Meet Paige Watts | Travel Writer and Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paige Watts and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paige, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Since taking my travel blog from a hobby to a full-time job, my work-life balance has changed a lot. In some ways, I have more free time because I don’t have to carve out time after a day job to focus on the blog. In other ways, it can feel like I’m always working because every trip is essentially a business trip gathering content for the blog.
A good work-life balance is something I still have to work on. I have to remind myself sometimes to just let a vacation be a vacation and not worry so much about getting the perfect picture. It can also be hard as an entrepreneur doing everything yourself; there’s always work to be done, and it doesn’t ever really end.
One thing I’ve found helpful is having a hobby outside of my business. For me, it’s figure skating. Having something that’s completely outside of the travel blog where I can fully step away and do something active helps me remember that one of the reasons I went into business for myself is to have the freedom to do things on my own schedule. And that makes everything worth it.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started my travel blog, PaigeMindsTheGap.com, when I studied abroad for the first time in 2013 as a travel diary for my family to keep up with me while I was abroad. When I came back home, I kept it up, and in 2016 I moved to Atlanta and started to think of the blog as a business.
Paige Minds The Gap covers a lot of destinations, but I do focus heavily on Atlanta and the South. I really started to become an expert in Atlanta and had all of these fun facts filed away, so I decided to write a book!
What’s With Atlanta?: The Quirks, Personality, and Charm of the ATL was published in 2023. I like to think of it as a trivia guide to Atlanta. The book covers topics like one-of-a-kind Atlanta treasures, transportation, festivals and events, the weather, Atlanta’s architecture, acceptable nicknames, sports, famous people, and famous foods and restaurants.
I think this format is really unique because, unlike other history-focused books, What’s With Atlanta? doesn’t get too fact-heavy, and unlike other travel guides, you get some obscure things as well as the highlights.
Switching my blog from a hobby to a career was not easy, as it takes time and investment. One thing I had to learn was to be willing to put money into both the blog and myself to grow. The payoff may not always be immediate, but the growth does come. I also had to learn that some things are outside of my control. Pandemics, search engine optimizations, technical challenges, etc. are all unexpected external factors that can impact any business. I had to learn to be adaptable when these challenges come, and evolve to make myself into a stronger entrepreneur.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Anyone that knows me knows that I love bears, so any trip should start out at Zoo Atlanta. I could introduce them to the sun bears and pandas, along with visiting all of the other exciting animals. I also love taking visitors to the World of Coke and tasting the varieties of sodas from across the globe. I’d also take them to Center Ice Arena for a spin around the ice rink. Drinks after could be at either Viking Alchemist for some mead, or at Atlanta Hard Cider for some local cider and gin. Right near Atlanta Hard Cider is one of the most iconic Cobb County landmarks – The Big Chicken. Sure, it’s just a KFC, but eating fried chicken was never as good as doing it in a building which has moving eyes and beak to gawk at. My recommended place to stay would be in the middle of Downtown Atlanta in the circular Westin Peachtree Plaza. Getting a room on a higher floor means you can spend your nights looking across the Atlanta skyline all aglow.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shoutout my husband, my parents, and my family who have always been so supportive of what I do. I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without their continued love and encouragement.

Website: https://paigemindsthegap.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paigemindsthegap/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/paige_travels

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paigemindsthegap

Other: https://www.reedypress.com/shop/whats-with-atlanta/