Each week we feature an interview with a member of the Superstar Blogging community. These interviews highlight the ups and downs faced on the road to success, illuminating helpful tips and tricks along the way. If you want to get inspired and succeed in the world of travel blogging, video, writing, or photography then consider these interviews must-read material! This week we are featuring Nathan from the Business of Blogging course.
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Nathan, and I write The TRVL Blog. I am 25 years old and I’m originally from Manchester, England. This isn’t going to be the most exciting background story, so don’t be expecting much! I went to university in Sheffield, where I studied a degree in Business Management. I got straight into my first full-time job after finishing university. My first job was with a bank, based in Manchester.
As the story goes, I got bored and since that, I’ve been on a 6-month trip around South East Asia. When I came home, I got another job with the same bank. You guessed it, I got bored again. I then set off for a trip to Sri Lanka, followed by a working holiday stint in Australia, living in Melbourne and finally a trip to the USA, Mexico, Guatemala and Belize.
I’m now back home in Manchester. You might be glad to hear that I have no plans to return to the bank and I’m looking for a career in marketing. The long-term plan is to move back to Melbourne – I fell in love with that city!
In all honesty, prior to my first trip to South East Asia, I wasn’t massively interested in travelling far and wide. Now I just can’t get enough of all things travel. One of my favourite things about a trip is researching. I love to research different places, seeing where would suit me best. I would say my other main interest in life is football (soccer to you Americans), I would absolutely love to go to a football game in South America, they look crazy!
How did you get started traveling?
I think the way I began is pretty much how the majority of people get started. The age-old story of being stuck in the mundane job, getting bored, thinking this isn’t for me and booking that flight. My first backpacking trip was to South East Asia, where I began my travels with a flight to Bangkok. Although the usual South East Asian countries on the backpacking route were brilliant, it was the Philippines and Indonesia (not so much Bali), which really hooked me in, cementing my desire to explore countries not exactly off the beaten track, but ones that are less touristy.
What are some of your favorite places you’ve been to?
My most recent trip involved travelling around Mexico for 2 months. After 2 months in such a diverse and beautiful country, I have to say that Mexico is definitely one of my favourite places. Mexico City is a particular highlight for me. To be honest, I didn’t expect a great deal from the Mexican capital. However, it surpassed all expectations. There was so much to do and see there; the museums were some of the very best I’ve visited. As for the food, well, it was out of this world. From breakfast to dinner, I never had a bad meal. In terms of Mexico’s beaches, Balandra Beach just outside of La Paz is up there with the most beautiful I’ve seen.
Melbourne will always have a special place in my heart. I lived there for 8 months. The city is like no other in Australia. There’s a cosmopolitan vibe, similar to what you’d find in a European city. Once again, the food was a huge factor for me. Melbourne is also the city that turned me into a coffee lover. The weather might not be for everyone, but I’m from Manchester, so a slightly cold and rainy winter doesn’t bother me at all.
Another country which stands out in my mind is Indonesia. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the places we visited in Bali. However, the other places we visited were wonderful. The stand out highlights are seeing Komodo dragons and orangutans in the wild. Hiking around Komodo National Park for a couple of days, while coming face to face with the world’s largest and deadliest lizard is something I’ll never forget. As for the orangutans, we stayed on a boat for 3 days in the jungle in Tanjung Puting National Park, where we saw orangutans going about their daily business, which was incredible.
Have you had any misadventures during your travels? Have you ever felt unsafe?
The misadventure which stands out in my mind was the time that I went kayaking through rapids in Laos. Now let me just set the scene: I had never kayaked prior to this, let alone through rapids. We arrived at the most intense rapids I had seen (well, they seemed it at the time), where we would enter the water.
We then received 1-minute instructions in broken English. Unfortunately, I do have a tendency to zone out during important instructions, so of course, that’s exactly what I did. Not even 30 seconds after entering the water, our kayak toppled over and I was floating down the rapids at speed. My limbs were smashing against sharp rocks and I was struggling to catch my breath. I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but I was close to drowning. Luckily, the guide (who was later sniffing lighter fluid while on his kayak) managed to pull me out.
Never again!
How long have you been blogging? Why did you start?
I’ve been blogging for around a year now. I initially started after my trip to South East Asia. The reason why I started was down to my desire to have a career in digital marketing. I thought the blog would be a good way to showcase my skills. Well, the job in digital marketing didn’t happen and I was on my way to Sri Lanka not too long after being in England. However, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed blogging and now it has become a hobby.
What struggles have you had during your blogging career? How have you overcome them?
Often the biggest struggle has been feeling like I’m getting absolutely nowhere. When the stats don’t improve, I feel like I’ve hit a brick wall. It’s when I get the feeling of coming to a halt that I start doubting everything about my blog, from the content, even down to the name. However, I just have to take a step back, look at how far I’ve come and realize that improvement will come, however, it doesn’t always come instantly.
What always helps me to realize that my content isn’t all too bad these days, is by taking a look at my very first blog post. That always gives me a good laugh and shows me how much my writing style has improved!
What do you enjoy the most about blogging?
