In this video, we reveal the 20 best WordPress travel blog themes for 2017 & 2018.
Having reviewed 100’s of WordPress themes, taking into account speed, design, ease of
use, mobile responsiveness and functionality, we’re excited to help simplify the process
of choosing a WordPress theme, and share with you the best WordPress themes for travel blogs
in 2017 & 2018.
A few that made the list include Soledad, Voyager, CheerUp, Olsen, Insight, and The
Voux, just to name a few.
We’ll explore the areas where the theme scored well, as well as highlight any trade-offs
you may need to consider.
We’ve created a blog post that accompanies this video that you can follow along with
on the OHKLYN blog, at OHKLYN o-h-k-l-y-n.com/blog (there will be a link to the article in the
description below).
All the links to the themes covered in this video will be in the description box below,
and on the OHKLYN blog post for your reference.
We’ll also include a link to our ‘How to Set Up a WordPress Blog’ video for step-by-step
instructions on how to set up your blog with one of the top featured themes.
As well as a link to discount hosting and a free domain with our affiliate partner bluehost
So, if you’re ready, let’s get to it and take a look at the best travel blog WordPress
themes for 2017 & 2018.
Earning the top spot is Soledad with a score of 9 out of 10
Soledad treats you to one amazing travel blog experience.
It has a very modern and polished design that feels as if the individual pieces were perfectly
assembled into a highly attractive and intuitive layout.
The only aspect that lets this theme down slightly is its page load speed, with a Google
PageSpeed of 51 for mobile, and 47 for desktop.
The slower speed is mainly due to the number of images that are used, especially on the
home pages.
The developers have done everything necessary to minimize script requests among others,
but you will need to keep an eye on the image file sizes you upload to your blog - which
is good practice regardless of the theme you go with.
Soledad features deep and intuitive navigation.
All posts feature breadcrumbs so that you can navigate straight to the relevant subcategories.
We also like that they replaced the customary image slider on the homepage, with something
more like an “article slider”.
Not only that, but it has one of the top 5 mega menus in this list.
The categorizing of articles on the main page is also very helpful, which all contributed
to it’s ease of use score.
A big plus for Soledad is its modern design.
It uses all sans-serif fonts and comes across sleek and laid back – The color contrast
between black and turquoise is also soothing and reminds us of blue skies and the ocean
(both things we associate with travel).
And this can obviously be customized to whichever colors align with you and your brand.
While being very busy in general, the wise use of padding and alignment keeps it from
feeling cluttered.
The mobile experience is just as good.
The black divisions that separate categories help break up the page and makes it easier
for the user to navigate.
Everything else works as expected and there are no alignment or sizing issues.
The image slider can have multiple rows of articles, which is a nice option to have.
eCommerce is supported via Woocommerce, which is great if you want to sell products, services,
guides, or digital products.
There are a ton of widgets and layout variations to enjoy, and this theme gets extra points
as the blog feels tailor made, which we can appreciate.
The runner up is Newspaper earning a 9 out of 10
Simple at first glance, Newspaper delivers everything you could wish for in a travel
blog.
It gets a special shout out for its big and easy to read fonts.
The mobile experience is great and the best thing about this theme is that it manages
to keep all of its features without it feeling too cluttered.
The cherry on top however, is its travel specific widgets, such as the custom weather widget
(perfect for a travel blog).
This theme has a reasonably impressive page load speed for a site with so many features,
widgets, and media.
On mobile it scored a 62 on the Google PageSpeed test which isn’t bad at all – Desktop
however did a little worse and scored a 54.
Script requests, DNS lookups and redirects are kept to a minimum, but it could be improved
by combining external JavaScript and CSS.
Despite all the content, Newspaper remains ridiculously easy to use.
The theme’s extensive mega menu takes a little time to load but the theme makes great
use of its breadcrumb, which makes it more convenient.
This is another theme that uses black, white and turquoise well – It really gives an
outdoor feel (which is perfect for a travel blog).
The theme deserves a shout out for its easy to read fonts.
And though the theme looks simple at first glance, there is a certain charm to its simplicity
that most will appreciate.
Newspaper’s mobile responsiveness scored a perfect 10/10.
It’s one of those rare themes where the mobile experience is even better than the
desktop version.
And as mentioned earlier, mobile also has a faster page load speed that contributes
to its overall score.
It has a nice, full-screen menu so that the links are big and easy to click.
This theme includes extensive functionality, such as a number of custom widgets specific
to its niche, as well as eCommerce support via WooCommerce, making this theme a viable
suitor for any travel blog.
In third place we have Voyager with 9 out of 10
Voyage into the waters of travel blogging with this awesome theme.
It has all the features, layouts, and widgets you would expect from a travel blog, plus
a unique map with regional links!
Which is very nifty!
As you can see from the scores, Voyager makes up for its slower page load speed by scoring
high in all other categories.
It’s page load speed is our only concern with a Google PageSpeed rating of 33 on mobile
and 37 on desktop.
This theme does a good job of remaining easy to use even though it has some unique characteristics.
