Tips for Starting a Blog About Travel: From Business Traveler to Blogger

As a travel blogger for the last five years, I know the ins and outs of the industry. Running my blog, Lean Traveller Guide has allowed me to provide useful advice on planning and surviving business trips as well as reviewing travel gear. Today, I will share my knowledge on how to start a travel blog, so you can embark on your own exciting journey of sharing your experiences with others.

Is travel blogging easy?

To be a successful travel blogger, it’s essential to understand that it’s not just about sharing your personal experiences, but also providing valuable information to your readers. Your content must be informative, helpful, and engaging, offering a unique perspective and insights into the destinations and experiences you’re sharing.

Furthermore, building a strong following and gaining traction for your blog requires more than just writing excellent content. You’ll need to learn about search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and other digital marketing strategies to reach a broader audience.

Moreover, the travel blogging industry is highly competitive, and it can be challenging to stand out from the crowd. You’ll need to find ways to differentiate yourself from other bloggers and provide value to your audience consistently. This could mean finding unique destinations, uncovering hidden gems, or sharing insider tips that others may not have discovered.

In conclusion, while travel blogging can be a fun and rewarding experience, it requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and a commitment to producing high-quality content that resonates with your audience. However, if you’re passionate about travel, writing, and storytelling, it can be a fulfilling and exciting career path to pursue.

What is a good blog?

A good blog is one that provides valuable information to its readers and keeps them engaged with interesting and informative content. A travel blog should provide helpful tips and recommendations for destinations, accommodations, and activities, as well as personal insights and experiences.

Do people still write travel blogs?

Yes, people still write travel blogs. While the travel industry has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, many travel bloggers are still creating content and sharing their experiences with their readers. In fact, with the rise of domestic and local travel, there has been a renewed interest in travel blogging as people look for inspiration and information on where to go and what to do. Additionally, many travel bloggers have pivoted to writing about travel-related topics such as virtual tours, outdoor activities, and travel planning tips. So, while the travel industry may be facing challenges, travel blogging is still alive and well.

What is an example of a travel blog?

There are many great travel blogs out there, but some examples include:

• Nomadic Matt – Nomadic Matt is a popular travel blog run by Matt Kepnes, who has been traveling the world since 2006. His blog offers practical tips, resources, and advice for budget travelers. He covers everything from finding cheap flights to saving money on accommodations and experiencing local cultures.
• The Blonde Abroad – The Blonde Abroad is a travel blog run by Kiersten Rich, a California native who left her corporate job to travel the world. Her blog focuses on solo female travel and offers advice on travel planning, packing, and safety. She also shares her personal travel experiences and photography.
• The Points Guy – The Points Guy is a travel blog that focuses on maximizing credit card and frequent flyer rewards for travel. Run by Brian Kelly, the blog offers tips on earning and redeeming points for flights, hotels, and other travel-related expenses. It also provides travel news, reviews, and destination guides.

Mentioned above blogs provide a wealth of information and inspiration for travel enthusiasts and are good examples of blog about travel.

Where can I find travel blogs?

It’s always good to look at competition before you start. The best is to find find some travel blogs through a simple Google search or by using blog directories such as Feedly, Flipboard, or Pocket. Social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter also provide a great way to discover travel bloggers and their content.

How do I write a travel blog?

If you are considering starting a travel blog, it is essential to understand some technical details about CMS platforms (Content Management Systems), hosting, and other related tools. The most popular CMS platform for bloggers is WordPress, which offers a wide range of themes and plugins to help you create a professional-looking website. Choosing the right hosting provider is also crucial to ensure your website runs smoothly and quickly. Researching and understanding these technical details can help you create a successful travel blog that stands out in a crowded online space.

How do I start my first travel blog?

To start your first travel blog, you must first choose a platform on which you will run your website. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, WordPress is a popular choice for bloggers as it is user-friendly and customizable. You will also need to choose a domain name and a hosting provider. Bluehost is a great option for beginners as it provides reliable hosting at an affordable price.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is a popular content management system that allows users to create and manage websites easily. It was initially developed as a blogging platform, but it has since evolved into a versatile platform used for various websites, including e-commerce, portfolios, and forums.

