The Travelista

About Me

The Travelista is an award-winning UK blog about luxury travel and stylish living. Created by Jess Gibson in March 2013, The Travelista is now regarded as one of the most influential and established travel blogs in The UK. With a loyal and engaged audience of travel and style lovers, the blog has consecutively been listed as a Top 10 Luxury Travel Blog by Vuelio between 2015-2018.

Packed with city guides, stylish hotel reviews and travel shortlists, The Travelista aims to inspire your own trips and arm you with honest and trusted recommendations.  The recent re-design welcomes a new ‘stylish living’ theme to the blog, so as well as Jess’ worldwide adventures, you can also expect to see more content about her life at home in Yorkshire.

Featured in: The 30 Best Travel Instagram Accounts to Follow in 2018 by the Evening Standard

Listed in: The Top 10 Luxury Travel Blog by Vuelio from 2015-2018

Winner of: Highly Commended Travel Blog at the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2014

Editor's Letter

Hi guys! Welcome to The Travelista. My name is Jess Gibson and I am the Founder and Editor of The Travelista. I’m 28 years old and live in Leeds with my boyfriend Scott. After graduating with a 2.1 in Media, Communications and Cultural Studies, I started my career as an Editorial Assistant and later moved into various Digital Content roles. I created The Travelista in March 2013 and ran it alongside my full time job for 4 years. In July 2016 I made the leap to become a full time blogger and have never looked back.

As a blogger and content creator I wear many hats, but The Travelista was born from a passion for writing and travel. Creating The Travelista has transformed my life in ways I could have never imagined and it continues to evolve every day. The Travelista is an intrinsic part of my identity and I am so honoured that I get to share my life with a community of people who love travel just as much as me.

Thank you for taking the time to find out a little bit about me. I hope you enjoy this corner of the Internet and that my blog inspires you to dream big and travel in style.

Jess x

Comments

  1. Oh wow, Jess! I am so impressed by the amount of travelling you do. It was great meeting you yesterday and I am glad I’ve discovered your blog. Your trip to Tanzania sounds lie our dream holiday!

  4. Dear Jess,

    I really liked your story and how you ended up putting your dream together with this blog. Its people like you who give inspiration to others for making it big. I think most of us are too scared to leave our 9-5 jobs and just go for it!

    You have to have this believe in your self and only then you can make it big, like you did. I really have all the respect for you as an individual and would like to see you succeed more.

    Best of luck!

    Cheers,
    Zeb

  5. Hi TheTravelista!! I am so hopeful more now than ever that writing and traveling for living, both things that I love, is possible because of your blogging adventures. I know you have many people asking you for help, but if you can point me in the right direction to start with this particular field I would be so grateful! Thank you in advance. You are awesome!

    • Hi Nina, Thanks so much for your sweet comment. I do write and travel for a living, but it’s not all glamorous press trips. Lots of hours are spent in the office, chained to a desk like any other job. I don’t mean to send out an unrealistic message that people can travel around the world and get paid for it, even if that’s how it looks sometimes. If you want to get into travel writing, setting up a blog is the best place to start. It allows you to publish your work immediately and get your name out there. Try to build a following and a community and once you have this set up it demonstrates a pro active side to you and a passion for travel writing. If you go into any content / copywriting / journalistic job in the travel industry, an established travel blog would put you in great stead. Wishing you all the best in your career and your ventures 🙂 Can’t wait to see what you create!

      Jess x

    • So glad to hear you enjoy my blog – it’s comment’s like yours that make it all worthwhile. Thanks so much and hope you keep on reading 🙂

      Jess, The Travelista x

  10. It does inspire me! I’m a very visual person (the curse of having a short attention span) so all the bright beautiful photos really got my attention!

    Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. It can be so daunting first starting out!

    I would definitely love to keep in touch, please let me know if you’re ever in Sydney!

    Chrissy x

  11. Jess, you are pretty much living my dream life!

    As an aspiring travel writer/blogger I’m ecstatic I’ve come across your blog 🙂 I’m currently in the process of saving and planning a RTW trip and hope to long term travel for as long as possible.

    Can’t wait to follow your journey!

    Chrissy
    Sydney, Australia
    x

    • Hi Chrissy! Thank you for your lovely comment. I’m so glad you like my blog and hope it inspires you for your RTW trip. I’ve just checked out your blog and think its a great start. I read you worry you don’t have enough blog worthy material but remember travel blogging can include past present and future travels – you could even include dream destinations! Believe in yourself and have confidence In your writing because it’s great! Keep up the good work. let’s stay in touch 🙂

      Jess, The Travelista x

  13. Hello. Thank you for following my Blog. Yours is top-notch; very informative. Thanks again. Ray.

    • Thanks for your comment Ray! Your blog is great too, I love your photos of Pulteney Bridge in Bath. My sister goes to University there, what a wonderful city! I shall be looking out for more. 🙂 Jess – The Travelista x

