Ten female bloggers you should follow
Women are amazing. Men are amazing too, but this post is about the female half of the species, specifically about ten women who blog.
One of the best things about travelling is the chance to meet new people. Craig and I are lucky enough to have friends all around the world; some are people we’ve stayed with through Couchsurfing or AirBnB, others are fellow travellers. Still others are members of the ever-growing travel bloggers’ community, which is full of truly excellent people. At a recent blogging festival, I met one of these people: Alys from The Wild Life. Last week, she nominated me for the Sisterhood Of The World Bloggers Award.
The rules of the award are:
- State who nominated you.
- Answer their questions.
- Nominate ten other female bloggers.
- Ask them ten questions.
My nominations
There are a lot of awesome female bloggers out there, these ten are some of my favourite people — check them out!
Sherry from Ottsworld.
We’ve known Sherry for almost as long as we’ve been travelling, and have met up with her in several countries. We’re always impressed by her intrepid adventures.
Jodi from Legal Nomads.
Jodi’s another inspiration. Her long-form articles are beautifully written, and though we may not agree about whether or not to eat olives, we love hanging out with her.
Lauren from Spanish Sabores.
As well as blogging, Lauren also runs a food tour company introducing travellers to delicious Spanish food.
Leigh from The Future is Red.
Leigh is one of those genuinely amazing people who it’s always a pleasure to be around. We spent six weeks with her and her husband at their home in Salta, Argentina, and were impressed with their work with indigenous people and underprivileged kids.
Deb from The Planet D.
Deb and her husband Dave are two of the most adventurous people I know — hence their motto “adventure is for everyone”. Deb is an outgoing, friendly person who always seems to have a good word for everyone.
Alisa from Alisa Abroad.
During my year in Alcalá de Henares, I spent a lot of time with Alisa, who worked at the same school as me. I enjoy her blog for its honest reflections on life.
Janine from Carry On Exploring.
If you listen to the podcast, you might have noticed that Janine is one of our best friends. We’ve travelled with her in a dozen or so countries and really enjoy her company — and her blog.
Liz from Young Adventuress.
Liz is a lovely person who it’s always fun to be around, and her blog is one of the most popular travel blogs out there. Plus, she’s living in New Zealand, so there are always lots of lovely photos of home on her site!
Leyla from Women on the Road.
Leyla is a super intelligent, dauntless woman who I have a lot of time for. Her blog is full of really useful advice for solo women travellers, so if you’re one of those, check it out.
Dalene from Hecktic Travels.
We met Dalene and her husband Pete at a blog camp they were running in Ireland, and I enjoyed their company SO MUCH. I also enjoy Dalene’s writing style, which is friendly and inclusive.
Questions for nominees
- Why do you travel?
- Suitcase or backpack?
- What luxury item do you take with you?
- Who do you like to travel with?
- What’s great about your home town?
- Do you ever feel tired of travelling?
- What’s the most challenging thing about travel?
- Tell me about a moment when you felt really happy.
- What have you only recently learned about travel or about yourself?
- Which travel destination would you love to go back to?
Alys’s questions and my answers:
1. Where was your first ever trip abroad to?
I have no idea! My family travelled a lot when I was a child, and my first trip overseas was almost certainly before I turned one year old. It was probably to Australia, though, which is the closest country to our home country of New Zealand.
2. Why did you start your travel blog?
We’d been travelling for about six months and kept making ridiculous mistakes. We started the Indie Travel Podcast to share our errors with people so that they wouldn’t make the same mistakes we had.
3. What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened whilst you were travelling?
When we were in Romania, we were sucked in by a scam. A man approached us as we were walking to our hostel and told us that it had been closed because someone had been murdered there the previous night. He led us to a taxi which charged us an extortionate amount to take us to a “tourist park” where we would be “safe”. I still feel sick when I think about it.
4. What’s your biggest travel achievement?
Keeping on going! We’ve been travelling full-time for almost ten years now, despite setting out with the aim of only being away for three.
5. What’s top of your travel wish list?
I really, really, really want to go to Colombia. We’ve been planning a trip there for four years and it still hasn’t eventuated, for various reasons. We’ll get there eventually, though.
6. What’s the best food you’ve eaten whilst travelling?
Argentinian steak has to be right up there, paired with a glass or two of delicious Malbec wine. Yum.
7. If you could learn any language what would it be?
I’d love to be able to speak Chinese, but my attempts to learn it haven’t been very successful. I’m currently working on German.
8. What blog post are you most proud of?
I’ve recently been learning more about the technical side of podcasting. I’m pretty proud of how the Camino Primitivo podcast turned out, as it was one of the first ones that I edited solo.
9. What’s your best advice for a first time traveller?
Pack light! You really don’t need as much stuff as you think you do.
10. Where are you off to next?
Next week, we are heading to Moldova. This is another destination that’s been on the wishlist for years, and recent changes in visa requirements have meant that it’s finally possible — I’m really looking forward to it!
Share your thoughts
Who are your favourite female travel bloggers? What are your answers to the questions above? Leave a comment below!
