We’ve decided to start a fun “Travel Blogger Interview Series” which will take place monthly right here on DatesintheStates.com.
This month we’ve interviewed Anisa of MyThirdCultureKid.com. She’s our first interviewee for the debut of this interview series.
If you are a travel blogger interested in being featured in one of our upcoming interviews, please contact us!
Tell me a little bit about you and your blog:
“My name is Anisa and I am originally from Albania. My husband and I moved here to the US, almost 15 years ago. We have 4 boys ( ages 14, 12, 2 and 1). We decided to move here for a better life and opportunity for our family and it really has been a blessing since we got here with many struggles and challenges at the same time.
I was a stay at home mom until my two oldest boys started going to school. I decided to go to college and get my degree once they were both full time in school. It took me almost 5 years to get my Bachelor’s Degree, but I am so thankful I had a chance to do this. I had to struggle and sacrifice a lot, but it was worth it. I graduated in June of 2017. After I finished school, I started researching ways of working from home and that is how I came across blogging. I wanted to find ways of working from home while being there with my kids. I also think that I missed learning, writing and reading so I needed to find something similar to do and blogging was perfect for me. I did a lot of research and read a lot of other blogs before I even started my website.
My idea for the blog was actually inspired by my kids.
My blog “My Third Culture Kid” is a lifestyle and travel blog where I write about travel, parenting, and third culture kids. A TCK (third culture kid) refers to kids that are born/raised or have to spend a significant part of their developmental years outside their parents’ culture. In my case, all 4 of my boys are TCK’s. My goal is to bring more awareness of this topic and also the challenges and blessings that come with raising TCK’s.”
How long have you been blogging?
“I started my blog at the beginning of this year, but I have only committed to it full time since May. I really love it so far and I have learned so much. There are days when it gets overwhelming because there is so much to do, but at the end of the day I am beyond grateful for this journey.
Also, the blogging community is amazing. There are so many incredible supportive bloggers out there. If I had not started my blog, I would not have the opportunity to get to know them.”
(Aww, she’s so sweet!)
What has been the most interesting place you’ve traveled to that you haven’t blogged about, yet?
“I have moved a lot while growing up and we have also traveled to many places as a family. If I had to choose only one place to write about it definitely would be Albania. It is my home country, but I moved when I was 12 to Germany so it does not feel like home. Last time I went there it was 2013 so it has been a while. However, at that time I was able to realize and truly appreciate the beauty of my country. There are mountains, beaches, and beautiful cities. Growing up, I did not have a chance to really explore my country. However, this time I went to a few different cities in the northern and southern part of Albania. I would love to go back and really take some great photos to really show the beauty of that place. Even though I don’t think photos will do it justice.”
What is the next place you are planning to travel to and why?
“We have planned a few trips for this year. Some of them are already booked and some others not yet.
- Taking a trip to Traverse City this summer. Traverse City is located in Michigan and it is well known for its yearly Cherry Festival. It is about 4 hours from where we live so we usually drive there on a Friday and get back Sunday. A great way to escape for the weekend.
- Going to Vegas in 2 weeks – Hubby’s Birthday celebration.
- Going to Orlando in September for a blog conference. I am so excited about this! I don’t’ think I am going to have any fun as my family won’t be there with me but I know I am going to learn a lot so I can’t wait!
- Going to Mexico this November/December. This trip has not been planned yet. We are thinking to go and spend either Thanksgiving or New Years in Cancun or Cabo. We still have not decided yet. We love that they have an all-inclusive resort over there. Having 4 kids of different ages, I think it will work great for us. We have never been there so I am not sure what to expect. However, budget wise is cheaper and a lot more convenient for us.
- Going to New York (maybe). Well, this is a maybe because there is not a set date yet. However, my friend wants to go to see her sister that lives there, but she doesn’t like traveling alone so she asked if I could join her. And of course I said yes, but we still have to decide on the date.”
What is your favorite road trip game?
“When our two oldest boys were little, we used to look for a specific color car and who got to 10 first, won the game. Now they are 14 and 12, they barely speak to us the whole entire trip. They are either eating or on their phones! My oldest son also used to read road signs and spell it out.
Our two youngest are ages 2 and 1 years old. They love to listen to music. So, we are always either listening to the radio or singing the ABCs.”