The thing I would say I most enjoy about blogging (this may be a cliché) is the getting to know everyone in the blogging community. I’ve always been my own biggest critic and I find putting my own work out there slightly daunting. However, whether it be people on Twitter or others in the Superstar Blogging Facebook group, everyone is so supportive. Also, I know that I could turn to people either on Twitter or on the Facebook group if I do have any questions at all, everyone is always more than happy to help and give tips. It’s not like some other industries where a lot of people are in it for themselves. People seem genuinely happy to see others succeed. What is not to like about that?
What has been a recent blogging success of yours?
Last month I hit the 2000 mark for unique visitors on my blog in a month. This might not sound like a huge amount to some people. However, this is a big win for me. I remember at the back end of 2016, looking at my stats and thinking to myself that I’ll never even get over 1000 visitors in a month. Sometimes my stats may be stagnant for a few weeks, but in general, I’ve seen continuous improvement, something that I’m always looking to build on.
In addition to this course, what other resources do you rely on for help/information?
I’m always reading other blogs. I must have 100+ blogs on my WordPress reading list and this continues to grow. I’m always on the search for new and interesting content. Some of my favourite blogs to follow are Alex in Wanderland, Expert Vagabond, Nomadic Matt, The Broke Backpacker, and Be My Travel Muse.
As well as other blogs, I’ve started reading from the recommended reading list on the course. Steven King’s On Writing was my first read, which helped me a great deal with my writing style and nailing down the basics. My next read is Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing.
I’m always looking to develop skills which will likely help me in the future with my blog/website. One area of knowledge I’ve been particularly keen to improve on is HTML & CSS. After a recommendation on the Superstar Blogging Facebook group, I’ve been learning all things HTML & CSS through Code Academy. I literally had no clue about this subject prior to my learning through Code Academy. Don’t get me wrong, I am no expert, but I’ve certainly learnt a great deal in regards to the basics.
What are your blogging goals for 2017?
My main goal is to increase my audience. For me, I measure the success of my blog on the size of my audience. I hope to reach the 5000+ mark for monthly unique visitors by the end of the year.
This doesn’t mean to say I will be neglecting other areas. An area that I feel I need to improve is my writing style. What’s the best way to improve your writing? This one’s simple, by reading. I’m reading as much as possible in my spare time, whether that be other blogs, books or online articles.
I will also look to continuously improve my social media presence through consistent engagement on all social media channels.
Why do you keep blogging?
In all honesty, I enjoy it. It’s certainly not for the money because I haven’t earned any yet. I’ve got no plans in the pipeline at the moment to quit my job and become full-time. At the present, it is nothing more than a hobby. I enjoy seeing the continuous improvements, not only in my stats, but in my writing style, photography and more. Blogging has also forced me to learn new skills, such as HTML, CSS, SEO, and how to edit photos. These skills will not only be used to improve my blog, but also help achieve that sought-after career in marketing.
What apps do you use that make blogging easier when traveling?
I don’t massively rely on apps while I’m travelling to make blogging any easier. That’s not to say I don’t use any apps, just nothing out of the ordinary. I use all the usual social media apps; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest. I would say I use Twitter the most out of them while I’m travelling in order to keep my followers updated in real time.
I also use the WordPress app. If I do get a lightbulb moment when I’m out and about I can quickly create a draft post on the app and perfect this when I get some time on my laptop. I also loosely keep track of my stats on the WordPress app, when I’ve not got my laptop to look at Google Analytics.
The standard iPhone notes app also works well for me as well. I tend to keep a hand-written journal when I’m travelling, but the notes app comes in handy when I want to take down some quick and short notes when we’re out and about.
What is one thing you can’t travel without?
Some people may pull their face at this, but one thing I can’t travel without is my iPhone 6. For one, I always try and regularly update my Twitter when I’m out and about and I wouldn’t be able to do this without my phone. Having my phone with me and regular access to the internet was a big plus during my time in Mexico and Guatemala. Rather shamefully, my Spanish isn’t all too good, so it was a struggle to speak to the locals sometimes, even when ordering food. Well, thank the Lord for Google translate. I have to admit, I would have been stuck a few times on that trip without the help of Google translate!
What one piece of advice you’d give to a fellow blogger?
Don’t compare your blog and your success to others! It can often be disheartening when you see other bloggers tweeting about their successes and your blog seems to be going nowhere. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy for other people’s successes, I’m sure they deserve it. However, it is just human nature to compare your own work and successes to others.
My advice would be to find motivation from this and don’t get disheartened. They could be full-time bloggers working on their blog 60 hours a week while you’re in a full-time job just getting in a few hours a night. Success will come with hard work, sometimes is just takes longer than you think. It’s all about the small wins.
Tell us about your blog and where we can find you on social media!
My blog is The TRVL Blog and it’s focused towards budget travel and in particular, backpacking. I include budget travel tips, destination tips, itineraries and travel stories. My last trip included a working holiday in Australia, so a large chunk of the blog now contains working holiday visa tips.
One of my main aims with the blog is to show people that you don’t need to pay more to get someone else to do something for you. For example, paying for a tour, when you could do exactly what that tour company does for you, but by taking public transport and arranging everything yourself, for much cheaper. Another example is paying someone in Australia to claim your superannuation back for you, this is an easy process, which anyone can do by themselves. Over the years, my aim is to expand the destinations on my blog and to include more off the beaten path locations.
You can find The TRVL Blog on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.