10 PNW travel blogs you need to read in 2022
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The Pacific Northwest (PNW) is a region in the United States unlike any other. Moody, wild, and green, the potential for adventure here is limitless. And there’s so much more to the PNW than Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver.
That’s why I’ve rounded up 10 of the top PNW travel blogs you need to be reading in 2022. Each of these blogs bring their own unique voice and perspective to the conversation. And I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
The Clever West Wind
A year abroad in Germany, 11 countries, and 11 US states. A modest start, but it was only meant to be the beginning to exploring all corners of the globe. Clarice started her travel blog, The Clever West Wind, in November 2019 intending to share her travels with her readers. And then 2020 happened. (Cue dramatic music.)
The pandemic taught us all to adapt, whether we liked it or not. And Clarice faced the decision to abandon her new travel blog or adapt and grow. Choosing the latter, she redirected her blog’s focus to be a PNW travel blog. Which sometimes covers foreign destinations.
Clarice enjoys rainy days, learning new languages, books, and tea. Born and raised in the PNW, she also loves exploring the outdoors and hiking. She’s here to bring you the low-down on what to do and see in the PNW.
You can follow her on major social media platforms at @thecleverwestwind or @cleverwestind. Get started by checking out her post Barefoot in the Portland Lan Su Chinese Garden.
Flannels or Flips Flops
Behind the Name
Chantelle is the writer behind the travel blog Flannels or FlipFlops. While the name is a mouthful, it is full of meaning. Chantelle was born and raised in California. Growing up she loved the California weather and lifestyle (FlipFlops).
About 11 years ago Chantelle and her 3 sons moved to Washington where they had to adapt to a new lifestyle completely. The rainy weather and gloomy skies took some getting used to. She then met her (now) husband who was raised in Washington and together they started hiking and exploring the beautiful PNW. Slowly, and begrudgingly Chantelle came to love and accept this new life as her own (Flannels).
Flannels or FlipFlops also encompasses Chantelle’s love of travel. She will go anywhere and wants to see it all from the highest snowiest peak to the most tranquil hidden beach, so again Flannels or FlipFlops.
Behind the Woman
Chantelle has 3 now-grown boys who she raised as a single mom. Her oldest will be married soon and she is so excited to officially have a daughter! She worked as a Dental Hygienist to support them while they were growing (and eating everything). Now that they are older and need her attention and support less she has finally been able to focus on her own passions and dreams.
She started Flannels or FlipFlops about a month before the pandemic (great timing for a travel blog), and has recently become a Travel Advisor as well. While the blog does feature many places she has traveled, there is a huge focus on the PNW. She truly has fallen in love with this area and loves to share her favorite parts of it so that others will come to love it too. One of her favorite posts is The best beaches in Washington State because it takes her natural love of the beaches and shows how even though PNW beaches are different, they are still incredibly beautiful and must be explored!
Chantelle has travel goals of visiting every continent, visiting every US State, and every US National Park. She’s also a Disney nut, coffee addict, essential oil lover, and toad trip junkie. Be sure and follow along to see what she is up to next!
Life of the Pilot’s Wife
Emily is a Portland based travel and lifestyle blogger. She is often road tripping with her gold doodle pup, Milo or flying with her pilot husband. On her account and blog she shares how you can travel more, with your dog and travel secrets from a pilot’s wife.
She loves to show cool places to visit and stays around the PNW, as well as unique spots to visit around the world. She’s been to 13 countries and hopes to make it to more soon! Her dream destinations are New Zealand, Peru, Turkey and England. Some of her favorite places she’s visited have been Iceland, Thailand and Banff National Park.
Check out her blog Life of the Pilot’s Wife. A great place to start is with her post about The Total Twilight Experience: Forks, Washington.
Wild Oregon Girl
Renee Anderson, AKA WildOregonGirl, is a native born Oregonian with a passion for hiking, healing, and the magic of the earth. Seeking serenity and sobriety, Renee’ found herself on a 1,500 solo journey across Oregon.
Wild Oregon Girl is a collection of photos, narratives, and history about the places Renee’ has found peace in Oregon. Her travels have been an essential part of her mental health journey.
Renee’s voice is real, she shares the ups and downs of life with an invisible disability while exploring Oregon and its boundless beauty. Get started reading and following along on her journey with her post Misery Ridge Trail.
The Mandagies
Berty and Emily Mandagie are commercial photographers and travel bloggers that run the site TheMandagies.com. The Mandagies is a Pacific Northwest travel blog with the goal to help you plan your dream trip to the PNW with professional photography tips along the way.
