I Call Myself a Travel Blogger, But…

Let me be honest here. I call myself a travel blogger as I own a travel blog. But there are number of things I don’t know about travelling and I’d like to set things straight just to show how amateurish I am about this passion in general. Sure, I’ve been to places and I’ve so many photos to prove how much of a tourist I am. But those are probably the only things I can be proud of as I have so much to learn. I call myself a Travel Blogger, but…

  • I don’t know my geography.

I can’t locate a country or region in a map to save myself. A friend laughed at me when I thought that La Union and Camarines Norte were near each other when they’re on totally different ends.

Met a fellow traveller during a trip to Thailand and he asked me which country I’m from. lost Traveller: Where are you from? Me: I’m from the Philippines. Traveller: That’s nice, I haven’t been there. Me: What about you? Traveller: Mauritius Island. Me: *I gave him a dumbfounded look* and with my big mouth, I had to ask – Where’s that?

If I had an online device, I’d turn away, Google it up and then get back to him to continue our conversation. I have difficulty locating destinations in a map that’s why I easily get lost which is a problem when it comes to budget.

  • I don’t know cultures and I’m bad at history.

I’m a boring person. Had a conversation with another traveller during a bus trip to Bangkok who asked me about my country’s culture but there’s only little that I could share. She ended up listening to her iPod while I slept during the remainder of the trip. I disliked history my History teacher which made me dislike History as well. But this is no excuse as it would’ve been the opportunity to showcase what my country is about.

  • I don’t create itineraries.

It’s usually my friends who would scout for information online and sometimes I’d just read stories of other people without really thinking about the budget. I let other people do the research which makes me look arrogant if misconstrued. I can’t recall how many Excel sheets were sent to me with different revisions just to squeeze places into our plans while still staying on budget. Just like my trips abroad, I’m really lucky (REALLY!) to have friends who take time to plan the itineraries. I just document the things that we did when those trips come. The reason why I don’t like it is that I’m just a lazy son-of-a-gun.

  • I don’t know how to pack my clothes.

I have a big backpack and it always looks full when I carry it but in reality, I’m a lousy packer. Seems to me that I just look like a poser feeling all flashy but I’ve limited knowledge when it comes to backpacking 101.

roll clothes
Cindy, teaching me how to pack.

Companions would ask me what I put inside as it seems that I haven’t really maximized the space and sometimes, they’re the ones who’d even help me put things in order.

  • I don’t go solo during my travels.

…most of the time anyway. Strange that I go by the nick: soloflightEd. Solo flight was actually more of a metaphor of having to deal with life and finding a purpose for living. That’s why I advise readers not to take my domain name in a literal sense. However, this is something I’m working on as I definitely want to go on long, solitary trips to experience travelling on my own and have a more meaningful sense of this interest.

———–soloflighted

These are my confessions. Pretty ironic how inadequate I am when it comes to these basic points. Makes me wonder if I even have the right to call myself a “Travel Blogger” and share tips and things to know about places I’ve been.

But even if these points certify how poor my navigation, backpacking, conversational and just about any skill for backpacking are, I learn every minute of discovery. I enjoy moments of adventure and escape. These skills are a work in progress but I welcome the thought of wandering about and immersing myself into the journey. Besides, I believe that in due time, I’ll hone my craft.

Call me naïve but I’m happier this way. There aren’t that many expectations which makes me feel that I don’t have to prove myself. Because of thinking less, I experience


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soloflightEd.com is a travel blog by Edcel Suyo. He enjoys performing headstands and crazy stunts during his trips in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Now based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and working to earn a living, he takes time to enjoy the city and travel during weekends.
For updates, Like his page on Facebook or Follow him on Twitter.
For questions, advertising, and other concerns, shoot an email to ed@soloflighted.com.


58 thoughts on “I Call Myself a Travel Blogger, But…”

  1. Awww. It's alright Ed. As long as you're passionate with what you do, which is to travel – and eventually blog about it – is a good enough reason to call you a "travel blogger". The things you mentioned are just the cherries on top, I think. I mean, I love geography and history and I somehow know how to pack my bag, but does that make me a travel blogger? No. Because I'm shy. LOL. I'm kidding. But you get my point. 😛

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  2. Where is Mauritius anyway? 🙂 I can relate to you when it comes to my inadequate map reading and navigational skills, ok lang din naman, nadadaan na lang sa diskarte di ba, although a bit expensive pag naliligaw, madami nadidiscover na extra-ordinary 🙂

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  3. As long as you travel, everything can be learned anyway while on the road. I'm fairly good at geography but I haven't been as far as you been to, mainly Cambodia….some people are good at geography because they end up looking at the map more than seeing it in the real world. Now, I need to go to Cambodia soon and not just look at it on the map.

