Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, updated with new information.
When we’re looking for travel inspiration and advice, we often turn to social media to get our fix. But the fact is, diversity has often been lacking among some of the more notable travel bloggers and influencers.
Fortunately, there are travel experts from all corners of the globe who are sharing their unique perspectives, adventures and expertise with a worldwide audience. To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, TPG is highlighting the work of seven notable Hispanic and Latinx bloggers and influencers in the travel space.
Some will show you gorgeous destinations and travel hacks to help you plan and streamline your next getaway, while others will challenge you to rethink how you view and approach travel altogether – something that is just as vital to travel as knowing what to pack in your carry-on and how to save time at the airport.
O. Christine
A post shared by O. Christine | Travel • Wellness • Outdoors (@ochristine)
Whether she’s climbing the Rocky Mountains of Colorado or taking a dip in the azure waters of Aruba, Afro Latina travel influencer O. Christine always makes sure to prioritize wellness in all her adventures. The Bronx-born writer, photographer and outdoor and wellness travel expert loves bringing her audience along on all her trips, sharing self-care tips along the way. Vocal about her own experience with lupus, she’ll inspire you to prioritize your health so you can see as much of the world as possible.
Dash Harris Machado and Javier Wallace
With their site, community and touring company, AfroLatinx Travel, co-founders Dash Harris Machado and Javier Wallace are working to center the experience of Black Latin American culture, history and diaspora. Harris is a multimedia journalist and documentarian, while Wallace’s background is in education, coaching and tourism. Together, they offer insight in English and Spanish on anti-racism and Afro Latinx heritage and history by way of workshops, classes, Instagram Lives, tours, itineraries and more — all of which are sure to change lives.
Jessica van Dop DeJesus
Jessica van Dop DeJesus began her travels on- and off-duty nearly two decades ago as a Marine, and simply never stopped. The Washington, D.C.-based travel media specialist and veteran has since visited more than 50 countries, from Japan to Belgium, Greece to Spain and then some, snapping photos and making memories along the way. As the Dining Traveler, van Dop DeJesus takes readers on culinary voyages around the world, bringing along her perspective as a bicultural woman of Puerto Rican heritage, and now also as a mother to a young child who joins her for many of her travels.
Jen Ruiz
Puerto Rican author, TEDx speaker and travel creator Jen Ruiz got her start in the travel sphere in 2017 when she set a goal to take 12 trips in the 12 months before her 30th birthday. She surpassed that goal with a total of 20 trips in 2017 to destinations including Greece, Argentina, Thailand and Iceland. Since then, her collection of passport stamps has only grown and the lawyer-turned-travel-writer now pens books and blog posts that encourage other budding travelers to indulge their wanderlust and “just take the trip.”
Bani Amor
Few people are as willing to explain in detail what it means to travel responsibly as Bani Amor. The genderqueer travel writer, educator and four-time VONA/Voices fellow influences less via picturesque Instagram photos and more with their in-depth knowledge of what it means to decolonize travel and recognize your place as a stranger in someone else’s land.
Sam Ortiz
Plus-size Latinx mountaineer Sam Ortiz wants people to know that the great outdoors are for everyone. That’s why she began Climb Big, a community for plus-size climbers that provides resources to help them achieve their climbing goals and make climbing more accessible. Follow the photographer, graphic designer and all-around adventurer for beautiful images from Oregon to Alaska and beyond, of trails, lakes, mountains and bodies of all sizes enjoying nature and movement.
Bottom line
The world is a big, diverse place. The way we travel and the travel content we consume should reflect that. You can widen your horizons by following the Latinx/Hispanic travel bloggers and influencers featured here and by seeking out other content creators who can introduce you to new destinations, provide a fresh perspective on your favorite travel spots and teach you how to travel — and live — more responsibly.