Happy Friday, everyone!
Some of you may already know Chloe from Time Travel Blonde. We’ve been following each other for a while now; I think we started our Travel Blogger/Instagrammer venture around the same time. I’ve always loved her style and can’t get enough of her shiba!
A couple of weeks ago, we started talking about how we wanted to start a link-up (also known as a blog hop) for travel bloggers just like us! We wanted to create a space and community where travel bloggers can get together, get to know each other, support one another and to share their beautiful travel experiences.
I present: The Fly Away Friday Link Up hosted by Time Travel Blonde & Life in Wanderlust!
Every Friday, we’ll be hosting a link up alternating between both of our pages. The link up will start Fridays at 9:00AM PST and open through the weekend until 11:59PM PST on Sunday. During this time, you’ll be able to share your travel-related posts with the Fly Away Friday community and have some fun blog-hopping! We’re so excited about this and hope you’ll join us!
We also wanted to take this occasion to introduce each other through an interview so you can get to know both of us! Click hereto read my interview over on Chloe’s page after you get to know this amazing, fellow #girlboss below:
- Where’s home?
I was born and raised in San Clemente, CA, which is a beautiful surfer town in south OC. Despite my homegrown California roots, Denver is currently considered home. We (my husband, pup & I) moved out here in November 2014 and love it. I feel lucky to consider both the beach and mountains home!
- What kind of work do you do that allows you to travel so much?
Well, it just kind of happened. Last summer, my husband and I traveled through Europe for two weeks and used up our PTO. Upon arriving back at LAX, I was laid off. I had plans to go into work the following day but considering my new “situation”, I sat around jet-lagged, stressed and emotional, not certain of my future. Timing is a funny thing because that next month, my husband received a hefty raise which helped cover part of my missing income. I had always wanted to start a travel blog and never had the time. I always had an excuse; too tired after work, planning a wedding, not knowing what I was doing, or picking up and relocating to Denver. So I saw this opportunity as the time to start Time Travel Blonde, hustle and find additional side income. So currently, my money comes from sponsored posts on Instagram, Twitter, and my blog. In addition that, I make most of my income through freelance channels, such as Upwork & Freelancer.com, running social media accounts for other businesses and chasing down articles wherever I can. It’s not the most reliable income, but it helps!
- What motivated you to share your travels through social media?
To be honest, it’s so much fun to follow travel bloggers and their adventures. It’s like a quick getaway or something that I could live vicariously through because I suffer from constant wanderlust. In addition to that, I feel that sharing my travels and engaging with followers on social media gives more hindsight to who I am aside from pretty pictures, clever quotes and all that jazz. I’m well aware that I like to edit my pictures, and that’s just my aesthetic. However, being able to engage/respond to my readers, whether through comments or DM’s, I think makes having my blog and sharing my travels worth it. Putting yourself out there, on a public forum is a very vulnerable thing and to have others embrace it (and some criticize it) is a powerful thing.
- What did you study in school?
I have my Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts, emphasis on Primary Education.
- What does ‘travel’ mean to you?
It means so many things and can be hard to summarize. I travel to escape, to learn, grow and appreciate everyday things, such as clean drinking water. Traveling is a humbling experience. You come to understand just how big the world is, yet how small it is at the same time. I realize the drama that can encompass your life is really so small and petty at the end of the day because there are bigger and darker situations in the world. It’s the best education you can get outside of a classroom. I travel to get knee deep in local culture, to taste authentic foods, and have conversations with the locals. I travel, most importantly, because it’s when I feel at my happiest, true self. Traveling just shakes you up and wakes up your soul.
- What camera and/or editing tools do you use?
I use my phone and my husbands fancy camera he uses for work. For editing, I’ve tried a few apps such as Afterlight but mainly just use the actual editing tools within the Instagram app.
- Who do you travel with?
My husband and my dog. Josh (my husband) and I are those freaks who never get sick of each other (it’s weird, I know) so traveling together is really fun, seamless and full of adventure. I also travel a lot with one of my best friends, Kat. We were actually roommates during our study abroad program and bonded quickly. We have similar personalities, don’t ever fight and just go with the flow, which makes for a really fun travel partner. Best part is that our husbands get along great so we make a fun group! Since meeting each other, we have traveled to four continents, multiple states and countries. We are even in the talks for future trips so it’s definitely not slowing down anytime soon.
