Travel doesn’t have to be a luxury holiday; it can also be a career. We spoke to our top 10 favorite well-known travel couples who have made travel their careers and lifestyle, and learned more about couple goals, their favorite resorts, and their life before becoming travel influencers. Is travel blogging still relevant today? These 10 travel couples give us the scoop
Jeremy Austin (@jeremyaustiin) and Angie Villa (@missangievilla)
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
We’re from Miami.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU BECAME TRAVEL BLOGGERS/INFLUENCERS?
Jeremy was a personal trainer at Equinox in Miami Beach and Angie was a model, working with clothing and lifestyle brands.
WHAT SETS YOU GUYS APART FROM ALL THE OTHER TRAVEL COUPLES?
We have our own media company, which specializes in professional photography, videography and creating high quality content campaigns for the most exclusive luxury resorts and properties all over the world. Our attention to detail and endless ambition to over-provide value for our clients separates us from other creators within the travel industry and social media. It is great to create amazing content and beautiful images, but our goal is to expand awareness and drive bookings for the hotels and properties we work with.
SOME HOTELS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM TRAVEL INFLUENCERS. IS TRAVEL BLOGGING STILL RELEVANT TODAY?
We believe that hotels are not necessarily moving away from travel influencers, but have become more focused on working with only influencers that can provide true value and impact for their property. If you can provide proof of the power of your audience through case studies, you’ll be able to show hotels why they should work with you over the competition.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESORT/HOTEL?
We have stayed at over 150+ luxury hotels, so picking just one is incredibly hard. A good number of them were amazing and unique in their own ways, but a few of our top favorites are Four Seasons Bora Bora, Six Senses Laamu Maldives, Jade Mountain St. Lucia, One&Only Reethi Rah Maldives and Six Senses Zil Pasyon Seychelles.
WHO TAKES YOUR PHOTOS?
We shoot, edit and produce all of our own photos and videos!
jeremyandangiepresets.com
(For media and production inquiries, you can email them at jeremy@jatravelmedia.com and angie@jatravelmedia.com)
See also: 9 Honeymoon Destinations for Culture, Wellness and Adventure
Madeleine Schneider-Weiffenbach (@pilotmadeleine) and Iqbal Gran (@iqbalgran)
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Madeleine is from Germany and Iqbal is originally from Afghanistan
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU BECAME TRAVEL BLOGGERS/INFLUENCERS?
Madeleine was just finished with flight training to become an airline pilot and Iqbal worked as a model.
WHAT SETS YOU GUYS APART FROM ALL THE OTHER TRAVEL COUPLES?
Maybe that we travel with a baby. I think there are not many travel couples out there who have a small baby and travel as much as we do. Plus, we keep our community very close, we answer all questions and comments etc.
SOME HOTELS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM TRAVEL INFLUENCERS. IS TRAVEL BLOGGING STILL RELEVANT TODAY?
Yes, absolutely! We feel more than ever.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESORT/HOTEL?
Wow…that is super hard to pick as we have quite a few favorite resorts. Some of them are Four Seasons Bora Bora and Jumeirah Vittaveli in the Maldives.
WHO TAKES YOUR PHOTOS?
We usually take pictures of each other. For our couple pictures, we just ask strangers.
Camille Demyttenaere and Jean Hocke (@backpackdiariez)
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
We’re Belgians but we live in London.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU BECAME TRAVEL BLOGGERS/INFLUENCERS?
We were both working as strategy consultants in London. We were working long hours and not seeing much of each other and living a completely different life than today. We were successful at what we were doing but we were not free with our time. We had a limited number of holidays per year and even then, we were often working. Today we managed to develop a business where we work for ourselves, whenever and wherever we want to, and we get to travel to some of the most amazing destinations whilst doing so.
WHAT SETS YOU GUYS APART FROM ALL THE OTHER TRAVEL COUPLES?
We focus mainly on travel and in particular sunny and tropical destinations. What probably sets us apart from the other travel couples is that we are a bit more detached from Instagram than most others. We keep a big part of our lives private, and we don’t feel the need to post as much as others do.
We love Instagram and we love sharing our travel stories, but we do not want it to take over our lives. We do many activities which are not related to Instagram and want to keep it that way
SOME HOTELS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM TRAVEL INFLUENCERS. IS TRAVEL BLOGGING STILL RELEVANT TODAY?
We believe that travel bloggers can bring an immense added value to hotels, and are extremely relevant to the tourism industry. The cost for hotels to host a travel blogger is close to zero and in exchange they get free marketing as well as professional content which is worth a lot. The problem is that many hotels do not properly screen influencers (e.g. check for fakes, low engagement accounts, etc.) before working with them and then sometimes end up with bad surprises. Nowadays we see that even national tourism offices and cities are shifting budget to social media, because they realise that people are choosing their destinations based on what they see on Instagram, so hotels should also ride this wave.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESORT/HOTEL?
