I am excited to share five awesome new travel blogs for 2021 that have been started in the last year like mine! I want to share these blogs since they all offer unique perspectives, and they are great resources for travelers. Each one is run by a travel-loving woman, and you can get to know the ladies and their sites below! I also put my favorite post from each website at the end of the page.
Dabbling in Jet Lag by Jen
About Jen
Hi, I’m Jen – traveler, hiker, adventure seeker, and photographer. I am also the author of an adventure travel and photography blog called Dabbling in Jet Lag. For the past 8 years, I’ve been traveling and exploring the world. From the depths of the Amazon to soaring above the clouds in Reunion Island, I’ve had a lot of adventures. And I am only just beginning.
But I haven’t always been a traveler. In fact, I did not leave the US until I was 28. With a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, I decided to pursue a PhD in the same field. I was so focused on my career that it left me miserable and wanting something more. In the little free time I had, I would dream of faraway lands and exploring the unknown.
Then, as fate would have it, after my PhD, I was offered a job in Switzerland. I packed my bags, and the rest was history.
Since then, I’ve traveled to over 40 countries and lived in Switzerland, France, and the UK. I currently live in Strasbourg (France), and my plan is to apply for dual citizenship, and, after, who knows!
About Dabbling in Jet Lag
My website has three main topics, travel, adventure, and photography. Within these subjects, I focus on overcoming fears, accomplishing goals, and finding happiness. I use my writing to describe the story and my photography to show its beauty.
Traveling is where I found my happiness, and I hope my readers can learn from my journey and find their passion. My ultimate goal is to inspire others to venture out into the unknown, test their limits, and seek adventure.
Jen’s Favorite Destination
My favorite destination is not a place, but rather a moment where I learned something.
There are a few trips that standout in my mind, namely, Bolivia, Guatemala, Peru, and Laos. However, one of my most memorable experiences was in Kyrgyzstan. It’s actually the picture shown here. This picture was taken while I was hiking to Song Kol Lake, and it shows the highest point of the hike. Behind me, past the mountains, is where I started hiking and the lesson began.
My taxi driver was an elderly Kyrgyz man who did not speak a word of English. So, of course, I was dropped off at the wrong location, and left to find my way through the steppe of Kyrgyzstan. While it ended up being a once in a lifetime experience, I also learned a lot: from self-reliance to being better prepared, and, of course, the value of google translate!
Jen’s Biggest Fear
Believe it or not, I’m scared of heights. I am petrified to be on the edge of a cliff or high in the sky. Yet, I’ve done it all, from hot air ballooning to zip-lining and, even, paragliding. My goal is to overcome this fear by testing my limits. I refuse to let it stop me from experiencing the world
Type A Getaway by Rachel
About Rachel
Hi! My name is Rachel, and I’m a self-proclaimed “type A” who loves planning trips almost as much as I love taking trips! I have been researching and organizing trips for my family and friends since I was a teenager – I love the excitement of learning about a new place and envisioning the experiences I can have there. I have a few dozen itineraries for trips that I have no immediate plans to take!
About Type A Getaway
In 2020, everyone had their quarantine project – DIY home renovations, making TikTok videos, baking homemade bread… I did attempt the bread once, but my main project was publishing the travel blog I had thought about starting nearly a decade ago.
My sister and her husband tell me that on the trips we’ve taken together, they would have had fun without me (not the most flattering way to start!), but they wouldn’t have known about many of the fun activities we did, and they definitely would have spent a lot more money.
Like them, not everyone enjoys the planning side of travel as much as I do, so my goal is to do the research for my readers and provide detailed, specific information and itinerary ideas.
Rachel’s Favorite Destination
I love nature, so my favorite destination so far is Banff National Park in Canada. The mountains are spectacular, and the lakes are so blue they don’t seem real. There are incredible views accessible without hiking, so everyone can enjoy the beauty, regardless of physical fitness level.
My favorite travel experience was seeing an unbelievable amount of wildlife in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. In a one-week trip in May 2019, my husband and I saw a dozen moose, a couple of coyotes, several wolves, hundreds of elk, and 34 bears (including two sets of triplet cubs who were only a few months old!).
Fun Facts about Rachel
I work for an airline in the group that sources and contracts with hotels for the flight attendants and pilots to stay overnight while they are flying their trips. I took my first flight when I was two weeks old, and I will never turn down ice cream or Chick-fil-A!
Nomadic Neen by Nina aka Neen
About Neen
My name is Nina, but most people call me Neen. I’m an accountant from New York and travel obsessed. I have been traveling my entire life, and absolutely love experiencing new places, new cultures, and most importantly: new food! Traveling really gave me a new perspective on the world and an appreciation for the differences of people around the globe. Travel writing gives me the platform to share this love and share my experiences.
About Nomadic Neen
My site, Nomadic Neen, is a growing collection of my travel stories and travel advice/tips. I hope it inspires others to want to travel the world and experience something new when they do. I started my blog in May 2020, when quarantine here in New York was in full swing. My cousin, Stephanie, inspired me to start it. We’ve traveled a few times together and share a lot of the same passions, so she pushed me to try it out. I instantly fell in love with travel writing and knew I had to continue and grow my site. One day, I hope to have a piece of every destination, so people from all over the world and all different walks of life can read, relate, and be inspired!
Neen’s Favorite Destination
Paris. Without hesitation. I had VERY low expectations for Paris to be quite honest. I assumed it was overhyped and over-romanticized. Just seemed kind of lame. Boy was I wrong. Paris is pure magic and pure romance. There is so much history there, beautiful architecture, an abundance of museums filled with beautiful art, and lots of delicious food. The sites in Paris will take your breath away, and you’re constantly being surprised with how much you love this city.
