How I started my travel blog
Over60 community member, Gayle Torrens, 64 from Yandina, Queensland, shares how she began her journey in blogging and how it’s led to a fun and fulfilling hobby that sees her interact with thousands of people around the world.
Related link - Gayle Torrens shares why she wrote her mother’s biography
After 36 years of talking about taking a trip to Europe, my husband and I finally headed off in 2006. At the time, I wasn't keen about going as I didn't want to be away from my family or my kids at school but my husband was as keen as mustard so off we went.
I decided, before we left, that I would keep really detailed diaries backed by relevant photos so that he didn't forget one single moment of his long awaited dream trip. Well, that trip really was a dream trip. We met so many nice people, saw amazing sites and sights and had a plethora of new and exciting adventures.
When we returned my diaries and scrapbooks were in great demand but with the constant handling they started to look a bit dog-eared. I was trying to do a patch up job on them when one day in 2013 my son visited me and said: “Mum obviously everyone loves reading your diaries but if you keep lending them out, they are going to eventually fall to pieces.”
Then he came up with the perfect solution. He helped me set up a travel blog on the free blog site Wordpress. I uploaded all my diaries and photos onto the site and I really loved doing it.
Related link - A step-by-step guide to starting a blog
Since then we have been through Europe again, including Iceland, China, New Zealand, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the Baltics and Russia. My blog now has over 3000 readers from eighty different countries and I gives me a great time tracking its journey. I love it when friends contact me to tell me that they have used my blog to help them plan for a trip.
I was especially thrilled when my son (same one that helped me set the blog up) visited Belgium and Googled information about the Herge trail. My blog was the first link that came up and he said it was a great guide. That made my day! Our family also love the blogs because, they say, it makes them feel as though they are travelling with us.
Gayle recommends that all Over-60s give it a go.
I used to make a lot of scrapbooks and photobooks and photo albums. They are lovely but expensive to make and then cumbersome to store. Blogging is inexpensive, fun and easy to store. I also love it because it provides a permanent record of my travels for me and for my family and friends.
It also helps with the trip. We always do a lot of research before we travel and that really enhances the experience but blogging helps me to discover even more about the areas we visit, writing and then reading the blog triples out fun.
For those feeling wary of blogging technology Gayle advises:
Wordpress is free, very easy to use and they have a great support network. I'm really enjoying all my newly learnt skills and using our experiences to help others plan for their dream trips and I have also enjoyed getting in and reading other people's blogs.
If you’re starting your first blog, just remember to write as you speak. Your friends and family want to read your account not some formal travel piece. Edit carefully. Grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes make reading a difficult experience for others.
Read more about Gayle’s travel adventures at her blog Travelling with Gayle.
Related links:
8 tips for writing for the web