It’s been almost a year now since I completed the Ultimate Travel Journalism Course; a year since I felt that cheeky sense of accomplishment. We all know how good it feels to know you actually finished something you started!
So it began. I now had the tools and knowledge to achieve my dream of becoming a travel writer. The first thing I did was to go and follow a bunch of travel blogs and Instagram accounts so I had daily inspiration to believe in my dream as I continued to work my usual day job. I had business cards made and left them wherever I went in order to promote my blog.
I took a trip to New Zealand where I met lots of other happy campers and travel bloggers. The trip was different to anything I’d ever experienced before as I was travelling in the back of an old cargo van and essentially winging it as I went. I wrote the article ‘Kiwi land by cargo van’ which got positive feedback; it was lovely to see that people were enjoying my words. It gives you a warm fuzzy feeling to know that your words can inspire others to see the world.
Then I jumped on a plane to America; a lifelong dream of mine that was finally happening. America was like a whole new planet in itself and so different to anything I’d ever seen back here in Australia. It definitely gave me plenty of inspiration for new travel articles. From line dancing in Texas, to star spotting in Los Angeles, spending 8 weeks in the USA/Canada was the highlight of 2017 for me.
Whilst in New York, I got in contact with a bunch of travel bloggers that I’d met from the famous Facebook group, Girls Love Travel for a #gltmeetup at a little bar near Times Square. I was out of my comfort zone, walking alone into a bar to meet with a bunch of strangers, but that’s all apart of the job, isn’t it! It was amazing to meet up with like minded people and discuss our next adventures.
Recently, I’ve been a part of a group working on developing an app in Australia. We can’t share much yet, only that it will work as a platform for everyday people to be tour guides to people visiting in their area. It’s exciting to be a part of developing something new.
I still use the skills I gained in this course in my everyday life and writing. I often look back at the modules and recap in an endless attempt to continue building on my skills. I’m currently chipping away at new articles, such as ’12 hours in Tokyo’ – which is about (obviously) the 12 hours I spent in the vibrant city on my stopover from Perth to LA. Between full time work and full time university study, I find writing about my travels to be a good source of ‘me’ time.
Although I perhaps haven’t written as much as I’d have liked over the past year, I’m excited for what the next few years will bring! I encourage anyone with a desire to travel and write to give this course a go, you’ll never know what you can achieve until you try.