The prestigious British Travel Awards are known the world over as the ‘Oscars of Travel and Tourism’. This year, the celebrated awards programme is expanding its range of categories with a brand-new Blogger Award – and we, at Teletext Holidays, are its proud sponsors!

THE BTA’s BEST TRAVEL BLOGGER AWARD

Travelling the world alone can come with its own unique challenges. From finding friends to financing your trip and researching where it’s safe to go – when it comes to solo travel, you’re largely on your own (literally and figuratively).

These splendid solo travel bloggers share their inspiring stories of why they decided to go it alone, and how they made it work for themselves. Meet the people behind the UK’s most splendid solo travel blogs and who knows, you might just follow into their footsteps…

One of the bloggers in this category will be chosen by our expert panel to be nominated for the brand new Blogger Award at the prestigious British Travel Awards.

MEET... JENNI SHELDON, FROM TRAVEL TO RECOVERY

“After cancer treatment I decided life was too short to live with regrets and my biggest regret was not seeing the world so off I trotted. During my trip to Thailand I met some bloggers who were there due to an international travel blogging conference. Before this I had never even heard of a travel blogger but it sounded like a cool way to travel so I looked into it more, bought a domain and that’s how it all began!

I want to convince others with cancer or disabilities that it does not mean it is the end of travelling, so I offer advice and tips to travel in a way that doesn’t hinder long term condition management.

My cancer had progressed and is now terminal and I engage with my followers by showing them that if I can travel, then others can too. I love it when someone contacts me to say they have read my story and it made them book a trip – it makes everything I do worthwhile.

My favourite social medium is Twitter. I am too self-conscious to be on Instagram as I prefer to be behind the camera rather than in front of it. My followers are growing steadily with over 60k across social media platforms. The key for me is not the number of followers; if I can get just one person to go and cross something off their bucket list then that’s what matters the most to me.”

MEET AMAR, FROM GAP YEAR ESCAPE

“I started travel blogging in 2009 when I graduated from business school. With the recession in full swing, a round-the-world gap year sounded much more appearing than getting a graduate job! Sat in my friend’s kitchen eating feta (he’s Greek), we threw around some ideas and Gap Year Escape was born. A week later I had a one-way ticket to Thailand and the rest, as they say, is history.

10 years and 7 continents later I’ve turned a Gap Year into a Gap Life. The blog is monetised through affiliates and doing marketing for other travel brands and bloggers. We’ve grown our loyal following over the years by leveraging both social media and SEO.

The last decade has seen the rise of so many bloggers and I stay relevant by sticking to my core values in every piece of content I publish: to inform, inspire and entertain. I love travel and I love blogging; it’s why I have done it for so long and I hope my readers continue to benefit from my passion.”

MEET VICKY, FROM VICKY FLIP FLOP TRAVELS

“I started travel blogging back in 2011 and never imagined it would grow into such a big thing, for me or the world! I just wanted a way to share my stories and practice my writing.

At first, I worked full time and ran my blog alongside for three years. Then, after my relationship ended, I seized the opportunity to go travelling and visit some of the places I’d read about. I spent three years as a digital nomad exploring Asia, Central America and Europe.

I now have 7,500 followers on Instagram, 20k on Twitter, 1.5k on YouTube and 4,500 on Facebook. I also have over 40k unique visitors to my blog per month.

My readers follow me because they know I’m authentic and experienced. I’ve grown my follower base by sticking to my guns, being relatable and giving a truthful insight into what it’s really like to travel. My readers respect the fact that I still go on my own self-funded adventures, as well as press trips.

I work as a freelance writer for brands like Virgin, AMEX, T3 Magazine and Eurostar. I also have display ads on site, work on sponsored campaigns and make money from affiliates.

What makes me stand out?

• My podcast on female travel: So She Travels
• The fact I’ve travelled solo for years, and will continue to do so
• My open and honest style of writing, and video making

MEET JAMES, FROM ONLY BY LAND

“I decided to become a travel blogger because I was travelling and taking photos a lot and felt the need to share my experiences.

When I started blogging I didn't have any followers but today I have over 100,000 real followers on social media. Similarly, my blog didn't receive any traffic but today it has plenty of organic traffic and continues to grow.

What makes Only by Land unique? Firstly, my photography, which is unique in how I edit the photo as well as the fisheye lens I use. Secondly, all my content is unique. When I write about somewhere, I will visit and take original photos. I'm not afraid to visit any country and visited Iran, Iraq and North Korea last year.”

