That feeling of pure excitement when you arrive in a new destination cannot be compared to anything else. Stepping off the plane into the humidity of a different country; flicking through your passport to find that new stamp; eagerly awaiting your suitcase so you can rush off to your luxurious hotel, where you stare wide-eyed at the panoramic view from your balcony and flop down on top of the ginormous comfy bed, before going out to explore the city. So exciting. So thrilling. So blissful.
Right? Well, our trips usually go something a little more like this…
Stepping off the plane into the humidity of a different country; posing for a photo in front of the plane once we’ve waited for everyone else to get off and get out of the shot; flicking through our passports to find that new stamp and, if there isn’t one, holding up the line until we get one; eagerly awaiting our suitcases so we can rush off to our hotel, where Mr Ayla is very nicely told to either wait outside or stand behind the door so I can take an appropriate amount of photos of the room before he messes up the bed or the contents of our suitcases start spilling out everywhere; then finally checking what’s on my huge long list of things to do first and heading straight in that direction.
No Alex, you can’t sit down and relax, we have places to go and things to see. What do you think this is? A holiday?! Tut.
Well that’s completely messed up my shot of the pretty four poster bed
I’ve always loved stepping out of my comfort zone when I travel, from underwater cave diving in Fiji to skydiving in Namibia, and this was all long before I started writing about our adventures. But blogging does give me that extra little confidence boost that I might sometimes need, whether it’s to talk to someone I would never usually approach, try a food I never thought I’d put anywhere near my mouth (licking a green ant’s rear end in Australia comes to mind – tastes like lime!), or to explore somewhere that’s completely off the beaten track.
“It’s for the blog” has become my motto and so far it has served me well as a valid excuse to get away with rather a lot.
That short 20 minute walk along Cornwall’s coastline that turned into an hour’s hike. It’s for the blog.
Getting up in the middle of dinner and running along the harbour to get a photo of the sunset in Gibraltar. Sorry to interrupt dinner but it’s for the blog.
Eating at that expensive restaurant when we’d never usually spend that sort of money on a meal. It’s for the blog. Okay, this was also to celebrate our anniversary but you catch my drift.
Booking a walking tour of Old Delhi an hour after we landed in India. This one was pretty hardcore, going straight on a tour after an 11 hour flight, but it did help us to get our sleeping patterns in order which meant no jet lag (yay!) and also… it’s for the blog.
After talking with other bloggers and their respective Misters, it turns out that Mr Ayla isn’t the only one who has to hide behind hotel room doors. Whenever he meets up with the other blogging Misters they all like to have a moan and tease us at how much they have to put up with.
Hours spent hogging the laptop writing posts and reading other blogs; meeting up with blogging friends for the first time in “real life” and making him worry that they might be an axe murderer (you’re all lovely though really!); keeping up to date with the 101 different forms of social media; and making sure he doesn’t touch his food until I’ve Instagrammed the hell out of it.
He often asks me if I’m going to “t-tot” something on Twitter. No, Alex, the hashtag is T.T.O.T not t-tot!!
But, despite all my annoying blogging ways, I think he secretly quite likes it. He gets to go on amazing trips that are already all planned out for him, he stays in the best little boutique hotels, sees incredible sights, eats amazing food that only the locals know about (ants not included), and drinks in the quirkiest bars. And apart from carrying the cases, he doesn’t have to lift a finger!
So thank you Mr Ayla for putting up with my consuming addiction. It’s all for the blog. Honest!
What crazy wonderful things do you do in the name of blogging? Let me know in the comments below or at:
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This post is part of the travel link up with Kelly, Emma, Rebecca and Anna. Join the link up all about your blogging obsessions by checking out their blogs!
Mama Ayla's Adventures 
Hahah lol-ing at how true this is. Even prior to blogging, it’s basically the case…for Instagram. 😂 Thank bob for understanding husbands!
All of these, except Mr Silver doesn’t stay where he’s told and gets into all my hotel room photos, how dare he! My motto is also ‘it’s for the blog’! I feel it means that you can get away with stuff with your other half 😉
Lots of love,
Angie
SilverSpoon London
What a brilliant post! And I totally agree that blogging gives you the confidence (i.e. an excuse!) to ask/see/do more.
Thanks Lauren! Blogging does open up some new possibilities which I love!
