I talk to David Gilbert, a software engineer by training and a digital product manager by trade, but a travel blogger by night/spare time. He has written his blog randomwore.com for 20 years, and has a refreshingly ‘no goals’ approach to his blog. No traffic goals, no money goals, very little SEO optimisation, just travel blogging for the joy of it.

You can also watch this interview on YouTube:

Topics covered:

00:00 – Introduction – David’s background as a product manager and blogger 01:04 – How the Blog Started – An escape from everyday work 02:16 – Became a Travel Blog After Moving to China – How relocating changed the blog’s direction 05:22 – Organic Traffic from Reddit, Google, and Email – How people find the blog 06:35 – Why David Has Chosen Not to Monetize – No ads, no revenue, just passion 07:10 – No SEO Either – Writing purely for enjoyment, not optimization 07:46 – Choosing Not to Compete with Mainstream Topics – Avoiding over-covered locations 08:22 – Focusing on Lesser-Visited Places, Especially Pilgrimage Trails – Interest in hidden gems 09:35 – How Day-Job Burnout Led to a Two-Month, 1,400-km Trek – A life-changing journey 10:13 – 50 Blog Posts and a Book from the Pilgrimage – Writing daily during the journey 12:06 – No Pressure, No Schedule for Posts – A relaxed approach to blogging 13:14 – Looking for Visually or Historically Interesting or Under-Exposed Stories – What makes a good post 14:28 – Researching Experiences After, Not Before – Allowing for serendipity while traveling 16:16 – Not Worried About Irregular Posting – No stress over breaks in content 17:19 – Trying to Mix Asian and European Topics – Transitioning after moving to Germany 18:27 – Design and Tech Also Mixed In with Travel Posts – Observing user experience in Japan 20:18 – How an Observation About Subway Gates Led to a Popular Post – Cultural design differences 22:04 – How a Post About Website Design in Japan Became the Most Popular – A viral article 24:25 – Writing About the Most Dangerous Pilgrimage Trail in Japan – An intense 10-day trek 25:39 – On His Functional Writing Style Blended with Personal Feelings – A simple but effective approach 26:52 – Avoiding Controversy and Being Responsible as a Travel Blogger – Staying mindful of influence 28:48 – Doing All This Without Speaking the Languages in China or Japan – How he manages 29:59 – Final Thoughts & Blog Details – Where to find David’s work

📖 Check out David’s blog: randomwire.com

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