Jamie Robins, 49, left education in July after finding success sharing his holidays with the world on YouTube.
Jamie, who has lived in Basingstoke for six years, left his job in Fleet after teaching for two and a half decades.
The former languages teacher, who has also held positions in senior leadership, has nearly 30,000 subscribers on YouTube, plus thousands of followers on Instagram and Facebook. Hundreds of people also pay for extra content on Patreon.
‘It was never my intention to become a vlogger’
The first ‘Travel Vlog Jamie’ was uploaded more than 10 years ago. He said: “I bought my first iPhone – no idea which one – and I took it on my honeymoon to take some footage.
“I discovered I was terrible at editing and my old computer didn’t have enough space to keep all the videos, so I just uploaded them to YouTube. It was never meant for anyone to watch – just for us to keep as memories.
“I then started doing it for all my holidays, I just thought ‘oh this is quite nice, to keep all of the different memories’.”
Jamie, who is originally from Devon, first started narrating his videos and speaking to the camera two years ago, which is when he began to see subscriber and viewer numbers increase.
‘It is the remarkable young people I’ll miss’
After 23 years of working full-time, Jamie began teaching four days a week so he had extra time to focus on travel videos.
Although his channel began to grow, he believed none of his students were aware of his internet fame.
He said: “A group of year 11 boys came to see at lunchtime I didn’t know why and it turns out they wanted some advice about how to start a YouTube channel, I was absolutely gobsmacked.
“Before I knew it the whole staff body knew. Even at parents evening, after talking about their child, I’d have parents say ‘Mr Robins, I would really like your advice on a cruise’.”
It wasn’t just his students who recognised him, his videos are so popular in the cruise community that he is recognised on many of his trips. Fellow passengers often say hello, buy him a drink, or ask for a selfie.
In 2024, Jamie decided to take the leap and leave teaching for good. Rather than a monthly salary, the ex-teacher now gets his income through monetization, Patreon, Cameo and affiliate links.
He added: “I will miss the students, in the morning walking through school when they say ‘hello sir, how are you doing?’ I know that may sound minimal, but it is the remarkable young people I’ll miss.
“They get a really bad rep but on the whole, they are hard-working, courteous and respectful.”
After already completing 17 trips this year, with 15 more planned for the next seven months, including a trip to Hawaii, Jamie has a packed schedule.
‘I am feeling totally rejuvenated’
Giving up a career he has dreamed of since he was five years old has concerned some of those who know him.
Jamie said: “Many people have said I am taking a massive risk but I think they are projecting their own fears and concerns.
“It was a difficult decision to make, and I didn’t make it lightly. I am 49 now and it is about time I did something different.
“It actually feels quite liberating, I am feeling totally rejuvenated.
“I think the aim now is to continue to build my audience, I want to keep informing and entertaining people. I don’t want to change, I want to remain as authentic as possible.
“I don’t want to become unrecognisable, my audience is very sharp so I’m sure they would tell me if I did.”
Jamie has viewers across the world, he no longer teachers Spanish but offers advice to other holiday makers embarking on their own adventures
Other viewers, however, are able to see the world through the videos. Jamie explained that one viewer, who is receiving dialysis treatment, often gets in touch to thank him for sharing the world with her.
He continued: “When I get messages like that it spurs me on. This is something I never expected. It is a privilege to be able to show people the world.”
All of Jamie’s videos can be found at youtube.com/travelblogjamie.