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  4. You mean you didn't know where Viveka Babajee, the Miss Mauritius who got involved with the Film Fest scam here, was from? Haha!
    I can relate though. I'm also very much UNLIKE the travel bloggers in PTB. Although I'm good at geography and history, I'm bad at roughing it out and taking note of details like expenses and travel tips.
    There's a niche for every kind of travel blogger. Mas exciting pag-iba-iba tayo.

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  5. @DAM: haha. SHY ba talaga? yeah, i understand. Just wanted to air this out because there may be preconceived notions about me which are not true. thanks!

    @lakwatsera de primera: haha, same question that popped into my head when the guy asked me that! yes, that's why it's nice to spend a little when you know you're going to experience more.  😀

    @Marky: Cambodia, you should go there! I think it will truly be EPIC especially for you! I'll most likely explore the Philippines more during this year 😀

    @AJ: Babajee? haha. don't really know about the whole story either. haha. It's definitely exciting to have different perspectives while respecting each other uniqueness and embracing it. 🙂

    @vernon go: haha, we usually take the easy way out but I'm slowly learning so I can go out independently. 😀

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  6. nakupo. umamin na. D: pero itong line na to ""Because of thinking less, I experience more."""wapakk!!! totoo yan. Anu kaba. di naman lahat alknowing. kaya nga we travel so that we learn diba? I see nothing wrong with the points you raised here. life is a learning……and its learning in progress.
    makapag confess na nga rin? wag na. baka madiscover na mas marami pa  dito. lol

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  7. @dani: thanks! people reading my stories and sharing my emotions while travelling really makes me appreciate the time that people take to read them — emo na naman. haha

    @pinoy adventurista: thanks! will be heading to Nagsasa next week. thanks for your post!

    @pusang-kalye: haha, this post was still sitting ni my Drafts folder for about two weeks now, finally had time to finish it. haha. marami pa ba? thanks!

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  8. @cedric: haha. ok ang walang IT pag walang budget. hehe. did that when we were in Bangkok. I was happy na rin to have the time for myself without the tours and just walk freely without thinking of having to go to a certain place.
    @estan: thanks. will do solo tripping soon! im bound for it. 😀
     

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  9. I also call myself a travel blogger but i am also guilty in some parts of your confession lalo na sa geography and history. I loved Sibika at Kultura and Philippine History way back in Elem and College, but i don't seem to remember most of the details i've read in World History. It is also a good thing i think kasi it is much better to know more about the place kung nandun ka na 😀
    I started making itineraries nung wala nang choice like yung trip to Camiguin with HS friends and the West Pangasinan tour. Hindi naman talaga siya required pero mas ok din na may idea ka on the places the group would like to check out 😀
    About the solo travel, i am PUSHING you to do that. Mas fulfilling siya, promise (although yung solo trips ko napuntahan ko na din dati yung place then bumalik lang ako haha). We still have a lot of things to learn and experience when it comes to traveling and as long as we're having fun, go lang ng go. No regrets 😀

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  10. You're a travel blogger because you blog about your travels.. 😀 just take its literal sense Ed.. 😀 It is only a label and we're not asked to be a know-all-travel-guy.. Asking questions is part of the journey.. it gets you where you want to go instead of having the answers ready at hand.. 😀 I hope I made sense.. hehe..

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  11. ok lang yun. wala namang tao na may alam sa lahat… same as what they mentioned above… i would also like to encourage you to try travelling solo… it's a nice scary experience sa simula pero andami mong matutunan about yourself…

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  12. @MicaThere are times when I got to travel solo when I went on a business trip to Manila and the same places I've already been in the Philippines. Wow, PUSHING in all CAPS talaga. hehe. One of these days, Mica. On my next travel abroad, I will go solo. hehe. para mapanindigan ko rin tong site na toh! haha.

    @JeffZ: yes you made sense. kinda deep "asking wont even exist". thanks for the words! but im pushing myself even further. soon, i'll go out. 

    @flip: thanks, you and a lot of pinoy travel bloggers who've gone solo are inspiring me to go out of my comfort zone. i'll probably write about other bloggers that inspire me, too. susunod ako sa yapak mo. hehe

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  13. I never consider myself a travel blogger.
     
    Im just a blogger, who happens to travel! Kaya pinipilit ko talagang magpost ng personal and non-travel related entries para di ako ma-address na travel blogger ng ibang tao. 😀

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  14. hi ed! i read ur blog everyday, mrmi akong ntututunan.mhilig din kc ako mg travel, sobrang helpful xia skin, sna mka chat kita one tym pg free ka, gusto ko kc mgtnong about specific expenses lalo n sa trip to bangkok-cambodia mo.gusto ko rin kc mkpunta dun. thanks!

