Whether you're simply taking the train down to London for the day, or hopping on a plane and flying half way across the world (like me..) for a few weeks/months, blogging inevitably gets that little bit trickier. I began blogging around a month or so before I started my backpacking adventure in December, and saw it as a perfect way for friends and family to see what I got up to on the trip. I usually write my posts on my laptop where I'm able to edit/style/play around with it as much as my heart desires and until I get the layout spot on. I can also preview it etc before making it live and releasing it to the big wide world. But when it came to packing up and heading off to Thailand, silly old me only took my iPhone 5s - and what a silly silly mistake that really was.
I currently have a Macbook Pro and find it the most perfect device to do all my blog-related bits on. But with Asia being notorious for backpackers valuables going missing, I decided to leave it at home and take only my phone with me. This meaning blogging off this and only this for the next 3 months. Now, if you're a blogger or fancy giving blogging a go whilst travelling, I urge you to either a.) take a laptop or b.) take a tablet.
The amount of times I wish I had my iPad over there with me was excruciating. I saw so many travellers too with tablets (fyi, there's lockers to put them in in every hostel - which I clearly didn't realise before I went) and it killed me a little bit that I didn't have mine. I could just picture it sat there at home on top of my chest of draws, where I'd have a lovely big screen, a keyboard attached and the 'blogger' app working 10x's better than it was doing on my phone.
So, after my 3 months of blogging using only the 'blogger' iPhone app, here's my tips on how best to blog on the go and just what I'd do differently next time:
1. Work Out Just How You're Actually Going To Blog - The platform I use is blogger, so before going away I rummaged through the app store and found the 'blogger' app free and ready to download. Yeah, its ok and it did the job, but all in all it was pretty rubbish. I couldn't see my layout properly, I couldn't change the size of my images and to make matters worse, the website itself through the phones browser won't let you create a post. So decide what platform you're going to use in advance and download it onto your device.
2. Find The Time - If you want to write up a blog post, you'll need to find the time to do it. Backpacking is sooo much fun and trust me when I say this, you're constantly on the move. There wasn't a day really where I was sat around doing nothing, so getting a blog post up relied on me purely managing my time. I found the best way to get my posts done, was while I was travelling from A to B - busses, trains, boats you name it. I popped my headphones in, opened up the app and got going. So find your spot to do this, whether it be on a boat or beached up in a coffee shop. Get your idea jotted down.
3. Plan In Advance - Some days when I knew I'd be going to the most perfect photo opportunity place, I'd get my charger and make sure my phone and its camera were at the ready. I mean don't get me wrong, a lot of the time many places were impromptu and I'd have absolutely no idea that I could do a blog post on it until I got back. But for example, the islands in Thailand were absolutely beautiful and I knew straight away that I could do so many posts on it so made sure my camera was fully charged.
4. Take The Right Tools - Like I've mentioned above, try and take something that will make blogging that little bit easier for you. iPhones just don't cut it, and even though they have amazing camera quality and are perfect for Instagram, the blogging apps just aren't up to scratch. Laptops and tablets are your best bet.
5. Don't Overthink It - You can't blog everything, you just can't. If you don't have the time, if the photos don't work out or if the post simply doesn't happen then that's fine. Leave it be, move onto the next and be spontaneous - you'll know when you have blog-worthy material.
So that's that, blogging on the move can be a tricky one, even if it does provide you with some of the best looking content. I mean, who doesn't want to see white sandy beaches and the turquoise waters of Thailand over simply a plain coffee experience from Starbucks? Just pack your camera, take your laptop/tablet and enjoy it. Blogging is fun! And your family and friends will thank you for it.
♥
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