“Okay but like, what do you do?”
I’ve been getting this question everyday since I started working with Angie last year. I get it, quitting my perfectly adequate corporate job for a not-so-structured life was not the “normal” choice. But, my copywriting/account executive job was… dull. It was exactly what I went to college for, and I was already bored. Travel blogging
Seven months in and I already knew this wasn’t the life for me.
My wonderful, life-saving sister saved the day. “Heyyyyy, kid. I can’t manage this empire on my own… want to quit your job and be partners?”
I delivered my two-week notice seconds later. Travel blogging
Me on my last day
Fast forward to today and I’m living my best life AND making more money they I did at my “real” job.
Now when people ask what I do, I don’t have an easy answer. There’s a bit of confusion. Since I get the same questions over and over, I thought I’d answer them all in one place!
“What exactly do you do all day?” Travel blogging
No, I do not lounge at the pool all day. When I’m not on the road, my week consists of work, work, work and more work.
Emailing clients, writing blog content, optimizing posts for SEO, keeping up with the ever-changing social media algorithms is SUPER FUN… said no one ever. Editing photos from hundreds of old posts because EVERY photo on our newly redesigned site has to be a certain size drives me crazy. Sorting through HUNDREDS of press releases can be a real beast. Some are good and we’ve got some awesome campaigns through them. But 90% of the time it’s about a restaurant opening in Nebraska and do I want to interview the chef? NOT REALLY. Travel blogging
And even the travel is different than people imagine. I wish I could just show up to a destination and have everything planned out, but in reality it takes a few months of preparation before arrival to make a really spectacular content campaign succeed. Finding a weekend that fits the client’s schedule, our schedule, booking flights, finding availability with hotels, booking excursions, activities, rental cars, creating a contract, revising that contract, negotiating content and planning WHAT TO WEAR. It’s a lot of logistics, but surprisingly, I love focusing on the details that make our content special. Travel blogging
And when I am traveling, finally, that’s when the real work begins. If I post a picture you like, please know it took 112 attempts to get it just right. Everyone around was looking at me like a self-absorbed millennial. Believe it or not, I don’t want to take photos of my food before I eat it. I JUST WANT TO EAT BUT I NEED A PHOTO OF THIS CHICKEN. I promised the client X amount of Instagrams, so here we are.
“How often do you get to travel?”
Sometimes we take 2-3 trips a month. Other times we prioritize other projects and planning, so we may only have a travel campaign scheduled once a month. I wish I was always on the road! But the travel you see is usually the tip of the iceberg. For every three days on the road, we spend months and months in the planning stages.
Ideally, Angie and I get to travel together. But right now, she mostly does the fun stuff and I answer emails. (Editor’s Note: LIES. This from the girl who’s living her best life in Dallas while I write 10,000 words a day…)
“Wait, you get paid for this?!”
That’s the ultimate goal as a content creator. I’m working with destination and brands to promote their offerings. It’s a mutually beneficial partnership. Travel blogging
“Can I come with you? I can hold your bags!”
You sure can! I can’t always take people with me on big trips, but I would LOVE some help taking photos around Orlando. I don’t have nearly as much Orlando content as I would like.
And it would help me SO MUCH if I had someone who knew how to work a camera. Travel blogging
“Is your job easy? It seems so easy.”
Let me stop you right there, chum. If it looks easy that means we are doing our jobs right. It’s supposed to look like a vacation. A lot of work goes into the “perfect” photo, blog post, videos, etc. Content a destination or brand can be proud of. And if anything goes wrong, guess who’s in big trouble? Camera stops working? Computer won’t connect to wifi? Rental car breaks down? Feeling under the weather? Smile for the camera, everything is awesome! Travel blogging
“Heyyyy…the camera isn’t working. What do I do?”
What I love about our site is that we give our real opinions and will only share quality content with our audience – you! We will never try to sell you a product or destination we don’t believe in. And it can get messy. Like that time Angie didn’t have the best time in the Bahamas and shared her story. Sure, she could have lied and said everything was fine and avoided the death threats from the hotel owner. But we promised real stories and experiences. So you’ll always know if we have a good time or a bad time.
The Pros
- I can do what I want – as long as my boss says it’s cool. She’s a tough cookie. Wake up at 9:01 a.m.? No ma’am. But we get stuff DONE.
- Travel. Duhh. I love going new places. It doesn’t matter if it’s 5 hours away or on the other side of the globe. I have the travel bug (Angie HATES when people say that).
- I work with my sister! And she’s my best friend! WOOHOO. Win-win-win-win.
- I’m making more money doing this than I did at my corporate job. LOL.
The Cons Travel blogging
- It gets lonely being the only person in my office. I work 9-5 when I’m not traveling. But sitting in my apartment all day alone is WEIRD. I have The Office playing in the background so it sounds like people are working around me.
- It’s a 24/7 job. Want more free time? Look elsewhere. Everything is now an opportunity for content. Cute hat – Instagram. Funny road sign – turn around, put it on Facebook.
- I’m constantly wondering what the next big thing is. Right now it’s Instagram, but tomorrow? What if I get too old and don’t know what’s cool anymore?! I was really cool on MySpace. WHO AM I.
Whew. It feels good to get that off my chest! Angie has a pretty particular take on life as a blogger, too. Check it out here. Travel blogging
