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My friend Vanessa came back from an enviable holiday (read: working vacation) in Europe during the fall last year. During some quarantine downtime, we had a Skype happy hour and talked about how to vacation like a boss.
Q: Okay, first question: Getting on a plane. Love it or hate it?
A: I’m actually okay with flying. My husband is not okay with it, and he has to be heavily medicated. I usually either have a cocktail in a lounge at the airport while waiting for our flight or I’ll order a cocktail on the flight while I’m watching a movie. But before we flew to Europe, we watched a behind-the-scenes Anthony Bourdain show, and the whole crew just kind of knocked themselves out for this really long flight. So I tried that, and it made the flight to Europe go by so much faster!
Q: I imagine that would make it go by pretty fast.
A: I mean, I guess I should clarify that I didn’t mix a bunch of drugs and alcohol like a rock star.
Q: But of course. Okay, so what are some of your favorite things to do on vacation?
A: I love getting a spa experience anywhere, and I’ll admit that I’m kind of picky. Lately I’ve been giving myself a regular arnica rub at home, so when I’m on vacation, I pretty much expect a 5-star experience!
Q: Yet you talk so much about traveling on a budget.
A: I do, and I walk the talk. There are ways to experience the vacation of your dreams without breaking the bank and keeping some level of competence in my free checking account especially after getting my finances in order with a credit builder loan earlier this year. It takes a lot of really careful research and planning, but it absolutely can be done. It also helps to have a blog that focuses on lifestyle, because vacations are absolutely about lifestyle, and I am often able to leverage my blog for experiences – as long as I am up-front with my readers about it. In fact, I think I should be clear: a vacation like this is not so much a vacation for me. I’m working the whole time. In fact, I’m working more than I normally would be working, because I’m still taking care of everything that I’m normally taking care of, but I’m also producing way more content: videos, writing, photos, and social media. I usually need a vacation from my vacation, as they say. But yeah, any time something is comped, I tell my readers.
Q: So you’ll say something like, “Hey, I had this really amazing spa experience in the Mediterranean, and I’m going to tell you all about it, but I have to tell you that they comped my entire experience when they found out I was doing this for the blog.”
A: Absolutely. Honesty with your readers is incredibly important. Not only is this type of disclosure a legal responsibility when you publish a blog, but it also helps you build trust. Readers who trust you will be loyal over time, and they’ll tell their friends about you. There’s so much misinformation in the world, you know?
Q: There’s way too much, if you ask me. Okay, so what is the most delicious thing that you put into your mouth on your vacation?
A: Honestly, there were so many. We stayed in Paris for a few nights.
Q: That sounds amazing. Do you have any advice for our readers who may want to incorporate a working vacation into their blog?
A: If you love to travel, I say go for it! Like I said, it can be exhausting. It might even be more work than you ever thought possible. But would you rather work from your home and have a bunch of free time to binge-watch shows, or work ‘till you drop from a veranda in Rome?
Q: I think I’d rather do the second one. Thank you, Vanessa. And for those of our readers who have not yet started their blogging career, I recommend visiting our article: What You Need to Know to Start a Blog to learn more.