Do you passionately travel often and would like to write about it? Then it’s time for you to think about starting your own travel blog. This can be your own space on the internet to write about how you plan trips, the interesting adventures you’ve had and much more. Travel blogging is an awesome way to document pictures, tips and memories from your excursions. You can then provide all this useful information to others. But are you stuck on how to start this venture? Don’t worry as this blog compiles all the tips you need to become a travel blogger.
7 Tips To Become A Travel Blogger
Think About The Blog Name
The first tip to those thinking of becoming a travel blogger is to decide a name for your blog. Your blog name should in some way be easy to remember and stand out from the crowd. You can brainstorm ideas with your friends and family for name inspiration. Here are the blog names of the some popular travel bloggers in India –
- Travel See Write
- A Soul Window
- Desi Traveler
- Travel Tales From India
- Devil On Wheels
- Be On The Road
- The Shooting Star
- Sid The Wanderer
As you can see each name is catchy and around the theme of traveling. You can also choose to keep your pet name as part of the blog name if you like. Some travel bloggers use humor for their blog name. For instance, a blog name like ‘Fund My Travel’ could get you a laugh from people that see it and they’ll probably also remember your blog. Think and write down words that define the type of traveler you are too.
Blog names like ‘The Blonde Abroad’, ‘Brown Girl Travels’, ‘The Solo GlobeTrotter’, ‘Tale Of 2 Backpackers’ immediately gives the audience a quick sense of the identity of the traveler. You can think about taking this kind of approach as well. Once you think of a name, pray that is available too or you’d have to get to thinking once again.
Get Yourself A Self-Hosted Website
Once you have a couple of options for the name of your blog, you can move forward to select a platform. This is where you can post your content. You will find several platforms online that don’t require you to know coding and also allow you to get your website for free. Instead of choosing free platforms, it is highly recommended to invest in self-hosted platforms.
It could cost you a fee but it allows your website name to stand independently. For instance, a self hosted website will read ‘yourblogname.com’. But a non self-hosted website would read as ‘yourblogname.theplatformname.com’. If you’re very serious about your travel blog, this is one tip that you should really consider. WordPress and Squarespace are popular website builder platforms where you can get yourself a self-hosted website for a minimal fee.
Plan Your Weekly Content
Creating great content is the most important among other tips to become a successful travel blogger. Think about who you are writing for and research good topics to write about. As a travel blogger, you can cover a wide range of content around the many facets of travel. If you like keeping your content personalized, you could think of your blog as a travel diary where you jot down your travel stories. You can also post travel guides since it would be pretty educational for your readers to get some inside tips and inspiration from your travel journey.
Besides planning the content, make sure you know when you’re going to post and be regular about it. Ask yourself if you wish to post 2-3 blogs every week and stay dedicated to the number you settle on. Over 16 blogs is considered to be good for website traffic so you should ideally be aiming for that number. However, don’t worry as it’s not a hard-and-fast rule. You can start slow if you feel you’ll be more consistent that way.
Read Other Travel Blogs
Every once in a while make it a point to scroll and read other travel blogs. See what your fellow travelers are writing about. You could find interesting blog topics being covered like ‘A Guide To Travel On A Budget’ or ‘How To Plan A Weekend Getaway’. Make a note of topics you feel you would like to cover differently.
You don’t have to always stick to just reading travel blogs but you can also watch informative travel videos or travel documentaries. It is necessary to keep absorbing information when you’re a travel blogger so that your mind is running with ideas. Always write down what you’d like to implement in your own travel blog when you feel inspired by a movie, documentary, TV show or even travel books for that matter.
Share Your Articles
Once you’ve started writing your travel blogs, it’s time to boast about it. Share links to your close family, Instagram followers, Twitter too. Ask people you know to share the link to your blog. The more people it reaches, the more readers you’ll have. At first, you might not have enough people reading your travel blog but it can slowly grow if you’re consistently posting. Don’t be in a rush to gain a following but give it time. When friends or family of your friends read and resonate with what you write, they will keep coming back to it and sharing it forward. Yes, it works like word of mouth and is great for you to build readership.
Start A Mailing List
This advice just couldn’t be left out of the tips to become a travel blogger because of how much of a game-changer it can be. If you’re afraid that one day your readers will lose your blog in the sea of other travel blogs, make it a point to give them an option to subscribe to your mailing list.
You can have this as a very visible pop-up Subscribe button on your website. When subscribers to your email send positive messages about your blogs, it can bring a smile to your face too. You could also get in touch with interesting personalities who wish to collaborate with you on a project in regard to something you wrote. Overall, starting a mailing list certainly shouldn’t be discarded.
Make Plans Beyond Writing
Once you have built a community of readers for your blog, you can think beyond writing. Set new goals for your website like organizing travel events on which your readers can join you. You can also consider selling travel merchandise if you feel that is something that will work with the audience you have.
Some travel bloggers take the approach of creating video content along blog posts. On the other hand, some websites offer courses on how to become a digital nomad, professional photographer or more. This helps their readers to learn a new skill set and gain some insights from them.
Get Started On Your Journey To Be A Travel Blogger
In conclusion, start your journey to travel blogging and keep at it. You won’t see success with it overnight but it can be really fun to document your travel trips on a website. Your writing style and interest in your blog can improve overtime as long as you don’t stop trying. You would also learn plenty of maintaining a website, designing it and these days it’s a great skill to have. Use the tips we’ve shared on becoming a travel blogger and make your own notes of the things you learn along the way too. Yes, you’ll get there!
FAQs
How Do I Become A Travel Blogger?
To become a travel blogger, you will have to set up your website on which you can write content about your travel journeys. Being a travel blogger is about discipline and posting well-written useful content for your audience regularly.
How Do Travel Bloggers Get Paid?
After your travel blog starts to gain good traction, you can consider selling travel merchandise, organizing trips for readers, or a course to earn from your blog. You can also get into putting up ads on your website so that with every purchase a reader makes, you earn a commission. These are some ways in which travel bloggers get paid.
What Is The Average Salary Of A Travel Blogger?
When you’re a travel blogger, you work for yourself, and the efforts you put in determine how much money you’ll make. Some travel bloggers make INR 50,000 during a good month with thousands of followers and after working on their travel blog posts for over 3 years or so. You could possibly earn more if you’re selling travel products or in the form of sponsored trips.
What Skills Do You Need To Be A Travel Blogger?
To become a travel blogger, you should be able to write content that reads well. You can always read books and other travel blogs to improve your writing skills. Besides writing, you should have a few soft skills like being able to manage your time well and set goals for your website.