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Work With Me

Welcome to queer travel and lifestyle blog Once Upon a Journey, born on the road over six years ago.

I’m Maartje Hensen (she/they), a Dutch queer travel expert and all-around creative. I run the queer lifestyle and travel brand Once Upon a Journey. My idea for Once Upon a Journey began in 2016, fueled by my passion for traveling and documenting through the written word and captivating imagery.

My biggest belief is that travel is for everyone, and I’m determined to showcase beauty everywhere. I don’t shy away from non-LGBT-friendly countries but also celebrate places where I can truly be myself.

Once Upon a Journey’s travel guides provide queer travelers with all the inspiration and information to go on the gaycation of their dreams!

Arikok National Park, Boca Prins, Aruba

About Once Upon a Journey

Once Upon a Journey was born on the road! I was fully nomadic for three years but have been Netherlands-based again since 2020.

Over the years, Once Upon a Journey has grown into a resource for LGBTQ+ people in travel and lifestyle. It’s the most prominent travel resource for queer & lesbian travelers.

Travel is for everyone because—contrary to popular belief—it doesn’t have one look. I’m determined to showcase how beautiful the world can be!

Happy queer girl Maartje Hensen twirling around on a beach in South Africa

PREVIOUS PARTNERS

Previous partnerships Once Upon A Journey
Once Upon A Journey Lesbian Travel Blog Featured In Forbes Autostraddle Cosmopolitan

And more… see my Press & Publications page

Statistics

Currently (February 2023), onceuponajrny.com gets over 170,000 unique monthly visitors and over 220,000 monthly page views on onceuponajrny.com, resulting in over 2.3 million annual views.

Once Upon a Journey’s audience is primarily based in the Americas (50%) and Europe (30%). Half of Once Upon a Journey’s audience is millennials and gen z between 18 and 34.

In addition, I have a following of over 43,000 on my Instagram account @maartjehensen and TikTok account @maartje.hensen.

170,000 unique visitors
220,000 page views
> 2.3 million annual views

50% Americas
30% Europe

26,000 IG followers
17,000 TikTok followers

Request a Media Kit

For more information on my stats, demographics, and more, please request a media kit via [email protected].

What I Do

I love visiting new destinations but also returning to places I have visited. I’m passionate about content creation in the form of writing and photographing.

Through authentic content, I tell my story. All my experiences are my own, and what I share with my audience is unique and trustworthy.

People visit my blog and follow my travels to be inspired and get the best (queer) travel tips.

I partner with welcoming brands, tourism destinations, tour operators, airlines, events, and accommodations worldwide that would love to promote their business/destination to my highly engaging, mainly queer, audience.

Maartje Hensen from Once Upon a Journey queer travel writer photographer

Why Partner With Me?

UNIQUE STORY

Maartje has a unique story and a unique audience to listen to.

Opening up about their life and being their complete self makes them relatable and trustworthy, which is why readers value their recommendations.

UNIQUE POSITION

Once Upon A Journey is one of only a few female-specialized queer travel blogs and has quickly grown into one of the biggest queer and lesbian travel resources.

QUALITY

Happiness and the beauty of traveling are showcased on all Once Upon A Journey channels through high-quality content: personal storytelling and colorful imagery.

Content that inspires!

RESILIENCE

The LGBTQ community is known for its resilience, and LGBTQ travelers are leading the way to tourism recovery.

What I Can Offer

I offer professional SEO-optimized written content and high-quality visual content to promote businesses and destinations on my queer travel blog and social media channels.

Find me on:

I also offer customized content marketing strategies to your needs on my platforms, plus I can create content for your marketing strategy. I’m always open to new ideas.

Please get in touch with us through email if you are interested in partnering with me.

Once Upon a Journey logo

Partnership Opportunities

  • Destination marketing and tourism campaigns
  • Content creation in the form of photography, videography, and/or writing
  • Sponsored content on my website and/or social media
  • Press trips
  • Brand ambassadorship and media collaborations
  • Consulting and/or speaking engagements about blogging, social media, photography
  • Professional photography and/or videography (incl. product photography, property photography, and portrait photoshoots)
  • Social media marketing

Once Upon A Journey is always open to new ideas; feel free to email your proposal.

Once Upon a Journey