Conversation with Saheli – A Travel Enthusiast

My interview series has been quite interesting as well as fun. Interviewing fellow and experienced bloggers and writers have turned out to be a learning for me. Their journeys, be it in Travel or Lifestyle or Beauty, are amazing. They have been a big inspiration for me to move ahead. From a travel enthusiast to a mental counsellor and to a beauty expert, I love the passion in each of them.

Today, I would like to share my conversations with my college friend and a travel enthusiast, Saheli Pal. I have known her since 1999, almost more than 20 years now. A wonderful human being, full of enthusiasm and zeal to explore the unknown.

She loves indulging into the panoramic beauty of nature. The way she deep dives and explores into the intricacies of any travel destination is worthy of millions of appreciations. I love reading her articles and the different aspects she captures in her writings. Be it food, people, culture and traditions, you can find every facet of a place in her website and social media pages.

Saheli is a brilliant photographer. She captures unique shots with her camera, a real treat for the eyes. All her wonderful travel experiences and photographs are present in her blog or website https://www.breakingoutsolo.com/.

Without further delay, let me share my conversations with her where she shares her experiences as a travel enthusiast.

Excerpts from the Conversation

Name of your blog or website and the purpose of its creation

Breaking out Solo.

I have always loved travelling and writing about them. I used to share my travel stories with friends and family through emails and later, as social media picked up, through Facebook.

Almost everyone who I inundated with my posts, urged me to create a travel blog and share my stories with a bigger audience. The encouragement got me thinking. Eventually, I created Breaking out Solo sometime in the last decade, thus providing a home to my travel stories and photographs.

Share briefly on your blogging niche

I am a woman, a solo traveller who loves travelling and photography. That is what my blog is all about. I travel without much fanfare, staying on budget, sometimes backpacking. I spend time with the locals and immerse myself in the local culture.

My camera is my constant companion. I go hiking or visit remote landscapes. These are things women travelling alone rarely do, so I spread the word by writing about them from a very female perspective. 

Why did you choose the niche blogging area?

I did not choose the solo female travelling as a blogging area. I only wrote about what I was doing. But it didn't take me long to realise that the natural photos I take of beautiful and even not so beautiful places around the world and their related travel stories are a rare find in today's world of over-processed and over dramatised travel.

My travel blog satiates the true travelling soul like no other, and that is what makes my blog so unique. I decided to continue keeping it that way.

Please share some interesting facts about your blogging journey

I started my blogging with honest travel stories and natural photos. This is a principle I have maintained all these years. I have always wanted to keep my blog very personal, hence have steered away from listicles and such impersonal posts.

While in my initial days, I was apprehensive about sharing my deepest personal thoughts and any negativity I encountered during my travels, through the years I realised a travel experience would be incomplete without both sides of the story.

I started observing more and looked for genuine experiences that involved real people. Therefore, in a way, my blog nurtured me into a more understanding and observant being. 

The blog had started many years ago. It was only during the last five years or so, that I finally created its social presence. Breaking out Solo is more active on Facebook than anywhere else now.

Tips and Tricks for blogging

I am not the best person for advising on the Tips and Tricks of blogging, because for me the satisfaction is more about human interactions than monetary gain. The things that have definitely worked for me are quality posts that are high on content, natural well-taken photographs and of course, honesty.

Your blogging achievements

My posts have been shared by various renowned travel pages. I have been invited to talk on travel on Facebook and Instagram Lives.

However, the achievement for me is the overwhelming love and support I have received from the followers of Breaking out Solo. Most of the 2,500 people who follow Breaking out Solo, do so because they love the content. This has resulted in a high engagement percentage on the page.

Then there is the personal front. People I have not known before have messaged me telling me how much they have loved a story or how inspired they have been. I have come in touch with people who have grown to be very good personal friends, some I have even met up with. It is an achievement that cannot be depicted in numbers.

Your future plans on blogging

I hope to bring a more social perspective to my blogging. As a traveller, we have responsibilities towards the society we are living in or travelling to. This is what I am currently working on and would try to bring into Breaking out Solo soon.

I bet if you are a travel enthusiast and adventure lover, you will definitely appreciate Saheli's limitless desire for travel. Please visit her blog and her social media pages to read her exclusive travel experiences.

Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/breakingoutsolo/

Instagram Handle : https://www.instagram.com/breakingoutsolo/

Website : https://www.breakingoutsolo.com/