Top UK travel blog for January – Mini Travellers

Our top UK travel blog for January is Mini Travellers.  Set up by former lawyer and avid traveller, Karen Beddow, in June 2014 to provide family travel inspiration.  Her blog provides holiday ideas, destination reviews and ideas for family days out in the UK and abroad.  Mini Travellers won the ‘Best Family Travel Blog’ at the Mum and Dad (MAD) Blog Awards in both 2015 and 2016.

Here Karen gives her thoughts on travel blogging and shares her tips for aspiring travel bloggers…

What inspired you to start blogging?
I was researching a trip for our first holiday without the grandparents and I wanted a small but perfect crèche for the kids. I found what I was looking for through another blog. Initially I decided to write a guest post for that but then decided to give my own a go.

What was your first “proper” blog review?
The first place I reviewed was our holiday to Mousses in Lefkas during the summer of 2014.  This was where the idea for the blog was created!

What are your blogging and travel plans for 2017?
It’s pretty exciting. We have just come back from an amazing trip to St Mawes Retreats in Cornwall and have Martinhal Lisbon at February half term, followed by Barbados in April, weekend in a camper van followed by a trip to Wales at May half term and then a trip to Greece or Corsica with Simpson Travel in Late June/early July… Phew!  We also have a couple of weekend breaks to try and fit in!

What is your favourite destination in the world?
It was always Italy but more recently I think it has to be Greece.  If we are talking cities it’s Rome and San Francisco!

Which blogs do you love to read for inspiration?
I read absolutely loads so in the interest of not upsetting my blogger friends or leaving anyone out two travel ones I am always inspired by are Travel Hack and Travel Babbo.

What are the three most popular posts on your blog?
My posts featuring holidays suitable for young children are my most popular posts, not surprisingly as this is what my blog focuses on!   Competitions to win holidays are also always very popuar.  My current three most read posts are Best Hotel Crèches In Europe and Beyond, my family’s recent stay at St Mawes Retreat and a competition I ran last year for Away Resorts. 

What tips do you have for newer bloggers who would love to set up a travel blog?
You have to love to travel and you won’t get much complimentary when you start.  You need to have patience and if you enjoy what you do the rest will come!

If you could go back in time to when you first set up your blog would you do anything differently?
I would go self hosted from day one and I might actually have set up a more general blog. I do vacillate on this though. I have definitely benefited from having family travel as my niche but I would love the broader opportunities too!