We built this site for the vacation-loving adventure seekers that would never let a single hour of vacation time off go unused. We write for those people who truly believe in Susan Sontag’s timeless travel quote, “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.”
These are the readers and people who keep us going and get us through the red-eye flights and publishing deadlines. If any part of that description fits you, we’re glad you found us! This is our passion that we are happy to share with you. So, welcome, fellow lover of the journey. You’ve come to the right place!
What you are going to find here
All you are going to find on the pages of Getting Stamped are travel guides, tips, and stories from some of the best places on earth. Nothing but first-hand, boots on the ground (ok, well, maybe flip flops sometimes) info and guides.
We want to show you the places we have been and help you navigate a new destination bringing you to the best sights while avoiding the pitfalls we likely fell into.
Our Goals
Here at Getting Stamped, the goals are simple, show you the best travel destinations on the planet in a meaningful way. Our mission is to inspire you through our pretty pictures and videos, but it doesn’t stop there. We want to then help you to plan and make the most out of each and every trip you take.
Why? Because life is short, and vacation is even shorter, we believe the more people travel, the more they grow, and the world will be a better place because of it. Plus, you’ll get some great selfies along the way, but seriously more about the better world stuff, less about the selfies.
Who are we?
Family with young children taking a photo on the beach in Florida on vacation
Getting Stamped is written by real people, two people to be exact, Hannah & Adam. This is not some big publishing company spewing words onto the interwebs. This is personal, not in an awkward way, but hopefully in a ‘hey, that’s pretty awesome kinda way.
Our website started out as just the two of us writing about our travels as a couple and tons of travel guides and tips. Well, we have expanded, and now we also write about family travel, traveling with kids, and review posts too.
Our son Atlas was born in late 2019, right before the pandemic and borders closed. We were able to squeeze one international trip with him in at three months old before we were forced home to wait out covid.
Our daughter Isla came into the world in the summer of 2021. Yep, our two kids are 20 months apart. We sure do have our hands full, but we wouldn’t have it any other way!
We now are traveling the world as a family of four, with WAY more luggage than we used to. But we are having the best time of our lives and making tons of memories along the way.
Etramping is a travel blog devoted to discovering and sharing the passion for outdoor adventure in all its forms. It’s a place for those who seek adrenaline and have curiosity for new destinations, who are eager to experience the world with all of their senses and aren’t afraid to make every day a unique escapade!
This is where experienced worldwide travelers share their inspiring stories, unique activities and crazy adventures from all around the world to ignite the Wanderlust in you and motivate you to start or continue your own journey.
Packed with pro budget-friendly travel tips, Etramping features amazing unknown places you never knew existed and no man dares to visit. In fact, you’ll find every single country in the world covered on Etramping. All of this to show you that adventure is worthwhile, the world isn’t as dangerous as you think and everyone can afford to travel.
Created by travelers for travelers and wannabe adventurers, we hope Etramping will become your ultimate source of travel inspiration, knowledge and fun.
Meet the Founders
Etramping was established by two travel buddies and best friends, Agness and Cez, who ditched their nine-to-five’s in favor of taking off for unique adventures around the world. Ever since 2011, that’s when it all started, we have been on the road and writing about it!
Important: WE ARE NOT A COUPLE (and can’t stress it enough)
The Beginnings
For Agness, the adventurous life started off with her first visit to China in August 2011. All she possessed was her luggage and a Lonely Planet book. She had no idea what to expect, but she knew there was a lot of curiosity to satisfy. She always wanted to travel, after all. Full of energy and ideas, trying to figure out how to manage to live and blend in on a different continent, Agness embarked on a quest to discover the new perspectives that travel provides in abundance!
For Cez, it didn’t start with a simple realisation “I want to travel”. It was more of a thought process that eventually led to that point. Long story short – he left for Vietnam with $400 and no return ticket. There’s still no intention to return!
Initially, money was the issue for Agness and Cez when they first started their journeys. They were both traveling for less than $25 a day becoming experts in budget backpacking. When Etramping was born, traveling on a shoestring budget was all they wrote about and shared with their audience. As they continued on their journeys, and got better in both planning the trips and earning money on the way, they overcome the boundary that the budget brings.
