5 Commandments

I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a travel blog for a while and I’ve finally taken the plunge. I shared my first few posts with a friend and interestingly he said; ‘good for you, enjoy it before you start putting too much pressure on yourself.’ This has been ringing in my ears for the last few days and he most certainly has a point. I’ve started this blog primarily for my own enjoyment, as a way to record my travel memories before I start becoming old and forgetful. If people enjoy reading the content and get something out of it then great! If someone wants to start paying me to travel the world, even better! But that’s not my primary goal. Before I take my blog any further I have decided to write a post to remind myself of what not to do! It might also help other bloggers remember why they started blogging in the first place! Here are my 5 Commandments.

Thou Shalt Not Put Pressure on Myself to Write
I enjoy writing but I wouldn’t say that it’s something which comes naturally to me. At work, I like being organised and I like having plans and processes in place so I did consider the idea of having a blog content schedule. I very quickly gave that fleeting thought a wide berth. This isn’t work and I want writing to be enjoyable. I definitely don’t want it to become a chore. If I have a light bulb moment and feel like writing my thoughts down on paper, I will, if not, I won’t force myself to produce something just for the sake of it.

Thou Shalt Not Take Photos of Every Meal
I’m an avid people watcher, I just can’t help myself. I also can’t help doing a slight eye roll when I see people take photos of every course at the table in a restaurant. When my food hits the table, all I’m interested in is eating it! I’ve let the social media ‘food porn’ trend pass me by. Sorry to all you food photo fanatics, I plan to keep it that way and enjoy my food before it gets cold!

Thou Shalt Not Think About Only Impressing Others
I heard a saying for the first time a few months back about everyone knowing that one type of person. ‘If you’ve been to Tenerife then they’ve been to Elevenerife.’ I must admit I laughed way too hard, probably because it’s so relatable. I often hear of people going off on holiday, desperate to tick off all the tourist attractions or wanting to visit somewhere their friends or family have been. Checklists, bucket lists, to do lists – who are they really for? Travelling is a very personal thing and it should be for you and you alone. What one person likes, another may not so I will continue sticking to my own agenda. If people think my travels sound boring, that’s ok, I can live with that!

Thou Shalt Not Waste Time Trying to Get the Perfect Photo
I work in digital and I love it. Technology is a wonderful thing; but does anyone else feel like digital cameras have ruined the art of photo taking forever? Gone were the days when you had a 24 photo film which meant you would choose carefully which snaps to take and then wait with anticipation for the reel to be developed. Some photos were great, some were terrible – that was the beauty of it! We can now see photos instantly, scrutinize them, add filters, delete and then repeat. I hereby declare that I will not spend my entire holiday trying to get the perfect lighting, perfect pose or a perfect smile. Life isn’t perfect, so why should our photos be?

Thou Shalt Not Miss the Moment
Have you ever been so engrossed in writing a text message or reading a social media post that you’ve missed something entirely? Your friend tugs your arm excitedly, urging you to look up but it’s too late, the moment has been and gone, you missed it. I will make sure that I continue to ‘look up’ and not have my eyes permanently glued to my phone or iPad. Make every second count!