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| At Trafalgar Square last week. Picture taken by the rocking Melissa from “Wanderlust- Witness to Britness”! |
The upside to blogging, as I’ve said before, is all of the people you have the possibility to connect with. In the last couple of years, I’ve really started to reach out to some of my favourite bloggers when I pass through their town or vice versa. The list of bloggers I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in the flesh is enviable: this past summer alone, I had the pleasure of meeting Tanya from Tanya in Transition while we were both in Toronto, as well as Stacy from Bisous from Paris and Terri from Try Anything Once while I was kicking around N.Y.C. Late September found me in Chile, where I connected and became instant besties with Kyle from Kyle Hepp Photography and Emily from Don’t Call Me Gringa. My first ever blogger meetup came to pass two years ago now, when the ubiquitous Ernest from the Fly Brother blog (who incidentally celebrated his birthday yesterday!) touched down in Hong Kong as part of his three month round-the-world jaunt, which I wrote about here.
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| With Emily from “Don’t Call Me Gringa” and Kyle from “Kyle Hepp Photography” when I was in Chile last month |
I am happy that I have been undeterred by the chanciness of meeting folks in real life that I have only come to know online; I have met only good people and have yet to encounter any axe-murderers or unsavoury characters.
I thusly cast the net wide upon my arrival in London and was sure to contact my favourite London travel bloggers, hoping to coerce convince them to meet with me. Luckily, the response has been positive and I have been making new bloggy friends right here in the UK. This has been fabulous as I have not only gotten the chance to meet my fave online personalities in person, but I am also getting the chance to get to know my way around London better.
I already wrote about me and Liebling’s double date with London-by-way-of Paris blogger Fned and hubby at Mexican restaurant Chilango the other night. I also reunited with Cherish, whom I had the opportunity to meet last summer during my London stay. Last week she took me around St. Catherine’s Dock and we navigated the throngs of tourists on the London Bridge.
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| Cherish and I when we met in London last year |
I’ve met with the amazingly fun Melissa from Wanderlust- Witness to Britness a couple of times now. Last week, Melissa took me on a tour of Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden, and graciously accepted to take my picture 60 gazillion times.
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| See how many pictures she was willing to take of me??? |
She also remained patient as I tirelessly window-shopped. I can tell that her and I will be great friends already.
Last week, I also had the good luck to rendez-vous with a certain Lady in London, who is quite the travel writing powerhouse, what with her impressive travel resume and busy travel schedule. I will also be forever indebted to her as she took me out for a steak dinner. I’m not joking; she was reviewing a restaurant here in London and invited me to tag along, so this here chickadee got to indulge in a steak dinner on the house. Perks, anyone?
Meeting with travel bloggers is affirming, in a way. Apart from discussions about blog stats, SEO, just how much to share and how often to share it, there is also a mutual understanding about the burning need to take photos of the monuments and places you visit in the hopes of documenting it in your blog. For example, there was no embarrassment when I whipped out my camera in the middle of the restaurant to snap a photo of my steak dinner- Miss Lady in London had already unsheathed her DSLR so she could take a photo of hers! Bloggers rock.
I must admit that I have been adding all the places that I’ve gone to with my newfound friends here to my burgeoning London repetoire. After all, who needs Time Out and Lonely Planet when you get pertinent info of where to go, what to do, and what to see straight from the travel blogger’s mouth?
Have you met any bloggers or people you’ve met online in real life? If you haven’t would you?
Psst! Don’t forget to “like” me on Facebook if you haven’t already! Your support is much appreciated!
32 Comments
Great post! I'm glad you enjoyed the dinner, and I'm excited to see you for lunch!
I am a big fan of meeting other travel bloggers when I am in different countries, too. I love that we both met Emily in Chile this year!
I'm glad we got to meet up in TO. Hopefully, when I get to London-town you'll be able to show me around. Great post!!!
awesome and ditto to everything you said lol
What a great post! I most definitely love meeting people that I've become friends with online. Most recently, I met a Singaporean friend, whom I've been online friends with since 2001, two years ago. It was just so wonderful to finally see each other face-to-face for the first time.
It was great meeting up with you! Small world we are from the exact same city and know someone in common. Hope you can make the November blogger/expat meet up, it's on 19 November. From meeting you and one other blogger I think I will try to make more of an effort to do it in my future travels.
I've been blessed in the people I've met from online have turned out to be very cool characters. No axe murderers yet, thankfully! I think that folks who are willing to meet a stranger that they only through a blog or other online medium tend to be the fun and friendly type; so when two (or more) fun and friendly people get together its bound to be good time.
So fun meeting you! And I couldn't agree with you more– I was just talking to an expat friend last night about how awesome & essential the blogging community was for me when I was abroad. So glad you're building your base in your new city! 🙂
I have never met any bloggers that I follow in real life, but I would–YOU! I really enjoy your blog and how it captures your spirt so I know in person you would be awesome. Oh and as I wrote once before, you remind me of myself (a younger version, so it would be like meeting me all over again 🙂 So, if ever I am in the same place as you I will drop you a line. All the best, chica. Cuidate.
