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 Isabel from Bel Around The World blog.
An Interview with Isabel from Bel Around The World
Tell us a bit about yourself
Full-time travel blogger and digital nomad roaming the world at whim, I draw energy from being outdoors. An explorer at heart, the world is my playground. If I’m not exploring, you can find me rock climbing or doing yoga. I chronicle my travel adventures and budget tips on Bel Around The World.
Having graduated with a Psychology and Communications degree, I went on to work in the fields of Public Relations and Social Media Management prior to travelling the world full time.
Now a full-time travel blogger at Bel Around The World and digital nomad roaming the world at whim, I draw energy from being outdoors. An explorer at heart, the world is my playground. It was my 6-month university exchange in Europe that led me on this path of travel. To date, I’ve visited 38 countries and lived as a digital nomad in Japan and Hawaii.
If I’m not exploring, you can find me lounging at a beach, rock climbing or doing yoga!
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What’s your biggest achievement as a Travel Blogger?
To be able to make a full-time job and income out of being a travel blogger. To be able to experience and stay in places I would otherwise not have been able to.
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You have an unlimited travel budget for 24 hours. Give me your itinerary.
I would really love to lounge in an overwater villa somewhere in the Maldives or the Caribbean. Go on a helicopter ride to see the islands from above, relax with a spa, come back to a candlelight dinner and stargazing to end off the night.
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How do you fund your travel?
Most recently, through my travel blog. I’ve been able to build it up to a position where I’m able to receive sponsored stays, experiences and trips.
I offer occasional SEO/ PR/ social media consultancy services.
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What is the single most effective strategy that a blogger can use to bring traffic to a blog?
SEO! Having good knowledge of SEO allows your content to rank on Google search, thus bringing in consistent and passive traffic.
What tools do you use to monetize your blog? Which works best for you?
Some of the tools I use for the blog are:
- Keysearch/ Ahrefs for keyword research
- Tailwind for scheduling Pinterest
- Buffer for scheduling on Facebook and Twitter
Considering how much traffic I get from organic search and proper SEO work put in, I’d say the keyword research tool is one I can’t do without
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What is the first trip you remember taking and how old were you?
My first trip I planned without my family was to Phuket, Thailand, with another friend. I did what I’ve always wanted to do – bungee jump. Til this day, I really admire my feat for taking the courage to do it. It’s historically one of the scariest things I’ve done in my life, even more so than roller coaster rides, skydiving, paragliding, diving with great white sharks or gliding.
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Have you been anywhere which turned out to be totally different to how you imagined? If so, how?
Everyone imagine Paris to be romantic. When I visited for the first time, my first impressions were French people smoking and throwing the cigarette butts everywhere, homeless people, people jumping through subway gantries without paying for a ticket and having to be on alert all the time because of touters.
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Have you had any bad experiences whilst travelling?
Of course. For instance, some close encounters with male couchsurfing hosts. Other than that, I’ve been pretty careful on the road. I haven’t encountered pickpockets or put myself in life-threatening situations.
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Where is your favourite place in the world?
I really love New Zealand as it was the first country I’d spent the most time away from home – I did a 6-month working holiday there. Absolutely love the idea of living so close to nature. Apart from that, I recently visited Cape Town last October. That made me want to move to the city because of everything it offers – farmer’s markets, hikes, beaches – a good mix of city and nature really!
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Do you have a bucket list? If so what is on it?
I’ve never met a traveller without one! Some of my bucket list items are:
- Visit every continent
- Live in a van
- Catch the Northern Lights
- Hang gliding
- Live on a farm
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If you were not travelling what would you be doing instead?
Working so hard on my blog! It’s my heart and soul and I absolutely love devoting time to improving my travel blog. It’s a culmination of all my travel adventures, tips and stories in word, picture and video formats in one platform.
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What has travel taught you?
So much! Mostly it has taught me humility. It has taught me that pushing myself out of my comfort zone always makes me realize how much more I’m capable of. It’s made me believe in the infinite possibilities if you only believe in them. Also, it’s made me believe that dreams do come true if you work hard enough for it.
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Who, in your opinion, is the most successful travel blogger? Why do you think that is?
Adventure In You, I Am Aileen, World of Wanderlust, P.S. I’m On My Way. They have truly mastered the art of storytelling in a way that keeps readers involved in their adventures. They have also been successful in turning their blogs into their jobs and be able to travel the world because of their blogs.
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