Travel with Experts: The Leading Trend in Travel Journalism

Today, travel YouTubers, photographers, and Instagram influencers are no longer satisfied with simply creating their own content. A burgeoning business is organizing bespoke trips to the destinations they explore, offering others the chance to experience unique adventures previously known only to them. Travelling with these travel experts not only broadens your horizons but also allows you to learn firsthand the intricacies of their travel style, immerse yourself in different cultures, integrate with African tribes, and professionalize your work, whether you are a writer, videographer, or photographer.

The term ‘author’s trip’ refers to a style of travel that delves deeply into cultural roots, seeking complete immersion among local communities and experiencing the destination with all one’s senses. Prominent travel content creators and travel experts aim to present various places around the world from a unique, profound, and high-quality perspective. This involves conducting interviews or engaging with distinctive individuals, and addressing unconventional, disruptive, or extraordinary themes. The objective is to offer a unique experience grounded in learning and enriched living.

What Qualities Should the Content of Travel Experts Have?

• Personalization and originality: An author’s trip by travel experts reflects the interests, tastes, and style. It does not follow conventional tourist itineraries but seeks authentic and unique experiences.
• Cultural depth: Travelers aim to deeply understand the culture, history, and traditions of the places they visit.
• Personal narrative: The traveler shares their own perspective, experiences, and emotions throughout the journey, whether through blogs, vlogs, books, or talks.
• Quality over quantity: Instead of visiting many places in a short time, an author’s trip focuses on thoroughly exploring fewer destinations, enjoying each experience in a deeper and more meaningful way.
• Creativity and style: Travel experts often include photography, writing, videography, and other forms of art to create the content.
• Sustainability and ethics: Many travel experts also incorporate in their author’s trip principles of sustainable and responsible tourism, respecting the environment and local communities.
• Autonomy and flexibility: Author’s trips are flexible, they are able to change plans on the go, enabling more spontaneous exploration.

The Best 5 Author Travels

Traveling with your favorite photographer, influencer, or YouTuber is now possible thanks to author’s trips. This trend has been growing year after year among travel experts and journalists who seek to further professionalize their profiles by offering unique experiences to their most loyal followers. These followers can join them in retreats or journeys to some of the most unexplored places on the planet.

Fearless Expeditions by Mike Corey

YouTuber and social media travel content creator Mike Corey hosts adventure retreat trips designed to immerse participants in tribal rituals. Activities include plunging into waterfall-fed waters, practicing martial arts, meditating to connect with your inner self, dancing around nighttime fires, and engaging in skin treatments with mud. These are just a few of the many experiences Corey offers to adventurers seeking to enrich their lives through unique and transformative travel.

Fearless Expeditions are immersive trips, which span 6 days and 5 nights, amidst the captivating Yucatan jungle in Mexico. “Join us as a community to empower ourselves and build confidence through tribal rites and ancient rituals,” Corey invites all who are interested in joining his exclusive retreats.

TBA Escapes by The Blonde Abroad

Travel influencer @TheBlondeAbroad has established her own signature travel agency, offering group trips for adventurous women to destinations such as South Africa, Kenya, the Galapagos Islands, Morocco, Jordan, and Egypt.

These trips are designed for women who dream of exploring vibrant, far-flung destinations beyond their comfort zones. Kiki, known as “The Blonde Abroad,” promotes high-end destinations and an aspirational luxurious lifestyle.

Through TBA Escapes, she provides women with the opportunity to experience the world from her unique perspective, gaining new insights and filling their backpacks with unforgettable experiences.

Last Places | Ethnographic Trips by Aníbal Bueno and Joan Riera

The travel photographer, Aníbal Bueno and Joan Riera organize trips to remote sites with the aim of promoting responsible tourism, as well as collaboration and dissemination to try to preserve cultural diversity and empower the last ethnic groups with their own worldview.

His trips explore the last places on Earth and live with its inhabitants in Africa, Indonesia or Papua New Guinea, among others. With the purpose of taking the most adventurous travelers to discover the most unexplored tribes and cultures.

From the Omo Valley tribe in Ethiopia, to the Congo River tribes, and the tribal tattoo culture in Indonesia. “We put at your disposal an experienced team to design a travel experience focused on your interests, be it ethnic diversity, photography, nature, animal watching, vernacular architecture or trekking”, is how Last Places defines itself.

Tribal Tour Gujarat India

Tourists from Spain, Mexico, Switzerland, and many other countries choose Tribal Tour Gujarat to experience the depths of India. This specialized travel photography tour company organizes unique travel and photography tours of unexplored, hidden, and tribal villages in Gujarat and other parts of India.

These tours offer the perfect opportunity to learn from an expert traveler about the hidden realities of India’s towns. Immersing yourself in their culture and living alongside the locals will expand your knowledge and experiences.

As a travel journalist, you’ll observe, listen, and learn to capture the intricate details of their culture and society in your content. Engaging with local people will enable you to reflect personal and profound stories.

Wild Images Photo Tours by Inger Vandyke

Wildlife photographer, professional photojournalist, and expedition leader Inger Vandyke has curated exclusive trips through Wild Images Photo Tours. These tours explore remote destinations and unique cultures, such as the Masai Mara in Africa, jaguars in Brazil, hunter eagles in Mongolia, and voodoo rituals in Benin, among many other locations around the world.

Inger describes her project as follows: “Wild Images organizes remote wildlife, cultural, and landscape photography tours, vacations, safaris, and expeditions. These experiences provide extraordinary opportunities to capture stunning images and create memories that will last a lifetime.”

As a proficient travel journalist, it is essential to recognize that author travel is not merely an emerging trend but also a distinctive approach to both traveling and working. Upon completing the Master’s degree in Travel Journalism, you should consider adopting this method, as it will prepare you to join the ranks of distinguished practitioners in the field.