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14th October 2025

Meet the winners of the Travel Media Awards 2025

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Meet the winners of the Travel Media Awards 2025

14 October 2025: The winners of the 11th annual Travel Media Awards were announced last night (13 October) at Pan Pacific London, where leading figures from travel journalism, broadcasting, PR and digital media gathered to celebrate excellence in travel storytelling. 

This year’s event marked a record number of entries and reinforced the Awards’ position as one of the most prestigious events in the UK travel media calendar. A total of 25 awards were presented, recognising outstanding achievement across print, digital, broadcasting and social media. Two new categories — Cruise Travel Writer of the Year and Content Creator of the Year — were introduced to reflect the innovation of travel media sector. 

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Special Contribution Award to Simon Calder, honouring his remarkable career as one of the UK’s most trusted and influential voices in travel journalism.  

Winners: 

BROADCAST PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR — AUDIO: Wander Woman: A Travel Podcast, Phoebe Smith

BROADCAST PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR — VIDEO: World’s Greatest Train Journeys, BBC

CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR: Kash Bhattacharya, BudgetTraveller, Exploring the football culture of Great Britain, with Visit Britain

ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR: Sophie Morgan, Freelance

BREAKING TRAVEL NEWS OF THE YEAR: Julia Buckley, Freelance

REGIONAL PUBLICATION FEATURE OF THE YEAR (joint winners): Domhnall O’Donoghue for ‘An Evening at the White House’ in the Belfast Telegraph&Ian Belcher for ‘What Lies Beneath’ in Brummell

GUIDE OF THE YEAR: The LGBTQ+ Travel Guide, Lonely Planet

SUSTAINABILITY TRAVEL FEATURE OF THE YEAR: Ellie Cobb for ‘The Indian Ocean’s laid-back ‘paradise on Earth’ę in BBC Travel

SUSTAINABILITY TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR: Imogen Lepere, Freelance

CUSTOMER CONTENT OF THE YEAR: Companion

EMERGING WRITER OF THE YEAR: Thom Brown, Intrepid Times

PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD: Karolina Wiercigroch

SPECIALIST TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR — REGION: Ben Aitken, UK

SPECIALIST TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR — SECTOR: Mike Unwin, Wildlife

TRADE PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR — PRINT & ONLINE (joint winners): Cruise Trade News& Selling Travel

TRADE WRITER OF THE YEAR: Jennifer Morris, TTG Media

CRUISE TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR: Mike MacEacheran, Freelance

NATIONAL BROADSHEET PRINT & DIGITAL SECTION OF THE YEAR: Telegraph Travel

NATIONAL TABLOID PRINT & DIGITAL SECTION OF THE YEAR: Daily Mirror

CONSUMER MAGAZINE SECTION OF THE YEAR: Breathe

CONSUMER PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR — PRINT: JRNY Travel Magazine

CONSUMER PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR — ONLINE: Adventure.com

NATIONAL CONSUMER FEATURE OF THE YEAR: Ben Lerwill for ‘’ in National Geographic Traveller (UK)

CONSUMER WRITER OF THE YEAR: Ben Aitken, Freelance

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION AWARD: Simon Calder

The Travel Media Awards, created by 91 Media and Travega, is the UK’s only awards dedicated to recognising top individuals and publications in travel media that shape how audiences experience the world. 

Anthony Leyens, chairman and co-founder of 91 Media, said: “It’s been a privilege to celebrate the 11th annual Travel Media Awards with such an inspiring community of travel media professionals. Each year the standard of entries continues to rise, reflecting the creativity and dedication that make this industry so exceptional. Congratulations to all our finalists and winners — the future of travel media is in excellent hands.” 

Giles Harper, owner and founder of Travega, said: “Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Travel Media Awards such a success. The energy and enthusiasm in the room truly showcased the dynamism of the travel media sector. A special thanks to our venue partner, Pan Pacific London, our consumer media partner, easyJet Holidays, and all our category sponsors for their invaluable support.”  

The evening also celebrated the interns of the Travel Media Awards Step Up internship scheme, which aims to improve inclusivity and diversity in the industry, and is now going into its third year. It offers work experience, mentorship and networking for young people from underrepresented backgrounds, this year welcoming five interns across 10 leading travel companies, including 91 Media, Metro, TTG Media, easyJet holidays and Virgin Atlantic. With more than 400 young people applying, 2025’s scheme saw interns gaining eight weeks of experience and six months of mentorship. 

For more information, click
To see a photo gallery of highlights from the event, click .
To find out more about the Travel Media Awards, click here.

Celebrating editorial excellence in travel media

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About 91 Media 
An award-winning publisher and content marketing agency founded in 1997, 91 has been changing the narrative, and the way clients communicate with their audiences, for over 27 years. In addition to publishing the award-winning National Geographic Traveller (UK) and The Collection by National Geographic Traveller (UK) and organising related events under the National Geographic brand umbrella, 91 Media produces print, digital and live media across the travel and lifestyle sector. 91 Media is the co-founder of the Travel Media Awards as part of a joint venture with Travega.
aplmedia.co.uk 

About Travega
Travega is a specialist travel marketing agency that serves both the leisure and business sectors. With over 25 years of industry experience, Travegaoffers a wide range of travel marketing solutions, including revenue generation for some of the UK’s leading travel industry events, bespoke event creation, third-party event management, marketing strategies and partnerships tailored for travel organisations. Travega is co-founder of the Travel Media Awards and isdedicated showcasing excellence in travel media.