Saturday Showcase – The Travel Hack

 

Another slight change to this weeks Saturday Showcase! One of my lovely twitter buddies has relaunched her site – so I thought it only fair to let you guys know and find out some more about the lady behind The Travel Hack…

 

So monica – you've rebranded your blog, whats the reasoning behind it?

I rebranded my blog was to give me a fresh start.

I’m at a different place in my life now; I’ve moved to London, I’m starting my career in travel editorial and I’m studying journalism part time. 

Total Travel Bug was my first attempt at blogging and I learnt a lot but I still associate Total Travel Bug with the slow and clunky blog that I began with. Now it’s time for something bigger and better and I hope I can achieve this with a new blogging platform and complete redesign.

 

How'd you settle on the travel hack?

The name ‘Travel Hack’ literally just popped into my head. I wanted something simple and memorable and something that highlights that I travel and I’m a journalist (well, will be soon!) I didn’t think about it too much because there’s always going to be someone that doesn’t like the name.

There’s a lot of hype around ‘travel hacking’ at the moment, eg, travelling on the smallest budget possible and I’m all for this and have loads of tips on how to save money while on the road.

 

Any tips for anyone looking to set up their blog or take and existing one to the next level?

I think everyone should keep some kind of blog! You end up doing so much more and making the most out of every moment, not only so you have the best experiences but also so you’ve got some great content for your readers! 

When setting up a travel blog I’d definitely do it before you leave home. It wasn’t until I was half way through my trip that I started blogging and I just didn’t get the time to give it the attention it needs. You need to build up a network of followers and this takes time but there’s no point posting amazing content if no one is reading it.

I migrated my blog from Blogger to WordPress and I can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner. It was amazingly easy and if anyone is thinking about it – do it sooner rather than later and get in touch if you need any help. It really isn’t as scary as it seems!

 

Whats the plan with the blog now – where's it heading? 

There is so much coming to The Travel Hack. I’ll be blogging about my time in Australia. I travelled around the whole country in a campervan and worked on a tiny desert island for 5 months so there are some amazing photos and stories to be told.

I’ll also be blogging about my move to London and my new job with the fabulous Gap Daemon. I’m getting involved with travel blogging meet-ups and conventions so there’s lots of news to come. 

There will also be some great posts for our fellow bloggers. During my journalism course I’ll be learning some vital skills for writing and multimedia journalism that every good blogger should know about.
 

How's your personal travel plans going – where are you at the moment and where are you going?!

I’ve just moved to London and I’m loving in here. I’m still so excited over every little thing that I haven’t got itchy feet quiet yet but I’m sure I will soon!

There will be long weekends to some European cities and once I finish my course I’m hoping to travel to India. This is the one place that I’ve wanted to go for years and I don’t feel like I can wait any longer!
 

Shameless plug time – what's your fave post and why?

It’s so hard to choose! I have so many favourites but one of them is ‘Climbing Mt Kinabalu in Borneo’. It was such an amazing experience and there are so many gorgeous photos.

The walk was split into 2 days and we stayed in a hut halfway up. We climbed to the peak at 4am the next morning to watch the sunrise. I could barely walk for about 3 days after the climb but it was well worth it.
 

Out of all your travel pics which one do you love the most – care to explain the story behind it?

This is my favourite picture by far. This is the sunset from Mackerel Island, the island I worked on while I was in Australia. The sunsets were absolutely breath taking every night but this has to be one of the best. I was meant to start work at 6pm each night but I was always late because I was out the back taking photos.

Now I've gotta catch up with Elles nomination (finally!) next week so you don't get to nominate anyone! Instead give us 5 new blogs or tweeps to go follow and a quick rundown of why!

1. Gap Daemon – This is the new website I’ll be working for. There’s some great tips and advice, particularly for first time travellers when it all seems so daunting.
2. BAbackpacker – Jaime from Breakaway Backpacker makes me laugh so much. He’s got so many great stories to tell and is now getting up to more mischief in Europe
3. The Traveling Editor – Dylan is a great writer and a hitchhiking expert. He shows that it’s really important for bloggers to be good writers too.
4. Pommie Travels – Victoria’s blog was one of the first travel blogs I ever came across and one of the ones that inspired me to start my own. She’s got some great tips for newbie bloggers and she’s been to some amazing places.
5. NEFootsteps – You have to check out Lauren’s blog because she’s going to eat dog soon and I can’t wait to see the photographic evidence!

If you want to keep up to date with Monica’s journey then check out her website– www.thetravelhack.com – her twitter feed – @thetravelhack – or her Facebook Page

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