Often I just want to run away from a computer, overwhelmed by eight hours or more in front of one for work (perpetually in need of a Malta vacation, it seems).
Other times, when without apparatus to scribble down my thoughts, I long for anything that will enable me to record ideas.
Malta vacation – an exercise in mindfulness
Writing is an outlet and my love, and I never feel more inspired than when I’m travelling. If I’m constantly thinking and on sensory alert, am I being mindful on the road?
Despite the media craziness and the threats that would have us believe we are barely safe to leave our or homes, I am at peace when I’m exploring somewhere new.
It might sound odd that I suggest travel is the best opportunity to actually practice mindfulness – on the road we’re always looking around, getting involved with the senses and quite possibly on a device like a laptop or phone. The mind can be busy.
However, I think we can experience mindfulness in an almost pure form while travelling and feeling new things; experiences, sights, sounds, smells and tastes.
I feel blessed to be able to see the beauty in things too, without judgement. Difference is interesting, often charming.
I suppose awareness is the trick. And then, life is definitely beautiful.
I’m currently on a crowded bus in Malta that’s ferrying customers of all ages along the Sliema strip towards the capital Valletta, and then out towards where we are based in il Żurrieq.
I struggle to maintain balance, holding on for dear life up the front of the bus and scrambling to tap my thoughts down into my iPhone’s Notes app. It’s around 7pm and this particular August day’s sunset has begun it’s decent across the harbour. All I can think is:
How enchanting, I wish I could share this with my loved ones [who I wish could be here as I know they’d appreciate it].
It’s at this point it occurred to me – after Cooper and I spent hours today creating travel content (videos and photography) we are proud of – that while the likes of us are sometimes frowned upon for the time we spend staring at a screen, we might be the mindful ones.
Other digital nomads understand where we’re coming from, and if you don’t, consider for a moment that we are not just playing around on our phones and being entirely anti-social; we are consciously paying attention for the beautiful moments.
We are capturing them in the best way we know how: those landscapes, experiences, history, stories, that we can share to be inspiring, helpful, entertaining or informative (perhaps all of the above).
That’s what most travel bloggers intend.
We are consciously seeking the photo, video, words that might inform and educate your next decision or judgement on any given destination.
In this way, those of us being conscious about creating and capturing are being mindful.
And trust me, we are grateful for these moments because we are aware of just how precious they are.
We are also mindful to put the devices down and enjoy too.
There’s nothing that irritates me more than people wandering mindlessly about, noses in phones, not realising they are holding up a huge crowd behind them or missing out on something their friend is saying to them.
But, sometimes when inspiration strikes, you need to take advantage of a 40 minute bus ride and get those words onto paper (or into a phone, whatever is handy).
Next time you find yourself confused or irritated at someone with a camera who looks like they’re trying to capture ‘just another shot for Instagram’, have a little faith that maybe they are not just another selfie-obsessed tourist; maybe, just maybe, they’re on a mission to inspire, educate and inform, like we are.
Or perhaps they’re chasing a dog, as we do too. But that story for another time.
In my opinion, TBEX never fails to deliver, and this year I thought the calibre of speakers was particularly high, sharing the best travel blog ideas and content tips of the year.
I have an Evernote-file overflowing with travel blog ideas, tips and tricks, and as part of my post-event review process, I’ve summarised the best take-aways below. I hope you find it helpful.
The best of travel blog ideas and content tips – take note:
Ian Cleary on influence
I’ve followed Ian’s work for a few years now (actually, had a nice chat with him back in 2012 at TBEX Dublin).
His content (via Razor Social) is super helpful and he’s renowned for sharing the best social tools of the trade and really great content.
In his keynote which opened TBEX Europe 2016, he told us that if there’s one thing to focus on (among the plethora of things we know we ‘should’ be doing), it is to build your influence online.
By this, he means for content creators to really think about the niche we’re working within, identify other influencers in that niche and interact with them on social media, blogs and even at conferences.
Follow them around (in a non-creepy way) and network.
Another tip he shared was to really make sure your ‘about’ page and subsequent pitches on ‘you’ include ‘evidence’ on your work in the form of things like testimonials, statistics, case studies or your ‘brand’s reputation’.
