After an exhausting three days at World Travel Market we gladly sat down to speak to one of the UK’s top travel bloggers @WanderlustChloe about her experiences and why she loves to travel…..

Why did you start – ‘Wanderlust Chloe’?  A few years ago I decided to leave my stressful London job, travel and have an adventure. I booked flights and spent three months exploring Mexico, Central America and Cuba. Just before I left, I set up a blog just for fun! It was basically for friends and family and a little hobby for me to do on the road. I returned from travelling and decided I had a serious bout of wanderlust and I wanted to see more of the world so I updated the design and looked at the blog as a serious platform for sharing tips, photos and more with fellow travel lovers around the world. The rest, as they say, is history.

Do you network to enhance your blog?  I’m really active on social media. My favourite platform is Instagram as for me, its photos that have the power to inspire people to see new places. It’s been amazing to receive comments from followers saying they’re planning to trips to x, y and z after seeing my photos. I also try to attend networking events and conferences such as WTM in London. It’s really important to put faces to names and share your stories and passion with PRs, brands and tourist boards.

How do you choose your destinations?   This year I’ve been on such a mix of trips! I spent a month in Chile and Argentina on a self-funded trip. It was somewhere I really wanted to visit and I loved that I could plan it in exactly the way I wanted. Most of my travels this year have been on press trips. St Kitts was a huge highlight as it was just my kind of place – beautiful, full of adventure and not too touristy! I’ve just returned from a month in Indonesia, which was totally incredible too.

What’s the best and worst part of being ‘Wanderlust Chloe’?  The best part is being able to travel to so many amazing places and pack my life full of unforgettable experiences.

I have to pinch myself sometimes! I’ve also been lucky enough to make loads of friends from my travels and I know some will be friends for life! I guess the worst bit is the actual travel itself. Unfortunately I get quite travel sick (not great for a travel blogger). The worst moment was probably the long, windy bus journey through the Andes Mountains from Chile to Argentina! I think I was a shade of green by the end…

I also have times when I really miss friends and family. That’s always challenging and there are certainly a few big moments I’ve missed out on as a result of travelling.

Blogging and travelling must be challenging, how do you keep yourself motivated?  Motivation can be a huge issue at times. I really love working to deadlines, but sometimes they are flexible and it can be easy to procrastinate. I tend to have a list on my computer and work my way through it. It’ll have everything from ‘write a 1000 word feature for Metro’ to ‘book a dentist appointment’! I love the feeling of crossing things off once they’re done!

Which destination would you like to visit in 2017? Next year I’d be keen to explore more of the Caribbean as I really enjoyed my trips there this year. I’d also absolutely love to see more of Asia – Japan, Thailand and Vietnam in particular!

What has been your proudest moment as a blogger?  There have been a lot of special moments over the past two years, but I’d say receiving my first press trip invite was one of the biggest. It made me realise I might be able to work on my travel blog full time. It was also really exciting when I started receiving comments on my blog. People asked for tips and said they’d found my site really helpful when planning their travels. That’s definitely the most rewarding part day to day.

Do you have any advice for a ‘would be’ bloggers thinking of starting now?  Always let your enthusiasm and passion shine through. Blogs are amazing as they’re personal, real and you can really engage with your readers. Also be prepared to put some serious hours into it, I never realised how long I’d spend slaving away editing photos, designing social media artwork, shooting videos etc! The writing is often the quick bit! Be prepared to make a lot of space in your life if you want to take it seriously.

So, what’s next for ‘Wanderlust Chloe’?   I’d love to tell you but part of this job is that it’s incredibly unpredictable! My plans for 2017 are still under wraps but hopefully I’ll be able to talk more about them soon. The main thing is, while I still have my sense of adventure, my travels will continue and I can’t wait to share them on my blog!

Enjoyed reading about @WanderlustChloe? Read her blog here.

All photographs taken by @WanderlustChloe

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