DURHAM, N.C. — The creators of North Carolina travel blog, NC Tripping, changed what they were writing about and saw three times more success during pandemic.

Carl Hedinger and Christina Riley lost virtually 50% of their revenue when COVID-19 hit.

“​Definitely took a sharp dive, but as we started sharing more individual hikes people could do and trails and pandemic safe things," Riley says. "We started to see a lot more interest and more people gravitating to the things we already love to do."

They couldn't safely tell people to travel because of COVID-19 restrictions. So they started writing about other things like fun facts about the state and music you could listen to while stuck inside.

Then once it was safe to travel again, the couple and their 3-year-old daughter, Charlotte, started safely exploring the hikes and trails around them. They say they have gotten to spend more time together as a family and also wrote their first eBook over the past year.

"We love North Carolina, we didn't know it was going to be our home like it is. But now it's a place that we love, and we just want to share how amazing it is with everyone," Riley says.