Let’s Talk Blogging : How to Reap the Rewards of Your Blog

August 18, 2015

All week this week, we’ll be talking blogging! I know it’s a break from regular travel posts but with a lot of questions swirling around the internet about blogging and after having been asked some of these questions regularly, I thought it worth while to commit a week to discuss this crazy world of blogging. And hopefully, you’ll walk away with some answers to your own questions too!

I get asked a lot how I use my blog to get travel rewards while we’re venturing off around the globe. The simple answer is: I reach out to places I want to stay or travel to. The long answer… well we’ll get to that below. But the truth is, blogs are a great way to reap rewards with whatever niche you subscribe to. We spend a lot of time on our blogs, growing a following, posting great content, making graphics, and so on and so forth. So why shouldn’t we reap some rewards and work with companies in exchange for publicity on our sites and social media followings? The thing is, often times, it takes you being willing to reach out on your own to ask for something, so if you want to know how to reap the rewards of your blog, here’s how!

1. Reach out.

While travel bloggers with several thousand followers might be getting emails offering free hotels and free trips often, the rest of us have to reach out on our own. Even though brands might not be finding you among the other hundreds and thousands of bloggers, there is no harm in reaching out. I work with brands often, both hotel brands as well as tours or travel guides and almost all of them have come out of me reaching out. And the brands are often very glad I did and often tell me so. The key is approaching brands with something they can look at and see the benefit for them to partner up with you.

(I’ll be getting further in depth with this tomorrow, how to reach out and the best ways to do it!)

2. Follow Up.

I often will spend an entire morning making a list of brands I want to work with and just sending out a bunch of emails. If you don’t hear back in a week or so, follow up. Send another message, just to make sure they got the first one. More times than not, either they didn’t receive it or they forgot to reply. So make an effort and follow up. They will acknowledge your effort 90% of the time.

3. Defend your site and following.

Whenever brands offer a noncommittal response back to my initial email (when they don’t say yes or no), I’ll respond and defend why my site and my social media following can help them. Offer ways that you’ll work with them to promote their product and stand up for yourself and your blog. Bloggers have tremendous power on the internet, explain to them why and how your blog can help them.

4. Don’t take less than you know you’re worth.

I often get emails about sponsored posts that want to pay me either nothing or some dismal amount like $20. I used to jump at any offer that I made a bit of money, but nowadays, I say no to anything under $100. And even then, I’m super picky about which ones I will work with, which lately has been none. Know you’re worth and know what you think is worth your time to format the post, create graphics and post it to your site. Don’t take less than what you know you’re worth.

5. Get yourself out there.

Another great way to work with brands and reap the rewards of your blog is to get yourself and your blog out there. Comment on other blogs, guest post on other sites and make a name for yourself in the blogging community. It’s a great way for people to find you and to push your blog forward.

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Let’s Talk Blogging : Business Lessons for Bloggers

August 17, 2015

Many readers of Land of Marvels might not realize that travel and this blog are not my only job or my every day way of life. While yes, I travel quite often (both for work and for pleasure), I actually have quite a few day jobs going on. By trade, I’m an interior designer and I work both for an architecture firm in Honolulu as well as owning my own side design business called Reverie Design Studio. I also teach design part time at the Art Institute of Portland, so with 3 day jobs plus Land of Marvels I keep quite busy. But in all those jobs, owning my own business is perhaps the most rewarding and has offered me the most lessons learned. Many of the lessons I’ve learned over the 4 years I’ve had Reverie up and running, have also come in quite handy with blogging. So if you’re interested in branching into your own business or moving your blog more into a business, here are the best business lessons that are great for bloggers that I’ve learned along the way!

1. You’re constantly learning.

I know some people in my daily life that feel like they know more than everyone else. I feel the complete opposite. The world is big and you can never stop learning, there is always something else to learn and see and explore. Owning a business is a huge learning curve and I’ve found that everyday I learn something new. Blogging is the same, you think you are comfortable and have it figured out and then you find you have so much left to learn!

2. You’re going to make mistakes. The important thing is to learn from them.

Everyone makes mistakes. Whether they are big or small, I’ve made my fair share too. What I’ve learned though is that there is always a solution if you take the time to figure it out. When you’ve created a solution, then learn from that experience. Don’t make the same mistake twice, the important thing is to learn from it and move forward with a new source of knowledge.