We like the zig-zag way in which posts are listed on the main pages’ default design.
It’s menu is easy to use, with straightforward navigation that translates well on all devices.
As we just mentioned, the design for Voyager is interesting and breaks from the mainstream.
And the great thing is that there are more than enough variations for you to choose from
(some of which are more traditional).
The fonts used are also modern, sans-serif and very readable.
And the theme comes alive with great use of hover states and small animations.
Voyager transforms beautifully to mobile – It finds a way to keep all of its distinguishing
features even though it has to fit a smaller screen.The menu expands from nothing with
an interesting twist.
Besides having all the usual features like e-commerce, travel specific layouts and design,
and almost all the widgets you could want, it comes with another special one which makes
it extremely unique.
Voyager comes with a world map, with different regions being able to link to their respective
categories!
We almost can’t believe more themes don’t have it – It’s truly the perfect addition
to a travel blog.
The next WordPress theme for travel blogs is Olsen scoring 9 out of 10
A regular in our theme review articles, the Olsen theme is a versatile and easy to use
theme that has impressed us once again.
It is an incredibly well designed theme and it achieves this at little expense to its
usability and navigation.
It has a lot of features, and widgets that are perfect for a range of blog types, including
a travel blog.
The only downside being its page load speed – Because of the amount of images this theme
uses, the page load speed suffers.
Also, the image galleries are great but it could do with more animation or hover states
to liven it up, which is an easy fix if you know a little CSS.
We have a step by step tutorial on how to get up and running with this theme which you
can find on our YouTube Channel or Blog.
Up next we have CheerUp, a great theme also scoring 9 out of 10
CheerUp is a beautifully made theme, and is one of our favourites for a number of reasons.
It feels alive and vibrant through the use of image hover states and animations that
are almost everywhere, without them feeling too intrusive.
There is a huge array of layouts that contains almost every combination of columns, sidebars,
full-width or tiled designs you can think of, and comes with demo content to get you
up and running quickly.
This theme also has a great shopping experience via Woocommerce.
If we had to be critical, the page speed could be better.
However, the mobile experience is solid, the navigation is clever and intuitive, and the
theme has all the features you would expect in a quality blog theme, making CheerUp a
great option for a number of use cases.
The next travel blog WordPress theme is SimpleMag with an 8 out of 10
SimpleMag has a few different layout options to choose from.
All layouts feature a stunning megamenu with images, animations and subsections.
The image sliders also have captions and can be dragged.
Woocommerce support also provides the theme with a shop option and it’s obvious that
a lot of design effort went into it.
What’s also great is that the fonts are modern and easy to read.
The only downside however is that the mobile page speed is quite low scoring a 33 compared
to 63 for desktop.
This will impact the mobile experience slightly, however, this theme makes up for it in other
areas.
We then have The Voux with a score of 8 out 10
The Voux is another theme that has been featured on one of our top 3 lists, and we’re not
surprised it made it to this list as well.
It’s an elegantly crafted theme with ample features and layouts to suit a range of uses.
The only reason it didn’t make the top 3 on this occasion is that it isn’t technically
dedicated to the travel blog niche, however, it has all the features, widgets, and layout
options you will need to create an epic travel blog.
Every element comes to life with great use of hover states and animation.
And this theme translates perfectly to all devices, making it a solid option.
In the next spot we have Insight, with a rating of 8 out of 10
In our opinion, the Insight theme is one of the best all rounders on this list.
You can’t really fault it in any category, but when it comes to ease of use, this theme
towers above the rest.
Image galleries uses Jetpack, giving you the option to view full size or comment on the
images.
The layout and navigation is pretty standard and is incredibly easy to use providing an
enjoyable user experience.
The fonts are sans-serif and easy to read.
The only downside however, is the theme’s appeal – We feel that some may find it a
little plain overall, but it’s still a great option.
The next travel blog theme is Suarez scoring 8 out of 10
Suarez is a clean a modern theme that includes some uniques features, such as it’s mosaic
style blog listings, and featured author box, allowing users to learn more the author.
The inclusion of a subscribe box and instagram widget is a nice touch, and the themes use
of a classy serif font for headings, and a modern sans-serif for the body, create an
enjoyable viewing experience.
Our only concern is that this theme is quite light on features, and the page load speed
could be improved.
However, we feel that the theme makes up for this in other areas, including it’s easy
to use navigation and great mobile experience.
Next on the list is SuperGrid with 8 out of 10
SuperGrid follows the design of viral news blog – This means it’s built around a
homepage with a huge grid/masonry layout full of posts.
Surprisingly, SuperGrid manages to not come across too tacky despite following this structure.
What we love is that the fonts are big, modern and readable.
The navigation is very flat and easy to use.
And the simplicity of the theme means it can easily be repurposed.
Our only word of warning is that you will need to have a lot of posts ready to go to
make this theme work for launch.
The next WordPress theme is Extra with 8 out of 10
By sticking to its guns, Extra provides the largest amount of layouts on this list alongside
CheerUp.
