14 Best Travel Blog WordPress Themes from REAL Travel Bloggers!
I've been travel blogging since 2012, so I've done my fair share of research on the best travel blog WordPress themes.
Below, I'm going to show you which themes I have personally used and can recommend AND what other popular travel bloggers use. You'll see real-life examples!
I'm sure you've looked at tons of “best travel blog WordPress themes” blog posts, and here's why I think mine is the best:
- I'm a professional travel blogger
- I've built a travel blog to a full-time income
- I've used three of these themes myself for YEARS
- For the themes I haven't personally used, I try to show you real-life examples of popular travel bloggers who use that theme.
Let's dive in!
#1 Trawell
Trawell is, by far, my favorite travel blog WordPress theme. With its embedded interactive Google Maps, stat counters, and destination-based categories—Trawell is clearly made specifically for travel bloggers.
Check out the beautiful homepage layout below. Visitors can hover over each pin on the map to see an article about that destination. As a travel blogger, you can also show off how many miles you've traveled or how many countries you've been to with the built-in counter.
Trawell is a real contender when you're shopping for a WordPress theme.
Trawell Real-Life Example: Destift.nl
Best Features of the Trawell Theme
- Integrate with Google Maps, and you can embed interactive maps on your homepage and each blog post. Users can click on points on the map to learn more about that destination.
- Import the demo with one click. You can make your travel blog look exactly like the demo site.
- Try Trawell for FREE for one week. If you go to the Meks website, you can get a one-week trial of Trawell.
- Show off how many countries you've been to, and more, with the built-in counter on the homepage of Trawell.
- Free lifetime updates from Meks. If they update the theme even three years later, you should be able to access those updates without paying a fee.
#2 Oleander
Though not designed specifically for travel blogs, Oleander is an elegant and easy-to-use WordPress theme that can be adapted to fit any topic. Its full-width image slider makes it a real eye-catcher. Plus, it's designed by one of my favorite design studios, Solo Pine. They create excellent WordPress themes and provide fantastic support.
Oleander Real-Life Example: Oneika the Traveller
Best Features of the Oleander Theme
- Stunning full-width image slider. This is great if you have a photography-focused blog and want to show off your travel photos!
- Excellent support. Solo Pine has always been quick to respond and very helpful when I had questions on how to edit a theme.
- Instagram widget styling. With Oleander, you can install a widget that shows off your rad Instagram theme in your blog's footer—important for travel influencers!
- E-commerce capability with WooCommerce. Should you ever want to sell products on your travel blog, you can easily do so with this theme.
#3 Redwood
Another gorgeous WordPress theme from Solo Pine, Redwood is a minimalist, yet versatile blog press theme with an image slider (smaller than Oleander's), featured promo boxes, and bold lines.
Redwood Real-Life Example: On the Luce
Best Features of the Redwood Theme
- Bold image slider. This is great if you have a photography-focused blog and want to show off your travel photos!
- Excellent support. Solo Pine has always been quick to respond and very helpful when I had questions on how to edit a theme.
- Instagram widget styling. With Oleander, you can install a widget that shows off your rad Instagram theme in your blog's footer—important for travel influencers!
#4 WPVoyager
Similar to Trawell, WPVoyager is a travel blogger's dream with TONS of map features. With Google Maps API integration and KML support, you'll be able to express your inner geography geek. Plus, in the footer, you can show off fun facts such as how many countries you've visited and how many miles you've traveled.
WPVoyager Real-Life Example: Cubaneren
Best Features of the WPVoyager Theme
- Embed cool maps with Google Map Integration and KML Support. As with Trawell, you can have a Google Map on your homepage that shows certain destinations, and when a user clicks those pinpoints, they can read articles about that destination.
- ∫Make your site look just like the demo in one click. You can import the content you see on the demo site into your site—although it should be noted that, according to the WPVoyager description: “Photos from demo site are NOT included in theme package or demo content.” That is pretty standard; it has to do with licensing issues. You can't just use photos on your site that you found online; you must have the license to use it.
- Uses shortcodes so you can beautify your site without knowing how to code. Shortcodes are short bits of text that you can paste into a blog post, and then it magically turns into a beautiful feature when you hit publish. It's a way to bypass having to learn HTML and CSS.
#5 Vasco
Bold, colorful, and full of motion, Vasco is a travel blog WordPress theme that will definitely stand out. If you're tired of the boring solid color backgrounds, Vasco has background shapes that you can customize the color of.
Vasco Real-Life Example: To Europe and Beyond
Best Features of the Vasco Theme
- Customize fonts, colors, and layouts without writing code.
- Colorful and vibrant backgrounds (no more plain solid color background!)
#6 Vagabonds
The Vagabonds theme is unlike any other travel blog WordPress theme I've seen before! With its full-screen homepage header image and full-width image FOOTER, this theme is great if you have stunning travel photos to share. It also has a homepage map where you can add pins for destinations you've visited and a homepage section where you can do a countdown to your next trip! Gorgeous theme, for sure—if you have the high-res, high-quality images to support it.
Best Features of the Vagabonds Theme
- Image-heavy, which is great if you have travel images to showcase.
- Import demo in one click.