3. It’s not about the money.

Whether you’re making a ton of money or none at all, do what you love above all else. I don’t do any of my jobs or this blog for the money. It’s never been about how much I can make, it’s about loving what I do and having a passion for both design and travel. Find a way to make your daily life full of doing what you love and it won’t feel like work. The same goes for blogging: I don’t make very much money from Land of Marvels, but I love it and I love the community and I love sharing my travels so I keep doing it, even though I put in way more time and effort than I get back.

4. Know when to sign off.

One thing with any business that you pour your heart and soul into, is knowing when to break from that and get back to living your normal life. I’m a firm believer in working hard, but also knowing where the line is. You need to live your life too. So figure out how you’ll create that line and know when you need to sign off and really just live.

5. Take breaks, both daily and yearly to keep the creativity flowing.

I work from home on my business and my blog, so knowing when to stop and take a break and come back is essential. Especially in creative fields, knowing when you need to reenergize yourself is really important. For blogging, I find I sometimes run out of creative ideas, so I’ll schedule posts ahead for whatever I have and then come back later when I’ve regained inspiration and fill in the holes. I also firmly believe in taking vacations from work and daily life. Whether that’s staying someplace close to home or flying around the world on an epic adventure, you need to take breaks from ordinary life routines in order to refresh yourself and to add more experiences to your life resume. I love the quote “go somewhere new every year” because that’s such a great way to explore and experience and come home refreshed and ready to go again.

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My Favorite Spots Around Oahu (and when to go)

August 14, 2015

With back to back trips to Hawaii these last couple weeks for work (and a little exploring), I thought we’d do a couple consolidated Hawaii weeks on Land of Marvels! So look forward to finding out all the inside tips you need to know before a trip to the Islands all this week!

Hawaii and I have a love/hate relationship. After living there for a while and now visiting often for work, the Hawaiian Islands have surprisingly become a big part of my life. Over the years I’ve seen more and more of Oahu in particular since I spend the most time there and I’ve found that I actually am more interested to explore and find new spots around Oahu when visiting. As a local resident there, I found that task a little daunting with other life priorities like work, family and flying back and forth to Portland to visit Nick while we did long distance for a while. (That’s a whole other story, if you’re interested you can read this.) Long story short, I actually love exploring the island though now in my multiple trips there every year and even on our shortest trips (usually we fly over Friday night and leave Sunday), we still make a little time to explore. So over the years of exploration, these are some of my favorite spots around Oahu and when to go to each one for the best experience!

My parents lived in Hawaii Kai when they first moved to Oahu and I’m so glad they did, because it gave us a lot of time to explore this Eastern end of the island. One of my favorite landscapes on the island are the rocky cliffs as you make the turn past Hawaii Kai and Hanauma Bay. The landscape becomes really rocky and raw and suddenly you’re not sure of where you are… it certainly doesn’t look and feel like Hawaii and I love that juxtaposition.

When to go: Any time of day is great to drive this area, but it really shines at sunrise and sunset for amazing color in the sky and a soft dew-ey light.

I first started seeing stuff online about Lanikai Beach about a year ago and in that time it’s really become a tourist hot spot during the day. With the turquoise water and golden sandy beach (and great parking), it’s no surprise that the tourists have caught on to what once was a locals beach. But the secret here is knowing when to go…

When to go: Sunrise is the best time at this beach. Watch the turquoise water merge with the pastel sky and I promise, you won’t regret it.

A recent addition to my favorites list, this spot is a pretty great area on the Windward side of Oahu. It’s surrounded by lush green mountains behind, rocky shores and deep blue water in front with rock formations creating a scene that looks more out of the Caribbean than it does Hawaii.

When to go: I’m sure anytime of day is gorgeous here, but I’m partial to watching the sun rise from this spot as the colors spill across the sky and you can enjoy the area all to yourself.

While I spend most of my time in Honolulu and that’s where I lived during my stint in the Islands, I’ve always been drawn to the Windward side of the island in terms of weather and landscape. Oahu’s Windward side is full of lush green rainforest-covered mountains (imagine all those scenes from Lost which were filmed there), grey skies and rainy days much more than the rest of the island and it always made me feel a bit like home (aka Portland) while I was living in Hawaii. One of my favorite things to do on Oahu is drive from Honolulu to the Windward side via the Pali or Like Like highways, where you literally drive through the mountains and come out on the other side to insane lush beauty.

When to go: Anytime other than rush hour as traffic can be a nightmare!

