The Women in Travel Awards are back for 2026! In this editorial series we are shining a light on some of the incredible women who make up the travel industry.
Tiarna Georghiou was 13 years old when she started her first travel blog. Back then, it was called Life with Tiarna: a teenager sharing holidays with whoever would listen. More than a decade later, the 2025 Women in Travel Awards Horizon Star winner is doing the same thing, only now the world is paying attention.
“I’ve always been a storyteller,” says Georghiou, who recently made the jump from G Adventures into a PR role at an agency with a portfolio of clients across a variety of different industries.
“Whether it was writing or through public speaking – I just love it. So it just made sense.”
That instinct for storytelling has shaped not just her career but her approach to building a personal brand on Instagram, where she’s been quietly growing an audience on her own terms, prioritising authenticity over algorithm-chasing.
“The best stories about travel come from the way it makes you feel. It’s not about the nicest resort or the coolest landmark, ” she says.
View this post on Instagram
It’s a philosophy that translates directly to her content. Georghiou says her Instagram is a deliberate reflection of who she is – full of colour, adventure, and the kind of images that make you want to book a flight. “If someone looked at my Instagram, they would get a really good idea of who I am,” she says. “If you’re trying to build a brand for yourself, it’s important to keep it as authentic to you as possible – because then you’ll find other people that feel the same way.”
One tactic she swears by is Instagram’s trial reels feature, which shows content to non-followers before it hits your existing audience.
“That’s actually where I reach the most people,” she says. For Georghiou, it’s less about vanity metrics and more about genuine connection. It’s not just about followers.
“Even if you’ve got 2,000 followers over 200,000 – if those 2,000 people really identify with what you’re sharing, it’s just as impactful.”
It’s a view echoed increasingly across the industry. Travel brands are waking up to the power of micro-influencers: creators with smaller but deeply engaged communities who can drive real action.
For Georghiou, the Instagram presence was never a calculated career move, it was simply a creative outlet she couldn’t help but feed. But in building it alongside her day job in PR, she’s inadvertently created something that now opens doors. Her advice to others thinking about doing the same? Start, and don’t overthink it.
“You never know what doors it’ll open,” she says. “Just go for it.”
Think you’ve got what it takes to be a Women in Travel Award winner? The awards are open to women at every stage of their career. All you need to do is demonstrate excellence, dedication to the travel industry and a commitment to driving positive change.
Entry is completely free, so there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. We’ve also introduced a new nomination feature, making it easier than ever to shine a spotlight on an exceptional woman deserving of recognition. Individuals can be nominated to enter the awards by their peers but will still need to complete the awards themselves.
Enter the awards here.
