This week we get to know Naomi from Passport Pop. Here is a q&a with this talented travel blogger.
1) Where can we find your blog and what is it about?
You can check out my blog at www.passportpop.co.uk – it’s all about enjoying short, action-packed trips away by making the most of a limited time and budget. From searching out a bargain online to planning the perfect itinerary, there’s loads of advice to encourage people to get out and enjoy the world! Oh, and there’s also posts about my own personal Passport Pop successes.
2) How long have you been blogging?
I only launched Passport Pop under my own domain name a few months ago – before that I was blogging away on a free site, but was encouraged to make a bigger thing out of it by the amount of people that wanted to know more.
3) What was the main reason you started to blog?
I didn’t have the ‘travel bug’ until my 20’s. I never took a gap year after Uni, and I declined some incredible school trips. It’s haunted me! But rather than sit and wish I’d done things differently, I decided to do the best I could with the free time I get and enjoy as many quick breaks as I can (with some bigger trips thrown in for good measure, of course!)
People would either bombard me to find out how I was going away so often, or moan that they were “jealous”. And I found myself constantly saying “it’s never too late, it’s never too expensive and there’s always enough time.” So, in a bid to inspire others who don’t have the luxury of unlimited annual leave, or a gap year on the horizon, I created Passport Pop!
4) Where do you get your content inspiration from?
I love booking cheap flights to random places, so a lot of the time I let the deals guide me in where I go, but once I’ve got a destination sorted, I’ll search out other travel blogs to get recommendations on what to do whilst I’m away.
5) What are your travel plans for 2018?
This year is a big one for me as I get married in September! We’re heading off on Honeymoon in November to Ecuador, and will be spending a few days in Quito before heading to the Amazon Rainforest to enjoy time in an Eco Lodge. After that, it’s a trip over to the Galapagos Islands, which is going to be truly incredible!
Of course, I couldn’t resist a cheeky deal or two in the meantime, and I’m popping over to Gothenburg in Sweden for a weekend very soon.
6) What are the biggest challenges you face when blogging? Any advice or tips for others?
Breaking through the noise. My social media pages are slowly building, but it’s all about turning those ‘likes’ into website clicks, and I’ve still got a long way to go with that. It’s just about perseverance; these things won’t happen overnight, so you need to be committed and passionate about your blog, because one day, it may all pay off.
I never want to lose sight of WHY I started blogging in the first place – that love and enjoyment has always got to be there, and I’d say that’s an important thing to remember when you’re having mind blanks or slow days.
7) Describe your dream holiday!
I love outdoor activities, nature and culture, so anywhere that has a combination of all three is ideal for me! Wherever I go, I want to feel inspired, so whether that’s by having my mind-blown by incredible scenery in Iceland, or spending time with the locals in India, I always want to come back feeling like I’ve learnt something.
As I’ve never had the chance to go away for any longer than three weeks, I’d love to spent a decent amount of time somewhere, like a few months in Australia or New Zealand, just road tripping around and enjoying what the country has to offer.
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