When I first moved to Hawaii locals told me immediately of places on the island I probably shouldn’t venture to. Because I wasn’t a true local and because my pale skin made me immediately stand out, Waianae was one of those places that many people mentioned to me as a spot I probably shouldn’t explore. And while I never did while I lived there, I did visit this area a few years later and was blown away. And while yes, I probably wouldn’t head into some of the very local areas on my own, there are definitely still spots that are perfectly safe to visit in a group. If you drive past Waianae you’ll eventually come to the end of the road at Yokohama Bay, a long strip of beach that ends in rocky coastline with views out over the the very Western tip of the island. It’s still one of my most memorable experiences in Hawaii, that evening we drove out there, Nick, my parents and me, setting up beach chairs in the sand and watching as the sun set in front of us. I guess the lesson here is: don’t always listen to people when they tell you not to go somewhere, research it on your own and be safe, but have an open mind too.

When to go: Sunset is hands down the best time here as it’s the last moments of sunlight on the island.

Headed to Hawaii?

Check out our Oahu Travel Guide in the Land of Marvels Shop for only $5!

Sunrise at Waimanalo Bay

August 13, 2015

During the Summer when Nick and I take a few quick trips over to Hawaii for work, it’s usually on weekends to photograph my design projects when no one is around and they are usually pretty quick, over Friday night and home Sunday. One thing though as I’ve mentioned before is that we try to make the most of our time in the Islands. Sunday morning we try to get up early and watch the sunrise somewhere new on Oahu.

For this most recent trip, I had saved a photo from a travel blogger I follow a few months ago of Waimanalo Bay Beach on Instagram in hopes of making it there this time around. So Sunday morning we got up in the dark and headed over the Pali highway from Honolulu to Waimanalo to watch the dawn light paint the sky.

We arrived right around 6am as the first colors were appearing and immediately it was pretty obvious that this might turn into a favorite beach on the island. Sunrise at Waimanalo Bay included gorgeous crystal clear turquoise water, golden soft sand beach and surrounded by trees and inlets; this beach is the true Hawaiian beach. With no one around we spent an hour watching the sun rise and then watching as the storm clouds rolled in over the island (there was a hurricane not far off in the Pacific).

While this area is a little more local than some of the other spots we’ve visited and it’s the least pulled together parking area I’ve seen for a beach park of this size, the beach was worth it. Do keep in mind this is a very local area and there is also quite a large homeless population in the area, so be safe and have common sense. But if you’re looking for a spot where not many other people will be and particularly to watch the sunrise, this is a fantastic spot to visit!

Headed to Hawaii?

Check out our Oahu Travel Guide in the Land of Marvels Shop for only $5!

Where to Watch the Sunrise on Oahu

August 12, 2015

Even though most of our trips to Hawaii are really quick for work, we always try to spend a little bit of time enjoying the Islands and seeing at least one sunrise while there. I try to do some research before each trip to find a new spot somewhere on Oahu to see the sunrise, as it’s such a beautiful time of day in Hawaii. We’re also generally still on West Coast time which means we’re up early anyways… so two birds, with one stone. Over the years, we’ve found some pretty great spots and seen some pretty great sunrises around Oahu. Here’s where to watch the sunrise on Oahu!

One of my favorite spots when we want to not drive too far is to spend the early dawn hours watching the sunrise over Waikiki. My favorite spot is on the lagoon at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. It’s far enough down the strip where you get a beautiful view of the sunrise over Diamond Head as well as surfers heading out in the early hours. Bring a chair or a towel and just watch the first light wash over the Islands.

One of my favorite spots on the island any time of day, the cliffs just past Hawaii Kai are also a great place to take in the sunrise. You’ll see a very different feel of Oahu seeing the cliffside and rock formation rather than beaches here, which makes the island even more interesting.

Perhaps one of my favorite spots to see the sunrise, this beach gets really crowded later in the day but at sunrise, you’ll have it all to yourself. As the light gets warmer, the water gets a turquoise color blue and the sky and water seem to merge together. It’s a pretty spectacular spot to watch the sunrise!

This great spot on the Windward side of the island near Kaneohe is a great spot to visit if you’re looking for some diversity in landscape. Rocky beaches, rock formations in the ocean and mountains surrounding, this spot is perfect to watch the sunrise as the colors mirror off the ocean water!

For a pastel sky that seems to blend in with the turquoise water and light golden sandy beaches, this is your spot. On the Windward side of Oahu, Waimanalo Bay Beach is a local spot that offers a gorgeous beach to watch the sun come up in Hawaii.

