OG Adventure Travel Bloggers: The Original Road Trip Bloggers

Before Instagram turned every adventure into a Reel and before TikTok could take you around the world in 30 seconds, OG adventure travel bloggers documented the places, roads, and experiences most people had never heard of.

These were the original travel bloggers who got off the tourist trail, jumped in cars, chased experiences and figured out how to tell the story when a travel blog was still something relatively new. They weren’t just ticking destinations off a list. They were building communities, sharing hard-earned travel advice, and showing readers that a much bigger world waited beyond the usual holiday.

The OG travel bloggers featured in this chapter took different approaches to adventure. Some found it on the open road, some through unconventional ways of travelling, and others by helping a very specific travel community see the world differently. What they had in common was curiosity. They were willing to go further, try something different and share the experience with their readers long before social media made travel discovery so easy.

And that’s what I love about looking back at these original travel bloggers. They weren’t creating content because an algorithm told them what would perform. They were travelling, experimenting, writing and building audiences because they genuinely loved it. These professional travel bloggers helped shape the industry we know today, one road trip, adventure and travel story at a time.

TRAVMONKEY

Paul Dow

Website: TravMonkey.com / SurfAndUnwind.com

Started travel blogging: 2007

Are you still actively travel blogging?
I still blog, but on SurfAndUnwind.com more. I also co-founded Traverse, a content creator conference that started in 2013.

What keeps you blogging after all these years?
My blogging journey started with TravMonkey.com back in 2007, halfway through a backpacking trip around the world. It opened doors to press trips and experiences I never expected, and I loved experimenting with different styles of writing in the early days, before SEO took over.

Years later, I noticed how many talented creators were doing the same thing but with no real way to connect with brands and each other properly, or to sharpen their craft. So in 2013, my co-founder and I built Traverse to fix that.

Thirteen years later, we’re still running events, and part of what we do is teach the skills of being a content creator. I think it’s important to still be a creator myself and be in touch with everything that comes with that.

That’s what SurfAndUnwind is for now. It keeps me grounded, because it’s easy to lose touch with what creators actually deal with day to day once you’re the one running the conference.

How many countries have you visited?
I have no idea!

Favourite destination you’ve ever visited?
Recently, Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

One place still on your bucket list?
Galápagos Islands.

Biggest change you’ve seen in travel blogging since you started?
The change in style from travel diary writing to chasing the algorithm.

Favourite blog post you’ve ever written:
The Truth About Shark Attacks: Real Odds vs. Media Hype

Carry-on only or checked luggage?
Carry on.

Window or aisle seat?
Aisle.

Did Covid make a difference to the blog?
Yes, and the industry as a whole. Less people travelling or planning to travel.

Does AI make a difference to the blog?
My blogs didn’t get the big hit that some did, and I think we’re still waiting to see the longer-term fallout from Google’s scramble to enter the AI market. Many blogs took a hit, and those with generic content were hit hardest.

Going forward, authenticity and real, human content will stand out more as AI slop floods the space.

One piece of advice for someone starting today?
Start with a really small niche, build a community around it, and create real, human, authentic content. Beyond that, network. Find people creating similar content who face the same struggles.

It opens doors, provides opportunities, and you might make a few friends along the way.

PASSRIDER

Kerwin McKenzie

Website: Passrider.com

Started travel blogging: 1998. Full-time from July 2011.

Are you still actively travel blogging?
Yes.

What keeps you blogging after all these years?
I want my fellow travellers to have an amazing experience. Plus, I love to travel and share my travels. In addition, I’m still curious about where people are going and what they do.

How many countries have you visited?
111 UN countries, for a total of 146 countries/territories. You can find a full list at Passrider.com/countries-visited.

Favourite destination you’ve ever visited?
The South of France (Cannes/Monaco). But London is my most visited city.

One place still on your bucket list?
I don’t really have a bucket list, but I still want to visit Venice, Italy at some point. 🙂

Biggest change you’ve seen in travel blogging since you started?
AI. It’s a game-changer. I’ve had travel application ideas for years, and AI allowed me to bring them to life in hours, test them, fine-tune them, and publish them. I’ve also been able to realise if the ideas were good or not, as the tool is very good at analytics. It’s fantastic.

Favourite blog post you’ve ever written:
Tobago

Carry-on only or checked luggage?
Carry on.

Window or aisle seat?
Window.

Did Covid make a difference to the blog?
Yes, and I’m still not recovered. Traffic is still off. During COVID, I served as a resource for my audience.

