Because not all luxury travel bloggers are the same…
Often I get asked which are MY favourite luxury travel bloggers – who do I trust and go to for recommendations? Which blogs do I actually read?
The number of ‘so-called’ luxury travel bloggers has increased dramatically over the last few years – but whose opinion really counts (for me)? I have to be honest, I chose those who I have gotten to know over the last few years of my blogging career – and they tend to have something very special in common with me. This REALLY is their lifestyle – their lives have not changed dramatically because of their blogs, it is really them. Not any 5-star hotel in the world will be ‘amazing’ – because they have been staying at these places all their lives. And that, makes a huge difference.
Without further ado, here are some of my luxury travel bloggers – or the leading ladies of luxury travel, as I call them.
Kim-Marie Evans aka Luxury Travel Mom
Probably one of my favourite people in the world. She knows luxury like no one else – and she is one of the most outspoken and direct writers I have ever met. She is funny, she is sassy and I adore her and her family – and her sense of humour, the most. We co-founded #luxtravelchat, the only weekly twitter chat dedicated to luxury travel on twitter and surely there is a reason for that. To read: Luxury Travel Mom.
Tiffany Down aka Luxe Tiffany
If there is one person that lives and breathes luxury hotels, it is Tiffany. The leading lady of hotels and one of the world’s top luxury travel influencers, she is also a delight and I appreciate her very honest opinions. To read: Luxe Tiffany.
Katie Dillon aka La Jolla Mom
Katie hails from San Diego in California and we have not had the pleasure of meeting face to face – but our time will come. She shares my love for first class cabins and beautiful hotels, and her voice really is her own. I find her honesty refreshing and I know we will enjoy our first glass of champagne together. To read: La Jolla Mom.
Amie O’Shaughnessy of Ciao Bambino
Amie has built a very successful travel planning business and we very often go back and forth with little recommendations to each other, to ensure that those trips are perfect. She trusts me and I trust her like very few other people. And something quite interesting: in real life, we only had one degree of separation between us – we share a very close friend who used to live by her in San Francisco and now lives by me in the UK. Small world or what? To read: Ciao Bambino.
Nancy Besharah of Luxe Travel Family
When we first met (at last!) the first thing she told was “I love Lufthansa’s first class, have you tried it?’ and like me, she will not fly longhaul in economy. We discussed this over dinner and established that our maximum threshold was 5 hours. From Canada, she is a delight of a person and will not say no to a good glass of Barolo. And she won’t settle for less than perfection – she’s fab. To read: Luxe Travel Family.
There are a few other luxury travel blogs I read, and I look forward to updating this post regularly. But most importantly, I want to know: who are YOUR favourite luxury travel bloggers?
xo
Mrs. O
Tampa Mama - Marisa Langford
April 4, 2016 at 2:58 am
A perfect list! I follow all on Instagram and love their style and voice. I would go anywhere they said was fabulous!
Catherine
January 30, 2016 at 11:16 pm
Nancy and Tiffany are two that I read regularly too! I haven’t heard of most of the others so will definitely check them out 🙂
And I totally agree with you about the amount of ‘so-called’ luxury blogs that have popped up lately, I find it so irritating seeing travel blogs brand themselves as ‘luxury’ when the only ‘luxury’ experiences they’ve had have been a couple of complimentary hotel stays. I even saw a travel blog recently that brand themselves as luxury when the only hotel reviews on there are 3-star! I only trust luxury travel blogs written by people who I know have been in the luxury game for the majority of their life, or have years of their own luxury travel experiences.
I agree with your above comment that you definitely can’t put an age thing on it – I’m 24 and yet I’ve been staying in 5-star hotels and travelling business class regularly since I was a child (my first trip was when I was 8 weeks old). Even though I rarely travel with my parents now, I still enjoy the finer things in life and it helps that I have a pretty good job and income to support my lifestyle. I do get awkward moments though – recently I was staying at a Shangri-La in Thailand by myself, and when I was out and about in the area I met a few backpackers who were a bit older than me. We got chatting and I have to admit I did cringe when they asked where I was staying and I innocently said ‘Oh just at the Shangri-La’. They all asked how I could afford it and I lied and said it was a work trip. I didn’t dare tell them I was paying £200+ per night when they’d all just been discussing how awesome it was that they were paying £10 a night at a hostel.
And some of my fave luxury travel bloggers are Holy Smithereens, The Travelista, and Carmens Luxury Travel. As well as Angie at Silverspoon London and Suze at Luxury Columnist of course 😉
C x
Catherine recently posted..Launch of The World’s Highest Open-Air Champagne Bar.
Olivia
January 29, 2016 at 10:55 am
I agree with Heather – just as I think twenty-something life coaches are a bit ridiculous, you do need some life experience to be able to evaluate. I’m mainly a travel journalist but have spent the last two years setting up a luxury hotel website – Travel de la Creme. I’ve just started blogging at Luxury Livvy. I like Ana’s honesty and thoroughness. I also like Abi’s Inside the Travel Blog
Catherine
January 30, 2016 at 11:21 pm
Sorry but I disagree completely, you can’t say that someone is less experienced just because they’re younger. I’m in my early twenties but have over 20 years of experience in staying in 5-star hotels and flying business class. Just because some of us are younger doesn’t mean we have any less experience. If anything I probably have more experience than a lot of adults who work in the luxury travel industry!
