Backpacking Matt
A solo traveller's blog with New Zealand backpacking guides, trip stories and photos.
About Backpacking Matt
Backpacking Matt is the personal travel blog of Matt, an Iowa native now based in Queenstown, New Zealand, and founder of the New Zealand travel planning site Planit NZ. The site concentrates on destination-specific advice, trip stories, travel reviews and inspiration, with a strong emphasis on backpacking around New Zealand. The archive stretches back to 2011 and contains more than 290 posts, covering hikes, city itineraries and practical tips. Matt shares many of his own photos and links his Instagram for daily images, and the site mixes narrative trip reports with hands-on guidance and occasional promo pieces.
Matt writes like a mate who lives on the trail and knows the back roads of New Zealand by name. His pieces read as lived-in trip journals rather than top-ten listicles, full of hotel notes, trail anecdotes and the kind of practical detail backpackers actually use. The recent excerpt is conversational and specific, from sunrise plans at Mt Maunganui to orbiting restaurants and Ponsonby cafes, and posts include original photos and plenty of local recommendations. Posting is slow these days, only a few new pieces a year, but the site remains a solid reference for New Zealand backpacking and the occasional overseas guide.
Where They Travel
new-zealand
Pros
- Practical New Zealand backpacking guides and trip reports
- Conversational, first-person storytelling with useful details
- Many original photos and active Instagram presence
- Specific local recommendations and accommodation notes
Cons
- Infrequent updates, only a few posts per year
- Occasional promotional or discount posts in the archive
How Popular Is Backpacking Matt?
- Open PageRank1.9 / 10
- YouTube subscribers334
- Best-of lists1