Today, we were supposed to present a story and a film about the island of Oxsten in Lake Mälaren (unexpectedly exciting!), but Peter's new Mac is at the doctor's for an indefinite period of time, so that will have to wait... Instead, we're writing about something we've been thinking about for a long time, namely how to find the best travel tips. Where do you look to find honest, personal and informative reports on different destinations? And how do you go about finding travel blogs' reports?
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ShareWhere to find the best travel tips?
There are of course lots of different places to find travel tips. On the internet, you can check travel magazines (like Vagabond or Expressen Allt om Resor), travel forums (like Reseguiden.se), other travel sites (like Tripadvisor) and various Facebook groups. All these places are great for finding travel tips, but we want to give a special mention to travel blogs!
So why read travel blogs? You can of course follow travel blogs for general inspiration, but you can also find specific information about the destination you are planning to go to. Travel bloggers are often well-read, curious, love photography and write personal and engaging stories about their own experiences.
Are travel bloggers honest?
From time to time you hear discussions about whether bloggers are sponsored. This is perhaps primarily true for other types of bloggers, but also for travel bloggers. We have good insight into the industry and can tell you how it is. Most Swedish travel bloggers are usually not sponsored when they are travelling, but tell about their own private trips.
Sometimes travel bloggers are invited to a trip or a certain activity during a trip. They label this as "press trip" or "collaboration". This is a level of clarity and honesty that extends way past travel reports in many traditional media (i.e. newspapers).
Social media
Of course, you can also follow various travel blogs on social media. You can follow our blog at Facebook (@freedomtravelnews), on Instagram (@freedomtravelnews) and at YouTube.
If you already follow us on Facebook but don't receive our updates, you may want to know that Facebook's algorithms make our blog posts not is automatically distributed to all followers. If you want to receive updates, you can check your settings at our Facebook page and be sure to "like" some of our recent posts (this tells Facebook that this is something you want to see in your feed).
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Mr Steve says:
Imagine how different it has become from the past. Then you had to trot around to all the travel agencies to collect travel catalogues.
30 July 2017 - 8:22
Helena says:
Yes, it has always changed... Now everything is on the internet, but on the other hand it can be a jungle to find the right thing sometimes 😉.
30 July 2017 - 12:11
Lisa & life on the bright side says:
So true, and yes - I myself really love reading other travel blogs to get inspiration for destinations. By far!
30 July 2017 - 9:21
Helena says:
We too, we probably find most of the inspiration and information on blogs actually. Complementing a bit with Tripadvisor sometimes 😉.
30 July 2017 - 12:12
LinizTravel says:
So smart thing!!! Oh Travel bloggers are unbeatable! The best tips here and now 🙂 hugs
30 July 2017 - 10:12
Helena says:
Can only agree! Wishing you a nice Sunday!
30 July 2017 - 12:13
Birgitta in Umeå says:
The biggest travel blog about Greece, you forgot!
Kalimera.nu or Kalimera.se. Also available on FB nowadays.
The blog has been around for 20 years and it is the one that most Swedes follow who are crazy in Greece or are saved in Greece There is also a forum on the blog where you can ask about things and give information.
I myself am in there at least 3 times a day.
30 July 2017 - 10:15
Helena says:
Thank you very much for the tips Birgitta! I had not checked this page ...! But this is what is so good about the blog, there is always someone who suggests what you miss 😉 I will of course look in!
30 July 2017 - 12:14
Ditte says:
Certainly it is an asset with all the different travel bloggers and a lot of them have specialised in different countries and cities and others write more generally. And for my part, I think most of it is interesting and inspiring.
You have put in a lot of work and made nice compilations of both travel destinations and various travel blogs and posts and it is of course appreciated by many.
30 July 2017 - 11:01
Helena says:
Thank you Ditte! Of course we have put in a lot of work, nice if it is useful to someone! 🙂
30 July 2017 - 19:14
Husis blog says:
The owners, who are new to this with blogs, follow a number of them. At the beginning of their blog readership, this is probably quite enough as they have a whole host of tips for travelling, having soon filled a whole book with destinations. It is so grateful that you (and many others) post all the little tips about travel, what to see, what to avoid, where to park etc. For us newcomers, this is worth its weight in gold!
30 July 2017 - 11:16
Helena says:
Glad to hear that it is appreciated! You can't follow as many blogs as you like, I agree. But that's also why we made this "Travelling the world" list, to be able to easily find a report just when you need it 🙂 ).
30 July 2017 - 19:15
Ruth in Virginia says:
I really only read your blog; occasionally jumping to a few
of those who comment, interest would be generated.
Why do I read your blog when I don't have plans to travel?
It is to compensate for all the travelling I couldn't do, when I was
was younger. Travelling in Europe was impossible, when I lived in Sweden on
because of WWII. Then, living on the West Coast of the USA, and with 3 children,
there were few trips across the Atlantic, and then only to Sweden and family.
After her husband retired, we travelled a lot, mostly with Elderhostel,
an organisation for 55 and 'better'. Usually people lived in dormitories
at colleges, when students were on summer holidays. A combination of lessons about the area and sight-seeing suited us, because we always wanted to
learn about the area where we were. Everyone in the group had the same attitude, so you met a lot of interesting people. Amongst others
we learnt about the Bay of Fundy in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, and the
got a nighttime tour of the Everglades in Florida. Stayed at a 7th Day Adventist college in Tennessee. Was also on a trip to Sicily, where we stayed in a small guesthouse outside Palermo with day trips to interesting destinations. But there was also free time.