It has almost every widget, content type and feature you can think of but we expect no
less from the creators of Divi.
This is another multipurpose theme that can be used for any topic.
If you choose to go with this theme, we would recommend doing some styling of your own to
ensure it has a personal blog feel.
Up next we have Alder with a score of 8 out of 10
The look and feel of this theme is very elegant, soft and it feels polished.
Navigation wise, it’s very standard and therefore very easy to use.
Although it isn’t extensive, there is a good range of layout options, and the theme
supports eCommerce.
Another plus is that it gives the user a great mobile experience which is always a positive
in our eyes.
Its use of typography is nice and has a range of different sizes, colors and a mix of serif
and sans-serif which we love.
If the theme had more hover states and animations, it would feel more lively overall, which is
an easy fix if you know some CSS fundamentals.
The next travel blog WordPress theme is Wayfarer with 7 out of 10
Wayfarer is definitely something different.
It’s hard to think of a similar theme, especially in this category.
Firstly, it makes use of a dark background with light colors on top for contrast.
It also makes use of a magazine like presentation combined with a blog.
The menu also covers the whole screen in an interesting move.
The theme looks amazing on tablet, and reasonably well on mobile.
This theme passes the Google mobile friendly test, and could be a unique option to consider.
We then have Sensational with 7 out of 10
Sensational is a multipurpose blog theme with two layouts that would work really well for
a travel blog: Default and Travel.
Because it is a My Theme Shop theme it will come with a huge amount of sharing options,
robust responsiveness and Woocommerce support.
It is a relatively simple theme with nothing over the top, but what is interesting is that
it comes with parallax and zoom out page templates which are pretty cool.
Optimized for Google AdSense, and with one click demo content, this theme could be a
good option.
In the next spot we have Metro Pro with a rating of 7 out of 10
Metro Pro is a modern and minimal theme offered by the team at StudioPress.
It has easy navigation, a simple yet attractive layout, easy to read sans-serif fonts, and
an above average shop.
The default theme is a bit dark, but add in a background image from one of your adventures
and it would fit the travel blog topic just fine.
There is also a good selection of layouts to choose from, however, the options may be
a little too simplistic for some.
The next travel blog theme is Divi scoring 7 out of 10
Technically, Divi can be used to create any blog, it’s greatest feature being its easy
to use page builder.
It’s made by Elegant Themes who are a big player in the industry and as you can expect,
this means that it has a tonne of layouts, features and design options.
The default Divi layout feels like a tech company, or startup website and is very impersonal
so you may want to do some work to make it feel like a travel blog, but there are a number
of free layouts available and active community.
Check out one of our tutorials using the Divi theme.
The next travel blog WordPress theme is MyBlog with 7 out of 10
MyBlog comes with a number of pre-designed layouts to suit various scenarios.
This theme scores really well across the board, however we had to dock it a few points for
design, as it feels a little dated in certain areas.
However, we realize this may just be our opinion, and some may find the design on point.
On mobile, the theme looks better than the desktop version and passes Google’s mobile
friendly test.
It also has an online shop which is a great win for this theme.
The next travel blog WordPress theme is Vogue with 7 out of 10
Tesla Themes come up with some pretty striking designs.
Off the bat, Vogue is a great theme with an attractive design.
The design doesn’t feel cluttered at all – and we’re loving the theme’s cool
image sliders, and typefaces (which are well matched and legible), as well as being modern
and sans-serif.
Unfortunately, the theme has very limited extras to offer in the way of layouts and
features but it does look great on mobile which is a huge plus in our eyes.
We then have Medym Travel with 6 out of 10
Medym is a modern and well designed theme with a number of layout options to choose
from.
Its social media integration for sharing is a nice touch and the designs use of whitespace,
bright elements, and unique typefaces, make this worth a look.
It doesn’t have as many features as some of it’s competitors, and the page load speed
isn’t great.
However, the navigation is simple and the overall design translates well to mobile,
providing a consistent user experience across all devices.
Rounding out the top 20 is Amoeba with a score of 6 out of 10
Amoeba has some interesting design choices that makes the theme stand out.
Its full width images with the centered text in article lists is a positive in our eyes.
However, the theme lacks features overall (it doesn’t have e-commerce support) which
is a negative.
The theme’s page load speed could be improved considering it’s light on content, and the
mobile experience isn’t great.
That being said, the theme has a neat image slider option that opens a full screen slider
gallery, which is a nice touch.
And that wraps up our review of the 20 best WordPress themes for travel blogs.
If you liked this video hit the like button, and remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel
for more videos related to blogging, digital marketing and how to run a successful website.
All the links to the themes covered in this video will be in the description box below,
and on the OHKLYN post at OHKLYN o-h-k-l-y-n .com.
We’ll also include a list of our preferred WordPress theme providers and marketplaces
for you to explore, in case you didn’t find the right theme for you on this list
To get access to exclusive discounts and to stay in the loop on the latest happenings,
sign up for our newsletter at OHKLYN o-h-k-l-y-n.com, and until next time, happy blogging.