Catching up with Bonnie Rakhit, The Style Traveller

Bonnie Rakhit is an  award winning fashion and travel influencer and blogger with the power to influenced the next destination for luxury travellers. The incredible scenes and locations she features showcase hidden gems and lavish resorts around the world, inspiring luxury jetsetters to experience these unique places for themselves.

Voted in the Top 25 Influencers in the UK by The London Evening Standard Newspaper, as well as presenting on ITV’s This Morning Show as a travel expert, Bonnie has guided travellers with her expertise and experience on visiting luxurious and lavish locations, finding Instagrammable hotspots, and culinary delights.

Her secrets and knowhow have created The Style Traveller, the blog where she shares everything the luxury traveller seeks to know about what unique destination they should experience next. Whether it’s a luxury trip to Montenegro, an incredible stay in a Swiss chalet, or relaxing in villas in Mykonos, Bonnie highlights the world’s most stylish places to share with readers, reflected by her tagline: ‘A fashion editor’s guide to the world’s most stylish places’.

The former fashion editor from London, Bonnie has worked for numerous brands and titles including Grazia and Vogue. Before becoming a travel blogger she worked in the journalism industry for twelve years, including five years as the fashion editor at Elle. Having travelled all around the world in her years working in PR and media for photoshoots and press trips, Bonnie wanted to share the behind of the scenes of these trips, the incredibly stylish hotels, trendy boutiques and unique experiences, with readers, so started her own platform to share her travel secrets and stories.

At the forefront of the digital revolution, she created her now renowned and incredibly popular blog The Style Traveller, which has since evolved into the ultimate luxury traveller’s guide, including hotel reviews.

Since then, she has had an amazingly diverse and exciting career, despite having to navigate the security of a 9 to 5 office job working for a renowned London magazine to becoming a freelancer. A challenge she took in her stride, the reward paid off as her stylish travelling career became a reality, as she experienced and shared her favourite destinations and unique travelling opportunities with her readers.

When speaking with Beau Monde Traveler, Bonnie shared the highlight of her career, as the fashion editor of Elle. The spontaneity of the job allowed her to expand her travel portfolio, as one week she would fly to LA to shoot J-Lo, and the next she’d be hosting Rihanna at her table, or attending the Elle Style Awards at the incredible Savoy Hotel in London.

As an influencer, working with major brands has also impacted her dream career, as being a Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador even allows her a car with her own logo to transport her to shows and events during London Fashion Week. She is also the brand ambassador for key names including Ferrari and Dior.

With travel brands and resorts desiring a feature on her blog and stunning Instagram feed, it’s no surprise she has been invited to some of the top destinations around the world, showcasing fabulous scenes, lavish resorts, and romantic getaways.

As a travel-lover who has sought and displayed aesthetic and artistic scenes through the beautiful images she shares, Bonnie has been inspired by the likes of fashion photographers Tim Waker and Helmut Newton, as well as artists Anish Kapoor and Kandinsky. The art flair inside her along with her wanderlust has allowed her to believe that she would actually be an artist or an explorer, had she not the dream career she has now.

In the words of the fortune cookie she opened at 19, that stuck by her as the best advice she’s ever received: ‘Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your whole life’, and this is exactly what Bonnie has created with The Style Traveller.

Having experienced dreamy destinations and sharing romantic backdrops, Bonnie has also visited luxurious restaurants around the world, exploring gastronomic delicacies, her favourites of which include Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, Raymond Blanc’s exquisite restaurant in Oxford, and Noma, Chef Rene Redzepi’s fabulous restaurant with dishes presented in 20-course meals in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Despite the travel and exposure to Michelin-star and internationally renowned restaurants, Bonnie has stayed true to her roots, with her favourite ever meal still being her mum’s homemade curry feast. Spoilt on posh travel and fine-food doesn’t mean Bonnie doesn’t indulge on her own little luxuries such as homemade delights of sticky toffee pudding and Kettle crisps.

Whilst she has stayed at countless resorts in various destinations all around the world, her favourite hotels are those that provide the ultimate luxury experience, with lavish décor and one-of-a-kind atmosphere, that truly makes her feel like a princess. On such standouts is the Azulik in Tulum, a resort providing a barefoot eco luxury experience, allowing a digital detox and seclusion from the distractions of the outside world. Another favourite bolthole of Bonnie’s is the Taj Lake Palace in India, a majestic and ethereal destination where her work through photos and editorial continues to influence  luxury travellers to discover for themselves.

The next destinations on her bucket-list include Hawaii and the South Pacific islands including French Polynesia and Bora Bora. Already on her list is the beautiful destination of Machu Pichu, on board the Belmond Hiram Bingham, a luxury train service designed by the makers of the Orient Express, a truly unique and extraordinary experience. She has also travelled on her own exclusive private jet to Monte Carlo, with Victor Private Jets and Monaco Tourism, with the task of living the life of a billionaire for 48 hours.

Whilst these incomparable experiences have allowed Bonnie to live a jet-setters dreamy reality, she has also witnessed humbling experiences, such as visiting the Favelas in Rio as a new charity school was built there. Following on this line, Bonnie admires the work of the Shinta Mani Hotel in Cambodia, that has helped local people by offering small business loans, teaching kids English, creating training academies and promoting the environmental development of surrounding communities for sustainability.

In the future, Bonnie herself looks forward to doing more charity work, on a global and national scale, as she is now a brand ambassador for Bullies Out, an anti-bullying awareness and support charity, based in the UK, as well as working with Gandys, an ethical and sustainable clothing brand.

For travel inspiration and luxury scenes from around the world, follow Bonnie Rakhit, The Style Traveller, on her social media channels: Instagram, Twitter and Youtube: @bonnierakhit and Facebook and Pinterest: TheStyleTraveller.