Travel Begins at 40 Founder wins the Best Travel Blogger Award at the BGTW Annual Awards Dinner
Mark Bibby Jackson, the founder and editor of Travel Begins at 40, scooped the Best Travel Blogger Award at the annual British Guild of Travel Writers (BGTW) Awards Ceremony held at The Underglobe in London on 2 November 2026.
The award sponsored by Pure Michigan was given to the UK travel blogger who had the best portfolio of work in 2026.
The judges said that Bibby Jackson “has a very engaging and characterful writing style, with a strong personal voice and a great use of humour and self-irony.”
They also commented that his writing “feels authentic, accessible and entertaining, with vivid storytelling that keeps the reader engaged”.
“I can’t believe I have won. This is my first travel writing award in more than twenty years of writing about travel,” Bibby Jackson said. “It just goes to show you should never give up.
“When I was half-way up Gros Piton, frankly I was seriously thinking of turning back. Perhaps if I had have, I would never have won this award. I guess there is a moral in there somewhere.
“But really, this is an award not just for myself but for the whole team at Travel Begins at 40, especially my comrades Joe Ogden and Mike East. I couldn’t have achieved this on my own. Just like I would never had made it up the Gros Piton without my guide, Trannie.”
Bibby Jackson’s portfolio was for four article published on Travel Begins at 40.
- Community and Sustainable Tourism in Paphos, Cyprus
- Tackling the Gros Piton Hike Saint Lucia
- Discovering Community Tourism in Saint Lucia
- Local Tourism in Allerona, Italy
The BGTW is a community of accredited writers, bloggers, photographers and broadcasters. The trusted body for independent editorial comment and expert content on worldwide travel, it is widely regarded as the premier association for UK travel writers and bloggers.
