Tihere is a reason why so many travel bloggers visit the five most over blogged countries. They are awesome. In fact, I am guilty of visiting two multiple times, and I will be back. I also intend to visit the other three countries that I have not visited in the near future. On the other hand, I do get a little tired of the amount of posts and Social Media I see on these countries. It would be nice to see other countries like Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, and the Kingdom of Tonga featured more.
Five most over blogged countries – Iceland waterfall courtesy of Where in the world is Lola
Gary Arndt’s #1 blogging tip on this post is to be unique. He states the internet does not need another 20 something backpacker in Southeast Asia. It is like the song by Cracker they would have written if this song would have been written with the five most over blogged countries in mind: “What the world needs now is another travel blog from Iceland, like I need a hole in my head.” This post is not about bashing these five countries, or bashing travel bloggers that travel and blog there. It would be hypocritical if it was. This is just something I have been thinking about as I thumb down my Instagram feed.
Five most over blogged countries
Iceland
There are actually more blog posts and pictures on Instagram than there are people in Iceland. There is no doubt that Iceland is one of the most beautiful countries out there with amazing waterfalls, incredible coastlines, cute puffins, and of course the Blue Lagoon. I always swoon each time a great photo shows up on my Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook timeline. That is until I began seeing these picture all the freaking time. Now there is a part of me that wants to projectile vomit like Eyjafjallajökull every time I see a picture or a blog post about Iceland. There is also a part of me who wants to try the vanlife in Iceland and see the spectacular that bloggers write about. Challenges do balance the fun in campervanning, they warned, so let’s see where my adventures will take me.
One more blog post or Instagram photo on Iceland, and I may single-handedly disrupt air travel just like Eyjafjallajökull – Wikimedia Creative Commons
New Zealand
I keep waiting for a blog post from New Zealand about how much the country sucks. I mean some traveler out of the the thousand that have visited must have hated it. Instead I see photos of beautiful coastlines, majestic mountains, and just pure outdoor awesomeness, and bloggers cooing about how incredible, amazing, awesome it is. No wonder they filmed the movie Lord of the Rings here.
New Zealand – Home of Lord of the Rings and home to many, many URLs as one of the five most over blogged countries – Photo courtesy of the World Wanderer
They should make a movie about New Zealand called Lord of the Blogs. I can just see it. Matt Karsten plays Frodo and his task is to throw Nomadic Samuel’s laptop into the fires of Mount Doom before he posts another mind blowing post about how freaking awesome New Zealand. The catch is that when Expert Vagabond is ultimately successful to the horror of the rest of the world we find that Nomadic Samuel is no dummy and backed up his writing and photos to ultimately triumph and post yet another New Zealand blog post.
One of the seven deadly sins of travel blogging is being a sloth and only visiting the five most over blogged countries
Costa Rica
Ahh, the land of Pura Vida. If travel bloggers continue to visit and post at this rate the term might be changed to Pura mucho blogga. I have been to this amazing country twice, so I am guilty of pummeling the web with posts on sloths and monkeys in Manuel Antonio, lush green cloud forests in Monteverde, and of course ziplining.
Costa Rica is a country known for preserving half of its land for conservation and for in general lessening their carbon footprint on the world. They even got rid of their military. The same cannot be said about their e-footprint. They hog the travel section of the web in gluttonous fashion. If blog posts equaled weapons then Pura Vida would be a fierce machine.
Five most over blogged countries – Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand –
Thailand
The travel blogging industry basically emerged from Thailand just like life crawled out of the sea some millions of years ago. Often referred to as the “land of smiles,” it should be known as the land of blogs. If gross national product could be measured in travel blog posts, Thailand would be wealthy. Thailand is number one of the five most over blogged countries.
The gap between number one and two in this race will only get wider as 1,000 bloggers unite in Bangkok for the first TBEX Asia later this year. I hope the web is able to handle about 5,000 new blog posts categorized Thailand coming in October. Someone should email Google to let them know they need to add some extra bandwidth towards the Thailand search section.
