Jennifer Dombrowski and Tim Davis have tapped into the market of luxurious adventure travel through their unique blogging style and ability to take striking images of the places they visit.
JENNIFER Dombrowski and Tim Davis fell into the category of ‘internet influencers’ through, what was originally, Jennifer’s hobby of sharing travel stories with friends online.
It was when the couple moved to Italy for Tim’s job with the Army that she started her musings about their trips around Europe. After an encounter with one of the internet’s top travel bloggers it wasn’t long before Jennifer and Tim had a website up and running of their own.
Lux Adventure Traveler, www.luxeadventuretraveler.com, went live in 2012 and today is one of the web’s biggest sources of advice and information for those travellers looking to carry out their adventures with a touch of added class.
From accommodation and activities, to reaching some of the world’s most untouched places, Jennifer and Tim are in the know when it comes adventure travel without the constraints of a budget. Their website not only includes tips and advice gained from their experiences but through their unique storytelling and photography also throws humour and breathtaking pictures into the mix.
When did you realise you could combine your passion for photography with your love of travel and make a career out of it using the tool of blogging on your website?
It was 2009 and I thought that a blog would be a great way for family and friends to keep up with me and Tim after we moved to Italy with the military for Tim’s job. I spent two years writing blog posts mostly about all our trips around Europe before I realised that anyone was blogging professionally.
It was actually a bit of dumb luck that changed how and why I was blogging in 2011. I had a very small following when a travel writer friend invited me as her guest on a cruise ship launch. We loved travel and had been traveling to around 15 countries each year since we had moved to Europe. Little did I know that I was talking off travel influencer Johnny Jet’s ear on that cruise about my latest trip to Jordan.
I still don’t know what made John DiScala, aka Johnny Jet, look at my blog. I was ecstatic when I got an email from him with an opportunity to write for his blog. I was sent on assignment to Rovaniemi, Finland, for Johnny Jet to cover a story about traveling to Arctic Finland to Santa’s home town.
I didn’t have a clue what I was doing! I was so nervous about not looking like a professional on the trip. I was even more nervous about being able to produce an engaging story for a top online travel blog.
After I sent off my story and photos to the editor at www.JohnnyJet.com, I was motivated to turn my own blog into an online travel publication. I loved traveling on assignment, researching the destination and all the feedback that came from readers commenting that I’d inspired them to visit Rovaniemi.
In January 2012, we bought our domain and built our first website. Luxe Adventure Traveler (https://luxeadventuretraveler
What is it about your blogs and travel tips that makes what you write so readable?
We’re real and we write from experience. It’s the thing that makes good travel blogs so valuable in the digital media space.
Our focus changed from the travel diary style I’d been writing to producing cohesive articles on destinations so that our readers could easily repeat our trips when we decided to give travel blogging professionally a go back in 2012. Tim’s photography skills had also greatly improved just from all the practice of taking photos consistently over the last few years.
With a journalistic approach to our trips, we always go with the story we want to produce in mind. We’ll even have lists of the photos we need to tell the story. And we note anything valuable that will make it easier for our readers to go, which could be anything from something we really wish we’d known to pack to lessons learned while getting lost or having mishaps.
Jennifer and Tim have visited, photographed and written about numerous intriguing sights from around the world.
If you had to picky a country/city as one highlight from all your time travelling what would that place be?
We’re asked about our favorite destinations all the time, and even after traveling to more than 60 countries we don’t hesitate. But we can’t pick just one – that’s like asking a parent to tell you which kid is their favorite kid.
1) Iceland is our favorite country. Tim was lucky enough to get assigned there for work back in 2011 and we’ve been visiting since. It’s a country we can keep going back to. We’ve driven the Ring Road twice – once in winter together and Jennifer drove it solo in late summer. Next time we return, we want to head to the highlands! It’s the only area we haven’t really explored there.
2) We spent two weeks in Tanzania on safari back in 2014. It’s still one of the best trips we’ve ever been on. There’s just nothing like seeing animals like lions and elephants doing their thing in the wild.
3) It’s a toss up between the Caribbean and Seychelles. We finally did an open water dive certification in 2016 and love diving on coral reefs. The Caribbean and Seychelles are the most beautiful places we’ve dived so far.
We also can’t leave out France. We moved to Bordeaux in 2016 and found the place that just fits. Even though we love traveling, we’re always equally as excited to return home to Bordeaux.
What makes you such good travel buddies? What do you love most about each other and what at times irritates you most about the other?
We’ve been married for 16 years and together for 18 years now. We remember going on our first little getaway together just a few months after we started dating. Travel is when you really learn about your partner. That trip had its ups and downs, but it taught us about honesty and communication really early on in our relationship.
These days we know each other’s quirks. I couldn’t usually care less about breakfast, but it’s the first thing Tim thinks about from the minute his eyes open in the morning. I know I don’t want to start out with a hangry travelling companion, so I toss on some clothes, brush my teeth and go to breakfast. And Tim knows I hate wandering aimlessly when we’re already walking miles and miles, so he keeps up with navigating us so I don’t get cranky.
We think any couple that tells you that they never get irritated with each other is lying. And new environments just naturally add stress. We’ve probably fought at some point in every single place we’ve been. But when you think back to the trips and only remember the good parts because they far outweigh that 10 minute spat over being lost or whatever, then you’re doing something right.
Iceland is Jennifer and Tim’s favourite country.
How can organisations and companies work with you to enhance their own message and brand?
We’ve worked with a lot of brands around the world and our favorite collaborations are always when we design our itinerary together. The brand knows their destination, hotel, tour or product best. We know our readers best. When we team up and put together a kick-butt itinerary that has all our ingredients for a bucket list trip (a little adventure plus a little luxury plus a little wine/spirits), we know our readers will want to repeat it. And we know that they do because of all the emails we get and all the bookings we can track through our affiliate partnerships.
Where are you currently and
We’re currently home in Bordeaux, France. The last few months have been crazy, so it’s always nice to be at home for a bit.
Next, we’re off to Oman where we’re definitely combining luxury and adventure.
The different countries Jennifer and Tim have travelled to and the range of vehicles they have explored them in will excite all with an adventurous streak.
