Sophie Baker

Johannesburg · Ginger & Ink

Stories that travel.

Travel writer and content strategist. Bylines in Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Lonely Planet and more. Brand voice and content retainers for hospitality, sport and lifestyle brands.

Condé Nast TravelerTravel + LeisureLonely PlanetThrillistTime OutFEI
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01Travel & food writing

Places, people, food and the stories between them.

Features, destination guides and wildlife dispatches for the world's leading travel publications.

featured article

Food & city

Journeying Into Johannesburg's Underground Food Scene

Condé Nast Traveler

Beyond the Beaches in Zanzibar

Africa

Beyond the Beaches in Zanzibar

Beyond (Etihad In-Flight)

The Stay-In Safari

Safari

The Stay-In Safari

Getaway Magazine

Vegan in the Veld

Food & wine

Vegan in the Veld

Msafiri (Kenya Airways In-Flight)

Fynbos, Food, and Flamingos on the Cape's Wild West Coast

Food & wine

Fynbos, Food, and Flamingos on the Cape's Wild West Coast

Beyond (Etihad In-Flight)

02Writing & strategy

Words that work as hard as they read.

Brand voice, SEO strategy, campaign copy and retainer content for travel, hospitality and lifestyle brands.

Content strategy

Samsung Food — Head of Content

Built behavioural content systems and keyword architecture for a global nutrition and recipe app.

98% YoY organic traffic growth

Samsung Food

Brand copy & SEO retainer

Flight Centre — Brand & SEO Retainer

Campaign copy, travel editorial and SEO content strategy for one of the world's largest travel agencies.

Ongoing brand voice retainer

Flight Centre

Hospitality PR

Shamwari, Isibindi & Grootbos — Hospitality PR

Press releases, media kits, seasonal campaigns and editorial pitch support for South Africa's leading luxury safari and coastal lodges.

International press coverage secured

Shamwari · Isibindi Africa · Grootbos

03Equestrian writing
dressage image

Writing from inside the sport

Fourth-level dressage competitor. FEI-accredited writer.

Technical features, horse profiles and competitive commentary for equestrian sport's most respected publications. Competing at fourth level working toward Prix St. Georges.

FEIChronicle of the HorseDressage Today
See equestrian work →
Sophie always provides copy on time — her work is always accurate, informative and beautifully crafted. An exceptional writer and a genuine pleasure to work with.

Richard Mulligan · Communications Director, FEI

What I actually do

Most writers are good at one thing. I've spent over a decade getting good at several — which means I'm usually the answer to a few different problems at once.

Need a travel feature that makes an editor stop scrolling? I've placed stories with Condé Nast Traveler, Time Out, Thrillist and Travel Africa Magazine — the kind of writing that makes someone want to book a flight.

Need content that actually performs? I led content strategy at Samsung Food and grew organic traffic by 98% year-on-year — not by accident, but by building systems: keyword architecture, editorial calendars, and a content team that knew what it was doing.

Need someone who can write anything and make it sound like a person wrote it? I've covered insurance, pet care, nutrition, B2B marketing and lifestyle for brands across South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the UK — and somehow made car insurance copy not boring.

And if you need someone who understands sport from the inside — I compete in dressage myself, which is why my equestrian writing for the FEI, Chronicle of the Horse and Dressage Today doesn't read like it was written by someone who's never sat on a horse.

So: magazine feature, content strategy, brand copy, or a senior consultant who's done this before — that's me. Have a look around, and if something fits, get in touch.

TravelLifestyleFood & nutritionInsurancePetB2B