It’s been six months since I started blogging. I posted my first article on August 31st, right after I returned from my trip to Belize.

I’m sure some people are wondering why I am doing this, which I will be covering in a different post. I’m also sure that some people don’t care and wish that I would stop filling their social media feed with links (sorry, not sorry).

If you are wondering what I am thinking after six months of blogging, or considering starting a blog yourself and wondering if it’s worth it, here it is: the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

It’s Really Hard

I researched so much before I started this blog to figure out if it was even feasible. Well, everything that I read was true, but it was so much truer than I thought it would be.

People said it would be hard. They said that giving up is common and likely. They said it would take almost three years to start reaping rewards.

I’ll let you know in three years if that last part is true, but the rest is very true. It is so much harder than I thought it would be.

You are simultaneously a web designer, a photographer, a writer, an editor, and a marketer.

All by yourself.

Just setting up my site and web hosting took me a couple of weeks and I spent hours writing, just to realize that 90% of my pictures are really bad, I didn’t remember enough details of my first trip, and I had no idea how to write to optimize SEO.

My very first article on Belize is my most read post, at a whopping 88 views, which is unfortunate because it’s not great.

I had no idea what I was doing!

I’m Always Comparing

I spend a lot of my time reading other people’s blogs because I love hearing others peoples experiences with travel and I think it’s good to scope out the competition.

There are so many bloggers out there, it’s incredible. And they generally have better websites, much better pictures, and more content. So it’s very easy for me to get down on myself and think that I am never going to get anywhere with this blog when there are so many other people out there, committing all of their time to blogging.

When this happens, I often want to give up. I don’t think my family would mind too much. But I refocus and tell myself that I am not doing this for other people, I am doing this for me.

I Don’t Have Enough Time

I should be posting more, optimally like three times a week, if I want to get anywhere. That is just not possible for me right now, as I am working a full-time job instead of traveling full-time. It’s also hard for me to find things to post about because, generally, in order to do so I have to have time to do things first!

I have so many ideas that I haven’t pursued yet because I don’t have time or money to do so.

The Social Media Struggle

Why Do You Need It?

If you want to get more readers, you have to have social media. The second thing that the pros recommended after setting up your website was collecting social media accounts with your name before someone takes it, even if you don’t plan to use it.

So I collected some social media accounts (Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter) for The Wayfaring Foodie.

But again, I had no idea what to do with them!

I was never big into social media after an awkward stint of Facebook posts from seventh grade that still make me blush. This was, and will continue to be, one of my biggest struggles with blogging.

PInterest

I currently have nine followers on Pinterest (up from one when I switched to a Pinterest business account) and no idea how to increase that number. Most people suggest joining a group board to increase followers, but when I tried, I was rejected because I didn’t have enough followers. In retrospect, I realize I would add no value to the Pinterest group board with my nine followers, so I can understand that.

I had to laugh at myself after that one.

Instagram

Instagram is another tricky one, as I am stuck at 100ish followers. This is where I learned that my pictures could be much better if they were edited in Adobe Lightroom with “Presets.” I had never heard of these things until about a month ago.

The pros of the Instagram/blogging world even sell their Presets for as much as 70 dollars. Not to mention that Lightroom itself is at least 10 dollars a month.

So not only are people posting these beautifully edited photos, they are also modeling in them, which poses many more problems for me, since I generally take my own photos.

For those reasons, Instagram is frustrating to me. It also gets me very few views, most likely since you have to go all the way to my page to get to the link to my blog. There are better features for Instagramers with many followers, such as the “Swipe Up” function in Stories.

Other

I rarely use Twitter, since I’m not sure how best to post. I occasionally post on my personal Facebook account as well.

Those are just a few of the complaints of Social Media, although without it I would have no views.

So Is It Worth It?

It all sounds like a lot of trouble, so why do I continue to do it?

It’s really fun. I may have highlighted the bad parts, but there are many things I love about blogging. I love the writing and taking pictures and even the web design, although it is difficult. It’s the best feeling when you spend hours trying to figure out something and you finally make it work.

Every time someone visits my page, likes my post on Instagram, follows me on Twitter, or Pins my Pinterest post, it makes my day. They are little things, but they make it worth it. And if this blog could ever give me the opportunity to travel more, it’s definitely worth it.

So what is the future of The Wayfaring Foodie?

I’m not a hundred percent sure where this will go, but as of now I have plans to continue working hard. I have had so much fun sharing these moments with you guys.

In the end, I love traveling and I love doing this and sometimes, that’s all you can ask for.

Here’s to another year of goals, growing, and traveling.