Jules aka "Finding Jules" is the internet's travel bestie. It wasn't that long ago that she made the courageous leap turning her side passion for creating travel content into her full-blown, thriving full-time career. Keep reading to learn more about how she got her start and how she balances content creation with staying present while traveling.
How did you get your start as a travel content creator? How long ago was that?
In 2016, I started sharing travel-related photos on Instagram but it wasn’t until 2018 that I became more strategic with what I shared in attempts to grow a larger audience. Within a year of that, I grew to 10k followers with the help of reposts accounts, engaging and collaborating with other creators, and visiting popular Instagram photo locations. As I began growing my audience, I started to get invited to do free hotel stays or work for a barter, until that evolved into paid opportunities. It’s been about 7 years of doing it on the side - and 2 of those years being full time!
It wasn't that long ago that you bet on yourself and left your day job to do content creation full-time. What was that transition like? What made you decide it was time?
The transition was hard!! The real learning curve came down to business logistics, like properly setting up a S Corp, finding the right CPA to help with taxes, and learning how to budget/finance. When it comes to free lancing, the income is very unstable. Some months are so busy, and some months are so slow, so it all came down to knowing and understanding the ebb and flow of it all.
I decided to go full time when I began turning down opportunities because I had 9-5 work obligations. I realized I didn’t want to spend my time building up other people’s dreams, and work on my own. The moment I wasn’t able to accept work that I wanted to do, I knew it was time to quit.
We often say that if it's not a 9 to 5, it's a 24/7. Do you agree?
I agree, but I also think you can balance it. When you are your business and you are your brand, it’s hard to turn off. You always want to get better, and there is a lot of pressure being on social media to constantly share your life or your work. It can really be all encompassing and draining in that way. But there’s no better feeling than working for yourself at the end of the day! I always set time aside for "me time," -- sometime's thats a couple hours at the end of the night, or it'll be an entire day in the schedule. It varies on the season and with what I can squeeze out, but if you can just figure out ways to take care of yourself through the process, you and your business will be better for it!
What was it like landing your first paid brand/travel deal?
For the longest time, I didn’t realize that travel creators actually got PAID to travel. But it makes sense, right? At the end of the day, we all have bills to pay and need to make money — we can’t just be on the road creating content without any compensation. But I know it’s such a luxury to have flights, hotels, food, and activities taken care of. And then get paid on top of that.
I remember my first paid travel collaboration — it was with a hotel in Mexico. At this point, I had worked with plenty of hotels and a couple of tourism boards, and they would cover all travel expenses, but never additional payment. I really felt like I “made it” in the space and it validated years of hard work. It also made me realize that with hard work, I can make it a viable career.
Top 3 favorite places you've ever been?
This is such a hard question but, Vietnam (where my family is from so I’m definitely bias), Guatemala, and Italy!
Somewhere you haven't been yet that you'd really like to travel to?
So many!! The more I travel, the more I realize how many places I actually haven’t been. My list of destinations to visit feels endless, but at the top is the Stan’s (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan), the South Pacific Islands, Jordan, Egypt, and Brazil!
Staying present in the moment can be difficult when your job is to create content, how do you manage to balance it all?
It is so hard to be present while also creating content, especially in the travel niche. But I think over time, I’ve become better at balancing it all. I try to take my content in the early mornings when it’s more quiet and there’s less people out and about. During the day when the light is extremely harsh or when areas are super packed/crowded, then I don’t bother with content and that’s just my time to enjoy. I go back to shooting during golden hour/sunset, and enjoy my evenings having a long meal with Trey or friends! If there’s pockets here and there to shoot, then I’ll do what I can, but I’ve also learned to just take things easy and slow. The content also feels more natural that way. With the evolution of social media, there's also much less pressure to get the "perfect shot" or capture the "perfect moment" so things can feel more organic and raw when you're just casually shooting throughout the day.
How do you plan your trips and your content when traveling?
I love having systems in place that help me stay organized. After years of looking for the perfect Travel Planner that would help me create a good itinerary and keep content organized, and not being able to find one that checked all of the boxes, I realized it was time for me to just make my own!! Arnelle and I created the Ultimate Travel and Content Notion Planner to help with all things travel, like budgeting, packing, getting documents in order, and overall trip planning, but also having an entire area that would help for aspiring content creators and influencers. TRUST me when I say, it’s a game changer!!
What advice would you give to aspiring travel content creators?
The hardest part is just starting and putting yourself out there. Once you get over that hurdle, you can achieve anything. People may say the space is saturated, but there are endless amounts of opportunities. You’ll open yourself up to a world of possibilities if you put yourself out there, so don’t be afraid to try. And when you do, make a plan and stick to it. If you can post 3x a week, post 3x a week consistently. If you can post every day, post every day consistently. Show up for yourself, and I promise you’ll see the rewards of your hard work! Don’t be discouraged by others, and don’t compare yourself to others. Your story and your voice is unique to you and that is special enough to stand out!!
Where can people find you on the web/social media?
Instagram: @finding.jules
TikTok: @treyfoundjules
Pinterest: @finding_jules
Youtube: @finding.jules
Website: www.findingjules.com