Have you had any mishaps while traveling? What is the most notable one and how did you deal?
“Yes, we did! We like to take road trips as a family. We decided to go and see Niagara Falls and Toronto. On our way back home, my husband and I started talking and our 2 boys were sleeping in the back. I was driving and got kind of distracted by our conversation and did not pay attention to the fuel sign. Once the sign started warning, I could not find any gas station. At some point, we decided to get off the highway and exited out what we thought was a gas station. It was closed! Yikes! We ended up finding a small store open where luckily a woman offered to help us. She had an extra gallon of gas at her house. Driving from that store and following a complete stranger to her home was nerve-racking. She also helped us find the next open gas station.
We survived and learned that:
1- Always keep an extra gallon of gas in the car.
2- Pay attention to oil level, water level, and fuel sign. Especially when driving a long distance and places you are not familiar with.
3- There are still good helpful people out there.”
Have you learned other languages for your travels? If so, what languages?
“I moved to Germany with my family and lived there for a couple of years. I learned the language quickly because I had to start school that coming September. We moved there in March and that whole summer I had to make sure I was prepared enough to be able to attend school.
Also a few years ago while I was attending college here I had to pick one elective. I chose French because we wanted to go to France and visit my parents so I thought it will help me a little bit. I only took one class, but I learned a lot and it was probably the one class I enjoyed the most.”
What’s the strangest thing you’ve eaten while traveling?
“The strangest thing would be, cow tongue. It was so weird. They had cooked it (I think it was boiled) and the texture was weird, so was the smell of it. And I had frog legs one time here in Michigan. Didn’t like them either. Growing up I was a picky eater, but as I got older and I traveled a lot more, I really started appreciating and trying new foods. Even at times when I didn’t like it, I was still glad I gave it a try.”
How do you save money while you travel? Have you ever considered offering blogging as a service in order to receive complimentary travel rewards?
“As much as I love to travel I also love to save money while traveling. I try to plan ahead of time for any vacation or road trips that we take. This way, I am not stressing out about finding tickets or hotels last minute. And usually, this has helped me with getting the best deal.
If you wait to book last minute, chances are that the prices are higher or even worse, you won’t be able to find the tickets or hotel you want. I usually look around for the best prices on different websites like booking, cheap air, hotels and I also make sure to check out the hotel or airline website directly. Sometimes I am lucky and find the best deal when booking directly through the company website. I booked a 3-day hotel stay for my upcoming conference in Orlando. I checked the prices on a few different sites and I ended up saving more than $250. I also like to use the frequent flier miles program that most airlines offer. Delta is my favorite so far. I bought two one way tickets from Detroit to Miami in February for around $18.00 each. I paid the rest with my miles that we had saved from previous trips. There are a lot of ways to save money. Plan ahead of time and look around for the best prices.
I have not tried blogging for travel compensation, yet. I am planning to though, as I grow my blog a little bit more. I think it is a great idea and so much fun at the same time.”
What Anisa can try as well as other travel bloggers, is to offer businesses blogging and social media services in order to receive complimentary travel. We’ve created a course specifically to learn more more about this, “Email Your Way to Free Travel in 5 Days.”
What has been your biggest success so far with your blog?
“I like to set goals for my blog. So far I have not achieved every goal, but I’ve made great progress. At the end of May, I decided to write a “Blog Goals & Progress “ post.
Here is the link if you like to read more: Blogging Resources and Recommendations
At the end of every month, I write on my blog the progress I have made so far and also the goals I have set up for the coming month. This is a great way to keep myself motivated and accountable and also hopefully motivate others that are starting out with their blogging journey.
When I first started out I thought, “I am not going to do well with my blog because I would be stuck with what to write about.” The more I started writing the more ideas came through. I have about 49 posts on draft that I’m working on right now. What really helps is my notes. Writing things down as soon as I can. Then, I edit or add as I work on my post.
Also, I got really surprised by social media. The support of Bloggers on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram is awesome. I have found so many amazing, inspiring bloggers that I didn’t think I would have when I first started out.”
Thank you Anisa for taking part in our interview! You inspire so many women and bloggers alike. Follow Anisa on Instagram and Twitter!
