Get inspired to travel through South Africa with Cabin Seekers.

Tell us a bit about how you started?

We both used to work in the aviation industry as international flight attendants. I (Tanja) was based in Dubai and worked for Emirates whilst Anna was based here in South Africa, working for South African Airways. Being in the customer service industry, although rewarding, can be very challenging at times – to the point where you just need to escape and get away from people to a place where there’s no one else around. Whenever I had a couple of days off I’d fly to South Africa and find a perfect spot to recharge and relax. 

Where do you find interesting cabins?

We invest a lot of time in doing research, almost never looking for places on your everyday booking agency platform. As far as research and marketing for accommodation establishments go, we always turn to Instagram and Facebook groups for the real hidden, under the radar spots. Airbnb is also a good starting point. 

What makes you want to return to a travel destination? 

Every place is different and offers something unique. I guess the more unique and isolated a place, the better. We love a place with an epic view!

What are your top 3 cabin destinations and why?

Copia Eco Cabin

It’s the place where Cabin Seekers was born. Sitting in that hot tub with a full moon lighting up the Botriver valley was absolutely magical. We’ll never stop recommending this place!  It’s usually fully booked so you have to keep an eye out for cancellations in their stories or make sure you book ahead of time.

Start your vacation plans at Copia Eco Cabin in Botriver.

Get inspired to travel through South Africa with Cabin Seekers.
Get inspired to travel through South Africa with Cabin Seekers.

Woud Blokhuis

As much as it’s a cabin in the woods away from any noise, you’re still walking distance away from the centre of town and restaurants. If the exterior isn’t enough, the interiors will blow you away. There are thoughtful, personal touches everywhere; from art, books, games and puzzles, to beautiful furniture, old and new to bring warmth and comfort. 

Explore more of Woud Blokhuis situated in Dullstroom.

Get inspired to travel through South Africa with Cabin Seekers.
Get inspired to travel through South Africa with Cabin Seekers.

Shiloh

A cabin where the pace is slow and perfect for those who need a break. It’s a beautifully designed self-catering home of artist Dahla Hulme, situated in the town of Rosendal, Free State. It’s a place where writers and artists find peace and inspiration. 

Discover this hidden gem, Shiloh, for yourself.

Get inspired to travel through South Africa with Cabin Seekers.
Get inspired to travel through South Africa with Cabin Seekers.

As content creators, what do travel destinations expect you to offer them?

Content creators abroad are fortunate enough to do this as a full-time career, however, in South Africa, it’s still a pretty new concept. 

Property owners today still ask for trade exchanges. Most accommodation establishments still need to learn and adjust to this new way of marketing that’s proven to be effective over again. Depending on where the property is located, we still need to drive or fly to the destination at our own cost. We work for 2 days, even though it looks like we’re on holiday (which is what it’s supposed to look like 😉). Our exposure and content then help the property receive thousands of rands worth of bookings whilst we get a very small amount that we have to split between the two of us. That’s the reality of content creation in South Africa at this time. It’s slowly improving in parts of the country like the Western Cape but still has a long way to go before content creation will be a full-time career, which is our ultimate dream.

I’m sure you have some funny stories to share, please tell us your favourite one.

The most recent thing that happened was on our Cape Town road trip. It was an extremely windy afternoon but it was our last day at the cabin we were staying at so Anna launched the drone to see if we could get at least one epic drone shot. It wasn’t even 5 minutes until the wind took the drone and we lost signal. We just stood there helplessly watching the wind blow away our beloved drone over the mountains. Gone!🙈

Then there’s numerous occasions where we’ve taken our camera and drone on a trip but forgot the SD cards. An absolute pointless exercise. But at least we know that it has happened to many other creators.

How do you produce content that stands out? 

Anyone can take a photo of a beautiful space, but we know that images with a human element in them evoke more emotion. We always try to capture a feeling, not just a photo. We try to photograph moments that make people want to go and experience that exact feeling for themselves. It’s not always easy but we try our best. We often look for inspiration on Pinterest and try to create a photograph list before going to a location. It’s not until we’re in the space that we get a true feel for it. We’ve found that the golden hour photographs capture the moment the best with lighting that creates a majestic atmosphere.

Get inspired to travel through South Africa with Cabin Seekers.
Get inspired to travel through South Africa with Cabin Seekers.

What are your favourite activities to partake in when travelling?  

We love a good picnic! Most people go hiking to hike… we go hiking to find a picnic spot! 😂

In all honesty, when we’re not busy editing our content we’re busy creating it. Anyone who’s ever come with us on a media stay has been shocked at how much work goes into creating our content. It looks like all we do is relax in a space all day but there is so much more that happens behind the scenes. 

What gear do you use?

Most of the content on our page was created by only using our phones. Believe it or not. It wasn’t until last year that we reached out to Outdoorphoto who is amazing at supporting creators. We’re now testing the Canon EOS R Mirrorless Camera with Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM Zoom and Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM lenses. We also have the very cool, adjustable 3 Legged Thing Ray Tripod. We tend to use the 24-240mm lens the most as its wide range of zoom capabilities allows any image to look incredible. The 50mm lens is just as amazing, we use it specifically for close-up detailed images. It’s also great for product photography. 

And of course, our drone which is a DJI Mavic Mini soon to be upgraded to the DJI Mini 2. We’re also keen to get our hands on the Insta360 ONE R soon.

Which item/s would you never travel without? 

Aside from our gear and our phones we always take our oat milk with us. We also pack some board games, as well as a tiny fishing rod that Anna never takes out of her Jeep, in case she spots an opportunity for some bass fishing. 😂

Advice for aspiring travel content creators?

  1. When you’re starting out to grow your following, use trade exchanges to your advantage. It’s important to know what your niche is to make sure your content won’t be all over the place. 
  2. Know your value and what you bring to the table. 
  3. Keep track of all your stats and ask for testimonials of your work. 
  4. You’ll eventually get to a point where you can start charging and putting together a rate card. It’s at that point where you can decide to start turning away trade exchange stays. 

What difference does travel make in someone’s life?

Travelling is one of those things that everybody wants to do but most people don’t. They allow even the smallest situation to stop them from going on a life-changing trip. Travelling puts things into perspective and can help you gain insight into what your passion is.

If you feel like you’re just going through the motions in your life, take a trip and see how travelling can bring clarity to your life.

What do you do when you’re not travelling?

I was working as a hairstylist before joining Emirates so after flying for five years, I perused my passion for men’s styling and moved to London for a few months to complete a course. I now work as a qualified men’s stylist and will be relocating to Cape Town next month to explore new opportunities within the industry. 

Anna is continuing her love for flying this year as she recently finished her cabin crew training to receive her EU flying license. She’ll be doing contract work for a charter airline that will be based in Greece for the duration of the European summer season.

Get inspired to travel through South Africa with Cabin Seekers.
Get inspired to travel through South Africa with Cabin Seekers.

Whether you are looking for that gem to visit while travelling or some advice on how to become a content creator, Cabin Seekers are there to guide you through it. You can follow them on Instagram and Facebook.