Travelling is definitely a passion of mine (with Japan and Brazil being my personal favourites) and these days when I want to see what an experience is like in a particular country I will look it up on TikTok to get a first person perspective. This is where I began to notice a lot of travel bloggers who provide insightful travel content for both business & fun. I definitely think there is a skill to this from the creative snaps & angles, detailed research and the writing skills to visualise their travel journeys. I have looked at my holiday photos and they certainly don't compare to a lot of these travel bloggers cool pictures, you almost immerse yourself on these travel blogs. Travel blogging allows you to showcase your adventures, share travel tips. recommendations, and connect with a community of like-minded travellers. It is like a dream job, travelling around the world and getting paid to do it. In this blog post we'll cover the essential steps you need to take to become a successful travel blogger as it is more than just taking cool photos on a holiday.
There are many well-known travel bloggers who have gained a significant following and have turned their passion for travel into a successful career. Here are some examples that will give you some inspiration to begin a travel blog.
Nomadic Matt - Matt Kepnes, also known as Nomadic Matt, has been blogging about travel since 2008. His blog offers tips and advice for budget travellers and has become one of the most popular travel blogs online.
Adventurous Kate - Kate McCulley's blog, Adventurous Kate, focuses on solo female travel and has become a go-to resource for women who want to travel the world on their own.
The Blonde Abroad - Kiersten Rich, also known as The Blonde Abroad, has been blogging since 2012 and has become one of the most recognizable faces in the travel blogging industry. Her blog offers travel tips, advice, and inspiration for women who want to travel the world.
Expert Vagabond - Matthew Karsten's blog, Expert Vagabond, offers advice and inspiration for adventure travel. He has traveled to over 50 countries and shares his experiences and tips with his readers.
Be My Travel Muse - Kristin Addis' blog, Be My Travel Muse, focuses on solo female travel and offers tips and advice for women who want to travel independently.
Legal Nomads - Jodi Ettenberg's blog, Legal Nomads, offers a unique perspective on travel and focuses on food and culture. Her blog has won numerous awards and has been featured in major publications like The New York Times and National Geographic. If you click the image below Matthew Karsten has a whole article detailing how he monetises his travelling blog. Although the common interest is jet setting between many travel bloggers, their journeys (no pun) into the travel blogging world and content will vary so I will still provide a range of information surrounding this.
If this is something you want to seriously consider, you will need to define your niche to give your blog an identity. This is essential for standing out in the crowded travel blogging world. You may want to focus on adventure travel, luxury travel, budget travel, solo travel, family travel, or any other specific aspect of travel. Once you have identified your niche, it will be easier to create content that resonates with your audience. Your blog doesn't have to even be any of the niches I just mentioned, you can have your own unique niche that you could put your spin on. For example Jaelynn Chaney on the video below is a leading voice in the plus size travel community and is a spokeswoman for marginalised body advocacy. Jaelynn shares her travel journeys whilst instilling confidence into plus sized travellers who may have some level of anxiety when travelling.
To start a travel blog, you need a website, a domain name, and web hosting, you can use platforms like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace to create your blog. Make sure to choose a design that aligns with your brand and audience. Your blog's success will naturally depend on the quality of your content. You need to create engaging, informative, and visually appealing blog posts that resonate with your audience. To do this, you need to research your target audience, understand their needs, and create content that provides value.
To stand out in the crowded travel blogging world, you need to create a strong brand. You should have a unique voice, a consistent style, and a recognisable visual identity. Your brand should reflect your niche and resonate with your target audience. To grow your audience, you need to promote your blog; Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are great places to promote your travel blog. You can also collaborate with other bloggers and travel brands, guest post on other blogs, and participate in travel-related forums & communities. I have seen many travel bloggers develop their personal brands by putting a face to their blog; not only filming their travel videos but speaking openly directly to their audience, whether it may be via Instagram or TikTok. To me when a travel blogger is explaining their journey, ups & downs and travel tips, it creates a more of a genuine connection to the audience. You will catch a lot of travel vlogs alongside a written travel blog to increase followers, as it allows you to target subscribers on platforms such as YouTube and directly on your site. Some like to watch visuals so they can envision themselves on the travel adventures, others may prefer to read a blog and let their imagination do the rest. it's good to be well rounded when providing content to to engage new and current subscribers to your blog.
