To do the work you love, you’ve got to unlock a few doors. UNLOCKED Stories are honest conversations with 20 and 30-somethings who chose a path + made it happen.
A note from Ellen: I’m thrilled to spotlight Sarah in this week’s installment of UNLOCKED STORIES. She’s a woman who gets paid to travel the world and blog about it … and she has circled the globe five times! (How cool is that?)
Even if your career has nothing to do with travel, writing or blogging, I know you’re going to be inspired by Sarah’s story. Read on, and don’t miss the powerful questions at the very end…
: So many Millennials fantasize about traveling the world and getting paid to do it. You actually made it happen. How did this all begin?
The short answer is: I made it happen through one metric ton of hard work, making lots of tradeoffs (like making my homebase a super-frugal 1-bedroom apartment in Saint Paul, Minnesota, instead of a penthouse in NYC), and a big dose of good luck. I was lucky to be born into a family where travel was a very “normal” part of life. We’d go on long road trips every summer, camping, picking raspberries and cooking together using ingredients we picked up at country marts + roadside stands.
My childhood experiences taught me that travel doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated — and that most of the people you meet “on the road” are kind and trustworthy.
: It sounds like your parents passed along a spirit of adventure! How did those childhood experiences guide you into your current career?
My parents taught me that travel is fundamentally about connecting with your fellow human beings — not necessarily fancy meals or swanky hotels.
I carried that attitude into my twenties and early thirties, and spent seven years traveling the world as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, which eventually led me to get a Masters degree in Linguistics.
So many countries are desperate for qualified ESL teachers, and I taught my way through Brazil, Taiwan, Italy, New Zealand, Peru, India and Nepal. The living conditions were rarely “glamorous,” but there was never a shortage of teaching opportunities!
Throughout my ESL adventure, I ran my travel + lifestyle blog — YesAndYes.org — on the side, and slowly built up an audience there.
And these days, I’m a full-time blogger, travel writer and small business consultant.
I travel for work and for pleasure — meeting with clients in different cities, doing research for new travel guidebooks, and sometimes, as part of a collaboration with a cool brand that’s sponsoring a post on my blog.
I still pinch myself on an almost-daily basis, that this is really my life!
: Your blog, YesAndYes.org, is tremendously successful — with nearly a quarter-million page-views per month. How did THAT happen?
I’m the kind of woman who loves talking about big, global issues (like poverty and women’s rights) … but who also loves going “ooh!” over an amazingly cute + cheap pair of boots.
I wanted to read a women’s blog that had a little bit of everything — deep stuff, light stuff, and everything in between. You know, from climate change to cat photos.
I couldn’t find a blog like that. So I started one! I completely fell in love with blogging and was pretty much unstoppable. For the first several years, I posted seven days a week and spent every lunch break (for a year and a half!) leaving comments on other blogs, to build friendships + connections.
Eventually, I started to gain a readership and people started to take notice. Slowly but surely, people started asking for my help taking their own blogs to the next level, and my consulting business was born.
: You’ve worked hard to build an audience + make your blog a success. But how do you actually make money, as a blogger + travel writer?
Like most professional writers, I have several different sources of income.
Right now, I make money in four different ways:
: Consulting work. I work with small business owners who want to start their own blogs, or make their blogs better. Many of the businesses I work with are in the lifestyle / beauty / travel realm, which is awesome.
: Ads + sponsors. Small business owners pay to advertise their stuff on my blog. Sometimes, bigger companies pay me to attend their shows, visit their hotels, or do a tour of their city, and then write an article about it, create a social media contest, or some other kind of collaboration. (In the blog biz, that’s called a “sponsored post.”)
: Product sales. I create workbooks, calendars and other products, and sell them online. (Smart, Sassy + Solo: Adventures in Lady Travel is one of my favorites!)
: Speaking gigs. From time to time, I get paid to speak about travel, professional blogging and “content strategy” (which is a fancy word for “writing + making cool stuff on the Internet, so that customers fall in love with your business.”)
What’s your biggest piece of advice for someone who is struggling to take the first step towards the career of his (or her) dreams?
This might sound really depressing, but I mean this in the most loving, freeing way imaginable:
Just start.
Even if it seems like “nobody cares” about what you’re doing, at first.
Because no matter what you’re doing — whether it’s blogging, or music, or leading workshops, or whatever — the reality is that very few people are going to notice you…at first. So many people lose their excitement about blogging, in particular, because “nobody’s reading.”
Hint: for the first six months, almost no one will read your blog. So you might as well start now and work out the bugs. Look at blogging as an adventure — you’ll always be trying new things, tweaking, refining, and growing into your voice. And if you make a mistake … guess what? 99% of the time, nobody minds. Except you.
If it’s really what you want to do, then roll up your sleeves and do it.
The rewards are totally worth it.
UNLOCK yourself
Three questions to think about, write about — or talk about with a friend.
1. Sarah’s parents taught her that traveling can be simple and affordable — and that ultimately, it’s about connecting with fellow human beings. This philosophy eventually led to become a professional travel writer.
: What’s a positive lesson that your parents taught you? How is that lesson influencing your current career (or not)?
2. A turning point in Sarah’s career was when she started her own blog — and kept blogging, even though at first, nobody was reading.
: Have you ever started something, and then felt disappointed because nobody seemed to “care”? What will you do to motivate yourself, next time?
3. As a self-employed writer, Sarah makes money in several different ways.
: What are some of the different ways that you could make money (or make more money!) in your line of work? Brainstorm and make a big, creative list … dream wild!
For more UNLOCKED interviews, click over here.
Know somebody that ought to be spotlighted? Write to me here.
Photos: Meredith Westin.
See you next time for another inspiring conversation!