Welcome to February! This month Rebecca, Emma and I are joined by our first co-host of 2015; the lovely Sara from Big World Small Me and our theme for this months link up is “The Unexpected Benefits of Blogging”. We thought we would do something a little different and it would tie in nicely with the Travel Link Up Afternoon Tea Party we had at Brown’s Hotel last weekend. So here are my 7 unexpected benefits of blogging; not including sitting inside a giant clog that actually looks like a giant banana!
The Blogging Community
There is a great blogging community out there which inspires and supports new and experienced bloggers. When Emma, Rebecca and I started the travel link up last year we thought it would be a fun way to find some new blogs to read but along the way we have also met some incredible faces behind these blogs. (I may have stalked a few bloggers to see if they were keen to come and join in; thanks to those who did!)
Last weekend we held a Travel Link Up Afternoon Tea Party at Brown’s Hotel to celebrate our one year travel link up anniversary; we celebrated by eating scones! It was mind blowing how many bloggers were keen to attend; I was thinking I may have about 10 bloggers who would have been keen to attend so having 25 bloggers at the event was incredible. If you want to join in the next travel link up meet up we were thinking Brunch around June time; email me if you’re keen to come along.
Rebecca is going to kill me for that photo; did I tell you that I’m scared of Kiwi girls with curly hair!
Making new friends
They say there are two times in your life when you will meet most of your friends; on your first day of school and when you have your first child – I think there is a third and that’s when you start a blog. I’ve met and made some great friends over the last two years…I’ve eaten cake with them, stayed in castles and even let them pinch photos off my blog (you know who you are!) and I wouldn’t have connected with these lovely people without having my blog. (My blogging twin Emma; we need to call each other before attending blogging events in future so this doesn’t happen ever again – I think it’s because we grew up in the same town in New Zealand but we didn’t know each other until we met in London!)
Blogging friends also don’t judge you when you sit on the grass to take photos of your shoes (I left those shoes in Marseille, bloody gutted) or every food item on the table!
Learning new skills
Oh yeah, I originally started using Blogger and then promptly moved across to WordPress.Org and that’s when the education started. Having a blog will give you a pretty good lesson in IT “stuff” – I don’t know the technical terminology (just ask my IT department who cringe everytime I call them) but one of the unexpected benefits I have gained through blogging is that I feel a bit more confident with IT related issues and if I need advice; I google it!
Social Media
Social Media is pretty rad in the blogging world and it’s a pretty cool benefit of blogging as you get to meet so many like minded people around the world and have a conversation with them within 140 characters (if using twitter) and it’s a great place to ask for advice. I prefer Instagram over Twitter, just because I like pretty photos and this is a great way to connect with travellers plus brands (here are 10 of my favourite instagram travel accounts).
Travel inspiration
Last months travel link up was all about 2015 travel plans and wish lists and I have to say I was pretty darn inspired. While a number of fabulous destinations that I had never heard of prior to the January link up ended up getting added to my blooming long travel wish list; my credit card is hurling abuse at me at the moment. When you start blogging, you start to read other blogs that just provide some much inspiration regardless of their genre.
Getting off my bum to do things
I’ve said it before; my blog has given me a pretty giant kick up the bum to get out there and do more stuff. I felt like I was in a bit of a rut last year however with blogging you’re always looking for new content (it’s a bloggers worst nightmare when you don’t have any content!) and it’s given me more motivation to get out there and discover new destinations in the world and within England including making a London Bucketlist.
My Diary
My blog has become my diary; I’m pretty geeky and enjoy looking back to where I’ve travelled too over the past few years and thanks to having a blog I can do this rather easily now. Blogging is a great way to document any adventure from travel, learning how to cook right through to your wedding preparations; it’s global so it means anyone can check you out anywhere in the world.
So what are your unexpected benefits of blogging?
xx
Loading InLinkz …
If you liked this post on 7 Unexpected Benefits of Blogging then why not come and join me on Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest and Bloglovin’ – I won’t bite!
