Travel Bloggers: Meet The Digital Nomads Who Use The Net To Travel The World

“In our case, we’ve quickly learned it’s no good just to be a good writer, you also have to edit well so as to maximise the engagement of a post, knowing which images work and which are best left out,” add Stefan and Sebastien. “Then once a blog is published that’s half the work. Promoting it and networking is just as important and one of the most time-consuming but fun aspects of blogging.”

Successful bloggers are typically active across a multitude of platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat. Although not in the same league as the likes of Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift, these gay and lesbian travel bloggers have acquired many followers on these platforms, demonstrating the scale of their influence. The Nomadic Boys have over 135K followers across social media, Travels of Adam and Two Bad Tourists each have around 80K followers, and GlobetrotterGirls has over 55K followers. Focusing on the niche luxury market, Carlos has over 25K followers.

“We put a lot of focus on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube,” Stefan and Sebastien. “Facebook is the number-one platform simply due to numbers. It has over one billion users! It’s an expensive platform to use now that they charge you for engagement on your page, but for the businesses we work with, the number-one social media they almost always want to promote is Facebook.”

“I love Instagram because I adore photography, and it is the best platform to share my travel photos,” says Dani. “I am not really a video person, unless it’s raw and unedited like Snapchat. I love the instant feedback I get on Snapchat, and that I can take people right to the place I am in at that very moment.”

“Instagram is our favorite and our most important,” add Stefan and Sebastien. “Twitter is also important and a great resource for news, inspiration, and touching base with businesses. Everyone talks of video being the future, and you see Facebook evolving a lot to push video content. We’ve always had an active YouTube channel, but always strive to post more and more high-quality content on our channel.”

“Social media is a beautiful and powerful thing, it’s toppled governments and shaped so much of our news today. Each has its benefits and drawbacks,” Adam acknowledges. ”I see myself as a blogger before a publisher, so for me it’s still all about the personal connections. Twitter has afforded the most in that respect. I can chat and connect with people around the world. Instagram has a lot of the same effect, but seeing as it’s a highly curated and beautiful platform, I find some of the authenticity is lacking.”

Whether via Instagram or other platforms, bloggers recognize the power of the image, and for gay travel bloggers this can equate to needing to post retina-friendly images of themselves on a regular basis.

“We would really love to say that quality content with excellent inspiring landscape images are the key to engagement,” say Stefan and Sebastien, “but sadly that is not the case. A photo of us in our Speedos generates far more engagement compared to say a beautiful sunset image across the Mongolian Gobi Desert with the sun shining through the hump of a camel.”

“It makes me feel terrible when I see that amazing images and elaborated posts do not generate the same attention,” Carlos admits, “but at the end of the day, I think we have the power to guide our audience. So every so often I throw one of those into the mix, just to please all readers.”

“It’s the balance of giving people what they want, but at the same time trying to stay true to who we are,” says Auston. “Because our audience is mostly gay, I’d say 70% of our audience is gay men, if we post photos with shirts and without shirts, the photos without shirts get way more likes. But our brand is not putting a bunch of shirtless pictures on Instagram. Don’t get me wrong, people love hot guys on Instagram, but that’s not our brand. We’re travelers, we’re bloggers. And I’d say most of our photos don’t even have us in them. We try and have some diversity in what we post.”

Dani at Chichén Itza Mexico

Two Bad Tourists do have one consistent element in the photos they post: their matching sunglasses. “In 2014 we were in Antwerp for the gay pride, along with a bunch of media people from around the world. And the tourist office gave us these little gift bags, and one of the things in them were these pink sunglasses,” Auston explains. “At the time we had matching tank tops that said Two Bad Tourists. So we thought it’d be cute to go out on the pride parade dressed the same, and people were stopping us asking for photos; they didn’t even know who the hell we were! It was just a gimmick, but people kind of liked it, so from that point forward we stuck with the matching pink glasses.”

Sharing personal insights and photos with followers is key to the success of a blog. You follow a blog because you like the blogger, you appreciate their perspective, and you enjoy the virtual escape their blog provides. This personal angle is also what differentiates a blog from more conventional resources such as travel magazines and guidebooks.