Headed to Hawaii?

Check out our Oahu Travel Guide in the Land of Marvels Shop for only $5!

The Best Meals with a View in Honolulu

August 11, 2015

When you’re heading to Hawaii, one of the things most people look for when picking restaurants is the view. Does it have an ocean view or a marina view or a perfect perch to watch the sun set? There are so many restaurants to choose from in Honolulu, but some are better than other for the view and general ambience of authentic Hawaii. Here’s some of my favorite spots for the best meals with a view in Honolulu!

The Beach House at the Moana Hotel

This spot is a great place for dinner with a view of the Waikiki Beach. It’s also in the Moana Hotel which is designed like an old plantation house, so you sit out on the veranda looking over a giant old tree in the center of the hotel’s courtyard with the beach just yards away.

Mariposa at Ala Moana Shopping Center

For a view out over the Marina and Ala Moana Park, sit on the lanai and enjoy lunch at Mariposa at the Ala Moana mall. The food is outstanding, the view lovely and the ambience, very aloha.

House Without a Key at the Halekulani

One of my favorite spots for dinner, House Without a Key offers a true “Hawaiian” feel. You sit outside, yards from the hotel pool with views out over the ocean. It feels exactly like dining in Waikiki should feel.

Headed to Hawaii?

Check out our Oahu Travel Guide in the Land of Marvels Shop for only $5!

How to Experience Hawaii like a Local

August 10, 2015

Hawaii is one of those places where being a local and a tourist are really different. The tourists spend most of their time on crowded beaches in crowded tourist areas paying high dollar prices for food and entertainment. The locals live a different existence, trying to stay away from the tourist spots and embracing the rest of the island. So if you want to experience the Hawaiian Islands as a local, here’s exactly how to experience Hawaii as a local.

Taste the local food.

From ramen to plate lunches, taste the real local food of the island. Whether you find a plate lunch place serving chicken katsu and mac salad or indulging in local ramen or udon, find a spot away from the tourist areas to try the local flavors. You’ll also pay a lot less than in the tourist spots.

Find a secluded beach.

To really experience the true beauty of Hawaii’s beaches, you’ll want to get out of the tourist spots and head around the island to the various beaches. Sitting on a secluded beach all to yourself is a pretty amazing feeling and you’ll enjoy the experience that much more. I like going early before everyone wakes up which makes you feel even more secluded.

Venture out of Waikiki.

This is hard to do if you don’t have a car, but on Oahu, if you can, venture out of Waikiki. You’ll get a much better sense of the local culture and see the vast landscapes of the island, instead of just the beach and Diamond Head. You’ll get a taste of what Hawaii is really about and you’ll experience the local feel even more.

Get on Island time.

Island time is legitly a real thing. Everything moves slower in Hawaii, due dates are more flexible and people really do go surfing before work. Realize that things don’t move as fast here as they do on the Mainland, so embrace is and just get on Island time when you arrive.

Understand local culture.

Hawaiian culture is vast and there is so much behind the history of the Hawaiian Islands. Do some research before heading to Hawaii to understand the social and political views there so you’re ready to start exploring and honoring the local culture!

Appreciate the beauty of the Islands.

One thing no one can contest is the natural beauty of the Hawaii Islands. Even though I’m not a real beach person and don’t love the heat, can’t say the Hawaiian Islands aren’t beautiful. From mountains to rainforests to coves and lava fields, the Hawaiian Island chain should be appreciated. The locals know their home is beautiful, so be sure to appreciate it while you visit.

Headed to Hawaii?

Check out our Oahu Travel Guide in the Land of Marvels Shop for only $5!

Travel Tips : Arriving in Honolulu

August 6, 2015

If you’re headed to Honolulu for the first time, there are some tricks to making your arrival in the Islands a whole lot easier than they often are! While millions of tourists flock to the Hawaiian Islands chain each year, the infrastructure (including the airport) in Honolulu hasn’t really been updated for a number of years. You’ll notice things as soon as you get off the plane, but while there may be some random issues to deal with upon arriving in Honolulu, here are some tricks to make it that much easier to start your vacation in paradise!

Don’t expect great signage at the airport.

The Honolulu airport is notorious for maze like ways to get to gates and horrible signage. You’ll most likely get off your flight, look around (like everyone does) trying to figure out where to go. Without a doubt, every flight I get off at Honolulu this happens and everyone bottle-necks outside the gate. Just follow the crowds to the main areas and from there you should be able to find some signage or ask someone if needed.

