We’ve come over all patriotic after reading some of these jolly spiffing British blogs. Congratulations especially to Anglotopia, Smitten by Britain and Discovering London, whose authors are our well-deserving gold, silver and bronze winners.

1) Anglotopia – found tweeting @anglotopia
Now here’s a blog for people who really love Britain – and British culture. It’s a retro smorgasbord of everything that’s fab about our nation, from its cult TV classics like Fawlty Towers and Dr Who, to British literature, days out and staycations. There’s a Dad’s Army type feel about it and you can’t help but be transported back to wartime Britain at the height of the Keep Calm and Carry On era. Whether it’s a bit of nostalgia, the UK’s top camping hotspots, or the new ride at Center Parcs you’re interested in, you’ll find it all here. But most of all, it’ll make you proud to be British. We think it’s a uniquely brilliant blog and have ranked it number one. So there!

2) Smitten By Britain – found tweeting @SmittnbyBritain
This blog is penned by an American travelista, who used to live in England, and celebrates all that is good about dear old Blighty, from current events, including the Olympics; tea, tea traditions and tea accessories; the Royal family, and Britain’s B&Bs, as well as covering life as an ex-pat both in the US and in the UK. It’s colourful, incredibly patriotic and dubs itself ‘Home of the Britophile’. We think it’s a great insight into British culture and can see why those in America would be fascinated. It’s also a great place to get your Union Jack fix. It gets a silver medal from us!

3) Discovering London – found tweeting @PeteBSW1
Yes, Discovering London is a website to promote Peter Berthoud’s London Walking Tours but the blog which comes with it is one rarely seen – despite shed loads of competition from hundreds, if not thousands, other travel blogs. Peter doesn’t just share the highlights of his guided tours but he gives a real insight into historic London, complete with black and white stills. He gives a rare glimpse of the city’s past, depicting Westminster’s street markets, how the Thames once was, and alternative attractions to see and experience. Anyone who’s passionate about finding out more about the city of London should have a read – whether you’re planning a visit, live there or have no intention of going at all. We might also suggest that it’s a great supporting tool for school history lessons. Needless to say, it’s our bronze winner.

4) Britain Outdoors
Hats off to Britain Outdoors for inspiring Brits to get up, out and active in their native country! Britain Outdoors is a blog about all the great things there are to see and do outdoors in the UK and is based on 20-something Rachel’s personal experiences. She covers practically every activity you could imagine, including climbing, camping, cycling, running and family holidays. What’s more, she even provides lots of useful links to other like-minded blogs and features some ace photography to boot.

5) British Travel Blog – found tweeting @brittravelblog
British Travel Blog is a calendar-style journal of things to see and do in the UK’s major cities and beyond. It’s well-written is and a great resource for anyone planning a mini-break, day trip or extended holiday because it’s regularly updated with lots of useful inspiration and advice. It even offers handy insights into the likes of caravanning in the UK, using Smartphones while travelling through Britain, and social versus normal travel.

6) Traveling Savage – found tweeting @travelingsavage
In its own words, this blog is all about ‘exploring Scotland and getting scotched’. Follow Keith Savage as he travels around Scotland ‘with a pen in his hand and fire in the belly’ for great – and often chilling – coverage of this historic land, which has captured its author’s imagination since he quit his desk job in Vancouver. This isn’t just a blog, it’s a journey, but we won’t give too much more away. Have a read for yourself.

7) Travel Like a Brit – found tweeting @travellikeabrit
Travel Like a Brit reveals lots of simple things to do in London that perhaps you hadn’t contemplated. Rather than list lots of attractions, ‘must-sees’ and trendy hang-outs, this blog takes you on a guided tour of enjoying the capital – and parts of Europe – like a local. From where to have coffee, have a picnic, soak up the sun and shop at the markets, this blog is a handy little guide – and we love that its suggestions don’t cost a fortune.