WordPress offers a user-friendly interface and a vast selection of themes and plugins, making it a popular choice for bloggers. The platform is also SEO-friendly, allowing bloggers to optimize their website’s visibility on search engines.

Which is the best hosting for my travel blog?

Choosing the best hosting platform for your travel blog can be a challenge.

Criterion to pick the best hosting provider for your WordPress blog about travel

Here are some factors to consider when selecting the best hosting platform:

Which are the must-have WordPress plugins for blog about travels?

WordPress plugins are essential for enhancing your blog’s functionality and optimizing it for search engines. Here are some must-have plugins for travel bloggers:

• Jetpack – Jetpack is a powerful plugin that offers a wide range of features for your travel blog, including security, backups, and site analytics. With Jetpack, you can also customize your site’s appearance, manage your social media accounts, and optimize your images for faster loading times.
• Elementor – Elementor is a drag-and-drop page builder that allows you to create beautiful and unique designs for your travel blog. With its user-friendly interface and extensive library of templates and widgets, you can easily customize your site’s layout, typography, and colors without any coding knowledge.
• AAWP – AAWP (Amazon Affiliate for WordPress) is a plugin that helps you monetize your travel blog by integrating Amazon affiliate links into your content. With AAWP, you can easily create product comparison tables, showcase bestseller lists, and display product information boxes.
• CookieYes | GDPR Cookie Consent – This plugin helps you comply with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by displaying a cookie consent banner on your site. It allows you to customize the banner’s design and text and provides options for users to manage their cookie preferences.
• LiteSpeed Cache – LiteSpeed Cache is a caching plugin that helps to optimize your travel blog’s performance by reducing page load times. It includes features like image optimization, lazy loading, and database optimization, which helps to speed up your site.
• Mailchimp – Mailchimp is an email marketing tool that allows you to grow your email list and send newsletters to your subscribers. You can easily create and customize email campaigns, track your open rates, and analyze your email marketing performance.
• Sassy Social Share – Sassy Social Share is a social media sharing plugin that allows your visitors to share your content on various social media platforms. It provides customizable social media buttons and sharing options for over 100 social media networks.

Using these plugins can help you customize and optimize your travel blog for better user experience, higher engagement, and more traffic.

How do I start my first travel blog? Step by Step Guide

So, if you are still reading this article, that means you are were not scared by the technical side of running the blog. Now let’s go through the process Step by step to get you started:

1. Finding a niche for your blog about travel

Finding a niche for your travel blog is essential for attracting a dedicated audience. To find your niche, start by assessing your personal interests and experiences. Do you have a passion for adventure travel, luxury travel, or budget travel? Consider the types of destinations you enjoy visiting, the activities you enjoy participating in, and the types of travel advice you are uniquely qualified to provide. Additionally, research your competition to see what topics are already being covered and identify any gaps in the market that you can fill. By finding a unique travel niche, you can differentiate your blog and attract a loyal readership.

2. Choose a domain name and hosting platform

Once you have determined your niche and audience, it’s time to choose a domain name for your blog. Choosing the right domain name for your travel blog is crucial, as it will become the identity of your blog. Your domain name should be memorable, easy to spell, and relevant to your travel niche. Here are some tips to help you choose the perfect domain name for your travel blog:

1. Keep it short and simple – Avoid long and complicated domain names. A short and easy-to-remember domain name will be more effective.
2. Make it relevant – Your domain name should reflect your travel niche. Incorporating your keyword into your domain name will help improve your search engine rankings.
3. Check availability – Make sure the domain name you want is available. You can use domain name search tools to check for availability.
4. Consider branding – Your domain name should be brandable and unique. Avoid using numbers, hyphens, or misspelled words.
5. Use a reputable domain registrar – Choose a reputable domain registrar that offers good customer support and security. Usually your WordPress site hosting will offer domain registration. You can use those which I recommended in the section about how to setup the WordPress.