This is a very difficult one but we will probably say Velassaru Resort in the Maldives: a picture-perfect paradise island, warm turquoise blue water, a soft sea breeze, amazing personalized service, incredible food…basically heaven on earth!
WHO TAKES YOUR PHOTOS?
People often think we travel with a private photographer, but the truth is we take them ourselves with a tripod. It’s not always the easiest, and can sometimes lead to very stressful situations when we have to put it in the water, but so far, we managed.
See also: 8 Instagram-Worthy Hotels in Thailand
Patricia Santos and Miguel Vaz (@freeoversea)
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Portugal.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU BECAME TRAVEL BLOGGERS/INFLUENCERS?
Before we started the Freeoversea project, we were both working as social pedagogues in a residential care center for children and young people who suffered many kinds of abuse and neglect from their parents. It was a challenging job, but our passion for working with children and helping them to overcome their struggles, fears, traumas using arts is something that we love to do.
WHAT SETS YOU GUYS APART FROM ALL THE OTHER TRAVEL COUPLES?
More than the so-called ”influencers” or ”travel bloggers”, we are social creatures that aim to make meaningful connections around the world, work with different cultures and communities and inspire people to live mindfully, by being whole and following our intuition. We use our art – photography, videography, storytelling and creative writing – as a means to spread a global positive message and teach everyone how we can all live in harmony with our planet earth. We both have a degree in sociocultural community development so we focus on self-development using arts as a tool.
SOME HOTELS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM TRAVEL INFLUENCERS. IS TRAVEL BLOGGING STILL RELEVANT TODAY?
We believe that the era of digital marketing has reached its peak now and we understand that some brands and hotels are stepping down their adoration for travel influencers, as there are many who just want a free stay to take beautiful photos for Instagram, and that might be a problem for the real travel bloggers who are making a living from digital marketing and professional photography. We think that hotels shouldn’t just move away from bloggers straight away but rather make a better assessment on their recruitment strategy, as there are many amazing and talented people in this area that have a lot to offer and that can really make solid campaigns around the world.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESORT/HOTEL?
So far, our favorite hotel is Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa. It has so many aspects that make it stand out from all the others, especially its sustainability policy and environmental project around the island. Park Hyatt is more than a luxury resort; it is a destination for the tropical lovers, ocean advocates and earth ambassadors. Park Hyatt is leading the way in the Maldives with its sustainable practices and care for the environment, not only by banning all single use plastic usage within the resort, but also by offering green alternatives for straws, bottled water and toiletries. The straws are made of bamboo, the water bottles are made of glass and refilled every day, and the shampoos, shower gels and other toiletries are eco-friendly and not harmful for the ocean and plants. The resort has an inbuilt recycling station, which recycles most of the glass, paper and plastic, and then sends it back to a nearby island to make T-shirts out of it. Also, the AC system in the villas has now a new mechanism, where its power is sourced by wave energy, making it more efficient and less harmful for the planet. We have stayed in many other amazing properties with amazing eco and sustainable measures, but if we had to choose one, it would be Park Hyatt Maldives.
WHO TAKES YOUR PHOTOS?
Now it’s both of us. Patricia is the creative mind behind the digital photography art of Freeoversea, and she deals with all the editing as well, but Miguel has learned a lot, so now both have an input on the photography process. Still, Patricia is the content manager, so she deserves all the credit.
freeoversea.com
See also: 12 Most Epic Pools Around the World
Adrienne McDermott (@byebyeadrienne) and Andrew McDermott (@heyheyandrew)
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
From Michigan and Upstate New York.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU BECAME TRAVEL BLOGGERS/INFLUENCERS?
We were living in New York City before we left the country indefinitely. Adrienne worked as an account manager for a small tech company. Andrew was a VP at a Facebook advertising company.
WHAT SETS YOU GUYS APART FROM ALL THE OTHER TRAVEL COUPLES?
We’re raw, goofy, and irreverent with our commentary, and we don’t portray a fairytale travel lifestyle as some of the major travel influencers do. The truth is, traveling full-time can be hairy and exhausting, and while we’re extremely grateful to live this lifestyle, we aren’t afraid to be honest and show the good AND the bad.
I think a lot of “travel influencers” today are making it their business, which puts pressure on them to spend more time planning gorgeous photoshoots, blog posts, reviews, etc. We have other modes of income, so we’re able to stay in places for a long period of time and spend our energy learning and soaking up the local cultures. We often leave the camera behind, and we’re super fortunate to get to live in the moment wherever we go.
