Frequently asked questions

I get asked a lot of questions about the adventures I go on, how I launched and grew an online community and how I managed to build a career for myself as a conservationist and adventurer.

I know when I started out I found there was a lack of transparency from the people I followed who were doing the adventures and jobs that I wanted to do. So, I put this page together in the hope that it helps others starting out!

Below are the most common questions I get asked. If you’ve got a question that isn’t answered here, though, let me know. I’m always happy to help if I can…

Where do you find inspiration for your next adventure?

It’s never a quick process for me. I usually spend days and weeks thinking up different ideas and researching options before I settle on what I will do. On My Adventures page, you can see the previous expeditions I’ve done. Also check out:

Surely you are super rich if you’ve been on all those adventures?

Money has never stopped me from doing an adventure – not because I’m filthy rich, far from it! – but because I just think outside the box. I got my Mountain Leader qualification which not only allowed me to go on cool adventures while also being paid to do so. I spent a lot of time and love building this blog and my social media platform, which also means most of my adventures are now sponsored (that means I get them fully funded in exchange for exposure on my platform). And a few trips I just pay for myself from savings. I’m generally very frugal….I don’t buy stuff I don’t need or a lot of clothes and if I do it’s always second hand. I’m a minimalist and an avid saver which means there’s always money available for travels and adventures.

Here are all my tips on money:

    How have you built yourself a career as an adventurer?

    In short…….I went on an adventure. Built a platform for myself via a blog and social media platforms. Spent a lot of time on blogs and YouTube learning everything I could about growing an audience, SEO and social media. I then started giving talks (for free at first and then paid). Got my Mountain Leader qualification and launched the Love Her Wild community. I chipped away at all those things building a name and following for myself. At first I was only making a small amount of money from all this but in time was able to create a successful career doing what I love!

    How do you plan your expeditions?

    I love the planning stage and while there might be some aspects that I work out as I go (especially for bigger adventures), I mostly like to have an organised spreadsheet of what my daily plan is and where I’ll be staying. If on a budget I always wild camp or call on Facebook groups to see if anyone would be happy hosting me/us. My go to for insurance is World Nomads who offer adventurous activity cover.

    For a full guide to planning your adventure I put together this guide: How to plan an adventure

    What kit do you take?

    Here’s my Expedition Kit List for my most recommended gear, or if I’m planning a multi-day hike my bag looks like this: Thru Hiking Gear List.

     

    Hiking Acatenango volcano Gilmer Soy Tours

    Any general camping and adventure advice?

    Sure….

    How do you get sponsorship and press coverage for your adventures and projects?

    A lot of adventures choose not to chase sponsorship because it means you have to give something in return – usually this is in the form of social media posts or blogs talking about the company who are sponsoring you. For some, this creates more work and means you’ve got added pressure when on your adventures. Personally though, I LOVE going on a sponsored adventure. And not just because someone else is paying for it! I genuinely enjoy creating content, writing blogs and sharing my tales with others.

    I also really enjoy actually trying to get sponsorship in the first place. Although nerve-wracking and tedious at times, it is actually kind of fun. I relish the challenge of trying to get a company on board and press to cover the adventure.

    I get a lot of questions on this so have put together solid guides with all my advice:

    Do you have any tips for raising money for charity?

    As I wrote in my Adventure for Good post, I think it’s important to use your adventure as a platform to help a cause if you can. There are lots of ways you could do this from collecting scientific research or raising awareness. One of the biggest ways I’ve made a difference though is simply through fundraising. It’s true that giving money is often the most effective way you can make a difference:

    Love Her Wild Panel discussion at Shextreme

    How did you grow your blog to over 1.5million readers?!

    I love blogging a lot! It’s been a slow process building the blog with a lot of learnings along the way but I’ve found it a great platform to share my opinions, help others and bring in sponsorship and exciting travel and adventure opportunities.

    To start with, I focused on writing really useful and genuinely helpful blogs to help others out. This is important if you want to have a successful blog. But you also need to learn about something called SEO – Search Engine Optimisation. Basically, writing blogs in a way that means people find them when they search on Google. There are loads of free tutorials and books to teach you about SEO. If you are serious about blogging, learn the art of SEO before anything else!

    Any Social media and brand growing tips?

    Here are a few:

    Is it true you were a digital nomad?

    I spent almost 3 years living as a digital nomad (travelling full-time while I worked on the move) which was an amazing experience – although not with out it’s challenges. Being a digital nomad was considerably cheaper than the life I was leading in London, so it gave me a bit of breathing space to build my career without having to jump back into a job I didn’t want to do (this was after going on my first big adventure hiking the length of Israel). There are Pros & cons of being a digital nomad and, ultimately I decided to Quit and settle(ish).