Travel Story
My friend Doug and I were in Paris, and he had forced me to walk from our hotel to pick up our museum passes for the few days we were there instead of taking the metro. I didn’t even think to ask how far it was from our hotel, but I can tell you I was yelling at Doug almost the entire walk because it was FAR. I was angry. Doug liked to poke fun at me for reading travel guides before our trips, and kept asking me what every single thing was that we passed on our walk. At one point, he pointed to a giant building with a golden dome and asked me what it was. In that moment I had lost my cool and screamed “I DON’T KNOW, DOUG! I DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT PARIS STOP ASKING ME!”,
A day later when we were out and about exploring, While walking towards the military museum we wanted to go to, we saw the golden dome again. I said something along the lines of “oh look! Napoleon’s tomb is close too”. I don’t think I could describe Doug’s face if I tried. In my fit of rage the day before I didn’t even realize I knew exactly what the building he was asking about was. Now this gives us something to laugh about, and every once in a while he will just randomly say “I DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT PARIS, DOUG!” and we’ll burst into laughter. It has become one of my favorite memories from our trip.
Between Longitudes by Jayati
About Jayati
Hi there! My name is Jayati and I run Between Longitudes, a blog aimed at inspiring travel with family while working full time. I am mother to a son, a doting wife, an engineer by education and have a full-time career in Software Engineering. I am based out of Bangalore, India.
About Between Longitudes
Between Longitudes was launched in September 2020 and focuses on travel experiences without quitting your job. I am a firm believer in the fact that you really don’t need to quit your job to travel the world. In fact, my job has helped me in finding some of the best travel experiences (sometimes luxury experiences as well), because, hey, we know travel gets expensive especially with a full family.
Through my blog, I share actionable tips and itineraries that will be helpful for people like me who want to see the world and share the best moments with family.
Why Jayati Started Between Longitudes
Starting a Travel Blog in 2020 was a crazy idea! Isn’t it? But I still wanted to go ahead because it has been long time I was considering sharing my experiences with the online world.
I believe in curating my own travel plan and not depend on tours or travel agencies for an itinerary, unless I am signing up for a walking tour or a museum tour. I love the freedom that comes with being the master of your plan and strongly advocate independent travel.
As a result, I lovingly invest a lot of time (in collaboration with my husband 😊) in researching about the destination and creating detailed travel plans to enable the most authentic experience.
Through my blog I share those tips on how you can also do the same – be it living like a local, exploring rarely visited sites or experimenting with local food.
Now is the time to take travel inspiration, narrow down to potential travel destinations and eventually keep your wanderlust brewing. Between Longitudes is still an infant and over a period of time, I want to scale up this tiny venture to a side-hustle revenue-generating stream.
Jayati’s Favorite Destination
Quite difficult to choose a favorite destination. If I still try to give it a shot, I can narrow down to Goa in India and Montreux in Switzerland.
I have lost count of how many times I have been to Goa! I simply love the vibe of Goa and end up discovering something new there every time I have been there. There is something bohemian in Goa that I find appealing. It’s a great place to unwind. Montreux in Switzerland is a combination of panoramic Swiss views and thriving music culture – certainly a unique place to fall in love with. I would love to be there someday again!
Travel Story
My husband is a soccer lover and an ardent fan of FC Barcelona and Leo Messi. One of the main reasons for us to visit Barcelona was to watch Leo Messi in action. It was my idea to club Barcelona with our Paris trip and watch a La Liga match in Camp Nou stadium.
It was an Easter weekend and I was constantly praying that Messi should be playing that day’s match. Experiencing a La Liga match right there in the stadium in Barcelona is a lifetime experience. I can never forget my husband’s expression when Leo Messi entered the stadium. He was ecstatic!
Travel certainly presents you with some of the most precious moments of life.
Discoveny by Alice
About Alice
I’m a tea-drinking, mountain-climbing lass from Yorkshire, UK. I love coffee, curling up with a good book and my houseplants. Fun fact: When I’m not travelling, I’m a botanist. In the long term, I hope to protect and preserve mountain plants that are feeling the effects of a warming planet.
About Discoveny
Passionate about living on a greener planet, I started Discoveny in 2020 to encourage travellers to think about the consequences and take steps to a more sustainable lifestyle. It’s a blend of travel-writing, destination guides, and tips to help readers become more sustainable in their travel and day-to-day lives.
I hope to promote sustainable travel and eco-tourism through the sharing of travel tips, advice, anecdotes and real-world experiences. My aims are to draw attention to climate change and the world’s injustices and prompt readers to question their own travel habits and how they could change these for the better.
Alice’s Favorite Destination
Anywhere with mountains! Nepal was pretty special. It was the first big solo trip I planned and was a long time coming. The scenery is incredible, the people are kind and the food is extremely vegetarian/vegan friendly. For me, it was the perfect blend of adrenaline-inducing activities with space to kick back and chill afterwards.
My Favorite Posts on Each Site
- My favorite post on Dabbling in Jet Lag focuses on travel photography. I am getting more into travel photographer myself, but I am still a beginner, so this post was extremely helpful!
- Type A Getaway has a post on one of the most beautiful places in the United States: The Great Smoky Mountains! Her post highlights everything you need to know before you visit.
- Neen wrote about her first time in Paris, France. It is a great post about how you can grow through travel, and you should not judge a place before you visit!
- I love this post on Between Longitude’s about the beautiful town of Montreux, Switzerland. I had not heard about it until I read this post, but it is definitely at the top of my dream destinations now!
- Hiking is something I enjoy doing, and Discoveny has a post on how to combine hiking with saving the earth. Being eco-friendly is important, especially for hikers and nature lovers who spend a lot of time outside.
I know you will find these new travel blogs useful as travel opens back up! If you are looking for even more travel resources, you can check out my latest posts below, and subscribe to my newsletter for the latest news.