So we’ve been travelling full-time for just over a month now, and I can confidently say that everything is going perfectly. It’s exactly as I expected – we’re consistently in the right place, under budget and living life to the full. We were thoroughly prepared for absolutely everything and-
Ok, obviously that’s not true. And I don’t think anyone in the blogging world would be able to come out and honestly say that. With any big venture, there are going to be some unexpected hurdles that trip you up. Starting out as travel bloggers is no exception.
Some of these will come as a direct result of something you did (or didn’t do). Some will be things that you just didn’t anticipate or expect. The important thing is not to try and avoid mistakes (which is impossible) but to learn from them instead. Here are a few lessons we’ve learned from the problems and mishaps we’ve encountered so far.
My (Jeremy’s) comments in grey
Dagney’s in PURPLE!
Don’t carry too much weight
When we started our blog, we downsized to the point of giving away almost all of our possessions. Aside from leaving a few boxes with relatives (thank you, forever thank you), we took everything else with us. The entirety of our new lives was resting figuratively and literally on our shoulders.
Unfortunately, it felt like it as well.
“We might need them later” became a phrase said a little too often when deciding what to bring. As a result, when we set off it soon became apparent that we still needed to shed some load. The commodity we have the most of is clothes, but that’s followed very closely by medicines. All the little packets of pills and unguents start to add up!
In some cases, necessity leads to having more baggage. For us, we’re planning on heading through some pretty cold climates followed by some exceedingly hot ones. Because of this, we’re carrying both winter and summer clothes, but it takes up a lot of space. We will be ditching one or the other group, and replacing them when we need them.
Downsizing not only helps put less strain on your body, but also starts to save you on airfare as well. Be brutal – it will be worth it.
You will take more photos than you ever imagined
Years ago I bought a very shiny new high tech camera. And I loved it. I went mad and took thousands of photos during a Euro road trip that summer. I continued to go overboard when I moved to Qatar. On holiday in Turkey, Malaysia and Singapore I took more photos than a human needs. Especially an amateur who wasn’t doing anything with the photos. In Singapore, I even bought two new lenses, a giant backpack and a tripod. However, over the next few years, my love for the camera (his name is Vlad) waned.
I still wasn’t doing anything with the photos, not even uploading them to the internet! I didn’t print them out to hang on my walls or share them with friends. And I thought, “You know what, my photography skills are just okay.” Essentially, I didn’t get any enjoyment out of it. Not once did I go back and actually look at the photos, even for myself.
Instead, I was buying dozens of postcards – a lifelong habit of mine – and hoarding those. Why take photos, I thought, when I can buy much nicer ones and then enjoy the place when I get there rather than living behind a camera! So I traded in my camera for postcards and a smartphone I barely used and I did enjoy my holidays more. I no longer had to carry a giant bag of camera equipment everywhere. My holidays weren’t burdened by trying to desperately capture the perfect moment in a photograph. I didn’t agonise over being unable to get the right settings to make sure it looked as close to reality as possible…
Then we decided to become travel bloggers, and old Vlad was brought out of storage and dusted off. He’s still a perfectly fine camera. A little lacking in the definition department at times, so not always the crispest shot. But I love him.
I also kind of hate him. Being a travel blogger means sacrificing some of your enjoyment to make sure your photos are perfect, the angles are just so, the moment is captured, and so on.
In one month, I have taken over 3,000 photos. Oy vey! Still, all that effort is worth it, when it comes times to write these posts and I can litter them with pretty pictures. Like this one of Ventnor Beach on the Isle of Wight:
Update: Vlad is dead. RIP Vlad! We miss him dearly, but our new camera, Igor, is proving to to be a great replacement. Igor is a Sony Mirrorless camera, which I didn’t realise was even a thing. If you’re in the market for a new camera, Sony Mirrorless cameras are great for travel!
