Travel FAQs
Is [insert name of country] safe?
Safety is not predictable, no matter what State Department warnings say or what you might see on the news. It’s wise to avoid certain countries in times of turmoil, but in most destinations, safety has everything to do with you and the individual decisions you make on a daily basis.
I can’t predict if you’ll be run over by a tractor, robbed by masked marauders or squished by a falling piano in your hometown next week. The best advice I can give on safety (which is the same exact advice I’d give to anyone, any day, anywhere – not just travelers) is be aware of your surroundings, don’t overindulge in substances when you’re alone (or really, ever) and be incredibly cautious with everyone you meet.
What camera equipment do you use when you travel?
I usually go for simplicity so the latest iPhone and the latest GoPro.
Are you ever scared to travel alone?
I’m not the first traveler – solo, female, short, blonde, etc. – to travel around the world, and frankly some of my globetrotting predecessors thought they might sail off the end of the Earth. In comparison, my misadventures have been a cakewalk.
It’s a guarantee in this broken world – bad stuff happens. I’ve been robbed, drugged unconscious, groped, tear-gassed, I broke a toe, hurt my neck on a zipline, got in a mini-plane crash, had my identity stolen and shared a toilet with a snake.
Isn’t traveling THE BEST?! The crazy thing is that some of that bad stuff happened while traveling, and some of it happened closer to home.
It’s crucial to have a healthy respect for the potential dangers you might encounter on the road, but fear is not an emotion worth entertaining (except in the case of cockroaches.)
What luggage do you recommend?
I have a few favorite brands! Check them out on my Travel Resources page.
How can I listen to your travel podcast?
Do I really need travel insurance?
100%
It's a must! I use World Nomads.
But travel insurance is only the beginning. You also need medical evacuation and crisis assistance, just in case. The Medjet Horizon membership is my preferred option for that - I don't leave home without it. Read my review here.
Blogging / Content FAQs
How do I start a travel blog?
Starting a travel blog is easy – just pick a niche, buy a domain name and write, write, write, write, write. There are hundreds of books written on the topic and entire websites and conferences devoted to figuring it all out. Every blogger’s story is different, and there’s not just one way to do it.
Maintaining a travel blog and getting others to read it over time is the really tough part. Prepare yourself for grueling hours, the disillusionment that comes with finding out it’s not as easy or glamorous as it looks and then thousands of inquiries from others who want to do what you’re doing because you’ve made it looks so easy and glamorous.
If you make it past the first (self-financed) year without giving up, you may have a chance of surviving in the saturated travel blogosphere.
If you really just want to see the world, save your money and go travel. Leave blogging to the masochists.
Where did you go to college and what did you study to get where you are?
I went to the University of Florida and got a B.S. in Public Relations with minors in French and Spanish. GO GATORS!
Should I quit my job to travel like you did?
Probably not.
That’s a very personal decision. I certainly never regretted taking the step for myself, and in my job, it was the only way to get away long enough to really see the far-flung corners of the earth without being attached to my work-issued Blackberry. *Shudder*
As we say in the South, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. You don’t have to quit your job to travel and I think some of the most interesting travel writers out there are the weekend warriors, making travel a part of their life while working full time.
Do you always travel for free?
I wish! Sometimes I get to visit cool places on someone else’s dime in order to write about them either for my site or newspapers, magazines or TV segments. I make any sponsored travel abundantly clear so you’ll always know what I paid for and what I got paid for.
Either way, you’ll always get the truth.
How long did it take you to make your blog profitable?
I started blogging in 2006 and probably made my first buck in 2013 or so. Now that there’s a marked path and guidelines in place, it probably could happen much quicker. But there’s way more competition now than there was when I started.
Comparing then to now is truly apples and oranges.
How can I become a travel influencer?
Become an expert in whatever you’re passionate about and then tell people about it. That's influence.
Getting paid for it is a different situation. Be influential in your area of expertise for 2-10 years and pray the algorithm smiles on you.
Can I work for you?
I'm not hiring right now but always taking resumes!
How do you make money?
I have so many income streams! Every year has been more profitable than the last (minus the pandemic - that was not awesome for us pro travelers) and each year I add new ones and tweak old ones.
The content published on Angie Away is absolutely free and my gift to you. But if you want to send money or plane tickets, you go right on ahead, Sugar.
Personal FAQs
Who are you?
I’m Angie. I also answer to Ange, Angelene, Shakira and Sharkweek.
I’m doing my thing, trying to balance work, writing, wifedom and wanderlust. To read an abridged version of my life story & how I became a globetrotting blogger, visit my About page.
I'm new around here. Where should I start?
To see the evolution of Angie Away from 2010 to the present, start by checking out my quarterly Reflections from the Road posts.
What do you actually do for a living?
I used to be a full-time PR agency publicist, but there wasn't enough time left in the day to do all the other things I wanted to do. So I quit, and now I do the following:
- Author
- Podcast host
- Travel website publisher
- Media & marketing consultant
- Publicist
- Journalist
- TV host
- Public speaker
What happened to The Jet Sisters?
The pandemic was not kind to The Jet Sisters show, and we basically had to shut down production for a few years to focus on other things. But we’re back, baby!
What is the meaning of life?
Giving. I believe that every blessing in my life is not so I can live in comfort and get everything I want, but so I may bless others. I learn over and over that if I am faithful to share my blessings, God will never fail to provide for my needs.
Did you have a quarter-life crisis?
Not at all! I decided that instead of speeding toward my thirties chained to my desk, I’d spend my 29th year cage diving with great white sharks, climbing mountains in the middle of the night and sleeping under the stars. It was the best decision I ever made.
Perhaps my trajectory doesn’t fit with the traditional American dream, but I’m more than ok with that.
Embarking on my original RTW adventure wasn’t an easy decision, nor was it impulsive. When I first began to consider a career break, one of my biggest areas of concern was leaving my phenomenal (and stable) NYC PR job.
However, I was beginning to care more about my career than anything else in my life, and that’s not a person I ever intended to be. I realized I was allowing my job to take the priority, all the while missing opportunities in other arenas and using work as an excuse to get out of all sorts of things that used to be important to me.
After some soul-searching, I realized that I cared about my job much more than it cared about me, so I gave it up and hit the road.
Are you a Swiftie?
Yeah, I think I’m solidly in the Swiftie club now. Eras Tour was the most incredible concert I’ve ever seen, and as a writer, I just don’t think it gets more relatable. To be a billionaire and the main driver of the economy and still be able to churn out bops about love and ballads about loss? It’s candy for a fellow word person.
Ok, I’m going to stop now or I’ll start ranting about Jake Gyllenhaal.
How did you meet your husband?
That's a pretty good story.
Are you going to have kids?
Biologically, it doesn’t look like it. But we are licensed foster parents and we’ve adopted one teenager from the foster care system so far. We don’t have any kiddos in the house at the moment, but that could change with a phone call.
Stupid Questions (Yes, there are stupid questions)
What’s it like to spending all your husband’s money on traveling?
I wouldn't know.
Are you a trust fund baby or a drug mule?
I’m neither an heiress nor a criminal. Sorry to disappoint. I work, I save and I travel. End of story.
What does it feel like to be an old hag in a sea full of young and beautiful influencers?
It feels real good.
Who are you voting for?
I can’t think of anything more boring to talk about. Angie Away is a politics-free zone.