Interested In Travel As A Career? Lakshmi Sharath Shares The Road Taken

Have feet, will travel! If that's you, this interview with star travel blogger Lakshmi Sharath on travel as a career is totally your thing. 

Have feet, will travel! If that’s you, this interview with star travel blogger Lakshmi Sharath on travel as a career is totally your thing. 

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” ― Gustave Flaubert.

I am just a Vagabond

That’s the answer we got when we asked Lakshmi Sharath, “Do you know who Lakshmi Sharath is today?” Lakshmi Sharath is, in her own words, a storyteller, a traveller, travel blogger, writer, digital influencer, content specialist, media professional  and photographer. She has left behind her media career of 15 years to pursue her passion of travel and has been thriving as a travel blogger for more than a decade now.

On the one hand, she comes across as the philosophical vagabond who is still figuring out the roads taken, the roads not taken, where to go next and what experiences to look forward to. On the other hand, she has rooted herself firmly as a professional Travel Blogger who has made a career out of it and ensures that her career pays her bills.

Travel as a career

Travel as a career is a broad spectrum to deal with.

  • There is the Trade industry like the Portals, Travel and tour operators, Tourism boards and so on that sell destinations, itineraries and experiences. There is a also a gamut of related industries like Hospitality, Aviation and Transportation.
  • Then there are Influencers who again sell destinations but through their content and stories. They can be as varied as they want to be or as focused as digital nomads, adventurers, cultural storytellers or mountaineers.
  • There are also Bloggers and Writers who are not just influencers themselves but have carved a personal brand for themselves through the stories they tell.

When it comes to a Travel Blogger like Lakshmi Sharath, there are a variety of opportunities like paid trips, barter deals and fam-trips (familiarization trips for media). Lakshmi Sharath tells us that a good and professional career as a Travel Blogger will be a healthy mix of all this in addition to the ones that are funded by themselves.

Though paid trips and fam-trips look glamorous, one can hardly make a career just out of those. Lakshmi Sharath opines that the time and expertise you give cannot be compensated only by paying for your travel and the exposure that the experience gives. She has taken many desire led travels to feed her wanderlust, content led travels like the one that was in search for the authentic Ramassery Idly, off-season travels to feel the soul of the place and seasonal travels to feel the vibe of a place when a particular event or festival happens. Lakshmi suggests that you build your travel calendar keeping all this in mind.

An affair to remember

Lakshmi Sharath shares that all her travel destinations are like an affair to remember and she is passionate enough to overlook the factors she is not excited about. “It is the people that make the place more charming for me”, she says. “Just carry your common sense with you, and pick up your vibes that tell you which place is safe and which is not.” New media has made anything and everything accessible to you, so keep your attitude right and anyone with a passion can make a successful career in Travel.

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Watch this episode of The PS Show to listen to Lakshmi Sharath share tips on how to take up Travel as a career. This is a part of the series on ‘Travel as Career’ with Lakshmi Sharath.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PenxbzmqTw]

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prathibhasastry

Entrepreneurship and entertainment have been the key themes in her work life. In a career spanning over 18 years, she has launched a film magazine, hosted a film-based radio talk show and co-founded read more...

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