Meet Trailblazer Caren Martinez

Fast forward a year later, I started to incorporate my love for travel and food. That same year, Examiner.com emailed their writers that it was going to shut down and I was sad because I didn’t want to stop writing. Then end of Examiner.com was the birth of My World My Travels.

It started My World My Travels as an Instagram account of my personal travels. The more I began posting the more people, especially millennial women would reach out to me to ask for all things travels which is why I decided to launch My World My Travels blog in 2015.

This blog has continued to grow and develop into travel resource for women in providing travel tips, destination articles and vlogs for women who are interested in solo travel.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not been easy. I have to constantly fight the “Impostor Syndrome” and try not to compare myself to others in the travel industry who are much more established and successful. There’s room for all of us at the table.

I think one of the hurdles, in the beginning, was establishing my credibility. The more and more I continued writing, online media publications wanted to work with me, brands wanted to collaborate with me too. This was still at a time when Instagram was just starting to be utilized as a tool for business.

Knowing your value is SUPER important in the blogger-sphere. It comes down to a certain point whereas a business owner and entrepreneur you need to know what your value is. At the beginning, I writing for free to help establish my credibility and portfolio, once I realized my value and potential I was no longer writing for “free”.  I started pitching own brand deals and turning down brands that didn’t value me or fit my brand and voice. I think often as entrepreneurs we feel like we need to be super flexible and give in because “Omg, someone is giving me a chance!”. I think its a two-way street. That being said, I was rejected many times but didn’t give up, thankfully. I was able to find brands to work with me that aligned with my same brand and vision.

The best advice I could give to young women is to learn from the best, apply what you learn and not give up. Read books, blogs, YouTube videos anything you can do to develop yourself in your industry and keep up with the latest trends. Keep going even if you feel that your voice isn’t being heard, because truth is, there is always going to be an audience and space for you. And lastly, develop your voice and brand. It has taken some time, and I think I am constantly having to pause and reflect who I am in that space of time and ensure that what I put out there is relevant to my audience and doesn’t feel fake or forced.

Please tell us about My World My Travels – what should we know?
I have a travel blog, My World My Travels. My blog is focused on sharing solo travel tips, vlogs and destination articles for women who are solo female travelers.I think what sets me apart is that I am genuine and write from my heart. I have the ability to connect with other women who can also relate to my own personal struggles. There are not many Latina travel bloggers industry and I like to think of myself as a pioneer for Latinas but for women of color as well who want to break into this space and show there are people like you who can make it!