Etramping Now
Now, Etramping doesn’t necessarily focus on the budget anymore, it is the intensity and uniqueness of trips that matter the most for Agness and Cez. From the beautiful landscapes of Tibet, through the cycling trip across Vietnam, to the mysterious land of North Korea, and far beyond, Etramping strives to discover what others don’t believe is possible to do.
We are talking here about travel full of twists and unknown ahead and all-inclusive holidays have nothing to do with this. Traveling with a one-way ticket, backpack and hunger for real experiences, you may sometimes be seen as a tramp. Own up to this and be proud to be different and open. In return, you get the freedom to do exactly what you want to do!
Landing on Etramping, you will discover an abundance of travel knowledge, tips, and first-hand experiences both from Agness and Cez as well as inspiring world-wide travelers and nomads.
What Makes Us Different
We differ from other travel sources by discussing topics that are rarely covered elsewhere and we pride ourselves on writing our honest opinions and staying true to our values, even when it isn’t the easiest route to take. You’ll always get the true picture from us and others, no matter how harsh it is.
At 21, I quit my corporate job in the Philippines to pursue my dreams of traveling the world and building my own remote business. It all seemed crazy, especially because I was young and broke — but after a few months… I made it all happen!
Today, I am a successful digital nomad (online entrepreneur) and solo female traveler (+blogger and vlogger) who has been to all 7 continents.
MY MISSION? To help show YOU that no matter the odds, it is absolutely possible to create a life of non-stop travel and establish financial independence with remote work. I will help you achieve these through my no-BS experiences and learnings, along with my tried-and-tested working resources, travel tips, hacks, guides, and MORE!
Welcome to NOMADasaurus – Australia’s top adventure travel blog, run by the married couple, professional photographers, content creators and full-time travellers Alesha Bradford and Jarryd Salem.
Writing in the third person is pretty weird so we’re going to stop now. Hi, we’re Lesh and Jazza, and we’ve been exploring the world together since 2008! You can read more about us on our about page.
After meeting in a hostel bar in Vancouver, we travelled Canada living out of a van for a few years, wandered aimlessly around Central America by land (and sea) for a while, then decided to fly to the other side of the world again to see what wonders lay in Asia.
Five years into our travels we decided to start this blog to document our experiences and show others how they could enjoy a life of travel as well. That was at the end of 2013, and today we are very proud to say we have grown this site to be one of the largest travel blogs on the internet, launched a digital marketing company, started running tours in Central Asia and turned NOMADasaurus into a global media brand.
We believe that there is no right or wrong way to travel. Everyone has their own style, desires and goals when they decide to travel the world. It doesn’t matter if you are into adventure, luxury, backpacking, cruising, culture, history or off-the-beaten-path experiences – all that matters is that you take that first step to see what the world has to offer.
Our goal is to encourage you to get out of your comfort zone, do things that you’ve always wanted to do and visit places that you’ve always dreamed of. Book a flight, figure out how to earn money as you go, and most of all make your life an adventure.
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably just come across Lost With Purpose for the first time. Well, hold on to your seat: your life is about to change forever.
… no, I kid. You can let go of your seat now.
Here’s what’s really up
I’m Alex Reynolds (short for Alexandra), an American girl backpacking hither and thither around the planet. No need for fanfare, I’m just an ordinary twenty-something-year-old who sold everything, left a “real person” job, and decided to travel the world for a while.
My life fits into two backpacks, I am perpetually getting lost, and I dream of one day filling an entire passport. Update: I filled one, it was stressful to replace. New dream: SPACE TRAVEL.
How do I travel and where am I going?
The adventure began when I flew away from the haze of Amsterdam, Netherlands to frosty Tbilisi, Georgia in February 2016.
Ever since, I’ve traveled primarily over land using buses, taxis, trains, rickshaws, boats, horses, and rides from people I meet along the way. And then some. I try to avoid flying as much as possible because, y’know, climate change is kind of a thing.
