Blogger Spotlight: Clare Thomson, Suitcases and Sandcastles

Travel writer Clare Thomson has always loved to travel, once spending six months backpacking in India and Thailand, a year living in Paris and undertaking countless trips across the world. Now the mother of two young children, Clare uses her visually engaging blog, Suitcases and Sandcastles, as a platform to give her readers the ins and outs of family travel (both the good and the bad), tips and guides for stress-free breaks as well as essential holiday reading.  In this spotlight Clare chats to us about why engagement is the most important measure of success, receiving support from bloggers, why being listed on our Top 10 UK Family Travel Blog is a big achievement and why she’ll be taking Suitcases and Sandcastles to the next level this year.

Why should people read your blog? What makes it different? I try to inspire families to get the most out of travelling with children through city guides, reviews, tips and destination ideas. My point is that the whole family can have fun whether you’re on a city break or at the beach and children can enjoy cultural and foodie experiences just as much as the grown-ups. I think this is why the blog isn’t just popular with families but with lots of people who want to know what to do and where to go and understand that the best places aren’t necessarily the most touristy.

I’ve had the advantage of working for the travel desk of a national newspaper so I try to bring that professionalism and quality to the blog. Everything I post has to be well written and researched and I use lots of beautiful photos to make it look good and inspire people to travel to the places I’m talking about.

How do you measure the success of your website? For me, engagement is the most important measure. The biggest buzz comes from publishing a post that gets lots of people in the blogging community excited and talking about that place, those tips, that idea. I’ve had quite a lot of success recently with posts that have got people talking. When I get lots of comments and shares on social media, I know I’m getting it right.

What advice would you give to someone who starts a blog? Read lots of other blogs in the area that you’re interested in. Get to know and become part of the wider blogging community. Only blog about something you’re passionate about – it will take up a lot of your time so it’s only worth doing if you love it. Take a camera and a notebook with you wherever you go – you never know when inspiration might strike.

How do you work with marketers and PRs? I’m used to dealing with travel PRs from my time at the Telegraph and I find their input really useful regarding new developments in the industry. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some really helpful and efficient PRs and those are the ones I’ll go back to time and again. It’s great to make contact with people who are as passionate about travel as I am.

How do you use social media to promote and share content? What are the challenges? I regularly use Twitter and Instagram to talk about my content but also to highlight the best of other people’s blog posts. It’s been wonderful discovering the supportive side of social media and the generosity of other bloggers who regularly share and tweet about my posts has inspired me to be a sharer too.  I particularly enjoy creating images for Instagram and telling stories through those photos. Social media is constantly evolving so the biggest challenge is staying on top of new developments and finding the time for it all.

What can PRs do in working better with you? Take the time to get to know my blog before approaching me. I’m looking for long-term relationships that will benefit us both.

What has been your blogging highlight? Making Vuelio’s Top 10 UK Family Travel Blogs is definitely up there! I’ve only been blogging for just over a year so it feels like a real achievement to make this list so early on in my blogging career.

My biggest highlights this year have been visiting Lisbon and Sintra and discovering a near-perfect Greek island – and being able to share those discoveries with so many other on the blog.

What will be big in your blogosphere in the coming months? I’m really excited about taking my blog to the next level over the coming months. The blog will be having a facelift and I’m looking to work with those brands and sponsors that are a perfect fit for my readership.