I’ve finally written this post after lots of requests by my fellow travel bloggers who are having babies or thinking about having children in the future. There are lots of bloggers who love their career, but can’t see how they could maintain their business and travel lifestyle if they had a baby. Everyone likes to …
Blogging Tips
In October I’m expecting my third baby and my mind is already turning to my self-employed maternity leave. It isn’t easy to manage maternity leave when you work for yourself but I did OK with my first two babies and plan to do something similar again. I took my maternity leave the opposite way around …
If you follow my Instagram stories you will have seen that I recently did a shout out for blog post ideas. I have this problem where I sway between having so many ideas, so much inspiration and so much excitement to create new posts that I actually don’t create anything. I want to do it …
This is a question I’m asked about all the time so I thought it was finally time I addressed it in a blog post! When people realise that a big part of the job for many (not all) travel bloggers and journalists is attending press trips, people always ask, ‘So what happens when you go …
I’ve blogged about blogging and finding the balance between work and family life a lot here on The Travel Hack. But I still have lots of blogging related questions so after a quick Q&A session on Instagram I’ve pulled them all together into my travel blogger Q&A! If you have any more questions, please do …
This is a very belated post I've had sitting in my drafts since the summer but things have finally quietened down and it's time to tell you more about The Blogger Course Weekender! If you followed me on Instagram and Twitter in the spring you will have seen me chatting about #TheBloggerCourseWeekender. I’ve had a …
Today's post is by Zach from Money Nomad and follows nicely last week's post about how I work part time and still earn a decent income. Zach's journey to creating a successful online career has been very different to my own and I find it so interesting to see how other people earn a living …
So you're looking for tips on how to be more efficient? As someone who was once the least efficient person in the world but has managed to turn it around, I'm here to help and share some of my top efficiency tips! If there’s one thing every wants more of, it’s time. How often …
I’ve been away from the blogosphere for a few weeks now. Here’s why… Like all things in life, there are highs and lows, and blogging is no exception. For a few months at a time I’ll be living the dream when it comes to my travel blog. I’ll be filled with passion and inspiration and …
What’s the difference between a blogger and a journalist? This question has cropped up a lot recently, particularly with the recent case of Crystal Cox, investigative blogger, who was sued $2.5 million for libel because she wasn’t protected by the same defence that journalists receive when taken to court. It’s a question I’ve been thinking …
I’ve been studying journalism for 3 months now but I’m starting to wonder if the course will ever help me to be a travel writer? Journalism is a strange topic to study. It feels a bit like reading a text book to become a chef. Is it really something that can be taught in a …
Today’s post is a little bit different as I’d like to show you a really easy way to edit objects out of your photos using a very cheap app. Now before I begin, I’m not one of those bloggers who heavily edits photos. I don’t agree with changing photos so much that the place, person …
It’s been more than a year now since Sam finished my blogging office, a small cabin in the garden just for me and my work. When you live in a fairly small house with two children it can be difficult to find any space just for you. The boys come in to my office from …
I wrote this post while I was in Norway and I was waiting at the airport to fly home. I'd just posted this photo on Instagram and woah, it did better than any other photo I'd ever posted and I was feeling very smug. Yes, I'd nailed it. I'd finally figured out Instagram and I …
In my humble opinion, the secret to a good blog post, particularly a good travel blog post, comes down to two things. Personality Useful information Of course, there are a billion other things but these two are at the top of the list. One thing that should also be on the list is getting straight …
Over the past few years, blogging and being a social media influencer has become big business and the internet is swarming with tips on how to make money through your blog. It's true that with a lot of hard work and a lot of passion, you can turn it into a profitable career but I …
One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is along the lines of how and why I began blogging. Everyone has a different story as to why they started blogging and we’re all nosy by nature! So without further a do, here goes… I began blogging in 2009. It was a time when ‘professional …
Ever since I began travelling way back in 2009 I’ve been looking for a camera that is small: lightweight and easily portable with all the awesome features and image quality of a bigger DSLR. For the past 3 years I’ve been shooting on a Canon 70D and I’ve loved it. I’m not a professional photographer, …
Today I’m sharing my blogging goals for 2018. I’m doing this for a couple of reasons: Accountability – if I write my goals down on the pages of this blog then I’m going to have to try and do it! Nosiness – I’m hoping this post will inspire other bloggers to write something similar and …
I was absolutely honoured when Lucy, the blogger behind Wanderluce and the awesome podcast What She Said, invited me back to the podcast for the second time. What She Said is a podcast for bloggers and creatives and Lucy has interviewed some of the most inspiring women in this crazy blogging world of ours. I …