Remember, your domain name is a critical aspect of your travel blog’s success. Take the time to choose a memorable and relevant domain name that reflects your travel niche and brand.

3. Customize your blog’s design

Your blog’s design is an essential element that sets it apart from others. Choose a theme that reflects your personality and suits your blog’s content. Customizing your blog’s design will also help make it look professional and appealing to your readers.

There are many options available to customize your WordPress travel blog’s design. One of the easiest ways is to use a pre-designed template or theme. Two popular websites where you can search for templates are Themeforest and TemplateMonster. They offer a variety of templates for WordPress blogs, including those tailored specifically to travel blogs.

Another popular option is to use a drag-and-drop page builder such as Divi or Elementor. These tools allow you to create custom designs for your travel blog without needing any coding experience. Divi offers a library of pre-designed templates and a drag-and-drop editor to create your own custom designs. Elementor provides a similar set of features, along with a visual editing interface and a range of widgets and templates.

Regardless of which approach you choose, make sure to choose a design that fits your blog’s content and style. Consider the layout, color scheme, and overall aesthetic to create a visually appealing and user-friendly blog for your readers.

4. Create quality content

Quality content for a travel blog means creating informative and engaging articles that resonate with your audience. It should provide valuable information about destinations, cultures, food, and experiences to your readers. To achieve this, your content should be well-written, easy to read, and free from grammatical errors.

It’s important to conduct thorough research and ensure that your articles are factually correct. Use high-quality images and videos to enhance the visual appeal of your blog and engage your readers. You should also strive to share your personal experiences and insights, adding a unique perspective to your content.

In addition to being informative, your content should also be entertaining and inspiring. This can be achieved by sharing interesting anecdotes, highlighting unique experiences, and providing useful tips and advice.

Ultimately, quality content is key to attracting and retaining readers to your travel blog. By providing informative and engaging content that resonates with your audience, you can establish yourself as an authority in the travel industry and build a loyal following.

5. Promote your blog

Promoting your travel blog is essential to attract new readers and growing your audience. Here are some effective ways to promote your blog:

• Use social media: Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are excellent tools to promote your blog. Share your blog posts on these platforms and engage with your followers.
• Guest posting: Consider guest posting on other travel blogs or websites that share your niche. This will help you reach a new audience and drive traffic back to your blog.
• Email marketing: Create a mailing list and send out newsletters to your subscribers. This is a great way to keep your readers informed about your latest blog posts.
• Search engine optimization (SEO): Optimize your blog for search engines by using keywords, meta descriptions, and tags. This will help your blog rank higher in search engine results and attract more traffic.
• Collaborate with other bloggers: Collaborating with other travel bloggers is a great way to expand your reach and gain new followers. You can work together on a project or simply promote each other’s blogs.

By using these strategies, you can effectively promote your travel blog and grow your audience. Remember to consistently create high-quality content that resonates with your readers and keeps them engaged.

6. Learn about SEO

SEO stands for search engine optimization, which is the practice of optimizing your website and its content to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). Essentially, SEO is the process of making your website more attractive and relevant to search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo so that they’ll rank your content higher in their search results.

SEO involves many different strategies and tactics, but some of the most important include:

• Keyword research: researching and selecting the right keywords to target in your content
• On-page optimization: optimizing your website’s pages, content, and metadata to improve their relevance and searchability
• Off-page optimization: building backlinks and social signals from other websites to improve your website’s authority and trustworthiness
• Technical optimization: ensuring your website is technically sound and meets search engine requirements for crawling, indexing, and ranking

By implementing effective SEO strategies, you can improve your website’s visibility, attract more traffic, and ultimately grow your business or brand online. However, SEO is an ongoing process, and it requires ongoing effort, analysis, and adaptation to keep up with changing search engine algorithms and user behavior.

