There are literally hundreds of travel blogs available on the Internet, and it seems like a rush of people looking to start traveling the world as a career. It can be hard to shift through a myriad of websites to find those that truly inspire and inform, but luckily, I've done most of the work for you! These travel bloggers have caught my eye and are set to reach great heights. Their blogs offer a unique perspective and they come from all walks of life.
Meet my picks for top 10 bloggers to watch!
The Road Affair
Jazzy and Ben are a a thrill-seeking couple traveling the world one adventure at a time! They aren't afraid to explore destinations unknown, be it hanging out with Rastafarians in Jamaica for a photography series or traveling to Livingston, Guatemala to experience Garifuna culture. They are always honest, even if they are disappointed in a place and that's why their blog is a great travel resource!
The Minority Nomad
Erick Prince is a former US Air Force Aerospace Engineer, photographer and world traveler on a quest to become the first African American to visit every country in the world. How amazing is that?! His blog tackles heavy issues like sexuality, race, and poverty all while informing others on how to travel as extensively as he has. He's a blogging veteran, but if you haven't come across his blog yet, it's a must visit! Not to mention he has some amazing photos!
Jay On Life
Jay is a travel blogger living with polio, but she doesn't let it define her or hold her back! She shows that traveling is possible for anyone, no mater the disability, race, or where you were born! She is originally from Nigeria but moved to London at a young age and has since traveled through the USA, Canada and Jamaica, couchsurfing a lot of the way. She once said “The desire to travel will mean that you will do what it takes to see as much of the world as you possibly can, boundaries be damned," and I couldn't agree more.
The Blog Abroad
Everyone knows Gloria, whether they realize if or not. If you've kept track of viral Huffington Post articles this year, then you would have noticed “Stop Asking Me How I Afford To Travel," which received over 42,000 social media shares. Yep, thats her! Quirky, sassy, original and altogether endearing, Glo is the type of person you watch that makes you think you're already friends!
The Cultural Xplorer
Enter into a world of #foodporn, #awesomehotels, and #bloggerinterviews. The Cultural Xplorer is all about the “how" in travel. If you want to visit a place and Chanel has been there, then you can count on her to give you great advice! Be it a hotel review, a restaurant suggestion in a cool neighborhood or a food tour, she's got you covered. She recently went to Cuba and I can't wait to put her guide to use!
The Sophisticated Life
Look to Nadeen to indulge in the sophisticated side of wanderlust. Her blogs title says it all! From glamping in Yosemite to wine tasting in Napa Valley, her blog is where you'll find posts about the finer things in life. Even if you can't afford luxury travel or you're more of a backpacker, its a great blog to have in your bookmarks for that “someday" trip. She recently went on honeymoon in Turks and Caicos and it looked fabulous!
O Christine
Olivia Christine is a blogger and yoga instructor who left a successful job in the corporate world to search for happiness and purpose. This may sound like a familiar story, but her journey is unique because she was diagnosed with Lupus Nephritis at 16-years-old. She's an inspiration to anyone who may face incredible odds, and she shows us that travel is truly possible if we desire it!
Go Drift Away
Kyle was born in Trinidad, but raised in Montreal, Canada. He recently spent a year abroad traveling through Asia, and his blog offers tips on everything from how to score cheap flights to how to use technology to enhance your travels. I also have to admit, it's fun reading about a male perspective on solo travel!
She Dreams of Travel
I first fell in love with Jessica's travel blog because of her ability to tackle issues like race in Spain with grace and lightheartedness. She is refreshingly open, and her positive outlook on life and travel is contagious. Her blog is also really fun! You have to check out her post on English grammar fails. It's hilarious!
One Girl One World
Perhaps you've heard of this one 2016 is set to be a big year for One Girl One World, as it reaches it's two year anniversary and branches out into it's own guidebook franchise, starting with a much-anticipated guide to the French island of Martinique. The motto? “Do it afraid!" because fear should never be an excuse not to live your dreams.
"Francesca is a multimedia journalist with a deep passion for travel and a love for learning languages. She has lived abroad in Italy, Spain, and France and is writing a guide to the French island of Martinique. You can keep up with her travels on her website onegirl-oneworld.com!"
RELATED
The seeds for these entrepreneurs were planted during their time as students at schools like Spelman, North Carolina A&T, and more, which is why xoNecole caught up with Look Good Live Well’s Ariane Turner, HBCU Buzz’s Luke Lawal and Morehouse Senior Director of Marketing and Comms and Press Secretary Jasmine Gurley to highlight the role their HBCU roots play in their work as entrepreneurs, the legacy they aim to leave behind through the work that they do, and more as a part of Hyundai’s Best In Class initiative.
On Honoring HBCU Roots To Create Something That Is For Us, By Us
Ariane Turner
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When Ariane Turner launched Look Good, Live Well, she created it with Black and brown people in mind, especially those with sensitive skin more prone to dryness and skin conditions like acne and eczema.
