The Man Behind IG’s Most Popular Travel Brand
Riding camels in Dubai. Surfing in the Dominican Republic. Rock climbing in Cape Town. This is just a typical day in the office for Jeremy Jauncey, creator of the the world’s most popular Instagram travel account, Beautiful Destinations. Siobhan Reid sat down the 31-year-old social media whiz to find out where he likes to travel, how he stays balanced on the road and his tips for scoring a killer Insta pic.
With more than six million followers, Beautiful Destinations, which was founded back in 2012, receives 100k+ likes for every gorgeous photo posted to their page (no joke, people). The CEO’s passion for traveling extends far back beyond 2012, though. As the son of a Colombian mother and a Scottish father, Jeremy Jauncey, who grew up on a farm outside Perth, has long considered himself a nomad at heart (and he’s got a resume to prove it). Here, he talks travel with JS writer Siobhan Reid.
So how often are you on the road?
"It’s rare that two weeks will pass without me traveling somewhere. It’s just such a huge passion of mine so I really make it a priority to go places and experience amazing things. I’ve been all over the world, but I spend a lot of time in New York and London."
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A trip every two weeks? You must really love to travel.
"Yea. Since my father is Scottish and my mother Colombian, my brother Tom and I grew up with an appreciation for different peoples and cultures. My parents were always saying to us, ‘The world is such a big place – there’s nothing stopping you from seeing it all,’ so that was obviously very formative. Another big influence was rugby. As a teen I was on the track to becoming a professional rugby player, and the sport took me all over the world."
As a former athlete, how do you stay in shape while traveling?
"I always work out in the morning. I just think it helps to start the day off on a healthy note. I’m also a big proponent of packing your own snacks (an apple, some nuts) when you know you’re going to be on a plane, so that you aren’t tempted by crappy airport food. And I’m all about getting a good night’s sleep! I’m fortunate in that I can fall asleep anywhere, but being well-rested does really make a difference, especially when you’re traveling across different time zones."
Speaking of different time zones, you’re known for jetting off to some pretty far-flung destinations. Where’s somewhere exotic you went recently that amazed you?
"I loved Tokyo. I felt truly alien there – everything was so different. I couldn’t understand the signs nor could I understand a word that was spoken to me. I really felt like I had to immerse myself in a completely new environment and that was profoundly thrilling."
What’s the most rewarding part of traveling somewhere completely "foreign" like that?
"It’s so expanding – it just broadens your horizons like like no other experience or activity can. It also gives you insight into other people’s lives, and I find that to be such an important education. But you don’t have to travel to an exotic country to replicate that feeling. That’s the beautiful thing about travel – you can find that magic anywhere."
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You get some pretty great photos from your travels. What’s your secret for building such a strong Instagram following?
"There are thousands of people on Instagram with large followings and great content. To differentiate yourself it’s really important to engage with a community. Build up a loyal following of users who come to you for a specific kind of content. Also, another tip I share with my friends is to start under-editing your photos. So many people automatically go for the pre-set filters and oftentimes it’s much too heavy. Instead, use the manual editing tool from Instagram to adjust brightness, play with contrast and saturation."
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