I love this too. I've only met one blog friend so far, but she has continued to be a good friend for quite some time now 🙂
There's something great about meeting up with a blog friend…you've already read each other's deep thoughts, so you feel instantly close when you meet 🙂
I've met a couple and I'd happily meet more!
Gorgeous photos! Glad you had a wonderful time, I can't wait to visit.
I agree. Blogging can open the door to so many wonderful experiences and meeting extrodinary people. I love that you are meeting so many people and living it up in Londontown.
I loved meeting you too! When I first started blogging, I was a part of website of bloggers, so I had a built-in community. Now I count many of them are real life friends. You are the first travel blogger that I have met in person. 🙂 Bloggers are great if I do say so myself. 🙂
You are amazing. No seriously. I am so SO happy to have finally met you in real life! Because you're even cooler than you seem on your blog…and that's tough to top 🙂
Real live people >>>>>>>> any guide book! Glad you are getting acclimated nicely. 🙂
I have met a hand full of bloggers over the last few months and looking forward to catching up with you one day soon!
ADT
That's awesome! I met up with a few Canadian bloggers in Toronto this past summer, and then another during my quick trip to the UK! It's so great finally meeting the people you've been reading about and tweeting with for so long, and it means that you always have friends wherever you go 😀
I love it! And I'm very jealous about your delicious steak dinner. I'm excited to see you and Fned (and maybe A Lady in London? must email her) again next month!
Great post Oneika!! I was doing some (work) research on London today!! I want to go back ASAP. I became friends with Andi from my beautiful adventures using travbuddy years ago. we met while i went to NYC and then traveled together to Colombia. she is one of my best friends. Then I met Kyle bc of Andi and she is one of my closest friends now. I guess that i'm a nerd and also i had to learn to stay in touch w my friends using emails and now blogs. I wish that I had this when i first moved to the US and didn't know anybody!!!!!! I have a good friend that lives in London. I will "introduce" you. I love cafe nero in London!!! i want to have a cappuccino from there!! I also liked giraffe cafe? don't remember the exact name but it was great coffee!! 🙂
@Lady: the travel blogging world is so small!!
@Tanya: For sure!!
@kimvan: Glad you agree 🙂
@Diana: You're right, what a wonderful feeling!
@Melissa: I'm definitely gonna try to come!
@Jamila: That's true, people who put their lives and thoughts online tend to be a friendly bunch. 🙂
@Stacy: I agree! The vast majority of my new friends here are bloggers!
@kvowels: I hope we'll find ourselves in the same place at some point!! Armenia, perhaps?!
@Ashley: Exactly. You already know each other!
@Deidre: Come to England!
@Tamra: Thanks! Would love to meet you!
@Rhona: It's true and they provide such valuable information to a newbie like me!
@Terri: It's fabulous how easily one can transition to friendship after getting to know (and like) someone's online persona!
@Kyle: Girl, you are amazing! I'm still waiting for you to come in Emily's suitcase in December!!
@ADT: Please let me know the next time you're in Europe! I'm jealous of some of the bloggers you have met Stateside!
@Audrey: Exactly! The network is SO vast. Please make sure to reach out the next time you are in the UK!
@Emily: I was mentioning to Lady that we should have a big get together! Maybe we can start off at my apartment and go out for a drink or bite to eat in the area!
@Catalina: I just LOVE the relationships that are forged! Never heard of travelbuddy. I would love to meet Andi and you one day! Let me know the next time you're in London and keep the recommendations for places to eat or drink coming my way! Cuidate chica!
And I can't wait to meet you next week ('cause I'm assuming I fall under the category of favorite travel blogger). Yay!!!
I've met a decent amount of travel bloggers in real life now… a few abroad, but mostly in SF. It really helps to live in a place that people often visit! By the way, I'm going to be passing through Heathrow soon and will have some decent sized layovers. You should consider meeting me there, hehe 😛
@Monique: Excited to meet you! And of course you were included… 🙂
@Ekua: I would love to connect! When will you be passing through??
I know that you will be in Amsterdam one of these days(yes, I *know*!!, lol), so let me know when you're coming by.
So insanely jealous those ladies got to meet you. We need to meet to go dress shopping and sip martinis!
I'm traveling to London next month (hint hint). But actually one of my favorite people/ best friends is Evolving Revovler, whom I met during my first week in Paris. Knowing her has been a game changer, so happy to be a part of the blog world 🙂
@Viajera: I think I'm coming very soon!! Will let you know 🙂
@Nomadic Chick: I know!! We seriously need to meet up somewhere.
@BebeJardin: Would love to meet up while you're in town!! Email me!
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