A journalism student contacted me recently and I decided to respond to her on the blog. Maybe it will inspire some to start blogging and also inspire the desire to travel.
Why do I blog or travel?
First of all, can you tell me about your vision of travel?
For me, the essence of travel is the discovery of new cultures, new landscapes, new experiences, and new people.
The discovery of new people is essential to a good trip, whatever its origin.
Travel is a challenge one gives oneself to discover new perspectives. Find my section “who am I” to learn more about my background.
Can you tell me about your travels, your motivations, your awareness? How do you prepare your destinations?
Generally, I don’t plan anything in advance, but I gather as much information as possible about the destinations and activities to do. For me, a trip is a blank page that you fill as the journey progresses.
I turn my uncertainties into achievable facts over time during the trip.
When I travel alone, it’s mostly tests I give myself to adapt to any situation and any place. When you travel often, you develop many skills such as communication, open-mindedness, adaptability, decision-making, etc.
When you are passionate, you are happy to share and convey this positive aspect of travel on yourself.
What are the reasons that pushed you to create your blog?
The reasons are multiple:
- Upon my return from travel in 2009, I wanted to share my travel experience and my passion.
- Blogging is another form of communication that allows reaching people you don’t meet daily.
- I wanted, through a travel blog, to finance my next trip around the world in 2014.
- I’m a bit of a geek so I like being on the computer and learning new things.
There are many travel sites on the web. What makes “Conseil Voyageur” special?
I have been a web entrepreneur for several years and the particularity of “conseil voyageur” is that it has articles that call for reflection on the philosophy of the traveler. For example: “is it lucky to travel?“, “comfort and money“.
For me, the smooth running of a trip depends on the qualities of the traveler and that is what I try to convey in my blog.
How is the blog today a new form of correspondence?
With Web 2.0, that is, social networks. We enter a new universe where we interact more with readers. The blogger has never been so close to their audience. Now, information can be obtained very quickly and the blog provides concrete and simple information that the reader wants to know.
Do you update your blog during your travels or upon your return? And why?
It depends on the length of the trip and the destination, I often prepare articles in advance when I travel and update my blog upon my return. My blog is not the only activity I have on the web, but I try to spend as much time as possible on it when I can, because I do it during my free time.
In your opinion, how can travel blogs influence readers?
Through lived experience and feedback. People feel capable of doing the same thing and want to live similar experiences, and that is what makes a blog valuable.
There is also the trust capital that readers give to bloggers.
What attracts internet users to travel blogs?
The informative aspect, curiosity, and the dream of doing the same thing, because bloggers are above all normal people (but at a more advanced stage) who recount their adventures. There is also a big part of desire playing behind it.
Blogs are proof of experience, testimony: bloggers recount fragments of life, landscapes, emotions. Like a reporter, you go “see to tell”. Can we say that now everyone becomes a reporter of their own journey?
There are several schools in travel blogging: there is the storytelling of the blogger’s adventures and the travel reporter who recounts what he has seen but does not talk about himself. You can have both styles in the same blog. Yes, we are like reporters who recount their own journey with our vision of travel.
Personally, I still find it difficult to convey what I feel during my travels in my writings, but without the emotional aspect, there would be no interest in following a blog long term.
Blogs are increasingly close to traditional media, can we talk about mutualization between professional and amateur journalism?
No, not at all. We reach a smaller and also more reality-based audience whereas journalists speak generally for all audiences. After that, there are journalists who also have blogs :D.
In your opinion, what is a travel blogger?
There is no real proper definition, I am more for “each their own style of travel and adventures”. And that is what makes there something for everyone in the blogging world. You can even travel in your own city if you discover new places and new people.
I hope my testimony will help this student and also motivate you to travel and blog.