Catherine recently posted..Launch of The World’s Highest Open-Air Champagne Bar.
@mrsoaroundworld
February 1, 2016 at 5:47 pm
I totally see your point, as I have had exactly the same life experience. It is not about age. It is about REAL experience…
Priscilla
January 23, 2016 at 11:00 pm
Nice gals here, especially Kim-Marie and Amie. I’m guessing I would qualify since personally I do mostly luxe travel and certainly most of the time for work now…but I also like to write about deals for people who want a great experience at a more affordable price. Not all my pals have the same budget, but they do have the same great taste in friends! For years I have been taking different groups of longtime pals and family to Paris and we mix in a little of both.
Cheers,
Priscilla
@mrsoaroundworld
January 24, 2016 at 12:14 am
Good for you!
Suze The Luxury Columnist
January 23, 2016 at 9:31 am
What a great list of luxury blogs, and I would most definitely add to the list:
Holy Smithereens
Carmen’s Luxury Travel
Silverspoon
Suze The Luxury Columnist recently posted..A Hidden Pearl on The Dock of The Bay – Les Perles de Monte-Carlo
@mrsoaroundworld
January 24, 2016 at 12:14 am
Great ones indeed!
Kiera Reilly
January 21, 2016 at 12:35 am
A fantastic list – these women know luxury!
Kiera Reilly recently posted..Flashback: Penn Alumni Explore the World
@mrsoaroundworld
January 21, 2016 at 1:52 am
They do indeed!
Jean | Holysmithereens
January 20, 2016 at 9:22 pm
I follow and totally trust the opinions of the ladies in this list! I do agree, there’s a surge of luxury or blogs that are transitioning to luxury travel due to having had a few luxury hotel / airline stays in press trips. may sound elitist , but the intention is not to discredit those kinds of blogs (what’s to say they will one day eventually be a successful luxury travel blog), but when one blogs about luxury brands, i need to see it in the POV of someone who can compare similar luxury products (ie speak the lingo) and that comes with life experience/history in having used these products and services for a long time.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Nancy of Luxe Travel Family in London last year, I do hope to soon finally get to meet you too! 🙂
@mrsoaroundworld
January 20, 2016 at 10:05 pm
Absolutely not discrediting anyone – I just wanted to share my thoughts on my personal favourite travel blogs. And these are lovely ladies and who I go to for ideas and advice 🙂
Jean
January 20, 2016 at 11:46 pm
Oh I meant that about my own comment ( risk of sounding elitist and no intention to discredit) and not your blog post! 🙂
@mrsoaroundworld
January 21, 2016 at 1:52 am
😉 but I don’t think you are being elitist at all.
Amie O'Shaughnessy
January 20, 2016 at 4:42 pm
Woo hoo! Thank you for including me on this amazing list!!
@mrsoaroundworld
January 20, 2016 at 10:05 pm
You rock!
Katie
January 20, 2016 at 2:35 pm
Thanks so much for the mention Ana! I look forward to our first of many glasses of bubbly!
@mrsoaroundworld
January 20, 2016 at 4:11 pm
Amen!
Teena Kerr
January 20, 2016 at 1:19 pm
I love Kim-Marie Evans and her Luxury Travel Mom blogs. She tells like it is without sugarcoating.
@mrsoaroundworld
January 20, 2016 at 1:43 pm
Oh no she doesn’t! She is the best 🙂
Heather Cowper
January 20, 2016 at 12:24 pm
I’m always a little suspicious of bloggers in their 20s who use the ‘luxury’ tag – unless it’s prefaced with ‘affordable’ or ‘value’ As for me I like a little luxury but there are some experiences money can’t buy. Street food and Michelin star both have a place in my world.
@mrsoaroundworld
January 20, 2016 at 12:32 pm
It is not an age thing, in my opinion – I have always travelled this way with my parents, work and I had a very successful career in the 20s which allowed me to travel this way. But there has to be some history – as in real life. Not someone who flew business class for the first time last week and now ‘only wants the good life’. And I agree with your last comment – my best meal memories are fresh fish by the beach in Portugal. The quality of the ingredients and the simple things in life 🙂
Angie Silver (@SilverSpoonLDN)
January 20, 2016 at 11:28 am
Totally agree with the sentiments above…I know which bloggers to trust and which ones have only had the opportunities via their blog. I would also never travel more than five hours in economy, which means I actually enjoy the flight and can arrive feeling happy, refreshed and maybe a little tipsy after a few glasses of champagne 😉
Angie Silver (@SilverSpoonLDN) recently posted..Ten of the Best Pools in the World
@mrsoaroundworld
January 20, 2016 at 12:33 pm
The travel experience for me starts when I leave home 😉