Matt Kepnes (aka Nomadic Matt) on improving e-marketing newsletters
Matt insists we should always be testing – test travel blog ideas as well as your headlines, content, copy ideas, promotional strategies. Whatever you can measure.
And he should know, as a super successful travel blogger and online entrepreneur.
No matter what type of newsletter distribution app or software you’re using (e.g. MailChimp, AWeber, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign etc.) see if you can discover ways within their offerings to better optimise and target your audience.
Use ‘if-then’ statements to segment data, so that if for example, a reader clicks on a certain type of content you distribute (such as a review on a book about social media), they can be shifted to a user-group you might want to work with separately (for example, down the track if you release a book or e-book on similar subject matter, this group could potentially be more interested than others on your mailing list).
This is all particularly helpful as your offerings, content, products and services expand, and means you are likely to have more interested groups of readers to target different things to.
On subject lines, he reminded us these are very important and pretty much determine whether an email will be opened or not.
Try to make your subject lines personal in nature, offer help; keep it short but not too specific.
An example: ‘How to travel for free’ worked well for Matt; on the same content, ‘The ultimate guide to travel hacking’ did not.
On a side-note about the blogging world as a whole, he also mentioned that we shouldn’t be so tied up creating content that we forget to read and educate ourselves too.
The more we read: travel, business, marketing, history, personal development, and so on, the better we’ll become at everything! Makes sense, right?
He suggested:
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
The Power of Persuasion by Robert V. Levine
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
Ask by Ryan Levesque
Spud Hilton on storytelling
In this inspiring address, one of the few truly experienced newspaper travel editors working in the world today, shared some brilliant tips on how to craft compelling content.
Spud Hilton reminded us that in order to enhance even our best ideas for a travel blog, we need to:
Write to a point – who is the audience and what message do you want them to take away? Work this out before drafting your copy or visual content.
Defy expectations – find things people aren’t doing somewhere or that wouldn’t be expected of a particular place. Be different. It’s also nice to share what’s great about a destination that others either overlook or perceive is a bit rubbish. We think a great example is Hastings in the UK – a place we had a lot of interest in because no-one in England cared about it but we sung the destination’s praises and shared why it is a cool place to go.
Move past ‘tourist vs traveller’, because everyone is a traveller, really. They just fall between being a discoverer (e.g. climbing a mountain, seeking a monk and spiritual enlightenment) and a leisure traveller, that is, taking a break and unapologetically sipping on cocktails by the beach.
And it’s important to report, not repeat content – find the story, don’t rehash what’s already been shared. He reminded us to look which way the pack is going, then head in the opposite direction, because that’s where the unique story will be.
Shawn Smith on using blab and Facebook Live (live-casting)
Shawn (The Mobile Pro) presented a really interesting workshop about his thoughts on live-casting services, with particular references to Blab and Facebook Live.
He maintains (and we keep hearing this) that this method of conversing with an audience will continue to grow, and inevitably boom. I really see the benefits of live-casting, although my only reservations are availability of Wifi and data when travelling. Personal mobile Wifi seems to be more accessible now though, which would alleviate these worries.
He shared a case study about how he managed to raise funds for much-needed stoves in a remote part of the world, because he had the chance to use this technology to show people first-hand how much of a difference their donation would really make.
Using live-casting technology you can:
Re-purpose content from your blog, but remember to talk about it, don’t just re-read it. Live-casting is about conversation, it’s not a presentation.
Chat about three to seven key points.
Talk to people by name – if they are commenting, chat back to them.
Be authentic and vulnerable – be yourself.
Invite calls to action (e.g. sign up to a mailing list).
Don’t be afraid to ask for comments and shares of your feed. Often people do not know to do this but will happily oblige.
If you plan a live-cast in advance, don’t forget to set up event invites (you could do this via Facebook) to remind friends to come online for a chat!
Why not have a go at it this week, but be mindful that Shawn advised you should try to broadcast for at least 15 minutes to gather an audience and have a ‘chat’ live across the world about your chosen topic. I suspect this is true, because I experimented with Periscope and Facebook Live (for the first time) while we were exploring the Vasa Museum in Stockholm and noticed the audience uptake was rather low within the five minutes I was playing around on both streams. Longer and I might have had the chance to have a proper conversation.
Shane Dallas on using Google+ to reach millions
My final workshop summery is from a very engaging Aussie traveller’s session. Shane Dallas (aka the Travel Camel) hosts The Road Less Travelled, one of the world’s biggest Twitter travel chats.
