As a blogger, one of my favorite things to read from other bloggers are their musings about the biz side of things, and how they have grown and learned over the previous year. It makes it feel like we’re a community of people who are here to help each other out.
It’s amazing to think that this blog has been around for five years now! I had a lot of ideas and dreams of how it should be and what I wanted out of it in the beginning, and with each passing year the industry, and my approach, have changed dramatically.
In year four, my traffic and social channels had all doubled. In year five, they’ve all increased by about 50%. Is this disappointing? Not at all! I’m super happy to see that my business is still growing, and still at a really nice rate. Here’s how it happened in year five:
I stayed connected to my purpose:
When I sat down to write this post last year, I remember having to remind myself that making comparisons to others was a dirty trick I played on myself and that it wasn’t constructive. My business grew a lot but I couldn’t see that because I was so busy looking at what I didn’t have. What a tragedy!
I see this plaguing a lot of bloggers. We’ll be sitting in a safari vehicle looking at elephants, stressed over not getting the perfect photo like so-and-so has, and it’s too bad because you’re on safari in Africa and this is freaking awesome!
I’m not totally immune to those thoughts, and I have to remind myself to be grateful every day. To help, each day I write down ten things I’m grateful for. It’s a fantastic practice and it has helped me to stop reading the Facebook newsfeed or check my social accounts over and over anymore, because it takes me farther from my purpose.
I just want to help people travel solo. I think it improves the world.
I want that girl, or boy, who everyone doubts and are saying ‘no’ to to know that he or she can absolutely do this. You can travel by yourself. I firmly believe the world is a better place when people are empowered, when they understand other cultures better, and when they live in love rather than fear.
I am not the same girl who got on the plane five years ago. I am a much kinder, more giving version of myself and I ask a lot more questions now. I’m not special or unique. Everyone has the capacity to feel this way. With every person I have the opportunity to encourage, the better this community gets. When I remind myself of that purpose on a daily basis, this all continues to grow and get better.
I know that I can’t do this alone
In the past, apart from wasting time making comparisons and logging into social media, I’ve realized that the more money I spend on talented people who can do certain things better than I can, the more money I actually make! That way I spend time on what I do best – the writing, photography, videos, and editing.
Handling emails, doing graphic design, and all of the tech stuff is better left to other, more capable people. It’s a really beautiful thing to realize that involving other people doesn’t mean giving up control, it means inviting other bright minds into the mix.
A few months ago, an awesome solo female traveler named Ashley joined the team full-time. If you have sent me an email over the past few months, you might have heard back from her!
I just want to note that if you ever received an email that was sent from Kristin, you can be sure that that came directly from me. I reply to comments personally as well, so if you ever want to reach me directly, comment on the blog posts!
I keep learning
One thing you’ll hear all entrepreneurs emphasize is the importance of learning. Make every train ride, plane ride, and time spent in transit work for you. Listen to audiobooks and podcasts, invest in courses, and keep learning!
Another big change is hiring a coach. I’ve been working with a life coach for the past ten months and I can’t even begin to articulate how helpful this has been for me to grow both professionally and personally. She asks me the questions I need to be asking myself, has helped me to see areas where I could become better, and checking in with her has become a part of the week I really look forward to. I really wish I’d done this sooner!
For those interested in seeing if coaching is for you, I wrote a blog post about why I got a life coach here.
I’ve also realized that courses really are essential to growth. I thought I already knew what I needed to know about travel blogging, but when I went through Superstar Blogging so that I could adequately compare the two biggest courses on the market, I realized that I still had a lot to learn. Be a perpetual student and your site will get better.
Apart from reading about marketing and entrepreneurship, I’ve also made podcasts a big part of my daily life. Some are spiritual, which I see as very connected to business success, and plenty of them are about how to grow in novel ways. I am still a big fan of Smart Passive Income, which I’ve mentioned before.
The way I make money is changing
You may have noticed that there are ads on the site now. I hope that you don’t mind, because this has made it possible for me to turn down everyone who reached out wanting to sponsor a post this month!
I turned down a bunch of paid travel too – like really a boat load of money – because unless it’s a really good fit and I am given total control over the itinerary, like trekking in Kyrgyzstan or paddling in Manitoba, it just doesn’t make sense and I don’t want to do it.
My books – the solo female travel guide and my memoir – and another that I’ll be releasing soon, help a lot with that. And we have tours now as well!