8) The British Traveler Blog – found tweeting @BritishTraveler
Steve Langley, who’s based between Phoenix and London, is the author of this British blog which covers travel to and around Britain. A Londoner at heart, Steve is always looking for new and unique places to feature on the site and encourages people to get in touch with suggestions. The blog is pretty colourful and well penned – even if it does seem to be targeted more at an American audience.

9) The Edinburgh Blog – found tweeting @edinburgblog
You could argue that this is more of a lifestyle or foodie blog and you might be right but it’s one of the best Scottish blogs we came across on the net. Our only concern, however, is that it hasn’t been updated for a couple of months. But we like it so much we’re hoping that this little honour will help propel its author into action once again. After all, who else is going to keep us abreast of all the great up-and-coming places to dine in Auld Reekie?

10) The British Traveller
This blog is jam-packed with great information but the design lets it down a little. However, if you can look beyond the bland layout and limited images, you’ll find a nice round-up of great days out to be had across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We love its honesty and plain talking so just had to give it a mention. Therefore, it squeezes into our list at number 10.

Well done to all our winners and finalists, who are invited to download their badges of honour here.

To flag your blog up for inclusion in our awards, please email lynda@mytravelmoney.co.uk

The post Top 10 Best of British Travel Blogs appeared first on MyTravelMoney.co.uk.

We have to congratulate Britain’s inner cities on this one as many of the contenders focus on travel and lifestyle within the likes of London, Manchester and Birmingham – and we love it! Isn’t it great to celebrate Britain and what we have right here on our doorsteps?

We also have a few surprise finalists since we’ve included an eclectic mix of lifestyle blogs, from those that specialise in motor home travel to a unique guest house blog.

Congratulations to all our finalists but, in particular, to our winners, which are Campingly, Manchizzle and World Out There – landing our Gold, Silver and Bronze awards respectively.

1) Campingly – found tweeting @campingly
Haul your folks’ VW campervan out the garage and hit the road because that’s exactly what this inspired blog beckons you to do. There are more hints, tips, advice and inspiration on campsites, vans and motor homes than you can shake a stick at and we love that it celebrates the UK by steering readers in the direction of great things to see and do. It even throws in a few wine and book reviews and isn’t afraid to help us appreciate the simple things in life again. It gets a big thumbs up from us and that’s why it’s our overall Gold winner in this category. Oh, and PS, there isn’t a hint of mince about it

2) Manchizzle – found tweeting @katefeld
Who would have thought you could fall in love with Manchester all over again just by reading Kate Feld’s blog? Well, take it from us… you can! From eating local in Ramsbottom to eating your way through Reading Terminal Market, Kate captures everything that’s great about this part of the UK – and she’s not biased at all. We love her picks of the best bits of Manchester and the surrounding areas – which have even been praised by The Guardian. She has a strict ‘no guest post’ policy which means that each entry is lovingly penned by her own fair hand so it’s just as well we agree with her taste and judgement. Well done, Kate, you’ve landed our Silver award for services to travel and lifestyle blogging.

3) World Out There – found tweeting @World_Out_There
When we first featured Laura Mannering in a profile piece on our website, we had no idea we’d fall in love with her blog quite so much. Yes, we knew it was good but what we didn’t realise is that she’d have us hooked. Laura’s is such a feel-good blog that you feel the sun is shining even when it’s not. A real-life journalist, Laura is at the very cutting edge of travel writing and isn’t afraid to blog about biscuits, bars and even being behind bars for the night. We love it so she gets Bronze – what a femme fatale!

4) The Guest House Eastbourne
You might think this finalist is a little unconventional but, trust us, once you’ve read this blog you’ll agree it’s certainly not to be overlooked. Yes, it’s part of a commercial business but the blog is purely independent and covers the best of the beautiful continent we live in. It certainly doesn’t centre on Eastbourne but the width and breadth of the UK and is definitely worth a good read even if you’re not paying a visit. We couldn’t find a Twitter handle but maybe that’s our mistake.

