Get Paid To Travel | How to Become a Travel Blogger
Traveling around the world and documenting your adventures on a blog sounds like the ultimate job. Most people wouldn't even consider this a job, but once you see all the behind the scenes work that goes in to being a travel blogger, the reality can be overwhelming.
There is more to being a travel blogger than just going on trips and writing a blog post about it. There's marketing, collaborations, and a lot of work that needs to be done in order to run a successful blog. But, if you are passionate about traveling and want to turn a dream of being paid to travel the world into reality, then starting a travel blog might just be for you!
Below are 10 things you need to think about and know before becoming a travel blogger to ensure you are ready for this amazing journey.
How to Become a Travel Blogger
Find your Area of Interest
Like anything you do in life, in order to do it well, you have to be interested and passionate about it. This is the same for being a travel blogger! If you hate cruises and decide to start a blog about different cruises around the world, then your blog will not do well. When your passion and interest are clear it shines through.
When you write about your area of interest with enthusiasm, this will in turn entice your audience and make them feel the passion as well. Also, remember that you don't need to write about everything travel related to your blog. For example, if you are not a hostel type of person don't bother writing about these on your blog.
Choose a Specialized Niche
It is important to narrow down what you write about on your blog by choosing a designated Niche. When you choose a narrow niche your audience and Google will recognize you as an authority in this field. With this people will know when they are looking for something on a specific topic, you are the place to go.
It can be hard in the beginning to narrow down your niche so feel free to experience to find what works best. You might start as a North American travel blog and slowly make your way to American National Parks blog that specializes in this content.
Know your Audience
Analyzing and understanding what your audience wants is a necessity for a successful travel blog. If your audience is young, then you may want to focus on trendy topics and "Instagrammable" places. But if the audience your targeting is older these aspects won't matter as much. Understanding what your audience wants to read is essential to writing content that connects with them.
Be Different
There are so many travel blogs online today and finding ways to stand out will make all the difference. If you notice there is a ton of written content online about a topic you want to write about, then be different and tackle this topic with a video. Or if you notice every post is mostly text and informational, make yours very visual and casual. In a world of more content than we can handle finding a way to stand out is a must.
Prepare to Invest in your Blog
Running a successful travel blog is not cheap. There are quite a few costs that come into play, but if you are monetizing your blog correctly you can pay those off easily. The main cost is the actual website. You will have to buy a domain name and pay for hosting. I host with Lyrical Host and they charge as low as 9.99 a month, I also have a discount code "Creative10" for 10%.
You will also find with time that outsourcing can be better in the long run, even if it does cost a few dollars. Things like hiring designers, SEO experts, website techs, writers and more will come at a price, but worth the investment.
Focus on Quality
Many new bloggers get caught up in the idea that they need a ton of content on their blog to be successful. However, this can result in them writing poor, low-quality posts. Readers can recognize rushed, and lazy posts and first impressions count! If this is someone's first impression there is a low chance they will come back to your website. With high-quality content, you can engage your audience and show how much time and effort goes into your work.
Be Consistent
Some people get into the travel blogging world and think they will have overnight success. While this is not really the case. Running a successful blog that you can turn into a full-time job takes a lot of time, effort, and consistency.
In order to remain consistent, it is a good idea to set monthly goals that are achievable. In the beginning, set the goal of creating 4 blog posts/month. Doing this while learning the ins and outs of blogging is achievable with the right mindset.
Don't make the blog about YOU
Don't make the mistake of using your blog as a diary. Your family and close friends might like to read about your very personal adventures but this won't result in a successful travel blog. Try to make the blog more about the place and tell stories that will make people relate and find interest in your writing, rather than making it a story about your time in place x.
Monetize your blog
Once you've had your blog for some time you will be looking for ways to monetize it. There are a few ways to do so; ads, sponsored content, products, services, and more. With these options, you can start to make some real money from your blog which in turn can fuel your next adventures.
Just be sure not to focus too much on working with brands and traveling as part of a sponsored trip. If you do this too often people may consider your content to not be authentic and too influenced by the brands you work with.
Make friends in the Industry
The travel blogging community is huge and full of amazing people! Meeting all of these amazing people is a great way to increase your network and make like-minded friends. Even if your blog is a side hobby, by connecting with other bloggers you can make friends all around the world.
If you are feeling motivated and excited about the idea of starting a travel blog, then there is no better time to start. A travel blog is a great way to connect with people online and work in a field you are passionate about.
