After losing interest in travel blogging, I almost quit completely. Here’s how Shivya Nath’s storytelling course helped me reconnect with writing.
There was a time when I genuinely thought I was done with travel blogging.
I didn’t stop loving travel or ran out of stories. But somewhere along the way, I lost the energy to tell them.
In fact, there are stories pending to be written since 2021.
After losing my Mom that year, something inside me changed. The part of me that once felt excited to write and create slowly went quiet.
And for the first time in my life, even writing – the one thing that had always come naturally to me – began to feel heavy.
When The Thing You Love Starts Feeling Distant
Writing was never just content for me. It’s how I’ve made sense of who I am. Since my school days, journaling has helped me get through some of my toughest times.
But, losing Mom forever was something else.
During that period, even opening my laptop felt exhausting. I would sit down to write and stare at a blank screen.
I had a lot to say but I no longer knew how to access that part of myself.
And if you’ve ever gone through something similar, you know this feeling.
It’s not laziness. It’s a kind of emotional distance from the things that once made you feel alive.
Slowly, I Began To Disappear From My Own Work
At first, I told myself I just needed a break.
But weeks became months, then months became years.
I barely published new blog posts, hardly showed up on Instagram, and stopped sharing as much on any social media platform.
At the same time, the online world was changing constantly. Instagram algorithm kept changing and Google updates kept reshaping traffic. And my motivation slipped a little more.
I tried to adapt with the changes. But I had already lost the deeper reason of WHY I was doing it.
And without that reason, even small setbacks started feeling bigger than they were.
When Your Words Stop Feeling Like Yours
I remember trying to write about a place that had once meant something to me – a village, a conversation and a special moment.
But, I wasn’t writing stories anymore, I was mostly writing generic articles.
And the worst part? It was working.
Which made it even harder to admit that something was off.
Articles like – 7 Popular Treks in Northeast India, Festivals of Northeast India and few others are ranking on the first page of Google for their respected search query, bringing in some website traffic.
The Kind of Burnout No One Talks About
This wasn’t the usual burnout where you feel tired and stop working.
I was still writing. But it felt empty.
There’s a different kind of exhaustion that comes when you keep creating without feeling connected to what you’re creating.
You start questioning things quietly:
↳ Did I start this just to rank on Google?
↳ When was the last time I wrote something that actually meant something to me?
I didn’t have clear answers. Just a feeling that I had drifted too far from where I began.
The Problem Was Bigger Than Blogging
The truth is, my struggle wasn’t really about algorithms. It was about identity.
When something has been part of your life for so long, losing connection with it can feel like losing part of yourself – that was the hardest part.
A Small Decision That Changed Direction
Shivya is one of my favourite travel writer. Her book “The Shooting Star“ as been a constant source of inspiration in my travel writing journey.
I couldn’t join her first few batches.
A year later of her course launch, around June 2024, I finally a joined the “How to Get Paid to Travel the World with Purpose.“
I didn’t join because I wanted another blogging course.
Honestly, I almost didn’t join at all. I joined because something in me needed direction.
And more than that – I needed to hear from someone who had built a life doing what she loved.
We all need a mentor, don’t we? And for me, that person was Shivya.
What Helped Me Most Wasn’t Just The Course
What stayed with me most wasn’t simply the lessons.
It was hearing Shivya speak honestly about:
↳ the mistakes she made
↳ the uncertainty behind the scenes
↳ building income without compromising values
↳ creating a life that feels intentional
↳ and staying true to your own voice in an online world that constantly asks you to become someone else
That honesty mattered. Because so much of the online creator world feels polished.
But what I needed wasn’t polished. I needed something real.
Something Quietly Started Changing
The course didn’t suddenly fix everything overnight. It was subtler than that.
It simply helped me reconnect with something I thought I had lost.
I started feeling more clarity around what I wanted to build.
I began seeing The Gypsy Chiring not just as a blog but a space that could hold my stories, voice, my experiences and all the kind of travel I actually believe in.
Slowly, I began creating again. Not perfectly, not consistently at first, but honestly. And that was enough.
What Changed After That
Since then, I’ve felt more confident in:
↳ building The Gypsy Chiring
↳ exploring brand partnerships
↳ experimenting with YouTube, Instagram, and my blog
↳ creating without chasing every trend
↳ trusting my own voice again
That last one mattered the most.