He spoke about how Google+ is far from ‘dead’ and that we should all be keeping an eye on its ‘collections‘ feature, and carefully curating our own meaningful collections while nurturing conversations about the subject matter within our chosen niche.
On social media, he insists more of us need to more mindful of what value our content is bringing to the party, how it makes us different (stand out) and its purpose.
He says we need to strive to be better at the three Cs:
strong Content
strong Conversation
strong Community
Interestingly, Shane discussed using Google+ and the featured collections function in almost a micro-blogging capacity, rather than as a vehicle for driving traffic back to a website.
I can definitely see his point, particularly being that it is a truly different user-set that make the best of this social media platform.
He mentioned that Twitter, Instagram and Google+ are the social vehicles used by those who want to ‘network and learn’ (rather than those where you will mostly hang out with friends). I totally agree with this and have enjoyed these three services in this way.
I have also always found Google+ to offer a more beautiful interface for images, videos and interesting conversation, so I was glad to be reassured that it is embedding its place firmly in the world of micro-blogging, creative content and social media.
Do you have tips or questions? Let us know in the comments below.
Lorraine Dawson decided to learn Spanish a few years ago, after harbouring a desire to do so for many years, but simply never having enough time to begin.
She didn’t let living on the Gold Coast in Australia deter her, and went about finding classes and tutors who could enlighten her on how to learn a language at any age.
Last year Lorraine finally had the chance to put her skills to the test on a visit to Barcelona.
We think she is a wonderful example of someone who overcame fears and challenges of learning a new language, particularly as a mature student, so we have asked her some questions on how she did it, what she’s up to now and her advice for others who might like to try…
How to learn a language at any age
Why did you choose Spanish as the language to learn?
Four years ago (2012), after being retired for six years, and at the age of sixty eight, I looked up the U3A (University of the Third Age) website to see what courses were on offer, and to my delight, ‘Learning Spanish’ was one of them, so I decided to enrol.
I had been misinformed about Spanish being the easiest language to learn, which is why I chose it! I actually never had any specific language in mind.
When did you start studying?
When I turned 68 I decided it was time to stop procrastinating and enrol. Signing on for my first Spanish course was an achievement in itself. To say I was a little nervous and anxious would be an understatement.
Our teacher was a Spanish-speaking lady called Trinidad, who comes from the Canary Islands. There were about fifteen people in the class, twelve of whom had already been studying for a year or two, and some already knew another language, apart from English. There were three of us who were beginners.
I would be lying if I said I found it easy to start with. We had typed sheets from which we worked, and at first I didn’t know where I was. For the first year I felt embarrassed that I could not answer the questions or translate the reading, which was in Spanish.
This was compounded by the fact that except for the beginners, everybody else could. I realise I had unrealistic expectations about how quickly I might grasp the language, but that is how it was. It was hard. One of the ladies who started with me dropped out after a few weeks, and the other one dropped out of the class after the first year.
Can you explain a little about the steps you’ve taken through the process of learning Spanish?
I went for one hour a week, and we did not go in the school holidays. We had homework. The first year was the hardest.
The second year was better. Our teacher went overseas for four months, and did not continue teaching at U3A. She decided to teach the class at her home, and we were separated into an intermediate class, of which there were three of us, and an advanced class.
The two ladies in my class have sons who live in Spain, and had married Spanish girls, so they decided to learn Spanish to be able to converse with their daughter-in-law and their families.
I progressed much better in the second year.
Once we were separated into an intermediate class where there were just the three of us, I felt more comfortable being with people who were on a similar level to me in the learning process.
Almost all of the people in the two classes were retired school teachers, whereas I had left school at fifteen. I would forget what a “conjunction” was, but I just asked to be told again, whereas the retired teachers didn’t forget these sort of things.
What did you gain out of actually having the chance to be immersed in the language in Barcelona in 2015?
I went to Spain with my son for five days and I made sure every day that I was there that I spoke Spanish as much as I possibly could, even if it was just asking for a cup of te con leche, por favor (tea with milk please). It was such fun.
When I arrived at the hotel, I informed the staff on reception that I was learning Spanish, and that I would be attempting to speak to them in their language, and would they please correct me when I was wrong.