“It’s the personal connection,” Auston says. “People who read our blog or follow us on social media, they feel connected, they feel they know us, and they…reach out. We get messages all the time on every single platform, just saying ‘Hey, I’m going to London, Paris, Madrid, what do you recommend?’ That two-way communication doesn’t really happen with traditional media. Most media companies tend to use social media as a way of amplifying their regular content, whereas we use social media so our readers can talk back to us.”

“A blog is based on personality,” agree Stefan and Sebastien. “It’s completely different from magazines and guidebooks. Blogs are a particular personality’s take on a place. The readers of a blog relate to the personality and therefore follow him/her, whereas for more factual information and inspiration they will more likely turn to travel magazines, like Passport magazine, and guidebooks.”

“I think a blog is much more niche focused than a regular travel publication,” adds Dani. “For example, I love street art, architecture, food, craft beer, and urban exploration. But I am a vegetarian, so you’ll find that my site is veggie focused. I don’t really go clubbing, so I don’t give a lot of information on that. I am also a budget traveler, and I travel independently, and so I share a lot of information on budget [travel] and the practicalities of getting around. My readers know exactly what kinds of activities and sights I like, and follow me because they have similar interests.”

“I think we are all different, and what matters is how you connect with your readers,” says Carlos. “The editorial line of a blog, I think is more flexible. In my case, I feel readers trust me, and they feel they are traveling along with me. The inspirational aspect for me is paramount. My blogging style is very raw and real, there is not much editing involved. English is my second language, so I write as I am on the road with a lot of grammar mistakes. My photos are of my own experiences, not corporate images or videos from hotels and tourism offices.”

“Ask anyone in travel/tourism, and they’ll scream at you that Millennials love authenticity,” Adam explains. “Blogs and social media offer a real opportunity to know and understand the person behind the story. And when we’re all trying to meet locals when traveling (whether that’s in a cool, new type of tour or through the golden glow of Grindr), blogs offer the human connection to a travel experience.”

Blogs also tell it like it is, good and bad.

“The secret to a great blog is being personal, honest, and reliable,” says Dani. “People don’t only want to see the bright side of travel, but also hear about your struggles. It’s important to share all sides of your journey, and share a lot about yourself too.”

So the next time you’re planning a vacation, get to know these and other LGBT travel bloggers, because their personalities and personal insight might enhance where you go and what you do.

Carlos Melia

travel bloggers resources & statistics

NOMADIC BOYS
Since leaving their home in London in 2014, gay couple Stefan and Sebastien have traveled around Asia documenting their global travel stories and food discoveries. They’re currently exploring Latin America. www.nomadicboys.com
93K blog page views per month
51K followers on Twitter (@nomadicboys)
61K followers on Instagram (nomadicboys)
12K fans on Facebook 11K followers on Pinterest

TRAVELS OF ADAM
A globetrotting gay hipster, Adam quit his job in Boston in 2010 to travel the world. He’s now based in Berlin, from where he continues to explore and document his travels. www.travelsofadam.com
200K blog page views per month
17K e-mail subscribers
31K followers on Twitter (@travelsofadam)
21K followers on Instagram (travelsofadam)
14K fans on Facebook
6K followers on Pinterest

GLOBETROTTERGIRLS
Dani and her partner Jessica started the blog in 2010, but their planned one-year trip turned into a voyage without an end date, leading to the couple separating in 2014. Dani has continued to travel and share her stories and photography as a solo adventurer. www.globetrottergirls.com
79K blog page views per month
20K followers on Twitter (@glbetrottergrls)
20K followers on Instagram (globetrottergirls)
8K fans on Facebook
6K followers on Pinterest

TWO BAD TOURISTS
Married gay couple David and Auston started travel blogging in 2012, when they spent a year away after giving up their jobs in Chicago to move to California. Still on the road, these budget-minded boys have explored Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. www.twobadtourists.com
45K blog page views per month
31K followers on Twitter (@twobadtourists)
29K followers on Instagram (twobadtourists)
8K fans on Facebook

CARLOS MELIA
Winner of Mr. Gay International 2008, Carlos is a luxury travel curator, travel agent, and blogger whose focus is bespoke and exclusive. He features the world’s finest hotels and most glamorous locations. www.carlosmelia.com
5K followers on Twitter (@carlosmelia)
14K followers on Instagram (carlosmeliablog)
6K fans on Facebook

(NB. All social media figures from January 2017)