HOW TO START A TRAVEL BLOG: BECOME A TRAVEL BLOGGER + MAKE MONEY

Seems like you got intrigued by the idea of starting a travel blog. Well, blogging is no longer just a passionate idea. Over time, it promises to offer a sustainable model to earn solid passive incomes. You no longer need to compromise on money to follow your passion. In fact, once you get a hack of blogging, the sky is just a limit considering the earning potential. Here’s everything you need to know about becoming a travel blogger and making money from it. 

 

Before you venture out with the idea of starting a travel blog, fix this in your mind, it’s not a cakewalk. You require patience, perseverance and the ability to digest failures. You would be able to monetize your blog and sponsor your trips, but it would take years for that to happen. Hence, it would be better to not expect overnight success before even starting. 

 

A travel blog isn’t merely about writing a blog post regularly. You need to work equally on your social media with pictures and YouTubes with videos. You need to create an active, socially compelling image on every platform that would indirectly pull the audience to your blog. You need to wear multiple hats and be proactive on screens while on your journey to become a travel blogger. 

 

Here is your overview step by step guide to becoming a travel blogger. 

 

  1. Get your website ready

For monetizing your content as a travel blogger, you need a website. As a travel blogger, you are the face of a brand you create. Website is a personal representation of your brand. Setting up your own website takes a whole lot of effort and steps. But don’t rush in. Think for the long term and choose wisely your domain and hosting. Give in a long thought before finalising the name for your travel blog. Ensure that name is available across all social media platforms. Create uniformity to capture and retain a large audience. 

 

After finalising and purchasing your domain and hosting, choose your CMS. WordPress happens to be the most popular choice for bloggers. It offers flexibility and ways to customise your website the way you want with minimum glitches and technicalities. Install a WordPress. It’s recommended getting a self-hosted account rather than a free one. Doing so will give you your own URL rather than one ending with wordpress.com. Also, it would give you more control over themes, plugins, data and advertising, which is quintessential in the long run. Speaking of which, select a theme for your website. It gives your blog a more personal touch and creates a compelling brand image. Next, you need to invest in plugins. Over time, once you actively begin to use WordPress, you will learn about plugins that could be helpful to you. 

 

Here are a few plugins you need for your website. 

  • Yoast SEO
  • Google Analytics
  • Social Media Share Buttons
  • Imagify
  • JetPack
  • WP Rocket

These are the basic steps to get your website into place. 

  • Build a travel blogger reputation. 

There are hundreds of travel bloggers out there. However, only a few have made a remarkable impression. They carved a consistent image that resonated with their audience. Know the answers before you start writing your first travel blog or shooting your first video.

 

  • What is your goal with this travel blog? 
  • What kind of audience do you wish to cater to? 
  • Do you want to be a budgeted or luxury travel blogger? 
  • How do you plan to change the idea of travelling? 
  • What will be your niche as a travel blogger? 

 

When you have specific goals aligned, it’s easier to capture an audience. 

 

Social Media is a phenomenal platform to build your audience. It gives you a large audience that would eventually land on your website. It’s crucial to understand that you need to work on social media, blog posts, youtube and other platforms simultaneously to create a meaningful impact.

 

Every social media platform demands a specific kind of content. Images and Video content rule social media platforms. Video Content, however, is the king of every content format. Even if your niche is writing, you need to create compelling visual images and videos to capture your audience. If you wish to make a successful career in travel blogging, you would eventually have to invest in a camera, videography tools and travel gear. Aesthetics, beautification, creative direction and editing are essential components to create monetizable content. Focus more on video content on social media. 

 

  • Instagram is a place for quick, fun and short content forms.
  • YouTube, on the contrary, is a place for more detailed content.
  • Facebook is a marketplace for both long and short duration video content. 

 

However, the base of all these is well-edited videos. Pick a video editor that offers ease and flexibility to edit videos. The end video should have seamless transitions, sharp themes, capturing music and an appeal that captures the audience. 

 

YouTube could be the best platform for you to develop yourself as a travel blogger. Video content entices the viewer. People don’t directly hop to websites to read your blogs. They watch the pictures and view the videos, and only when they get enticed enough, do they visit your blog to gain the information. Leverage YouTube and create a sustainable following there with your enchanting travel content. Eventually, over time, you learn to be better at videos. Video editor again is your excellent friend here. It creates the end video compelling enough to help you get desired attention.

 

Start writing. There would never be a first perfect blog post. You simply write in a manner that’s helpful for the audience. Understand this- Content without context, no matter how good it happens to be, fails to connect with the audience; if it doesn’t serve its purpose. Be simplistic with your writing. And incorporate SEO techniques with it. There are hundreds of things you need to take care of for optimising the blog. Learn it online and implement it into your blog posts. 

  • Monetizing blog posts

The ultimate goal of becoming a travel blogger is to generate sustainable income through your blogs. Generating hefty amounts comes at a much later stage when you gain a considerable following and reader base. Here are a few ways to monetize your blogs. 

  • Affiliate Marketing

You can start earning right from the first day through affiliate marketing. It might not be a hefty paycheck. But it sure works great when done right. Recommend the product you strongly believe in. Earn commissions on every purchase made through your reference. Simple as that. Learn more about platforms for affiliate marketing through online channels. 

  • Ads

Ads will generate a great source of income after you gain a considerable viewer base. Once you start gaining enormous traffic, you can start managing ads more proficiently. Ads would make for a prolific passive income source. 

  • Sponsored blog posts

This comes at a much later stage when you earn a reputation as a travel blogger. You can earn a hefty sum of money by writing guest posts on other websites. But again, you need to be picky with the sites. It would otherwise ruin the reputation. 

  • Brand Ambassadors

You can choose to be a face for companies you heavily use and believe in. Genuine content and a large viewer base will get you ambassador opportunities that would pay heavy amounts. Such opportunities could be with tourism boards, hotels and travel gear brands.

  • Sell your output

You can earn a considerable amount by selling your pictures and videos to various organisations and people. You can post your captured photos and videos on an online platform like Adobe Stock, Shutterstock and Alamy. You can even sell it for making travel brochures, tourism videos and stuff. 

 

Making money with Travel blogs gets easier once you gain recognition. With perseverance and dedication continue working on a blog that resonates.

 

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