Hi, I’m Shiraz, the photographer and creator behind The Unexplored Backyard. I share travel and hiking destinations across Europe, with a community of over 146,000 people on Instagram (@theunexploredbackyard), where I document my travels in real time.
A little bit about me and why I created this blog:
I am a Danish travel content creator who is obsessed with exploring Europe and all of the gems our continent has to offer! I have lived in 7 different countries in Europe and Asia, so I think it’s safe to say that travel is in my DNA.
I have traveled to 31 countries throughout my life, so I would consider myself a seasoned traveler. While I mention this to hopefully build some credibility with you, I don’t put a whole lot of weight on my country count. I try to focus on actually experiencing a country beyond its capital city and top tourist spots, and often find myself returning to the same countries over and over again.
I created this blog as a creative outlet for everything that I love. After a few years of exploring my passions, I fell in love with photography and graphic design, and so combined with my love for travel, The Unexplored Backyard was born.
On this blog, I only share my personal travel tips and itineraries based on the places that I have visited. All of the photos and videos are my own, and the information I share is everything I would have wanted to know before visiting, and any other details that I think will be helpful for you! ✨
I believe that every country is filled with hidden gems that most locals don’t even know about, since they only look for vacations abroad. I am here to inspire you to travel differently. Before you go on that expensive trip to Bali on the other side of the world, check what you can see in your own or neighboring countries. This is not only a cost-effective way to travel, but it has so many other benefits as well. By going on more day trips and weekend trips, you can fill your days with a lot more travel than you may have expected! In addition, exploring locally using public transport is a much more environmentally friendly way to travel, and helps support your local communities.
I urge you to get outside and explore your own “backyards” on the weekends, I promise you will be surprised as to how much beauty your country has to offer.
Through this blog and my Instagram community, I aim to inspire people to explore the hidden places in their own backyards across Europe.
