Starting a Travel Blog

Starting a travel blog is a growing way for travelers to share their experiences on the road. There are people who do it just for fun. Some do it so that family and friends can easily follow their travels. For others, starting a travel blog is a more serious endeavor, in hopes of turning their travels into a business.

I fall into the latter category, and after nearly two years of travel blogging, I have decided to share what I have learned starting my own travel blog.

Misconceptions of Starting a Travel Blog

There are a lot of misconceptions about blogging. Some of the most common are fears about the market and the money. Are these fears valid or unwarranted?

A lot of people – usually people outside of the blogging world, looking in – claim that the market for blogging is saturated. They look out and see a blog for everything and immediately dismiss any possibility that you can successfully create a blog. “It’s too late,” they say.

It’s not too late. Yes, there are a lot of travel blogs, but there is plenty of space for new bloggers. Each blog is different. For instance, I write about solo travel and food, with general travel tips and information in the mix, as well. I also write commentary on issues and events I observe when traveling. But my focus is travel and eating good food, presenting it in an honest way without filters.

Meanwhile, I know bloggers who focus on budget travel, photography, ecotourism, vegetarian eating, working abroad, and even martial arts. Each incorporates travel into their blogs, and none of them cover the same topics or write in the style that I do.

There are a lot of travel bloggers, but most are unique. Additionally, travel bloggers generally support each other. Whether that is in the form of collaborating or offering advice, it’s not a cutthroat industry.

My favorite retort after being told there are too many bloggers is the one that ultimately helped me decide to pursue travel blogging: “The global travel industry is a TRILLION dollar industry – yeah, that’s $1,000,000,000,000 – I think there’s plenty of room for me to be successful.”

The world is a big place and is rapidly changing. Don’t let the fact that someone wrote about your favorite destination dissuade your pursuit of starting a travel blog. There is plenty of room to tell your unique story. Better yet, as the world changes, so, too, does travel. Travel constantly changes, and audiences want the most up-to-date information. And they want it from independent travelers.

Great Blogging Resources

Starting a travel blog is not easy. A lot goes into building a website and getting people to read your blog. And it takes a lot of time.

Don’t let that discourage you from starting your own travel blog. When I finally gave in and decided to pursue my passion, I had no idea where to begin. I am a SEVERELY technologically-challenged individual. I know nothing about coding, software, any of that.

Guess what. I still don’t know any of that. It is helpful, but with the right resources and support, you don’t have to be a tech genius to start a blog.

I used Nomadic Matt, the bestselling travel author and blogger, for help getting started. Having followed his travels and writing for several years, his experience and success feels trustworthy. He offers several courses to help bloggers. I chose The Business of Travel Blogging.

The Business of Travel Blogging course helped me in ways I never imagined. It turns out that starting a travel blog is more than buying a domain name, writing some words and uploading a few pictures. I honestly did not know the complexities involved.

As a technologically-challenged person, it would have taken me ages to learn what I did from this course. Matt made mistakes when he was starting, and his course helps you avoid them. Everything from the speed to the security of your website – things I never considered – this course covers. And it makes it as easy as possible.

The Business of Travel Blogging course also connected me with other bloggers. Any time I have a question, want feedback or need help with tech issues, there is a community to help, including other bloggers, tech geniuses and Nomadic Matt himself.

There are a lot of blogging resources available to help you start. Many of them are good, too. For someone like myself, who is not tech savvy (I stress this because it’s all too true!), this course is a tremendous help and worth every penny. The course is also updated to keep up with the changes of the web. I’m learning more every day, but I would have been lost without help!

Reality of Travel Blogging

Before quitting your job, there are some important things to know when starting a travel blog. Blogging is not quite what people think it is. To be frank, travel blogging is not what Instagram portrays.

If you’re expecting to sit on beaches sipping daiquiris, think again. Sure, that’s part of travel and part of blogging, but what we see on social media is essentially the highlights, the pretty moments, of travel.

Travel blogging is a lot of hard work. If you want to be a successful blogger, prepare for a lot of time taking notes, taking photos, writing rough drafts, editing drafts, editing photos, optimizing your website and so on. From booking travel to posting on your website, it takes a long time for a single web post to come to life.

While travelers enjoy their days relaxing on the beach, travel bloggers are hard at work. Of course, the benefit of travel blogging is that when you take time off, you do it in some really cool places.

For me, I’m taking notes on pricing, quality of food, food safety, freshness and my surrounding atmosphere for almost every meal when I travel. And hopefully get a few good pictures. Then I get to enjoy the food. But the best part about starting a travel blog is the research (the travel itself)!

I spent months trying beer in Southeast Asia, and it was awesome. (To clarify, that was not my sole focus.) Not only did I have a great excuse to have another, I learned a lot about local economies, governments and customs in the process. All from drinking beer!

As a travel blogger, you will work hard, but you will look at a destination differently. The days off are great, but when the work is this exciting, it’s the best job in the world.

You CAN Be a Travel Blogger!

It may not be the glamorous and luxurious life seen on Instagram, but starting a travel blog is fun. The sky’s the limit for anyone who is willing to work.

Some important things to remember when starting a travel blog:

Travel blogging is fun! There are a lot of friendly, interesting people in the blogging world. Seeing the world is fun, too. Without a doubt, the best part of travel blogging is the research.

There is a lot of work involved. Short cuts are not advised for sustained, long-term success. If you’re willing to learn something new and put forth the necessary effort, anyone can succeed as a travel blogger.

Be patient. Blogging takes a lot of work. If you plan to run a marathon without any prior experience as a runner, you have to train for months if you want to reach the finish line. While there is no finish line for bloggers, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. In that sense, blogging is not even a race, but the point is to be patient. Successful bloggers are the ones who keep going.

Use the resources and tools available. There are tons of blogging resources available. Use them!

The hardest thing part of blogging is trying to do every little thing by yourself. It’s certainly possible, but when help is available, use it. The path to success as a blogger is much easier using the best tools available.

For me, Nomadic Matt’s Business of Blogging course proves time and time again to be worthwhile. As I continue to improve, learn and make gains, I am happy to have the knowledge and support from this course and the community that comes with it.

Starting a Travel Blog

Starting a travel blog is fun and rewarding. Whether you’re looking at it as a career path, secondary income or just for fun, you can do it. There are thousands and thousands of successful bloggers and plenty of room for more.

The travel industry is a massive, global business that is growing larger each year. Independent travel bloggers are becoming a very important part of that industry. People value first-hand advice and want to read about your experiences. Utilizing the best tools available, and with hard work and a little patience, travel blogging can be a fun, rewarding path for anyone.