Very true!! I’ve actually just written a very similar thing on the same subject – what interests me is that my blogging actually changes the way I travel. Like you say, I go out of my way a lot more these days to explore unknown areas and take photos of things I wouldn’t have noticed before!
Yes, same. It does make us venture out of our comfort zone a bit more than usual and I love that. Feel like I’ve seen and done so much more through having a blog 🙂
So, so many of these! Especially trying not to disturb the lovely bedsheets before I have perfect pictures of the room. That can be very frustrating after a long flight, but like you say – it’s all for the blog!
Sometimes you just want to crash out or delve straight into some delicious food but nope…photos first!
Haha, definitely – my daughter (my usual travel companion these days) now asks, ‘can I mess up the cushions mummy’ after I finish videoing and taking photos of our room 🙂
Haha bless! It’s good to see that everyone gets involved – whether willingly or unwillingly!
Love these – all so true! However Mr P normally has to do our photos as I often end up (how??) with a glass of something in my hand…
Oh well that’s the perfect place to be!
Thank you Mr Ayla for allowing us crazy axe-murderers, I mean blogging addicts, to borrow your lovely wife for a bevy of t-tots! #legend
Haha you are a good bunch 🙂
great post and oh so true found you via the blog link up will be following from now on!
Rosemary
http://www.nycstylelittlecannoli.com
Thanks Rosemary! 🙂
Hehehe, like you say, I secretly think he loves it! I reckon Pumpkin can relate to every single word of this though I have to admit I would not be eating ant anything for the blog or otherwise! I do sometimes feel bad for taking over the boy’s holiday with all the blog stuff – but not bad enough to stop doing it!! 😀
Oh and they just love getting together and teasing us about it all. I’m surprised they didn’t say anything yesterday haha!
I’m impressed that you went on a walking tour after your flight to India, Ayla!
Suze | LuxuryColumnist
It actually worked out really well as it kept us awake until bedtime so our sleep pattern was put right by the first day. It’s the perfect jet lag cure!
Hahaha.. Love it! You’ve been skydiving? That’s awesome! And a walking tour in Delhi right after landing is pretty hardcore. You go, girl. Also, about not being able to stay put while traveling – guilty. Guilty of so much, including making the hubs hide in corners and behind doors of hotel rooms. Reflections in mirrors are tricky – watch out for that! Looking back, we are truly crazy – in the best way though. And aren’t you glad I wasn’t an axe-murderer? Bahahaha 😉
Yes! Did a skydive in Namibia – was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done and I would never EVER do it again but it was also pretty amazing! You are the loveliest axe-murderer I’ve ever met Nita haha! All the best people are crazy right? 😉
Love this post! Can totally relate on so many levels and like we said, especially for Alex and Jay!
You’re a hardcore traveller doing that tour in india straight after your flight though – not sure I could manage that one!
Hehe our poor guys! That tour in Delhi worked out so well as it completely got rid of any jet lag we would have had 🙂
Hahahaha t-tot, that’s going to keep me going all day!
I must be the worst travel blogger ever, Chris always moans that he can’t eat stuff I’ve baked but we never have issues out in the big wide world. Maybe it’s because we’re both photographers: we’re both doing it!
Tell Chris to shush – us lot need to be able to drool over everything you bake 😉
Haha, this is all so true! Our poor boys. Although saying that, Mr A has now started to use this to his advantage too, because if he wants to do something and I’m not keen he’ll always say “I’m just thinking it would make a good blog post”. Ahhh, using my own arguments against me!
Haha clever man! Mr Ayla hasn’t caught onto this one yet so let’s hope they don’t swap tips next time we meet up 😉
Yes, it’s for the blog! All of these poor men who stand patiently behind us and who facilitate our crazy! I totally get what you meant about that four poster bed! How dare your man actually lie in it?!
Exactly! So rude of him to think he can relax on holiday 😉
i love blogging but i empathise with the need for sleep!
Haha, napping in the middle of the day is not allowed! 😉
Can so relate to everything in this post (except the ant bit!) I really don’t know how Mr Jones puts up with it but he does – for the blog 😉
Bless our lovely Mr’s!
Ayla, I can completely, 100% relate to this blog post. The amount of things the people around me have to put up with – for the blog – well, I swear I’m surrounded by saints. But this crazy blogging world does lead to some pretty amazing adventures so it’s worth it 🙂
It is all worth it and I love the world that opens up to us thanks to blogging 🙂