How do you bruise your passport? With Savi and Vid

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Travel bloggers Savi and Vid decided to stop counting the number of countries they’d visited – they guess it’s in the 70s, but they realized they enjoy spending time in each country more, rather than simply crossing them off their bucket list.

This now-married couple met when they were about 16, became friends and eventually got married. They then moved to the United Kingdom where they both worked. From their home in London, they’d make short trips, but realized they loved getting away, sampling cuisine, taking photos, and meeting new people. By their second year there, in 2009, they had 14 trips over the course of the year. Savi says Vid is probably the bigger vagabond – Savi isn’t so sure she’d do this if they weren’t together. But it wasn’t longer after starting to living together, that they realized they both loved to travel, and to do it with each other.

Their blog, Bruised Passports, was started in 2013 as a way to help them financially – it was always intended to be a professional blog – as well as in response to their friends’ requests to find out about the trips and see their photos. They’d talked about it since early 2012, but Vid blames his own procrastination for it taking so long to get off the ground. When they did get started, they set out to make it a professional blog and one they could derive income from. So while they were both working in “regular” jobs, they also dedicated substantial time daily to the work of setting up the blog, often logging a total of 18-19 hours of work a day. Their passports were so beat up from visa and stamps, they settled on “Bruised Passports” for the blog’s name, because of how beat-up the booklets ended.

Even though they don’t have “day jobs” now, and spend their time traveling, they still put in a lot of hours to make the blog work. From day 1, they’ve answered every comment on their pages; they make it a point to engage with readers, and see the blog as their baby and the readers as family. They also do a lot of networking with other bloggers. They were covered in some Indian newspapers, which led to a lot of readers. They also were able to connect with and blog on other sites. But the most important factor is always having good quality content that people want to read and come back for.

They set aside a third of their savings as a travel fund, and when they reached a modest goal, they had decided they’d leave their jobs. Vid gave notice in April 2015 and was excited, but Savi was the one feeling more nervous at the time. At the time they had about 1000 pounds monthly income from the blog, and their goal is to support their travels from the blog, while having the backup of the savings.

While they still do work while on the road, they try to be reasonable in the amount of work they do, both for their site and for other projects to generate income. They each make sure the other doesn’t work too much, and makes sure they take a step back and relax. They normally limit themselves to 6-8 hours a day working, but sometimes work more so they can then take 2 days just to enjoy the place they’re visiting.

Savi and Vid each only carry one suitcase and one handbag, amazingly! Making use of accessories that can be used in various ways, they’re able to remain stylish in a Bohemian way. They also take health serious – signing up for short-term gym memberships and even carrying a Nutribullet! They love to eat the local food wherever they go, so they make sure they also take care of their bodies.

Friendships are another special challenge. They keep in touch with their strong circle of friends and family back home, and sometimes even are able to connect with other friends who are traveling. Also, now that they’ve slowed down and spend more time in places, they also have begun to develop friendships around the world.

Their favorite trip this year was to Leh Ladakh, in India. They give recommendations for sites like Skyscanner and Holiday Pirates, where they could find deals on flights. Blogs like Legal Nomads and Nomadic Matt also helped them set out on their course.

Contact

Bruised Passports

bruisedpassports [at] gmail [dot] com

Resources

Tripadvisor

Lonely Planet

Legal Nomads

Nomadic Matt

Skyscanner

Holiday Pirates