5) Backpacker Becki – found tweeting @backpackerbecki
Some might say Backpacker Becki should have been featured in our Top 10 Blogs for Backpackers category and we’d have to slightly agree. But the way blogger Becki travels is, of course, a way of life and we couldn’t help but honour this solo female traveller for the insights she’s given us along the way. Our favourite post is, undoubtedly, ‘An orphanage is not a tourist attraction’. Becki has really paid attention en route and we love this heart-felt account of how she’s never actually visited an orphanage for the day and why she deems it to be in bad taste. You’ll love the photography and, like us, will completely see her point.

6) Tired of London Life, Tired of Life– found tweeting @tiredoflondon
Don’t be fooled into thinking this blog is a huge slur on London because it’s anything but. It’s more for seasoned London-goers, or Londoners in fact. It takes a look at alternative things to do in London, away from the mainstream and gives a useful ‘one thing a day to do in London’ account of what’s new, what’s good and where to go once you’ve seen everything else. It’s highly informative and great for anyone looking to experience more of London than the usual tourist attractions.

7) Ldn – found tweeting @LDN
LDN really is the insider’s guide to London – featuring posts from other blogs, carrying news updates relating to the capital and profiling the best places to go out and party. It has an extensive following and is a great guide for anyone living in London – even for the short term. Needless to say, it’s one of our favourite resources when it comes to the weekend.

8) Londonist – found tweeting @Londonist
Londonist reads like a What’s On guide for what to do in London, featuring upcoming gigs, exhibitions and cinema listings. It’s much more than that, however, with reviews, competitions and how to embrace ‘cheap London’. This could well be the real tourist information site to the capital.

9) Exile Lifestyle – found tweeting @ExileLifestyle
Let’s doff our caps to Colin Wright, who not only writes a damn good blog but has the ‘you know whats’ to feature a profile picture of himself relatively naked – covered only by an Apple Mac. But what we really love about Colin is that he lets his readers decide where he lives next. Check it out – he’s a maverick.

10) Birmingham: It’s Not S*@t
We’re nice, clean cut, wholesome travel aficionados here at MyTravelMoney.co.uk so we’re sure you’ll understand why we couldn’t quite bring ourselves to display the true title of this brilliant blog but we’re pretty certain you’ll get the idea. In short, this blog bigs up Birmingham and it’s great.

Well done to all our winners and finalists, who can download their badges of honour here. To be considered for our awards, please contact lynda@mytravelmoney.co.uk

The post Top 10 Lifestyle Travel Blogs: Our winners appeared first on MyTravelMoney.co.uk.

Read on to find out which blogs have us reaching for the champagne and smoking jackets…

The Luxury Travel Bible – found tweeting @LuxTravelBible
Although The Luxury Travel Bible is more an online magazine rather than a blog, we love it so much it just had to be in our top three. We admire the simple yet sophisticated layout which reeks of pure indulgence and signals escapism for the world’s most dedicated hedonists. Even if you can’t afford to travel to any of the resorts or destinations listed, you’ll have a field day scoping out Big Houses, Hotels with Heli-Pads and Resorts with Mega-Pools. Also hats off to The Luxury Travel Bible for managing to combine high end with humour – never an easy task. Congratulations, Luxury Travel Bible, you’re our overall Gold winner.

Simply Luxury Travel – found tweeting @SimplyLuxuryTvl
Simply Luxury Travel is fab – simple as that. And that’s why it’s our Silver winner in this category. The design is clean, contemporary and the content concise. Spearheaded by travel industry expert Yvette, who has worked for some of the UK’s leading airlines, tour operators, airports and corporate travel management organisations, this blog is all about sharing personal travel experiences and keeping abreast of industry news. The photography is absolutely stunning and editor Yvette certainly thinks outside the box when choosing what to cover. We’ll be following this blog religiously from now on so please keep up the good work!