MEET DAVE, FROM MAN VS GLOBE

“My journey into travel blogging was a slow process. Back in 2014, after a few family tragedies, I had a realisation that life was short and that if I didn’t get out there and make the most of it, it would pass me by. At the time I was working a job I hated so the next day, I handed in my notice, packed my bags and a month later I was on a plane to South America.

I initially started a basic blog as a place to store my travel photos and give travel updates to my friends at home. Even still, as I travelled, the blog fell by the wayside as I didn’t want to spend time cooped up in a hostel typing away at a laptop.

On my return to the UK, I decided to revive the blog; I had so many photos and travel stories that I wanted to share. I had also read so many other blogs that helped me on my trip that I felt I could do the same for other travellers – offer them information and tips to help them on their own journeys.

It took a long time to grow a readership and following, but my passion for writing and telling travel stories kept me going and now that my blog has been running for 2 and a half years, it’s getting 10s of thousands of visitors a month. I try to make sure that I always respond to emails and social media comments from people that read my blog.

Little by little I have started to make an income from my blog – it comes from affiliate sales (links to hotel booking sites, tours etc), paid press trips and campaigns with tourism boards and travel companies, and sponsored blog posts. I still have a full-time job, however, and have to squeeze blogging in alongside it.

What sets my blog apart from others?

• I really take pride in the photos I produce as I feel they can be as essential as the writing when telling a story.
• Although I still write guides and listicles, I feel that my strong point is long-form stories, which actually won me an Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award in 2018.
• I like to write small vignettes of meetings I’ve had with people and things that I’ve done, rather than extensive ‘weekend in’ style posts.

MEET TOM, FROM TRAVELLING TOM

“I got into blogging as an amalgamation of my passion for visiting new places (I’ve been obsessed with countries, capitals and flags since I was young) and my educational background in journalism. I also wanted to share my experiences travelling frequently while being a student and having a part-time job while showing others how they could do it, too.

When I started I had around 800 followers and now, across all my channels, I have around 13,000. I’ve tried to grow my follower base and keep them engaged with high-quality written content and photography documenting my own experiences in places I’ve visited, in a way that contains useful information for people heading to those destinations.

Although I don’t make much money from my blog, I have found success with sponsored posts. But my favourite remuneration has been working with travel companies to produce content in exchange for things like city cards, vouchers, tours and accommodation.

I like to think that my willingness to step outside my comfort zone and visit places such as North Korea and Lebanon, trying new ventures such as producing YouTube’s first-ever travel vodcast and my absolute obsession with all things travel makes Travelling Tom unique.”

MEET EMILY, FROM EMILY LUXTON

“I first got into travel blogging over seven years ago, when it was very much just a hobby for me. My goal was simply to practice writing – which is why my blog’s URL is such an unimaginative and self-centred one! It wasn’t until I quit my day job to head off on a five-month adventure in South America that things started to take off.

Back when I started trying to blog full time, I had maybe two or three thousand followers across my social media channels. Today it’s over 55,000! I monetise my blog through ads on the site, affiliate links, and freelance writing. My growth has a lot to do with the personal nature of my posts. When I broke up with my ex and went travelling, for example, I posted about that whole journey – a lot of people could relate! Keeping the blog personal has made the content relatable, and I think that’s why I’ve been successful.

MEET CLAIRE, FROM TALES OF A BACKPACKER

“I started Tales of a Backpacker when I quit my job to go travelling around South America. In the beginning, I just wrote a diary instead of a useful travel blog, so I think the only people who read it were my parents! Over the last 4 years, I’ve built up a community of around 57,000 social media followers and get 45,000 page views per month, a number which is steadily increasing.

I try to combine personal stories and adventures with tips and recommendations, providing practical advice for other travellers on a budget. I’ve been involved in podcasts and speaking engagements, which have helped me to reach more people and get my name out there. I was interviewed by the BBC about solo travel and safety last year after the death of Grace Millane – a topic which I’m obviously very passionate about.

For the first 3 years, I hardly made any money from the blog; it’s only been in the last year that I’ve started to earn money through affiliates, advertising and a few sponsorships.  This summer I’m working on a project with wombat’s HOSTELS as their brand ambassador, so it’s lovely to see all my hard work finally paying off!

What makes me stand out:

• I love learning about the local culture, especially by talking to people.
• I focus on slow travel where I can, sometimes spending months in a destination to really get to know it.
• I love exploring small or unusual destinations that often get overlooked.