If you’re looking for honest, thought-provoking travel stories, you’ve come to the right place.
Writing is the way I process the world.
I’ve always felt like a storyteller, but it takes time to learn what your words have to offer. Over the last six years while travelling through dozens of countries, I’ve used this website as a space to smooth out the kinks until I reached a place of realisation.
Now, I can confidently explain exactly why my work has value.
I focus on honesty. Vulnerability and emotion are constant themes throughout my writing: I look at the ways in which we interact with the people and places around us, and how we change as a result.
I focus on meaning. When we travel, we’re searching for something deeper. I watch out for details, using those hidden colours and edges of what I see on my travels to craft a narrative stronger and more impacting than a ‘top ten’ listicle or review.
I focus on the harder parts of life. Grief, loss, insecurity, awkwardness, isolation, and difficulties with mental health are all elements I’ve had to battle with in life, but choosing to openly discuss them online invites others to share their experiences.
I focus on connection and community. By telling the stories of people I meet on my travels, I’m able to address the most pertinent of issues: that despite our collective struggles, we all have the strength within us to enjoy life to the fullest.
In essence, this website is a travel blog – but it’s so much more than that.
Flora The Explorer tells the story of how I journey through the outer world and through my own internal landscape too. More crucially, it invites every reader to be part of that journey with me, and to learn about themselves in the process.
I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
What will you gain from working with me?
Wherever I travel, I search out stories which resonate with me on a personal level. I also pride myself on writing the unexpected.
Although I can’t always predict what I’ll find, you can be sure the resulting narrative is something which makes you think twice.
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Over the years, Flora the Explorer has consistently received awards in the blogging sphere: HostelBooker’s Best Blogs of 2012, Huffington Post’s Travel Blogs to Watch in 2013, Skyscanner’s Best International Newcomer Blog in 2013, and Viator’s Top 25 Travel Blogs in 2015, among others.
In 2015, I even won National Geographic Traveller’s annual Travel Writing Competition – my proudest writing achievement thus far!
The most common themes in my writing are long-form narrative storytelling about solo female travel, volunteering and voluntourism, backpacking, language learning and slow travel. However, I’ve also begun to write more about wellness, mental health, spirituality and grief.
I’ve collected together examples of my differing styles of writing on a portfolio page, but what follows are the most common ways we can work together.
For more details, you can also contact me at flora@floratheexplorer.com.
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As a blogger
Since launching this site in 2012, I’ve worked regularly with tourism boards and DMOs to write stories about their campaigns and destinations.
Each of these projects have resulted in thoughtfully crafted articles, along with well-edited photography and repeated sharing across all my social channels. Everyone I’ve worked with has been happy with the content I’ve produced, particularly for the following campaigns.
Antigua & Barbuda
I travelled to Antigua with forty influencers to bring social media exposure to the island – but seeing the passion of my fellow creators proved the most inspiring story for me to write.
Visit South Africa
This luxurious trip with Ethos Travel opened my eyes to a highly complex country. Riding the Blue Train past township settlements and observing the circle of life on a safari in the Kruger was a thought-provoking experience, and I found myself documenting the different kinds of lives – both animal and human – which co-exist in South Africa.
Visit Latvia
Discovering a little-known cultural festival in the heart of Latvia was fantastic, and as part of the #MustLoveFestivals project I was able to investigate the way that history meets modernity in the tiny town of Cesis.
Other organisations I’ve collaborated with include Visit Spain, the Gibraltar Tourism Board, Visit Denmark, Philippines Tourism and Visit Queensland Australia.
I am always open to partnership suggestions with tourist boards, but I’m careful to only embark on campaigns which I feel will resonate with my audience and with the other content on this site. You can download my full media kit for up-to-date audience, traffic and analytic stats, and email me for a list of rates.
Would you like to collaborate with me on a travel campaign?
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As a freelance writer
Thanks to this site acting as an online writing portfolio, I’m available for freelance writing positions in all things travel – from creative, narrative-driven pieces to travel tips, reviews, guides and copywriting.
In 2015, I won National Geographic Traveller’s annual Travel Writing Competition with a piece about my travels in rural Thailand. As a reward, they sent me to explore the Arctic on an expedition ship – and I later wrote my first article for them.
That same year, I travelled to Peru to write an article on commission for Coastal Living about the mysterious sand dunes of Paracas (and discovered my new-found love of birds).
Other examples of my freelance work in publications like Paste Food, Colombia Reports, and Expedia can be seen here.
Do you have a freelance writing project you’d like me to work on?
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As a speaker
More recently, I’ve begun speaking about my travels at festivals and events. I’ve also been in discussions with a few companies about presenter roles in travel documentaries.
In August 2017, I appeared at the Filson Stage at Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire, England. Sitting at a campfire with a group of more than fifty attendees, I spoke about my travels under the rather intriguing title of ‘Up a Creek Without a Paddle: Travel Tales and Fails from a Solo Female Traveller’.
In November 2017, I appeared at the Royal Geographical Society’s annual series of ‘Discovering Places’ lectures, where I spoke about my experiences as a solo female traveller while exploring Bolivia.
In November 2019, I’ll be speaking at the Women in Travel Summit in Riga, Latvia, about the relationship between storytelling and SEO.
If you’re interested in discussing public speaking appearances, just let me know!
Who are my audience?
Now more than ever, content creators are focused on creating a real connection with their readers. So who am I speaking to when I write these stories?
I’m lucky to have amassed a strong and supportive network of readers: mainly based in the US, the UK and Canada, their ages range between 18-34 and they’re forward-thinking, ethically minded travellers who look for inspiration and human connection in their daily lives.
Since the site launched I’ve had over one million pageviews, and I now see over 13,000 regular blog readers and 30,000 social media followers across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter as I increasingly focus on growing my engagement.
My fundamental aim though? I want to create a sense of community for my audience; a place where we can all share mutual experiences and lift each other up as a result. I’m in the process of starting a podcast which I hope will do just that (watch this space!).
I’ll leave you with the type of reader comments which inspire me every day.
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What readers say about me
“Her writing is exceptional, her honesty is humbling, and her strength shines through that smile.” – Frankie Thompson, ‘As the Bird Flies’
“Flora, you continue to be an inspiration. When you lost your mum, your travels inspired me to see that grief takes you on a unique journey. You write from the heart and all your posts are so poignant and heartfelt. Your writing helps those of us who feel the depths of loss but struggle to find the words. You are a kindred spirit.” – Autumn Rain
“Dear Flora, I absolutely love your blog. Your narratives are inspirational, rich and honest and this has been my favourite blog to read for a while now.” – Ines
“You are a writer, pure and simple. I know because your words gave me a knot in my throat, a momentary portal into your life even though I’ve never gone through anything like you’re experiencing. I only recently discovered your blog and can’t wait to read more – it’s an example of everything I aspire to in my own storytelling. Thank you.” – Katie Pope
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If you have any ideas of how we can work together, please get in touch at flora@floratheexplorer.com.
I’m always interested in new and exciting proposals, and I’d love to hear from you.
