Ask most creators why they do what they do, and you’ll hear something about freedom or full-time travel. But not Natthawan Santiphap. It\u2019s stereotypes that keep her going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wait, what?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let Natthawan explain:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n“I dislike seeing people stereotype countries they\u2019ve never visited. Part of me wants to promote a better understanding between people across the world. Something that\u2019s normal here can be different there. Not everywhere has to be the same, and that’s beautiful.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Of course, her website, Eat Chill Wander<\/a>, is also a business, and her main source of income. Still, Natthawan has found a way to stay true to herself while building her blog. Read on to learn how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From friends to followers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Natthawan, who\u2019s from Thailand, has traveled to 104 countries across six continents. More than 40 of them she visited before she started her blog in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That order matters. Eat Chill Wander didn’t begin as a business plan. It began because she was traveling a ton and her friends kept asking the same questions.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n\n“Like how to get there, where to go, and other details. I used to write notes and send them to my friends. Then I started just posting those notes on social media and my website.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Nine years later, Natthawan\u2019s basic approach hasn\u2019t changed: she travels out of passion, and she writes like a helpful friend. For her, anything else would be selling out \u2013 and she\u2019s consistently avoided the temptation to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three things Natthawan says no to<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Most creators\u2019 stories are about what they\u2019ve added: more platforms, more posts, more collaborations. Natthawan’s story is easier to understand through what she turns down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Press trips that don’t show her the destination.<\/strong> She’s selective, and she only says yes when the trip shares her purpose: actually getting to know a place.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Trips planned around content.<\/strong> The trip comes first, the guide comes after.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Chasing followers.<\/strong> She posts on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, but she doesn’t optimize for growth there.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
\n\n“I honestly don’t focus on it as much as making sure my website works well. So I’d say I let it grow organically.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
None of that looks like a growth strategy. Yet it’s exactly why her blog has found success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She gets to know a place before she writes about it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Instead of just maximizing clicks, Natthawan uses her blog to share thoroughly researched guides inspired by a genuine love for exploration.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n\n“Before publishing the travel guide on each place, I try to make sure I\u2019ve talked to as many people from that country as possible. I also love to read at least one book or see a movie from that country to try to understand as much as I can.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
This is the reason her guides keep earning organic search traffic long after they’re published \u2013 they radiate expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenge: there aren\u2019t enough hours in the day<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Of course, all this research takes a lot of time. And the work doesn\u2019t end when she finishes writing \u2013 she still has to monetize her content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(For context, Natthawan does everything herself, without a team, editor, or assistant. She\u2019s even had to pull back on long-form video content because it takes so much effort.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So Natthawan had a dilemma: every hour spent monetizing manually was an hour not spent on the research that made her guides worth reading. And monetization done wrong could change how her content felt, which might ruin her blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She needed a monetization method that was easy, efficient, and smoothly integrated into her writing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
She found a solution\u2026 in someone else’s blog<\/h2>\n\n\n\n