CRAIG MAKEPEACE - FOUNDER
Craig Makepeace is a dynamic blogger, photographer, content creator, and entrepreneur, who is the co- founder of two online brands: This is Raleigh, a platform for anyone looking to explore the best of Wake County, and YTravelBlog, one of the world’s most influential travel blogs.
Craig has worked with the biggest brands in the world and has been featured by notable sites such as the Today Show, Conde Nast, and FOX Business, USA Today, Travel & Leisure, Forbes, National Geographic online and My Carolina CBS17. In addition, Y Travel Blog has received a Modern Ontrapreneuer award from Ontraport for “Best Online Publisher” and has been recognized by the White House… twice!
Craig was invited to the White House in 2014 as a top global travel influencer to attend the first travel summit. And he received a green card in 2020 for yTravel’s extraordinary ability in the art of travel blogging and for his contributions to the growth of tourism in the USA.
Before becoming an online entrepreneur, Craig played Professional Rugby League for six years in Sydney with the North Sydney Bears. Originally from Australia, Craig and his wife Caroline have been exploring the world together ever since they met in 2000. Together, they have visited over 56 countries and have lived in five countries.
They traveled full time with their daughters for seven years, which included an 18-month road trip around Australia and 11 months across the USA. He is an expert in family travel and running an online business from the road.
As a full time professional travel blogger since 2010, Craig has successfully worked with some of the biggest brands in the world including Lonely Planet, Airbnb, Canon, Amex, Ford, Nissan, Qantas, TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Globus Tours, Allianz Travel Insurance.
Locally in Raleigh, he has worked with big brands and small businesses such as RDU- International Airport, Nextdoor, Kane Realty, Outer Banks Tourism, Blue Water Spa, and Harris Teeter.
Craig is also a fully licensed drone operator and, aside from shooting images for This is Raleigh blog and social channels, he has captured images for the Carolina Hurricanes, Ocracoke Island and Outer Bank Tourism, North Hills (Kane Realty) and more.
Craig’s passion for travel, combined with his expertise in digital marketing, has enabled him to create a successful online business that provides travel advice, inspiration, and resources to thousands of people worldwide.
Craig has presented at the Raleigh Rotary Club, Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, and keynoted at the NC Public Relations Society of America Conference.
In addition to running his blog and social brand, Craig calls his work a personal mission to inspire and empower others to travel more and create a life they love. He’s proof that travel can be a lifestyle, and he’s passionate about helping others achieve the same level of freedom and fulfillment.
Craig first moved to Raleigh in 2004 and fell in love with the City of Oaks. He’s a travel addict, sports fanatic, beach lover, and passionate craft beer drinker.
ALL ARTICLES WRITTEN BY Craig Makepeace
Local’s Guide on Things to Do in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Looking for tips on things to do in Buenos Aires, Argentina? As part of our city guides series, we interviewed Stephanie who fell in love with Buenos Aires in 2009 and a short vacation and then decided […]
Read MoreKayaking in Paradise – Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Rainforest
At 110 million years old the ancient Daintree Rainforest is the oldest existing rainforest in the world. I’m about to hit the big FOUR ZERO this year and feeling a little tattered, and I can’t […]
Read MoreThings to Do in Adelaide – city guide
Looking for tips on things to do in Adelaide South Australia? As part of our city guides series, we interviewed Nicole Smith from Bitten by the Travel Bug who is an Adelaide native. Nicole shares with us […]
Read More5 Tips to Get Out of Debt So You Can Travel More
Bucket list destinations, travel planning for that next trip, family vacations, quitting your job to travel – we all have our travel dreams and goals. Since we love all travel let’s talk about how to […]
Read MoreSolo travel: Why I didn’t think I could travel alone
Solo travel can be daunting if you’ve never done it before. It’s too scary, you’ll be lonely, the details will be overwhelming without a travel partner. Those fears are too easy to listen to, and […]
Read More13 Travel Quotes for Inspiration and Connection
We’ve maintained a travel lifestyle for 22 years now! Travel quotes help up stay inspired to our travel dreams and connected to why travel is important. As we like to say, “it’s all about the […]
Read MoreBest Things to Do in New York City (a NYC city guide)
Looking for insider tips on things to do in New York City? As part of our city guides series, we chatted with Kate Voyage who has visited New York City 10 times since 2003, and since 2007 has been […]
Read MoreKruger National Park South Africa – Photo Essay
We first visited Kruger National Park back in 2003 during our five month adventure from Uganda to Cape Town. Going on safari and seeing African wildlife in their own backyard was a highlight of that trip. There’s […]
Read MoreAmazing Things to Do in Honolulu, Hawaii on Vacation
Looking for tips on things to do in Honolulu? As part of our city guides series, we interviewed Hilary Stockton who is true kama’aina (local), she was born and raised in Honolulu and lived there until she went to university. She […]
Read MoreThe Cathay Pacific Premium Economy Experience
I’d previously only flown on Cathay Pacific once before on a flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong back in 2006, which I rather enjoyed. I also really enjoyed that first visit to Hong Kong, […]
Read More26 Memorable Moments on P&O Pacific Dawn
Our life motto has always been “it’s all about the memories”. People and things can come and go, but memories can stay with you forever! We’ve created some cherished memories over the years through travel […]
Read MoreSavannah’s First Year of Travel in Photos
Savannah received her first passport when she was six weeks old and had her first overseas trip to New Zealand at 8 weeks. Before that she had been on a plane to Melbourne to attend […]
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