The biggest blogging adventure in the world has begun: 16 bloggers from across the planet swap blogs and countries for 10 days – and now they’re off.
Join the conversation: #BigBlogX.
Our 16 big blogger finalists jetted off to their exchange countries last week. With their set challenges in full swing, cultural adventures under-way and uncovering inspiration at every turn, we catch up with them to see what they’ve been up to since they touched down.
Logan landed in India’s hugely populous hub, Delhi, to famously good Indian hospitality, crazy traffic, masala chai (tea) and reverent religious architecture – to the soundtrack of Justin Bieber. Yes that’s right. We all know this busy north Indian adventure will be a heady cultural journey with twists and turns at every stop – from the Taj Mahal in Agra up to the foothills of the Himalayas in Manali.
Purujeet has eased into the Canadian way of life after initial warnings from aeroplane passengers of bear-attacks, avalanches and snow-storms in British Columbia. After a rainy, friendly stay in Vancouver, follow Purujeet through the Rockies, to Toronto and the Niagra Falls over to Halifax and French Canada’s Montreal.
Ainoha arrived in Dublin to a warm welcome from some friendly faces, with an evening ride through the city to see some sights, then exploring museums, book shops, churches, parks and politics – and getting up to some Halloween antics. We’ll catch up with her more in Cork, her next destination.
Stephanie looks like she’s having a blast on her Brazilian adventure, from falling in love with delicious local foods in Rio and Salvador, to making buddies with turtles and beach treks in Praia do Forte; keep tabs on her snorkelling journey and beyond by following her Instagram – @eatsleepchicblog
Malaysian Barista Vincent raves about the breakfasts in Buenos Aires and although he has been having a few issues with his banking over on Argentinian shores, the trip is all about the trials and tribulations – he’s got a lot on his plate for his itinerary, which is taking him from Mendoza to Bariloche before returning to the capital.
Belén got a little stuck in Buenos Aires in a bid to begin her journey over to Kuala Lumpur: a little being seven hours delay, and a stopover in Istanbul. Finally, after a slice of adventure she wasn’t anticipating, she is heading from KL to Malacca and Penang, before returning to the Malaysian capital again, with Laksa, street art and much more to keep her going.
Marcela shares her first impressions of Manila, Philippines, with mixed emotions being expressed – from new friends and amazing and affordable food to the jarring reality of poverty seen on the streets. See how her experiences progress as she heads from Manila to Cebu, Bohol and Baguio.
Tessa documents her vibrant, animated journey through Milan, Genova, Florence, Naples and Rome with her distinctive googleygooeys design style. From capturing colourful houses on Burano, to garden spotting (or possibly spying) in Vicenza and connecting with folks from all over the world.
Levis Ambassador Roy tells the story of his Spanish adventure with beautiful and artful precision and perspective through Instagram, including inspiration and pumpkin Insta-meets in Madrid, ornate architecture in Burgos and showing some love for Bilbao.
Manuel has spent the first part of the trip in East London, South Africa, where Nelson Mandela was born: on a fascinating historical escapade, he visited the little village where Mandela grew up, has been horse-riding on the beach, hiking, drumming, experiencing the Wild Coast at Coffee Bay, and partaken in village and community activities.
Ruth, after overcoming the exhaustion of a long haul journey, has been enjoying the serenity of the hills, busy sampling dim sum delights, indulging in afternoon teas, taking hostel selfies (#hostelselfie? That works) and fully immersing herself in the sprawling metropolis of Hong Kong.
Kitty has been fully enjoying the English experience through her blogging medium of breakfasts, along with a visit to the Harry Potter studios, iconic London landmarks, and meeting up with the HI/BBE team to head to Abbey Road, Camden, Southbank and Leicester Square – just a few ticks off her bucket list. We eagerly await her verdict of the rest of the country in contrast with the capital.
It’s hard to keep tabs on Taralynn in just a paragraph. You’d have thought her flitting between notable French cities Paris, Strasbourg, Lyon, Marseille, Rennes and Amiens would leave her little time to pause for thought, but she’s been blogging like crazy about hopping over the bridge into Germany, breakfasting in style, photographing breath-taking buildings, facing her fears and foraying into French culture.
Lucie is currently road tripping through South California, hugging the pacific west coast with its glorious sunsets and shorelines. She has covered a lot of ground on her trip so far, landing in DC on Halloween and seeing in the nationally loved festivities as a panda, tackling a big American breakfast and ‘unwich’, and will finish the trip off by heading to Austin for some Texan travellin’, y’all.
Nina landed in Sydney, one of her wanderlust destinations. Not wasting any time, she had a real Aussie breakfast (including Vegemite, obviously) and headed out to Bondi Beach to catch some surf. We see from Twitter she sampled Tim Tams for some post-surf sustenance too – we hope she dunked them in a cup of tea and took on the Tim Tam challenge!
Jono is feeling the ‘love’ in SLOVEnia right now. Having visited before back in 2010, he is taking his exploration of this fledgling nation further and engrossing himself in its distinctive, welcoming culture; travelling through the south and eastern part of the country, experiencing everything from the community spirit of Lake Bled, to the country’s typical coastal foods. Jono is even becoming something of a local celebrity, having been interviewed on national news!
Keep tabs on what our big bloggers are up to here.
