We Need More Overseas Asian Female Travelers (and Here’s 7!)

Posted inAll, Op-Eds, Travel

That’s a mouthful, but representation matters.

woman sitting on poolside setting both of her feet on pool

Rant first, accounts later. (Feel free to jump down if you want those accounts ASAP.)

I’m what’s known as an ABC — an American-Born Chinese, a first-generation Asian-American born from an immigrant family. And I love reading blogs and finding inspiration on Instagram as much as the next girl, but as I combed through travel accounts, I became increasingly attentive to the lack of non-white-passing persons of color who had attained “Instagram Girl” status, and in particular, overseas East/SE Asians.

By overseas Asians, I mean Asians like me — people who have moved or were born outside of Asia. I must take this time to point out that Asians who live in Asia have their own kinds of Instagram circles; obviously, because they usually aren’t using English, Instagram seldom recommends these accounts unless you’ve shown a deep (very deep) interest in consuming their content. Notably, Korean and Taiwanese accounts often have their own travel niche, but in majority in their respective languages. Singapore-based accounts are more likely to use English, but also occupy a separate cultural niche.

This article (and semi-rant) is about overseas East Asians/AAPIs in particular, especially because we have our own culture that derives from growing up outside of the motherland — I mean, have you seen Subtle Asian Traits?

Asians immigrate all over the world. You can find us in every western country, and particularly in urban hotspots like the United States (New York, California), Canada (Vancouver, Toronto), and Australia (Sydney, Melbourne), where there tends to be a much larger population of us than you would expect. For example, I live in Georgia, a state mostly known for its large southern population — think fried chicken, peaches, small towns, and farmers. But in Atlanta, the capital city that I call home, we have a bustling and mostly untapped Asian population, and a neighboring suburban county had the largest increase in Asian percentage in the entire U.S. in 2019, emerging at the top with a 12% jump. So if there’s so many of us, why haven’t I been seeing overseas Asians on my Instagram feed?

The classic Instagram Girl is universally recognized — white or white passing, usually blonde or brown-haired with beachy waves, slender and fit, and with a caramel tan. Despite the fact that I go out of my way to consume more Asian and overseas-Asian content, the majority of travel bloggers that I’ve found fit that classic Instagram mold. And the same holds true for many of the popular travel repost and regram accounts as well, such as @sheisnotlost and @dametraveler.

It bothers me that it is so difficult for POC to become more well-known on such a large social media platform, especially when there are so many of us using it. For example, Pew Research Center’s social media study in 2015 showed that a greater percentage of Latinx (34%) and Blacks (38%) use Instagram than whites (21%) — and Asians had no data at all, go figure — yet the overwhelming majority of successful bloggers, especially in the travel space, are white.

As someone who is running an aspiring travel Instagram account myself, I desperately wanted to see more women like me on this gorgeous visual platform, so I naturally turned to Google — and found, well, essentially nothing. I found some great articles about Asian travel bloggers based in China, Singapore, and the Philippines, and a questionable article that claimed to be about Asian travel Instagrammers but listed white travelers in Asia instead, but not really anything about the massive Asian populations living (and traveling!) outside the home continent.

So I figured, fine, I’ll just do it myself.

Here are 7 Overseas East Asian Female Travel Instagrams to go follow right now.

Note: I cover female AAPIs in this article. I have not listed any South Asian bloggers as I haven’t done enough research in the space, and frankly, I don’t feel qualified to rant about an experience that isn’t mine.

1. Tara Whiteman (@taramilktea)

Sydney, Australia | Singaporean-Australian

 

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A post shared by Tara Milk Tea (@taramilktea)

 

Tara is a huge icon in the travel and fashion space. Personally, I think her feed is one of most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen — and also incredibly unique! She not only posts about beautiful locations but also captures beauty at home, with food, makeup, clothing, and nature. The combination of it all together is simply dreamy. Also, the sheer amount of flowers you can find on her feed is an instant win for a flower-lover like me!

Check out Tara’s website here.

2. Christine Tran Ferguson (@tourdelust)

New York, New York, USA | Vietnamese-Chinese

Christine is a New York traveler, fashionista, foodie, and overall sweetheart. Her photos are always beautiful, full of vibrant energy, and super unique as well! I always love when travel bloggers pair travel and food ideas together because, let’s be honest, one of the coolest parts of traveler is eating everything you see. Along with the fact that Christine loves boba (so much that it’s in her Instagram bio), I think I fell in love at first sight!

