Aspiring Travel Writer of the Week: Nora Hase
Blog Name & Start Date: https://travelingwithcysticfibrosis.com/ 17th of February 2016. I am an independent traveler. I am focused on organized media trips. (do you plan your own travel or look for media trips?) I usually plan my own trips, as I like to be able to drift and spontaneously change my plans, but I feel that media trips are, if planned well, an interesting alternative, especially for places that are not easy to go to alone.
Short bio: After having spent 12 years of working in the same company and describing the last 4 years as „exhausting“ being the understatement of the year, in 2015 basically everything changed. I moved from my little own flat into a pretty big shared apartment. I quit my job. I booked a flight to Peru and started to work as a volunteer photography teacher. I also will start studying photography in August this year. I am Nora Hase, I am from, 35 years old and even with cystic fibrosis it is possible to do whatever the fuck you want.
Do you consider yourself a travel blogger, travel writer or travel photographer? I do consider myself a travel blogger and writer
Part Time or Full Time Blogger/Writer/Photographer?: Part time blogger. At the moment I am not working, since I quit my job last year. I will start working as a logistics assistant in June / July this year and also start studying photography
How long have you been a blogger/writer/photographer? A blogger / writer I am since February this year. A photographer I am since approx. 1 and a half year
Where do you call home? My current home is Cologne in Germany. Lovely little city, come visit.
How many countries have you visited? 15
How many continents have you visited? 3
Top destinations on your travel to do list:
- Zimbabwe – I am planning on going there next year, as my father is from Zimbabwean origin and I don´t know him. So this will be a travel experience and discovering adventure.
- Iceland – has been one of my favorite destinations since a very long time. I enjoy its uniqueness, it´s tranquility and nature and that it does not seem to be one of the normal destinations everybody wants to go to.
- Georgian Republic – I am friends with a gallery owner that works together with the Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award. The exhibited photos show such a rich country. Rich of culture, art and the many different influences due to its central position between Europa and Asia.
- Mongolia – as much as the Georgian Republic also Mongolia is very different. Especially from the usual countries that are considered the classical tourist meccas. Many travelers seem to forget, Mongolia is also a part of Asia and is not just Thailand than can be visited there. As I enjoy doing things differently than others, Mongolia is on definitely on my list with its people living the nomad live. A live style I feel very much attracted to.
Earliest travel memory: My earliest travel memories are the golden summers, that I spent with my grandparents at the Baltic sea. We were camping every year for 14 days, my grandmother was cooking the best spaghetti, we ate wild strawberries as dessert and every day I returned from swimming in the ocean with my lips already turning blue. These summers were golden.
Favorite Travel Writer: My favorite travel writer is Will Hatton from thebrokebackpacker.com – He started traveling from scratch, no money, no idea but with the need to change things in his life.
Favorite Travel Photographer: Definitely Marsel van Oosten. I love his black and white photos. Those are art and travel inspiration at the same time. The perfect combination.
Favorite Travel Blog/s or Website/s: I love gonomad.com as a general source of many writers, travelettes.net as being the fancier version of it and of course thebrokebackpacker.com.
The trip that turned you from a vacationer to a traveler: I think it´s been my recent Peru trip, that turned me into a traveler. It´s been the first time in my life that I not only visited a country but dived into the culture, connected with locals and lived their daily live. I always liked visiting but Peru made me want to explore the world and travel deeper.
The trip that turned you into a travel writer/blogger/photographer: I must say, that again my recent trip to Peru is to be blamed for this. When hopping on the plane I already knew I wanted to write about my experiences but the more I traveled this country and there more I learned about how to not be a visitor, the different the words in my head and on paper became.
My first steps to become a travel writer/blogger/photographer: It´s hard and lovely at the same time. You find a way to share very unique experiences with words you never thought you had and at the same time it is a lot of hard work to find an audience that likes to listen, to learn about all the stuff that comes along with it. SEO, WP, marketing, networking, making yourself heard and read.
The social media platform driving the most traffic to my site is: Facebook. I use groups with people that share interests, interact and connect.
Favorite Travel Blogger Facebook Group: Female Travel Bloggers
If only I had the time, I’d do/finish… Set up my blog on wordpress.org and learn more about self-hosting but oh, there is so much more to do that I will have to take care of as soon as I am back from Morocco.
If I knew then what I know now! My top tip for aspiring travel writers and bloggers! I think that moment has yet to come but the probably most important advice I can give for now is to start using WP right away. Learn it, use it. I also think that it is important to write from the heart, be yourself because this is what will make you unique and outstanding. I´d love to see more inspiring travel pieces and not only the standard “10 things you need to…”
Best travel tip for travelers: Go out there and do it. Travel for God´s sake. There is nothing that will broaden your mind more and teach you as much as traveling does. And don´t be a tourist!
Connect with Nora!
Website: www.travelingwithcysticfibrosis.com
Twitter: @Rabbunnitt
Pinterest: de.pinterest.com/norahase7/
Instagram: @hase_photography
Nora’s article Finding Peace and Tranquility in Huanchaco, Peru was just featured on 52PerfectDays. Please check it out here: 52perfectdays.com/readers-stories/peace-and-tranquility-huanchaco-peru/
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/
Awesome bio, Nora, you sound incredible and congratulations for leaving the 9-5 for something better. I applaud your strength in not letting CF hold you back from seeing this amazing world!