So You’re Thinking About Blogging?
There’s never been a better time in the history of the world for creative, adventurous people to be able to express themselves. The internet has opened up the possibility to create your own blog, publish your thoughts with the click of a button and send your words out to readers from anywhere in the world.
The internet has also opened up new opportunities to essentially get paid to travel. Many travel bloggers are able to partially (or completely) fund their travels using the money they make from sponsored posts or advertisements on their site.
While making money is a great perk of blogging, there are other valuable reasons to keep a travel blog as you explore new destinations.
Blogs that are written by passionate and devoted people are usually the ones that end up being successful anyways — so make sure you are starting a travel blog for the right reasons and with good intentions in mind!
From there you can take the next steps to creating a blog that’s built for success.
Why You Should Blog
Whether you want to have a high-profile blog or not, everyone can benefit from keeping a travel blog.
- It’s a place to record your memories. Years from now when you are looking back on your memories of your travels, being able to read back through your blog will be a wonderful way to reminisce about the adventures you have had. If you have written down those stories in detail, you will be able to remind yourself of things you would have otherwise forgotten.
- It’s a way to connect with other travelers. When other people read your travel blog they may reach out to you in the comments and connect with you, starting a conversation about destinations and travel experiences. This can be a great way to connect with other travelers around the world.
- It’s a place to inspire others. If you say something particularly inspiring on the blog, someone may decide to take their own travel adventure thanks to your great example.
- It makes you slow down and pay attention. When you are writing about something it forces you be more aware of what is happening around you. This will cause you to travel slowly and be more thoughtful.
- It helps you find your voice. Even if writing a travel blog is just a hobby and you don’t see yourself in a career as a professional writer, keeping a blog can help you to find your voice. The more you write about your thoughts and experiences, the more you will start to see a common thread emerge.
- It’s a way to keep your family updated. Your friends and family will want to hear about your travels, so instead of talking to them all separately you will be able to keep them all updated at once with one blog post. Plus it’s a great way to keep in touch with your loved ones to let them know you are safe and having a good time on the road.
Once you know why you want to start your blog, you can use the following tips to create a high-quality blog that will get the attention of readers.
Get the Design Right
When it comes to how to start a travel blog, it doesn’t matter how well-written it is if the website design is slow loading, unattractive and difficult to navigate. Visitors will click away from your blog out of sheer frustration, because everyone hates clumsy websites.
You need a design that will be appealing to the eye, easy to read, and easy to navigate so that visitors will enjoy browsing and reading what you have to say.
If you have the skills to do this yourself, go for it. If not, consider hiring a designer online or using a previously designed blog template.
Treat It Like a Job
Right now you are in the super-inspired-and-excited phase and you probably have tons of ideas for blog posts, which is great. However, after a while your enthusiasm will level out.
This is usually what happens to most blogs: they don’t last because they get made in a burst of inspiration but they don’t become a long-term, sustainable habit. The truth is that in order for your blog to grow and become successful, you need to produce content and keep it updated on a regular basis.
Take the blog seriously and treat it like a job. Make a habit of writing at least one new post per week — no exceptions.
Schedule it into your calendar and treat it like you would any important meeting.
Sharing your travel experiences is important. Joining in the sharing community can help you get started! Here are the best travel Instagrams around.
Create a Mix of Head and Heart
A good travel blog is useful for the reader, offering valuable tips and information they can use to make their travels easier. However, if all the readers wanted was pure information they could just look on Wikipedia or Wikitravel and be done with it.
Your readers are reading your blog because they want personality as well as information. They want to hear a little bit about you, your passions, your adventures and your unique perspective on the world.
A great travel blog is a mix of useful information along with entertaining stories and unique perspectives, so don’t forget to write from the heart as well as from the head.
If you are truly interested in publishing posts that are engaging and useful, make sure you take the time to work on your travel writing skills. It doesn’t matter how interesting your stories are if you aren’t using best practices when it comes to travel writing.
Connect with People
One of the most important parts of growing a successful travel blog is connecting with others. Your blog gives you a platform you can use to reach out and connect with people from all over the world.
This can not only be a very rewarding experience, it can also help you make your blog more successful.
Let’s say for example that you reach out and tweet or email another travel blogger to chat with them about a destination or an aspect of travel. Once you have established that connection, you can possibly help promote each other by writing guest posts on each other’s blogs, sharing each other’s content on social media and leaving comments on each other’s posts.
The more connections you make, the better!
Are You Ready to Start Your Blog?
The most important thing to remember when starting your travel blog is that no one can tell your story better than you can.
Let your unique personality shine through, tap into the wonder and excitement that made you want to travel in the first place and create something that will inform and inspire your readers!
Following these tips will give you the best chance at creating a successful blog that people from all over the world can enjoy. At the end of the day, however, if you appreciate the personal benefits blogging can have in your life, you’ll be successful.