Christine and I feel similarly about the lack of Asian representation. When I asked her what she thought, she said, “The travel community caters to the Western world and rarely did I see Asian representation in magazines, travel shows etc. I feel proud to be able to represent the Asian community within the travel industry and help others like me that it’s possible to have a voice. Studies have shown over 50% of Asian Americans over the age of 18 travel internationally at least once a year.”

Check out Christine’s website here.

3. Tina Lee (@ofleatherandlace)

New York, New York, USA | Taiwanese

 

Tina is an inspiring creator in the fashion, lifestyle, and luxury travel departments — especially in urban photography! Not only is her feed a treat to look at it with its impeccable color coordination and stunning photos, but all of her shoot ideas are amazingly creative as well. Even by simply scrolling through her feed, you’ll be able to grasp her creative genius, and enjoy all the gorgeous colors as well, from red to yellow to dusty blue! Seriously, I’m obsessed.

Check out Tina’s website here.

4. Jasmine Alley (@jasminealley)

Dallas, Texas, USA | Singaporean-Polish

Jasmine is a kind-hearted traveler with a real knack for finding beauty in the simplest of places. Her Instagram and blog are full of charming, colorful photos that you can’t help but find peace in! I have a lot of respect for her especially because of her ability to capture amazing images despite living in a location that isn’t often seen as a typical travel destination. She’s also an absolute dear and super super sweet.

When I asked Jasmine for her opinion on Asians in travel blogging, she said, “I think that the one upside is that since there are so few overseas Asians in the travel space, once we find each other, we stick together! It’s easy to form friendships on Instagram with my fellow Asian travelers since we have that instant connection.” I feel the same way!

Check out Jasmine’s website here.

5. Annie Nguyen (@anniesbucketlist)

Sydney, Australia | Vietnamese

Annie’s account always makes me want to drop everything and fly to the Eastern Hemisphere. Her photos are absolute gold, infused with a sense of wanderlust and outdoorsiness, a collection of pink and blue skies and sunset moments that make me wish golden hour lasted forever! I love how much she focuses on outdoor beauty in especially Asia and Australia, and how clean and natural her shots are — she almost never uses props of any kind.

Check out Annie’s website here.

6. Gracie (@doitforicecream)

Location unknown | Filipino

Gracie is a colorful traveler, but even more than that, she’s absolutely hilarious! As her handle suggests, she’s ardently dedicated to ice cream, and she always has a huge smile on her face — just looking at her Instagram makes me smile. Her feed is full of natural beauty, flowers (always a win in my book!), and gorgeous moments of culture. I love her open, honest personality and persistent optimism so much — she’s the perfect antidote to a cloudy day.

Check out Gracie’s website here.

7. Cherrie Lynn Almonte (@cherrielynn)

California, USA | Filipino

Cherrie is an open-hearted and down-to-earth travel girl who knows how to make a bit of magic — but also isn’t afraid to be honest about the life behind the gram! She’s funny, occasionally self-deprecating, and clearly passionate and appreciative of the travels she experiences. I always have to love how transparent she is, from the stress behind rushed shots, to the expectations vs. reality she often posts. Again, it’s refreshing to have a reminder that behind every magical photo, there’s a lot of work!

Check out Cherrie’s website here.

Bonus? Angelina Suwoto (@angi.susu)

New York, New York, USA | Chinese-Indonesian

Is it bad to put a little advertisement for myself? (LOL!) A self-proclaimed travel fairy, I am a Chindo-American wanderlusting girl: fresh out of university, and dead-set on spending the rest of my life traveling. I aspire to show others the magical beauty of this world wherever I go — in fact, I started my Instagram account and Medium blog to brighten up people’s everyday lives with a fairytale-like whimsical style and fresh but honest writing. I believe dreaming and keeping it real are not mutually exclusive, and that my wonderland-style photos are a testament to that!

Please remember to support female overseas Asian creators! In a landscape where diversity is so limited, every bit of representation matters.

Do you know any overseas Asian travel bloggers that I don’t know about? I’m ready to learn every day! Drop me a line at angelina.suwoto@gmail.com or @angi.susu on Instagram!