Fueling the Wanderlust: A Look at Travel Blogs on WordPress.com

Photo by Satori Photography

We hope Vagabond, the travel theme launched yesterday, inspires the nomad in you. To fuel the wanderlust even more, get blissfully lost in the words and images on the blogs below. From narrative writing on place and culture to photographs of the places on your bucket list, we think you’ll find something you like from this sampling of writers, wanderers, and photographers who explore the world.

The Squeaky Robot

The “travel blog” niche is broad — your idea of a great travel blog could be a guidebook-like resource of cities and countries, a site of personal essays and diary entries on living abroad, or something else. We love the variety of posts at The Squeaky Robot; the blogger doesn’t just write about travel, but also muses on the connections we make and finding her place in the world.

You’ll find evocative photographs, like this shot from Mongolia and a colorful photo essay of a Holi festival, and longer pieces weaving commentary and personal thoughts on place, like “The New Beat,” which describes her time in San Francisco, Seattle, Eugene, and Portland.

The Squeaky Robot also showcases Duet, a versatile premium theme. We especially like the two-column formatting of her longer posts, which resembles the pages of a glossy magazine, and the Image Format option for her single photo posts, which show off the landscapes she roams.

Road Essays

I knew I was lost when I found myself surrounded by dozens of newly made coffins. They were piled against the walls: adult size, child size, baby size and all smelling of freshly sawn timber. Addis Ababa’s merkato is a huge sprawling city within a city; a market so vast that no one seems to be sure where it exactly begins or ends . . .

That’s the opening line of a recent post on Addis Ababa by Jessica, the freelance travel writer at Road Essays. Here, you won’t find posts of the “top ten hotspots to drink a cocktail” variety: she digs deep and crafts thoughtful narrative nonfiction and scene-driven essays. Consider pieces like “Unearthing Beirut” and a succinct yet sensory post on the aural chaos of Cairo. If you’re a fan of longform and immersive travel writing, dive in.

Plus Ultra

In the 16th century, the personal motto of a young Charles V, the future king of Spain, was plus ultra, or to “go further beyond.” James, the Hong Kong-based travel writer, adopted this phrase for his own blog, continuing this spirit of exploration. On Plus Ultra, you’ll discover posts on China, Taiwan, Japan, and more — take a peek at his recent post on Macau, which combines history, food, culture, and photography with his own detailed account of the place.

James uses the Linen theme’s front page slider to showcase featured posts, and has an elegant custom header and matching background, reminiscent of a dusty, old explorer’s map.

More travel blogs on WordPress.com

• Quite Alone: Matthew Teller, a professional travel writer, pens thorough and honest posts on travel, the travel industry, and the Middle East in particular.
• On the Luce: Lucy, a freelance writer, editor, and designer, covers travel around the UK and throughout Europe. “This is grown up backpacking with a touch of luxury,” she writes on her About page, “with proper beds, the occasional internal flight, and a decent glass of wine.”
• Third Eye Mom: The writer, mother, and social good advocate at Third Eye Mom views the world with a “third eye” — with an open heart and mind.
• Soulshine Traveler: Meghan, a banker-turned-international volunteer, left the corporate world to travel.
• The Adventures of DR: Dan, a former geologist, caught a severe case of wanderlust and now explores and photographs his way through life:

Photo by The Adventures of DR

• What an Amazing World!: Bama, an Indonesia-based traveler and photographer, explores Asia and beyond.
• Nomadruss in Words and Photos: On this photoblog, Russ Taylor — a longtime wilderness guide and cultural documentary and NGO photographer — posts images of landscapes, nature, and daily life snapshots from his travels.
• Satori Photography: Stephanie Dandan publishes inspirational writing and dreamy, lovely photography from her adventures.

Discover more travel blogs in the Reader, and don’t forget to browse the wanderlust, nomad, place, and exploration topic pages, too.

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