Funny thing – when I first wrote the title of this post I thought I had been blogging for three years, and it wasn’t until I had made through half of this blog post that I realized, hang on, it’s been FOUR years!
If you’re curious, you can read about my 1st year, 2nd year, and 3rd year of blogging.
So I’m going to go ahead and delete the cute things I opened this post with about how time flies and oh my goodness I feel totally old! Because in blogging years four seems about the time to start buying anti-wrinkle cream and lying about my age.
Happy 2 year blogiversary!
Lol no.
The thing is, four is a bit of an awkward age in the blogging world. I’m not one of the original travel bloggers who started back before most people knew what a blog was and who carved out the industry as they went along, but I’m also not part of the newer generation of super bloggers who start up websites with fully laid out business plans and in depth knowledge of social media and Google search.
I think Danielle and I had been blogging together for about four months before we were like, should we start a Twitter account? What’s a hashtag?
And yet here I am four years later, not only still blogging, but actually blogging as my full-time job. And it really does feel like a dream. I always tell people that I have no idea how long this blogging as a job thing is going to last, as the industry keeps changing so rapidly that I can hardly guess in what new ways bloggers will be making money even two years from now, so for now I’m just trying to enjoy this new career of mine in the present.
And I have to say, there’s been a lot to enjoy in this past year.
This was the year that I made my favorite hobby into a full-time job, and thankfully, the year I learned that I could still love this work I do even if I’m depending on it to feed and house me. And maybe most exciting of all, this year I began to find a happy balance between continuing to travel the world while also spending time in a place that is feeling more and more like my home.
Last year I wrote about the three biggest lessons I had learned in three years of blogging, but this year I don’t think I have any big lessons to share. Or if I had to say something, I would say the biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is probably that blogging is very much a made up job.
Is this real life?
Lol no, I don’t mean that blogging isn’t real, but rather that there’s no set way to be a travel blogger. The things I’ve learned in blogging might not apply at all to another travel blogger who chooses to run her business in a completely different way from me. Basically, I’m just making this up as I go along.
So this year instead of sharing any big blogging lessons, I’ll just share a few key things I’ve realized:
Forget #goals
I first discovered blogs while in university, and reading them felt like escaping to a magical world where term papers and career anxiety were replaced with cupcakes, perfect outfits, and beautiful interiors. And I still love peeking into the fabulous lives of the world’s most glamorous fashion, lifestyle, and travel bloggers.
But it turns out blogging isn’t just about pretty photos and perfect lives. Sometimes it’s good to share the fails and ugly bits too.
Travel blogging doesn’t have to be all about press trips
Most professional travel bloggers seem to work a lot with destinations and hotels, so I used to think that if I wanted to go professional I’d have to do the same. But over this past year I’ve realized that even now that I do have the time to accept offers for sponsored trips, I’d often rather just organize things myself.
Don’t get me wrong, I have had some really positive experiences working with destinations, but for the most part I prefer paying for my travel and accommodation and making money in other ways. Pitching to destinations and negotiating a collaboration that I’m comfortable with can be such a time suck that I figure if I instead put my energy into areas of blogging that I know will earn me money I can earn just as much, if not more, by traveling independently.
And since I’m not saying yes to every and any travel opportunity, my schedule is open enough that when the perfect collaboration opportunity does come along I can jump on it!
It’s amazing to be so emotionally connected to my job, but also really scary
I love blogging and would happily continue even I no longer earned a penny from it, which is a pretty wonderful way to feel about a job.
But that also means that it’s really hard for me to just go through the motions of working when I’m not feeling inspired to write. This summer I went through a short phase of depression, as seems to happen to me every now and again, and I think in a way being self employed made it worse.
Usually the only thing I can do to pull myself out of a depression is to force myself to do everyday activities. But it was a whole lot harder to bring myself to write than it would have been to get myself behind a supermarket cash register, so I ended up going a full month without doing any work at all.
Now I’m feeling totally fine again, but the thought that this could have lasted much longer does scare me.
However the plus side with blogging is that most of my income is passive, so my earnings didn’t really take any sort of hit from the lack of work. Though that likely wouldn’t have continued to be true had I taken another month off, so I consider myself lucky this time!
Blogging has made me really honest
I used to be quite secretive with my feelings – maybe from shyness, but I think more from my insecurities and worries about what others thought of me. But connecting with people through blog posts I was scared to hit publish on has kind of changed me in my offline life too.
Because I’ve seen again and again that opening up to people really doesn’t have to be scary, and it usually ends up being so rewarding. In fact now I think I tend to verge on being too honest about things, as I’ve gotten so used to sharing all my feels with total strangers.
People always ask if I have to deal with a lot of online hate, but aside from that guy who called me Trump’s cousin I pretty much only get really lovely feedback from people. Blogging just continues to reenforce the biggest lesson I’ve learnt from my travels – most people in the world are incredibly warm and open, and the human experience gives us all so much common ground on which to build relationships.
And I am so grateful for the way the Internet has helped facilitate the building of so many new friendships for me. Connecting with strangers from around the world has always been my favorite part of travel, and it’s my favorite part of blogging as well.
Now I’d love to hear if there’s anything you’d like to see more (or less) of in my next year of blogging!
Nynke says
I love how organically* your blog has grown out of your interests and personality. I’m glad it still feels that way to you, and I’m sure it’s a large part of why readers keep returning here: you don’t just provide us with pretty pictures and interesting travel tips, but you also share a sense of personal experience, and make your blog feel like a shared home.