They found this quite amusing, and were happy to oblige. My son was impressed with how well I was doing in learning Spanish. Being amongst the Spanish people inspired me to want express myself in their language while I was there, and I found they really appreciated the fact I was making the effort.
I won’t insult your intelligence by saying it is easy to learn a language at any age or at my age, but I have gained so much from trying. I have made it a personal challenge.
I keep telling myself, “You can do this, I AM doing this, and I will not let it get the better of me.” I am most determined about it. You don’t always remember what you have learnt, but that is OK, other people don’t either.
What are your best tips on how to learn a language at any age, for anyone keen to get started this year?
I would highly recommend to anyone considering learning a second language, to go for it. It really gives you quite a boost when you see that you are capable of doing it.
Don’t worry if it seems hard and you think you will never get it. It does get easier with time! If you are a senior like me, I am sure it helps with your memory, and what an achievement that you are getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new. Just do it.
What do you think you personally have gained from pursuing the learning of a language, despite not travelling all the time?
I have made wonderful friends from the people in my class, especially my Spanish teacher, who now teaches me how to cook Spanish dishes, and always brings to dinner a bottle of Sangria which she has made.
The class have had social outings to restaurants where Spanish is spoken, and we have people from Spanish speaking countries come to our class to converse with us. I find it all such fun, and we have a lot of laughs, especially at our mistakes. Just get involved and you will get so much out of it.
We met again this past weekend, in Spain, no less. My fiance would be jealous – lucky he came along this time!
You’re a beautiful event – life-changing, many might say; and making a cameo at one of your spectacular soirees is becoming an annual pilgrimage for me.
“Pilgrimage” is, in fact, the correct word, for our first encounter was when I specifically flew from Australia to meet you in Dublin in 2013.
I ventured to Athenslast year to catch up on all the latest in travel tales and trends. Recently too in Costa Brava, set alongside the spectacular ‘brave coastline’ of Spain, about two hours from Barcelona.
I brought along a couple more TBEX recruits, my aforementioned fiance, Cooper, and our mate, The Hardy Traveller, Amy.
It’s easy to discover what you’re about simply by searching #TBEX on any social stream that counts (and then some).
‘The future of travel media’ is your usual theme, targeting bloggers, new media content creators and creative dreamers seeking experience above any other attachments.
Experience helps each of us learn more about ourselves, and how we can help share a message that might make the world a better place.
TBEX travel blogger conference, an annual get-together, usually hosted in North America as well as in Europe, and this year for the first time in Asia too.
I love that you’re an affordable and unique conference for new media and travel bloggers/writers/content creators, overflowing with learning opportunities in the form of wonderful workshops, networking functions, travel experiences and chic parties that showcase the host destination.
Loving Costa Brava, TBEX 2015
Costa Brava was no exception – an especially cool and pretty little area of Spain, boasting beautiful coastlines, funky bars, mouth-watering cuisine and an array of interesting, welcoming locals.
This spot didn’t let us down, just as Spain’s other Med-facing destinations like Ibiza and Mallorca haven’t 💕
Highlights of our encounter include the opening night party at luxe Santa Cristina Beach, Nathaniel’s Boyle’s engaging presentation on pod-casting and how, “Its moment is now”; and Michael Collins‘ insightful, educational keynote on the future of travel media.
I really do walk away each year on a high; high on information, inspiration and motivation.
TBEX, you are the best of travel, providing a chance to visit new places, party and have fun; but also an opportunity to learn new things, meet inspiring people and be energised about the things that are possible.
Attendees are not just delegates from around the world. We’re a community of like-minded entrepreneurs who are passionate about travel and digital content creation; citizens of the world, all keen to encourage each other to fulfil aspirations to live a beautiful life, rich in experience, and to share this important opportunity with others through words, images, video and multimedia.
If you believe you can, but don’t know where to start – start here, just like I did. It will change your life.
Can’t wait to see you again in Stockholm for TBEX Europe 2016. Click the link for all the content tips we were taught!
TBEX travel blogger conference: the latest for you
Read all the updates and adventures from TBEX in the Czech Republic and watch the video. Hope to see you at the next event!
Want more from the Costa Brava? Here’s just a few of the many lovely posts from fellow TBEXers on Lloret de Mar and surrounding regions in Spain:
I’ve been finding it difficult to get started lately. It’s unusual for me, but this does happen on occasion. Like many of you, I work for myself, I’m really busy and my to-do list is always extensive.