Follow on Instagram

  • ‘Twas the night before Christmas, in the neonatal intensive care, all the babies were sleeping, while sounds of alarms filled the air. The nurses making rounds, double-checking their meds, while tucking the little babies, snug deep in their beds. The stethoscopes were hung, by the preemies with care, in hopes that they would all soon, be breathing room air. When out in the hall, there arose such a clatter, the nurses came running, to see what was the matter. Up from the desk, the tech flew with a fret, to make sure all was well, in each baby’s isolette. The respiratory therapist, arrived on the double, but the babies were all okay, on their oxygen and bubble. The nurse was baffled, and exclaimed in a tiff, “Is this really happening tonight? And on my third shift?” When what to their wondering eyes should appear? but a man in a suit, who loved the babies so dear. With a clipboard in hand, and a velvet satchel too, they knew at that moment; he must be St. NICU. He was dressed in red scrubs, from his tip to his toe, and wearing surgical gloves, so the germs would not grow! He was a jolly old fellow, with a few extra pounds, but that didn’t stop him, from making his rounds. He saw babies in boxes, with tubes and with wires, preemies and term infants, and their parent’s desires- To hold and to rock, to kiss and kangaroo, They had Christmas wishes, but only these few. Snuggling the little one, he wrapped him so tight, he handed the baby, to his Mum with delight. A smile arose from her mouth, with great joy, for this was the moment, she dreamed to have, with her boy. Visiting each baby, and their concerned parents too, He knew right there and then, there was something special about the NICU. Placing his hands, on each little head, kissing their foreheads, he winked, and he said- “Tiny babies so strong, with determination and might, so this is where you come, to live and to fight.” “To breathe and to grow, and to learn how to eat, what a difficult journey, but such an amazing feat.” He had a sparkle in his eye, and a hop in his step, as he approached the isolettes, and whispered secrets he’d kept...Continued in comments...💕
  • Believe it or not, my baby boy is with me in this photo. ‘Kangaroo care’ is a type of skin to skin contact that parents are encouraged to have with their premature babies. The babies are placed on the parents chest under a loose fitting top, and snuggled in with blankets. Its the closest thing to being back in the womb for premature babies, as they can feel their parents heart beat, hear their parents voice and smell their parents scent. In the past 5 weeks my world has gone from airports, press trips and pitches to a one mile radius around a hospital, in a city I don’t live in. I have been living in hospital accommodation in Sheffield since Theo was born as there was no space for him to be treated in Leeds. I have entered a new world that, at first, was totally alien and incredibly overwhelming (it still is to be honest). I have difficult conversations with doctors, surgeons and consultants every day and I am learning an entirely new medical language. My days at the moment are mentally, physically and emotionally draining, but the best part of my day is when I get to hold my baby for an hour, sometimes two. I sit in a chair next to his incubator. We’re still in a room surrounded by nurses and beeping machines, but when I close my eyes I imagine we are back home together, like we will be one day in the future. Scott took this photo of me when I fell asleep with Theo during kangaroo care, and to me it speaks a thousand words. Theo, my sweet baby boy, I hope that one day my mind will be blown that you were ever this tiny. From tiny acorns, mighty oak trees grow #prematurityis ❤️🌳
  • Welcome to the world Theodore William Hamilton 👶🏼💫 As today is his ‘1 month’ birthday, I thought it would be a good day to finally share his arrival with the world. On the 30th October at 7.18am I gave birth to our beautiful baby boy, Theo. Theo’s extremely early arrival came as a complete shock. Since then life has been a rollercoaster of emotions and challenges. What I have been through this past month goes against every convention of motherhood and maternal instinct you can think of. It has been the hardest thing I have ever been through in my life, but I am taking things one day at a time and trying to find the positives in everything. Theo is a determined little fighter and is making some really positive steps forward and we are staying strong for him. We won’t be able to bring him home until around his due date in February, and until then he is receiving the very best Neonatal care in hospital. He is the most perfect and precious thing I have ever seen in my life and Scott and I are completely in love. This is why I’ve been so quiet, and why I’m taking some time away from social media. I’m sharing a little more about Theo’s journey so far in my latest post. Link in bio ✨💙
  • Is anyone else getting excited about Black Friday tomorrow? Maybe it’s the Northerner in me, but I bloody love a bargain! It’s great for discounted Christmas shopping, but you can also get some incredible travel deals online as well. Be sure to visit the Expedia website (link in bio) to grab your discount coupon code, and also download the Expedia app to redeem hotel discount, plus amazing deals on flights and packages. Black Friday is the perfect excuse to start planning your 2019 travels. Comment with 3 of your dream travel destinations for 2019. Mine are Iceland, Mexico and Japan! 🇮🇸 🇲🇽 🇯🇵 Paid partnership with @expediaUK #BlackFriday #Expedia
  • The sand-coloured backstreets of Dubrovnik feel like a distant memory now ✨ I’ve taken a bit of an unplanned break from Instagram in the past few weeks as I’ve been thrown a major curveball in life, which I’m currently dealing with. But I’m doing OK and am going to update you guys properly soon. I didn’t realise I’d be missed until so many of you started to message me to see if I was alright! So just know I’m doing fine and will share a bit more with you in due course ❤️
  • Golden hour was my favourite time of day at the Lowes Portofino Bay Hotel... those reflections 😱 You’d never think this scene was in the heart of Orlando, right? Head to the blog to read my review of this Universal Studios hotel ✨🇺🇸

Subscribe

Never miss a post! Subscribe for Travelista updates and newsletters

Latest Video