Social media is your best friend
No, but seriously. You will spend A LOT of time on social media when you’re starting out and if you’re an introvert like me, it will suuuuuuck. Between us, we each had Facebook – as observers only. So suddenly having an active presence on every platform was jarring. To say the the least. But you’ll meet some amazing people and slowly, but surely, it will get a little less horrible and stressful.
And then you’ll lose 50 followers on Instagram overnight and you’ll wonder why everyone hates you and what you’re doing wrong.
Don’t stress it, basically. Oh, and don’t be us. Start your social media following BEFORE you launch your blog.
Stick to your budget
So far on this one, we’ve managed to be fairly disciplined (but it’s easier when staying with friends and family). However, it is SO EASY to overspend in almost every area of long-term travel. Researching an area’s free/cheaper attractions helps, but for us preparing a snack/midday mini-meal can work wonders.
When we’re booking accommodation we always try for a place that has breakfast included. This is assuming that breakfast doesn’t jack the price up unnecessarily! That way, we can load up in the morning in order to sustain ourselves throughout the day (and possibly take a cheeky snack for later). It’s the most important meal of the day for a reason, right? After a hearty breakfast, an energy bar or equivalent and some water can get us through to dinnertime.
Alternatively, staying with international friends and relatives also helps! Making friendships and connections with people across the globe is one of the best outcomes of travel and travel blogging. Sometimes, those fine people may offer you a place to stay whilst visiting. These instances can be fantastic opportunities to see places you may not have had on your radar. It means your budget for accommodation can be saved or spent on other things. And above all, you get to spend time in good company!
Plan effectively
A little research goes a long way. We’ve recently been roaming the wilds of the south of England. In the spirit of spontaneity, we decided to hop on a train to Portsmouth to explore for the day. We mainly wanted to walk along the coastline, take in some sea air and maybe visit the Historic Dockland.
Once we arrived, however, it turned out that the docks had a fairly steep entry fee. £18 per person gets you in to see one exhibit only! To see everything is more than £30 per person. Waaaaaaaay over our daily budget for events. We settled for wandering the streets of Old Portsmouth, and grabbing a coffee at Gunwharf Quays instead.
If we checked beforehand, we would have known about the fees and worked out a different set of activities. Also, we then discovered an exhibition of British Tattoo Art that we could have seen in the docks for less than half the regular entry price. We’ve now been to Portsmouth three times (twice in transit) and we still haven’t really seen it. Lesson learned.
Plans don’t always work out (and that’s ok)
This is sort of a continuation of effective planning. Sometimes, it feels like events have conspired against us. No matter how well we plan something, there’s always the possibility of it going wrong.
Part of our period in the UK involved us heading out to Gloucester. We planned trips, researched activities, critiqued restaurants – we even started to work out where sold the cheapest groceries! But issues with publishing our blog meant that we had to cancel that entire section of our travel pla
At first, we were frustrated. Not only did we miss out on a city (and friends) we’d been looking forward to seeing, but we had to rearrange onward travel plans as well. Ultimately though, it was not the worst thing that could have happened. We weren’t stranded, we still had funds and we still had all our (heavy) possessions. Plus, if we hadn’t taken the time to work out our technical problems, we may not have had a blog at all!
Maintaining positivity is key!
Keeping your spirits up is a tried and tested survival tactic. While it may apply more to those in more dire circumstances than us, it’s something to keep in mind. There have been times over this first month where both of us had doubts. We’ve second-guessed ourselves, and worried about both the small and large parts of our new chosen lifestyle.
Perhaps the most important thing I’ve learned is to think positively. To try to treat each new stumble as a fresh challenge. To dwell less on how things are going and focus on the amazing experiences ahead of us. It’s making a world of difference to me to just stop, breathe, think positively and carry on.
Any challenge can be completed, any obstacle overcome. It’s easier to say than do, but I’m working hard to achieve that mindset.
Here’s to more learning in the (hopefully) years to come!
Are you on long term travel? What did you first learn when you started out? Are there things we’ve yet to work out for ourselves that you’ve got sussed? Let us know in the comments!
