Substacks recommended by David Pejčinović-Bailey MBE

Recommended by David Pejčinović-Bailey MBE

The newsletter with blurred boundaries

Occasional thoughts, scripts that never got recorded and general waffle from my elitist bubble of privilege (apparently)

The Big Portuguese Wine Adventure

By Ana & Al's Big Portuguese Wine Adventure

A journey through Portuguese vineyards collecting stories and learning to make wine

Expat on a Budget

By Kimberly Anne

Learn how to move/live abroad on a budget! I help you afford your dreams with tips, resources, and personal stories to inspire your new adventure! I’m KA—an expat thriving on a budget in Europe.

Words and Worlds

By Lusher Life

Holiday Reads? Let's find out which books to take on holiday with us.

Travel Bugg

By Ashleigh

A Substack to help you travel the world

Our Portugal Journey

By Carol

Letters from Portugal exploring travel, culture, wine, and the quiet rhythms of everyday life.

The Challenges and Experiences of a couple of American ExPats in Portugal. For those interested in why people leave their country of birth, searching for somewhere different to live, this is for you 👍

- David Pejčinović-Bailey MBE

Living Danishly with Helen Russell

Author of 7 books inc The Year of Living Danishly. Former ed marieclaire.co.uk turned Scandinavia correspondent. I write about what it means to live a good life around the world (when not herding mini Vikings). Laura Clark Is Away From Her Desk out July.

musings by mika

By Mika

Honest musings on the twists and turns of leaning into creativity and see behind the scenes of my Substack journey. *NEW* Side Quest Queens: A supportive, fun, like-minded community for distractible queens.👑

Digital Detox (13-17 July 2026) - by Claire Venus 💫

By Claire

Home of mini courses/ challenges on Substack. Next up - digital detox week!! Build with clarity & confidence so that you can earn sustainably, share your work with joy & build a publication that truly supports you & lights you up.

Claire is a confident, no nonsense Substack expert, that provides realistic and actionable steps to improve anyones Substack. I know this, as its working for me!

- David Pejčinović-Bailey MBE

Sunhats and Chardonnay

By Laura

Sunhats & Chardonnay is a place for reflections on travel, retirement, aging, poetry, and a fiction spotlight on new releases and a debut author’s unfolding journey.

Postcards from Shetland

By Misa Hay

Two decades ago, I moved to Shetland—a choice that shaped every part of my life. Here, between sea and sky, I built a home, raised a family, and grew a small creative business. I write about island life, creative work, and what keeps me inspired.

Documentally

A human authored journal in search of novelty, exploring what we share, how we share, and where we’re going.

🎙️ An Englishman in the Balkans 🎧

By David Pejčinović-Bailey MBE

What’s it like to live in Bosnia? Join an over 70 year old Englishman navigating rural life, sharing firsthand stories of village life, cultural surprises, and the ups and downs of living abroad. Perfect for anyone curious about slow living.

I only take pics

By Flavio Massignan

travel blogger and a photographer or maybe none of them

There are travel bloggers and photographers, and there is Flavio. Flavio's style of taking you with him on his adventurous are a mixture of easy storytelling and tips and suggestions of places to visit and what to do when you get there.

- David Pejčinović-Bailey MBE

FROM MONTANA TO PORTUGAL

By Janelle

Weekly dispatches from a woman who sold everything and moved from Montana to Portugal. True stories about building a life abroad, finding your voice, and what freedom actually costs.

France in Between

By Betty Carlson

A personal yet informative take on France's small to middling towns -- the scenic, the offbeat, and the nitty-gritty.

What a way to find out, (learn) about, France! 34 years living in a country she wasn't born in, makes Betty the ultimate tour guide, in my opinion. She surely "Walks the Talk". I cant wait to see where she takes us.

- David Pejčinović-Bailey MBE

Do Stuff∴Stuff Happens by Penfriend. Music/art/life.

By Laura Kidd 💌 Penfriend

I write sad songs to make you feel better, and share my creative journey to encourage you along yours. We're in this together x 🌈❤️ She/her.