A Luxury Travel Blog – found tweeting @luxury_travel
This blog comes to us from a team of luxury travel bloggers, headed up by Dr Paul Johnson whose travel industry experience spans more than 20 years. The Dedicated Partnership, of which he is managing director, operates more than 200 travel-related websites and represents some of the finest hotels in the world. Therefore, Paul and his team are well versed to be talking luxury and the blog itself has been dubbed ‘one of the best travel blogs in the world’ and ‘best for luxury’ by the Daily Telegraph. Although we, too, love the blog, which describes some of the best restaurants and resorts for discerning passengers, we’d love to see a better layout and definitely more images of these mouth watering places! The content and categories are great, however, so it’s definitely high up on our list – Bronze, in fact.

Luxury Travel Butler – found tweeting @lxtb
Luxury Travel Butler is another well-thought-out blog for the high end of the travel market – run by two brothers, Filip and Tom, who have undoubtedly travelled the majority of the globe, gathering priceless information as they went. Filip alone seems to have done it all – been there, seen it and got the T-shirt. Snowmobiling on Iceland’s glaciers, trekking to the Arctic Circle, jungle tours in Guatemala, and snorkelling in Fiji are just of the few travel experiences he’s clocked up over the years and what’s great is he’s happy to share them all! Follow these two siblings as they check out the best destinations, hotels and resorts in the name of research – you’ll never look back.

Mr & Mrs Smith – found tweeting @Smithhotels
Ah yes – Mr & Mrs Smith – the epitome of style, brought to you by Smith Hotels. It feels like naughty luxury and the dedicated blog captures this perfectly. Read up on the Smith Travel Blog’s Private Island of the Week, Hotel of the Week and what’s new. You won’t fail to be inspired and some bedtime blog reading might even help to rekindle your romance. Let’s just say we wouldn’t be surprised if, after reading these posts, you decided to whisk your loved one away to a tropical island or decided to renew your vows.

Luxury Travel Blog – found tweeting @ITC_Classics
Luxury Travel Blog is the brainchild of ITC Classics – a UK-based tour operator specialising in bespoke, tailor-made holidays for suitably classy travellers. The blog is great as a standalone, however, and is penned beautifully alongside gorgeous, idyllic-seeming luxury holiday hotspots. Refreshingly, this blog isn’t about the hard sell but sharing genuine experiences from around the world.

Out of the Blue Blog – found tweeting @TurquoiseUK
Great people pics, landscapes and idyllic settings coupled with top notch copy make this a great blog to add to your reading list. Yes, it’s written by a tour operator – The Turquoise Holiday Company, in fact – but the blog is all about unbiased accounts of great destinations. We say hats off, too, for managing to capture our imaginations with a landing page which you could almost dive right into.

Adventure Sports Holidays – found tweeting @advensportshol
Find great round-ups, Top 10s and reviews of luxury travel related products and equipment here – perfect for discerning adventure holidays. Great, down-to-earth posting with a little touch of funny is why this blog makes our Top 10. Don’t expect any revelations but good, honest answers to questions like ‘which travel adapter is best?’ and coverage of top travel apps, destinations and travel photography tips.

Luxury Lifestyles – found tweeting @uk_luxury
This blog doesn’t just cover travel and boating but everything else – i.e. cars, clothing, food and drink, jewellery – luxury too. Here’s where you’ll find reviews of some of the most exclusive retreats both in the UK and around the world. This is a really forward-thinking site complemented by videos, great imagery and first class copywriting and will have you coveting most of its distinctive destinations like Palm Island Resort in St Vincent and the Grenadines, for example. There’s also currently a piece on some of the swankiest places to stay for the 2012 Olympics.

Luxury Travel – found tweeting @LuxuryTravel4U
For short, bite-sized nuggets of information on prime places to visit then check out this basic travel portal. It’s easy to read, informative and loaded with useful advertising: where to get the best books for more on your chosen destination, for example. Expect to find lots of useful hints and tips on booking wisely and which cruises go where others do not.

For your blog to be considered in the next round of MyTravelMoney.co.uk Travel Blog Awards, contact lynda@mytravelmoney.co.uk

The post Top 10 Luxury Travel Blogs: Our Winners appeared first on MyTravelMoney.co.uk.