Claire Algarme

Claire Algarme is a Filipina travel blogger and writer behind the platform "First-Time Travels." The blog, launched in 2009, serves as a resource for novice travelers, sharing personal reflections, observations, and experiences from her extensive journeys. Algarme documents her adventures through detailed writing and photography, covering destinations across the Philippines and internationally. Her content emphasizes that all travelers start somewhere, providing insights to encourage those new to exploration. As a freelance writer, Algarme's work has appeared in publications such as Biz Events Asia and Sun.Star Bacolod, where she also maintained a column. She further contributes to cultural preservation as a certified Wikipedian for the Wikimedia Foundation's Cultural Heritage Mapping project. Her contributions to the travel sphere have earned several distinctions, including a finalist spot in the 2010 Tourism Authority of Thailand Medical Tourism Blog Contest; a win in Globe Telecom's #Wonderful Blog Contest, which took her to Auckland, New Zealand; and selection for the Kerala Blog Express Season four in India in 2017. Tripoto also recognizes "First-Time Travels" as a Top Travel Blog. A deep passion for travel underlies her work, alongside the belief that exploration profoundly shifts perspectives and fosters patience.