I’m officially a part-time travel blogger!
I’m officially a part-time travel blogger!
It’s the sentence I never thought I’d ever get to say: “I’m a part-time travel blogger!”. So, how did I get here and what does this mean for Footsteps on the Globe? Let’s get into it! 😉
OTHER PERSONAL POSTS YOU MIGHT LIKE…
- Why I took a year off blogging: Break ups, backpacking and beginning again
- Top 10 things I want to achieve in 2023
- I’ve moved and gone solo!
- Why I want to travel – the beginning of Footsteps on the Globe
How I got here: Before footsteps on the Globe
It was early 2014 and I was approaching my 26th birthday. As many 20-somethings will appreciate, I started to reevaluate life as I came ever closer to the big 3-0.
What did I want to do with my life?
At the time I was in an ‘in-between’ of sorts. I had just jumped jobs to escape a toxic work environment that I’d felt trapped in for the last 18 months. But unknowingly I landed myself in yet ANOTHER toxic work environment and felt stuck again.
Now that I’m further down in my career, I can see the red flags a mile away! But obviously as a young marketer trying to make her way in the world, I obviously had to make this mistake twice before I understood what the universe was trying to tell me.
Wrong position, wrong industry, wrong people. THIS. IS. NOT. FOR. YOU!
But unlike before I wasn’t waiting this one out. I decided to cut my losses a few months in.
Within a few weeks, I got a new marketing job that I loved in education. The industry was a joy for me as I found that I loved working with kids!
I got to write the most inspiring student success stories and worked with a lovely team. I even had my marketing campaign designs on the side of buses – it was so cool!
Now that I was happy and settled into a job I loved, I started focusing on my long-term plans again.
Less than three months later, I took my first holiday in years to Kefalonia in Greece. And this friends is where the story of Footsteps on the Globe begins…
The beginning of Footsteps on the Globe
On this trip to Kefalonia, I swam in the clearest seawater I had ever been in and experienced so many firsts.
From kayaking and snorkelling in the open ocean to going on tours exploring caves and a hidden ancient lake.
When I got back I knew I wanted to spend as much time exploring the world as possible. Going as often and as far as my piggy bank would allow!
I was fortunate growing up that I travelled a lot for my Dad’s job. Moving to different countries every two to three years with my family and experiencing a lot of different cultures. I didn’t appreciate it at the time but I’m so grateful for the experience now!
However, between leaving university and some bad work experiences right out the gate (re: above!), I lost my love of travel.
But now – my travel fire was well and truly lit!
In addition to this, I suddenly had a spark of inspiration. During the trip to Kefalonia I saw wild loggerhead turtles in Argostoli Bay and I thought: “Wow, this is incredible! I can’t believe that I happened upon this amazing experience by chance!”
I eavesdropped on a fellow guest at our hotel the day before as reception told them where they could see turtles.
It turns out that fishermen drive their boats to Argostoli Bay in order to unload their catches but any fish they can’t sell they throw overboard. Much to the delight of the island’s peckish loggerhead turtles!
It was at that moment I thought: “What if I started my own website about travel experiences like this and offered helpful tips so people could get the most out of their holidays too? It would also make a pretty cool diary of things I’ve done and seen on my travels!”
I got home, signed up to WordPress, worked on a name, paid for the domain and voila – Footsteps on the Globe was created and a travel blogger was born!
Taking a year off blogging
Fast forward five years of blogging in my spare time, making new friends in the travel blogger community and travelling the world as often as I could around my annual leave, I unintentionally took a year off blogging.
Life had reached a crossroads once again and between an almost decade-long relationship ending as well as a work contract about to finish, I was well and truly ready for a fresh start!
Sadly, Footsteps on the Globe got put on the back-burner as I hit the road for the next six months. But my god what an adventure!
I lived in Dubai for a month, went on a girls’ trip to Barcelona and backpacked across South East Asia.
It was one of the best times of my life!
Once I got home and started working again, I was excited to start a brand new chapter. New role, new relationship, new place – I was raring to go!
Things were going great for those first few months. My new role even included travelling for up to six weeks a year to China and South East Asia – it was the perfect job for me! But then the pandemic hit and that went to sh*t. 😂
I was so busy with my new life I almost shut the blog down in the first few months I was back.
My domain was up for renewal and I hadn’t blogged for over a year so it made sense. But I just didn’t have the heart to do it.
Footsteps on the Globe had given me so much over the last few years and I loved it so much. I didn’t want to let it go.
I’m so glad I didn’t!! Not just because I wouldn’t be where I am now but three months after I renewed the domain, Covid hit!
Spending hours on this blog writing up my backpacking adventures and refreshing old posts helped me maintain some sort of (relative) sanity.
I’d missed blogging so much and never wanted to let it go again.
Deciding to go part-time
A year into the pandemic, I decided to take the next step in my career. Turns out a role that has built-in travel required doesn’t work so well when you’re forced to work from home!
It became a uphill battle to stay motivated every day at work as well as trying to remain positive with the world turned upside down. On top of the growing instability of the role due to Covid, I couldn’t travel to get enough numbers on the board.