I travel to places often overlooked by Western tourists in favor of other destinations. Weeks of my life have passed without spotting Whiteus Peopleus, I’ve set foot in countries my government urges me to avoid, and I’ve spent many an hour miming things because it’s my only form of communication.
Though I’ve bopped around on several continents over the last few years, I seem to end up in Asia repeatedly, though I hope to add some more regions to my repertoire sooner rather than later. Not that my intentions really matter; my plans always fail, so I go wherever the wind takes me and there are good people (and good food) to be had.
So what exactly is my purpose?
Funnily enough, I chose the name “Lost With Purpose” because I’m spacey as hell and always get lost. I might as well enjoy it, right? Hence, my purpose: to enjoy being lost.
… but these days, people ask assuming I have some greater purpose in mind. Admittedly, I often let them continue to think the blog name has deeper meaning than “herp derp where am I?”
Though I may float sans purpose, this blog doesn’t. Its original mission was to provide future travelers with useful information. When researching my trip, I struggled to find all of the dirty details I wanted about the places I meant to visit.
“Top 10 Instagrammable Spots in X” lists are all well and good (just kidding, I think they’re wretched), but I’m more interested in things like what women should expect when traveling in Iran, or how to road trip around Saudi Arabia.
I do my best to cover what I find useful, and I’m always down to help others interested in following my footsteps. If you have questions, just ask! But please, for the love of god, don’t ask me to plan a whole itinerary for you.
As I wandered along my merry way, other aims took form. The more I saw, the more I learned… and realized we all still have a lot to learn.
Over the years, I’ve seen what feels like all of the ups and downs of tourism—and iNfLuEnCeR cultue—in the world. Hordes of travelers swarming to get The Instagram Shot as communities crumble under the strain. Privileged Westerners (like me) casually rolling in to exploit local people’s kindness like neo colonists v.2.0. The danger of promoting travels/ego without thinking about how people might interpret them. (Shout out to every inexperienced traveler who messaged me thinking Afghanistan was a good idea for their next holiday. Please don’t get kidnapped.)
Before, I thought I was just helping travelers out and doing folks a favor by promoting countries that didn’t see much international tourism. Now, I realize that my words have the power to do harm. We tourists have the power to destroy.
Luckily, we can also do the opposite.
These days, I’m trying to do better, and encourage others to do the same. I’m still a reckless traveler who thrives on impulse, needs to think before speaking, and eats copious amounts of carbs to save money… but I also spend boatloads of time time learning from People Who Know Things, and educating travelers on how to travel more responsibly, recognize privilege, and make better decisions on the road. And freaking out over cringe stuff I wrote in the past—what was I thinking?!
I’m still far from perfect, as haters like to remind me on a daily basis. We all are. But that shouldn’t stop us from doing what we can to ensure our holidays or travels don’t destroy the places we so love.
I'm foreign so I must be rich
The most common question: how do I afford to travel?
I’m no trust fund baby (if only), and I don’t receive financial help from anyone (feel free to sponsor me, O Peoples With Monies). I fund my independent travels purely through money I saved or earned on my own… though I’d totally take on a sugar daddy as long as they’re down to only see me once a year.
Before my departure in 2016, I saved up enough money to travel for a little over a year… and the money stretched much further than I thought it would.
These days, I’m doing the “digital nomad” hustle: I make some money from the blog, and freelance along the way so I can TRAVEL 4EVER & EVER extend my voyage indefinitely. Here’s exactly how I do it, though full disclaimer, I’m not exactly rolling in the ca$hmonies.
My money stretches far because, well, it has to if I want to live on the road full-time! (Also, having foreign currency helps.)
Grubby hostels and hotels call to me. I’m not above eating bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Walking an extra mile to find a bus instead of taking a taxi is chill with me… except when it’s literally 45°C outside. I don’t buy souvenirs–sorry family and friends–and I’ve passed on a tourist sight (or twelve) when tickets were too costly for my budget.
The key: I stick to places where I can exist without going totally bankrupt. You probably won’t find me wandering in Western Europe any time soon, unless I’ve come back to visit family and friends… or get trapped by a global pandemic. Other regions are more cost effective. With better food.
