Meet Rehnumah Insan aka The Travelette on Instagram! She was born in the UK and has lived here her whole life. She graduated with a degree and then completed Masters – both in Law – and went immediately into the legal profession. She’s currently working as a Civil Servant for the UK government. While growing up in the West, our modest travelette comes from a traditional Bengali household who faced similar barriers prevalent in the East. However, this did not let her tuck in her wings but soared high instead! Over the years, she has achieved a lot of friends and fans all over the world while sharing bits and pieces of her life through travel.
WW: Tell us about how you caught the travel bug.
RI: As a child I used to travel frequently with my parents. They were one of those rare parents who always encouraged me to explore a new city or new country every year instead of insisting on a trip back home to Bangladesh. My father had travelled extensively due to his profession as a Captain at sea and he always came back home with interesting stories of all the new places he had visited and all the lands he had explored. I believe he wanted his children to feel that same excitement towards life. So travelling is basically in my blood.
WW: You have taken social media by the storm. What made you share your story with the world?
RI: I feel that social media is a great place to showcase a portfolio of work and to also connect with people with similar mindsets. My Instagram not only provides tips, itineraries, and inspiration for travelling but it also addresses the ways in which travelling has changed my life. I learnt to see just how much this world has to offer and it led me to treat life as something more positive and beautiful. Coming from a very traditional South-Asian background I was taught to study hard, get a good job, get married, have kids and repeat the process with them. These were known as the benchmarks for success and for a while I believed this too.
Travelling made me realise that life isn’t simply about having a 9-5 job and getting married. It’s about exploring our potential, opening up those corners of our mind that were closed by years of social conditioning and learning to express ourselves. It taught me the importance of developing a hobby that lets us explore our talent. I truly hope people learn to find that one thing in life which they enjoy doing. For me it’s travelling and writing, for you it could be anything. Just that one thing you look forward to doing for yourself.
[Place it anywhere] QUOTE – Expect polarising viewpoints as soon as you start gaining more followers and expect some negativity but deal with it humbly.
WW: How do you keep your audience engaged?
RI: Needless to say I love blogging and always look forward to interacting with people on Instagram. As cliché as it may sound, being yourself is the best way to attract followers on social media. Having an engaging caption that reflects your thoughts and personality is very effective and allows people to engage with you. Another thing I always encourage people to do is to use social media for themselves rather than for others. There will always be those who dislike you and who want more from you so you’ll never keep everyone happy. Expect polarising viewpoints as soon as you start gaining more followers and expect some negativity but deal with it humbly. Some people just need some further explanation and some just need to be ignored. It is important to remember that MOST people will encourage you, you should not let a handful ruin the experience.
WW: What would you like to share with Bangladeshi female travel bloggers?
RI: If I could give one piece of advice to aspiring Bangladeshi female travel bloggers it would be to just step outside the house. Literally, one small step and the whole world is open to you. For those who are new to travelling, start with exploring your own city and then your own country. Westernised versions of travelling have glorified the concept of solo travelling, as if that is the only form of travelling that will give you legitimacy as a traveller. This isn’t true. Travel with your family, encourage your parents to go with you and this will make them more comfortable in letting you travel alone. Don’t compare your travels with someone else’s. Travelling is whatever you make it. Even if it’s a short trip with the family or friends to the beach, as long as that experience made you happy, made you see a new place, perhaps learn something new, that in itself makes you a traveller!
Instagram: the_travelette