7. Use SEO tools for keywords research

There are many great keyword research tools available to help you identify the best keywords to target for your content. Some of the best keyword research tools include:

1. Google Keyword Planner: This is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to find keywords and get traffic estimates for them. It also provides suggestions for related keywords and lets you filter results based on location, language, and device.
2. SEMrush: This is a powerful tool that offers a range of features, including keyword research, competitive analysis, and site audit. It provides a lot of data on keywords, including search volume, difficulty, and related keywords.
3. Ahrefs: This is another comprehensive SEO tool that offers keyword research, competitive analysis, and backlink analysis. It provides detailed data on search volume, keyword difficulty, and more.
4. Moz Keyword Explorer: This tool provides detailed keyword analysis, including search volume, difficulty, and opportunity scores. It also provides suggestions for related keywords and lets you prioritize keywords based on their potential value.
5. Ubersuggest: This is a free tool that provides keyword suggestions based on your input, as well as data on search volume, competition, and related keywords.

Ultimately, the best keyword research tool for you will depend on your specific needs and budget. However, using a combination of these tools can help you find the best keywords to target and improve your content’s visibility and ranking in search results.

Do travel bloggers make money?

Yes, travel bloggers can make money through various means such as sponsored content, affiliate marketing, and advertising. However, it takes time and effort to build a successful blog that generates income.

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a great way for travel bloggers to monetize their blogs. It’s a type of performance-based marketing that allows bloggers to earn a commission for each sale they generate for the companies they promote. With the popularity of travel blogging, more and more companies are offering affiliate programs that bloggers can sign up for.

To start earning money through affiliate marketing, travel bloggers need to find products and services that align with their niche and audience. For example, if you write about adventure travel, you could promote travel gear, outdoor clothing, or adventure tours. It’s important to only promote products and services that you believe in and that would be of value to your readers. If you promote products just for the sake of earning commissions, your audience will quickly lose trust in you and your blog.

When promoting products through affiliate marketing, travel bloggers can use a variety of methods, such as writing product reviews, creating gift guides, or adding affiliate links to existing blog posts. To increase their chances of success, bloggers should focus on building relationships with their audience and providing valuable content that educates, inspires, and entertains.

Overall, affiliate marketing can be a great source of income for travel bloggers. However, it’s important to approach it with integrity and only promote products and services that align with your brand and provide value to your audience.

What are the best affiliate programs for travel bloggers?

Some of the best affiliate programs for travel bloggers include Booking.com, Amazon Associates, and Skyscanner. These programs offer competitive commissions for promoting travel-related products and services.

• Booking.com is a popular affiliate program for travel bloggers because it offers a variety of travel-related products, including hotels, flights, and car rentals. As an affiliate, you can earn up to 4% commission for every booking made through your referral link.
• Amazon Associates is also a great option for travel bloggers because it offers a wide range of travel-related products, such as luggage, travel books, and cameras. You can earn up to 10% commission on any product purchased through your affiliate link.
• Skyscanner is another top affiliate program for travel bloggers, which offers a powerful search engine for flights, hotels, and car rentals. Skyscanner offers a 50% revenue share on any booking made through your referral link. Other popular affiliate programs for travel bloggers include TripAdvisor, Expedia, and Airbnb.

To maximize your earnings through affiliate marketing, it’s important to choose programs that are relevant to your niche and audience. You should also focus on promoting products and services that you have used and believe in, as this will make your recommendations more genuine and trustworthy.

In addition to affiliate marketing, travel bloggers can also earn income through sponsored content, advertising, and selling digital products such as e-books or courses. By diversifying your income streams, you can create a sustainable income from your travel blog and turn your passion for travel into a profitable career.

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” – John F. Kennedy

The Decision is Yours!

Starting a travel blog may seem easy, but it requires dedication, hard work, and passion. To start a successful travel blog, you need to find a niche, create engaging content, customize your blog design, and promote your blog. Keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs can help you find the right keywords for your blog. Technical details like CMS platforms, hosting, and plugins are also important to consider.

Jetpack, