Blog Name & Start Date: girloutofbounds.com started in May 2015.
Short Bio: I’m a 27 year old expat living in England! I love UNESCO World Heritage Sites, wine and I have an unhealthy obsession with my puppy.
Do you consider yourself a travel blogger, travel writer or travel photographer? I think it’s a mix of the three. I blog, I freelance write and I take photo’s.
Part Time or Full Time Blogger/Writer/Photographer?: I spend more than enough hours everyday on girloutofbounds.com and relevant social media to consider myself a full time blogger. I write for girlsvsglobe.com and am always writing pitches for publications.
How long have you been a blogger/writer/photographer? I’ve always been a writer, ever since I was young. I always used to think I’d grow up to be J.K.Rowling lol. I didn’t get into Photography until 2014.
Where do you call home? I have two homes – first, wherever my immediate family is, which is currently Canada. I lived there for 20 years so it will always be like home to me. Second – I physically live in England right now.
How many countries have you been to? 14
How many continents have you been to? 3 Continents – North America, Europe and Asia.
Top 5 destinations on your travel to do list: Turkey, Morroco, Australia, South Africa and Maldives.
Earliest travel memory: When I was 7, my family and I moved from England to Canada, so my first travel memory was a very long international flight.
Favorite Travel Blog/s or Website/s: everythingeverywhere.com, youngadventuress.com, iamaileen.com
The trip that turned me into a travel writer/blogger/photographer: I went to Thailand in 2014 and it changed everything. I know, I know, the cliche. I was exposed to so much culture and it unnerved me, kicked me out of my comfort zone and instilled in me a need to see the rest of the world. I decided when I got home that I wanted to share my adventures with other people, so I got into blogging.
My first steps to become a travel writer/blogger/photographer: So much research happened before I even moved forward with a blog. My first official steps was to think up a name and try and get a domain that matched. Then I installed WordPress and spent the next month obsessing over themes until I was satisfied enough with the visual to actually start writing. I got a DSLR camera package and started learning how to take photo’s.
The social media platform driving the most traffic to my site is: Facebook. With a bit of daily networking, I manage to do well with driving traffic through my Facebook page. You should follow along!
My top tip to use (above social network) for traffic: Blog Directories. Google those two words and try to get listed on as many as possible. This is good for backlinks as well.
My favorite tool/app for social media: Crowdfire. Lets me schedule all my tweets and IG posts, plus it has a really handy toolbar extension that allows me to schedule any picture, website, post, etc from absolutely anywhere with one click.
My favorite WordPress plugin: I really like Jetpack because it gives you everything you could ever want for your widgets.
Favorite Travel Blogger Facebook Group: Girls vs Globe. Come and join us!! We’re an amazing group of traveling women and the creator, Sabina of Girl vs Globe, just launched a new website.
If only I had the time, I’d do/finish…… : My LinkedIn Profile. I just hate the whole website and have no motivation to utilize it, even though I really need to. I also really need to focus on my sad little email list.
If I knew then what I know now! My top tip for aspiring travel writers and bloggers! Secure all your social media handles the second you have your domain/blog name. Sign up for absolutely everything, even the stuff you think you may never ever in a million years use. Because chances are, one day you’ll experiment with new things, and you’ll want to have your brand name available.
Best travel tip for travelers: Carry on luggage only!! Utilize capsule wardrobes and watch video’s on youtube to figure out how to take everything you need with only carry on luggage. Trust me, you don’t want to haul a massive suitcase or heavy backpack around with you. It’s only fun the first time.
Connect with Carly!
Carly’s site is no longer published.
Carly’s article 4 Reason You Must Visit Wales was just featured on 52PerfectDays. Please check it out here: http://52perfectdays.com/readers-stories/4-reasons-must-visit-wales/
Nominate a friend (or yourself!) as our next Aspiring Travel Writer of the Week!
If you have been blogging, writing or taking photos for less than 2 years or have less than 10,000 unique views per month to your website, I invite you to be a featured ATW (Aspiring Travel Writer) of the week. As ATW of the week you will be featured on my travel website, 52Perfectdays.com and the BreakintoTravelWriting.com website! Here are all the details! breakintotravelwriting.com/aspiring-travel-writer-of-the-week-guidelines/
Leave A Comment