Interview: Meet and Greet Monday – Blogger(s): Wandering Wives

Right, well firstly I’d like by welcoming this weeks’ guests and this week is a bit special because I’m joined by two guests, fellow bloggers, Emily and Sian.  Emily and Sian are enjoying their marriage doing what most of us wished we had the baubles to do and that is to sell up and travel the world.  I have to say that these guys’ blog is not only fun/funny but is also actually a good honest reflection of the locations that they visit.  Their blog is also accompanied with some very well taken, and often beautiful, shots of their travels.

So, it is with pleasure that I welcome you both to my virtual office.  Okay, I know, I know.  The truth is, I’m between virtual offices at the moment and this virtual phone booth is the only thing I could get at such short notice.  So, please make yourselves as comfortable as you can and we’ll begin.

 

Firstly, Who on Earth are you?

We’re Emily & Sian – comedy lesbian travel bloggers Wandering Wives. After becoming completely dissatisfied with everyday life we decided to sell all our belongings and hit the road.

And when did you start blogging?

We started our travel blog in January 2014 just before we left the UK on our worldwide adventure. It began as a way for friends and family to keep track of our travels then it just sort of snowballed. Now we have all sorts of people reading about our funny adventures!

Okay, game faces now, serious question time!  If you could be a Superhero, what would your superpower be and why?

EMILY: Can I be Wonderwoman? I’d like to be able to pull off that cute little outfit, and I reckon Sian would be into it too. I am pretty shy so I would choose invisibility as my super power.

You, invisible Emily?  I’d like to see that!  Er…I mean…oh, that doesn’t work does it…ahem.

Also your favourite sci-fi character and why?

SIAN: Do Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles count as sci-fi? Donatello is the best because he’s amazing and cool and wears purple and that’s the best colour.

Yes, you can have that as being Sci-fi and you’re right about purple.

If you had a choice of which actor could play your life story, who would it be and why?

SIAN: Samuel L Jackson, just because it would be really funny to watch him play a short white British lesbian.

EMILY: I can’t top that answer but I would prefer if Ruby Rose could play Sian. I could help her get into character.

Well it would certainly be good to see Samuel getting some different roles for a change.  Up until now he’s always been typecast as a black guy.

What first interested you in becoming bloggers?

We just wanted to connect with our family while we were travelling. Then we realised we had a pretty cool story to tell and people seemed interested in hearing it.  We love the whole blogging community, it’s great to feel you have friends listening to you all over the world. It’s also a great place to try out ideas and get feedback.

What issues are you looking to raise or discuss in your blog?

Wandering Wives is a comedy lesbian travel blog. We blog about our travels, including city breaks, food and drink, culture, the outdoors and festivals. We are a lesbian married couple so sometimes we blog about LGBT events, but mostly we blog about everyday destinations seen through an LGBT perspective.  We find ourselves getting into ridiculous situations quite regularly, that’s where the comedy element comes in. Like when we got searched for carrying salad at an Australian border crossing and the time we struggled to find wine when we really needed a drink. We also blog general comedy travel advice, such as packing lightly and avoiding the often literal pitfalls of using a squat toilet.

Okay, that’s enough of that frivolity.  Back to business.  So what is your favourite biscuit/cookie and why?  Please be thorough in your answer with this as it could one day form part of a legal defence.  I’m just sayin’.

We developed a serious addiction to Tim Tams in Australia. You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced the warm glow of a Tim Tam Slam. Those biscuity bad boys slide down way too easily!

It’s so sad to think that you both might one day be sat in a circle of people, saying your names and stating that you too are TIM TAM addicts.  “You go Sian, accepting it is half the battle.”  “Well done Emily, if you own up to it then you’re half way there” applause is heard from others gathered in the circle.

Do you think that your blog has changed or evolved since it began?

Absolutely. We’ve developed as writers and photographers during our time travelling and blogging; our posts have become more consistent and Emily is spending way more time taking photos these days. But we try to remain true to our readers and deliver the content they have come to know and love. We get annoyed when up and coming blogs we have been enjoying start spamming us with sponsored posts and promos. That’s the kind of thing we are trying not to do.

Do you think that your blog/s are making a difference to your readers or do you feel as though you are connecting with them in any way?

We get great feedback from our readers, they pay us more compliments than we pay each other! We also get a lot of younger LGBT people reaching out to us asking for advice. We think it’s important to be role models for them and try to help them how ever we can.

