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 Sheree from the Business of Blogging course.
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Sheree and I am the awkward British wanderluster behind wingingtheworld.com, a blog that tells my stories of winging it on the road and generally being a bit useless all round. I hope that by sharing my stories and misadventures, even the most awkward travel-shy person can be inspired to explore.
How did you get started traveling?
I left university in 2012 with a Criminology degree and no idea what to do next. Without much thought and knowing that I needed some money coming in quickly, I moved home and took the first job I could find. After a few of months working in a factory, the nine to five really began to get me down and I started to look for ways to change my life. As I was reading through emails filled with endless job bulletins, I saw an advertisement for an agency who specialised in sending English speaking graduates over to China to become teachers. As soon as I read it, something inside me knew that this was the opportunity I had been waiting for. I had always been interested in seeing the world but as I was clueless and broke, I had never really considered it as an option. Teaching in China would give me the opportunity to explore a new culture and provide me with an income at the same time. I decided to apply and much to my shock was offered a teaching position at English First in Wuhan. I didn’t know it then but the trip to China would be where my travel infatuation would start. It would be fair to say it has been the catalyst for everything that has happened in my life ever since!
How did you like teaching in China? What tips can you share for others thinking of going to China to teach?
I loved teaching in China as for me it signified the start of a new chapter in my life. Whilst initially I had lots of ‘What the hell am I doing?!’ moments, the teaching itself came far more naturally than I expected and was really rewarding. My main piece of advice for someone else thinking of going to China to teach would be to just do it! Try not to overthink it, as it is really easy to freak out when you consider the things you need to do to prepare for a teaching job abroad. Don’t be afraid of winging it, you’ll be surprised by just how adaptable you are!
What are some of your favorite places you’ve been to?
I have been to so many places that I adore, it is difficult to pick favourites. For the people, my choice would be Cambodia. I have never known people with such a friendly and accommodating nature, not to mention a cracking sense of humour. For a bit of city living, I fell in love with Hong Kong. I love its colour and vibrancy and in my opinion, it is the perfect blend of East and West. It offers the best of Asian culture as well as enough westernisation to make it feel like home.
For me, travel is less about the place itself and more about the experiences I have whilst I’m there. As someone who is plagued by a whole manner of phobias and crippling self-doubt, the thing I enjoy most about travel is the challenge. I’m scared of pretty much everything and accomplishing fears (whilst horrible at the time) stand out as my favourite travel memories. My first time ascending the Eiffel Tower sticks out for me. Not having realised I was afraid of heights until half way up, vertigo got so bad that I had to ascend the final few flights of stairs on my hands and knees. Another terrifying moment that I am now able to look back on fondly (it’s always easier in hindsight) was getting up close to wild monkeys in Thailand. Admittedly, I was nearly scalped which made me mildly hysterical at the time, but I still believe that saying yes to the experience despite my misgivings was a huge achievement for me.
What advice do you have for other travelers who might have doubts about their ability to travel and deal with challenging situations?
To anyone who feels like they are too much of wimp to travel, believe me when I say you’re not. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t have a clue what I’m doing and spend the majority of my time abroad lurching from disaster to disaster but everyone has to start somewhere. The hardest part of travel is surprisingly not the things that you encounter on the road (despite how terrifying they seem at the time) but actually making that trip in the first place.
Where are you heading in 2017?
I saw in the new year with a trip to Morocco which was great. Not only was it good to escape the chilling British winter but it was my first visit to Africa. Since the trip, I have returned to my current job where I work in the logistics department for a board game company. At the moment, I am trying to save as much as possible, along with my boyfriend Tim, so that we can finance another big trip.
Towards the latter part of the year, we plan to make an extended visit to South America. It is a part of the world neither of us has ever visited and I am very keen to improve my Spanish. We haven’t really given much thought to an itinerary yet, preferring to wing it as we go but I imagine we will take the cheapest flight we can and go from there. Tim has recently completed his TEFL course so we both hope to do a bit teaching as we travel around the continent. Hopefully working along the way will help us with financing our travels.
Tell us about your blog!
Ever since I was a child I had always enjoyed writing, and I constantly came up with stories. As an adult, and with the pressure of education looming, writing for pleasure took a back seat and academic writing took its place. After leaving university and embarking on a backpacking trip around South East Asia, I began to write again. It was only a personal travel journal but surprisingly the entries got quite a few hits and I gained a small following back home. When I returned from the trip, I began to miss writing about my experiences and decided to start the site that has become Winging the World.