It helps just to focus on what I can give rather than what I can get. I’m not going to stress about my follower numbers anymore, because I don’t want to make money by selling sponsored posts all the time. I want to only partner with companies, like ZAGG and Pacsafe, whose products I seriously love and use often. If I work with a hotel or a destination, it’s only because I truly do want to work with them, not because of the payload. That brings me to my next big realization.
Authenticity is a commodity
In an industry with such a low barrier to entry, naturally there will be many who try to make it. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there is something wrong with faking it. I’m not a believer in ‘fake it til you make it.’ I’m a believer in work hard until you make it.
Thankfully there has been a lot of talk lately about people faking it online. Is your favorite influencer (OMG what a bogus term!) faking it? Quite possibly, yes.
Even if she isn’t buying fake followers, I’ve noticed a lot of carbon copy people out there, going to the same places and taking the same photos wearing the same dresses, and I’ve been invited to groups where people agree to comment on and like each other’s photos, or do giveaways with 20 other influencers, requiring everyone who wants to enter to follow every other account in the giveaway. I’m not even sure that the prizes are for real.
I even once witnessed a fellow ‘vegan’ influencer ordering duck at dinner. Why? Why lie? It drives me a little crazy, which is why I’ve stopped attending conferences and going on group trips.
I’m not here to drag anyone through the mud, but I am a little bit concerned that traveling has turned into getting the ‘gram.
I used to stress a lot about Instagram. I was worried that I was getting left behind because I wasn’t in a comment pod and didn’t put on a fancy dress for my photos. But I live my life in leggings. The majority of the photos from me over the past few months are from treks where I didn’t even shower for a week. I can’t do this any other way and still sleep at night.
The future of Be My Travel Muse
I’m seeking more spiritual travel these days. As much as I love staying in luxury hotels now and then, I also really like sleeping in tents and bamboo huts. I still want this to be applicable and approachable. I hope that it feels that way to you as the reader.
I see the future involving more passive income, more products and services that can help you travel better, and in 2018, tours!
Thanks so much for being a part of this journey over the past five years. Honestly, thank you from the bottom of my heart. YOU are the reason why this site exists.
All that said, I welcome your feedback on how I can keep making this better, so please leave a comment below!
Love you guys!
-Kristin
Kristin H says
“and didn’t put on a fancy dress for my photos.” For the love of GOD, thank you for saying this! I don’t travel in dresses ever so the ‘grams ain’t gonna happen haha I wish more people felt this way! Those photos just all feel so staged.
Thanks for writing this! I’ve just started off blogging this year. It’s always good to be reminded of the time and money you need to invest to get to where you want to be!
Kristin says
In the beginning it’s more about time than anything, which is nice since it doesn’t require a ton of upfront cash like a retail business would.
And yeah, I just can’t put on a dress for every photo, I don’t have enough!
Kate says
Congratulations on five years of great blogging! I really look forward to what the next year will bring!
Brenna says
I love this so much. So excited to see what’s in store for you!!
GG says
From a business perspective, what a nice annual report! Authenticity and finding your unique niche I think have been the keys to your success and should remain the foundation of your business, in addition to the most important fact that you enjoy it including helping others and not worrying what others’ do beyond learning from them. All these are certainly main reasons I participate here (in addition to the great travel and life advice, pictures, videos that come along with it). It is great also to watch you succeed as an entrepreneur, being so creative and smart about finding revenue sources and only supporting causes/companies that you really like. Especially taking something which was your calling and making it into a living without taking away the fun. I would trust the companies you recommend without blinking (although I look for any others that might be good too and will let you know if I find one). So smart with delegating responsibilities, realizing we are always learning, and being so thoughtful with planning things out (not being impatient about revenue). BTW Ashley is awesome! You are so fortunate to have her on your team. She is super-competent, quick to respond, takes recommendations and is such a nice person. What a find!
Kristin says
I am SO lucky that she’s part of the team!
Jenni says
“The majority of the photos from me over the past few months are from treks where I didn’t even shower for a week. I can’t do this any other way and still sleep at night.”
I love this! Thanks for staying authentic, I love following your travels 😀
Kristin says
Thanks Jenni! <3
Eva says
I get so annoyed when I read how the insta influencers buy 3 euro dresses at primark just to throw them away after the photo is taken. That is the opposite of sustainability and for a traveller this should be an important topic. It’s bad enough that we fly so much… And, you would never find me wearing dresses like these on a mountain top after a hike either. Thank you for being you! You truly are an inspiration!