- Drag-and-drop page builder.
- Embed Google Maps to showcase your destinations.
- Homepage section with a countdown to your next trip.
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#7 Avventure
Avventure is a fun travel blog WordPress theme with a map with destination pinpoints, an online store, and a counter to showcase your travel stats.
Best Features of the Avventure Theme
- Large homepage map with destination pinpoints.
- Counter to showcase your travel stats, such as number of countries visited.
- Destination-based categories for blog posts.
#8 Tripster
Tripster is a beautifully-designed theme that is especially ideal for travel bloggers who plan to write a lot of hotel reviews; that's because it comes with a built-in review feature where you can assign star ratings and list pros and cons. See an example of what I mean below.
Best Features of the Tripster Theme
- Multiple homepage layouts so you're sure to find one you love.
- Fun animations and transitions so your blog design never feels stale.
- Lots of opportunities to include a newsletter opt-in, which is great if you're focused on growing your email list.
- Cool review widget that makes reviewing things like hotels super easy! Check out the screenshot of this feature below:
#9 Mira
Travel photographers, rejoice! The Mira WordPress theme will suit your style with its large grid of images on its homepage. It also has multiple blog layouts so you can play around until you find the exact design you love.
Best Features of the Mira Theme
- Photo grid homepage layout is perfect for travel photographers who want to showcase their work.
- Over 15 blog layout possibilities
- Import demo content with one click
#10 Backpack Traveler
If you want ALL the bells and whistles for your travel blog, then no look no further than Backpack Traveler. This feature-rich WordPress theme features animations, an online store, destination-specific posts, multiple layout options, video background sections, and maps with destinations. I recommend this theme for advanced users, however. If you read the comments and reviews on ThemeForest, lots of customers had issues with this theme but I'm not sure if it's a problem with the theme itself or just lack of advanced knowledge from its users. So do your research on this.
Backpack Traveler Real-Life Example: Helene in Between
Best Features of Backpack Traveler
- Feature rich.
- Lots of opportunities to add cute icons, but be aware you must buy the licenses to your own icons, as they do not come with the theme.
- WooCommerce compatible, so you can have an online store.
#11 Uncode
This is another one of those WordPress themes that isn't technically for travel blogs but, of course, can work beautifully with a travel blog. The proof is below in the real-life example!
Uncode Real-Life Example: Anywhere We Roam
Best Features of the Uncode Theme
- Over 70 layout designs to choose from within ONE theme!
- Import demo content in one click
- WPBakery frontend page builder makes it easy to edit your site's design without knowing how to code
#12 Soledad
If you like variety, then you'll love that the Soledad WordPress them comes with more than 6,886 homepage layout possibilities. It's also compatible with Elementor and WPBakery for those who prefer the ease of page builders.
Soledad Real-Life Example: Triphackr
Best Features of the Soledad Theme
- 6,886+ homepage layout possibilities
- Compatible with Elementor and WPBakery page builders
- Compatible with WooCommerce if you'd like to sell things on your blog
- Instagram slider widget to show off your travel photos
#13 Equinox
Clean, simple, with lots of white space, Equinox feels like a breath of fresh air. Though not advertised as for travel blogs, take a look at the real-life example below to see how gorgeous it can be as a travel blog.
Equinox Real-Life Example: There She Goes Again
Best Features of Equinox Theme
- FREE installation service. Installing a WordPress theme is simple, but if you're new to this, take heart! The makers of this WordPress theme offer a FREE installation service with this theme.
- Multiple layout options. If you're difficult to please or get bored with your theme easily, there are many different design options to choose from.
- Option for full-width image slider. This is a stunning look for a blog, especially if you have high-res images from your travels.
#14 Presso
Presso is a bold magazine-style theme with post layouts that have stunning full-width header images. It's pretty versatile, and as you'll see in the real-life example below, it looks great as a travel blog! It even has a built-in review system that lets you score items and give a breakdown—perfect if you plan to review hotels, attractions, restaurants, and the like.
Presso Real-Life Example: Never Ending Footsteps
Best Features of Presso Theme
- Multiple design layouts.
- Built-in review system (great if you plan to review hotels and attractions).
- Import demo content in one click.
- Built-in page builder.
Which Travel Blog WordPress Theme Will You Choose?
I hope these 14 best travel blog WordPress themes gave you some inspiration. But enough with the waffling—it's time to pick one! Need some help? Here are some tips from my experience as a travel blogger:
- You can use ANY WordPress theme for your travel blog. It doesn't need to be a “travel blog theme.”
- You can ALWAYS change your theme later. You're not stuck with it forever!
- “Drag-and-drop” and “page builders” might seem tempting (they make it easier to design your blog without knowing code), BUT there is a big caveat: If you ever change themes later, they could leave behind a lot of shortcode, which becomes messy. You'll have to clean it all up later. That's the reason I never went with Divi, even though it's a very popular and versatile theme.
Need help coming up with a good name for your blog? Steal one of my 63 travel blog name ideas!
Now, tell us in the comments below which WordPress theme you're using for your travel blog!
Don't forget! To start a travel blog, you'll need a good web host. I personally use and recommend SiteGround.
Get 53% off your first year of hosting!
