- Asherah Gomez on content creation during the pandemic
In Asherah and Shehan’s case, not only have they explored almost all of Sri Lanka, but before the pandemic, they travelled to many countries around the world, sharing some interesting vlogs on hidden gems abroad. If you go through her highlights on Instagram, you’d find some attention-grabbing stories about hidden bars, underrated resorts, and some breathtaking beaches, to name a few. When they first started out on their adventures, she would upload little snippets of their travels, and soon she began receiving many questions about them. Eventually, she realised that rather than always answering the same questions via DMs, it was just easier to put them up in her stories. That is how she eventually worked herself up to being a travel blogger. Aside from this, she does also focus on lifestyle and fashion content, which turned out to be just what she needed to weather the sudden change that came with Covid. This content seems to be really taking off, especially because of everyone’s inability to travel. She even told us that her most successful vlog recently was more about her life than travel, although she does hope to pick up on her travel vlogs once we can start travelling again, which she desperately wishes will be sooner than later.
Blogging, for Asherah, went quite smoothly; she didn’t face much difficulty, and her page garnered thousands of followers quite naturally, and she is proud to say that she currently has over 56,000 followers. Her biggest obstacle was actually figuring out exactly what her audience expected of her and her page. “Only once the lockdown hit did I realise that my followers wanted to see more of what I’m doing than watch something cinematic,” she informed us, promising that the next time she travels, her vlog is going to be more personal so that her followers feel like they’re travelling with her.
When asked if she had a particular memory of her travel that she would never forget, she said that it’s really difficult for her to pick, because for her, each adventure is unique and has its own bits of awesomeness. But, she commented: “If I had to choose I would pick Japan because even though it was our longest trip to a single country, I was dying to go back the moment I left.” She found the culture, cities, and historical sites to be wonders on their own and the people and food were the icing on the cake.
Once the pandemic fades away, Asherah has plans to travel to Russia. “Hollywood and most of the internet portrays it as a dull, grey country but in all honesty it’s one of the most beautiful and vibrant countries I have been to,” she explained, adding that Moscow could definitely give New York a run for its money! Aside from this, she also mentioned that ancient Greece is definitely at the top of her bucket list. But, unfortunately, only time will tell if they can travel safely with their baby boy Seth, since the concept of “after the pandemic” is starting to seem like a futile hope. “We will honestly be happy to have a quick adventure wherever we can,” she said.
Sharing her advice for other aspiring travellers, she said: “I read this quote once: ‘Travelling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer’, and I can honestly say that the experiences we have had, and the memories we have made on our adventures are truly priceless.” So, she urges that the next time you get a chance to travel, even if it’s only within your own country, make sure to remember to make memories you will cherish for a lifetime.