Welcome to Chiang Mai and welcome to the capital of the five most over blogged countries
It is a safe bet that once TBEX school lets out, travel bloggers will head north in force for the travel blog capital of the word – Chiang Mai. I hope the Thai transportation industry will augment their bus and train system this week in order to handle the influx of travel bloggers migrating north.
Word on the street that the first edict coming from incoming Professional Travel Blog Association president Matt Gibson is than anyone who has not blogged about Chiang Mai in the last five years will have their accreditation removed. I have not been there in ten years, so I definitely need to move quickly to retain my status.
Five most over blogged countries – There are probably 200 people in this photo and it is a safe bet that at least half are travel bloggers – Wikipedia Creative Commons
The Golden Triangle of India
I have seen a lot of posts and pictures regarding blue and pink houses in India. A quick google search shows that blue houses come from Jodhpur and the pink houses come from Jaipur. Jodhpur is not technically part of the golden triangle, but it is just off the beaten path on an also beaten path, or much blogged path, so I am including it here.
The Golden Triangle also includes a wonder of the world. The Taj Mahal might be the most blogged and photographed wonder of the world. In fact, I think the shear number of photos taken from the Taj Mahal is one of the new seven Social Media Wonders of the World.
It would be nice to see a blog post on where to see a tiger – Five most over blogged countries
One thing that has always perplexed me about the coverage coming out of India is it has some of the most incredible national parks in the world; however, I don’t see much love for Kanha, Jim Corbett, Ranthambore, and the Sundarbuns. I mainly see little pink and blue houses for you and me.
Thank you goes out to the World Wanderer and Lauren DiMarco for their photos and assistance on this post on the five most over blogged countries. See their photos on their posts on the link below.
Adventures on the North Island of New Zealand
Iceland stopover best of the west
Adventure on!
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Nice post. I’ve only been to 2 of the countries on your list. Recently spent 5 weeks in India and have returned to Thailand many times over the years. I just rented an apartment here in Chiang Mai but have yet to write a post about it 🙂 India had the raw extremes that really shook the senses, but Thailand has a that great balance and array of experiences to accommodate any budget. Truly is the land of smiles. I’ll have to make an effort to see the other 3 countries on your list. Thanks for the post. Cheers!
Wayne Seto recently posted..How India Challenged Me And Rebuilt Me.
Thanks Wayne! Oh no, another Chiang Mai based travel blogger 🙂 I understand the allure. I intended to stay only three days on my one month trip through Chiang Mai, and I left two weeks later. I hope to get back soon.
Great piece. I am guilty of writing and talking about New Zealand a lot. Probably because I think it is indeed awesome. Just want to help show off the country even more in photos and posts. I think popular places can still be written about a lot, just all from the unique experience of each individual. That will keep everything fresh and exciting and probably make the place even more popular.
Aaron recently posted..Finding My Holland Tulip Spot in Michigan.
Thanks Aaron,
This is one crime that being guilty is not a bad thing. Good point about one’s adventure being the important thing. Very true. A unique adventure can happen anywhere, even at home.
Fun post but with a lot of truth to it. I do like bogging about places no one has heard of – as it means no one is traveling there and that’s what I love. I do see a trip to Iceland in the next few years but I have every intention of going off the ‘beaten track.’ My next foreign trip is Turkey – which I’ve been to before but will be hiking one of the world’s great walks – the Lycian Way. Now you don’t read much about that!
Leigh recently posted..What You Can Do in 2 Hours in Ottawa on a Bike
Turkey was actually one country I was considering putting on the list. This is mainly for Istanbul and air balloons, but the rest of the country is lightly traveled it seems, so it did not ultimately qualify. Never heard of the Lycian Way. Look forward to your coverage.
PS. At a conference in Ottawa on the weekend where I listened to Keith Bellows speak (former NGTraveler editor). No matter where you go he says, find the story and the readers will follow.
Leigh recently posted..What You Can Do in 2 Hours in Ottawa on a Bike
Great approach to a topic Ted. I for one haven’t been to the first 3 on your list so can’t comment although I would love to go to them.
