We’ve caught the travel bug in the BLND office and can’t wait to start planning those summer trips. Thankfully we’ve discovered Taylor of Travel Colorfully! Her adventures around the world have inspired our own plans and we’re so excited to share her blog today! After accepting a position in Florence for a year, Taylor fell in love with travel and never looked back. Much like the name of her blog, she captures the beautiful colors of every place she visits! Take a look at her latest adventures on Instagram here.
What’s your favorite place you’ve traveled to and why? That’s such a tough one! Florence, Italy will always hold an extra special place in my heart because it’s the city that made me fall in love with travel. I lived there for nearly a year while working at a travel company and I just felt such a connection to it. I could explore that city over and over again and never get bored of it. It also doesn’t hurt that the food is on another level. I’m heading back there this summer and I can’t wait to visit all of my favorite spots. I get to share it with one of my best friends who has never been there before, so I’m excited to see what kind of effect Florence has on her!
What is your best piece of advice on the first step inspiring travel bloggers should take? Blog for you. If you start your blog because you want free trips or clothes, or because you want to make money right away, you’ll have a hard time truly enjoying travel. I started my blog because I love travel. Travel always came first for me, and it’s a shame to me when I see people who start blogs because they think it’s a good way to see the world on someone else’s dime. I pay for 98% of my own travels myself, and I share my experiences with my readers because I want to, not because I have to.
What are 3 things you can’t live without? My phone is pretty much glued to my hand at all times. I’m a little bit addicted to Instagram, but I love connecting with my followers and other travelers so it’s hard to put it down! I wouldn’t be able to live without my camera as I’ve always been a photographer first and foremost. I generally always have my camera with me (it lives in my purse). The third thing would be my passports. I’m really lucky and I have dual citizenship (my mom was born in Malta). Having two passports has given me the opportunity to travel to many places and live in Europe without the need for a visa.
What do you think it is about your blog that makes it stand out among other travel blogs? I think that the way I embrace color is different from other travel blogs. I see a lot of muted tones and very minimalistic photos on a lot of them. And that’s totally fine, everyone has their own style, but I think my love of everything bold and bright really sets me apart!
Do you have a quote or mantra you live by – if so what is it? “Life is a blank canvas, and you need to throw all the paint on it you can.” – Danny Kaye I love this quote so much because of what it means to me. You can do whatever you want with your life. It’s completely up to you to make it what it is. And I choose to live it to the absolute fullest and experience as many cultures and places as possible!
What is your biggest and/or most important travel tip? Get a sim card when you first arrive in a new place. I travel by myself a lot and staying connected is really important for me. I always travel with an unlocked phone and purchase a local sim card when I arrive in a new country. Yes, you can find wifi in a lot of places, but I like to wander and I get lost all of the time so I’m always using Google Maps. I also use Uber whenever I can and that’s easier when you have data. And when you’re traveling alone, it’s important to check in with a family member or a friend and keep them updated on your itinerary, just in case.
Which do you prefer Instagram stories or Snapchat? Why? I’m all about the Insta-stories! I use Snapchat for personal use, to send things to my friends. I love that Insta-stories allows my growing community on Instagram to get to know me better. I’m also excited to start using live more often!
What inspired you to start your travel blog? It honestly just fell into my lap. I was living in Italy and I had a fashion blog at the time. I was traveling somewhere new every weekend and my blog transitioned into a travel blog. After Italy I moved to Thailand to teach English, so I still had plenty of content to share. When I was finished teaching I ended up traveling all around Asia for six months. When I returned, I decided to completely rebrand and move my blog over to WordPress.org. And so, Travel Colorfully was born!
What do you have planned for your next adventure? I’m heading out to California in a few weeks where I will be visiting San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and Los Angeles. I’ve never been to those places so I’m eager to explore. After that I’m going to be spending two months traveling around Europe. I haven’t been back to Europe since I moved from Italy. So far on the agenda is Denmark, England, Portugal, Italy, Malta, and The Netherlands!
