#13 Selena & Jacob: 'Our passion is to make travelling a lifestyle'

The Sixth Power is a new column dedicated to emerging or established influencers. Each week we give you a new interview with an influencer. This thirteenth post is dedicated to Selena Taylor.

HostelsClub's blog is hosting a new column dedicated to influencers, entitled 'The Sixth Power'. We are going to hear what they have to say, listen to their stories and discover their way of life. Many people aspire to be like them, and influencers are one of the latest and most desired professions. Their following, in some cases, exceeds the influence of important political figures! Kourtney Kardashian, with her 72.6 million followers, has more than the number of votes that led Donald Trump to the post of President of the United States of America in 2016. The Italian fashion-influencer Chiara Ferragni, before gaining an incredible 16.9 million followers on Instagram, was just an ordinary girl. We'll find out what it is like to be an influencer, giving a voice to travel bloggers in particular. There will be many good tips for those with open ears who may be thinking of entering into this incredible lifestyle!

#13 Selena & Jacob: "Our passion is to make travelling a lifestyle"

The story of Selena and Jacob is a story made from a journey. A journey that began in 2016 when they decided to leave Los Angeles to live abroad. Before settling in Amsterdam, they embarked on a 3-month road trip across Europe. They first created their instagram account, @finduslost, and later their blog, finduslost.com. As the first engagements started to arrive, their wild adventure soon turned into a profession. They do not stop, they seize every opportunity and their journey has become an expression of both them as a couple, as well as individuals in the world. Even their style, the aesthetic of their content, is a carefully constructed vision. And this is why, as you will see, we decided to conduct a two-part interview. It turns out what Hadrian the Roman emperor observed, more than two thousand years ago, can be applied to their story. The fact that nobody belongs to the place where they are born, but rather to the place where they are given the opportunity to get to know it. Clearly, through means of travel.

@finduslost

Travelling as a lifestyle is the first image that emerges from your profile.

Selena: We want to express the idea that there are endless ways to incorporate travel into your lifestyle.

In what way?

Selena: There can be conventional ways, for instance planning ahead to maximize your vacation time, as well as more unconventional ways, such as re-building a lifestyle around travel.

So, at the centre of everything, lets discuss your own experiences.

Selena: Ultimately, we have shared our most sincere moments and experiences, especially in our Instagram Stories. Above all, I like to share the new places we visit and the emotions we experience when exploring a new place. But we also share some small snippets of our day-to-day lives.

Jacob: We really want people to have a realistic perception of what it’s like to travel full-time. That means sharing the good and the bad, Selena has been really open in revealing the pros and the cons on our blog.

@finduslost

What would you say the main difficulties of a travelling lifestyle are?

Selena: We are lucky enough to have the freedom and control to manage our own priorities. If we don’t feel that something makes sense for us, we talk through it together and come to a decision. However, I’d say the most difficult aspect is being together 24/7, but at this point we’re pretty used to it!

Jacob: The best part is being able to share all these incredible experiences with the person that matters most to me. The most difficult part is separating the working relationship from the personal relationship.

How was your content was born?

Selena: I loved learning Adobe Lightroom when I first started using it years ago. You could say it became an obsession! I’m always looking for ways to improve how we edit, whereas Jacob is always looking for ways to improve how we shoot.

So it is majorly down to teamwork then?

Selena: The combination of the two is probably what makes us most unique.

@finduslost

Most times, the biggest problem is just starting. How did it go for you?

Selena: We made the decision to travel in 2016. We set a date and left for a 3-month road trip through Europe. Starting an Instagram account was a way to keep in touch with friends and family and share our favorite travel photos. We never expected it to grow as big as it did.

After that, the game became serious?

Selena: Once we learned the potential it had, it motivated us to the extreme.

In your opinion, what is the reason for your large following?

Selena: Connecting with other like-minded people who love travel has definitely kept us going and added even more places to our continuously growing list!

@finduslost

Would you say it is an incentive that derives from a passion?

Selena: Sometimes I’m still in denial that we have hundreds of thousands of people who follow along with our travels! At the end of the day, our willingness to keep sharing comes from a place of passion, not from a want to be recognized. That will never change.

Is there a message beyond the popularity?

Selena: It’s important to recognize what you have to offer to the world and how you can use that power to solve problems or to inspire others.

Among all of your travels, which ones have most surprised you?

Selena: We had no expectations when we visited Slovenia, and it completely blew us away. It’s still one of my favorite countries we have visited so far.

Jacob: Of course Slovenia stands out to us. I was also surprised by how much I loved Santorini. I expected it to be overrun with tourists to the extent that it ruined its charm. However, despite all the tourists, it is a place I still found to be magical.

@finduslost

HostelsClub is an international point of reference for those who travel in hostels, do you stay in hostels during your adventures?

Selena: I always think back to when I spent a month living in a hostel in Amsterdam when I was still at college. The sense of community was exceptional. I made friends within the first few days of arriving, and we would all take trips together in the Netherlands. I loved being surrounded by people who were passionate about travel, sitting for a drink every night and chatting with others. It was a really special experience.

Jacob: I travelled through China with a group of friends back in college and we also stayed in hostels the entire time. Getting to meet other travellers from all over the world with completely different backgrounds and sharing stories and experiences is what makes hostels so unique.

This section will be translated into the main languages among the 26 of our blog. If you are an influencer you want to tell us your story then write to us, we will evaluate your proposal and perhaps The Sixth Power will talk about you!