Who the heck is this dude in half of your posts?
Ah, an interesting question!
At the start of my journey, I traveled with Sebastiaan, a gangly Dutchman/my boyfriend at the time. We traveled and ran the blog together for almost two years, but then broke up while traveling at the end of 2017. Oops!
Never fear, there’s no bitter feels—we’re still friends and he still helps out with the blog from time to time. I’m far too lazy not petty enough to go through and edit him out of all of the posts and pages he wrote, so you’ll just have to deal with the occasional plural pronoun and shot of his face.
Or you can pretend I transform into a European man under the full moon. That’s cool, too.
Time to explore some more
But that’s enough rambling for now. This is a blog, after all–why not check out some of my favorite posts?
My name is Alex Waltner, also known as Swedish Nomad. I’m a Professional Travel Blogger and Photographer from Sweden who have been traveling around the world since 2013.
I started Swedishnomad.com to share my passion for traveling and to inspire others to explore the world as well. My vision is to help and make it easier for others to travel by providing valuable travel tips and guides from my experiences.
I’m looking forward to showcase our beautiful planet and help you to travel more, cheaper and better. We only have one life, and it’s far too short to just stay in one place your whole life.
Hi! So glad you visited! Well, it’s a given that as a luxury travel blogger I love to travel and that I do it frequently. I’m over 40 (well closer to 50 ugh! ) and strangely the older I get the more adventurous I get.
But I do like the little luxuries in life. I can enjoy a day out trekking much more when I know there is a hot shower, glass of good sav blanc and sheets with a high thread count waiting for me at the end.
On my site you’ll find a mix of off the beaten track places to go as well as some different perspectives on places you may know well. You will find ALOT about food and wine and photos in particular.
What Exactly is a Boutique Adventure?
So glad you asked! I was initially inspired by the wonderful tales of the world’s early luxury travellers. I loved reading about adventurers in the 1930s taking loads of cases and gin and tonic into a desert or on safari – all wearing some fabulous hats.
These travellers were heading into the unknown but with life’s luxuries to keep them comfortable once they finished exploring for the day.
So where can you have adventures these days? I live in London (more of that to come) and I love it. I write about London quite a bit as well as other frequently visited cities.
But I tend to look for the tales that are not so commonly told. I love finding interesting new neighbourhoods when I travel, food tours, food markets, street art – where the locals go for fun.
I also love finding the spots in a well-known country where the locals go. I am originally from Melbourne so I like writing about places like the Mornington Peninsula.
This is where people who live in Melbourne go when they want a holiday but don’t want to travel too far. Cornwall in the UK. nova scotia in Canada. These are some of my favourite places to explore and share.
I do love a boutique hotel. I am not so into the classic 5 star hotel. Boutique adventures mean that you know exactly where you are when it comes to where you are staying. What is the point in visiting Fes but staying in a hotel that could be anywhere in the world?
Hotels that have been designed using the best of local talents and ingredients are my absolute favourite. Even better if they are run by the owners.
Once in a destination, I focus on finding great food and wine, unique experiences and taking photos, When I travel I ask the locals – where or what is there to do here that cannot be done anywhere else?
This could be a food or wine experience, it could be meeting a UNESCO listed hat block creator in Caussade France or seeing Taipei at sunset from the top of 101.
I am pleased to say that I have completed my Wine & Spirits Education Trust Level Two, and that I am a member of both the British Guild of Travel Writers and the International Food Wine Travel Writers Association.
Who is the Luxury Travel Blogger The Boutique Adventurer?
Let’s start with the fact that my name is Amanda O’Brien. I was born in Melbourne, Australia in the early 1970s very close to Ramsay Street from Neighbours.
My first overseas trip was when I was 10 years old to Hong Kong with my mum and grandmother. Most of that trip was spent searching out Hello Kitty items, chicken sandwiches and chocolate milkshakes. I was not so into discovering the local culture at that point.
