At 26, Rhiannon Wood has turned her love for travelling into a full-time career. Today, she has around 60,000 Instagram followers and leads group tours across the world. After graduating in the UK, she worked several minimum-wage jobs abroad before figuring out how to make money from her travel content.
What started as a way to fund her travels has now become a growing business. Wood earns through brand collaborations, sponsored Instagram content and commissions from group tours, while also working towards launching her own travel agency. Weekend trips to nearby countries and the Alps made her want to keep exploring after graduation. She also took social media strategy courses and hired an Instagram coach to understand how to grow and monetise her account. The Switzerland trip opened the door to more collaborations. Wood has since worked with travel and sports-related companies, including Skyscanner, Siroko and Roamless. She often travels with limited luggage, stays in budget accommodation and has spent about a year largely living out of a backpack.
Wood discovered her love for travelling during a university study-abroad programme in Lyon, France, in 2021-22. Wanting to turn her travel posts into an income source, Wood began posting more intentionally on Instagram in late 2024.
Despite the growing income, she said the lifestyle comes with its own challenges.