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  15. Nice share Ed!! We're alike, I think nasa first step palang tayo ng traveling.  I'm sure that another traveler  with you on bus in Thailand dumaan din sa pagiging boring hehe!! Malayo pa tatahakin naten 😀

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  16. @chyng: I can relate! haha. sometimes the label just makes it too demanding. hehe. but let's just continue our passion for writing. let's not mind the tags 😀

    @andrea: ey thanks a lot! appreciate that you left a comment here! 😀 add me up on FB. or skype na lang: edblogs 

    you should go there! I'll write more articles about that trip soon. i just wanted to let this out.

    @ada: haha, true. It was a good thing that I was able to share a thing or two about our country. The girl came from Spain and at least I was able to relate with her in someway since we were colonized by the Spaniards for 300 years nun — up to now, I still can't believe I was able to share that info. parang di kapanipaniwala considering History yun. haha.

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  17. mauritius is malapit na sa africa.dyan galing si ms. "take it take it" viveka babajee.i'm not sure if you're old enough to remember miss universe 1994 kung saan sumikat sila charlene gonzales,michelle van eimeren at "take it take it" viveka babajee…hahaha.

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  18. well well, you're not alone dear, same here. 🙁 Funny how people thinks we know a lot, when I myself thinks that everything I do is so superficial.  But tell you waht Ed, when I read your blog and Angel's,. I feel so shallow, because I usually just get on a bus, go to a place, talk to the locals, take photos, walk, hike and bike. But you guys are pretty adventurous, you swim, you climb,  you've done bungee several times, you cliff dive, you do cartwheels, and you soar up above! 🙂
    I'm  proud of you Ed, despite of how amateur you think you are, always, remember, NO TRAVELER IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER. 🙂 Needless to say, I look up to those travelers and bloggers who've been to many places but keeps their  feet on the ground, and you are one of  them…Keep exploring!   See you soon! 🙂

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  19. I agree with everyone else here. Ed, to each his own. I've met travelers who travel not for anything  but to please themselves. And i often ask myself, what's the essence of traveling. The good thing about traveling is that it's an ongoing process. And every time you hit the road to some destination, you get to learn something new which will help build you as a person. I've made many mistakes in the past, and found myself lost and irresponsible. Next time, i will know better. 
    I love this post because it's honest and doesn't try to impress, and a lot of people can relate to you. I once was asked in one of the many drinking nights, what's the national sport in the Philippines… I told them cockfighting! ha ha ha Laugh about it! What's good about us filipinos is we do have an infectious sense of humor!
    Keep it up!

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  20. @Chris: I only have a faint memory of the events in 1994. I was still 8 years old then. haha. thanks for the info!

    @gael: yeah, it's really funny because we're still on the process of exploration on our own. 😀 I appreciate your kind words Gael but don't call yourself shallow. You're actually one of the few bloggers I always read about because of the way you captivate your audience when you talk about your experiences! Ako ang shallow, di ikaw! hahaa. See you soon and thanks again 😀

    @jerik: Another blogger that I always read about! We do learn when we travel indeed. Wrote this blog because I wanted to put a disclaimer as people might think I know a lot and I wanted to set some expectations. Thanks for the encouragement! Let' just drink to that. haha.

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  21. Hala. I honestly think you don't need all those qualities to be a certified travel blogger. All you need is the passion to explore and experience the culture of different places and share them here in your blog. Travle is all about the experience, and actually it's part of the fun na wala kang masyadong alam sa mga pupuntahan mo.
    Kanya-kanyang way yan of writing and blogging. And as long as your readers are learning something new from your posts and are reacting to them, then you are on the right direction. =)
    PERO gets ko ang feeling ng self-doubt na yan. Hahaha. Just keep doing what you do. =)

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  22. @robbie: gets mo? hehe. just read your latest blog entry. ganda talaga tignan how our passions evolve and it all starts with typing that first sentence or picking up that pen! let's keep on doing what we love doing indeed! cheers bro!

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  23. Hey Ed, those confessions don't make you any less of a travel blogger. 🙂 At least nga mas reachable ka than other travel bloggers. Yung iba sobrang yaman talaga, hanggang basa lang magagawa ko kasi ang mahal ng trips nila. Plus, kahit hindi ka pa "expert", sobrang helpful and exciting ng posts mo. 🙂
     
    Keep blogging Ed! 