Kristin says
Thanks Eva. I do feel bad about all the plane flights. I also think it’s terrible when there’s a lot of food that goes to waste for staging shots. Please eat it!
Marteen says
I can’t agree with this more! I’m so tired of visiting places and seeing people that only visit for the perfect Instagram photo and move on. People are forgetting how to actually enjoy a place and visit it for themselves instead of for other people. Great post as usual! This is why you’re one of my favorite bloggers.
Kristin says
Thanks so much Marteen! <3
Gonçalo M. Catarino says
“I just want to help people travel solo. I think it improves the world.” this is exactly why I’ve started following your blog 🙂
Congratulations for what you’ve achieved over these 5 years and please, keep up the great work!
Kristin says
Awesome, keep traveling!
Abi says
congratulations on 5 years. Yours is still one of the travel blogs I follow while others I gave up on because they lost their purpose or the travel became out of my reach. I love that you don’t do ‘perfect’ photos (though you always seem to look great) and that it’s not about partying, getting the insta shots or showing off the latest boyfriend. Pleas keep enjoying your travel and sharing with us – or even when it doesn’t go to plan – still share so we can have a giggle and realise that we all make the same mistakes. Here’s to the next 5 years xx
Kristin says
Thank you so much for that, Abi! I hope it’s always relatable 🙂
Kristin says
Thank you so much for the feedback, Liz! I was pretty worried about the ads at first (still am) but I realized they hardly bother me on other sites. I think it’s just weird to me because I’m so used to not having them. Happy travels, that’s such an incredible gift to give to your teens!
helen bitar says
You are good, girl…. I do like to see what you have to say
Rebecca says
Your authenticity comments ring so true with me. I love following you and reading your blog because you’re not doing the same thing everyone else is, you’re not going the same places – you’re doing something different and that is relatable and so refreshing! Keep doing what you’re doing! 🙂
Kristin says
That’s wonderful! I’m glad that you feel that from my posts 🙂
Becca says
I’ve never commented before but I’ve been reading your site for a long time *AND* I’m currently planning a 10 week SE Asia solo trip — first time doing anything like this! Just want to say keep up the amazing work! I’ve checked out other blogs, but I always ALWAYS end up back here checking what YOU have to say! I’ve basically planned my entire trip based on your posts. I trust you and your recommendations even though we’ve never met and that’s because of your authenticity! Thanks Kristen 🙂
Kristin says
Wow thank you so much! That’s so wonderful to read, and to know that you trust my recommendations. I definitely put my heart and soul into all of it 🙂
Deb says
Hi Kristin,
I just recently found you online and I am super happy I did! I just love to read about women who travel and I adore photography and writing. I am also an artist but my goal in life now is to travel more and I would love to do what you do. For me, it’s not about the money although that would be nice. I just want to see the world and enjoy all it has to offer. Anyway- I really wanted to say that your webiste etc is full of REAL and useful info. Info that is not fluff. I am learning so much and I want to thank you for being you and being real. I bought your memoir and read it in 2 days! LOVED it..looking forward to the next and I really really want to go on one of your trips. I just saw them of course and they are sold out. I’m on the mailing list and hope I can get to meet you! thanks again- you are a sweetheart! HUGS!
Kristin says
Hi Deb! Aw your message just made my morning! I am totally hoping to reach women like you with what I’m writing and I’m so very glad that you’ve found what you read here to be helpful. Thanks for signing up for the newsletter. I’m working on 2019 tours and I’ll be announcing them soon!
Rajan Jung Adhikari says
Hi Kristin, Namaste from Nepal. I am a 49-year-old-man aspiring a career in content and blog writing. To make my dream come true, I have involved in writing for a couple of threkking agencies at Thamel, Kathmandu. I don’t know if or not I deserve to become a writer for travelling, trekking and mountaineering because in fact, I haven’t travelled much yet, and I don’t think, shall do anymore in the near future. Additionally, I haven’t even been to all parts of my home country, let alone the foreign lands! From this approximately 5-minute-reading also, I came to know many things regarding the continuously progressive habit development. What pinched me positively is that you wasted a few months by making comparisons with others. I, by nature, happen to compare myself with others oten but from now onwards, I shall follow your track of not to waste the productive time by making fake comparisons with anybody else because I AM Me MYSELF! Thank you so much from the very core of my HEART!
Kristin says
Hell yeah!