- When did you start traveling?
I really started 6 years ago. My husband and I were growing tired of our usual getaways to Vegas and San Diego and desperately wanted to go somewhere more exotic. Considering I hadn’t been anywhere else besides the States, Canada, and Mexico, we decided to try a Caribbean cruise and had an absolute blast. We quickly moved to exploring Canada, Europe, and parts of Asia.
- Where is your favorite place to visit?
So cliche, but I love Paris. It’s one of those cities where it was exactly how I pictured it to be: incredibly romantic, beautiful, and fashionable. Also, I absolutely, love, love, LOVE the Caribbean. Some of the most beautiful beaches, food and friendliest locals ever.
- What’s your preferred method of travel/transport?
I hate flying. Whenever I feel the bumps and shakes, I get anxious and feel like, “this is it, this is how I go.” Haha, it’s really sad but it’s the truth. However, despite my irrational fear, I will say flying is my most preferred because it gets you there the quickest. I also have become really fond of road trips. You don’t have to deal with the hoopla of security, boarding or getting baggage. It’s also the easiest since we travel so much with our pup.
- Do you have any formal photography or writing training?
No. Even if I did have formal writing training, I don’t think it would come off in my writing style considering I write more in a “chatty” format. I like to write how I speak.
- What’s the most bizarre thing about you that not many people know?
Umm. I dunno, I’m double jointed in really random parts of my body, like my elbows. It looks real interesting when I do certain poses in pictures
- Where do you see your ‘brand’ in 5 years?
I definitely see it evolving. I know a family will be in the mix because that’s our plan in the next year or two. So little ones will be embracing the blog. Additionally, I want to include more information and experiences with pet travel. Phoebe, our Shiba Inu, is such a big part of our life and is greatly missed while we are abroad. We’re currently in the process of researching/getting her a pet passport so our fur baby can come on some of our foreign travels with us.
- What do you hope to accomplish through Time Travel Blonde?
Inspire others to explore and travel more. I think in our day and age, it’s so easy to stay in, order pizza, open a bottle of wine and Netflix and chill. While that’s good and all every once in a while, I don’t want to be on my deathbed regretting spending too much time “chilling”. I want to continue traveling, kids and all, until I’m old and gray. And honestly, when I get DM’s and emails from readers saying that my post inspired them to take the leap, whether to solo travel or study abroad, it’s so rewarding. I don’t know if I’ll ever make money like the really big bloggers, but knowing that I helped someone, somewhere along the way, is so much more satisfying.
- What city do you know well enough that you could be a tour guide?
Not really a city, but the OC metro for sure. Also, Denver. Such a fun city to play tour guide in.
- Which social media outlet is your favorite?
Instagram! I wish I could get into SnapChat but I’m honestly a little fearful I’d become too addicted!!!
- What’s the hardest thing about blogging?
It’s the little things no one tells you about: the SEO, keywords, promotion, Facebook groups, Pinterest, etc. There’s so much more to it than just writing clever content and having great pictures.
- What advice do you have for travel bloggers that are just starting out?
Stick with it and remember why you started it in the first place. Also, stay true to yourself. I’m bubbly and friendly by nature, so I wanted my content to reflect that. Always be friendly and engage on social media. Mean what you say, don’t be afraid to reach out on social media to compliment someone, and network in your niche.
- When traveling, do you have strict plans or do you play it by ear?
Oh man, I’m all over the place (I am a gemini, after all). Usually I like to have some “loose” plans with room for flexibility, such as visiting a museum or landmark in the morning/mid-afternoon and leave part of the day for spontaneity.
- What type of traveler do you consider yourself – luxury, backpacker, road less traveled, etc?
I’m all of them really. I’ve camped through Europe, stayed in luxury hotels in various locales, and backpacked in hostels. You name it, I’ve probably done it. However, as I’ve gotten older I definitely prefer a nicer hotel with a comfy bed! And AC!
That’s it, folks! I hope you enjoyed getting to know Chloe as much as I did. I can hardly wait for next Friday to get to know YOU and your travels! Make sure you follow Chloe (Instagram & Twitter) and me (Instagram & Twitter) for the very first #FlyAwayFriday linkup announcement!
Who’s excited?! Have a fantastic weekend and we’ll see you next week!
xoxo