Because when you lose confidence in your own voice, everything feels harder.
When you find it again, everything feels possible again.
Writing Started Feeling Personal Again
I went back to one of my journeys in Nagaland.
Earlier, I would have turned it into something like: “Best places to visit,” “things to do,” “travel guide…”
This time, I didn’t. I wrote about how it felt to be there.
The people. The moments. The sense of belonging I didn’t expect.
That piece eventually got published on Outlook Traveller.
And I still remember this clearly – for the first time in a long time, I didn’t care about how it would perform.
I just felt good about what I had written.
What Followed Was Unexpected
After that, a few amazing things happened.
I got featured in The Dainik Jagran news website on an article on Slow Travel.
I was interviewed by Trip101 too. You can watch this YouTube Video, where I shared about my trekking and cultural experience in Nagaland –
Earlier, I would have seen these as milestones.
Now, they felt like by-products. Because the real shift had already happened internally.
I had started writing for myself again.
And interestingly, that’s what started resonating more with others too.
The Community Helped Too
One thing people rarely talk about is how important community becomes when you’re rebuilding yourself.
The WhatsApp group inside the course became one of the most unexpectedly valuable parts.
It never felt competitive. Everyone was always supportive.
A space full of people trying to create meaningful work in a world that often rewards noise over depth.
And sometimes, simply knowing other people understand that struggle can make a huge difference.
It’s not one of those groups where people just promote their work and disappear.
People seek help, share half-formed thoughts and honest reflections and questions are answered by Shivya or other members.
The live sessions feel similar. Not like classes but more like conversations that bring you back on track when you start drifting again.
I met some of the best writers and friends through the community.
Anesce Dremen from United States, was working on a commissioned article on Phalap – Singpho Tea.
She wanted to help visit Margherita in Assam. I lived nearby and assisted how I could.
After returning from Margherita, we drove to my ancestral village and went for a bird-watching tour at Dehing Patkai National Park .
She was lucky to see the Deu Hanh – White Winged Wood Duck – the state bird of Assam.
Similarly, I met Namrata Gohain who is from Dibrugarh, Assam. She along with her Mom and Dad visited Dehing Patkai National Park too.
What I Learned From This Experience
If you’re feeling stuck creatively right now, these are the reminders that stayed with me most:
1. Experiment without fear
Not everything has to be perfect before you begin again.
I started adding voiceovers in my YouTube shorts. This video about Sikkim has around 88k views and still reaching more audience –
2. Treat creativity as practice
You don’t need inspiration every day but need to keep returning.
Waking up, writing morning pages – the practice of pouring down our thoughts with pen and paper helps too.
3. Build with values, not virality
Short-term attention fades, but storytelling is what people and brands truly connect with.
4. Seek mentorship and community
Sometimes all it takes is someone to help you see your worth. In a true community, when one grows, everyone grows.
This Isn’t for Everyone (And That’s Okay)
I’ll be honest. If you’re looking for:
↳ quick ways to make money from blogging
↳ templates to grow traffic fast
↳ shortcuts to “get paid to travel”
this will probably frustrate you.
Why? Because this is not built for short term results. It’s built for the long run.
You first understand your skills, then you work on them, learn pitching, understand brands, and over time, you start getting paid to travel with purpose.
If you’ve been feeling even a slight disconnect from your own voice, you’ll understand why this course matters to you.
Where I Am Now
I still write SEO focused articles.
Let’s be real – that’s part of the game.
But I no longer let that be the only way I show up.
I’ve started publishing storytelling pieces again on The Gypsy Chiring.
Here’s the latest one – About Mawphlang Sacred Forests in Meghalaya – how rain changed my trekking plans.
Not worrying about ranking or conversions, publishing it with a new approach felt honest.
If You’re At That Same Point
If you’ve been feeling that quiet disconnect, you probably already know it.
I understand what that feels like.
You don’t need convincing. You just need something that helps you come back to yourself, or start new.
For me, this course became that turning point.
And maybe it could help you too.
If you decide to join, you can use my code gypsy20 for 20% off.
Join the Storytelling Course OnlineI hope you find your WHY, grow through it, and build something that you love. Cheers.