I must admit I would have thought the Asian countries and particularly Siem Reap as a destination would be top of this list by a mile. They seem to keep cropping up on a lot of blogs I follow. I know they are more affordable for living and travel hence so many travellers blog from there.
I’m curious as to how you arrived at your top 5? Was it a statistical study or guy instinct on what you’ve been reading/
I can excuse NZ and Iceland. They look amazing and I want to see these images in real life with my own eyes.
The Guy Who Flies recently posted..Will You Rent A Car In Europe This Year? Then You Need To Read This
Thank you Guy Who Flies. There is not one ounce of statistics or science in my calculation. It was purely a gut from my Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feed. I feel it is pretty accurate although with a top five list there are always going to be arguements.
If the post was purely on destinations, Siem Reap would definitely be in the running. Perhaps I should do a follow up post and call it the 7 over blogged wonders of the Social Media World and do this just by destination.
Since it is by country, I would not count Cambodia in the top five. Outside Siem Reap, there is only Phnom Penh and Sihouniksville. The rest of the country is a ghost town for toursts. Also, I felt Southeast Asia was adequately represented by Thailand. A case could be made for Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Malaysia, but Thailand is by far number one in the region, so I felt the land of smiles was good enough for the region.
New Zealand and Iceland do look glorious. i will someday add to the overblogdom of those countries.
Sounds like a good basis for your selection criteria. I know my Pinterest feed is often full of beautiful waterfalls – I guess that is why people keep pinning them 🙂
Of yes, would love to see you add to the overblogdom with your own unique perspective. Maybe also an opportunity to explore the unexplored Cambodia and support the locals who don’t see benefit from the traveller’s dollar?
The Guy Who Flies recently posted..Create A Location Independent Lifestyle By Working On The Road
Most over blogged natural phenomenon would be another good follow up post with waterfalls and sunsets going 1 and 2.
My first thought was Thailand! The other ones are good too, haha… I’m only guilting of posting a photo or two from Taj Mahal, but (luckily, I suppose) I mostly traveled in Rajasthan. 🙂
Pola (Jetting Around) recently posted..Moving forward: Interview with American Airlines’ Chicago Vice President Franco Tedeschi
This is one crime where there is no guilt Pola. Nothing wrong with adding to the overblogginess of these five countries.
Funny post, Tedward. Iceland is totally trendy, but I still want to go. I’ve done New Zealand and Costa Rica, but that was many moons ago, so I guess I’m not in your dog house. 🙂
Leah recently posted..Top French Cities Seen through Instagram’s Square
There is no doghouse Leah, only a blog house.
Haha this post is so funny yet true 😛 I didn’t feel the influx of Iceland and New Zealand posts on my timeline (maybe because majority of my friends on FB are Filipino bloggers) though I’ve read some Costa Rica articles. I went to India last March for the Kerala Blog Express 2 and though we’re a lot, I don’t think we’d be able to beat Taj Mahal-related entries 😛
As for Thailand, I’m guilty on the part about Chiang Mai lol 😀 I went there because a lot of travel bloggers were raving about it. I don’t regret going as the temperature is good and the cost of living is just ok with my budget. I also met some travel bloggers who were based in the area that time.
Are you going to TBEX Bangkok? I’m still thinking about it..
Micamyx|Senyorita recently posted..WelcomHotel Raviz Ashtamudi in Kollam: Of Luxury and Surprises
There is no need to feel guilty. This post was just for fun not to implicate any bloggers. I guess if there is a message it would be to get off the beaten trail for both bloggers and travelers, but these five places are all definitely worth multiple visits.
I will not be going to TBEX Bangkok. I can only spare two weeks and an Asia trip needs a minimum of at least three. No fun to go for two weeks when half the trip is flying and recovery and only really get one week to enjoy travel.
I haven’t been to any of these places. I would say that’s just my usual contrarian self but I would like to make it to all of these places. Way to keep it lively here Tedward.
Lance | Trips By Lance recently posted..Ready for Southern California Family Fun
Thanks Lance,
That is quite an accomplishment to be a travel blogger and not have visited one place. You should make an “off the beaten path blogger” badge.
