Scroll through their Instagram feed and you could be forgiven for assuming you stepped into a fairytale, full as it is of stunning blue skies, pristine beaches and colourful backdrops to complement the gorgeous couple. We got in touch with Savi and Vidit, the couple behind the hugely-successful travel blog, Bruised Passports, and asked them to reveal the secrets behind travelling like a travel blogger. At the last count, the couple has visited 82 countries together. From how it all began to travelling as a full-time job (the couple quit their jobs to travel full time a few years ago), here is Savi and Vidit's wonderful tell-all:
When did you begin travelling as you did, and when was Bruised Passports born?
We met in high school in New Delhi. We travelled a fair bit in South East Asia as teenagers when we had just started dating. That's when both of us fell in love with travelling together. As we grew up, moved to London and got married. At this stage of our lives, we would save our salaries to travel together each month. We spent almost 8 years in London and would try to travel to a new place every month! This is how we ended up exploring Europe, US, and parts of Africa.
Almost 10 years after we first started travelling together, we decided to blog about it and Bruised Passports was born.
How easy did you find it to quit your jobs and travel full-time?
We get a lot of questions about how we fund our travels - people insinuate we have rich parents or ancestral property. Fortunately none of that is true.
We earn every single penny that we spend on our travels ourselves. We worked full time jobs in London and saved for full-time travelling for 8 years. We also have several location independent jobs that help sustain our lifestyle - I write articles for several publications, Vid works on several photography assignments, and of course, both of us work with several brands in the capacity of professional travel bloggers as well.
What would you say to people who say it's unrealistic to take travelling from a hobby to a full-time occupation?
Once again I'd like to say 'Where there's a will, there's a way'. Of course one mustn't ever underestimate the work that is required to make your dream a reality. But there is nothing you can't do with a combination of patience, hard work, and perseverance.
Take our example - we saved for over 8 years to travel full time. We also worked 20-hour days to set up a website - along with our corporate jobs. We spent months learning the basics of digital marketing. Hundreds of thousands of hours were spent garnering a readership on social media and our website. It's been a steep learning curve and we've learnt many lessons along the way. But having a virtual family across the globe excites us to no end.
Is there any other way of travelling full-time without blogging?
While it is tempting to start a travel blog, being constantly on the move and setting up a new 'office' every week and staying motivated to work might not be for everyone! You need to find your skill-set, whatever that might be, and monetise that on the road. Here are a few ways in which you can earn money if blogging, writing, or living in the public eye isn't your cup of tea:
- Freelance online
- Rent out your house and use the rent to travel the world
- Save & travel on a shoestring budget.You'll be surprised how far your money goes.For e.g.: it's easy to live in Thailand or Indonesia for under $600/ month.
- Take up a job (TV show host, air steward etc) that involves travelling
- Start a business that involves travelling. Eg: curating handicrafts from remote parts of the world etc.
- Use your skill set towards setting up an online business such as trading or an e-shop
- Teach in a foreign country
Tell us about an offbeat experience that has stayed with you.
Watching the Northern Lights from our glass igloo on the Arctic Circle in Finland.
We also got Vidit and Savi to list out their top-5 favourites in an exciting rapid fire round:
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