Our Very First YouTube Video Made a ‘Fan’ Move to Spain

Even small creators have a lot of influence

I don’t write about it very often, but my wife and I run a travel YouTube channel, called Days We Spend.

We work hard on it, and I’m proud of our videos, but I’m a little shy about this part of my life because I’ve always wanted to be known as a writer — not a “YouTuber.” However, the other day something happened that made me realize that I might be a bonafide YouTuber after all.

We were recognized by a “fan” of our YouTube channel for the first time. And to make it even weirder, this all happened while were sitting in a public hot pool in Spain.

Yeah.

But that’s not all.

This fan went on to tell us that he’d actually moved to Spain because of the video we made about the hot pools of Ourense.

That’s right.

The first time we were ever recognized in public, it was by a dude who’d uprooted his life to move to a small city in Spain, because of our little video about free hot pools. And we were talking to him in the exact same hot pool that we’d featured in our video.

It turns out that we might be influencers after all. And if you make content online, you probably are, too.

We’re All Influencers

What makes this story even wilder is that the video in question was the very first we ever made. Numero uno.

Needless to say, it’s not our best video. It’s not even one of our more popular videos. And honestly, I realize now that we probably shouldn’t have filmed in or near the hot pools since they don’t want cameras in the area.

Our bad. (Like I said. It was our first video).

But I never thought that this little video would make someone want to actually move to Ourense. I mean…we live here now…so maybe it’s just the draw of this weird little city, but it’s hard not to feel like we had an outsized influence on this guy’s life if he cited us as the inflection point for his big move.

The point is, talking with this guy reminded me that you don’t need to have a massive following to influence people. It can happen on your first try.

Because the stuff you make online doesn’t stay online.

The ‘Creator Economy’

As “creators” we’re encouraged to share our experiences and opinions with as many people as possible, as often as we can. It’s like Alec Baldwin says, “A.B.C. — Always Be Creating.”

And it’s easy to see why it works that way.

When you post something, you get a few likes, claps, and views (and if you’re lucky, you even earn a little money). And it feels great. You’re a creator. Enjoy the dopamine hit.

But most of us probably don’t think twice about what happens to our posts after we share them. Why would we?

It’s just content. And in today’s rapid media/content treadmill, it’ll be “gone” in a few days anyway, right? Not really.

Sitting in the thermal bath with this very chatty dude, reminded me that our videos aren’t just “content” to the people who watch them.

A lot of people take what you say seriously.

And that can have very real consequences, both good and bad.

How Not to Become a YouTuber

I can’t stress this enough. This was our very first video.

It’s not shot well. It’s not edited well. And we had literally no subscribers at the time. Even three-ish years later the video only has a few thousand views. But (at least) one of those viewers liked it so much that he moved to a city in Spain you’ve never heard of.

That’s absolutely wild to me.

When my then-girlfriend-now-wife and I started our YouTube channel in 2019 with the simple idea of documenting our travels we had no idea it would become anything.

And to be clear, it’s still very small.

As of May 23, 2023, we have 9,537 subscribers, and our most popular video — Honda Element Microcamper: No Build Budget Design — has over 593,000 views. We’ve monetized the channel so we earn a little money each month. But it’s only enough to pay for some (but not all) of our utilities.

Like I said, it’s a small channel.

I tell you about our (very) modest success to drive home that we are not “YouTubers” in the traditional sense of the word. This is not a full-time gig. We don’t have sponsorship deals with brands and thousands of rabid fans … although that would be sweet.

But we still have enough influence to change someone’s life.

And we are growing.

We were recognized twice on a recent hike on the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and we helped a couple prepare their Spanish NLV paperwork for their application. We share our experiences as a couple in Spain, and people are listening. And for what it’s worth, I like the community we’re building.

Big or small, it’s important to remember that you have a voice. And that voice has power.

Even so-called “micro-influencers” like us (and many of the writers on this platform) have the power to shape people’s opinions of the world. Never forget that.

What You Do Online Matters in the Real World

It’s easy to think that what you do on the internet doesn’t matter.

No one reads your stories. People don’t care about your posts or pictures. It’s just content anyway. It’ll be buried by the algorithm tomorrow.

The internet can feel like a cold indifferent place, especially if you’re still trying to find your audience. But I’m thrilled — and a little horrified — to say that you have more influence than you realize.

You can share something today that will inspire someone you’ve never met to hike across Spain, turn their Honda Element into an RV, or move to a sleepy little city in Spain with free hot pools. And you don’t need a massive following to do it.

Trust me.

I always thought it would be cool to “meet a fan” for the first time in real life — and it was. But learning that the stuff I make for the internet actually meant something to someone has made me pause and reflect on what it means to be a “content creator.”

I’ve seen firsthand that the stories we choose to tell matter.

So I’m trying to choose my words a little more carefully these days.

Shawn Forno is a travel writer with 15+ years of experience who wrote the book on California for Lonely Planet (Experience California Guide 2023). He’s managed content for creators like Matt D’Avella and travel brands like Tortuga Backpacks and Unbound Merino. Shoot him an email if you want to work together or check out the travel YouTube channel he runs with his wife.