Today I'm sharing my tips and advice about how you can use Google Analytics for your blog. Google Analytics is such a powerful tool for bloggers and it can really help you understand your audience and identify ways to grow and improve your blog. But it is also a beasty program that can seem complicated …
If you’re in the early stages of planning to be a travel blogger then this is the post for you. I’m often asked how to be a travel blogger so today I’m showing you where to start. This post is for all the people who see travel bloggers jetting off around the world and think, …
One of the hardest things about travelling with all my blogging equipment is keeping it all safe and secure - especially when I've got the little ones with me and I feel like I need 10 extra arms to keep everything and everyone safe! The days of travelling with nothing more than a notepad and …
[mailmunch-form id="477226"] Today’s post is a little off topic from my usual travel blogs so apologise to anyone who isn’t interesting in the whole blogging bubble! There’ll be a travel post up tomorrow so please come back for that! I had a comment on my blog recently from a brand wanting to work with …
Last month I spoke at Traverse blogging conference in Cardiff. I decided to talk about the blogging topic I'm most frequently questioned about - how to transition from being a hobby blogger to a full time blogger. There are so many amazing bloggers out there, working hard and ticking all the boxes and maybe …
I was unsure whether to write this post. I’ve actually written and then deleted it a couple of times now, but it’s something I’m asked about a lot so I feel like it’s time to blog about it. I get lots of lovely emails from readers who have either recently had kids, are pregnant or …
pintrk('load','2612413566639'); pintrk('page'); pintrk('track', 'pagevisit'); How do I start a blog and get free stuff? This is a question I’m asked a lot. Actually, it’s the question I'm asked the most so it makes sense I write a blog post about it. This also means I can give a more detailed answer than I ever could …
Last week I shared with you some of my favourite travel vloggers. Since then I've been chatting to them to find out what if they have any vlogging tips to share with us. They've come back with some brilliant advice with practical tips and insider secrets that you can only gain through years of travel …
This time last year I was terrified. I wasn’t even admitting it to myself how scared I was. I’d just quit my secure, fairly well paid, interesting and enjoyable job and decided to go it alone. Yep, I’d just plunged into the big bad world of freelancing! I wrote a blog post about it, ‘I’m …
Like all things in life, there isn’t a quick and easy way to grow your social media following. I know, I know; it’s the 21st century and we want quick and instant results. We’re used to seeing blog posts with flashy, jazzy titles like, ‘How to instantly grow your blog by millions of followers without …
Applications to join The Travel Hack team are now closed. Thank you so much to everyone who applied. I will be contacting everyone before July 8th. If you applied via the Google form below then I will have definitely received your application. After last week’s announcement that I’m expecting my second baby I’m sure it’ll …
The travel blogging community is obsessed with the term ‘digital nomad’. It pops up on every travel blog with top tips on how to be a digital nomad, why it’s so awesome being a digital nomad, a typical day in the life of a digital nomad and why everyone should quit their jobs to be …
Yesterday I had the pleasure of popping up to Leeds for a day of blogging and networking. Icelolly, the holiday price comparison site, invited a fabulous group of bloggers to their offices for a beach themed day. There were cocktails, palm trees, more cocktails, sun loungers and…yep…more cocktails. It was a lot of fun and …
I’m really excited to announce that I’ll be speaking at a travel blogger event in Leeds next month. The event will be hosted by icelolly.com, the UK’s leading holiday price comparison site. They’re holding #BlogAtTheBeach so they can get to know bloggers who they think could potentially be ambassadors for the brand. It will be taking place …
It’s been a couple of years now since I completed my NCTJ journalism course and I still get lots of emails from readers who ask me if I think it was worth it. One question I’m regularly asked is if it’s worth doing for someone who would like to become a professional blogger. It's hard …
Yes, that's right. As of next month I will be a full time blogger and social media consultant. *Cue excitement and uncontrollable jumping up and down. *Closely followed by wide eyed fear and a little voice at the back of my head that is asking what the hell I just did? Before I begin I …
Vlogging, or video blogging, has become my latest obsession. I’ve always loved being able to read about other people’s travel adventures but being able to watch their adventures is even better. The only problem with travel vlogging is that it’s hard, really hard, so there aren’t many great travel vloggers in comparison to the number …
I don’t know about you but I’m often overwhelmed by the amount of travel blogs floating around the blogosphere. There are loads of blogs I love to read but they get lost in the epic mass of boring updates and pointless posts. My Twitter feed is a never-ending stream of ‘new posts’ and ‘latest reads’ …
The lovely Char Taylor from Taylor Hearts Travel has nominated me to take part in the Blog Hop. It’s a chance for bloggers to show what’s going on behind the scenes of their blogospheres. I don’t know about you but I’m super nosy when it comes to bloggers and I love finding out how and …
As a travel blogger I try to make the most out of every trip I take. I take photos of EVERYTHING, take notes of important facts, I visit every important monument or tourist hot spot, I try all the foodie delicacies and chat to all the locals for an 'insider’s opinion'. I do everything the …