Feature Friday: Meet Anna H.

For this week’s Feature Friday, we have Anna here with us. Anna is a fellow travel blogger, who fell in love with travelling at a young age. She has been to 15 countries so far, and hopes to cover the whole world one day. Keep reading to learn more about Anna’s journey 🙂

1. Thank you for partaking in Feature Friday. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Anna Hammerschmidt. I am travel blogger from Buffalo, New York. I went to school for broadcast journalism with a concentration in public relations and have been utilizing those skills for my blog, Come Join My Journey.

2. How did you first get involved with blogging?
I first started blogging after going on a study abroad trip in college. We traveled to 8 countries in just 3 weeks. It was such an incredible experience that I had to share my stories. I thought at first only my friends and family would be interested in reading my blog. Once I saw that strangers from all around the world were reading my blog, I knew I had to continue posting.

3. What do you find most challenging blogging about your topic?
I want to share as much factual information in my blog posts to inform my readers. This can be quite the challenge. Sometimes when traveling, I enjoy getting lost in a city. When I sit down to write a blog post, it take me forever to compile all the background info on where I was and what I was seeing.

4. Have you met any interesting people while working on your blog? Who? Why were they so interesting? [Not necessarily someone famous – just someone you think is super cool!]
Yes, I have met a lot of interesting people. The most interesting Nastasia, the curated of Dame Traveler. She is such an inspiration, having created a community for female travelers.

5. How would you describe your blogging style?
I mostly write narrative pieces for my blog. I like to tell my stories of my time in each place to interest my reader.

6. What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t working on your blog?
I love drinking lots of coffee and catching up with friends and family. I am also always exploring. I’ll try to find something new in my neighborhood or find a park to hike at.

7. Are you a full-time blogger?
No, but hopefully someday soon!

8. What networking do you do that you feel helps your blogging business?I send out lots of emails! And I try to interact with bloggers and tourism boards on social media. That way they know who I am before they receive an email from me.

9. Many people struggle with posting consistently. How do you keep coming up with material/content for your blog? Do you have any advice to address this problem?
I struggle so hard with posting constantly! I try to think about what would interest my reader. Even when I don’t have big trips planned, I look around my won city to come up with ideas. Then I write lists of all my ideas and go out to discover new things.

10. What’s the best thing a blogger can give to readers?
The truth! It does not help to sugar coat everything. I try to write as honest as I can so my reader is prepared. If I don’t like something or feel like an area is unsafe, I share that with my readers. That way they are prepared if they decide to go to that place.

11. What was the most challenging moment in your blog development process, and why? How did you handle it?
Going self-hosted gave me anxiety. I took so long to build what I already had and suddenly I had to rebuild it. Yet, after putting a lot of work into it my blog is better than ever. It was 100% worth the extra work.

12. What advice or tips would you give someone interested in starting a blog?
Just do it! Everyone has something to say, so why not share your stories and input with the world. It is so rewarding to have someone read what you have to say, even if it’s only a handful of people.

Thank you so much Anna for being a guest on the blog. I appreciate you sharing your tips and perspective, as well as your own personal challenges. Blogging can definitely seem overwhelming at times, but as Anna said, in the long run, it is so rewarding!

Did you enjoy what you read? Get to know more about the blogger!

Anna Hammerschmidt is a New York State native who has always had a love for travel. After studying abroad and traveling to 8 countries in Western Europe, Anna wanted to share her stories and inspire others to travel. Anna tries to see the beauty in everything, not just the places that are said to be extraordinary. She is constantly seeking adventure through travels near and far. Connect with Anna at the following:

Blog | Facebook | Instagram