A Travel Blogger’s Hustle: Behind the Scenes in Colorado

The life of a travel entrepreneur does continue while she’s in the US, even though you don’t see so much of it on Snapchat.

Being a “travel blogger” or podcaster, or multimedia online entrepreneur is a constant hustle and incredibly hard work. Normally, as a reader, viewer, or listener, you just see the beautiful photos and stories of the far and foreign, but there is so much more to it than Mexican beaches and margaritas…

This month I’m taking you behind the scenes and introducing a subject I haven’t discussed on the blog before. Here’s what’s really going on!

Transitioning to a New “State”

This has been a very strange time for me. I’ve been in Colorado for a couple months now, and while I’ve traveled a bit since I’ve been here, only one trip has been international, and my next international trip might not be for a while 😬 .

The reason I came back to the US is not to stop traveling (can that go without saying?), but to give myself space to focus more on important work projects and less on the time-consuming logistics of travel that have been constantly on my plate* (also fair to say I needed a break from living out of a backpack). *Read Essentialism

Colorado has allowed me a home base from which to travel easily when I need to get out, and at the same time it’s giving me access to certain things I can’t get abroad, like a community I can come back to (when I inevitably leave again…), certain technologies, electronics I need for my projects, fast internet, shoes(!), and plenty of other things.

So far, we’ve both held up our ends of the bargain for why I came here. Colorado has provided, and I have accepted and begun working, sometimes a little too hard for my own sanity, hence all the beer posts (#sorrynotsorry).

Now, let’s pull back the curtain.

News Flash: Travel itself does not pay the bills.

Neither does “exposure,” but that is an industry topic for another day.

I don’t have anyone or anything supporting me financially as I travel the world, except for my own creative efforts to create income through my platforms. The trips I take, while exhilarating and completely necessary in my life, often do not directly result in income for me.

Quick note on that: That’s actually okay with me. I would rather my travels be for my own enjoyment, truly inspiring me to create content and share it, rather than adding the pressure of someone contracting me to travel somewhere to cover certain “story angles” or produce X amount of whatever… Shoot me in the face, there’s a reason I’m not a freelancer. All of that just means that I have to be extra creative and resourceful when it comes to how to make money in this industry. Okay, I digress…

None of this would be continually possible, the blog, the podcast, the travels, none of it, if I didn’t figure out a way to sustain myself financially. And while I’ve created a growing income for the past few years, there is always room for improvement. (I will write about how I do this soon – note on that at the end)

I read a quote recently that said something like, “at any given time, you’re business is either growing or it’s shrinking, there is no happy medium.” After a couple necessary years of focusing on myself for various reasons, this year I’m working on prioritizing my work again, starting with a few major projects that have long been on my to do list.

My To Do List 3 Reasons I Haven’t Been on Snapchat

1. The biggest project is updating the book I published in 2013. It is a complete how-to guide to international travel, essentially the entire message of The Budget-Minded Traveler platform in one single product. The original book is outdated in more than one way, yet people are still buying it for the wealth of information it holds.

I want to create a better experience for those people, so I’m turning it into an online course, with videos, PDFs, podcast episodes, and more. I have a beta test group helping me out with it right now, and I am very excited to launch it in a few weeks! Update: Course is LIVE! 

Side note: A printed copy of my first published book will be worth big bucks someday 😉 , if you want one, buy it now because it will soon be unavailable!

2. I’m also working on sponsorships for The Budget-Minded Traveler podcast, which I have been producing (for free) for three years now. I’m creating packages that I believe will be win-win-win, for me, the listeners, and the advertisers, so please stay tuned for that, and thanks to my listeners for your continued support and (what I’m hoping is) “your patience” while I take a little hiatus to figure this out.

3. Lastly, you may already know about my group trips to Patagonia that I have organized (one in 2016 and one this November). My goal is to add several more trips (and retreats!) to the calendar (and the map!), so I am working on putting those together for 2018. Sign up here to stay informed about trips and retreats.

The Reality Is…

In my opinion, the rewards of being an entrepreneur can’t be topped, but at the same time, we have to learn to play all the parts and wear all the hats by ourselves. There is a lot of research, education, and self-discipline that is absolutely crucial to running our own businesses.

These things take time (and sacrifice, and dedication). Sometimes, a Mexican beach is perfect for this, and other times it just doesn’t cut it for one reason or other. So, while my posts and social media stories may be a bit sporadic and non-international at the moment, it’s all for good reasons.

Right now I plan to keep my head down for a bit longer, to get these projects to a point where I feel comfortable going out and playing again, and then…

I’ll definitely need a vacation 🍹

PS – I’m curious, do you guys have any specific questions for me about the business side of things that I can try to answer for you in future posts? Let me know in the comments below!