Aspiring Travel Writer of the Week: Anita Fosen from Dine Wine Love
Anita’s website is Dine Wine Love and was launched in November of 2019.
Bio: My name is Anita and I am from a small town in Norway called Haugesund.
When I was younger I was always a writer and blogger, and at the end of last year, I decided to start writing for fun again. I am in my mid-twenties and currently work as a team leader for a content team at a content and translation company. I work with text every day, but my blog is my free space where I can write about anything that comes to mind and share my travel tips, experiences, and recommendations.
Even though I am from Norway, I haven’t lived there for many years; I lived in London from 2014-2017 and then moved to Malta for work in May 2017. In April 2019, my fiancé, my dog, and I are moving to Spain (Costa del Sol). I am lucky enough to be working at a remote company, which means that I can work from home anywhere around the world and work while traveling. I love to travel and to explore new places and cultures, and my favorite part about traveling is enjoying good food and drinks; hence my blog name Dine Wine Love (for food, drink and travel guides).
Here is Anita’s Q&A About her Life as a Travel Blogger
Do you consider yourself a travel blogger, travel writer or travel photographer?
I would say hobby-based travel/lifestyle blogger. I try to write and work on my blog in the evenings, but I have a fulltime day job (as a Content Team Leader at Topcontent).
How long have you been a blogger/writer/photographer?
Even though I started my blog Dine Wine Love just a few months ago, I have many years of blogging under my belt. I have always loved writing and started my first blog when I was about 12 years and have been blogging on and off for a total of 5 years or so in the past.
Where do you call home?
This is tricky as I have moved around a lot (as mentioned before). My original home is in Haugesund, Norway. But home has also been Qatar (when I was younger), London, Malta and now soon Spain. For me, home is now wherever my fiancé and my dog is.
How many countries have you been to? 21
How many continents have you been to? 4
Top 5 destinations on your travel to-do list: Spain, Iceland, Portugal, Jordan, and re-visiting Italy.
Earliest travel memory: Road-trip with my family in Norway, in my dad’s veteran car(s).
Favorite Travel Blogger: https://theblondeabroad.com/
Favorite Travel Photographer: https://www.instagram.com/widvey/
Paragraph about the trip that turned you from a vacationer to a traveler:
Moving to Qatar in 2008 (to 2010) definitely changed my perspective on the world and made me realize how many different cultures there are out there that I wanted to explore. It opened me to living somewhere else than Norway, which is something I have definitely taken advantage of later in life.
The trip that turned you into a travel writer/blogger/photographer:
I always loved taking photographs and writing, but moving to London in 2014 combined the two into a full-on travel blog. Living somewhere as exciting and new as in the big city of London made me want to pursue blogging on a more serious level and also to explore what the city (and other cities I traveled to) had to offer.
Your first steps to become a travel writer/blogger/photographer:
As mentioned earlier, I have had several blogs in the past, so the first steps have been different. For my current blog, Dine Wine Love, I took my time:
- Find a good niche and domain name
- Get a good hosting and set up all necessary accounts, analytics etc
- Find a great theme and personalize it
- Start writing your heart out!
Do you plan your own travel or look for media trips? I am an independent traveler 🙂
The social media platform driving the most traffic to my site is:
Currently, Facebook. As my blog is quite new and I am still taking it slow, I have only set up a Facebook page for it and share all new posts there.
My top tip to use Facebook:
Make sure to sign up for blogger groups/communities and make use of not only the possibility to share your posts but to also connect with others and get great opportunities.
My favorite tool/app for social media:
Pexels and Pixlr to find nice, free photos and edit them for Pinterest. I also really like Bloglovin for keeping track of the blogs I personally follow (not social media, but related).
My favorite WordPress plugin:
Yoast, as it makes everything regarding SEO a lot easier to deal with.
Favorite Travel Blogger Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GirlsLOVETravel/ (not a blogger facebook group, but so inspirational for travels and on Tuesdays you can share your links 🙂
If only I had the time, I’d do/finish…… : (We all have a list of things we know we need to do and will help with web traffic, email list, website or UA. What is the #1 thing you know you need to do, but haven’t)
Push more on social media (Instagram, LinkedIn, get more likes for Facebook etc)
Top tip for aspiring travel writers and bloggers!
The more niche and specific your posts are, the better (if you are aiming for organic results from Google).
Best travel tip for travelers:
Do research before visiting a new location, but don’t plan too much. Sometimes the best things are the ones you stumble upon while taking a casual stroll or exploring a new neighborhood. And remember to be in the moment rather than on your phone/camera all the time.
Connect with Anita!
Website: dinewinelove.com
Social: Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
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More Travel Blogger of the Week Features!
Aspiring Travel Writer of the Week: Frank Bodelier of Maps ‘N Bags
Aspiring Travel Writer of the Week: Ivan Kralj from Pipeaway
Nominate a friend (or yourself!) as our next Aspiring Travel Writer of the Week!
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/
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