Need Inspiration For Your Next Vacay? Check Out These Travel Influencers

By
Ariel H
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The days of researching vacation destinations through guidebooks and on the websites are long gone. If you’re trying to decide what location to visit, all you have to do is scroll through your Instagram page; there are tons of travel influencers who are ready to suggest your next adventure. These are the three we suggest the following.

Marlina Moreno

Moreno’s Instagram feed is much more than seeing the best vacation spots; her travel is focused on animal conservation. She travels all around the world to bring awareness to animals that are at-risk and how to honor wildlife. Her posts also feature fun animal facts like, “A giraffe’s tongue can grow up to 20 inches long. Crazy right?” In another one of her post she wrote about why she travels, “For me, it’s about chasing moments.”

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Just two monkeys reviewing footage in the field 📷🐒. . . ⠀ Now I’m hoping that this photo got your attention because what I really wanted to share is the following: ⠀ Anytime I post content like this I’ll usually get a message or email from someone asking “how they can do the same thing”. And what I always tell people is that one of the best ways to get your foot in the wildlife conservation door is to start by volunteering with CREDIBLE organizations (it’s how I started and how I figured out what my role in the conservation arena would be) and/or to pursue a certification or degree in a related field. ⠀ Sadly, in my experience, this doesn’t seem to be the kind of answer a lot of people want to hear. Perhaps it’s because these things require some level of commitment, effort, and/or sacrifice and some folks are just looking for a quicker way to the front of the line? I really can’t help but feel (based on some people’s reactions to my response) that what they’re really asking is “how can I get that photo opportunity” and they don’t actually have a sincere interest in WORKing in wildlife conservation. ⠀ I’m aware that right now there are a lot of popular accounts out there promoting chillin’/posing with wildlife and making it seem like the new cool, trendy thing to do on social media. And what’s so frustrating about these “influencers” is that they’re out there calling themselves conservationists when in reality they’re just using wildlife for self-promotion, setting a terrible example for their fans, and, in turn, perpetuating the opposite of conservation. ⠀ I guess the point I’m hoping to make is this — if you sincerely care about wildlife and want to work in conservation, awesome, hit me up! Because if you’re willing to put in the time to educate yourself on what is and what isn’t proper conservation and you’re willing to put in the work to get real experience, chances are you’ll be rewarded with awesome moments like the one pictured here. But if all you’re looking to do is pay for a photo opp then I can assure you I’m not the one to ask how to do it. ⠀ Photo by @zandrover.Taken at @freetobewildsanctuary on assignment for @project.conservation.

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Anette Richmond

Richmond is the ultimate body-positive travel influencer; she created the #FatGirlsTraveling movement. She proves that you don’t have to look a certain way to be a blogger, you can travel wherever you want regardless of what size you are. We just love the uplifting messages she’s promoting with each post.

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Sometimes things have to fall apart before they can come together. ▪️ I’m a planner. I always have been. I’m a type A overachiever who is constantly working on finding my chill. And travel has been one of the few things that forces me to slow down and be present. To not constantly be thinking about what’s next. ▪️ When I’m stateside I’m usually working and planning my next adventure. This year my official plans were scheduled to begin days after the India trip I’m currently on. I was meant to volunteer with a great company I’d found on Workaway. ▪️ Unfortunately that company misled me and I wasn’t made aware of this until just a few days ago. After I’d bought my ticket to Malaysia and created an entire itinerary based on me volunteering for a month in Kuala Lumpur. ▪️ Now I’m left with a major decision- do I stick to the plan and stay in Malaysia for a month? Or come up with something completely different? ▪️ This feeling of uncertainty is as enthralling as it is overwhelming. All I can do is remain open to opportunity and be positive about possibility. ▪️#FatGirlsTraveling #TravelInclusivity

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If you didn’t figure it out from my friends and I “singing” #ArabianNights in my IG Story. I saw @disneyaladdin last night and it was great! ✨ Recreating an animated film that is a childhood staple for so many of us must’ve been difficult. But it measured up in my opinion. ✨ I was happy that the problematic language was removed and that Princess Jasmine was a feminist. I was also happy to see so many beautiful brown faces. They made an effort and it showed. ✨ @willsmith did a fantastic job at making Genie his own in my opinion. It must’ve been difficult to take the place of iconic #RobinWilliams. But Will didn’t disappoint. I appreciated his hip hop twist on the character. It felt authentically him. ✨ The FASHION was great! Loved every single costume! ✨ So many of the scenes reminded me of my recent visit to #Jordan, #WadiRum specifically. So I wasn’t surprised to find out they did shoot a lot of scenes there. ✨#FatGirlsTraveling #TravelInclusivity

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Brock & Chris

This couple shows the glamorous side of traveling, their page has everything from fitness and relationship goals to beauty and fashion inspiration. They even have self-care information as well as their morning routine. If you want to get to know this fabulous couple, be sure to also check their Youtube.

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