People who seek immediate benefits from blogging without much knowledge often fail to even drive traffic to their blog leave aside making money out of it. In the long term, it’s definitely a wonderful career that can help you generate several parallel sources of income and be financially independent.
1. Tell us more about your background and journey.
Hi! I am Abhishek Saraswat, an Indian travel blogger & photographer based in the Himalayan valley, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Dehradun is my hometown and has been my favorite place on Earth ever since. Since this place lies on the foothills of the lower Himalayas, we have been blessed with a huge variety of flora and fauna around us.
Also, Uttarakhand is known to the world as “Dev Bhoomi” or the “God’s Place” as we have enormous temples dedicated to different gods and local deities including the Char Dham.
All these factors influenced me to take interest in nature and traveling, family vacations during the school days have also played an important role in building that interest to explore the world around me.
I am an engineering graduate and had spent four amazing years of my life in the Himalayas of Tehri Garhwal in close proximity to the Tehri Dam. It was during this time when I first realized my passion for travel blogging & photography.
Today, after almost four years of hustle I have a personal brand by the name “Himalayan Gypsy” which is fairly popular among Indian travelers also I have earned a name in the field of photography.
2. When did you decide you wanted to be a blogger?
Initially, I used to put all my experiences on social media only, specifically a Facebook Page and an Instagram Account (@himalayan_gypsy) but after a while, I realised if I had to stand out from the crowd and take things forward seriously, a personal blog is a must.
I had a fair experience of working on various micro blogging platforms like Medium & Tumblr etc so getting started with a WordPress blog was not a big deal for me, although I had to learn a lot of new things which were much advanced than using social media like Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media Marketing, etc.
The best thing that I like about having a personal blog is that I have full control of the content as well as the design of the website which is not possible on any social media. There is always a risk of a data breach or losing the accounts due to various reasons, but having a personal blog makes sure that the data is safe and can be displayed in any way.
3. Is it a financially stable career?
To be frank it depends on your knowledge in the field and how much you are willing to learn and put effort initially at least for the first two years. Growing a personal blog is a very slow process as there are already billions of websites on the internet and ranking on the top search results isn’t that easy for new bloggers.
People who seek immediate benefits from blogging without much knowledge often fail to even drive traffic to their blog leave aside making money out of it. In the long term, it’s definitely a wonderful career that can help you generate several parallel sources of income and be financially independent.
The best part about being a blogger is that your life becomes location independent and you can freely roam around the world with just a laptop in your backpack.
4. Who is your favourite writer and why?
Deepak Kanakaraju, usually known as "Digital Deepak" is my favorite writer and blogger, he has been a constant source of inspiration and guidance in my blogging journey. It was because of him I was able to clearly able to understand the technical aspects of being a blogger.
5. Where does your inspiration lie?
The interaction with the community and like-minded people inspires me a lot, especially getting random appreciations by strangers about the blogs and pictures. I have made many new friends from all over the country over the years and the credit for this goes to being a blogger.
6. What piece of advice would you like to give to future aspiring writers or bloggers?
My only advice is, to be honest with yourself and work towards your goal without many expectations. Easy money is a myth and shortcuts don’t work in building something sustainable.
7. Which is your favourite book and why?
My favourite book is The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson because I believe life is short and we should be focused on things and people who actually matter to us instead of being worried about the whole world or other people’s opinion about us.
- Abhishek Saraswat
Personal Website: https://abhishksrswt.com
Travel Blog: http://himalayan-gypsy.in
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/himalayan_gypsy
- Interviewed by - Nishad Kinhikar
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