I’m also sad to hear you were depressed this summer and glad to hear you came out on the other side okay! You mentioned in your previous post that physical exercise helps battle post-travel blues (I will remember that when I return from Japan in a few weeks!); did it also help you during the blog-free month?
*In fact, you could say it’s so organic, it’s almost free-range! Hehehe… Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Silvia says
Haha I’m laughing out loud over being a “free-range” blogger! And yes, exercise is always so key to pulling myself out of a depression. It’s just always so hard to start exercising when I’m feeling so down, but as soon as I do I begin to feel better. Thank goodness!
Nynke says
I’m glad to hear it! But yes, it must be so hard getting started…
Kelly says
What a fun milestone! Just wanted to pop in and say that I’ve loved following along with all of your adventures over the years and can’t wait to see where your blog goes in the coming years. Also, SO EXCITED to read about Africa!!
Silvia says
Aww thanks, girl, and I am SO EXCITED TOO to start sharing the Africa adventures – starting with my next post!
Hayley Simpson says
Congrats, Silvia! I always look forward to your posts – for the info and your gorgeous photos!
Silvia says
Thanks, Hayley, that makes me so happy!
Josie Brownlee says
This is so lovely that you can reflect on these things after such a brilliant blogging journey! I love your points about honesty and not having to be goals – and it’s so nice to hear that you’re still so in love with your job and enjoy it so much!
Thanks for sharing! Lovely post!
JosieVictoriaa // Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle
Silvia says
Thanks, Josie, I really am so grateful to still be loving my job this much.
Esther says
I have been blogging since 2009 on two platforms and been pretty professional (aka, winging it… but with some nice payment in the end, haha!!) about it since 2013. I hear you about presstrips etc. I am a journalist so I only go on presstrips if it means writing for a magazine or journalism website. For my own blog I’d rather pay for things myself, as it means I don’t have to go through the whole hoopla of ‘you have to link to this and that, and you have to post 6x on twitter using bla hashtag’. Sometimes I do, and then it’s often really worth it. But I’ve become more laid back about it, somehow. I’ve dealt with depression and burnout myself, and actually it was blogging that helped me through. Anyway (sorry for the whole story here, online blabbing whoops), thank you for sharing your lessons and point of views!!
Hope you have a good weekend!!
Silvia says
Oh interesting, glad to hear someone that feels the same about sponsored trips! Most of my blogging friends do them all the time so I sometimes wonder if I’m making a mistake by avoiding them, but also I’m really happy with the sort of travel I’m doing now. And yeah, while being self-employed made this last bout of depression trickier than usual, I think on the whole blogging keeps me really happy and has made those bouts much more rare.
Justine says
Congrats on four years Sylvia!! I’ve loved following your blog over the years and seeing you make the transition from hobby blogger to professional blogger. Such an accomplishment! I’m glad you’re enjoying your work. Sorry to hear about your bout of depression. I went through a similar thing when I moved to Phnom Penh. Not fun, at all. But I’m glad everything is on the upswing for you! Keep the awesome posts coming. Cheers to four years!!
Silvia says
Yeah, it’s never fun but I’ve sort of gotten used to it and thankfully this one didn’t last long! It’s pretty crazy how the years are just ticking by now – we’re getting to be old bloggers, haha.
Camila @ Adventitious Violet says
Oh wow you’ve only been blogging for 4 years! Well I’m impressed, your blog is one of my favourite 🙂
Silvia says
Aww that makes me so happy, Camila!
Kiyoko says
Hi Sylvia!
Many others have said it already, but I’ll say it again anyway… Congrats on four years of successful blogging!
I give you a lot of credit for coming as far as you have. As somebody who has recently started blogging, I feel so overwhelmed by all the different aspects of it that I never even imagined existed. It’s hard to keep up with all the SEO, social media, statistics monitoring, and so much more. The one thing that gets me through it is all the research and planning I’ve put into it, you know, creating that “Business Plan.” Your ability to create a successful blog without it speaks to your natural talent. People are just naturally drawn to your blog. I know I am.
As for your honesty, I really appreciate it. I feel like people connect more with you when you’re being completely honest. I couldn’t believe how much I connected with your post “How Travel Killed My Ambition.” I had never had anybody else who seemed to truly understand the kind of expectations that are often put on honors students and the way travel can open our eyes to other possibilities than the ones that were expected of us.
As always, thanks for the insights!
Silvia says
I’m so glad you could relate to that post – it’s been really reassuring to see how many people have. And yeah, it’s sort of crazy to think how my business grew without any plan – of course it would have been better to have one, though I sort of love that it’s just evolved on its own.
Timothy Nowak says
I’ve been a fan since the monkey bite!
I am interested to see whether you’ll write a book one day soon.
Best wishes and good luck!
Silvia says
Timothy, I can’t believe you are still following along! And still under the impression that I would ever be able to write a book, haha. Then again, maybe someday I’ll grow old and wise…
jennifer says
Four years! I have been following you since you were blogging with Danielle. I was planning a trip to Central Asia and kept following you when you went solo. I still have not made it to Central Asia. But I am glad I found you because your blog is one of my favorites.
David Hobson says
Conrats on making it to 4yrs, not many people will make it that far, a lot give up too easily.
Victoria @The British Berliner says
Congratulations Silvia!
I’ve very much enjoyed reading your blog.
‘Like yourself I’m on my 4th year of blogging and it’s been amazing. My two-penny worth is success comes by just being yourself, doing your thing, and writing whatever you like in your own style, is the way to go. It’s worked for me, and it’s working for you! 😀
Go forth young lady, and I look forward to many more years of the same!
Gloria Gregory says
I like your blog. This is one of my favourite blog!
Congratulations Silvia!