Hey fellow travel/expat bloggers! Today I'm here to share a little inspiration to help get you out of a serious case of writer's block. Trust me, you're not the only blogger to fall into the 'I don't know what to write about' rut. It happens to every single one of us and it sucks! First of all, I highly recommend not writing anything if you don't have anything to say instead of forcing yourself to write a 'meh' post just to get your weekly credential in. However, sometimes we really want to write, we just have no friggin' clue what to write about. A friend of mine just asked me the other day how I figure out topics for my blog, and 9 times out of 10 it's you, my readers, who inspire me. I read every single comment and TRY to answer every ... Read More
Archives for March 2015
5 Reasons New Zealand Should Be On Your Bucket List
I am 100% completely in love with New Zealand. Although we aren't sure what the future has in store for us (whether we leave when our working-holiday visas are up or stay under new visas), this country has a special place in my heart and carries some of the fondest memories. I feel like I have so much I would love to share with you about New Zealand (including a TON of destinations I have yet to blog about), but for now I want to wrap it up in a pretty package and tie a big bow on top of all of it, just to get you over here to experience this country. New Zealand should be on the top of your bucket list, whether you plan on visit for a short time or stay long-term. 5 reasons why you should visit New Zealand: 1. Adventure central I ... Read More
Finding a Place to Live in New Zealand
So you've been approved for a visa, and you're headed over to New Zealand (aka paradise on Earth)! We've already talked about finding work, so the next logical step would be finding a [temporary] home! As much as I would love to tell you the opposite, hobbit holes are not readily available to rent in New Zealand. A girl can dream though right? Looking for a place to live outside Hobbiton (am I taking this Middle Earth narrative too far?) can be quite daunting , especially when you don't know the lay of the land or have no idea about how things are properly orchestrated over here when it comes to housing. Looking back at our 'housing journey' I would have loved finding material to read before we began the task of house-hunting. I will ... Read More
A Weekend Getaway at Kinross Cottages
In the 5 years we have been together, Derik and I have never made elaborate plans to celebrate Valentine's Day. However, this year I wanted to do something special 'just because,' and planned a weekend getaway in Queenstown. I booked our stay at Kinross Cottages last minute, and really had no idea what to expect, except that the place was new-ish and in Gibbston Valley (wine country). The Kinross Cottages Review The second we pulled into the Kinross drive Derik and I were completely blown away. We had somehow completely missed the part of the website description that stated our cottage would literally be smack dab in the middle of a vineyard, and that paired with the gorgeously designed 'General Store' and cottages, we felt like giddy ... Read More
Beachcomber Island, Fiji
Fiji has always been top of my South Pacific bucket list. I don't know about you, but I grew up thinking Fiji was basically tropical paradise, and you've really 'made it' if you get the chance to visit. Although the second part of that sentence isn't exactly true, I was super stoked when Fiji appeared twice on our cruise itinerary back in December. WHOOP!!! Port Denarau, Fiji was actually the second stop on our trip, but it was the one I was most excited for. We decided not to book a shore excursion (hey people, we aren't made of money over here), and opted for the 'let's risk it and see what the port has to offer us' approach. Let me just say, out of all the ports-of-call we went to, we probably regretted this decision the most. You ... Read More
How to Grow Your Travel Blog
As a new travel blogger, you can often feel like you're a tiny anthill sitting amongst a bunch of mountains, unseen and barely noticed. It might seem to you that there is absolutely no hope when it comes to growing your travel blog or gaining interest from readers, companies, and other blogs. You shouldn't fret though, we've all been there. Every single blogger has started from the very bottom with zero readers and influence, and somehow has managed to work their way up to where they are today. Growing a blog takes dedication, commitment, research, and time. Every once in a blue moon, a blog will pop out of nowhere and grow from 100 to 100,000 readers overnight and it leaves us wondering how the heck they did it. Going viral ... Read More