SWISSBLISS
SWISS LUXURY TRAVEL BLOG
Reflections on a Year of Travel Blogging
An honest account...
I cannot believe that a year has already gone by since I first launched Swiss Bliss Travel! I thought this first year anniversary would be a great occasion to share with you some of the things I have discovered about blogging.
What made me start my blog?
Like many bloggers, I came to blogging a little naively, thinking that it would be a fun little project. I stumbled into it after meeting a number of very successful bloggers. I thought it would be a great opportunity to combine my interest in photography and showcase my home country, Switzerland. I also chose to focus on the luxury end of things, being a person who enjoys the finer things in life. Well one year down the line, I realize that blogging is way more than what it first appears to be and I totally underestimated how hard it would be.
What have I learnt?
1. Switzerland is truly a beautiful country with some amazing hotels
I already knew that, but having travelled far-and-wide across the country in the past 12 months, I never cease to be amazed by the incredible natural beauty that surrounds us. Switzerland is truly a beautiful country with charming villages, idyllic towns and endless breathtaking vistas. It is also a country full of variety offering snow-capped mountains, vineyards, rolling hills, glaciers, crystal clear lakes and even Mediterranean landscapes.
Switzerland has some truly amazing hotels. As I discovered, there is a long tradition of welcoming discerning guests that dates back to the 19th Century when Switzerland became the holiday playground of the European aristocracy and early alpine thrill-seekers. Many of its five-star hotels were first opened in the mid-19th Century welcoming a string of illustrious guests, from royalty to artists. Today, these hotels offer some of the very best accommodation in Switzerland, having undergone extensive renovations over the years. Time and again, I have been in awe of the sheer beauty of some of these meticulously preserved hotels and I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about their history. I have also met some wonderful people working in the hotel industry who truly are passionate about their work.
2. Over-30’s need-not-apply!
The world of travel blogging is populated by 20- and 30-somethings who have caught the travel bug and are full of dreams. Being closer to 50 than 30, I soon realized that I was very much in the minority and in many hotels I visited, more than once, I have had to contend with the look of disappointment when the PR manager diplomatically has suppressed their surprise to see a middle-aged lady turn up instead of a young, energetic 20-year old blogger.
Photo credit: Linda Nickell @coznlinda
The world of travel blogging is full of millenials who are tech-savvy, über-resourceful and who don’t think twice about booking a ticket to the other end of the world. These kids were born with an i-phone in their hands and would never dream of posting a picture to their Instagram feed that does not include a selfie, wearing a stylish outfit or a bikini. Needless to say, I don’t really belong to what some call “the bikini brigade”, but this hasn't discouraged me.
I have often found that being a little more mature has served me well with hotels perhaps taking me a little more seriously. Unlike some members of the younger generation who may have a certain sense of entitlement, I do not e-mail hotels with a long list of demands, I simply politely ask whether they would consider collaborating with me and that has served me well.
3. Don't underestimate the power of numbers
I quickly learnt that to survive blogging you need to totally embrace social media and get your numbers up; and that involves way more than just posting a pretty picture to Instagram. I work with four main platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. Each platform has a different size requirement to post an image, you need to market your post as much as possible to drive traffic to your site; to do that you need to be super active on social media engaging with followers, liking their images, pinning other peoples graphics, and commenting on photos. All this can take up hours of your time, but if you are going to get ahead, you need to play the game.
Ok, I will admit, like a monkey with OCD, there are moments when I'll check my visitor analytics every few hours. It's like a serious addiction bloggers won't own up: you're always hoping to get more page views, more Instagram followers and more Facebook likes.
Since we're on the subject of confessions, I will own up to taking a rather cheeky strategy to getting lots of Facebook followers. On a visit to Interlaken I was quite surprised to see the number of Indians visiting the region. Knowing that there are over 240 million Facebook users in India, I simply ran a Facebook promotion in India using a postcard-perfect photo of Switzerland. Needless to say, my return on my investment largely exceeded my expectations. My photo got over 65'000 likes! That's what you call a blogging win...
Photo credit: @harinehas
4. There’s a huge blogging community out there
As my blog grew and as I learnt more about the blogging world, I slowly became aware of the blogging community – I didn’t even know it existed before! Travel blogging has become a way of life for many millenials who have chosen to become digital nomads earning a living whilst travelling the world. I have met some truly wonderful, inspiring, creative and very talented people along the way and forged many virtual friendships. I’ve also been lucky enough to meet many of my virtual friends in real life, building a supportive network of fellow-bloggers who I frequently turn to for advice. I owe so much to this community.
Facebook is full of blogging support groups, such as Female Travel Bloggers and Boost your Blog, where endless advice is dispensed and questions can be asked. Contacts are established, tips are exchanged and followers become friends. These support groups have been a huge help to me over the past year and I am so grateful for them. They have literally helped me get to grips with my trade.
5. My goals for the next year
Ultimately, of course, my great hope was, and still is, to make some money along the way. How you may wonder… Well, I am told there are plenty of ways of making money, but I will admit, I have been so focused on building my content that I have not had the time to really put these steps into action. Advertising, paid collaborations, affiliate marketing and selling e-guides are just some of the ways you can make money.
My goals for the next year are to increase my website traffic, start monetizing my blog and become more business savvy. Yes, because let’s face it, whilst I have enjoyed countless generous discounts in five-star hotels and I have slept in more plush hotel suites in the past year than in my whole life time, it does not pay the bills. I am grateful for all the gifts I have been handed on departure, but I do not think my kitchen cupboard can stock another pot of honey or jam.
So if you see me publishing packing lists and travel itineraries, please bear with me, just remember I would love to at least cover my costs and know that every time someone clicks on one of those links, I’ll be making a little bit of money.
Photo credit: Linda Nickell @coznlinda
6. Maybe life does begin when you leave your comfort zone…
I also have fond memories of my first paragliding experience. I had a lovely, handsome instructor and was quite enjoying the coziness of our tandem flight until he decided to start doing some crazy loops. I struggled (but managed) to keep my breakfast down and almost lived to regret that flight. It won’t stop me from doing it again. I will keep on stepping out of my comfort zone as it has enabled me to have so many new, wonderful experiences.
Last, but not least
We are all familiar with the cliché that life begins when you leave your comfort zone. I can't say my life drastically changed when I took a helicopter ride over the Alps (remember, I hate flying) or when I climbed a 4000-meter peak, but I did thoroughly enjoy these moments and would have never experienced them were it not for my blog. So for that I am very grateful. These are some of the fondest memories I have had in the past year.
I would love to hear from you! What is it you would like to see me write about? Which articles did you most enjoy? You are my audience and as any blogger, I would really appreciate your feedback. Please kindly drop me an e-mail or leave a comment below.
Thank you for all your kind support!
Catherine
19th October 2017
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The Breithorn taken from my helicopter ride.