We recently connected with Sam Maclean and have shared our conversation below.

Sam, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Part of my travel blog Type 1 Travelling’s mission is to inspire fellow type 1 diabetics to travel the world without letting their chronic illness hold them back. This is something that I know from experience is easier said than done as there’s no hiding it, we face more challenges than the average traveller. Through Type 1 Travelling I want to draw on my own experiences of overcoming these challenges and get more helpful and practical information out there for fellow diabetics to not only use but be reassured and inspired by!

The story behind this mission begins back in 2018. After graduating university, my girlfriend Lucy and I decided to head off to Australia for a one-year Working Holiday while also backpacking through a few other countries along the way.

This was my first time travelling outside of Europe and as much as I was buzzing with excitement, the idea of travelling far and away for such a long time while managing my diabetes made me very, very nervous.

My head was spinning with questions including how could I get my medication in different countries? Would it even be affordable? How would I keep my insulin cold while on the move (it needs to be stored at fridge temperature)?

My doubts didn’t get any better when I struggled to get solid answers online and as the trip was already out of my comfort zone, these doubts were almost enough to put me off going all together.

However, I summoned the courage and took the leap anyway and thankfully everything worked out. I had an unbelievable 15 months and haven’t looked back since! Travel has been huge for my personal growth and I believe it’s a great thing for anyone to experience.

I’ve now made it my mission to take those questions, concerns and challenges that I faced (and continue to face) and put as much helpful and reassuring information as possible out there on the internet to help other diabetics live out their own travel dreams!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m 28 years old and I was born and raised in a small seaside town in the Highlands of Scotland. Currently, I’m both an ESL teacher and a travel blogger. With all my work being online, I spend most of my time abroad balancing work and travel so you could call me a digital nomad.

My travel blogging journey started a few years ago as after travelling for a number of years and overcoming the challenges of making it work while managing my diabetes, this felt like the next step to making my own adventures and experiences mean something more.

So Type 1 Travelling was born.

Still in the relatively early stages, Type 1 Travelling is all about publishing helpful articles that answer the questions that people are already asking about destinations, travelling with diabetes, and travelling on a budget.

My articles are packed with useful details, especially for those backpacking and travelling independently, allowing people to effectively plan and organise their own adventures.

I also pride myself on pairing this helpful information with quality photography to not only give people the knowledge they require but to excite and inspire them!

However, I feel what really sets me apart from other travel bloggers is my focus on helping others with diabetes realise that the condition is not something to hold them back from getting out there and travelling the world. I want to be the walking, talking example that with some extra planning and organisation taking on big backpacking adventures with diabetes can definitely be done!

How did you build your audience on social media?

Before I even created my website, I developed a love for photography through travel and a grew a passion for showcasing the places I travelled to on Instagram. I began to build an audience on Instagram filled with like-minded people and this is essentially where my creative journey began.

As I travelled I worked hard to improve my photography skills as I wanted to ensure I was posting quality images and I suppose I was aiming to provide entertainment and inspiration through the images I was capturing through my lens.

I then began to focus on providing even more value to my audience through detailed captions on various aspects of travel and backpacking in the destinations I was visiting. Not only giving information about the destinations and things to do but also about costs, sample itineraries and other tips and tricks I’d learned and thought would be helpful to others.

As 2022 was in full swing, the rise of short form video started taking over and before long video became the most effective way to reach new people on social media. Social media is all about trends and while photography might be my first creative love, you have to adapt. I began to also film videos on my travels which has allowed me to add reels to my Instagram feed too.

The advice I would give to anyone trying to build a social media presence is to always focus on giving value to your audience. Gone are the days when it was all about you, now it’s all about what you can provide for them. Whether this is through entertainment, education or something else

Still make sure your personality shines through though, whether that’s through the way you word your captions or getting personal on your stories, let your audience see the real you while you are providing that value!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of my creative journey has been hearing how my work has helped others.

Whether it was working out how to quickly get their hands on emergency insulin in Vietnam or establishing how to get from Cairo to Egypt’s Siwa Oasis, it will always be satisfying to receive messages about how the information and articles I’ve published have helped someone.

This is what fuels my own inspiration to keep writing, keep sharing and build my travel blog into something even greater!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://type1travelling.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/type1.travelling/