Last month, I invited Tag Along Travel readers to ask me anything about travel, tagging along, or the blog. So, as we throw open the doors to 2020, here are my responses. I’m looking forward to another year of sharing my travel thoughts and experiences. Thanks for tagging along.
What’s your advice for meeting people when you travel—do you make fast friendships with an expiry date or stay in touch? – Claudine
Unlike many other travel bloggers, I am awful at meeting people when I’m on the road. Steve’s pretty much the same. When we’ve gone on cycling or adventure tours, we have met some fabulous people, but other than keeping in touch with a couple of them via Facebook, we haven’t developed any lasting relationships. We’re on the introverted side, what can I say?
On the other hand, we have several people we count as friends all over the world as the result of Steve’s work, which is another question I often get asked – what does Steve do that he travels so much?
Steve does work for a company called Scrum.org, which is home to a framework (Scrum) that helps teams do complex work (mostly in IT). They certify people around the world who practice Scrum and who deliver Scrum training. Steve does some training himself, and also supports the worldwide community of trainers.
We have met many amazing individuals and their families through Steve’s work and travel. Having the opportunity to build relationships with locals in the cities we visit is a huge bonus that has enriched our lives. There is nothing better than visiting a destination where someone you know lives. You instantly benefit from having someone with you who understands the place well, has favourite spots to visit, and can help you navigate cultural differences. From understanding the ins and outs of Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart to celebrating Holi in Mumbai, Steve’s colleagues have never failed to help us experience their home countries more deeply than we could have on our own.
Guys from around the world travelled to Cancun for the wedding of a Scrum.org trainer from Scotland. Steve looks cute in a kilt, eh?
As introverts, our scenario has been the best, because we would never strike up a random conversation with someone we met travelling. I have no advice to offer other than to find a career that involves travel or tagging along with someone who has such a job.
What role do travel agents play in your travel world? – Darlene
We have had some fantastic travel experiences as the result of engaging a travel agent. We have visited places we would not have otherwise, and they have helped us navigate many unfamiliar destinations.
Today, Steve handles booking his work and our vacation travel. He actually enjoys doing it. If it were left to me, I’d for sure use a travel agent to book our trips. I hate trying to find the best deal, making sure all the connections and transfers work and all the other hassles that go along with travel. I chalk it up to Steve being a “puzzle person” – he likes figuring stuff out, comparing, negotiating etc. Sometimes I feel guilty about not helping out much with travel arrangements, but mostly I feel grateful.
How do you handle holidays away from home and extended family? – Claudine
We haven’t spent any major holidays away from home, but Steve and I have been separated by travel for birthdays and anniversaries. Also, one time on my birthday, we were in Washington D.C. for a conference Steve was speaking at, and he was tied up all day and evening with commitments. That’s the deal when you tag along – you’re often left to your own devices.
So, I decided to take myself out for my birthday. I bought a ticket to take the ferry to Alexandria, had a lovely afternoon strolling the streets and visiting shops and then treated myself to a fancy dinner on a patio. It wasn’t so bad!
The Papa Weaver’s Pork Chop at the Majestic restaurant in Alexandria was a perfect solo birthday treat.
The secret to surviving significant days apart is to reframe the whole thing. You can celebrate Valentine’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, and yes, even Christmas on any day of the year. These events are all social constructs, so just move the date to a time you can be together. Missing a wedding or birth of a child – I guess that would be tougher. We haven’t faced that yet.
What if Tag Along Travel was sponsored to travel – say a tropical resort—and it turned out to be terrible. How would you handle the review? – Evan
I would lie and say the place was fantastic in a blog post. Hey, I want more free trips!
I’m kidding.
Fortunately, the few times I have had sponsorship for activities and experiences during travel have all been quite positive. Bloggers and influencers do have to be careful about what they agree to provide in exchange for the sponsorship.
I think it likely comes down to choosing your sponsorships well and structuring the agreement to indicate what would happen in the event your review is not glowing. Most bloggers say they are offering their honest opinion regardless of what was provided to them free of charge, and I think sponsors generally expect that kind of independence.
If the whole trip were a bust, maybe I would give the sponsor the option of me not publishing anything as opposed to a scathing review. If you start lying on your blog, you will get found out eventually. Putting my PR hat on, a business reaching out to a blogger or influencer to promote their resort or product better be sure they’ll deliver a top-rated experience, or will run the risk of negative publicity.
As a blogger, how to you get readers, how do you make money, and how do you grow your newsletter? – Kenton
Ok, there are entire blogs and podcasts by people far more knowledgeable than me focused on these very questions.
First, I make zero direct money from Tag Along Travel. When I first started the blog, I thought it might be an additional revenue stream to my public relations work. However, as many new bloggers discover, making blogging a business is not easy. It is building a business from the ground up and requires a dedicated strategic approach. Some bloggers manage to do it, but few make a good living with reasonable hours. Blogs are more successful as a part of promoting your business rather than a business itself, in my opinion.
I keep up my blog because I enjoy it, it’s a super way to process our travels, I do get the occasional freebie (nice!), and it has led to work for my PR practice a few times. I’ve also met wonderful people through Tag Along Travel, including readers and fellow bloggers. Some of these people I’ve met in person and others are virtual friends.
The way to get readers is to produce content people want to read (the hardest part), reading other blogger’s work and building a community (easier), and making sure your search engine optimization (SEO) game is sharp (no fun, but you’ve got to learn that stuff).
Publishing a newsletter is a way to build readership and connections. It’s not easy to get people to surrender their email address to you. Remarkably, pop-up subscription forms on your website work (but they’re annoying), contests or giveaways can also help grow your list.
The one other thing I’d say about growing a blog is that it’s a slow build rather than a quick path to success.
Got any other questions? Throw them into a comment below.
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