A Life Update

Recently, I’ve been worrying that my blog has gone stale.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving the travel content that I’m putting out and work harder than ever to make sure it’s useful, helpful and more creative than ever. But, in my eagerness to create these pieces, I’ve noticed that any insight into my day-to-day life has trickled away.

I’ve been writing properly on the internet for over six years now and, having gone through various evolutions writing about beauty, lifestyle and now travel, it’s fair to say that there’s been a huge variety in the type of things I’ve shared. But while writing about travel is one of my favourite things in the world, my life doesn’t look the same as when I was backpacking two years ago. There are so many other parts to my existance that don’t make it online any more and I wonder if this is why I feel more disconnected with the digital world than ever before.

So, let’s catch up.

[one_half][/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]

Travel

August and September were my most anxiety-ridden months of 2018 by far. I still struggle to explain why, given that everything in my life looked pretty rosy from the outside, but I seriously struggled to determine what I wanted out of life. Going back and forth between different options – both seeming equally the ‘right’ thing to do, depending on what day it was – is exhausting and I had no idea how the next few months would turn out.

The turning point came after a weekend getaway to London. Despite our day out in central London being rained off, I had the best time eating, drinking and catching up with some of my closest friends and there was something really cathartic about talking through what’s been going on in my head. Plus, after an amazing walk in Richmond Park surrounded by deer, it’s no surprise that I came back with a much more calm mindset than when I left.

I’ve also been busy creating an itinerary for the trip to the Philippines that I’ll be taking after winning the Post Office’s Affordable Travel Blogger of the Year accolade back in July! This will be my next big trip and I’m so excited to explore another part of Asia – this time, with a bigger budget than what I’m used to. I’ll be chatting lots more about that trip closer to the time but for now, I’m just gazing at pictures of El Nido imagining the day I’m waking up to those limestone formations for real.

Career

This time last year, I was an absolute mess. After accepting what I thought was my dream job on paper (Social Media Executive at a fairly new online travel agency!), I realised that it wasn’t for me from virtually my first day. But, while I hate to trot out that cliche, everything really does happen for a reason because it gave me a foot in the door to the travel industry and the job I’m in today.

In June, I was offered a maternity cover contract at another travel company and after much deliberation about the risk of taking a temporary role, I decided to take a leap of faith and move. Thankfully, I’m absolutely thrilled to say it paid off and in September I was offered a permanent position in my lovely Marketing team that I was absolutely thrilled to accept. When I first came home from travelling, the idea of a job being fulfilling enough to keep me in the UK seemed near-impossible but I’m so happy that I’ve found a role that I want to stay in.

Home

I’ve been talking about moving out of my parents house for years but the combination of saving for travel, job instability and shitty wages meant that it felt impossible for the longest time. But recently, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to learn a bit more independence so once I found out that my future career was more secure than ever, it was time to set the wheels in motion.

While I dream of owning my own home more than ever, it feels near impossible to climb that mountain alone without some form of financial help. So, in a complete whirlwind, a friend and I went to view a flat in Liverpool city centre one Saturday morning and the very next week, we were collecting the keys to our new rented home! As I type this now from my new bed, I feel nervous at the dire state of my bank account but excited to spend more time in the BEST city. Oh, and I’m already counting down to payday so I can begin making it look as cosy and homely as possible.

[one_half]   [/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]

Blogging

At the start of this month, I attended my first event since heading to Traverse18 in Rotterdam in May! I headed over to One Fine Day in Liverpool for the first Girls Doing Cool Things event and what a lovely evening it was. Plus, the cafe was so cute that I know it’s going to be my new favourite brunch destination.

I’m also slowly working my way through The Blogger Course, Monica Stott’s 12 week guide to taking your blog to the next level. While I’m going at a slower pace than intended – damn work and that big move! – it’s full of interesting food for thought and is really helping me to nail down a direction that I’d like to take my blog over the next few months. Now I just need to carve out the time to actually spend on it!

However, I’m still struggling to find the time – or inclination, in all honesty – to get back to posting regularly on social media. Right now, I’ve got this voice in my head that shouts ‘POINTLESS’ every time I go to type a tweet so if anybody reading has any advice on how to find your voice again, I’d absolutely love to chat.

Now we’re all caught up, I want to hear from you! Whether it’s in the comments, by email or on social, get in touch and let me know whether you like reading these kind of updates, or whether you just find it incredibly narcissistic (*gulp*).

Laura x