Each day it includes a merry mix of all the elements I’m meant to include in life – fitness, nutrition, meditation, keeping an eye on my goals, managing clients, calling my mum, caring for the dog, paying my bills and writing. Lots of writing for work! Usually it’s because I have so much to do that I speed through things in an attempt to get everything done, but this past week or so I just can’t seem to find the motivation to conquer it. I skip out on going to Pilates, emails are driving me insane so I often procrastinate on them, and same with many of my social media tasks. I end up stuck on mundane tasks that I don’t have to think much about, but I’m left in the evening with either a lack of excitement about the day that’s just been, or I’ve not ticked off much of my to-do list.
I don’t like either situation, and neither is ‘me’. I am usually very good at time management – if I could just keep from feeling fuzzy headed and lacking enthusiasm! I’m also at a point in my business where I’m working a LOT but I’m working at bringing in new clients and money, working on the business, pitching etc. Consequently I’m working all the time but for little financial return. I don’t mind this, but I think it’s potentially getting me down a bit. Can you relate?
I’ve identified:
1. I reckon I’m lacking in support and contact with others, and therefore am left floundering on my own for most of the day.
2. My list of things to do is too big, and I’m getting overwhelmed, and therefore instead of starting, I’m struggling with where to start.
3. I’m also quite tired so potentially something health-wise I need to rectify.
I bet I’m not alone on this front though. Does anyone understand how I feel? Do you have any advice?
I’ve taken a step toward my goal of building my online business and also digital networking by signing up to a 30 day blogging challenge with the Simple Blogging Network. I hope that by doing this I’ll be pushed along to blog more/regularly but with the bonus of receiving engagement and feedback, and also the opportunity to interact with others.
I’ve also done a bit of Sunday afternoon reading about getting motivated when you’re struggling, and have discovered a couple of interesting articles. One is a couple of years old, but really helpful, 16 Ways to Get Motivated When You’re In a Slump, by Loe Babauta. From this piece I gleaned that I am probably focussing on too many things, although, it’s hard to narrow that down when the items on my list to follow up on each day are about building the business and hopefully bringing in dollars.
And in amongst that, I need to fit in health and fitness time which is an important goal to me at the moment too (but often put on the back burner if I’m ‘behind’ with work). Nevertheless, perhaps narrowing my goals is something I need to address sooner rather than later, so I’m working towards a more defined ‘something’ rather than a whole heap of things.
From these one or two narrowed goals, I liked his suggestion of looking for something each day to inspire towards those goals, for example, if fitness is important, or even a goal of ‘getting motivated’ is critical, then reading something about these things in the morning to get fired up about it is a good idea.
Another feature I enjoyed was this one from The Huffington Post by James Clear, with particular reference to exercise, but I think the tips apply to many situations. He discusses the “pre game routine” that’s “so easy you can’t say no”. It’s kind of like taking baby steps towards getting going, and creating a routine so that the day – or what I’m meant to be getting into each morning – is shuffled into motion without a hitch. So, perhaps my pre-blogging routine is to settle in with a cuppa and just write for 15 minutes…
Anyway, food for thought, and I at least feel a little better about being proactive about solving this issue. Who knows, maybe with Monday morning tomorrow I’ll be back on board. Feedback and comments always welcome though.
Welcome! We are Sarah + Cooper, Aussie expats living in the UK with our Westie dog, London. We like to inspire on how to travel for longer and to live and work from anywhere. Our most popular content here is about seeing the world with your pet, remote working & digital nomadism, and house + pet sitting. Create a global life of your dreams at any age! Subscribe to find out more :)
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I’ve followed Ian’s work for a few years now (actually, had a nice chat with him back in 2012 at 
In this inspiring address, one of the few truly experienced newspaper travel editors working in the world today, shared some brilliant tips on how to craft compelling content.
Four years ago (2012), after being retired for six years, and at the age of sixty eight, I looked up the U3A (University of the Third Age) website to see what courses were on offer, and to my delight, ‘Learning Spanish’ was one of them, so I decided to enrol.
I would highly recommend to anyone considering learning a second language, to go for it. It really gives you quite a boost when you see that you are capable of doing it.
