Social chat: Binny’s Food & Travel Diaries
10 January 2018
Magellan has a social chat with Binny Shah, the writer, serial wanderluster and travel addict behind one of Magellan’s favorite food and travel blogs Binny’s Food & Travel Diaries. Her vital statistics are:
Twitter: 5,300/ Facebook: 8,200 / Instagram: 13,600 / 20,000 monthly page views
How did Binny’s Food & Travel Diaries get started? Why did you do it?
I’ve always had a passion for writing and Binny’s Kitchen and Travel Diaries launched as a creative outlet three years ago, where I could share my recipes or document my adventures both in London and internationally, of events, restaurants, hotels and destinations I had been to.
I was always being asked by friends and family for tips on where to go, which restaurants to try, etc, so it made sense to put them all online on one platform. It’s also like a digital diary for me and I love reading back on some of my earlier posts from time to time and re-living the memories.
How does food and travel come together for you?
Food and travel, for me go hand in hand, and I find that you can learn so much about a destination from its national dishes as well as influences. I always visit the local food markets and meticulously plan where I want to eat in advance. If there are any foodie excursions, I usually incorporate them into my travel plans, for example, in Tuscany I visited a Saffron Farm as well as went Truffle Hunting.
What does luxury mean to you?
For me luxury can range from staying in a five star hotel, experiencing fine dining, all the extra trimmings when it comes to service and it can also be the small things, such as having a coffee machine in your hotel room and nice toiletries or treating yourself to things you wouldn’t normally do or buy.
How has Binny’s Food & Travel Diaries evolved?
Binny’s Food and Travel Diaries has evolved in terms of aesthetics as I had my website redesigned as well as went self-hosted, which I would highly recommend to any blogger. Over time my photography as also improved, going from an iPhone to using a DSLR Camera. I sometimes cringe when I look at my first few posts! My writing style has definitely changed over time, as has my planning, and I find that writing a blog post sooner rather than later is so much easier as everything is still fresh in your mind.
How do you balance your time between managing the site verse travelling?
I swear by a physical diary and making to-do lists. I am a serial planner and usually make a list of things I need to do, day by day. This helps when travelling as I can prioritise accordingly to get my tasks completed prior to travelling. I also use apps to schedule posts so that I can stay active whilst out and about.
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Which social media stream do you think will have the most impact in the future – live streaming, Snapchat, etc.?
I feel like live videos and podcasts seem to be taking the lead lately, and I won’t be surprised if we gain a new social media platform in the near future.
How have you grown the Binny’s Food & Travel Diaries community? What are you five tips for anyone starting out?
For me the main five tips for anyone starting out are:
- Be consistent
- Blog frequently
- Post regularly on all your social media platforms
- Engage regularly with your followers and other bloggers on socia media
- Invest in a good camera
I have grown mainly by blogging regularly as well as actively curating content for my social media platforms. I always believe that the more quality content you put out, the more opportunities you will continue to attract to grow as well as gain potential collaborations.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I would still like to be self employed, having recently taken the leap, and would love to have added a lot more destinations to my travel section, especially ticking off South America off my wanderlust list.
How do you relax?
I love curling up on the sofa with a good book, a scented candle lit and the lamps on to relax and with the phone far away out of reach to remove any temptation of constantly checking it!
Quick Fire:
Favourite Restaurant? Jamavar for Indian Food
Favourite Destination? Antigua and Barbuda
Favourite meal? Dim Sum
Favourite recipe book? Miss Masala by Mallika Basu
Favourite hotel? St Regis in Mauritius
Magellan Comment: We’ve worked with Binny on several occasions now and have found her to be extremely efficient, creative and honest about what she can do for a particular client. She is a great writer and photographer and particularly lovely to deal with – if you want to work with Binny’s Food & Travel Diaries click here!
Photographs courtesy of Binny and Binny’s Food & Travel Diaries
Binny’s Food & Travel Diaries is on twitter: @binnyjs / on Facebook: @binnysfoodandtraveldiaries/ Instagram: @binnys_kitchen
Magellan PR is on twitter: @MagellanPR / on Facebook: MagellanPR / on Pinterest: Sue Lowry / on Google+: Sue Lowry & MagellanPR and on Flickr: Sue Lowry. For more information on our company, visit www.magellan-pr.com. Follow our other blog focussing on travel in the South of England – A3 Traveller. Follow A3Traveller on Twitter: @A3Traveller.
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Taking Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan as our inspiration, whose tenacity ensured the first circumnavigation of the globe, we at Magellan follow in his wake, living & breathing all things travel - hotels, destinations, operators & more. To celebrate this landmark anniversary, we are living it large by *ahem* going small. Follow our #miniMagellan hashtag in instagram and twitter to live our lives in miniature!
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