The Florida A&M University graduate launched her business to create something that addressed topical skin care needs and was intentional about its approach without negative terminology.
Turner shared that it is important to steer clear of language often adopted by more prominent brands, such as “banishing breakouts” or “correcting the skin,” because, in reality, Turner says there is nothing wrong with the way that our skin and bodies react to various life changes.
“I think what I have taken with me regarding my HBCU experience and translated to my entrepreneurial experience is the importance of not just networking,” Turner, the founder and CEO of Look Good, Live Well, tellls xoNecole.
“We hear that in business all the time, your network is your net worth, but family, there’s a thing at FAMU that we call FAMU-lee instead of family, and it’s very much a thing. What that taught me is the importance of not just making relationships and not just making that connection, but truly working on deepening them, and so being intentional about connecting with people initially, but staying connected and building and deepening those relationships, and that has served me tremendously in business, whether it’s being able to reach back to other classmates who I went to school with, or just networking in general.”
She adds, “I don’t come from a business background. As soon as I finished school, I continued with my entrepreneurial journey, and so there’s a lot of that traditional business act and the networking, those soft skills that I just don’t have, but I will say that just understanding how to leverage and network community and to build intentional relationships is something that has taken me far and I definitely got those roots while attending FAMU.”
On Solving A Very Specific Need For The Community
Luke Lawal Jr.
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When Luke Lawal Jr. launched HBCU Buzz, his main focus was to represent his community, using the platform to lift as they climbed by creating an outlet dedicated to celebrating the achievements and positive news affecting the 107 historically HBCUs nationwide.
By spotlighting the wonderful things that come from the HBCU community and coupling it with what he learned during his time at Bowie State University, Lawal used that knowledge to propel himself as an entrepreneur while also providing his people with accurate representation across the internet.
“The specific problem in 2011 when I started HBCU Buzz was more so around the fact that mainstream media always depict HBCUs as negative,” Lawal says. “You would only see HBCUs in the mainstream media when someone died, or the university president or someone was stepping down. It was always bad news, but they never shed light on all the wonderful things from our community."
So, I started HBCU Buzz to ensure the world saw the good things that come from our space. And they knew that HBCUs grew some of the brightest people in the world, and just trying to figure out ways to make sure our platform was a pedestal for all the students that come through our institutions.”
“The biggest goal is to continue to solve problems, continue to create brands that solve the problems of our communities, and make sure that our products, our brands, our companies, and institutions are of value and they’re helping our community,” he continues. “That they’re solving problems that propel our space forward.”
On How Being An HBCU Alum Impacts The Way One Shows Up In The World
Jasmine Gurley
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Jasmine Gurley is a proud North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alum. She is even more delighted with her current role, which enables her to give back to current HBCU students as the Senior Director of Brand Marketing and Communications and official press secretary at Morehouse College.
“It was a formative experience where I really was able to come into my own and say yes to all the opportunities that were presented to me, and because of that, it’s been able to open the doors later in life too,” says Gurley of her experience at North Carolina A&T. “One thing I love about many HBCUs is that we are required to learn way more about African American history than you do in your typical K through 12 or even at the higher ed level."
She adds, “It allowed us to have a better understanding of where we came from, and so for me, because I’m a storyteller, I’m a history person, I’m very sensitive to life in general, being able to listen to the stories and the trials that our ancestors overcame, put the battery pack in my back to say, ‘Oh nothing can stop me. Absolutely nothing can stop me. I know where I came from, so I can overcome something and try anything. And I have an obligation to be my ancestors’ wildest dreams. Simultaneously, I also have a responsibility to help others realize that greatness.
Gurley does not take her position at an HBCU, now as a leader, lightly.
“People think I’m joking when I say I’m living the dream, but I really am,” she notes. “So I wake up every day and know that the work that I do matters, no matter how hard it might be, how frustrating it may be, and challenging it. I know the ripple effect of my work, my team, and what this institution does also matter. The trajectory of Black male experiences, community, history, and then just American advancement just in general.”
On the other hand, through her business, Sankofa Public Relations, Gurley is also on a mission to uplift brands in their quest to help their respective communities. Since its inception in 2017, Sankofa PR has been on a mission to “reach back and reclaim local, national, and global communities by helping those actively working to move” various areas of the world, focusing on pushing things forward for the better.
“Through Sankofa, we’ve worked with all different types of organizational brands and individuals in several different industries, but I would think of them as mission-based,” says Gurley.
“So with that, it’s an opportunity to help people who are trying to do good in the world, and they are passionate about what they’re doing. They just need help with marketing issues, storytelling, and branding, and that’s when my expertise can come into play. Help them get to that moment where they can tell their story through me or another platform, and that’s been super fulfilling.”
Join us in celebrating HBCU excellence! Check out our Best In Class hub for inspiring stories, empowering resources, and everything you need to embrace the HBCU experience.
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