In our series of interviews with travel blogger and influencers across the globe, we look for travel bloggers and influencers with interesting lives who can share some inspiring stories and useful advice from their experience. This week we have Hayley from the Tourism Teacher blog.
An Interview With Hayley From Tourism Teacher
Tell us a bit about yourself
My name is Dr. Hayley Stainton. I am UK born but a citizen of the world. I love travel and I have dedicated my life to studying, teaching and researching tourism. ⠀
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I have been a member of the academic community for the past 12 years. I have taught everything from rural tourism to aviation management. Prior to this, I worked as a Holiday Rep and as Cabin Crew. In 2017 I graduated with a PhD from the University of Coventry focussing on TEFL tourism. ⠀
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I have spent the past three years playing a careful balancing act of work and babies. Isla is 3 and Saya is 1- my girls are my world. I take my them with me on my travels and since I became a mum we have travelled to Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Canada, South Africa, Tanzania, China, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. ⠀
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My husband, Philip, works in senior leadership position at a leading UK school based in Hangzhou, China. Moving to China has provided our family with so many fantastic travel and career opportunities– we love it.⠀
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In April 2020 I launched my website Tourism Teacher. My website is an educational resource for anyone studying travel and tourism. I also provide travel tips and advice on the places that we visit and discuss travelling with young children.
What’s your biggest achievement as a Travel Blogger?
Being featured on the BBC!
You have an unlimited travel budget for 24 hours. Give me your itinerary.
I would go to Iceland and enjoy the spas and visit some of the fantastic natural attractions- the glaciers, volcanos, waterfalls. I would have a delicious meal at a top restaurant. Iceland is very expensive so if I had unlimited budget that’s where I would go!
How do you fund your travel?
I pay for travel with the money my husband and I earn at work.
What is the single most effective strategy that a blogger can use to bring traffic to a blog?
SEO
What tools do you use to monetize your blog? Which works best for you?
I have just qualified for Mediavine this week so I am hoping that I can start earning money from adverts. I am also a member of several affiliate programmes. My blog also brings me lots of other opportunities, such as presenting at conferences and taking part in webinars.
What is the first trip you remember taking and how old were you?
I went to Lanzarote when I was about 5.
Have you been anywhere which turned out to be totally different to how you imagined? If so, how?
I recently visited Pho Quoc Island in Vietnam. I read that it was a beautiful island with pristine white beaches. I was disappointed to find that most of the island was a construction site and that the beaches were full of litter.
Have you had any bad experiences whilst travelling?
When travelling in Vietnam several years ago I was scammed by a taxi man. When I refused to pay his inflated price he stole my rucksack. In the end I had to pay him because I was alone in a dark part of the city in the middle of the night. That was quite scary.
Where is your favourite place in the world?
I love Thailand. I love the food, the people, the weather, the culture. I would love to live there someday.
Do you have a bucket list? If so what is on it?
Not really, I just go with the flow these days. Although there are a few places that I haven’t made it to yet, especially in South America.
If you were not travelling what would you be doing instead?
Working. I like to play hard, work hard!
What has travel taught you?
Travel has taught me so many things. Travel really is the best education. I love learning about the local culture and about the way that people in the area live.
Who, in your opinion, is the most successful travel blogger? Why do you think that is?
I don’t think there is one ‘best’ travel blogger. Many bloggers are popular for a range of different reasons. Some of my favourites that I follow are Adventurous Kate (because I like that she speaks her mind and shares lots of her personal experiences), Nomadic Matt (I got to learn a lot about him from taking his blogging course) and Travel Mad Mum (because she travels with kids, like I do).
Do you prefer solo travel or with someone else?
I love to travel with my family.
If you could swim with dolphins or go shark diving, which would you pick? and why?
There has been a lot of negativity about swimming with dolphins in captivity. But to swim with them in the wild would be a dream come true!
What is your dream travelling experience?
My dream travel experience is to travel to some of the remote parts of the world that are difficult to reach and very expensive, such as Bora Bora, Easter Island and Antartica.
You can follow Hayley: Pinterest | Blog | Facebook
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