Meet Mapping Megan the travel blogger

What is your humble beginning as a travel blogger?

I began blogging way back in 2007 when I left Australia for a gap year in the UK. The blog was pretty bad back then – 2,000 word write ups detailing every boring detail about each day – it was more of a personal diary for my friends and family to keep up to date on my travels, though going back through old blog entries I can’t believe people got through those ridiculously long posts!!

The blog progressed over the years, and come 2013 I realized people actually did this, traveling and blogging about it, for a living – who knew! So I completely revamped the blog and what was once “Where in the World is Megan Claire” as a personal travel journal for family and friends, is now “Mapping Megan” which is a professional travel resource offering tips, stories, photography and advice to anyone who cares to stop by!

How did you started blogging as your passion?

I moved to the United States after getting married to a US Citizen, and there was a 3 month period of time after arriving before I could get a work permit. Because Mike had to work to cover our expenses, I threw myself into creating my blog as a brand, and became completely addicted to the blogging process.

I’ve always been passionate about both traveling and writing, however it was this period in my life which allowed me the time to sit down and combine it into a project which is now blogging!

Can you tell us more details about your job or profession?

I have a degree in both Journalism and Law, and before I moved to the United States I was a family law paralegal, pursuing a career in law. Now I’ve realized that with enough passion and hard work, your dream job truly is achievable, so I’ve put my legal career to the site to focus on travel writing – something I am much more passionate about.

I make my money through freelance writing jobs – writing for other online publications and magazines, as well as through advertising via my website and social media campaigns promoting different companies who align with my own values and brand.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this kind of career was a possibility.

What is success to you?

Simply being happy – and this is why I believe I’m successful. I’m at a stage where I am truly happy with what I’m doing everyday, and I’m happy with my life because of it.

I don’t need to be earning 6 figures from blogging to view myself as successful – being successful to me is living a life you love, and spending each day doing something which you enjoy.

Memorable moments as a Blogger?

Being chosen to represent DoubleTree by Hilton as their brand ambassador for their recent DTour campaign – this was a huge campaign which saw us travel throughout Central and South America to blog from their hotel locations. All expenses of the trip were covered, and then I was paid on top of that for my time promoting the brand.

This was a dream come true, and was my first real gig as a paid travel writer. We were treated like VIP’s in every destination we went to; it was an incredibly memorable trip!

What can you contribute to our Society as a Blogger?

Inspiring others to live a more fulfilling and passionate life. I truly believe that if more people got out there and traveled, the world would be a much better place.

Travel teaches people about diversity, tolerance, flexibility and an appreciation for world cultures, amongst a range of other valuable life skills and qualities. If more people traveled and gained these insights, this is how we change the world.

What’s your motivation in life?

To be happy and pass that happiness onto others. One of my main motivations in travel blogging is to inspire others so that they have the opportunity to experience the same wonderful things I have.

When I receive emails saying that I’ve inspired someone to change their life, or to make the decision to quit their job and travel; inspired someone to follow their dreams; that to me is the ultimate mark of success. At the end of this all, if I can say nothing more than I know I have reached one person and they’ve gone out and traveled because of something I wrote or said – the whole process was worth it.

What can you share or advice to all aspiring Blogger?

Realize that it’s a lot of work, but with the right passion, determination and motivation, you can succeed and make it work. The majority of travel bloggers don’t last the first year – they fail because they give up.

Start with realistic expectations that it will take a good year or two to build a following and establish yourself as an expert within your niche, and then the money and the travel perks and product reviews will follow.

Any dialect or language you know?

I’m fantastic at charades and improvising sign language! I learned Japanese in high school, however unfortunately I am horrible with retaining languages. I learn a few basic phrases, enough to get by, in each new language of the destination I am visiting, but beyond that i stick to sign language and charades…which usually breaks the ice and makes for pretty enjoyable interactions with locals anyway!