This is what it looks like when we plan a trip at Fathom HQ.
When we compiled our original 24 Best Travel Blogs and Websites, we thought we were creating an index that would be useful for readers and for ourselves. Little did we know it would become the most popular feature we've ever published.
Three years later, the web has evolved and new talent has emerged. After considering hundreds of sites (the internet: it likes to travel), we're proud to announce the 24 Best Travel Blogs and Websites of 2015.
This year, we're honing in on personal journeys and very specific lenses people use when traveling. You'll find a blog that distills the world into 12-hour itineraries, a website that catalogs the world's best reading nooks, an online compendium of weekend jaunts from NYC, and a guide to traveling in search of the best oysters. Happy exploring.
What we love: Fashion-forward co-founders Anna and Søren guide us to uncharted boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants with condensed twelve-hour itineraries that squeeze a week's worth of discovery into a one-day, see-it-all extravaganza.
What we love: Nessy curates quirky travel miscellany from her cluttered Parisian apartment. Our eyes have been opened to Emilio Pucci's brief stint in airline fashion, the Tokyo subculture of '50s rockabilly gangs, and a Spanish population literally living under a rock.
What we love: Fighting for a table at brunch is no way to unwind over the weekend. Consult these day-trip and weekend guides to New York State and discover that good food, flea markets, and outdoor fun is, in fact, a train ride away from Brooklyn.
What we love: New York State trail recommendations, upstate artisan profiles, Airbnb home histories, and intimate looks at lesser-known eateries help us rediscover our backyard.
What we love: Mimi Thorisson writes of classical cooking from her villa in Médoc, France, where she lives with seven children, fourteen dogs, and one Icelandic photographer husband. When we're not wishing for her life, we're drooling over her recipes.
What we love: Nicole Gulotta works with local writers to highlight the best bookstores, reading nooks, and restaurants for the traveling bookworm who has an appetite for both food and fiction.
What we love: Jenny Nguyen-Barron builds itineraries with art galleries, plant boutiques, jazz bars, and new restaurants recommended by curators with excellent taste.
Last seen: checking out a perfect London date spot.
She travels for the beauty and design inspiration.
What we love: This boutique travel journal, run by brothers Oliver and Darrell Hartman, uses beautiful photography and short film to tell inspiring stories of craftsmanship, tradition, and extreme natural environments.
Last seen: boxing in Cuba, a traveling to a Wild West rodeo.
They travel for the enjoyment of superficial differences and the recognition of common humanity.
What we love: Katie channels bliss, good vibes, and her love for nooks and crannies through fun, easy-to-read posts about special, secret spots in faraway places.
Last seen: on a picnic boat in Copenhagen, trying on clothes at a family-run tailor in Hoi An.
She travels for thehunt — to find secret places and people creating amazing things.
What we love: Oyster connoisseur Julie Qui's roundup of New York and Boston's best bivalve bars are a niche resource for New England travel. Her city guides also include a smattering of international shucking shacks for slurping abroad.
What we love: The photography. The full life philosophy. And the high-five attitude. The motorbike-focused travelog chronicles pit stops in the Western Hemisphere with captivating energy. Careful: It might inspire a thrilling shift to ground transportation.
Last seen: ascending the Andes, sleeping in hammocks, and getting seasick on the open Caribbean waters.
What we love: Reports on traveling culture and lifestyle treasures for the fashion-forward jetsetter. Smart lists with food and nightlife recommendations for sporting your style.
What we love: Foodie duo Robyn Eckhardt and David Hagerman know that the best Asian cuisine lies off the beaten path. Consider this insider guide a treasure map to the myriad of noodles, dumplings, soups, stews, and market stalls of the continent. Tales of treats like cağ kebabı in Erzurum and xian doujiang in Kaohsiung will inspire trips to often overlooked food destinations.
Last seen: hanging at a shepherd's camp in Turkey, snacking in India.
They travel for the food they eat (of course) and the people they meet.
What we love: The compendium of locals documenting the beauty and hardships of their home state in post-recession America is also a revival of the Depression-era guidebook by the same name. It's archival, inspirational, and well-organized.
What we love: The travel section of this trend website calls out the latest in food, unconventional recreation, and high-class hospitality. They know what's new and noteworthy, especially in the hotel department.
What we love: Danielle and Laura Kosann source food and drink recommendations direct from industry tastemakers, chefs, celebrities, and designers for their series of detailed, neighborhood-organized city guides.
What we love: Photographers Kim and Phil frequent food carts on the West Coast and tell stories of delicious dishes and their creators. Their personal blog is handy for staying street smart about trendy mobile kitchens.
Last seen: capturing the taste of childhood in Baltimore, dining on Jewish soul food in San Francisco.
What we love: It's what the San Francisco locals are reading for neighborhood news, culture, and events. Illustrated, witty pieces and thoughtful personal essays are useful for acquainting yourself with the city's personality.
What we love: Stories of outdoor expeditions with visual pop. Advice for surviving the wilderness. Reviews on adventure gear. Interviews, photo stories, and guides for inspiration. It's a robust tool for the serious explorer.
What we love: With her lens focused on the local street scene, this cultural compendium by graphic designer and Queens native Amy Wu tells stories of people, history, and diversity in the 125-neighborhood, up-and-coming borough.
What we love: Founders Nico Petit and Gabi Zanzanaini lend their fun-seeking personality to stories of foreign experience, custom, and flavor on their food-centric travelogue. The duo met in Brussels, have lived in Addis Ababa, brainstormed their blog in Reykjavík, and are currently eating their way through Hội An, Vietnam.
Last seen: sampling Yangon street food, dancing to the beat of China.
What we love: This anthropological record of American frontier experiences organizes its insights into photographic essays of outdoor pursuits, field notes of people and place, and a catalogue of everything from swimming holes to fire towers in guides navigable by map.
We make every effort to ensure the information in our articles is accurate at the time of publication. But the world moves fast, and even we double-check important details before hitting the road.