When I was 11 my family moved to the United States and we lived there for 4 years. My dad was a big traveller. He had gotten on a ship at 18 years of age and left country Victoria to travel on his own through Europe for a year. He was determined that we would travel as much as possible whilst based in the US – and he created life long travellers of myself and my two brothers.
I returned to Australia aged 15 and my next big travel adventure was 4 months backpacking through Europe after studying at Monash University.
At the time I promised myself that if I didn’t complain too much about the youth hostels I would never ever stay in one again. I am proud to say that I have honoured that agreement with myself.
At the age of 31 my then husband and I moved from Melbourne to London to travel and have adventures. This is where my travelling really went to the next level. We were the classic Australian in London travel cliche – heading to Heathrow every weekend we could to literally go anywhere!
A couple of years in this became rather exhausting and we calmed down but still travelled frequently. Over this time I worked in marketing for organisations including Heinz Foods, Direct Line Group and B&Q.
After my husband and I split up in my late thirties I couldn’t imagine how my travels would continue as I was petrified about travelling alone. However, I don’t like being scared of things so I became determined to figure out how I could travel on my own and enjoy myself.
I have written quite a bit on the blog about how I learnt to do that – and today I am still my own favourite travel companion. I always have such great ideas!
Luxury travel blogging started during an ill-fated year when I decided to try living in Australia again. To cut a rather long story short I realised London was my home and returned.
However, whilst feeling rather miserable and out of sorts, my travel blog began sitting on the couch at my brother and sister in law’s home in sydney with my niece designing my first ever logo – which featured a hat of course,
I fell in love with being a luxury travel blogger and decided to put a hold on my career as a marketing director and try marketing consulting combined with travel blogging. And four years later, fingers crossed, it is all turning out rather well and I am now a full time digital publisher.
I love what I do and am so delighted to have found a second career in my forties. There are quite a few opportunities for this in travel – like becoming a travel agent which has loads of great virtual options.
My world now revolves around digital marketing which I love. The last thing for you to know about me is that I have had a competition going with my brothers for many years involving who has visited the most countries.
There is an elaborate set of criteria for what visiting a country actually means eg minimum time spent, must have at least one meal, must use local currency etc. I am delighted to say that I am the reigning champion even though I am the youngest. (that’s what happens when you stop and have children guys!).
Latest count is that I have visited 80 countries and I don’t plan on stopping until I have visited them all.
“Here” is A Dangerous Business, a travel blog that aims to inspire people to fit more travel and adventure into the lifestyle they already have. You'll find detailed travel itineraries and weekend trip guides, as well as tips, packing lists, and travel observations from more than a decade of personal travel experience. My goal is to make getting “swept off” in your next travel adventure as easy and stress-free as possible.
I don't believe in the traveler vs. tourist debate, only write about places that I've personally been, and travel in a way that (I hope) feels realistic for the average person.
My name is Amber and I've dedicated Amber Everywhere to helping people to become world travelers. Originally from Lakewood, Colorado, I'm currently living in Cork, Ireland. I write about travel, living abroad, and related topics to help my readers explore the world more confidently and courageously.
Hi, my name is Anissa and if you’re anything like me the desire to travel has always been there but working at least 40 hours a week with limited pto leaves little time to travel. As a wannabe globe-trotter I often found myself dreaming of leaving a full-time job to travel full-time, but ya girl likes the finer things in life and the reliability of a steady pay-check so I am beating the system and finding ways to travel through weekends, holidays and pto.
Travel has been full-on flirting with me since I went on my first major international trip in 2014 as a student in college. I was trying so hard to play hard to get that even after making the switch to a full-time job at a nonprofit I would find myself taking every paycheck and putting it towards my next trip. Since then, I have visited 25 countries and made the switch to a remote corporate job so I can make my suitcase a part of my professional wardrobe.
If you find yourself sitting at your keyboard daydreaming about weekend travels and international trips, then let this girl help ya out because how cute would it be to make travel a new normal for you?
Follow along on my Instagram account to see my travels in real-time and make sure to drop your email below to get the best and latest posts on all things travel. Looking forward to connecting with you!