SOME HOTELS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM TRAVEL INFLUENCERS. IS TRAVEL BLOGGING STILL RELEVANT TODAY?
I think travel blogging is still relevant – honestly, we see it the opposite way; rather than hotels moving away from influencers, influencers are moving away from promoting hotel content as it can be seen as selling out, and it generally highlights a massive socio-economical gap. It almost says: “Here’s a picture of the vacation you can’t have.”
Peoples’ / followers’ interest in travel has gone beyond the “checkbox recommendations” of sights, food, and accommodation. People are seeking deeper and more unique, authentic and attainable human experiences. Most hotels don’t offer that – they’re just a place to lay your head, so as a travel influencer, you need to be writing and sharing multi-dimensional content with human connection at its core.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESORT/HOTEL?
One place we’ve visited repeatedly is Xanadu in Zanzibar – it’s the epitome of romantic luxury without the sterile or stuffy energy. Each bungalow is ultra-private and filled with lush greenery and nature. It’s so divine and magnetic that we always find ourselves making our way back to it. That said, we usually stay in Airbnb homes because we feel that it’s easier to connect with local life if you’re actually living amongst the locals and not at a resort that tends to disconnect you from the culture.
WHO TAKES YOUR PHOTOS?
Usually, we take our own photos but occasionally people from IG will ask us if they can shoot us if/when we visit their local city.
See also: Top 10 Romantic Resort Experiences for Couples
Sergey Kabankov (@sergeykbn) and Anna Kharakhasheva (@anyuta_rai)
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
We are from Russia.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU BECAME TRAVEL BLOGGERS/INFLUENCERS?
Sergey was a photographer and entrepreneur; he had a wedding agency in Thailand. Anyuta graduated as an interior designer, but she started as a model and quickly became popular on Instagram.
WHAT SETS YOU GUYS APART FROM ALL THE OTHER TRAVEL COUPLES?
We think that the main thing that sets us apart is that we want to show different types of traveling and places on our planet – from luxurious Maldives resorts to eco lodges in Madagascar or the Amazon rainforest.
SOME HOTELS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM TRAVEL INFLUENCERS. IS TRAVEL BLOGGING STILL RELEVANT TODAY?
Travel blogging is definitely still relevant. We work with hotels a lot and always get a good response after our collaborations. We receive a lot of messages from our followers for hotel recommendations.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESORT/HOTEL?
It’s impossible to choose just one. We have many favorite places all over the world.
WHO TAKES YOUR PHOTOS?
Usually we take photos of each other or ask our friends or hotel staff to take our couple shots.
Katerina Stavreva and Yinon Horwitz (@katerinandyinon)
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Bulgaria and Israel.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU BECAME TRAVEL BLOGGERS/INFLUENCERS?
We were both in New York City, Katerina was working in business planning for Marc Jacobs and Yinon was Vice President of Business Development at a data startup company.
WHAT SETS YOU GUYS APART FROM ALL THE OTHER TRAVEL COUPLES?
We are all about romance and capturing that in love, butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling. We try to focus more on free natural shots rather than chasing the most photographable Insta-famous spots. Our number one goal is to connect on a deeper level with people.
SOME HOTELS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM TRAVEL INFLUENCERS. IS TRAVEL BLOGGING STILL RELEVANT TODAY?
We don’t think hotels are moving away from influencers actually. We are getting more and more invitations all the time. Also, we are noticing that places that are “Insta-famous” are getting more and more expensive to visit and are constantly fully booked.
Influencers have transformed so many communities by making completely unknown places into top travel destinations. As long as people are spending time on social networks, influencers are not going anywhere
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESORT/HOTEL?
We are not huge fans of big luxury resorts – we usually prefer smaller more intimate hotels. So, our favorite is Silavadee in Koh Samui. The service, the details in the room and our private pool, the private beach were all the best for us. We loved the quiet time we had there, you get to know the staff. We just didn’t leave the hotel the entire time.
WHO TAKES YOUR PHOTOS?
Probably half of the time we travel by ourselves so it’s us and our tripod usually. The rest of the time it’s friends or family that travel with us. They are also the ones that make us feel the most comfortable in front of the camera.
Laura Nadine and Nicolas Herbert (@passportinonehand)
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Ghent, Belgium.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU BECAME TRAVEL BLOGGERS/INFLUENCERS?
Laura managed social media accounts for different fashion brands and Nicolas worked in sports and entertainment marketing on the agency side.
WHAT SETS YOU GUYS APART FROM ALL THE OTHER TRAVEL COUPLES?
