OG Travel Bloggers Still Going: The Original Travel Bloggers Who Built An Industry

Before Instagram. Before TikTok. Before everyone became a content creator overnight.

There was travel blogging.

Back in 2012, travel blogging was a very different world. There were no endless reels, no influencer campaigns arriving in your inbox every week, and no AI-generated itineraries telling you where to go. There were just passionate travellers sitting behind a laptop, sharing their real experiences, honest opinions, and stories from around the world.

I know because I was there.

In fact, I was one of them.

My travel blogging journey started slightly differently. Before I became a family travel blogger, I actually had a food blog sharing my Perth food adventures. But one day, my now ex-husband asked me a question that sounded completely ridiculous.

“What if we travelled the world permanently?”

My first reaction?

“Don’t be ridiculous. We have two little kids.”

At the time, our children were only two and three years old. Travelling the world with kids sounded impossible. It sounded like something other people did, not something a normal family from Perth could actually achieve.

But he kept asking.

Eventually, I said, “What if we just went for six months?”

That was all the permission he needed.

Within months, we rented out our house, packed away our belongings, sold our cars, and decided to take our family on a six-month adventure around the world.

And that was the beginning of something I never expected.

I started a travel blog called etbender.com, later renamed Travel With Bender, as a way to keep my family and friends updated on our adventures. Remember, this was 2012. Family travel blogs were still relatively rare, and making money from blogging was something most people had never even considered.

I wasn’t trying to build a business.

I was simply sharing our journey.

Then something happened that completely changed everything.

While travelling through Malaysia, I was watching a street festival when someone called out my name.

I turned around, and a woman ran towards me excitedly.

“Oh my gosh, I read your blog! I can’t believe you’re here!”

My reaction?

“Wait… you read my blog?”

That night, I went home and figured out how to install Google Analytics. I had no idea who was reading my little travel diary.

The answer shocked me.

Around 6,000 people every month were following along.

Six thousand people who weren’t my family. Six thousand people who weren’t my friends. Six thousand people who were interested in travelling the world with their children.

That was the moment I realised this could become something bigger.

The blog slowly changed from a personal diary into a resource for families wanting to travel. I started sharing practical family travel tips, destination guides, honest reviews, and advice for parents who wanted to prove that life doesn’t stop once you have kids.

Actually, I found the opposite.

Travelling with children made the world even more magical.

Seeing destinations through their eyes was incredible. Watching their curiosity, excitement and wonder reminded me that travel isn’t just about ticking countries off a list. It’s about creating memories and experiencing the world together.

That six-month adventure eventually became five years of full-time nomadic travel.

My children travelled from the ages of two and three until they were six and seven years old. Together, we explored 68 countries across five years.

And that little blog I started as a hobby?

It grew into a full-time business.

At its peak, it reached more than 180,000 readers every month and generated over $150,000 USD per year.

What started as a way to keep my family updated became my career.

And that all started back in 2012.

What Is An OG Travel Blogger?

An OG travel blogger is someone who was creating travel content during the early days of travel blogging, often before influencer culture existed and before social media became the dominant way people discovered destinations.

The term “OG” means “original gangster”, but in this context, it simply refers to the original creators who were there from the beginning.

OG travel bloggers were the people building websites, writing detailed travel stories, sharing destination guides, publishing honest reviews, and creating online communities before travel blogging became a mainstream career.

Many of these original travel bloggers started in the late 2000s and early 2010s, a time when blogs were still the primary place people searched for personal travel experiences.

They weren’t creating content because brands were sending them products every week.

They were creating because they loved travel, storytelling, and helping others explore the world.

These professional travel bloggers helped build the travel blogging industry from the ground up.

They proved that a travel blog could be more than a hobby.

It could become a business.

The Early Days Of Travel Blogging

Travel blogging in the early 2010s was a completely different landscape.

Blogs were personality-driven.

People followed people.

They didn’t just search for “10 things to do in Paris”. They followed a blogger because they connected with their personality, their writing style, their family, their humour and their way of experiencing the world.

That was one of the biggest differences between early travel bloggers and the content landscape today.

People hired me because of who I was.

My personality was my brand.

Readers would leave comments on blog posts sharing how much they appreciated the advice, asking questions, and telling us how our stories helped them plan their own adventures.

Comments mattered.

Communities mattered.

The relationships built through travel blogging were incredible.

The travel blogging industry was full of friendships, collaborations and genuine connections. Bloggers supported each other, shared advice, attended conferences together, and helped each other grow.

Facebook was one of the biggest platforms for bloggers at the time. While Instagram dominates travel discovery today, Facebook communities and pages were essential for growing an audience.

Pinterest was also huge for travel bloggers, especially for driving traffic back to websites.

SEO was still important, but it was a very different world. I definitely didn’t focus on SEO in the same way I do now, but ranking in Google was far more achievable than it feels today. There wasn’t the same level of competition, and we weren’t fighting against AI-generated content.

Brands were also only just discovering bloggers.

In those early years, we often had to educate brands about what travel bloggers were and why working with us was valuable.

Sometimes I would approach a hotel or tourism board and explain:

“Let me come and experience this. I’ll share it with my audience.”

Now, the industry is much more crowded. There are incredible creators everywhere, but there are also thousands of people calling themselves influencers.

Back then, we were building something brand new.

I was there from the beginning.

And that history matters.

