Inside the glamorous life of a jetsetting fashion and travel blogger

SHE’S an Australian Instagram star who gets paid to travel to the most beautiful places in the world. Hermione Underwood lets us in on what it’s really like to live the high life.

TRAVELLING has become my job. I can hardly believe it, either.

Had you asked me two years ago whether I thought it was fathomable that travelling could be a serious career pursuit, I would have laughed it off. Travelling was a dream I didn’t even contemplate.

Fast forward and here I am, sitting in Notting Hill, planning a trip to Morocco and writing about last week’s experience in Provence (gliding over the Alpilles, no less).

Hermione in Positano, Italy. And she calls this a job!

Since launching my blog Hermione Olivia last September, I have shared experiences from Mykonos, Saint-Tropez and Capri. The website has taken me to Barcelona, Somerset and home to Sydney.

Travel has taken on a whole new dimension for me, as I blog about the very best luxury and budget experiences in each city. In Paris, that might mean a €5 falafel in the Marais before extravagant drinks and dinner at Hotel Costes. It might mean a coffee and people watching at Cafe RUC, bike riding down the Seine and a picnic in the Tuileries Gardens before experiencing the Jeff Latham floral display in the lobby and the gold Martini in the courtyard of arguably the very best hotel in all of Paris, the George V. That’s how I love to travel, with a mix of luxury and authentic experiences, feeling as if I live in the city, even if it’s just for the weekend.

Cold, but still glamorous.

I take the input of readers and follow in their footsteps, too. Last year I was encouraged to experience Isola Comacina, a renowned restaurant set atop a tiny Island on Lake Como, where the menu hasn’t changed since 1947. After a 45-minute drive from the hotel, a very choppy boat ride and a quick dash for cover in the pouring rain, I had one of the best restaurant experiences of my entire life. It involved a five-course meal, typically Italian flair and a history lesson over a ‘flaming finale’ grappa show that I will never forget. I saw a town I now know well through an entirely new lens and it was all thanks to suggestions offered to me on Instagram.

It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to do it.

Not long ago, my job would not have even existed. I’ve been given a platform, voice and audience by social media. The blogging boom has meant that brands are increasingly aware of the value add that bloggers offer, through endorsement and collaborations. Add in programs with companies like rewardStyle and now bloggers like me can make money from their content with online retailers. Building a career writing about your passion suddenly becomes possible!

Flowers, anyone?

Australians like Jessica Stein of Tuula Vintage and Nicole Warne of Gary Pepper are leading the charge. They are internationally recognised, respected and admired for their style and professionalism. They exude confidence and bring to life the notion that if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. Obviously only a tiny representation of a huge industry, these two girls do reflect the support that is readily given to newcomers like me.

Apart from the obvious benefit, being travel, the greatest joy of this endeavour has been proving that if you are truly passionate, you can build a career doing what you love.