A Day Well Spent

By Leyla Kazim

The newsletter for people who suspect they're meant for something other than this. I help you become aware of the systems that do not serve you → reclaim your agency → use it to build your freedom.

Off-grid and Entertaining in Portugal

By Alastair Leithead

Despatches from a former BBC foreign correspondent now running an off-grid eco-luxe lodge on the Alentejo coast

Alastair's storytelling from Portugal is both addictive and compelling. One of my MUST reads.

- David Pejčinović-Bailey MBE

FlakPhoto Digest

By Andy Adams

A community hub for photography people

JR Travel & Kitchen

JR Travel and Test Kitchen

Beyond the Walls | Street Art + Travel

By Giulia Blocal

A newsletter about street art, graffiti, off-the-beaten-path travel and life. Every 1st of the month, since 2014.

Giulia gives a fascinating insight into Street Art and Graffiti, with "Off the Beaten Path Travel" thrown in. A riveting read and its made me eagerly await each publication. Highly Highly recommended.

- David Pejčinović-Bailey MBE

Expat in Portugal

By Nancy Whiteman

Two old white women escape the US and move to Portugal.

World Stories, Told My Way

Travel documentary and studio portrait photographer and writer, interested in the telling of stories, whether from people or the past. I have a special, but non-exclusive, interest in those from the former Yugoslavia.

A Kick Up The Balkans

By Bronwyn Jones

This newsletter covers my work in the Balkans plus policy analysis on Kosovo and Balkan politics and more. Want to buy me a coffee? buymeacoffee.com/bronwyn or become a paid subscriber and support my work.

Teri's Doing It!

Time is finite. I don't want any regrets. Making the most of every minute. Doing it!

Slow Scottish Stories

By Molly Ella

The gentle publication that empowers 16K+ readers to live their own version of a slow life (written from my Scottish Highland Tiny Home) 🐌🌱✒️

Growing Season

By Camilla Dugonjic

I like to grow things (mostly food), and in the process, I experience a lot of growth as a woman on this earth. Here are my thoughts on the wisdom in the soil.

Bottled Embers

By Jenny Homan

A, dare I say, unique - DARK Sci-Fi/Fantasy that cuts to the bone and never flinches. About a young girl trying to find her place, while battling past trauma and a genetic illness. A family broken and put back together and healing together.

Music, nature & field recording with Alice Boyd

A space where I share thoughts on my adventures as a musician, field recordist and sound artist.

Balkan Stories

By Chris Baumgarten

by Chris Baumgarten. Journalist, human being, rooted in material and social reality. Besides that, strong passion for the Balkans. Find out more at balkanstories.net

Mariah J. K. Dolenc

American woman living in Slovenia with my Slovenian husband and our four international, bilingual children.

Expect the Unexpected

By Lois Thomson Bowersock

Expect the unexpected with a flare of humor and enjoy a quick escape from daily stressors. Adventures in travel, with an eye for the unusual. Life experiences as viewed from the perspective of a "person of a certain age."

Postcards by Fabienne

By Fabienne Mannherz

Your traditional postcard gone digital. Best enjoyed with a cosy drink. Shows up rather surprisingly. Will leave you with a warm hug as you follow the footsteps of a marine scientist within the Nordics – who could just be your girl next door.

The Sarajevo Haggadah Project

By Aleksandra Buncic

Latest discoveries on the Sarajevo Haggadah, Sephardic culture and cuisine, medieval art, and more! For sure!

Written by Raza

By Raza Hasanović

Written by Raza is a journal reflecting on soul-driven living, Bosnian culture, and personal stories of war and American immigrant life on The Bosnia Diaries.

The Substack Soirée

By Sara & Keeley

Free resources and insights to help make your Substack the most exclusive party in town. *PLUS* a new class from ME&ORLA. Subscribe to hear more!

I'm finding out, practically, that "You're never to old to learn"

- David Pejčinović-Bailey MBE

East of Ethnia

By Eric Gordy

Balkan politics, society, and culture, with some forays into other things.

The Metamorphosis Map

By Lisa Cunningham DeLauney

Tips, sketches and stories to make positive change at work and in life, wherever you may roam in the world.