Emma is the author of Adventures of a London Kiwi; a personal food and travel blog, where she shares escapades as a long-term New Zealand expat living in London. She adores genuine experiences which are rich with history and loves life with a cheeky smile and a dash of luxury. Follow Emma on social media – Instagram, twitter, and Pinterest.

What inspired you to start blogging?

I’ve been blogging at Adventures of a London Kiwi since 2012, when having decided that we had unconsciously lapsed into a commute/work/home complacency, we weren’t exploring our surrounds to the full potential. I enjoy sharing everything that I’m passionate about here in my corner of t’internet and have connected with some fantastic people who share my enjoyment for the quirkier side of life.

I’m straight talking, fun-loving and a well-balanced dork (although I do manage to hide it most of the time, kind of like Bruce Wayne has his Bat powers). When not planning our next travel adventures, I can usually be found lurking in London bruncheries both every weekend and often with a touch of luxury, pounding cobbled pavements, sipping champagne over afternoon tea and floating down London canals.

What are your blogging and travel plans for the next 12 months?

I can foresee a lot of UK staycations for the next year or so – getting back to nature, enjoying the beach, maybe a treehouse or two – both with my husband and my lovely friends. I’m keen to get home to New Zealand at some point (my overdue trip last year was cancelled) and maybe look at re-booking New York, Panama, Las Vegas – and I’m quite keen to go back to Italy and Japan – but we will see how things go.

Where is your happy place? Your favourite destination in the world?

My happiest of places is always New Zealand – you cannot beat home, especially with the eyes of a tourist as I’ve not lived there in years. I’d love to explore more of the USA and Australia, go back to Japan.

Which blogs do you love to read for inspiration?

There are so many! I adore reading all about the adventures of Binny’s Food and Travel, Angie at Silverspoon London, Sima The Curious Pixie, Emmalene at A Brummy Home and Abroad (she is hilarious)… and so so many more!

Can you share the three most popular posts on your blog?

My three most popular blog posts are ‘23 of the best places to go in New Orleans‘ (what a magic city – we started our Louisiana + Texas road trip there), one about ‘A Foodie Engima – London Cheesecake‘ a local baked delicacy, and this one detailing ‘10 Things You Should Do In New York‘.

Can you share any tips for newer bloggers who would love to set up a travel blog?

Write the blog posts that you would love to read. First person accounts and experiences, with a side of practical advice. If you love somewhere don’t be afraid to shout it from the rooftops. Your passion will shine.

If you could go back in time to when you first set up your blog would you do anything differently?

I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, so no. Oh, apart from learning more about SEO and injecting it into posts naturally. That, and tell myself to be proud of what I’m writing – blogging inspired me to learn so many new skills and I changed my career because of it. I’ve run my own business for nearly 4 years thanks to skills honed through blogging.