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  24. @Smarla: ey thanks for the kind words. di ko pa afford ang mga mahal na mga lugar. hehe. hanggang basa lang din ako. hehe Hope to share more experiences soon!

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  25. Ed. My professor said to me when I was in college (tagal na nun), of which it is one of my guiding principles in life. especially in traveling. Ask and you will learn. sometimes when traveling in places that they dont speak a language you thought they do but actually they aren't that fluent, or even dont know how to speak rather in english of which we filipinos are articulate to that. That's the time we learned something— my lesson is to keep calm. So, bai, I like this one. I learned a lesson though its not my own experience. Just similar one.

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  26. @bonzenti: thanks for sharing! i guess we just need to be curious in the first place. we learn in every step 😀

    @eric: thanks, but don't enjoy yourself too much! ;p thanks again. 😀

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  27. Wow.. thought you travel solo… I'm now an avid reader of this blog. Great content. I went some bungee jumps before too but Macau is just too expensive for me hope to conquer that soon… miss to feel the heart-fell-out-in-two-seconds kinda feeling… Keep writing… I really enjoyed your blogs..

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  28. @Bhety: haha. most of the time, I travel with groups kasi number one thought to consider would be the budget. it's cheaper if you travel with companions because you can split the costs for taxis and such. thanks for dropping by my blog! 😀

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  29. I've read this na pala. But to add to what I've already posted: I think these are the same qualities that makes you a travel blogger that you are. You don't need to be a map expert and a history major. In fact, a lot of people aren't. So they can all get inspiration from you. 🙂
    In my case, I'm a map nerd (yes I can point at Mauritius on a map blindfolded) and I love history (you already know that based on my posts).
    But all other aspects, we're cut from the same cloth. I don't make itis (si Batman ang tour guide ko, as in bahala na si Batman, hahaha), can't pack properly, and prefer traveling with company (ayoko nang walang kausap at kahati sa expenses!).

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  30. @AJ: haha, yep. Ms. Mauritius talaga yung tumatatak sa isip ko and your comment here. hehe. didn't realize that a lot of people can relate at some point with this article and I'm happy to have bared myself (ansagwa pakinggan, bared) just to show that we're not all that and we're still vulnerable to these qualities too. thanks AJ! 😀

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  31. i don't think it would make you less of a travel blogger  if you don't know your geography or planning your itinerary. I myself just recently learned to do planning itineraries and on the process I learn.  I know a lot about geography and places because of my work involves those things but I think everything is a learning process and we don't need to know everything. As we travel, that is where we learn because "travel is an experience of a lifetime"
    Traveling on solo is something that I haven't done yet and I don't think I would be able to do it, others does it but for it is simply less fun, exciting, lonely and sad traveling on solo.

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  32. @lawstude: hi Oman, thanks! i realize we all have our own journeys to take. the good thing is that we keep on moving. 😀 di ko gets yung p.o.a.m. – damin acronyms nung sinearch ko sa google. haha. 😀

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  33. You still got a cool blog anyway and still enjoying your travel, ako din walang sense of direction. Pwede nga ako iligaw eh… very honest post… cool!

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  34. This is perhaps the most honest admission of something someone lack when he travels. I do that too. I am a poor packer of stuffs, I never is good in maps so I throw then away and ask locals for direction (recently, I love the maps on my IPad, easy to locate the places) and gladly, I have tried, many times to go on solo backpacking. 
    What I appreciated about this post is your ability to show us who you are Ed and one of those that made us understand you better as a traveler. 
    Hoping to see you down the road or perhaps travel with you in the future. Until then, ciao amigo. 

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  35. your a great travel blogger been reading your blog since last week i didn't say I'm an expert but for me your doing a great  job i saw your blog when i started looking for a place to stay in palawan but then again it won't be happening at this time:'( for me as long as we travel we've done a great job..as long as we travel and reach our destination again we've done a great job…and most important is as long as you love what your doing then …….good job! and your good at it (travelling as well as you blogs) 🙂 god speed!

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  36. @grasya: thanks grasya!

    @Dys: thanks Dys. marami na tayong naliligaw. haha.

    @Journey and Travels: haha, it's going to be hard if people have this perception that I'm a know-it-all traveller when I just want to have fun most of the time. Thanks Wends! 🙂

    @chizacheesemiz:haha, haven't been to Palawan yet. maybe soon. thanks for the words! 🙂

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  37. There will never be an “expert” traveler, just a few people who are more open and more experienced. All depends on individual preferences and trips. Ako I have yet to meet more people na mas matagal mapagod sa mga biyahe, mas matatag sa puyatan at inuman, at mas magaling sa mga lugar bilang madali din ako maligaw. Lol. Entertaining post here! 🙂

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