My name is Jane, and I’m a blogger behind Adventures with Jane. I’m currently based in the UK but am originally from southern Africa—a long story about my African roots (on which, more later).
Through affordable travel guides and tips, I hope to inspire your trips and assist you in living your best life.
I’m here to encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone and give yourself permission to explore our beautiful world, get lost, learn, grow, and experience new things.
And help people who want to start a blog the right way (step by step, because professional blogging isn’t a marathon; it’s a long, hard journey)!
One more thing. I’m not here to tell you, “Quit your job and travel full-time.” I’m not even here to convince you to start a blog and turn it into a full-time job if you don’t want to.
My focus is not on unethical marketing, or perhaps I should say unethical blogging, where I claim that you can start earning seven figures within six months of starting a blog.
A lot of the travel guides and blogging tips on this blog are simply common sense that has been sidelined or forgotten in today’s world of travel and blogging.
Having reached my 30s, I’ve come to understand that the decisions we make and the way we live our lives will be unique to us.
Because there isn’t ‘one shoe fits all’ when it comes to travel or our lifestyle choices, this blog is full of advice and tips from my own life and travel experiences—my flaws, my mistakes, and my best decisions—to share my journey and travel experiences and hopefully help and inspire you to do the same.
I truly believe that travelling in general—taking a trip, even if it’s just a day trip to a new place in your city, country, or abroad—opens your mind and makes you happier. We can agree to disagree on this.
These are some of my favourite Travel Quotes to inspire your next adventure.
How it all began…
Adventures with Jane first arose in 2022 as an Instagram travel page (I had no plan of starting a blog at the time). I shared my passion for travel on it, along with tips and guides from trips my husband and I took.
Now, my goal is to inspire your trips and guide you through affordable travel tips, destination guides, and budgeting hacks to make your travel dream a reality.
My Journey with blogging 👩🏽💻
I started this blog a year ago (Update 2024: now more than six) after realising that travel could fit in with all of my other goals, such as work, my passion for teaching, and even a possible business.
A year and a month (as of April 2024) have passed since the start of Adventures with Jane. I wouldn’t be proud of having started this journey after putting it off for months and months.
Although I intend to make this blog my full-time job someday, I would be lying if I said I was getting closer to that goal.
Being honest about my blogging journey is something I’m not afraid to do. Running a successful blog is hard, but my travel blogging journey has been encouraging so far.
You always learn something new when you blog. I still think that small steps taken over time can make a big difference, though.
A year has passed since the start of Adventures with Jane (April 2024). 🥳
From the time I started this blog (in April 2023) until the start of this year (2024), I started to see some effects of my work on it only after 10 months. I think it’s important to keep going while celebrating both the big and small wins.
For those wanting to learn how to start a blog that you could potentially turn into a full-time job for themselves in the long run, feel free to grab my step by step blog planner below for beginners as well as in-depths blog posts for aspiring bloggers.
Prepared to start blogging? My step-by-step blog planner for beginners will show you how to properly begin your first blog.
Want a sneak peek at what’s to come? Check out my most popular posts to date:
About Jane
- I was born and partially raised in Zambia, but I have deep roots and ties to South Africa thanks to my family and studies there. My adventures in South Africa, where I lived for most of my young adult years, have had a big impact on my life today. I think of myself as a ‘third-culture kid’.This is why it’s a little tricky for me to answer the question, “Where in Africa are you from?” now that I live outside Africa. So often, you will find me introducing myself as either Zambian or South African, as I consider both countries home.
- I’m now a married expat living in London since 2021. I enjoy exploring new places, learning new things, and teaching. You can find me exploring and travelling around the UK, Europe, and beyond with my husband, AKA travel companion Alex (mosly in the background), he is not a social media person.
- In contrast to many other travel bloggers, my goal is not to be constantly travelling. Slow travel, exploring my present city, sharing travel tips and guides that are easy on the wallet, and encouraging regular people to explore and travel more by using useful, cheap travel techniques are some of the things I enjoy about travelling.
- Reflection is what drives my blogging and creative journey. Urgency culture isn’t important when you’re in it for the long haul.
Interested in hearing the rest of my story? 🤔 Continue reading!
As someone who comes from a family that hasn’t travelled much, I knew I wanted to break the cycle and change the story, but I was afraid of the unknown.
I took my first trip abroad when I went to university in South Africa when I was 19 years old.
Prior to returning to my native Kitwe, Zambia, I spent seven years living in East London (yes, South Africa has a city called East London).
While residing and studying in South Africa, I participated in several activities and programs that forever changed my life.
These activities included dancing, volunteering at NGOs, and taking weekend road trips with friends to see the stunning Eastern Cape.
As well as exploring the country whenever we had a chance. All of these experiences made me want to travel and learn more, and I became more and more sure that I wanted to see the whole world.
My Passion for Travel and Moving abroad
After seeing how much exposure I got in South Africa, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t gone to a university abroad.
I’m naturally curious (not nosy), particularly about history, people, and culture.
My passion for travel and moving overseas all began when I worked during my studies as a waitress at a relatively small and lovely restaurant in Selborne, East London, South Africa.
It was a gathering place for parents (right across from Selborne Primary School), expatriates, and visitors worldwide, mostly European tourists.
We had regular customers, and it felt like a family restaurant; I remember being fascinated whenever a client briefly described their origins. I knew I wanted to visit these places someday but didn’t know how.
I’ve always wanted to live somewhere other than my home country (not that anything is wrong with living in your own country;
I’m a strong believer in the saying, “There is no place like home,” so Zambia and South Africa, to me, will always be home regardless of where I end up living. Europe has always been one of my favourite continents, second only to Africa.
I don’t know why, honestly; perhaps it’s because of its historical ties with my home country and Africa as a whole. I’ve always wanted to learn about the continent, its history, people, and culture firsthand.
I moved to a new country (UK) and continent (Europe) when the COVID-19 pandemic limits were slowly lifted in the third quarter of 2021.
It was interesting to arrive in the UK during the required hotel quarantine. I found it hard to make the change from working in Africa to working in the “Western world” to start a new life.
Sadly, I became very frustrated and couldn’t handle how UK tech jobs are set up and what is expected of foreigners who have never worked in the UK or Europe. This made me feel a little lost and unfulfilled in my work.
Lucky for me, I’m creative by nature and tech-savvy. Thanks to my schooling and freelance work experience as a digital creative designer and virtual assistant, I still do those jobs.
While I slowly build this blog into an online passive income stream, I hope to eventually make my full-time job.
As someone who is naturally outspoken and passionate about educating people, I knew I wanted to do something that would fulfil me and help and inspire as many aspirational people, particularly women, to start and build a successful blogging business of which they are incredibly proud.
I felt everything and still do: the fear of failure, the imposter syndrome, what people will think (family and friends), perfectionism and the fear that no one would read my blog.
But those are just inner voices that hold us back, and you have to just learn to stop listening to them and just go for it anyway! Remember, you don’t want to live a life with regrets.
As far-fetched as it may sound right now, it’s possible to change your life if you’re willing to work hard, learn new things, and create a life that truly fulfils you.
I’m here to hold your hand through it all, even if you have no idea where to begin with this online business thing!
So, here I am, looking for the best places to visit and things to do, mainly around the UK, Europe, and beyond as well. You can expect to find a lot of travel tips and guides on this blog to help you plan your next trip.
Let’s explore the world together, one destination at a time, and grow our blog the right way (no shortcuts), one step at a time.
Happy Travels and Blogging! ✈️ 👩🏽💻
Jane xx
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