Our top UK Travel blog for June is Monica Stott’s The Travel Hack -a travel and lifestyle blog. Monica and her team of ten write about stylish adventure travel and affordable luxury. The aim is to prove that stylish travel doesn’t have to be expensive while adventurous travel can have a stylish twist. We put a few questions to Monica to see where she began and where she plans to go with her blog…
What made you start blogging?
The main thing that gave me a push to start blogging was my local newspaper. It was 2009 and I’d been interning with the paper before I left to go travelling for two years through Asia and Australia. I thought I wanted to be a journalist so I’d been working there for the summer after I finished university. They had a section on their website for bloggers from the local community and they asked me to write a travel blog to be featured there too. I was over the moon!
I kept up the blog during my travels and intended to use it as a portfolio of my written work to show future employers at job interviews. I had no idea this portfolio of writing would actually become my full time job!
What destination was your first “proper” blog review?
The first destination I blogged about was Thailand as I spent nearly two months there in total. My first few posts were terrible and were basically just journals from each day I was there. But they still continue to do well and I think readers like to see real-life accounts from travels as it’s easier to replicate and seems more achievable.
Have you ever been anywhere you really didn’t like?
I often think it’s more about your frame of mind then the actual destination. I could have fun in a horrible place when I’m in a great mood and with my closest friends. Likewise, I could have a terrible time in a gorgeous destination if I’m feeling sick or with people I’d rather not spend time with.
Java was a place I really didn’t enjoy. I visited with my boyfriend and we’d been travelling constantly for about three months. We were both tired and ready to go home and had very little money left. We arrived by bus from Bali and during that bus ride both of our cameras were stolen (we still have no idea how!). We seemed to get ripped off everywhere we went whether we were eating out or looking for a hotel room. Our insurance wouldn’t cover the cameras and we ended up resenting Java for the whole miserable experience. I’m sure Java is lovely, it was just a bad time for us!
Where’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten – what was it?
Just like my answer above, I think it’s how your frame of mind and how you feel during a meal rather than the actual meal itself.
A meal that springs to mind is probably a combination of memories from multiple meals in Thailand. I love Thailand and my favourite Thai dish is Thai Red Curry served with sticky rice. I have so many memories of eating Thai Red Curry at tiny roadside cafes, beach shacks, markets and quirky little guesthouses. It’s best served with an icy bottle of Chang beer, preferably while sat on a cushion on a sandy beach as you watch the sunset.
But it’s not just the meal itself that makes this so special, it’s the whole experience of being in Thailand that I love.
What’s your favourite view in the world?
My favourite view has to be the view from a plane window as the sunsets. You don’t get views like that from the ground! I love plane journeys and I could sit and stare out of the window for hours.
Which other blogs do you love to read?
I read so many blogs. Some are my favourites are:
- Hand Luggage Only
- Travelettes
- Twins That Travel
- Flying the Nest
- Hannah Gale
- Love Taza
- The Barefoot Blonde
- What’s been the most popular post on your site?
12 Travel Hacks to Travel Light has been a really popular one for a while now. It went a bit crazy on Pinterest and still gets thousands of repins. Packing posts always do really well and I’m often told that people find my blog and become long-term readers because of a packing post they stumbled across.
What tips do you have for newer bloggers who would love to emulate your success?
Keep working at it! It usually takes a couple of years before a blog becomes really successful and, unfortunately, most bloggers give up before they reach their potential. Keep going and understand that no one is really an overnight success – it’s worth all the hard work in the end.
Collaborating with other bloggers is a great way to grow your blog. I have a small team of bloggers for The Travel Hack who help me run the blog, come up with fresh ideas and join me on press trips. I love working with a team and as blogging is often a solitary profession this was a great way to work with like-minded people.
I’ve also launched a 12-week blogging e-course which starts on July 4th. The course is all about taking the ‘next step’ in blogging and turning your blog from a hobby and into a business and a full time profession. I know many bloggers can make a small side income from their blog but it’s tough to take the next step and turn that side income into a sustainable wage so that’s what the course is all about.
