About

Hey, I’m Charlie Pauly, a British content creator and travel blogger.

Welcome to my little corner of the internet where I get to document and share my adventures with you on a personal level, and hopefully inspire you to do the same.

Throughout the blog you’ll find destination guides, itineraries and photos from all of my travels around the world.

Also be sure to follow my socials to keep up to date with what’s going on as it happens. And of course thanks so much for the support!

Now keep scrolling to get to know me a little more personally and to find out how my adventures began…

My Personal Story

After spending my younger years growing up in a boxing gym, travel was not always going to be my first choice of career.

Born into a fighting family, my parents ran a professional boxing gym in Peterborough for over 30 years. So from as soon as I could make a fist, I was always going to be a boxer.

I grew up addicted to the sport and after many years competing, I was finally offered a professional contract at the age of 20.

Ironically it was my parents who convinced me to ‘take a break’ before settling down to focus on my career.

So off I went in 2012, on a three month planned trip up the East Coast of Australia. Not knowing this trip would change my life.

Three months turned into one year, and one year turned into New Zealand, South East Asia and beyond – I had simply become addicted to travel.

Nothing else mattered to me but to see as much of the world as possible.

Over three years later I finally came home to visit friends and family in the UK. Not knowing what would happen in the next chapter of my life, but knowing I didn’t want to settle.

The Clothing Brand

What a lot of people don’t know, is that this blog originally began as a clothing brand.

After arriving home from my travels in 2015, I found myself brainstorming ideas of how I could create something of my own.

Something that I’d be both proud of and passionate about, and of course it had to be travel related!

So after a lot of late nights and screwed up pieces of paper, Wanderers & Warriors was born.

“A global online destination for fashion-forward, free-spirited travellers.”

I began building an online profile and marketing the brand through social media.

I taught myself everything I needed to know, from screen printing t-shirts, to how to run an E-commerce store.

After months of trial and error and DIY photo shoots, the hard work eventually began to pay off.

I was fulfilling orders all over the world. Running to the post office daily with different country codes on my parcels.

The best part of it all though, was the many messages of support from the travel community I would receive. I would open Instagram to see photos of the clothing that I had hand printed, in all sorts of iconic and beautiful places around the world!

The platform grew and the sales increased and before I knew it, it was time for me to pack back up and head out again.

As much as I was excited to be getting back out on the road, it was a bittersweet feeling knowing I’d have to close the store temporarily.

So on 1st June 2017 I switched the Instagram page from a clothing store to my own personal travel account. Booked a one way flight to India, and here’s where it really gets interesting!

The Social Media Journey

At the time I didn’t know anything about ‘content creating’ or a ‘travel blogging’.

I was simply using the page to keep a visual diary of my trips, like everyone else on the app.

Something to look back on, and a way of sharing my moments/memories with friends and family back home.

I had a following of around 20,000 people built up from the clothing brand, and everything I saw, I documented and I shared. Not necessarily for the followers, but for me.

Naturally the more photos I posted, the more interest the account seemed to gain.

However, it wasn’t until around two months into my travels, at the end of my visit to India, that I was contacted by a 5* hotel.

Bearing in mind at this stage I was staying in backpacker hostels for around $1 a night. When they invited me to stay for a couple of nights in return for some exposure on Instagram, and of course I was blown away!

A lot of excitement and a well deserved rest later, it was then that the penny dropped for me…

I had a niche audience and I held value! Not only value to hotels, but to anyone that wanted marketing.

Almost overnight, the Instagram turned from a hobby into a business venture.

I looked into what was going well online, embraced my passion and my story, and taught myself a little photography and editing.

From there I invested back into the blog, that you’re reading now, and decided to pick up YouTube later down the line too.

Where Am I At Currently?

Looking back on what seems like a lifetime ago as I write this, the journey has been incredible to say the least.

I have spent the past 6 years travelling to places I’d only dreamt of and working with some of the largest tourism boards and brands in the world!

Regardless of the success though, the priority still remains the same: to escape the ordinary and create a life worth living.

And long may it continue!

Thanks for reading my story and for being a part of the journey. Who knows what’s next?

If you’d like to work with me you can find out more on the contact page.

Hopefully catch you on the road someday,
Charlie x