Dutch travel couple Hannah Spelt and Nick Noordijk have spent the last three years traveling the world. During that time, the duo has grown their small travel blog Salt in our Hair into a solid brand that inspires wanderlust everywhere from the dreamy Philippines to the enchanting Egypt.
Yet, this is no holiday. The travel couple are constantly producing stunning photos, insightful blogs, handy e-books and inspiring videos for their legions of followers. Combine this content with branded sponsorships and collaborations and you have yourself what has been aptly described as a “full time, hard-working, dream job.”
We recently had the opportunity to catch up with Nick from Salt in our Hair. Read on to learn about their favourite memories, biggest challenges and what the future holds for this inspiring travel couple.
Could you tell us a little bit about yourselves? Where did you grow up and how did you meet?
We both grew up in quite small villages near each other in the southwest of the Netherlands and went to the same University but never met. We met a little over 5 years ago in an underground rave party. Charming, isn’t it? We quickly noticed that we both loved creative work as I (Nick) was a web developer and Hannah a graphic designer.
Have you always had a love for travel? Or was there one trip that inspired your wanderlust?
Hannah and I traveled for four months in Asia after she finished school. We had the plan to rent a house afterward but after returning from that trip we missed it so much.
How did you get started with Salt in our Hair? How much time, money and effort went into creating this travel brand?
After returning home from that four-month Asia journey, we got asked so many questions on Instagram about how we get to certain locations. So, we started our travel blog and shared all the details inside our travel guides. After 9 months, we started getting a lot of positive feedback and monthly readers which motivated us to create more.
What is it about travel that you love? Is it meeting new people, learning about new cultures, or taking on new challenges/adventures?
Connecting with people, exploring cities and nature are our tops things. Last year we got invited to the celebration of a 3-month old newborn in Bali. The family took so good care of us, we spend the night there, and these are definitely things that we think back of a lot.
How many countries have you visited and what country was your favourite? Why was this destination so special for you?
If you had to spend a year living in one country outside of the Netherlands, what country would you choose and why?
That’s still difficult. This is one of our current challenges. We don’t spend much time in the Netherlands and Indonesia is currently our favourite hub.
Are you both big foodies? What country in the world has the best food in your opinion?
Haha, we’re foodies! Sometimes we eat more than we explore. Oops… The best food in the world can be found in Vietnam. Without a doubt 🙂
What countries have you always wanted to visit but haven’t had the chance due to security, visa issues, or lack of resources?
Well, we would love to see Iran! But due to security, we kept it off for a long time. We’re not afraid and we know that it will be completely fine but we don’t want our families to be nervous the entire time we’re there. It might be happening this or next year though 🙂
What has been your biggest challenge on your travels? Has there been a particularly difficult experience that you had to overcome?
Our biggest challenge is to not over-travel. After a 4-week period of traveling, without eating healthy and/or exercising all our energy and more important creativity is gone. So, we keep a maximum trip length of 3-4 weeks. (Also, to keep up with work).
Do follow Hannah & Nick’s inspiring travel journey:
