Who is The Blonde Abroad?
The Blonde Abroad is a travel influencer who is active on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and other social platforms. Her real name is Kiersten Rich, but her followers know her as Kiki. She was born on 1st June 1988 in San Diego, California, United States. She is known for sharing travel tips and photos on her social media.
Early life and education of The Blonde Abroad
Kiersten grew up alongside her family in California near the most beautiful beaches she knew. She always loved tasting new food and exploring the city, but she never thought of travelling more than any other human being. Like other young American girls, she was taught to pursue good education and find a high-paying job. She thought that her happiness depended on finding a good job, getting married and having kids. While this lifestyle suits most, Kiersten didn’t feel like it was her destiny. She always felt like she needed more to live than just starting a family.
Since she had no idea what she needed to expand the horizons of her life, Kiersten obeyed and tried her best to live a normal life. She was getting good grades at school, and after graduation, she applied to college. Since she was good with numbers, Kiersten decided on a degree in finance, which she later obtained successfully. In her last semester, Kiersten got the chance to study abroad and took it without hesitation. She then spent half a year learning Spanish in Spain, where she could also explore the country. Her trip to Spain made her realise that she really loved travelling.
Early career of The Blonde Abroad
Once she graduated in finance, Kiersten was approached with a job offer. She didn’t know what else to do, so she accepted and began building a career in corporate wealth management. Even though she was making more than enough money, Kiersten didn’t feel satisfied with her job. More so, she didn’t feel happy with her life. To experience a change in pace, Kiersten quit her job and moved to Hollywood, where she began working as a bartender. Since she finally left California behind, Kiki felt better for a while, as if she was getting her life together.
Unfortunately, this satisfaction lasted only a few months until Kiersten began feeling lost again. Since she had saved enough money for a vacation, Kiki took a 4-month-long hiatus from work. During that time, she travelled through Thailand, Australia, Vietnam and many more beautiful and exciting places. Once she got to explore different countries and their culture, Kiersten began feeling whole again. She felt as if she had found the purpose of her life.
The Blonde Abroad on Instagram
Even though she didn’t have a plan, Kiersten decided to turn her whole life around. Once she got back from her travels, she had already booked another flight without even thinking about it. Her next destination included a little bit of physique, but she wasn’t afraid of it. She successfully hiked the Inca Trail in Peru and, on her way back, booked a flight to Bolivia. Once she was on her fourth or fifth trip, Kiersten decided to share her journey online and created her Instagram account. While many people think that creating a successful platform is done overnight, they are usually wrong.
Like many others before her, Kiki had no clue about social media algorithms and how to navigate them. On top of that, she had never studied photography or taken a course, so her first few photos weren’t exactly Instagram-worthy. But practise makes perfect, and so did Kiersten become. While preparing for the next trip, she experimented with different lightening, scene and she began thinking deeply about the picture descriptions. Once she mastered the art of Instagram, Kiki grew her page into a huge success with millions of fans.
The Blonde Abroad – Blog
While posting aesthetic pictures on Instagram is considered to have a travel influence these days, Kiersten wasn’t satisfied with the concept. She didn’t want to just brag about her success and her adventurous life. She wanted to help people achieve their dreams as well. Since Instagram isn’t the best platform for long paragraphs, Kiki decided to switch to a blog. It allowed her to write her heart out and post helpful tips and tricks alongside the aesthetic photos. With this new agenda, Kiki collected even more loyal followers, as they appreciated her thought of them.
How to travel alone?
While visiting several countries around the world alone, Kiersten realised how challenging it can be without preparation and knowledge. During her many trips, she learned a lot of helpful tips on how to make the experience safer and easier. Without a second thought, Kiki decided to share all of her tips with her followers. She transformed her blog into a safe space for solo travellers who can learn from her experience. She posted many stories and guides on how to find cheap and safe accommodation, what to pack and where to hide money. All those tips come in handy when travelling for the first time, as many of her followers let her know.
Another issue comes with travelling alone as a woman. While in some countries, it doesn’t make a difference, in others, it’s a matter of safety. Women travelling alone have to think about their safety a lot more and take more precautions. Besides several safety tips, Kiersten shared her thoughts on the safest locations for beginner woman solo travellers who want to try it for the first time. She also shared the more challenging locations, where she recommended buying safety locks and remembering all the safety phone numbers. This way, she became the one person to turn to in need.
How do travel influencers make money?
While she certainly makes some money from Instagram and other social platforms, people often wonder how Kiersten sponsors her many trips around the world. And to be honest, it’s a combination of many different incomes. When it comes to her social media, Kiki makes money from sponsored advertisements which she adds mostly on her blog. Her other income is from brand deals: As a successful travel influencer, Kiersten often receives offers from various travel agencies to promote their websites. Kiki usually picks the ones she likes and agrees to sponsorships. This way, she often gest free, paid-for trips to various tourist destinations.
How much does Kiersten Rich earn? Net worth
As of 2023, her net worth is estimated to be over 1 million US dollars. In addition to the ads and brand deals, Kiersten made a company on her own. She founded a female travel tour company, which helps female travellers with finding the right location, provides the safest accommodation and gives a travel guide for the specific country. Kiersten also sells her own travel merch, which is useful and aesthetic at the same time.
Interesting facts about Kiersten Rich
- As of 2023, she is 35 years old.
- Her zodiac sign is Gemini.
- She graduated from college with a degree in finance.
- After school, she made a career in corporate wealth management.
- Her first trip was to Spain, where she travelled through college.
- She left on a 4-month-long vacation from work and travelled through a few countries.
- Once she got back, she began travelling full-time.
- She created her Instagram and blog in 2011 under the name The Blonde Abroad.
- She is an expert on travelling alone. She shares useful tips and helps women feel safe while travelling.
- She has over 518 thousand followers on her Instagram account.
- She founded a female travel tour company and a creative agency.
- As of 2023, her net worth is estimated to be over 1 million US dollars.