Two things set us apart from most other travel couples:
1. We definitely focus on the fashion aspect more than others. With Laura’s background and passion for fashion, that seemed like the natural thing to do.
2. When we work with hotels, it’s luxury hotels only. While it would be easier to work with all kinds of hotels, in the long run, we feel like we made the correct choice to focus on the high-end ones only.
SOME HOTELS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM TRAVEL INFLUENCERS. IS TRAVEL BLOGGING STILL RELEVANT TODAY?
More than ever, as long as it’s used in the right way. Hotels should find influencers who match and vice-versa. Depending on the content you create, you will attract a specific type of followers. You can’t expect a travel influencer who focuses on budget backpacking to generate sales for a luxury hotel, as his/her follower’s demographic isn’t the same as the hotel’s target audience. That’s the reason we only focus on luxury hotels.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESORT/HOTEL?
It must be a resort in the Maldives. It’s just a breathtaking destination that knows how to do hospitality and where everything is possible! We absolutely loved the St Regis Vommuli there as it has the most amazing overwater villas, great food and amazing butlers who make your stay flawless.
WHO TAKES YOUR PHOTOS?
We do! With a little help from our tripod we take 99% of the pictures you see on our Instagram ourselves.
Xavier and Katie Ritzi (@xkflyaway)
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Katie’s originally from Virginia USA, and I’m from Geneva Switzerland. We are based in Los Angeles.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU BECAME TRAVEL BLOGGERS/INFLUENCERS?
Katie was a pharmaceutical rep for a big firm, and I was a car mechanic specializing in European cars. We loved our life but felt that something was missing. We decided to quit our jobs and sell everything to live a life on the road for a while.
WHAT SETS YOU GUYS APART FROM ALL THE OTHER TRAVEL COUPLES?
We specialize in romantic travel content creation, we work with hotels, tourism boards and fashion brands. I think being married makes us a little different from the others.
SOME HOTELS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM TRAVEL INFLUENCERS. IS TRAVEL BLOGGING STILL RELEVANT TODAY?
I think it is! The problem is that way too many influencers abuse their collaboration and promise things that they were never able to deliver. We always make sure that our work is as high as the expectation for the clients.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESORT/HOTEL?
Very good question! There are so many amazing hotels and resorts around the globe, and every single one of them has little differences that make the place so unique, so it is very hard for us to say.
WHO TAKES YOUR PHOTOS?
90% of the time we do! Our tripod/remote is our photographer. There are times we ask random tourists or hotel staff to take our pictures and it works great too.
Our website is coming soon. For now Instagram is our main platform.
Mark Schoenmakers and Judith Dollevoet (@travelmonster.nl)
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
We are from the Netherlands and live in a village close to Breda, which is in the south of the Netherlands.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU BECAME TRAVEL BLOGGERS/INFLUENCERS?
Judith worked as a sales manager in online review marketing. Mark was Chief Operating Officer for an energy company in the Netherlands. Before that, he was Marketing Director for some companies. Our combined experience in sales and marketing definitely helps.
WHAT SETS YOU GUYS APART FROM ALL THE OTHER TRAVEL COUPLES?
We believe that original content is what sets us apart. These days, a good camera and copying photos you saw from someone else can work as a strategy. But we get invited everywhere because we often create something that is new. Surely it isn’t possible on every location, but if we can be creative, that’s what we love. Also, we try to keep it real. A lot of other travel couples play roles like they are always romantic and happy. We’re definitely more real than that, even though of course we are loving our life and definitely live a pretty romantic life.
SOME HOTELS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM TRAVEL INFLUENCERS. IS TRAVEL BLOGGING STILL RELEVANT TODAY?
I think hotels are only moving away from some ‘travel’ influencers, especially with generic content or those aforementioned copyshotters. In fact, I believe the relevancy of travel bloggers will only increase. But what a lot of hotels do wrong is that they are looking at follower numbers only. We’ve seen them letting in Victoria Secret models with 1.5 million followers but none of their followers care where they are. They also never get featured or reposted. So the hotels who do this are definitely on the wrong strategy. It’s much better to aim for popular travel bloggers that may only have 100,000 followers but get featured and reposted all the time purely because of the content.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESORT/HOTEL?
The best has been Six Senses Zil Pasyon. It’s a private island in the Seychelles and the service is top notch. Not only that, but it has so many incredible Instagrammable places. Our photo there from the spa pool has been reposted more than 300 times. But also, the Huge Mansion with the see-through pool in the living room is something we’ll never forget.
WHO TAKES YOUR PHOTOS?
We take our own photos by either drone or tripod.
