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Welcome to a new series here on Travel Across The Borderline… The TATB Travel Diary!
As much as I love writing my in-depth travel guides and itineraries, lately, I’ve been missing the old-school style of blogging where we all just treated blogs like our personal online diaries and no one worried about algorithms, SEO or monthly pageviews and subscribers.
I want to get back to simply having an online space where I can document my travels and look back on them in the future. And maybe this will also help you get to know the girl behind the blog.
So yes, this is kind of a self-indulgent post but bear with me and I’ll get back to writing destination guides and itineraries soon 😉
In this first post of the series, I’m going to recap what I’ve been up to in the first half of 2024 (can you believe we are halfway through the year already?!), and then going forward I’m going to try and write one of these recap posts every month.
So without further ado, let’s get into it!
Hi, I’m JJ!
I’m a travel blogger with a passion for unique travel destinations, discovering hidden gems, and adventurous solo travel.
I hope you enjoy my free guides and travel tips! If so, please consider supporting my work 💕
January 2024: A Leap Into Full-Time Blogging!
Became A Full-Time Blogger And Content Creator
I started the year with a bang when I decided to take the leap into full-time blogging. I’d been running my blog as a hobby for just over a year at this point and was starting to make decent money from affiliate marketing, selling itineraries and a bit of freelance writing.
If you don’t know, bloggers usually make their money from a mixture of paid ads, affiliate marketing and digital product sales. Most bloggers wait until they hit 50,000 monthly pageviews, and can therefore qualify for premium ads, before leaping into full-time blogging.
I’ve always been a bit of a risk taker so I decided to go all in even though my blog had only reached 11k pageviews in December. I hoped that if I gave it my full attention then I would be able to reach that 50k goal quickly.
Looking back this feels like such a crazy risk to have taken but I’m so glad that I followed my heart and took the chance because as I sit here now, six months into being a full-time blogger, I couldn’t be happier!
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Manchester Girl’s Trip
Another highlight of January was my trip to Manchester.
Myself and some other content creators were gifted a complimentary stay at Copper & Blossom courtesy of Amplify Travels.
It was so much fun, as the girls from Amplify planned a super cute girl’s night for us all. We had a paint & sip session, ordered pizza and watched girly movies in our pyjamas.
Copper & Blossom is such a great place to rent for a girl’s trip or hen party. You can contact Amplify Travels if you want to book it for yourself.
February/March 2024: A Difficult Time
Dealing With Grief
After my epic start to the year, February and March hit me like a ton of bricks.
A family friend suddenly passed away under very tragic circumstances and I struggled with the grief for a long time. I spent most of February and March curled up on my sofa trying to process my emotions.
Blog Growth
During this difficult time, blogging was a helpful distraction. I was laser-focused on producing content and growing my blog.
I managed to publish 20 new posts and I grew my monthly pageviews to 37k by the end of March!
Blog Posts Published In February:
Ultimate guide to Gjipe Beach, Albania
The best hotels in Himare, Albania
April 2024: Greece Solo Trip, A Business Retreat and a London Photoshoot
Greece Solo Trip – Athens & Meteora
April was a fantastic month for me. I kicked it off with a solo trip to Greece which was just what I needed to get myself out of the rut I had been in. The dark cloud that had been hovering over me for the last couple of months disappeared as soon as I stepped off the plane in sunny Athens.
Athens was excellent! I visited the Acropolis, watched the most beautiful sunset from Cape Sounion, had a beach day in Vouliagmeni and ate my body weight in gyros! You can watch my Athens highlight reel here
As well as spending time in Athens, I also took a two-day trip to Meteora. Meteora was off-my-radar until I decided to travel there based on a recommendation from one of my Instagram followers. I had almost no expectations when I arrived but was instantly blown away by the sheer beauty of this place. If Meteora isn’t on your bucket list yet, it should be!
Meteora is famous for its monasteries built on top of towering rock formations that seem to defy gravity. These monasteries were built by monks seeking solitude and spiritual isolation in the 14th century. I spent two days here exploring the monasteries and watching the sunset over the surreal landscape
I’ve travelled to a lot of beautiful places all over the world but I can honestly say that Meteora is one of the most stunning places that I’ve ever visited!
Business Retreat In Zakynthos
Following my time in Athens, I jumped on a quick one-hour flight over to the Greek Island of Zakynthos (or Zante, as it is also known) to attend a 5-day business retreat for female entrepreneurs hosted by my wonderful friend Jessica of The Breakthrough Society.
This was my first time attending a business retreat and it was incredible! We stayed in a gorgeous villa and I had so many amazing coaching sessions, and breakthroughs and made some deep connections with other women business owners.
Blogging and content creation can be lonely so I truly believe that it is so important to network with other people who just get what it’s like to run a creative online business. I’m so glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to have this experience.
Photoshoot In London
After landing back home in the UK, I headed to London for a content photoshoot with The Snstassociation.
We had an extremely long day, shooting for over 7 hours at 6 different locations, but it was so much fun and I’m very happy with how the photos came out.
Blog Posts Published In April:
May 2024: My Best Friends Wedding And Other Celebrations
My Best Friend’s Wedding
My best friend got married in May, so as the maid of honour, I spent most of this month focusing on my bridesmaid duties and helping her prepare for the big day.
