Whenever I tell anyone what I do for a living, they always ask how I got started. So here it is, how I became a travel influencer. I’ve been doing this for 15 years now and here’s how I got started as a travel blogger and how I kept going as an influencer! Education to …
Blogging
Last week I published a blog post about travel content creation and how that leads to blogging passive income (aka, the best way to earn a living ever!) The response from you guys was amazing and I’ve had so many follow-up questions. The main question being: ‘How do you turn your passion for travel into …
Today's blog is all about how to improve your travel photography with these simple but very effective photography hacks! They come from Lisa, a professional photographer who shares her travel photography tips over on The Wandering Lens. Her photography is absolutely stunning so check out her Instagram feed too! Lisa has also contributed to my blogging …
In this series of blogging posts I’m attempting to answer some of the questions I’m asked as a full-time blogger and freelancer. I’m often approached by people who have begun to earn a small side income through blogging and freelance work and want to know how to make the leap and do this full time. …
Are you looking for a quick and easy way to backup your iPhone without spending a fortune on iCloud storage? Today I’m sharing the simplest way to backup your iPhone. It doesn't take hours You don't need to pay for online storage You can access files without Wifi You can easily backup your files while …
I shared a few photos of Alba on Instagram earlier this week and received a flurry of messages (OK, about 10 messages) from people asking for some tips for taking photos of their kids. I wasn’t going to write a whole blog post about this. I’m not a professional photographer, I barely ever take my …
Is a standing desk really worth it? Here's my review of the FlexiSpot E7 Standing Desk and my experience using it. I’ve been intrigued by the concept of standing desks for years. When I’m not travelling I spend a lot of time sat at my desk, probably a bit too much time sat at my …
Taking time out to go travelling doesn’t have to mean taking a career break. There’s plenty of ways you can see the world and still further your career at the same time. I’m of the opinion that going travelling proves initiative and a willingness to expand your horizons, but I understand when people are reluctant …
Whether you’re just starting out with your blog or you want to turn your blog into your full time career, I have lots of blog posts crammed with my blogging tips and advice. Maybe you’d like to set up a blog as a creative online scrapbook or a platform to advertise your businesses, I cannot …
Starting a blog from scratch can be a daunting process. Where do you even begin? There’s so much to do, so much to learn and so many people offering conflicting advice. When I first began blogging there weren’t as many bloggers on the block so I didn’t have as many people to compare myself to. …
Is one of your New Year's resolutions to improve your blog? Or maybe start a blog from scratch? If it is, you're definitely not alone! Many of us want to revamp and re-energise our blogs in the new year so I've put together a list of blogging workshops and e-courses to help. Even if you're …
On Saturday I attended Nuffnang’s blogger’s workshop at CitizenM hotel in London. I’ve written about a few different blogging conferences and workshops such as Cybher, Traverse, Blogstock and Food Blogger Connect. I love going to blogging workshops mainly because I love being able to meet new bloggers, no matter what blogger category they fall into. …
Welcome to the second post in our series of Christmas gift guides. Last year, I put together a Christmas gift guide for travel lovers so this year there are going to be lots of guides for different types of travellers and travel lovers. First up, we’ve got the Christmas gift guide for bloggers. My Passport …
It's quick one this week as I'm writing this just before I head out to Blogstock! Blockstock is the world's first blogging festival. It's been put together by the guys behind Traverse, an informal and fun travel blogging conference. I spoke at the last conference about social media and I've been asked to speak again! …
I’m writing this post sat in Montana Airport. I have a short layover before I fly to Minnesota for a 7 day trip exploring some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. I had the usual grilling with US security as they questioned me about why I’m visiting the US. I usually lie and …
The second #BloggerCourse Twitter chat will be Tuesday June 14th at 7-8pm UK time! We’re going to be chatting about ‘Blogger Struggles’ and how to overcome them. Yes, this will be a chance to have a bit of a rant about what’s difficult in the world of blogging. Do you ever try and chat to …
Sign up here to receive updates about my 12-week blogger e-course In case you missed it, last week I posted the first half of my Blogstock talk about how to be a figure blogger. Here's the second half of my talk with more about my really basic SEO guide, quick tips and how I make …
Sign up here to receive updates about my 12-week blogger e-course It wasn’t long ago that I was calling myself a ‘freelancer’ and I’d correct anyone who referred to me as a ‘full time blogger’. When I first quit my job to work for myself the majority of my income came from freelancing copywriting and …
The worst thing that happened while I was travelling I spent nearly 2 years travelling through SE Asia and Australia and I was actually really lucky - barely anything went wrong. I was never disastrously ill or mugged. I never ran out of money or had to spend a night sleeping on the streets. I …
A few weeks ago I was incredibly honoured and excited to be invited to Google HQ in London. I was asked to speak on a panel focusing on the opportunities and challenges for travel brands. When on Earth did this happen? When did I become the kind of person to speak on panels? But apparently …
Check out my 12-week blogger e-course if you're interested in becoming a full time blogger. ‘Niche’. Urgh, it’s a horrible word. But it’s a word I’ve been saying A LOT recently. I’ve been speaking at a few blogger events and conferences and the word ‘niche’ keeps coming up. Why? Because having a niche when blogging …
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 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 blogging for a long time now and my favourite thing about this crazy online world is the way The Travel Hack is basically my online travel journal and a place to store all of my precious travel memories. I often sit down at my laptop to do some work but end up reading …
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 …
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 …
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 …
My honest review of the Spivo 360 rotating selfie stick, the latest swivel selfie stick for GoPros, action cameras and smartphones. [one_half padding="0 5px 0 5px"][/one_half][one_half_last padding="0 5px 0 5px"][/one_half_last] If you were reading the blog last week you will have seen that I’ve recently been sent a new GoPro HERO 6 which I …
I was recently sent the Pixter Wide Angle Lens Pro and to the Pixter Flexible Tripod to review. This is part of the Pixter Travel Pack and retails for £64.90 (currently reduced from £89.80). On my first day testing it out I met up with The Travel Hack Team so we all had a little go 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 …
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 …
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 …
Welcome to the fourth day of our 7 Day Summer Giveaway. Today’s prize is one for the bloggers out there as we’re giving away a pair of tickets to Blogstock! What is Blogstock? Blogstock is the world’s only blogging festival. If you love blogging, you love festivals, you want to improve your blogging skills 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 …
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 …