If you’re transferring to an inter-island flight, you’ll need to change terminals.

If you fly into Honolulu on any airline but Hawaiian Air (and then even with them sometimes), you’ll have to change terminals to get to the inter-island flights to connect to Maui, Big Island or Kauai. Most likely you’ll have to take a bus to transfer, though some gates will allow you to cut through from one terminal to another. Just give yourself time to figure out where you need to be.

Renting a car can take forever…but that’s changing.

Currently the rental car companies are down the road from the airport, so you have to take a shuttle. They are also incredibly disorganized and it can take quite a while to get through the process. However, construction is currently underway for a new modernized consolidated rental car facility, so be on the look out for that in the coming years to make it easier to rent cars at HNL.

Traffic can be really bad trying to get from the airport to Waikiki, so give yourself extra time.

If you’re renting a car and driving yourself from the airport to Waikiki, or wherever you’re staying, realize that traffic on Oahu can be really bad and back up really quickly. You can go the back way on the Nimitz Highway from the airport, but realize that if the H-1 is backed up, Nimitz probably is too. So give yourself extra time to get from place to place on Oahu.

Heading to Hawaii? You can download my newest Oahu Travel Guide on my Travel Guides page! The Oahu guide will be on sale for only $0.99 until Sunday 8/16!

Download it here!

Where to Watch the Sunset on Oahu

August 5, 2015

One of the things Hawaii is known for are its sunsets. The islands are obviously set on the ocean, making them a prime spot to find a beautiful spot under palm trees and watch as the sun sets over the horizon. Though there are certain spots around the island that offer a better view of the sunset than others, so if you’re looking to witness some amazing sunsets during your time in Hawaii on Oahu, here’s where I would suggest. Here is where to watch the sunset on Oahu!

There isn’t really a beach here, but find a restaurant with a view of the Harbor or wander China Town and watch as the colors light up the sky. I witnessed one of the most incredible sunsets of my life here last year (see photo above) and while it’s sort of a weird place to watch the sunset, if you’re in that general area, don’t miss it!

On the Western side of Oahu, past Wainae, is a spot on Yokohama Bay that offers a pretty stunning view as the sun is setting. Bring some beach chairs and set up a spot as the sun sets behind the ocean, with a stunning array of mountains behind you.

One of the most famous spots to watch the sunset, I like to head to the far Western side of Waikiki and watch the sunset from there. It’s less crowded with tourists and offers a pretty amazing backdrop of the whole strip of Waikiki.

If you drive out to the Eastern end of Oahu, you’ll arrive in the local area of Hawaii Kai. My parents lived there for a while when they first moved to Oahu and there are some spectacular sunsets from the area. There are a lot of great restaurants with lanais in this area, so enjoy a leisurely dinner and watch at the colors spill across the Hawaiian sky.

The Ala Moana Mall and beach park offer a great spot to watch the sun go down. Grab a spot in one of the restaurants at the mall or head to the beach park across the street and watch as the colors light up the sky at dusk.

Headed to Hawaii?

Check out our Oahu Travel Guide in the Land of Marvels Shop for only $5!

Sunrise at Kualoa Regional Park

August 4, 2015

Our trip last weekend to Hawaii was a super quick one (as the one coming up this weekend will be as well), flying over Friday night and leaving Sunday mid-day. Saturday we were working all day, taking photo after photo of my design projects which are finishing up construction, but Sunday morning we woke up early still on Oregon time and drove to the Windward side of Oahu for the sunrise. Even when we’re in Hawaii for a short time working, we always try to see at least one sunrise at a new point around the island.

I had seen a photo taken from the Kualoa Regional Park a while back on Instagram and loved the view of Chinaman’s Hat (the rock formation in the ocean) and the tall palm trees along the water’s edge. So about 5am we headed out of Honolulu, drove over the Like Like highway to Kaneohe on the Windward side of the island. Arriving just as the colors were popping in the early morning sky, we set ourselves up on the beach and watched as the sun rose and illuminated the world.

The sunrise at Kualoa Regional Park was so beautiful and I’d highly recommend this spot! It was so scenic, with the giant mountains behind and the ocean in front. So next time you’re on Oahu, hop in the car and head to this spot at sunrise (or anytime of the day)… you won’t regret it!