Travel blogger, radio travel correspondent, public speaker, travel commentator, tour host. Phew!
I’m Megan Singleton and I’ve been galavanting around the world travel writing full time since 2000 and blogging since 2006. “The word in travel” is my tagline for this blog.
I have won two travel writing awards from the US Travel Association and my travel blog is listed in many Top 20 and Top 50 lists worldwide (happy dance!)
I’m passionate about travel. And not just because it’s fun or it’s what you do to treat yourself, or to take a well-deserved break. But because travel opens up a whole new world to the curious traveler.
I now also host tours for my readers, both domestically (during the pandemic) and internationally. You can read about my tours here if you’re interested in joining us.
As you experience other cultures and meet strangers in far off lands, your world view changes, you are impacted, you turn in awe at the beauty (or take selfies in front of it!) Traveling creates bonds and fosters tolerance and understanding and my main mission is to help people with their travel plans by way of advice, cautions and inspiration.
I have over 900 posts on this blog where you’ll find reviews, tips, itinerary ideas, recommendations for places to stay and things to do and all sorts of tidbits from my travels to make your experience the best it can be.
I try to make my posts practical, full of great advice and inspiring ideas. Feel free to comment or join me on Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook if you have any questions about your own holiday planning.
I feature as the Sunday travel correspondent on Newstalk ZB radio which broadcasts New Zealand-wide and had been popping into The Project on TV3 (before they canned the show), Breakfast and Seven Sharp on TV1, to share some travel tidbits.
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So, in case you were wondering, this is how it all began…
At the age of 17 I waved goodbye to my family in the tiny town of Hastings on the East Coast of New Zealand and set off to see the world as an exchange student. Well to see the US, to be precise. Rockville, Maryland to be exact. Little did I know that this 1 year abroad would bite me and leave a travel bug for the rest of my days.
Scroll down a couple of years and I embarked on a 5-year stint in London aged 19. Originally intending to “seek my fortune and be a nanny” I sadly didn’t achieve either. I was fired from my nanny job after 3 weeks (I couldn’t keep up with the cushion plumping and shag pile vacuuming) so went temping in London on the big bucks. £4.75 per hour. It was enough to pay a modest rent and use the rest to fritter on cheap flights to Europe where accommodation may or may not be pre-arranged.
But I only decided to take writing seriously in 1999 when I studied for a Diploma of Freelance Journalism at the NZIBS and then “fell” into travel writing. My first travel story was published in Next Magazine in 2000 about visiting the (hilariously weird) Tate Modern in London.
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Ahh, but blogging, you ask. Why blog?
Well, in 2006 I was hired by a large travel agency in New Zealand as their full time blogger. For 3 years I blogged twice a day, 5 days a week and then they ditched it. But don’t cry! I launched this lofty travel blog, Blogger at Large in 2009.
My Blog and Content Training Workshops
So after 10 years of travel blogging, and learning the tricks as I go, I’ve started my Blog Training Masterclass. It’s a half-day blog training workshop to help newbie bloggers get started by teaching them everything I wish I knew before I started mine(!) There are jobs out there for people who know how to write engaging content, no matter what industry and a blog is an outstanding way to position yourself or your company as thought leaders and grow your business. More details are here>>>
And for destinations and brands that host media, plan famil itineraries, pitch to editors, I have also developed The Cheat Sheet to Hosting Media, which is pretty much a “cheat sheet” of everything journalists want (and need) on a press trip and to help the host get great results, and a bunch more other topics which you can find over on my speaking site >>. If you fall into this category, I’d be delighted to come visit you!
My proudest achievement?
I co-founded Random Acts of Kindness Day in New Zealand on September 1st 2005 and I love that RAK Day is now firmly established on New Zealand’s national calendar.
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Now what?
If you’ve read this far, congratulations! You deserve a wine. And if you want to know where to go next, type a destination into the search bar above or begin on these blogs – my personal faves!
What NOT to do on a cruise >>>
My worst massage experience ever >>>
If you’d like to get in touch to discuss a famil or a speaking engagement, please shoot me an email to megan @ bloggeratlarge.com
Happy reading,
Megan x