Travel Like A @SaraOrSarah

Traveljunkieindonesia.com – Hi travel junkies! Travel is life. And if you miss travel, you miss life.

Want to know how to travel in style, just like the pros? We check in with favorite destinations and what they never leave home without.

So, check this out! travel like a sara hardman:

Name: Sara Hardman

Hometown: I’m originally from Yorkshire in England but I have lived in a few different cities

Travel Blog/website: sarahardmantravels.com

Twitter: @SaraOrSarah

Short Bio: I trained as a newspaper journalist and spent five years as a reporter so I’ve always loved language and writing. I took a two year solo backpacking trip and had an incredible time.

I fell in love with Sydney and spent a lot of time around Australia before visiting some of Asia and Europe on the way home. I travel as often as possible and record my adventures through my blog. I’ve also just started a YouTube channel which I’m looking forward to filling up.

How did you first get into travel blogging: When I returned home after 24 months of freedom I felt very lost and writing about my experiences was a great way to feel like I was still travelling in my mind.

What do you love most about being a travel blogger: I love to write and share my stories and photography with people. It feels really good when people like or share a post or tell you that it made them laugh or cry.

What’s the secret to creating a successful travel blog: Having a real passion for it. Blogging is a commitment, I have lots of subscribers and people expect posts on a regular basis. You have to really love it because it shows in your writing.

How do you get your blog noticed amongst the millions of other blogs out there: I think you have to be different which can be hard. I think it helps that I have a past as a journalist; telling a story is what interest me so my posts are stories rather than guides.

Lots of blogs are location reference guides but I prefer to tell a personal story about my experiences in a place rather than giving advice on what to see – you should find out what to see for yourself, that’s the fun of travel.

What advice would you give to fledgling travel bloggers: Don’t give up. It takes a lot of work to get a regular audience and to have people sharing your work.

Don’t get discouraged if you post something that doesn’t get noticed, keep going and trying to establish yourself in the blogging communities.

Join Twitter conversations and make friends, comment on other people’s work and they are likely to visit your blog to find out more about you. It’s reciprocal.

How do you make money out of travel blogging: I don’t monetise my blog at the moment. I have a full time job which I love so I don’t have the time at the moment to make that commitment. I am blogging purely for the enjoyment of sharing an experience.

How do you fit in blogging while on the road: I write a lot when I’m on transport. I used a lot of overnight trains through Thailand and used to sit there with a torch writing on napkins because I didn’t want to disturb people by rummaging in my backpack for my journal.

I write a lot of notes in Teeline shorthand as it saves space – it also means if someone picks it up my journal, they can’t decipher it. The benefits of a journalistic past!

What’s your most epic travel story: The day I did my skydive over the Barrier Reef was one of my favourite adventures. I was making my way from Sydney to Cairns and stopped off at Mission Beach to drop 14,000 feet over the Reef.

The freefall over the ocean was something I’ll never forget. I have a YouTube video of this coming soon – hideously unflattering but funny!

What is your favourite destination so far: I did an African safari trip to Kenya. Waking up at 6am to be driven around the Masai Mari looking for the big five was just awesome. I stayed in Treetops and was woken by a herd of elephants splashing around in the water beneath my room. It really felt like the trip of a lifetime.

What’s been your biggest travel disaster: I’ve been very lucky that I don’t feel like anywhere has been a disaster. I’ve made a few accommodation blunders because I’m a very spontaneous person and am guilty of failing to plan ahead.

I started my Australian Working Holiday Visa living in Melbourne, one day I woke up and said to myself “it’s raining again. I’m moving to Sydney”. I boarded a flight four hours later and arrived in Sydney with nowhere to stay. I had to walk around the city trying to find a spare hostel bed – it was sunny though, so I guess you could say it worked out!

Would you ever do any other job: I will always want to work in a writing profession and using my digital skills. I currently work in digital marketing so I am writer, a website editor, a social media strategist – it’s everything I enjoy and I get to travel and blog at weekends.

What’s next on your bucket list: I would love to see Cambodia. I ran out of time when I was in Thailand which is a real shame because it’s so close. Vietnam is also part of that plan. I’m also dreaming of seeing Iceland and the northern lights. So much to do!

Favorite travel blog/website(s) – besides Traveljunkieindonesia.com, of course!: I’m a fan of Flights and Frustration written by The guy.  He very kindly gave me some advice on building an audience and invited me to guest post when I was starting my blogging journey. He’s very lucky to travel a lot so always has interesting posts from all over the world.

What has travel taught you: That the world is visually beautiful, truly stunning. I’ve stood at places like the Grand Canyon or Ayers Rock and been lost for words. Travel gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in different cultures and indulge all your senses in incredible sights and experiences. It’s a luxury that can change your entire perspective on life.

Best travel tip:  Always be mindful of other cultures and traditions and ways of life. If you visit another county, behave in a dignified and respectful way.

Being polite will get you far. Lots of things can go wrong when you travel but being good mannered and humble will give you a much better chance of achieving what you need.

xxx

Happy Sustainable Travels!

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