When Travel Blogging Became A Business

The moment I realised travel blogging could become a business was during that trip through Malaysia.

After discovering that thousands of people were reading my blog, I started thinking differently.

I remember speaking business with a family travel blogger and asking:

“Have you ever considered reaching out to hotels and asking if you can stay in exchange for writing about your experience?”

She hadn’t.

So I tried.

And it worked.

My first sponsored collaboration was a hotel stay when I had around 6,000 monthly readers.

That was the beginning.

I then started attending travel blogging conferences and discovered an entire world of creators who were making an income from their blogs.

I learned that successful travel bloggers could make money through many different streams, including:

• Sponsored posts with tourism boards, hotels and travel brands
• Affiliate marketing through travel bookings and products
• Display advertising on websites
• Freelance travel writing
• Brand partnerships
• Photography and content creation
• Speaking opportunities
• Consulting and social media work

Travel blogging income looked different for everyone.

Some bloggers built six-figure businesses through their websites. Others used blogging as a way to open doors into travel writing, content creation, partnerships and other digital careers.

For me, my little family travel blog became a business.

I was fortunate enough to work with brands including Travelocity and Viator, become a Travelocity Nomad, write for travel publications, attend international travel conferences, and speak about blogging and online business.

I was featured by publications including Lonely Planet, Business Insider, and Yahoo Travel.

What started as a hobby became my profession.

Are Travel Bloggers Still Relevant In The Age Of AI?

Absolutely.

In fact, I believe authentic travel bloggers are more important than ever.

Don’t get me wrong. I use AI.

AI is an incredible tool. I might ask it for itinerary ideas, a list of attractions, or inspiration when planning a trip.

But when I really want to understand a destination, I still look for travel bloggers.

Why?

Because AI can give you information.

Travel bloggers give you experience.

AI might tell you a hotel has a great location.

A travel blogger will tell you whether the bed was comfortable, whether the room was noisy, whether the breakfast was worth waking up for, and whether their family would actually stay there again.

AI might tell you a destination is beautiful.

A travel blogger will tell you what it felt like standing there.

The best travel advice comes from people who have actually been there.

The people who made mistakes.

The people who discovered hidden gems.

The people who can tell you the things that don’t appear on a generic list.

Why Personal Travel Stories Matter

Travel is personal.

Everyone experiences a destination differently.

A solo traveller, a family with young children, a luxury traveller and a budget backpacker can visit the exact same place and walk away with completely different opinions.

That is why travel blogs continue to matter.

We want the human stories.

We want to know:

Was it worth it?

Would you go back?

What would you do differently?

What should I avoid?

What did your kids think?

Where did you eat?

What surprised you?

These are the details that make travel stories valuable.

Meet The OG Travel Bloggers Still Going

So I’m starting a new series on the OG story tellers who are still here sharing. This series is dedicated to the original travel bloggers who helped build this industry.

The people who started sharing their adventures before travel blogging became a recognised career.

The creators who were writing, photographing, networking and building communities before Instagram changed everything.

Over the coming articles, I’ll be introducing some of the OG travel bloggers who are still creating today.

You’ll meet:

OG Family Travel Bloggers

The parents who proved that having children doesn’t mean your adventures have to stop.

OG Solo Travel Bloggers

The pioneers who showed the world that travelling alone could be empowering and life-changing.

OG Couple Travel Bloggers

The couples who built brands together and shared the highs and lows of seeing the world as a team.

OG Adventure Travel Bloggers

The explorers who pushed boundaries and inspired others to step outside their comfort zones.

Why I Created This Series

I wanted to create this series because I don’t think enough people realise the history behind travel blogging.

Before influencers.

Before TikTok.

Before AI.

There were bloggers.

People who spent years writing stories, building communities, answering questions and inspiring millions of travellers.

Many of these OG travel bloggers are still here.

Still travelling.

Still creating.

Still making an impact.

And I’m proud to be one of them.

After nearly 15 years of travel blogging, I can still say I love sharing the world with people.

Because while technology changes, one thing will always matter.

A good travel story told by someone who has actually lived it.

OG Travel Bloggers FAQ

What is an OG travel blogger?

An OG travel blogger is one of the original travel creators who started blogging during the early days of online travel content, particularly before influencer marketing became mainstream.

When did travel blogging become popular?

Travel blogging grew significantly during the late 2000s and early 2010s as more travellers started sharing personal stories, destination guides and travel advice online.

Can you still make money as a travel blogger?

Yes. Successful travel bloggers can earn income through sponsored content, advertising, affiliate marketing, writing, partnerships and digital products.

Is travel blogging still relevant in 2026?

Yes. While AI and social media have changed how people discover information, travellers still value authentic experiences and personal recommendations from people who have visited destinations themselves.

The Original Travel Bloggers: Where Are They Now?

So, get ready to step back in time and meet some of the OG travel bloggers who helped shape the industry we know today. These are the storytellers who were sharing the world before Instagram Reels, before TikTok trends, and before AI-generated itineraries. Many of them are still travelling, still creating, and still inspiring thousands of people around the world.

Over the next few articles, I’ll be introducing you to some of my favourite travel bloggers from the early days of blogging. The people I met along the way, the creators who inspired me, and the voices that helped prove travel stories could become something much bigger.

Some names you’ll recognise. Some you may be discovering for the first time. But all of them have a story worth sharing.

So grab a coffee, settle in, and get ready to rediscover the OG travel bloggers who built an industry.