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This Engineering Couple Juggle Full-Time Jobs With Travel Blogging

Swati and Sam of 'Tales of a Traveler' tell us how the duo manage to juggle full time jobs as engineers with travel blogging. Read on!

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By: Priyanka Chakrabarti Published: Nov 01, 2019 08:10 AM IST

This Engineering Couple Juggle Full-Time Jobs With Travel Blogging

With the blogosphere booming with interesting travel content by the hour, one is seriously spoilt for choice. However, whether it’s for travel inspiration or to study how the couple runs a full-fledged blog along with permanent jobs, Swati and Sam’s The Tales of a Traveler is a great place for anyone who likes to consume good content. The couple talk about their shared love for travel, and why it is easier for them as engineers to seamlessly juggle the two. By Charu Chowdhary

1. Take us through your journey.

Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote. That’s what happened to us. It all started post marriage. We both share a common passion: travelling and exploring new horizons. Starting a blog was a very spontaneous decision. The whole idea of having a blog was to share our experiences, and help and inspire others to make their own.

In 2013, blogging was more like a personal journal. Eventually, things in the blogosphere changed drastically. We started getting invites from tourism boards, invites to review resorts and emails for sponsored contents. We had no idea that we could actually earn from blogging. It was in 2015 that we decided to take blogging seriously and invest more time, energy and money in it. We moved to a self-hosted domain, wrote blog posts beyond office hours, learned different technicalities like SEO, web designing and plugins to name a few. When everyone was busy partying over the weekends, we used to learn photography, editing and blogging tips and tricks. We still do that and we absolutely love it. Now, when we look back on all the travel opportunities that came our way, we are so grateful. Starting a blog was one of the best decisions of our life.

2. How do you manage travel blogging with full-time jobs?

We both have full-time jobs, as an SAP PI Consultant and Data Scientist in reputed companies.

We have always believed that to pursue a passion you don’t have to quit. Switching over quitting is our mantra. Quitting your job to travel the world sounds quite fancy but has been misunderstood by many these days. All the digital nomads, bloggers and influencers work as hard as someone with a 9-5 job. For us, managing both our jobs and the blog is chasing our passion. We work full-time and make the best use of our long weekends and leaves to travel far and wide. We work on our blog simultaneously, creating content on Instagram and collaborating with tourism boards so that we can create better content for our readers.

3. How do you choose where to go and what to share with your readers?

Sometimes our travel plans are very well orchestrated and sometimes it is as spontaneous as it can get like landing at a destination with zero planning and booking hotels on the go.

We don’t plan out all the details and keep enough room to try new things, have new experiences and explore offbeat places. When it comes to zeroing down on a destination, we prefer visiting places during shoulder season. Once we finalise our travel destination, we do our homework: read blogs, articles, watch YouTube videos, and browse through Pinterest. We take it as seriously as our 9-5 corporate job.

4. What’s your favorite social media platform for garnering traction and engaging with the readers?

Earlier it used to be our blog and Facebook but recently things have changed a lot. Now it’s mostly Instagram, then the blog, and then YouTube.

5. How easy or difficult is it to have a shared passion and career with a partner?

We do share the same passion but workwise we are quite different. Initially, it was quite hard to be on the same page but now we know what works for us and what doesn’t. Over the years we have segregated our roles and responsibilities; it made our work life both manageable and easy. Also, we love juggling between the two careers and the opportunity that comes with it, so we don’t complain much.

6. Top places in India you’d love to visit again?

There are so many places in India that we won’t mind revisiting. If we had to pick our top favourite places, we would love to go back to Ladakh, Lachung Valley in Sikkim and Lakshadweep in a heartbeat.

Ladakh, especially holds a very special place in our hearts. There is something magical about the place: snow-capped mountains, frozen rivers, fluttering flags, the chants of monks, deserted roads, Ladakhi cuisine, barren landscape, and most importantly, friendly locals. It’s the land where peace and serenity ooze from every nook and cranny.

7. How do you ensure to stay relevant? What’s next on your cards?

To be honest, staying afloat in this digital world is not cakewalk. We focus on creating content and sharing experiences from lesser explored places, and have found our niche. We cater to an audience that is young, hard-working, have a 9-5 job, and love to travel. We usually steer clear from places that are touristy and highlight the hidden gems for our readers. Next on our agenda is to promote sustainable travel.

Related: These Adventurous Honeymoon Ideas Are Perfect For Adrenaline-Junkie Couples

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