She stands in awe of wondrous marvels, unfamiliar terrains tugged at feelings too familiar. She is chasing sunsets, birdwatching, day-hiking, smelling the pines and cherishing the solitude far far away and lives in a painting. If her thoughts were a melody, could you ever hear her above her pounding heartbeat, overlooking the mountains?
“The main aim of my blog has always been to help people plan their trips and show them that it is not that hard to manage a trip in a budget.”
Meet Radhika Sharma – she is a travel blogger, YouTuber, adventure seeker and an influencer. She waved a goodbye to corporate life 4 years ago and hit the road, for jobs fill the pocket but adventures fill the soul. 9 countries and counting, she documents her travel in her blog nomllers.com, while also sharing travel and trekking tips to the readers. Content created on her social media channels reaches lakhs of people every month.
With WiFi reaching even the remotest of destinations, We, at Chennai Insider could reach out to this wanderlust who is backpacking currently in Central Asian countries, a couple of questions about her journey and to find out if it truly is as rosy as it looks.
So, tell us about yourself? Where are you from?
I was born in Amritsar but brought up in Delhi. Did my masters joined a company, worked for 3 years as a Business Research Analyst when I finally decided to take the plunge and do something in travel blogging.
I come from a very strict family and thus travelling for me started a little late in life. I took my first trip to Nainital with my friends in the year 2015 while I was working and did not know that, someday, this would truly become a passion for me.
How old were you when you got the first itch for travel? What inspired you to travel?
I was a 22 year old when my office mates convinced me to tag along with them to Nainital during New Year’s eve. It was such a big tussle to convince my parents but they eventually agreed. I did not know what was in store for me but I will always remember that how on the safari ride in Corbett I was able to see 4 tigers when in reality people are usually not able to spot even one of them. That was the time when I realized that this is something I would love to do forever – exploring.
What do you love the most about travel?
It keeps me grounded and has taught me patience! I have learned so much through travelling that I otherwise could not know about the world just by reading books. It has helped me to open my mind towards things and be open to taking life as it comes.
Can you talk a little bit about your longest trip away from home? How did your family feel about it?
Currently I am on my longest trip. I am backpacking in the Central Asian countries for two months and my parents were not very happy about it. From school to job, I have lived with them and never left home to pursue anything so the two months’ separation got them worried to be honest. But one thing I make sure is to stay in touch with them throughout. I call them every single day without a miss and they are aware of my whereabouts – where I am staying, places I am seeing, etc.
Do you travel solo?
It is a mix of both – solo and with friends. I travel with my traveler friends mostly and if no one is there to accompany me then I travel solo. Italy was my solo backpacking trip and Uzbekistan will also be.
How many countries have you travelled till date and your most favorite of them all and why?
I have travelled to 9 countries in total and it is hard to choose which one would be my favorite one. Each of them had something unique about it. I did sky diving in Italy, saw best sunsets in Mauritius, expanded my horizon by going to Malaysia as my first international destination, etc. All of them are my favorite, including India. I love travelling in India as well and especially to the northern side of it – Kashmir.
What got you into blogging? Tell us about your blog?
When I started traveling social media was not at its boom. For me traveling started first, then blogging and later Instagram. The main aim of my blog has always been to help people plan their trips and show them it is not that hard to manage a trip in a budget. You do not need loads of money to travel if you plan it right and that is exactly what our blog speaks as well.
What goals did you have for your blog when you started out? Have the goals changed now?
Well, my goals had always been to help travelers. I recently started my YouTube channel on the exact same lines. I want people to be aware of all the problems we faced and how can they cope up with them. After two years the goals still remain the same.
What are your biggest challenges in maintaining a professional travel blog?
Time management! In one go I have so many tasks to take care of. Emails, blogging, SEO, social media, YouTube, travelling. It gets crazy at times but I do not mind doing it as this is what I love.
Do you recall a time when you were surprised by a large unexpected increase in traffic to your blog?
Yes! Our DA (Search engine ranking score) was 18 a few months back and the traffic was half of what it is right now. In one single day our rankings doubled and DA shot up to 28. I guess finally our content started to work in our favor and Google started to rank our content on the basis of relevancy.
Does your blog earn money?
Sky is the limit when it comes to earning through a blog. We started to earn just recently and also finding new avenues to add to our blog to increase our earnings. Currently, I earn as much as my corporate job which helps in keeping the travel compass going.
How much time are you “plugged in” to either your computer, smartphone, or some other device during the course of your travels?
My work is on the computer and it is always on the go. If I talk about social media, I make sure that I do not use Instagram for more than an hour. Most of my time goes into blogging.
Do you self-finance your travel?
Yes, all my trips have been self-financed. Although last year I did get a few sponsored trips to my favorite places like Sikkim and Ladakh due to my blog.
Top 3 destinations on your bucket list and why?
There are so so many destinations in my bucket list but I would love to check off
Raja Ampat – due to the scuba diving experiences
Norway – due to the Northern Lights
South America as a whole for its rainbow mountains and salt lake
Which place has had the best food amongst all that you have been to?
India!!!! I am a vegetarian and have faced so many issues to find a good vegetarian food in rest of the countries. Nothing can beat India when it comes to food!
Is there something you think most travelers worry too much about? What is one piece of advice you’d give to travelers your age?
I think most of the youngsters, right out of school want to start blogging when in real they have not even travelled. They stress too much seeing their favorite influencers and would want to have their life when in real, life on social media and in real is very different. I would ask all the travelers to take it slow. First discover what travelling is all about and if lifting heavy bags, sleeping in an uncomfortable situations and being on the go all the time is your cup of tea. Later the blogging part will come automatically.
How does collaborating with brands affect your content, and what has been your favourite brand to work with so far?
I collaborate with only those brands that are in my niche and I feel my audience can benefit from it. I feel one should be loyal to their audience first. My favorite brand till date has been Holiday IQ. They respect the content creators and are very responsible towards their work.
Who are your favourite travel bloggers or inspiration?
My source of inspiration comes from many people every single day. My mom and friends have been the biggest supporters but one person that I really admire is Chelsea Kauai.
What tips do you have for maintaining a great blog and online presence on the go?
I think the best is to find your niche and what your audience wants. We discovered what is kind of missing in the blogging space which is giving out budget trips and made that our asset.
To view Radhika’s travel treasures and travel tips, head to
Travel blog – https://www.nomllers.com/
YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuLftLIRZ2hHsDcLjwDo4Iw
Instagram Handle – @radhika_nomllers
Know a great story or want to tell us your own? Write to us at content@chennaiinsider.com and we will get back to you. For more updates follow Chennai Insider on Facebook and Instagram.