Berty and Emily created their travel blog in 2016, documenting their local hiking trails and sharing tips on how to enjoy all seasons in the northwest. Now, their website has grown to one of the leading authorities in the region, with hundreds of thousands of readers getting inspired every month.
With years of experience in photo and writing, they combine their skills to bring a high-quality blog experience with beautiful imagery and informative writing. You can find them on all social channels at @themandagies, but they are most active on Instagram!
Maddie Deer
Maddie’s always loved to travel, but the Pacific Northwest is where she thrives. She loves the moody weather and beautiful hikes. You can drive an hour and a half from the beach and end up in the mountains.
The purpose of her blog is to inspire others to get outside and explore the beautiful world. She features hikes, campsites, and other destinations in the PNW. She also sometimes shares about her life in nursing school, books that are worth reading, and other travel destinations not in the PNW. When she is not blogging, hiking, or studying you can find her at the dog park with her pup or thrifting!
If you live in the PNW and are looking for new hikes, you can check out her post The Best Hikes in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
Jess Wandering
Jess Wandering is a travel blog dedicated to bringing you captivating stories, bucket list destinations, and off the beaten path experiences from near and far. Based in Seattle, she grew up exploring the mountains and hiking trails around the Pacific Northwest. Even though she’s now had the opportunity to travel all over the world, some of her favorite experiences to share are still right here at home!
She started Jess Wandering after being laid off by her law firm where she had been a practicing attorney for a couple years. The logical thing to do would have been to get another job at a different firm – but she knew deep down that’s not what she wanted. As she scrambled to figure out her next chapter, she started spending more time outside, doing the things she had loved as a kid.
She was spending more and more time outside. Her weekends started to fill up with hiking, camping and road trips to see some of the most visually stunning locations in the Pacific Northwest. Early on, she decided she wanted to share the photos from her favorite places in hopes that they might inspire others to get out and start collecting memorable experiences. Even if it meant only driving a couple hours from home. And the rest is history!
Wonder Lesch
Erin Lesch is a travel-loving girl from Minnesota who’s currently living in the state of Washington! Her empty nest felt a little bit too empty, so she decided it was time for her to fly away as well. Since her big move to Seattle, she has loved living in the Pacific Northwest. Contrary to the rumours, the weather is not as rainy as you would expect (that’ll be our little secret, though).
She has discovered a love for exploring amazing adventures both near and far, which prompted her to start her blog, Wonder Lesch. Her blog showcases staycations, vacations, international trips, happy hour finds, great food, better drinks and more.
On Wonder Lesch, you can read all about the ABCs of her adventures. Discover comic book and pop culture conventions across the United States, to cozy vacation spots and things to do on your next trip. Explore fun and adventure with Erin at Wonder Lesch.
HMG Travels the World
Heidi is a Seattle area based travel and lifestyle content creator. She started her Instagram and blog, HMG Travels the World back in 2017 as a way to document her travels and ultimately create herself a “diary” of all the places she has traveled to. It has come in handy over the years when her friends and family want to hear all about her trip! Instead of repeating herself 100 times, she can send them a few links to read!
She recently started sharing a lot more reels on her Instagram and it has been a great way to share the “story behind the image” and even a bit more of her personality!
Some of her favorite places she has traveled to are: French Polynesia, Egypt, Turkey, France, UK, and Singapore!
Babe With a Backpack – Coming Soon!
Fiona Scott became the ‘Babe with A Backpack’as she solo travelled across 100 countries, completed the coast to coast walk in the UK and then ventured into travel writing and content creation. Having returned to her hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, her explorations are now focused on Canada and the Pacific Northwest, “I just don’t want to miss out on seeing as much as I can in my own backyard…it’s a pretty big backyard!” she laughs. Daring to swim in every body of water that she comes across regardless of the month, Fiona’s sense of vitality comes through in her storytelling and makes most readers pack their own backpack of adventure. Her story of camping in a rainstorm with a forgotten tarp and a stare down with a raccoon is definitely worth an out loud laugh or two.
Although an outdoor enthusiast, her visits to different cities and communities highlight the unique and unknown. In a neighborhood museum on Vancouver Island, she discovered an exhibit piece missing a descriptive explanation. With the volunteer museum aide by her side, the afternoon turned into a treasure hunt into the dusty archives. They uncovered more mystery than history, but the sense of contribution and connection made the story warm the heart.
Fiona’s curious mind and sense of determination in learning about her environment make her adventures and misadventures an energizing read. Her travel writing has been featured in TimeOut, Wanderlust, multiple Canadian tourism boards and travel companies. She is currently completing a children’s exploration series covering every province and territory, in addition to bringing back the Babe With A Backpack blogging site.
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