I'm sitting in a Philippine sauna, my muscles relaxed from the massage, but I can't relax. There was a woman in her twenties sitting to my left, and I found it difficult to sit quietly in such a small space with a traveling companion. I was torn between feeling that I should say something but not wanting to disturb her peace.
It only takes a few minutes for me to break down. I'm just so curious. I wondered where she was from and what brought her to this sauna in Makati, the cultural hub of Metro Manila in the Philippines, except that the spa services cost a fraction of what they cost in many other major cities.
I soon discovered she was Mollie Bylett, the woman behind the website "Where's Mollie?" who has perhaps the most coveted and romantic job in the world: travel blogger (#livingthedream).
As we chatted, the spa attendant brought Bylet a glass of ice water and a pot of black tea, and I sat on a hot wooden bench, trying to balance my curiosity with my desire not to be rude. I'd never met a travel blogger before, but like anyone who experiences wanderlust, I've had a fantasy or two about getting paid to travel the world. My questions rolled through my head like the postgame scores on ESPN. How do you make money from it? What does your job actually mean? Is it really as glamorous as it looks?
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The answer to that last question might seem like a resounding "eh"—I was speaking to her at a spa, after all. However, like most things, the answer is not as simple as one might think. This trip to the sauna was not part of Bylett's routine. In fact, she'd been busy for more than four months, and it was a much-needed break from the energy of her job — and, yes, work . The woman actually skipped flying to Palawan (the best island in the world, according to Travel + Leisure ) earlier in the day because she was eager to get back home to the London area .
Byright is used to people wondering what she "actually" does, let alone just jetting around the world for her website "Where's Molly?" and social media (probably between Mai Tais ) to take beautiful photos one after another. What people don’t realize, however, is how much hard work it took her to make travel blogging her full-time job. After returning home, she told Bustle in an email that the three-and-a-half-year process was "hard work and sometimes soul-destroying." Until six months ago, she was running her own eyelash extension business while also busy organizing her blog.
I never really took a day off...I would be exhausted and didn't have the bank balance to prove it.
“I never really had a day off, and while I didn’t mind because I was so passionate about everything I was doing, I would be exhausted and not have the money in the bank to prove it,” she said. “But the strength in that frustration has definitely gotten me to where I am now.”
That strength has paid off. Bylett has traveled to 36 countries so far, amassed nearly 50,000 followers on Instagram at the time of writing, and attracted sponsors such as GoPro. Still, travel blogging requires real work. Her days may not be spent in the office, but her days are busy. Separating work and personal time is a constant struggle.
“As with anyone who’s self-employed, it’s really hard to stop because there’s always something you can do to improve your business,” she said, adding that she “definitely does it outside of the 9-to-5 Work". ”. There’s a lot to do, including writing posts for her website, taking and editing photos and videos, working with sponsors, interacting with her audience, and more.
For Bylett, finding that balance is especially difficult because she loves everything she does. This may not sound like a problem, but it can be.
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"Exercising this kind of discipline is challenging, but I've learned my lesson several times by being very sick," she said.
Still, Byright recognizes how privileged she is to do what she does. She says the best parts of her job are the people she meets and the countries she gets the opportunity to explore. Plus, she documents her travels no matter what.
“I travel and create content because it’s my personal passion,” she said. “I think I need to go on vacation in a cardboard box so I don’t have to take my camera out!”
Regardless of her destination, Bylett makes a conscious effort to be honest about the realities of her job, like the loneliness she sometimes felt during a recent 18-week solo trip, or the times she got sick along the way.
"I'm honest about everything," she said. “I don’t gloss over bad times, I use content like Instagram Stories to share behind-the-scenes details to avoid jealousy and keep it real!”
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Bylett even wrote an entire post on her blog in 2016 about "The Downsides of a Life Full of Travel." As wonderful as it sounds in theory, all risk-taking comes with a cost, whether it's damaging relationships or making it harder for people to find satisfaction in normal drudgery. Plus, when traveling becomes your job, it changes your definition of vacation.
“The holidays are actually time at home for me, contrary to what people think!” Byright said.
Despite its shortcomings, a travel blog is clearly still her dream. But don't let the stunning photos fool you: living your dreams is work, too.
