About Passport Nomads
Independent travel guides, written from firsthand experience
Passport Nomads is an independent travel publication created by Australian travel couple Kelly Buckley and Mike Bell-Turner.
We travel the world to create detailed destination guides, practical itineraries, accommodation reviews and travel experiences based on the places we’ve personally visited.
From discovering lesser-known destinations and local experiences to finding the best places to stay, eat and explore, our goal is to help independent travellers plan more rewarding trips with reliable information and recommendations grounded in real experience.
Through our articles, photography and videos, we share what we’ve discovered along the way, including the practical details, unexpected highlights and local experiences that make each destination worth exploring.
Our Story, Hi! We’re Kelly & Mike
Our story started years before Passport Nomads, when we met and discovered our shared obsession with travel.
Mike had already travelled extensively, while Kelly had barely travelled outside Australia — her last overseas trip had been a family holiday when she was two.
After meeting, we took our first big trip together, spending six months travelling through South East Asia. Kelly was hooked, and we soon realised that travelling the world together was something we wanted to make a permanent part of our lives.
Passport Nomads grew from that shared passion. What started as a way to document our travels has grown into a travel publication where we share the destinations, experiences and practical lessons we discover along the way.
Get to know us~
Kelly Buckley
– Co-Founder, Travel Writer & Photographer
Kelly’s story:
Our first big adventure together was six months travelling around Southeast Asia, and I was hooked! Since then, I’ve continued exploring the world, discovering new destinations, experiencing different cultures and adding far too many places to my ever-growing travel wish list. Peru, the Maldives, Greece, Italy, France, Mexico and Palau are just a few of the places I’m still dreaming about.
I’m the co-founder of Passport Nomads and the primary writer behind many of our destination guides, travel itineraries, accommodation reviews and practical travel advice.
With a background in education, I’ve always been fascinated by the cultures, landscapes and people we encounter along the way. I love researching destinations, finding experiences worth sharing and turning our own travels into detailed guides that help others plan their adventures.
I’m also passionate about photography and visual storytelling, capturing the places we visit and sharing the experiences that make us want to keep exploring.
I’m excited to share our travels with you!
Kelly’s Travel Coverage
Kelly’s travel writing covers destinations and experiences including:
- Destination guides and itineraries
- City and regional travel
- Hotels and accommodation
- Food and local experiences
- Tours and attractions
- Cruises and port days
- Transport and practical travel planning
- First-hand travel reviews
- Travel tips based on personal experience
Mike
– Traveller, Drone Operator, Photographer
Mike’s Story:
I’m Australian, born and raised on the Gold Coast, and VERY proud of it!
I left home at 19 on a one-way flight to the South of France to work on yachts, and I haven’t really stopped travelling since (apart from those necessary breaks to earn enough money to keep exploring, of course!).
So far, I’ve visited around 60 countries, most of them before meeting Kelly. While I’m looking forward to revisiting some familiar places with her, I’m just as excited to discover how they’ve changed and explore the parts I missed the first time around.
To me, there’s nothing better than flying off somewhere unknown, meeting locals, sharing in their culture and appreciating the incredible diversity of the world. I love getting beyond the usual tourist trail and discovering the places and experiences that make each destination unique.
As co-founder of Passport Nomads, I contribute to destination research, trip planning and the visual storytelling behind our travel guides. I’m responsible for much of our photography, video footage and drone content, helping bring the destinations and experiences we share to life.
I love capturing the places we visit and sharing the adventures that make us want to keep travelling.
How We Create Our Travel Guides
First-hand travel comes first
The destinations we write about are based primarily on our own travels and experiences.
We personally visit the places featured in our destination guides, itineraries, accommodation reviews and travel experiences wherever we state that the content is based on our first-hand experience.
During our trips we take our own photographs and video, experience the transport, accommodation, attractions and tours we write about, and make notes about the practical details that matter when planning a trip.
We share what we actually experienced
Our guides aren’t intended to be generic lists of things to do.
We aim to share what we genuinely thought about a destination or experience, including what we loved, what surprised us, what was worth the money and what we would do differently.
Where we recommend an accommodation, tour, attraction or transport option based on personal experience, we make that clear.
We update practical information
Travel information changes. When updating our guides, we check important practical details such as prices, transport information, opening hours, booking requirements and other information where possible.
Information that can change frequently should always be checked against the relevant provider or official source before travelling.
Our photography and video
We photograph and film our travels ourselves, and much of the visual content on Passport Nomads comes directly from our trips.
Our photography and video help us show readers what destinations, accommodation, attractions and experiences are actually like.
Hosted and sponsored experiences
When a property, tour, destination or other travel business provides a hosted or complimentary experience, we disclose this where appropriate.
Being hosted does not guarantee a positive review. Our aim is to share our genuine experience and opinions.
Affiliate links
Some links on Passport Nomads are affiliate links. If you book through one of these links, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.
Affiliate relationships do not determine our recommendations. We aim to recommend places, accommodation, tours and services that we believe are useful for our readers based on our experience and research.
Destinations We’ve Explored
Asia: China · Japan · Indonesia · Malaysia ·
Central Asia: Kyrgyzstan ·
Caribbean: Jamaica · Puerto Rico · Bahamas · Dominican Republic
North America: Mexico · United States · Canda
Africa: Tanzania
Work With Passport Nomads
We work with tourism organisations, hotels, tour operators and travel brands where the partnership is relevant to our audience and travel content. Feel free to contact us with any questions at [email protected]
Our Partners