We had the Hen party in Bristol and spent a lovely day at the Clifton Lido Spa, which I definitely recommend if you are looking for a luxe spa experience in Bristol. I had a lovely hot stone massage and it was absolute bliss!
The wedding took place at the end of the month in a beautiful venue in Clevedon, overlooking the Bristol channel. It was a wonderful day and I was so happy to see my bestie enjoy her big day.
Hitting 50k Monthly Pageviews
On a more personal note, May was the month that I finally grew this blog to over 50,000 monthly pageviews and sessions. This meant that I qualified to apply for Mediavine, a premium ad network.
I was beyond ecstatic when my application got accepted and I was able to start earning from ads on my blog. It’s been a huge milestone for me. Getting accepted into Mediavine has been the main goal that I’ve been working towards ever since I started blogging.
Finally reaching my goal has motivated me to continue writing and creating content that resonates with my readers and I’m excited to see what milestones I can hit next!
Early Birthday Celebrations
Towards the end of May, I travelled down to Bristol again to spend some time celebrating my birthday with my family.
We had the most amazing meal at Mowgli, a beautiful restaurant where the menu is inspired by Indian street food! Everything was amazing and I highly recommend this place if you are looking for somewhere good to eat in Bristol
June 2024: Travelling Around The UK
London x3
I spent June travelling around the UK and visited London no less than three times! I kicked off the month with a fun day out celebrating my birthday. I visited the London SkyGarden, Little Venice, The Camden Markets and Primrose Hill. You can watch the vlog here.
Later in the month, I travelled back to London for a content day. I was trying to shoot as many hidden gem locations as I could in one day, for an upcoming blog post. I managed to visit 10 different places and capture some amazing shots.
The highlight of the day was discovering a small ruined church with a beautiful overgrown garden which I had never seen before. It’s these unexpected finds that make travel so exciting and rewarding.
I then visited London for a third time at the end of the month for another photoshoot. This time we were shooting in Chinatown which meant that I got to sample some yummy noodles and dumplings once we were done shooting, what a treat!
Nottingham
This month I also travelled to Nottingham, a new destination in the UK for me.
I took a trip to Wollaton Park, a huge park which is home to two large herds of deer. I was there to meet up with some other content creators and we spent the day having a cute picnic, taking pictures, filming videos and exploring the park.
Cornwall
Next, I headed down to Cornwall for 2 weeks with my family. These days I don’t get to see my family as often as I would like, so it was a lovely little break with them.
Whilst in Cornwall I visited Trellisick Gardens, a beautiful National Trust property which overlooks the River Fal. I also spent a lot of time visiting some of my favourite beaches in Cornwall, including Godrevy, Hayle, Newquay, Portreath, Perranporth, Porthcurno, Chapel Porth and Marizion Beach.
My family has its roots in Cornwall so I try to visit a couple of times a year. I’ve been to all these places many times before but with each visit, I find something new to love.
Hit 70k Pageviews!
Finally, I had some more amazing blog growth!
Just one month after hitting 50k pageviews, this blog received 70,000 views in June! I’m so grateful for each person who stops by to read my blog and support my journey. It’s been such an incredible experience sharing my travel adventures and tips with all of you.
One thing that has really stood out to me during this journey is the power of community. Through my blog, I have connected with so many like-minded individuals who share the same passion for exploring new places. We exchange stories and recommendations, and it’s amazing how much we can learn from one another.
Blog Posts Published In June:
Wrap-Up: TATB Travel Diary: Jan – June 2024
I’ve really enjoyed writing this post and taking a look back at the last six months. It’s crazy to stop and think about how much this blog has grown in that time.
I hope that you enjoyed getting a glimpse behind the scenes of the blog and my travels throughout this year.
Happy travels! 🌴✈️💕✨
My Favourite Travel Resources
Travel Itineraries: I offer a range of pre-planned travel itineraries for many popular destinations. Use them to make planning your next trip a breeze!
Accommodation: I always use booking.com for hotels and Hostelworld for hostels. I’ve found some great bargains by using these sites!
Flights: My favourite tools to find the cheapest flights are WayAway, Expedia and Skyscanner
Ferries: For cheap ferry tickets I use Ferry Scanner
Activities: I use Viator and GetYourGuide to find the best tours and activities in every destination I visit. I’ve had some fantastic experiences using these sites!
Cashback: With the WayAway Plus membership plan, users get access to premium travel support, travel content prepared by locals, and cashback on flights, hotels, car rentals and other travel services. I love using Wayaway to get cashback on my travel expenses. In fact, it is one of my fave budget travel hacks 😉 Click here to get 10% off of a WayAway Plus membership
Foreign Currency: I highly recommend getting an international card to save you loads of money in expensive bank fees. The Wise Card allows you to spend in 150+ currencies and withdraw cash from ATMs anywhere in the world without paying any bank fees!
Travel Insurance: Never travel without proper travel insurance! I always use EKTA
Luggage Storage: Radical Storage is a Luggage storage network that operates in over 70 countries and 350 cities with more than 3500 storage points. I love using Radical storage to store my bags before or after checking in/out of my hotel as it gives me an extra day to explore without having to worry about dragging my luggage around with me.
Travel Planning services: Did you know that I offer travel planning services and custom itineraries? Let me plan your next trip for you!