With usability and user experience being among the key factors that keep visitors coming back to a website, the overall design of each page is also a contributing factor. People tend to click out when there are too many distractions and generic content on your site, as seen with several travel blogs out there.
Having to deal with so many pop-ups tends to make navigation a lot difficult on blogs, and the misuse of automated blogging tools makes matters worse. These tools are intended to make the job easier for bloggers as they try to create fantastic content that is SEO-friendly. But they eventually get carried away with SEO and marketing, forgetting the importance of page design and user experience.
Putting money ahead of the needs of page visitors is the reason why we see many travel blogs that look the same, both aesthetically and content-wise. Keeping superb storytelling and user experience in mind, we bring you the ten (10) best travel blogs in 2019-2020.
#1 Salt in Our Hair
With lots of travel blogs having a generic interface, Salt in Our Hair is one of the very few that has fantastic content and colorful design. Adventurous travelers, Nick and Hannah, do their best to bring you the best that most travel destinations have to offer. The original content, great photography, and attractive layout will impress every visitor.
With optimization for use on phones, reading amazing stories on the go has become possible for millennials that tend to access the internet from mobile devices. Page visitors do not need to worry about slow loading or unnecessary animations that make it challenging to navigate several other travel blogs with a poorly designed layout. You will be glad that they did not sacrifice performance while bringing you amazing images from different parts of the world.
The couple from Netherland came up with the name for their website after a trip that left them with sticky hair from salt. They have continued to travel ever since, with numerous trips around the globe, including Asia and Africa. Destination suggestions, travel tips, and other exciting information from first-hand experiences will impress and motivate readers to go on a trip.
#2 Cookiesound
Cookiesound brings you thrilling travel stories and incredible photography from a mother-daughter travel duo. Nisa and Ulli Maier have been sharing personal experiences through pictures and written content with an honest and sometimes sarcastic approach. Their passion for traveling made them take a long trip through Africa, where it all began for them.
The Maiers understand the importance of a sharp travel blog design, seen with their impressive combination of colors that are pleasing to the eyes. Professional high-quality images and well-written content have continually drawn readers to the travel blog.
The pictures on the travel blog reflect the true nature and landscape of the cities visited. Taking a look at the posts on the blog reveals how much work that is put into every trip to give readers the best as they get real information about their favorite travel destinations.
#3 Asiyami Gold
Asiyami Gold is another travel blog that brings together a clean and simple page design with amazing photos that make you want to travel to the places visited by the blogger. The photography is unique and captures exciting moments of each trip in a personal way, just like those taken by a professional photographer.
With a unique style of photography that depicts reality while seemingly blending fashion and travel, the page visitors always want more. You can see the attention to detail, special grain effects, and color schemes that make the pictures stand out.
The Asiyami Gold design choice is on a league of its own, with the full content and style of storytelling make it all the more awe-inspiring. Finding a unique style and sticking to it is what makes most blogs stand out, just like this one that has been able to balance fashion and travel.
#4 Rice/Potato
The Taiwanese and Dutch couple who have come together to create a fantastic travel guide from their experiences in Bangkok and several other cities across the globe are the ones behind Rice/Potato. Etty and Chris from different backgrounds have found a way to fuse travel and digital marketing, as they help their readers find new and exciting spots to hang out in Bangkok and beyond.
Rice/Potato has a clean layout with a grand color scheme and attention to detail that is seen with the photos and written content. Each article is well written with accompanying images that capture the attention of readers while improving the site’s user experience.
Take the article “Banyan bliss: a long weekend at Banyan Tree Phuket,” for instance. The accompanying images capture the attention of readers with a detailed description of facilities that are available at the resort. Their personal opinion about their stay there, as well as the professional-grade photos, will surely make you consider taking the trip.
#5 I Am Aileen
Aileen found a way to use her passion for marketing, as well as her graphics and web design skills to tell incredible stories about her traveling lifestyle. She documents her travels from a personal perspective, with fantastic photography that is detail-oriented. Her readers can easily relate to specific experiences as they are inspired to pursue their travel dreams as she did.
The ”4-DAY NIIGATA ITINERARY (JAPAN)” article with an eye-catching header photo, impeccable pre-travel guide, and a tabbed picture gallery, says a whole lot. You can also find helpful phrases in Japanese that would make your stay an exciting one. For additional phrases, online translation service providers like The Word Point will be of great value.
#6 Expert Vagabond
Matthew is an American who loves photography, as well as adventure. He has found a way to combine it with his excellent typographical skills to give readers concise information without ambiguity. Readers can find several travel resources and great photography tips on his blog, which has a simple layout with a lovely color scheme.
If you are planning to make your first trip to any of the amazing destinations on his travel blog, knowing the right places to visit and how to capture memorable moments is an advantage. Readers are known to follow his style of photography as they document their trips while traveling around the globe. The engaging videos are also available to keep visitors entertained and inspired to venture out to foreign lands without fear.
#7 Camels & Chocolate
Kristin Luna started the Camels and Chocolate travel and lifestyle blog in 2007 and has continually kept her blog layout simple and clean. Her use of certain visual elements, including a dazzling color scheme and well-taken pictures, has kept her readers loyal and inspired some of them to travel to certain destinations.
The article about the best murals in Nashville contains excellent shots where she uses photography to crack open the street art scene. Mere looking at these murals makes you want to go hunting to find them on your next visit to the city. With accurate information on exciting new destinations and well-written stories from her experiences, page visitors may soon start to feel like they are on every trip with her.
#8 YTravelBlog
The Australian couple Caz and Craig, tell great stories about their exciting journey to different destinations on the YTravelBlog. You can see their passion for traveling and having fun while navigating through photos and well-written articles on their site. While reading their stories, you immediately realize this: if they found a way to travel with their kids, you can too.
For those seeking authentic information on how to plan a successful family vacation, the YTravelBlog is an excellent place for you to start. The site’s layout is well organized with great fonts and contains engaging content, travel tips, and professional-grade photos that make road tripping sound like fun.
#9 Nomadic Matt
Matt has been traveling to several great destinations over the years and documents his exciting adventures on his travel blog. With highly-engaging stories and inspiring photos, readers can get detailed information about traveling on a budget to their dream destinations. The site contains essential travel tips, including ways to find travel buddies for your future trips.
The ”18 LESSONS FROM 5 YEARS AROUND THE WORLD” article is well-written and contains concise information and colorful images that inspire you to open yourself up to change as you pursue your travel dreams.
#10 Everywhereist
The entertaining blog which focuses on travel and lifestyle has an excellent design and visually appealing photography that captures the excitement and fun in the adventures of Geraldine DeRuiter, who runs the Everywhereist blog. With very descriptive articles and colorful images that make it easy for readers to follow her adventures with ease, she has grown to become one of the most prominent travel bloggers in the world today.
She also writes about great desserts, places to stay and eat while you are having the time of your life on a solo trip or with loved ones. From the cool fonts down to everything else, it promises to be a fantastic ride for all site visitors.
Conclusion
Regardless of your travel ideas, you can always find something engaging out there as you explore the earth and read about the experience of others.
With thousands of travel blogs with generic content and graphics, ensuring that your site has a unique and straightforward layout is key to setting it apart from the rest. While using high-quality images, making sure that your page load time is not affected by file sizes ensures that visitors with slow internet do not get frustrated.
Cynthia Young loves taking every opportunity to share her knowledge with others. Along with digital marketing, Cynthia is also passionate about personal growth and wellness. When she isn’t writing, she can be found hiking with her dog, cooking Thai cuisine, and enjoying hi-tech thrillers. She also frequently writes articles on the company The Word Point translation service.