba.
• Carrie Ann – the life of a Flight Attendant. A fun, quirky take into the daily life of a flight attendant.
• Casey Neistat. One of the top Vloggers in the game with a bazillion followers.
• Adventures with kids! A cool family that’s not afraid to film the fun!
• Aisle or Window. Real travel for real people is their tag line. Follow them on YouTube here.
• The Love Assembly. Author, traveler, Vlogger and more Aubrey is an Aussie living in London and taking sweet photos and awesome videos as she flits around the world.
• Random Golf Club from Erik Anders Lang. We love, love, LOVE golf, and Erik Anders Lang (EAL) is a prolific travel golfer. His ScratchTV show about golfing around the world is shown on United flights and his Random Golf Club VLog is so much fun. We are always desperate for EAL to put out more content. For a Hollywood dude, he seems super down to earth. We are still waiting for the golf invite. It’s ok, we’ll wait, Erik.
• Frequent Miler. These bloggers also have a YouTube channel which features Nick and Greg opining about various points and miles opportunities. Good stuff.

If you are looking for the Top Travel Vloggers to follow here’s a great video on YouTube that gives you 19 Travel Vloggers you oughta be followin’:

You might be interested in the 26 Must Have Travel Gadgets every traveler should know about!

Best Blogs about Blogging

I had to include a few blogs about blogging too, because AS A BLOGGER I am still learning. It’s a short list, but hopefully it will be helpful to you too!

• Digital Nomad Wannabe. I’d be lying if I didn’t mention how influential the DNW has been for my blog. Excellent, practical tips on how to blog. Plus a really strong Facebook group.
• Neil Patel. The wizard. Lot’s great tips and tricks here. Highly recommended.
• Female Travel Bloggers. Great resources here for Bloggers who are Female including SEO tips, photo tips and much much more.

By the way, if you are looking for some laughs to accompany you on your next adventure, make sure to check out our travel memes section. Literally HUNDREDS of hilarious travel memes.

Final Thoughts on the Best Blogs About Travel

Thanks for tuning in to the best travel blogs – 2021 edition! We hope you enjoyed this fun collection of travel blogs. Frankly, we are just happy to wash our hands of 2020, right? Here’s to a great year (hopefully) and the reemergence of travel…can I get an amen?

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