Oh Ted! The TBEX and PTBA comments are too classic. I absolutely loved Thailand and will definitely go back for more. Haven’t seen the Taj Mahal but will hit up India again. There’s too much not to see more. Iceland…well, my friend, it’s incredible and that’s all there is to it. Try not to fall in love with it yourself. I dare you.
Lola recently posted..Airbnb Times Three
My problem with Iceland and New Zealand is lack of wildlife. I need more than cute puffins. Hard to get me out of the tropics when I plan overseas adventures.
It’s been a couple of years but interesting to see some of the same places that were popular when I wrote still at the top of the list. I haven’t been to any of them. Iceland would be interesting but Thailand gets far more (travel blog) attention than it deserves. I would be interested in reading about the side of Thailand most travelers don’t experience. I will leave it at that. As Leigh said above, write a good story and the readers will follow. Just don’t do it about the same places and destinations. Write a travel story, not a destination piece. That’s just my two cents from a retired travel blogger 🙂
By the way, I like the logo!
Thanks Jeremy,
I was hoping to hear from you one of these days. I will say more in an email.
I think you pretty much nailed these five. Of course, it’s no big deal, because the average Joe or Jane doesn’t follow 50 travel blogs like we do, they follow only a few. So this is really only a travel blogger complaint, because most people aren’t seeing all the excess coverage.
I cannot wait to go to Iceland and start writing about it! The new Iceland Air direct flights from Chicago fly right over Greenland, which is even more awesome. I never thought I’d have a chance to see Greenland!
Scott – Quirky Travel Guy recently posted..What is there to do at Great Sand Dunes National Park?
Yes, this post has absolute no worth to the regular traveler. I am 100% guilty of pandering to travel bloggers in hopes of lowering my Alexa rank. I make no bones about it. I am an Alexa Rank whore. Thank you for falling into my evil trap (insert insidious laughter).
Thailand and Costa Rica reflect the travel blog trend of most traveled places, but not so much India, Icealand, and New Zealand. I think Mexico and Spain and France would be a top five with Costa Rica and Thailand for just most traveled. At least those five would be high up.
Love the post! It’s true, I’ve never heard from a single traveler say that they hated their stay in New Zealand and I admit I’m guilty myself because the country has influenced me in a way no other place had before that. I think all of these destinations attract a certain kind of traveler and are some of the best locations in that particular niche. New Zealand for example is one of the most naturally beautiful places I’e been to an it is that natural charm that attracts outdoor and adventure-lovers. While Thailand is known for its incredible beaches, budget friendly travel and parties. Sure you can have a good night out in New Zealand, but people probably don’t travel all the way there just for its parties.
My only issue with New Zealand is lack of interesting wildlife. I would not trudge to the other side of the world just for scenic beauty. I need interesting animals. If I was already in the vicinity and had time, I would love to visit.
Fun post to read. Definitely agree with the list you combined however, people wouldn’t write about them if it sucked to travel to those locations. I’m currently in New Zealand the only complaint I have is it’s sometimes cold but that was expected visiting this time of the year.
De’Jav recently posted..39 city sights that will take your breath away
My only complaint with New Zealand is lack of interesting wildlife. Yes, I agree, the places on the list are awesome. I have been to two, and I want to visit the other three (New Zealand, Iceland, and India). India is first on the list because they have crazy amounts of national parks with cool wildlife.
Interesting post…..
I have been to Thailand and India in this list. Yes, you are right about these countries. These countries are among the most blogged countries in the travel industry. But I think this list could have been longer……
Tazz recently posted..9 Great Reasons to Visit India
Watching movies has taught me to always leave room for a sequel.
Hi , I like your sarcastic comments , but I think pictures tells more than words – so I usually just take them and let the viewers decide if the location is worth visiting or not : http://travelogue.photography
Very true Alex. When I visit a country I tell my story of what happened to me, give some tips on where to go, and then include pictures. I usually refrain from saying a place is a must see or you should not go there.