We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Vicky Sosa a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Vicky, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

I decided to name my travel blog “Buddy The Traveling Monkey” after my stuffed monkey, Buddy. I had already had Buddy for a few years and traveled with him to many places. I had pictures of him all over the world!

When I decided to start my blog and was thinking of what to name it, I wanted something that would be different – something that would stand out. I figured, why not name it after Buddy? He’s adorable, memorable, and has traveled to more places than most people. So that’s exactly what I did.

Nowadays, I’m often referred to as “The girl with the monkey” so I think my strategy worked.

Vicky, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi! My name is Vicky and I was born and raised in Miami, Florida.⁣⁣ I wanted to travel the world since I was very young and I am fortunate to have traveled to over 35 countries so far.

I bought Buddy, my stuffed monkey, at a Miami Dolphins game in 2012 and he’s traveled with me ever since.⁣⁣ Then in 2014, I started my blog to inspire others to travel.⁣⁣ I wanted to show that you don’t have to be rich to travel. I also wanted to highlight hidden gems in Miami and Florida, since so many have a limited idea of what there is to do in these places.

In September 2017 I became a digital nomad and started traveling through house sitting. This allowed me to create even more content for my blog since I was traveling all over the US and internationally. I also started working with brands and tourism boards.

As I continue to write about my travels, I hope to provide tips and travel guides to my audience and followers. I want to show that you can travel on a budget and still have amazing experiences.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I have a love-hate relationship with social media. But nowadays, you need it for any business. Building it can be difficult, but like anything, it takes time and patience. I built my audience by being consistent with posting, but also by engaging with others. This meant engaging with followers that commented on my posts, but also commenting on other accounts’ posts. It’s important to be seen by others who aren’t already in your circle, that way they might choose to join your circle later on.

Engagement does take up time. But any time you have a few spare minutes, dedicate it to engaging with others. You’ll start to see your audience growing.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

Through my travel blog, I have multiple revenue streams. The most important is the ads that are placed on my website. Additionally, I have affiliate links to products and travel booking sites. When people make purchases through those links, I get a small percentage at no extra cost to them.

I have also started writing for other online publications as an additional form of income.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.buddythetravelingmonkey.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buddythetravelingmonkey/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buddythetravelingmonkey
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicky-sosa/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/traveling1223