Does AI make a difference to the blog?
Yes! I use it to analyse data, create applications, and also blog posts. I feed it information, tell it where to look for proper sources (otherwise it goes awry), and edit the information it returns before uploading.

AI is very good at analysing your business and automating things that would have taken me literally months to accomplish. I’m working on some travel blogging tools that are ace resources, providing real value for content creators.

One piece of advice for someone starting today?
Go to travel conferences and also a conference that has nothing to do with the travel industry. It will open your eyes.

At travel conferences, you’ll learn what’s the latest and the industry movers and shakers. I suggest TBEX.

It’s OK not to make any money in the beginning, but don’t make that a habit. Help your fellow creators and be genuinely kind to people. If you can help them, do so. And have fun!

MIKE’S ROAD TRIP

Mike Shubic

Website: MikesRoadTrip.com

Started travel blogging: 2010

Are you still actively travel blogging?
Yes.

What keeps you blogging after all these years?
The love of travel and sharing my experiences with others.

How many countries have you visited?
55.

Favourite destination you’ve ever visited?
So tough… maybe Raja Ampat.

One place still on your bucket list?
Argentina.

Biggest change you’ve seen in travel blogging since you started?
Saturation. And the implementation of AI tools.

Favourite blog post you’ve ever written:
Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way Road Trip

Carry-on only or checked luggage?
Checked.

Window or aisle seat?
Aisle.

Did Covid make a difference to the blog?
Tremendously! The drop-off in audience and revenue forced me to go from full-time to part-time blogging. I had a good 10-year run, but had to diversify my income streams and now only blog part-time.

Does AI make a difference to the blog?
Yes! So many amazing tools available, but it comes at a cost. The loss of authenticity for one. I use it as a tool, not a replacement like some may.

One piece of advice for someone starting today?
Find a narrow vertical and become an expert. If you’re into craft cocktails, for example, maybe only write about tequila.

WILDJUNKET

Nellie Huang

Website: WildJunket.com

Started travel blogging: 2008

Are you still actively travel blogging?
Yes.

What keeps you blogging after all these years?
My travel blog is my baby! I’ve put in almost 20 years of hard work into it, and it’s a chronicle of my life as a travel writer, so I will always keep running it regardless of how many read it.

How many countries have you visited?
150.

Favourite destination you’ve ever visited?
Woo, hard to choose one, but it’s a toss-up between Madagascar, the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica and South Africa.

One place still on your bucket list?
Socotra Island, Yemen.

Biggest change you’ve seen in travel blogging since you started?
How much time do you have?! Jokes aside, there have been so many changes in travel blogging over the past 15 years, but the biggest is definitely AI. I’ve always been able to keep up with Google algorithm changes, SEO updates, COVID, etc., but AI has really been extremely challenging to battle. Like many bloggers, I’ve lost a huge percentage of readership, but I’m still working to optimise my content for AI.

Favourite blog post you’ve ever written:
Why Travel to Dangerous Places?

Carry-on only or checked luggage?
Carry on.

Window or aisle seat?
Aisle.

Did Covid make a difference to the blog?
Yes, but I recuperated my readership.

Does AI make a difference to the blog?
Yes, major difference. I’m still struggling to regain my old traffic.

One piece of advice for someone starting today?
Tell personal stories that AI cannot.

OG Travel Bloggers

Love discovering the stories behind the original travel bloggers? Continue exploring the OG Travel Bloggers series:

Explore With Erin Wrap Up: Celebrating The OG Adventure Travel Bloggers

What I love about these OG adventure travel bloggers is that they were out there exploring long before Instagram made adventure look effortless. They drove the long roads, backpacked across continents, chased wild experiences, figured out how to travel differently, and then sat down to tell us all about it. WildJunket, Mike’s Road Trip, Passrider, and TravMonkey each have their own completely different travel stories, but they all helped prove that travel blogging could be so much more than a holiday diary.

And that’s exactly why I wanted to include them in this OG travel bloggers series. These are people who have been creating, adapting, and evolving for years. Some have changed direction, some have diversified their businesses, and some are still blogging exactly because they simply can’t imagine not sharing the world with us. They were building audiences before algorithms, creating communities before influencer marketing became an industry, and telling real travel stories before AI could generate a perfectly generic itinerary.

The world of travel blogging has changed dramatically since these bloggers started. But the desire to explore hasn’t. And thankfully, neither has the passion behind the stories. So before you let AI plan your next adventure, remember to seek out the people who have actually been there. The OG adventure travel bloggers are still going, and their stories are worth following.