In our series of interviews with travel bloggers 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 Paulina from Paulina On The Road
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Tell us a bit about yourself:
My name is Paulina and I am originally from Luxembourg, one of the smallest countries in the world. I moved abroad when I was 18 since I couldn’t wait to explore the world. After studying in Brussels, Passau (Germany), and Malaga, I fell in love with Spain and decided to live here for a while. After living in Barcelona for 6 months, I moved to Madrid to work in tourism and events. It was a great time since I got to stay in the best hotels and attend the fanciest parties. My work colleagues were amazing and overall I was very happy. However, I was made redundant. I was jobless and this during the worst economical crisis times in Spain. That’s when I decided to create a travel blog. Just to keep me occupied during the heat of Madrid. Soon, I found another job, this time in Seville, still in the Meetings & Congress sector. I continued doing the blog as a hobby. Eventually, I decided that it was time for new challenges and I started working in Tenerife, still in tourism. I fell in love with the island and it’s here where I created a lot of content about the island….that suddenly started to rank. That’s when I realized that the blog could become so much more!
After Tenerife, I really wanted to go back to my home country. But before I wanted to do something crazy, that’s how I ended up hitchhiking across the Atlantic Ocean by boat hitchhiking. The journey included 1 month in Cape Verde and I got to publish loads of content about the islands. After the Atlantic crossing, I continued blogging as a hobby and moved back to Luxembourg. After 2 years in Luxembourg, traffic picked up and I decided that I wanted to do something beneficient with that income. I decided to move to Cape Verde and do voluntary work. And still, now, I am here 🙂
What’s your biggest achievement as a Travel Blogger?
The biggest achievement was that I could decide to take 2 years off from my day job and move to Cape Verde, without worrying about income. I got to do voluntary work in Cape Verde and the blog was paying for it. That was quite a dream!
Besides that, I worked with the national tourism boards of Poland, Italy, Belgium, and many more…that’s still surreal! I also got contacted by my hometown in Luxembourg, the oldest town in Luxembourg, to do a promotional video series for them. That way quite an honor too!
You have an unlimited travel budget for 24 hours. Give me your itinerary.
24hours? Only? A road trip from Luxembourg by train to Spain probably, to the South, and eat tapas and seafood. And dance on the beach!
Another country that I absolutely want to visit again is Trinidad & Tobago…maybe we could include that somehow?
How do you fund your travel?
Before that the blog became profitable, I paid for all my travels from my savings. I am not a big shopper or party-goer, so I always managed to save money, without making a lot of sacrifices. I consider myself fortunate that I was able to go to university and have good degrees, which gave me access to good jobs. This allowed me to save money too! Then, by my jobs, I got to travel a lot and learned a lot about Spanish culture. It’s only recently that brands are inviting me to visit their places.
What is the single most effective strategy that a blogger can use to bring traffic to a blog?
Write about what you are passionate. Before knowing anything about SEO, I was only writing about things that I was passionate about and traffic was there! Then, I wanted that more people read my articles and learned about SEO. That’s when traffic increased.
What tools do you use to monetize your blog? Which works best for you?
I am with Mediavine and also do affiliate marketing. Only recently I started email marketing and created my own product: a Travel Guide about Cape Verde.
What is the first trip you remember taking and how old were you?
Good question. I didn’t travel a lot as a kid. My mum always wanted to travel with us, but my dad was against traveling too much. I think I went to the Dutch coast near den Haag when I was 12 or so. It was really a memorable vacation with my family and I loved the sea.
Have you been anywhere which turned out to be totally different from how you imagined? If so, how?
I sometimes think that a particular destination is “dangerous” and I am a bit nervous before visiting. But I ended up being positively surprised. This happened in Bosnia and also in Cape Verde. People were so incredibly welcoming and warm-hearted.
Have you had any bad experiences whilst traveling?
No. Not even my wallet got stolen. I often forget things in hotels, that’s the only thing. So I guess I am the biggest thread to myself 🙂
Where is your favorite place in the world?
I have a few. The South of Spain, particularly Seville and Malaga will always have a special place in my heart. I feel so alive here and free. Then, I love Cape Verde, which I call home for 5 months. The islands are so diverse and the people are so welcoming, everything is very easy-going. I also really liked Trinidad & Tobago for the landscapes, but mostly for its people and the food. It really showed me that peaceful coexistence between different religions, cultures, and backgrounds IS possible!
Do you have a bucket list? If so what is on it?
Oh…it’s endless! I am dreaming of Sao Tomé & Principe…both islands have something that attracts me loads! Then, I can’t wait to explore Peru, Colombia, or Mexico. Hispanic culture, literature, and linguists per part of my studies at university, so it will be the only natural thing to do to visit all these places.
If you were not traveling what would you be doing instead?
Dreaming about travel? 🙂 No, I would/want to open a boutique hotel or hostel in the future where I can welcome people from around the world. Because one day, I can’t travel around the world anymore, but then, the world will travel to my place 🙂
What has travel taught you?
It taught me that we are all different, but that we are all moved by the same major things. We are all moved by love, family, friendship… It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, this is what we have in common. And that’s what we have to keep in mind when traveling or not.
Who, in your opinion, is the most successful travel blogger? Why do you think that is?
Obviously, there is Adventurous Kate, she is a legend and I really like how she uses her voice to call out certain things that are not okay. I still don’t dare to raise my voice in social or political conflicts. I also really like The Blond Abroad due to her stylish way to travel the world. Then, I admire WanderlustingK since all her articles are so accurate, you can 100% trust her. Oh and I love Girl With The Passport for her humorous style of writing.