If you had to share an ice cream with someone who would it be?

SIAN: I DO NOT SHARE FOOD!

EMILY: That’s true. I think that was actually in our marriage vows.

Wow, I can’t believe that this particular question in my interviews is becoming the most contentious.  People are really protective of their ice creams.

If your tyre blew out and you could choose which famous person could help change it, who would it be and why?

We’ve had two bad experiences of tyres blowing out, once in Cambodia when the bus we were travelling on almost cracked in half and once in India which led to being stranded on the roadside in a very frightening and vulnerable position. Sadly we had no celebrity rescuer on those occasions, but hilarious Australian stand-up comedian Hannah Gadsby would have sweetened the experience. We saw her at Melbourne Comedy Festival. She might not know how to change a tyre, but she’d certainly help us pass the time while we waited for roadside assistance.

Have you found other bloggers that you would recommend?

Another Walk In The Park is a great travel blog that inspires us, the writer Meghan takes the most gorgeous photos and always gives us wanderlust. Tangerine Wallpaper is a funny, well written blog with great book and crafting ideas. We Are Stuffed is an amazing blog profiling and rating Christmas Sandwiches. Yes, that’s right, Christmas Sandwiches. It’s marvellous and definitely our favourite thing online at the moment.

I’ve heard that thewayofthesquirrelbooks is really good too.  No?  Oh that’s…that’s awkward.  Who would have thought that all three of us AND a tumbleweed could fit into this virtual phone booth…ahem.  Hehe, it tickles…

Do you use any other form of social media?  If so, which and how do you feel they compare?

We use twitter, instagram, facebook and pinterest. Social media is always evolving and different people use different forms of it, we like to be able to connect with everyone so we try to use them all. Instagram is great for our pictures and is just so easy to use. Emily gets way too distracted on Pinterest and sometimes loses an afternoon pinning. Blogging is certainly the most personal and un-restrictive form of social media, the rest are smaller fragments that light the path toward blogging.

Is there anything that annoys or disappoints you about blogging?

Spammers are annoying and people that just want to promote themselves without engaging. People often expect bloggers to do things for free and it’s difficult to get recognition for the work we publish. So much works goes into producing and promoting content for our site. But other than that it’s freaking awesome 🙂

Bruce Forsyth, real person or poorly made animatronic?

He’s even weirder now he’s morphed into Claudia Winkleman! He can’t be real.

Are there any hints and tips that you’d like to share with people who are interested in becoming bloggers or existing bloggers?

Be unique, be creative and don’t follow the crowd. Make friends with your fellow bloggers and engage with the blogging community. It’s not about going viral, it’s about the journey.

Is there anything else that you like to say to any potential new readers of your blog?

Come and join us, we promise to behave!

And finally, what is your favourite children’s television character from your childhood?  Now take your time, this is for the jackpot!

SIAN: OK, Donatello definitely counts for this one.

EMILY: In typical lesbian fashion my favourite book and TV character from my childhood was George; the butch one from Famous Five.

Okay so you both went for the butch ones from your respective shows.  (Rolls eyes)  Hehe. J

 

Firstly, again I’d like to apologise for the lack of virtual office space for this interview and thank you for time.  It’s been a pleasure meeting you both…one second, someone’s knocking.  Hello?  No, I’m doing an interview.  Well, you’ll just have to wait!  There’s another booth on the other side of the road!  Well what’s so urgent that you need to use this one?  You’ve got to interview a local politician?  But I’ve booked this virtual booth until 10.  Okay, okay, I’m going…sorry Emily, sorry Sian.  Well thanks again for your time and I have to say, without wishing to come across as fawning, I thoroughly enjoy your blogs and try to read them whenever I get downtime.  I am both envious of your journey and in awe of your courage.  Maybe one day I’ll have one of your books sitting on my shelf?  Maybe?  For any of my readers interested in joining the Wandering Wives on their journey please click on this link: wanderingwives.net.  You won’t be disappointed.

 

So, thanks again to Sian and Emily for taking the time to respond to my MONDAY MEET AND GREET questions and I wish them continued success with their blog and travels. 

As always, any bloggers, potential bloggers (or just readers that would like to introduce themselves to those who’s blogs they read) please feel free to contact me to take part in MEET AND GREET MONDAY at ned@thewayfothesquirrelbooks.com (or simply to ask any questions).