Welcome to Where Jess Travels, a corner of the internet dedicated to travel, adventure and good places to stay. My aim is to help you plan the perfect holiday, and if I wouldn’t recommend something to a friend, I won’t recommend it to you.
I’m Jess, a 29-year-old from the South of England, currently living in Barcelona.
I’ve always loved to travel, and proudly take on the role as trip organiser amongst my friends. I don’t care much for material possessions. Instead, I focus on creating a life I’ll look back on with as little regret as possible.
Where Jess Travels began in lockdown. Bored at home and no good at baking, I decided to start sharing old iPhone snaps of my holidays on Instagram.
My account grew steadily over the following year , but the introduction of Reels skyrocketed my growth and I now have a community of over 100,000 people on Instagram, and 30,000 on TikTok.
I now work full time on my blog and social media, something I’m truly humbled by. I never set out for this to be my career, and being able to make a living from something I love is a real blessing.
Before the blog
After studying Psychology at University, I headed off on my first solo trip, a month touring the East coast of Australia.
It was quite the introduction to solo travel, being 24 hours way from home with no plan, but it gave me a new found confidence in my ability to figure things out.
I learned to enjoy my own company, and I realised I didn’t need to wait for anyone else to take the trips I wanted.
I then pursued a career in Marketing for 7 years, whilst travelling as much as my annual leave would allow. I loved my career and I learned so many skills that helped me in growing this community.
But earlier this year I took the plunge and went full time with content creation and my blog. It’s a scary thing to go from a stable income to the world of freelancing and figuring it out for yourself, but it’s so rewarding to wake up each day and do something I’m passionate about.
Nowadays, I still travel alone, but I also take a lot of trips with my friends or my boyfriend. So this blog isn’t dedicated to a particular type of travel – if you’re after an expert in luxury travel or solo adventures, I won’t claim to be one.
But what you will find are guides to the places I’ve been, reviews of the hotels I’ve stayed in, and tips and tricks to help you make the most of your holiday.
I write my posts as if one of my closest friends has asked for recommendations, and I try really hard to share information you won’t find anywhere else.
I know how valuable your time and money is, so it means a lot that you put your trust in me.
Nothing makes me happier than hearing that you followed one of my guides and had an amazing time, so please let me know if that happens. Get in touch at wherejesstravels@gmail.com
Frequently asked questions
Where do you live?
I moved to Barcelona last year after my boyfriend was offered a job here. I always wanted to live abroad and swapping gloomy England for 300 days of sunshine a year has been lovely.
I’m not sure how long we’ll be here, but for now, it’s home, and we love it.
Where’s the best place you’ve visited?
It’s hard for me to narrow this down to one place, so I’m going to cheat and have 3.
I have a soft spot for Greece, and my 2 week island hopping adventure was the best trip I’ve had. I loved travelling at a slower place, and immersing myself in Greek culture.
I adore Moroccan hospitality, and exploring Marrakech was a completely different experience to my other trips. I love the colours, the food, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life there.
Whilst it may be a cliché, New York is such a magical place. I’ve visited twice and not much compares to waking up in the middle of Manhattan.
What camera equipment do you use?
I use a Canon R5 and I love it. I was previously a Sony shooter but found that the colours never felt completely ‘right’ and I spent a lot of time editing my photos to get them to look how I wanted.
Canon colours are beautiful and feel more true to life. It’s really easy to shoot with and the pictures are consistently beautiful.
Alongside my camera, I have the DJI Mini 3 Pro Drone. I love the perspective you get from shooting with a drone and I getso much use out of it.
How do you edit your photos?
I use my own Lightroom presets to edit my pictures, which will be available to buy soon.
What brands have you worked with?
I feel so fortunate to have worked with many of my dream brands. Recently I’ve worked with Small Luxury Hotels, Travel Texas, Abu Dhabi Tourism, MPB, Penguin Random House, Visit Madeira, Design Hotels, Johnnie Walker, De Vere Hotels and Jungle Formula.
How do we work together?
If you’re a brand interesting in partnering, please reach out to me at wherejesstravels@gmail.com