Travel blogging can be a lucrative career if you know how to monetise your blog. Some popular ways to make money as a travel blogger include affiliate marketing, sponsored content, brand partnerships, and advertising. Kate and Nate on the video above used their travel blog to create an app that tracks flight fares, so it shows travel blogging it never a one size fits all. I will briefly describe a few ways in which you can monetise your blog.
1. Affiliate marketing is a popular way to monetise your travel blog. It involves promoting a company's products or services through your blog and earning a commission for each sale that is made through your referral. You can promote travel products like luggage, cameras, or travel accessories, as well as hotels, tours and travel agencies.
2. Sponsored content is a way for travel bloggers to earn money by partnering with brands and companies that align with their brand and niche. You can receive payment for creating content that promotes a brand's product or service e.g. a specific hotel or holiday attraction.
3.Travel Writing - If you have a passion for writing, you can leverage your travel blog to become a freelance travel writer. Travel magazines and websites are always looking for talented writers to contribute content to their publications. By showcasing your writing skills on your blog, you can build a portfolio that can help you land paid writing gigs.
4. If you have a talent for photography, you can use your travel blog as a platform to sell your photos. You can sell your photos on stock photography websites or print them on merchandise like t-shirts, mugs, or canvas prints.
5. Creating a website for your travel planner business is essential for showcasing your services and attracting clients. Your website should include information about your services, pricing, and contact information. You can also include sample itineraries and testimonials from satisfied clients. Building a network of travel industry contacts is essential to creating a successful travel planner business. This includes travel agents, tour operators, hotels, and local guides. By establishing relationships with these contacts, you can create unique and customised itineraries for your clients. I like Ms Garn Again who has a travel planner side hustle as a part of her blog but her personality shines through her Tiktok videos with her many travel recommendations.
Offering excellent customer service is crucial to creating a successful travel planner business. This includes responding to client inquiries promptly, providing personalised service, and being available to answer questions before, during and after their trip. Creating a travel planner business is an excellent way for travel bloggers to monetise their expertise and turn their passion for travel into a lucrative business. By focusing on a specific niche, building a network of industry contacts, and offering excellent customer service, you can create a successful and rewarding business that helps others experience the joy of travel.
Engagement is key to growing your social media following. Respond to comments, participate in conversations, and engage with other travel bloggers and brands. Travel blogging offers a world of opportunities for entrepreneurs. By leveraging your blog and social media platforms, you can create a successful business and turn your passion for travel into a lucrative career.
To create high-quality travel content, you need to invest in the right equipment. You'll need a camera, a tripod, and possibly a drone to capture stunning photos and videos of your travels. It's also important to have a reliable laptop, editing software, and a backup hard drive to edit and store your content. Click on the images below to have a look at some travel equipment to enhance your blog quality.
Now everything may seem great at this point and imagine your blog is in motion. You have your travelling equipment, website and plane ticket, but it's important to be aware of some of the challenges when creating a travel blog.
Funding their travels: Travel bloggers need to travel to create content, which can be expensive. Many travel bloggers struggle with funding their travels, especially when they are just starting.
Finding unique content: Travel blogging is a competitive field, and it can be challenging to create content that is unique and stands out from the crowd. Travel bloggers need to constantly come up with new and creative ideas for their blog posts, photos, and videos.
Time management: Travel blogging requires a lot of time and effort. Travel bloggers need to balance their time between creating content, traveling, managing their social media accounts, and running their business.
Maintaining a work-life balance: Travel bloggers often work long hours and can find it challenging to maintain a work-life balance, especially when they are traveling.
Dealing with negative comments and feedback: Travel bloggers are often in the public eye, and they can face negative comments and feedback from their readers or social media followers. This can be challenging to deal with and can take a toll on their mental health.
Staying relevant: Travel blogging is a constantly evolving field, and travel bloggers need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, technologies & social media platforms to remain relevant and grow their audience.
In conclusion, becoming a travel blogger requires a lot of hard work, dedication and passion. By following the steps above you can create a successful travel blog, connect with a community of travellers, and even turn your passion into a profitable career. Please feel free to message your favourite holiday destinations and travel blogs. I do hope this blog post helps you out any aspiring travel bloggers but for more information you can click on the images below which will take you to more literature on how to get started.