I enjoy your travels and your amazing photos, and then the short films!
Thank you for letting me join!!!
30 July 2017 - 14:00
Helena says:
Ruth, it's so great that you want to join us! And that you also want to share your exciting experiences from life! Interesting thought also with this that you actually like to read a travel blog not to be inspired to travel yourself, but to travel with via the blog. This is also the case with books, for example!
30 July 2017 - 19:18
OnTrip.com says:
Exciting post and great that travel bloggers can help give a greater insight into our beautiful world. I believe that even if a blogger is on a sponsored trip, I still experience that they are very honest. There is no agreement on what to write 😉.
30 July 2017 - 15:11
Helena says:
I agree that travel bloggers are honest even if they are travelling on a sponsored trip. However, the sponsorship can influence the choice of destination, and that is the main reason for labelling it in my opinion.
30 July 2017 - 19:20
Matts Torebring says:
We almost always have a destination set for the trip. Say we want to get to Biscya Bay. We have always travelled to our destination in the south, almost always in two days (within 240 miles) and then we settle down for at least a week. We then start Googling. What's here that we need to see? The journey home can then take a week. I have started Googling in French, for example, to find even more. Then I translate it into Swedish.
30 July 2017 - 17:35
Helena says:
I have noticed that you are good at driving long distances in a row! 🙂 We may not drive as far, but I recognise myself in googling on site. It is far from always I have time to check out a destination in advance ... 😉.
30 July 2017 - 19:21
Snows says:
Travel blogs are always interesting to read. I prefer completely objective reviews and would like to know if there is a financial co-operation. It doesn't necessarily make the content worse but it can still have an impact ....
30 July 2017 - 18:29
Helena says:
You are absolutely right Znogge. Financial co-operation does not necessarily make the story worse, but if nothing else, it may influence the choice of destination. Important to recognise!
30 July 2017 - 19:22
Lots of other stuff and some concrete says:
I was a little curious about Oxsten, seems to be quite close to us, but I will have to check out some travel tips and travel blogs for now. We do not travel so far but sometime maybe.
PS. I'm also waiting for that real heat!
Agneta
30 July 2017 - 20:09
Helena says:
So, Oxsten is close to you? What fun! The problem is that both the pictures and the film from Oxsten are on a computer that won't start, and we don't know what can be saved ... but we hope for the best! And if so, it will come soon.
31 July 2017 - 6:57
BP says:
Ruth's comment is as always BINGO!!!! Actually agree with her on a lot there. Okay, we have travelled a lot, but not necessarily to the same places as you. Freedomtravel is also the only "real" travel blog I follow - just like Ruth. So I don't have to go to many destinations thanks to your reports.
As for (sponsored) collaborations with Tourist Boards etc., I'm a realist. I've probably said it before, but I don't believe for a second that you or other travel bloggers would "write down" a country/place you've been invited to. You don't bite the hand that feeds you. That's just the way it is. Oh if you are aware of it as a reader, it is completely okay, I think!
30 July 2017 - 23:28
Helena says:
I understand your idea about sponsored partnerships BP, but I only partially agree. Maybe because this is not "the hand that feeds you". Even if you were invited to a trip or a restaurant dinner, it doesn't pay the rent. The blog itself, on the other hand, can potentially provide income in other ways (now or in the future), so you are careful about that. It also means taking care of your honesty and your readers. We are very keen (and very clear with partners!) that we always write honestly, no matter what. We have never "written down" an entire country, but we have never had such a bad experience of a hot country. We love travelling and think every country has something to offer. However, we have "written down" restaurants and the like, even though it was a collaboration. It is very important for us that we can write exactly as we think. I do not think that any sponsorship affects honesty, but it still affects! For example, it affects the choice of destination and the choice of activities at that destination. So, to some extent, it determines what you choose to write about. The person who arranges a press trip also does everything in his power to showcase positive aspects of a destination, which may affect how the destination is perceived. So yes, I still think it has an impact. And therefore it is super important to label. (For total clarity, maybe I should also say that there is an association of bloggers who actually charge for their travels, and then it may be more difficult to write negatively? We are not part of this group, partly because we want to maintain our objectivity when writing. However, those who are paid tend to label their collaborations as "promotional collaborations" or "advertising collaborations").
31 July 2017 - 7:10
Ama de casa says:
There is certainly a lot more accessible information nowadays! (Unless you happen to be on a ship with very expensive wiffi... 😉 ).
One thing you should not forget - which was true in the past and which of course also applies now - is to take tips from all the travellers you meet and who have been out on both this and that. The advantage now is that you can google and check if it's really something you think you would like. We have found many favourite places that way 🙂.
30 July 2017 - 23:43
Helena says:
Very true!!! Other travellers that you meet during the trip are usually a perfect source of information! When we travel by motorhome, for example, it has many times influenced our choice of the next destination! 🙂
31 July 2017 - 7:13
Imelda says:
Motorhome blogs first and Google second are our best sources of inspiration. Thanks for a super site! 🙂
31 July 2017 - 9:22
Sandra Lifsresor says:
So heavenly good to be able to find different bloggers' posts about a specific destination. Avoid looking around when you know what you want and not "just" be inspired. 🙂
31 July 2017 - 19:09
Michaela says:
Have recently become a travel blogger myself because of you other travel bloggers 🙂 You get so inspired! Love to read about others' travels, tips and advice! Thank you!
13 August 2017 - 18:50