Exactly three years ago, I found myself with a rare free day in my college room at Cambridge University. Typically, my course was so demanding that days off were a luxury. While some students enjoyed carefree weekends at the pub or by the barbecue pits, I usually spent my time buried in programming assignments, occasionally hoping to spot Professor Stephen Hawking in our shared building.
However, on this particularly warm April day, which is rare for England, I had a break from assignments. With nothing pressing to work on, I called up my friend Lloyd, and we decided to make the most of the sunshine. As we lounged about, we finally took the plunge to start a travel blog we had been discussing for years.
We had already settled on the name “Hand Luggage Only” because that’s typically how we traveled. We even had the domain ready, just waiting to be used. So, on April 12, 2014, we designed the website and published our first posts. It was an incredible feeling, similar to finishing a big school project or completing a LEGO build, seeing something we created come to life.
At first, I was hesitant to share it on my personal Facebook. This blog was meant to stand on its own, not just be a way to share travels with family and friends. It was created to connect with other travelers, to share our experiences, offer helpful tips, and provide valuable information to fellow adventurers.
The blog also encouraged me to take more photos and improve my photography. It motivated me to bring my camera everywhere and gave purpose to the pictures rather than leaving them forgotten on a hard drive. Essentially, blogging became a creative outlet for me.
A month after launching, we experienced our first traffic spike. At first, I thought our site might have been hacked, but soon realized it was genuine interest from travelers who were eager to explore the world. Our readership grew from a modest 80-200 daily visitors to reaching over 750,000 per month this year. We became part of a vibrant travel community, filled with people sharing tips and advice.
You, the readers, are the heart of the Hand Luggage Only community, and we are so grateful for your support. It’s been an amazing three years since we started this journey. Thank you for being part of it, for your comments, shares, and kind words. Your encouragement has kept us going, and for that, we are incredibly thankful.
