Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Makepeace.
Hi Craig, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
We started our first travel blog, yTravelBlog.com, back in 2010 as we were looking for a way to build a business online, replace our current income, and leave our jobs. At the time, Caroline was at the end of her teaching contract here in Raleigh, NC, which meant our visas to live in the USA were ending, and we loved living in Raleigh and were looking for a way to stay here permanently.
Prior to starting that blog, we’d already lived in 5 countries and traveled to over 40 countries so had lots of travel tips and stories to share.
We’ve since gone on to grow that blog into one of the biggest family travel blogs in the world, and have partnered with brands such as Ford, Qantas, American Express, Allianz Travel, Lonely Planet, major destinations like Visit California, Visit Florida, Singapore, and Tourism Queensland, and been featured on the Today Show, Forbes, and Travel + Leisure.
Because of our blogs success, in 2017 we were granted 01 business visas to live and travel in the USA for three years. And then in 2020, we were granted Green Cards by the US Government due to our blog, so we are now permanent Raleigh residents – a dream come true!
During the start of the pandemic in April 2020, being stuck at home gave us the time and space to launch our second blog, ThisIsRaleigh.com, which is focused on sharing all the amazing things to do in Raleigh and the pursuit of a vibrant life in this “City of Oaks” we now get to call home. We’re very excited about the initial growth of our Raleigh site and its potential, and look forward to it being a top resource for the best places to eat, drink, play, and explore in the city, plus getaways from Raleigh.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We don’t have a technical background or a background in writing or marketing and didn’t have a lot of time, money or resources when we launched our first blog in 2010, so building our first website and learning how to market ourselves and build an online presence was a big learning curve, and we basically learned as we went.
At the time, we were also going through a financial crisis connected to real estate and the stock market, ended up losing both our properties and getting heavily in debt, and so had to rebuild our lives from scratch financially and emotionally at the same time.
And of course we all know what happened in 2020. The travel industry around the world came to a halt, which severely affected all our income streams and client contracts, with no end in site. Some of the tough lessons we learned digging ourselves out of our previous financial disaster in 2010 both from a practical and emotional standpoint, helped us get through 2020.
We’ve been impressed with Y Travel Media LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Through Y Travel Media we run both of our online travel publications, yTravelBlog.com and ThisIsRaleigh.com. yTravelBlog is our global travel site that offers travel tips and destination advice to help others get the best out of place from our personal perspective.
ThisIsRaleigh.com is our niche site focused on the city of Raleigh and a 4 hour drive radius for getaways. Again, we offer local tips and advice on things to see and do, places to eat and drink, where to stay, family-friendly activities, festivals & events, you name it.
On both sites, we publish blog posts, a podcast, YouTube videos, all other social media accounts, and have an engaged weekly email-newsletter.
Income streams consist of ad revenue, affiliate marketing with brands such as Booking.com, rental cars, and tour companies, etc. Plus we do sponsored marketing campaigns with destinations and speaking engagements.
We are proud to have built two brands that our readers trust for advice when considering where to go and what to do, and a professional reputation for partnering with brands and creating win-win relationships with destinations. We strive to share our travel experiences from an authentic perspective and can offer three unique perspectives whether we travel solo, as a couple, or with our two daughters.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
All the trees, trails, lakes and greenery – it’s called the City of Oaks for a reason and we love living in a city within a forest.
We also love the welcoming Southern community, the college town vibes and sports, the thriving restaurant and craft beer scene, the four seasons, the top schools, the solid economy, the family-friendly atmosphere, the entrepreneurial spirit, and being central to other great East Coast destinations.
We said from day one of moving here back in 2004, “Raleigh is America’s best kept secret”, but I think the secret is well and truly out as this is one of the fastest-growing and vibrant cities in the South, in fact the country!
Contact Info:
- Email: cazcraig@thisisraleigh.com
- Website: https://thisisraleigh.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisraleigh
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisIsRaleighNC
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThisIsRaleighNC
- Yelp: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpA3DdcN9Zkt87guKr0wD1w/featured
- Other: https://www.ytravelblog.com
