Could Nicole Navigates navigate out of Northamptonshire?

Photography by Khandie Photography (who is a babe, go follow!)

Spoiler: I am not moving away, or going anytime soon!

But that title got you, didn’t it?

BUT this is a frequent conversation between Josh and I; not because we have any plans to, or we don’t like the area, but it’s just something that pops up now and again and is a regular topic, especially now we live together and plan our lives together.

Growing up, I thought I would stay in Kent forever (fun fact: I was born in Ashford, Kent and moved away when I was 13) so when my parents came to me and said: we’re moving to Towcester – I was livid.

Firstly, I said: wait, there’s actually a place named after a kitchen appliance? And secondly, I was devastated!

My whole life was in Kent; my family, my school, my friends and everything I knew existed was about to no longer be around me and the norm.

I was expected to do as my parents say and move away and start all over.

Sounds dramatic, right? But honestly, at that age, everything was and I literally thought my life was over. Luckily, it wasn’t and moving here was one of the best decisions.

Maybe there’s another blog post to be written about all this.

But basically the point is; if my parents made that decision for the better, due to the fact my dad’s job was no longer going to be available to him; then who’s to say something like that or a different situation would make us move again?

I’ve seen it happen to plenty of people, for plenty of reasons. Some of my friends have moved on from Northamptonshire and have different lives elsewhere. So it does make me think: WILL we be in Northamptonshire forever?

So it does make me think of a few things:

  1. If we did move, why and what would the reason be? (it would have to be a GOOD reason)
  2. Would we be okay? Would we start a new life, would we make friends and keep in touch with family?
  3. WHAT ON EARTH WOULD HAPPEN TO NICOLE NAVIGATES!?

Obviously, my blog is a HUGE part of my life and for the last 5 years, I have tried to build a WHOLE BRAND around Northamptonshire, with my Northants Food Guides, local guides and even starting a hashtag around the county!

It’s lucky that my actual blog isn’t called ‘Navigating Northants’ and does have Nicole in it, which means it is about me – BUT how on earth would I start again?

Talking to Josh about this, I thought about it this way:

  1. It would be sad to leave and all that work would feel really pointless and upsetting 
  2. It could be an open door to blogging about local and independent still, BUT it would mean either sticking to the location we moved to, OR expanding my horizons and talking about lots of places
  3. I would (hope) to visit regularly, so the Northants thing wouldn’t be 100% dead, BUT I’d have to think of a whole new series, hashtag, the lot…

I don’t quite think (for example) #NavigatingBognor, #NavigatingSuffolk or #NavigatingLiverpool quite have the same ring (obviously, we are not moving to either of these)

But do you see my slight panic?

Don’t get me wrong; I don’t know how long Nicole Navigates has left, whether it has a shelf life, or if I will want to be doing this when I’m in my 40’s.

BUT it’s just one of those things I think about often and I like to think that my blog will live forever and maybe someday, I will be doing this as a full-time gig. 

Also, another topic Josh and I talk about often, is the fact Towcester is a very up and coming area, which means there’s a lot of new houses being built all the time.

We are lucky to now be on the property ladder, since buying a house, BUT house prices are going up and especially in Towcester, so it does beg the question of whether we would be able to afford living here in the future.

I’ve always liked the idea of retiring by the beach – I was born near a beachside town, I went to University where Bognor Regis beach was close by and I’m a water sign – so the beach resonates a lot with me.

So the idea when Josh and I are old and grey living in a small flat with a balcony overlooking the beach and sea sounds quite lovely.

But life is too short. We don’t know what’s going to happen and for now, I would quite like to live in Northamptonshire for as long as possible. 

I feel like this blog post went on such a tangent, but it’s something I feel is a good talking point because of the fact I have been so niche and specific in talking about Northamptonshire, so it does raise a few questions:

  1. Do I stick to my guns and blog about Northamptonshire forever? And if so and IF we did move, should Nicole Navigates be left there.
  2. If I don’t move, would it be a bad thing to feature a few snippets of other surrounding places?

There is lots to think about here and obviously, LOTS of this blog post is talking on a very “what if” sense but I felt like putting my thoughts onto a blog post to see what you guys think. 

What would you do if you moved away? Does your business/blog have a specific geographical niche?

And if so, what would happen to that if you had to move away?

Would you take the business elsewhere, or would you be forced to hang up your boots and start something new?

I’d love for you to share your opinions on this in the comments below! 

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  • Dene says:

    The value you’ve provided won’t change if you decide to leave everything Northampton within its own category alongside other places you choose to navigate.

    The brand of you will still have value without Northampton IMO.

    • Beth says:

      I think this is such an interesting point to raise, and as much as I love the Northants content, it is always nice to have features of other places you visit too! A huge part of what makes your content so good to read is it’s quality, not the location. I think you could carry your blog anywhere to be honest!xxx

  • jerry says:

    The future will be what it will be. Do what is right now (think about that one).

    That said, here’s a good example of a very effective site: https://irisharoundoz.com/. Read the first page and then look at https://sunsettravellers.com/ and look carefully at the blogger’s photo. Definitely not living in Australia any more!