The site has been live for just over six months now and is growing steadily. Initially, I struggled to find my niche but I eventually decided on creating a general travel resource, all from the perspective of someone who doesn’t have a clue what they’re doing. The site offers advice to both new and experienced travellers whilst at the same time sharing some of my mishaps from my time on the road. When it comes to travel, I think it is so important to have an open mind; dabbling into the unknown undoubtedly comes with issues but as a traveller it is important to see the humour in a situation and move on. I try to make my advice and stories relatable by showing my readers that it’s not all about pristine Instagram photos and that it is okay to get it wrong sometimes.
What has been your biggest blogging success so far?
In the grand scheme of things, my blog is still a baby so I am still far from where I want to be. I think for me the biggest achievement to come from my writing so far has been being scouted and interviewed by the guys over at Great Destinations Radio Show. It’s great to know that people enjoy my writing, I just need to continue to work hard on the marketing side of my blog to get the word out there.
What struggles have you had during your blogging career? How have you overcome them?
My main struggle is finding time to devote to the blog whilst I am at home working a full-time job. I have a four-hour commute to work which means writing, marketing, and all the other aspects that come with having a blog are often done on the move. I try to update as regularly the site as possible and try not to beat myself up too much if I don’t stick to my schedule. I never started blogging to get rich. I just did it because I loved it. Naturally, it would be great if I can find a way to bring in some financial support for my travels from my writing but for me, it is the enjoyment of the blogging process that is the most important.
What do you enjoy the most about blogging?
I know it’s a cliché, but the thing I enjoy the most about blogging is telling my stories and encouraging others to live theirs. The brilliant thing about travel is once you try it, you get hooked. I want to bring the passion I have to others and eradicate the self-doubt that holds so many people back. If I hadn’t closed my eyes and jumped in feet first I would never have known what I would be missing!
In addition to this course, what other resources do you rely on for help or information?
I read a hell of a lot which helps me to develop my writing. Novels are my books of choice but I also use news apps to keep up to date on what is happening in the world of travel and retweet this content to my followers. I completely agree with Matt when he says reading will make you a better writer. I find the more that I read, the easier the words flow and the more inspiration I find. Reading helps you think of things from other perspectives and also shows you what you need to stand out from the crowd. I constantly ask myself what I would find useful and would enjoy reading and produce content based on this.
Why do you keep blogging?
It is easy to get down when you struggle to keep Instagram followers or have technical issues with your website. The main reason that I carry on blogging is for the love of it. I am passionate about travel and about writing. Even if no-one else were to read my blog, I enjoy writing it so much that I would keep it up anyway.
What is one thing you wish you knew before you started blogging?
I wish I knew how much time blogging would take. People think you bang out an article and that’s it but the writing is really the tip of the iceberg. The social media, self-promotion, and networking are the hardest things to keep up with but are vital if you want to continue to grow your blog into a successful and useful resource.
What are your blogging goals for 2017?
My blogging goals for this year are to network as much as possible. I aim to make more friends on the road and let go of the itinerary a bit more. I used to be an avid planner but I’m trying to cool it off a bit. As much as I hate to admit it, some of my most precious travel experiences have been a result of being spontaneous and saying yes.
What apps do you use that make your blogging easier when traveling?
I use Feedly and BBC News to keep up to date with current travel news to share with my followers. I also use Skyscanner. This may not relate to my blogging directly but it speeds up the whole travel planning process and allows me to devote more time to my writing.
What is one thing you can’t travel without?
I would be absolutely lost without my kindle, I take far too many long bus journeys to show up without some reading material!
What camera/video gear do you travel with?
Previously I have always just travelled with my iPhone 6. I like the freedom of being able to snap while I’m on the go so I am also looking at investing in a GoPro before my next trip to make the most of those action shots.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a new blogger?
This question is a bit weird for me as I still consider myself to be a new blogger. I guess my advice would have to be to keep at it. Your traffic probably won’t grow as fast as you’d like and very quickly you will realise you’ve taken on a hobby that will begin to take up the majority of your time. That doesn’t mean to say it’s not worth it though, it is great to hear you are the reason that someone else decides to start travelling.
Tell us about your blog and where we can find you on social media.
My blog is the story of a clueless Brit wandering the world in search of new adventures but being consumed by fear and apprehension at the idea. I want to prove that with my wealth of phobias and social awkwardness when it comes to pretty much any interaction, that if I can travel then anyone can. Keep up with my misadventures on wingingtheworld.com and also find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Maybe I’ll see you on the road!