The role and organisation wasn’t adapting fast enough and I (as well as the rest of the international marketing team!) were getting caught in the crossfire.
Meanwhile during lockdown I was enjoying blogging again and was consistently posting every week. I fell back in love with it and was sure that if I kept going I could potentially make it into a career (whatever that looked like!).
Starting a new digital marketing role that offered a four day week was a fantastic way to dip my toe into part-time blogging.
I ended up loving the new job and the people I worked with! I spent some of the best years of my career working in global health and will always be appreciative for the opportunity to work four days a week too!
However, after two and half years, I naturally hit the ceiling with what I could achieve within the confines of the role earlier this year – even though I loved it!
I knew it was time to pass the baton to the next person but something else was brewing inside my head…
At the start of this year I had stepped up my blogging game and saw my blog traffic skyrocket! I started to have this niggling feeling that I could take it to the next level – but only if I had more time.
Feeling the fear and doing it anyway
After diligently reviewing the numbers and working out the logistics, I knew I could go down to part-time hours in order to spend more time blogging.
Now there was only one thing to do – take the leap!
This sort of news wouldn’t be a big deal in the blogger community. Bloggers quit their jobs all the time or go freelance to give them more time to develop their blogs. But as none of my close family and friends are bloggers I knew that most people would think I was probably mad!
Only they didn’t think it was mad, they thought I was mad I hadn’t gone part-time years ago! Which is a wonderful feeling and lovely to have such overwhelming support from those you love.
To my surprise only a couple of friends voiced their concerns about the decision. But I felt that it was more to do with them reflecting their own fears onto me. Fear of it not working out or fear of what they would do if they didn’t have enough money.
After one of my oldest friends said to me: “You’ve got a mortgage now Mel, you can’t go part-time, it’s too risky. What are you going to do if it doesn’t work out?”
I knew that it didn’t matter what anyone else’s opinion was because at the end of the day – this was MY life.
On a separate note – I didn’t realise that having a mortgage meant you were contractually bound to give up on your dreams. But that’s a whole other story! 😂
I knew this was coming from a place of genuine concern and love but I just kept thinking – if not now, then when?
I’ll always have a mortgage and bills to pay unless I opt for a nomadic lifestyle. But even that approach comes with its own set of challenges.
Yes, there is no perfect time to take a leap like this but honestly I couldn’t be in a better place to try!
I’ve fortunately reached a point in my career where it’s financially realistic to drop down to part-time hours, even if I wasn’t making a penny from the blog. Which of course isn’t the case!
I don’t have a car, buy designer clothes or go on luxury holidays. I keep things really simple in my life.
My biggest expense is travel and that is money ALWAYS well spent!
After listening to a wave of opinions my biggest cheerleader put his two cents in. My awesome boyfriend said to me: “I’ve been telling you to do this for years, you can do this, JUST GO FOR IT!”
So there I was – feeling the fear and doing it anyway!
The future of footsteps on the globe
So, what does becoming a part-time travel blogger mean for Footsteps on the Globe?
Well friends, I’m currently adapting to part-time hours in my new Digital Marketing Manager position for a wonderful children’s charity whilst learning the ropes and settling in.
It’s been a month now and I’m loving the job and loving the flexibility the hours give me to create and travel!
Whilst I’m transitioning into this new phase of working, I’ll be bringing you two posts a week on the blog and daily Instagram stories and posts during the week.
If you haven’t already, please do hop over and give my instagram a cheeky follow. 😉
From there I’m planning to scale up content creation for you and possibly revive my YouTube channel. We’ll see!
In terms of the long-term future? Well, if you ask my boyfriend, it’s for me to become a full-time content creator. He then reckons he can give up on his job and travel with me as my full-time instagram husband! 😂
But if you ask me my genuine answer is: “I don’t know!”. I didn’t expect I’d become a part-time travel blogger even this time last year. So what about this time next year or beyond that? I have no idea – but I kind of like that!
When you’re Type A level organised like me, it’s nice to know that when you’re starting an exciting new chapter in your life that you don’t know where it’s going to take you.
Will I go full-time into travel blogging, continue enjoying a bit of both worlds or something else entirely? Who knows!
But what I do know is this – life is FAR too short to not take a chance on something you’re really passionate about.
I’m much more frightened of NOT trying than becoming a part-time travel blogger and it not working out.
I don’t want to ever live with regrets of not even being brave enough to just go for it!
To the wonderful readers of Footsteps on the Globe
I just wanted to finish by saying to all the wonderful readers of Footsteps on the Globe who have been here since its humble beginnings in 2015, when SEO was barely a twinkle in this travel blogger’s eye – thank you!
And if you’re a new reader of Footsteps on the Globe, thank you for joining me at such an exciting turning point for the blog!
I can’t wait to take you with me on this wild new ride!
OTHER PERSONAL POSTS YOU MIGHT LIKE…
- Why I took a year off blogging: Break ups, backpacking and beginning again
- Top 10 things I want to achieve in 2023
- I’ve moved and gone solo!
- Why I want to travel – the beginning of Footsteps on the Globe
