From Travel Blog to Business: A Conversation with Award-Winning Creator Absolutely Lucy

This year has been full of unexpected gifts.

One of the best decisions I made was reaching out to people on LinkedIn and inviting them to virtual coffee chats. What started as simple conversations introduced me to some remarkable people I would probably never have crossed paths with otherwise.

One of them is Lucy Ruthnum, an award-winning travel writer and founder of Absolutely Lucy. She’s one of those people whose energy somehow fills a room, even through a computer screen.

I’ve been following her work for some time, admiring both her writing and her refreshingly honest take on travel. During our conversation, we quickly discovered that we share a similar philosophy about solo travel: that it’s less about ticking countries off a list and more about discovering who you become along the way.

I wanted to understand how she turned a passion for storytelling into a thriving travel business while staying true to her voice. What followed was an honest conversation about risk, resilience, community and why authenticity still matters in an industry increasingly driven by algorithms.

Long before Absolutely Lucy became a recognised travel brand, Lucy was already writing.

“I’ve always had a passion for telling stories,” she says. “One day I dreamed of writing a book.”

While studying at university, she worked as a journalist and freelance writer before landing a role at a newspaper. Yet despite writing professionally, something was missing.

“I felt the need to tell stories in my own voice.” That desire became the catalyst for launching her blog.

When she later began travelling full-time, Absolutely Lucy naturally became her main focus. At the time, however, building a business wasn’t even part of the plan.

“I’ll be honest — I had no idea it could become a genuine business.”

Over the next decade, she travelled extensively as a solo traveller, spending time living in Australia and Germany while steadily growing an audience drawn to her candid storytelling.

Alongside her travels, she continued to work in marketing roles, experience that proved invaluable when the pandemic brought global tourism to a standstill. The real leap came in April 2024.

Having spent several years as Head of Growth and Acquisition for a national children’s charity in the UK, Lucy realised that both her career and her personal life were shifting.

“The charity was evolving, which was wonderful, but I realised its future was becoming unaligned with my own.”

Combined with the pressures of buying a house and other personal changes, she found herself asking a difficult question: was it finally time?

“It felt like my entire life was realigning. Looking back, it forced me to take the leap into self-employment.”

Today, Absolutely Lucy is her full-time business. Earlier this year, her work was recognised by the industry when she was named Content Creator of the Year at the TravMedia UK Awards, recognition that reflects years of consistently producing thoughtful, authentic travel content rather than chasing trends.

Creating content because she loves it!

Ask any creator about balancing content, brand partnerships and business, and you’ll usually hear something about algorithms. Lucy acknowledges they’re impossible to ignore.

“Yes, I get stressed about algorithms and worry about the stats.” But that’s never been her North Star.

“I’ve always loved creating content — long before ‘content creator’ was even a job title.” And that perspective keeps her grounded.

Her audience knows her for sharing the realities of backpacking and solo travel rather than presenting an overly polished version designed purely for Instagram.

“My focus will always be on creating real, raw, unfiltered and authentic travel content.” When partnerships come along, authenticity remains non-negotiable.

“I always remind myself that partnerships need to fit my brand and my audience — not the other way round.”

Building more than a Facebook group

One of Lucy’s proudest achievements is Solo Adventure Gals. Ironically, she almost didn’t start it.

“I wanted to launch it ten years ago, but I worried nobody would join.”

Today, the community has grown to more than 2,500 members across its platforms, bringing together adventurous women from around the world.

The idea was inspired by a close backpacker friend who encouraged her to create this community before her untimely death.

“It became something I always wanted to honour.”

The community exists to help women feel safer, more confident and better prepared for solo travel. For Lucy, it’s also become one of her most valuable business assets.

“It helps me understand my audience — their fears, their dreams and how I can genuinely support them.”

She hopes one day the community will extend beyond online conversations to organised trips and shared adventures.

Running a business while living out of a suitcase

Although many people still associate Lucy with full-time travel, her lifestyle has evolved.

After spending roughly a decade travelling continuously, she deliberately chose a different rhythm.

“My partner and I bought a house in the UK. Now I batch trips together, rarely spending more than a few weeks away before returning home to reset.”

That balance makes running a business far more sustainable.

“I’m a one-woman band. Planning content ahead of busy travel periods has become essential, particularly during the spring and autumn travel seasons.”

Having a home base, she says, has actually improved both productivity and creativity.

The reality of digital nomad life

Lucy worked remotely long before “digital nomad” became a marketing buzzword. Having lived that lifestyle herself, she believes much of the conversation has become oversimplified.

“I think there’s still a lot of catching up to do.”

While countries increasingly launch digital nomadic visas to attract remote workers, Lucy believes many don’t actually cater for people who move frequently between destinations.

“There’s quite a lot of virtue signalling happening.”

Her experience has made her interested not just in where people work, but in how those destinations adapt to changing patterns of travel.

The challenges nobody posts on Instagram

Solo travel isn’t always about sunsets and scenic viewpoints. Some of Lucy’s toughest moments happened far from home.

One of the hardest was learning that one of her closest friends had died unexpectedly while she was travelling alone on the other side of the world.

“Coping with grief while travelling solo is unlike anything else.”

She has also survived multiple serious road accidents in Southeast Asia, including a minibus being forced into a ditch in Cambodia and a highway crash in Vietnam involving a drunk bus driver who later abandoned passengers by the roadside.

Experiences like these tested her resilience in ways no guidebook ever could.

“They taught me to advocate for myself, rely on other travellers and trust that I could handle difficult situations.”

Lessons she wishes she’d learned sooner

Looking back, Lucy laughs at one missed opportunity.

“I wish I had understood airline miles and points much earlier. Years of travel would have earned me countless rewards had I known how loyalty programmes work.”

From a business perspective, however, two lessons stand out.

“I wish I’d started YouTube earlier. And perhaps even more importantly, I wish I’d learned SEO and affiliate marketing before I ever started blogging.”

Like many creators, she spent years learning those skills after the fact rather than building with them from the beginning.

Her advice for aspiring solo travellers

For anyone dreaming of travelling alone but waiting until they feel “ready”, Lucy has simple advice: “You’ll never feel completely ready. Confidence doesn’t arrive before the journey. It grows because of it.”

She also encourages travellers from underrepresented backgrounds not to be discouraged if they don’t see themselves reflected in mainstream travel media.

“I didn’t either,” she says. “So I became that representation.”

Perhaps that’s the biggest takeaway from our conversation. The perfect start and the perfect moment rarely arrive. Whether you’re building a travel business, travelling solo for the first time or finding your own voice as a storyteller, the only real way to discover what’s possible is to begin.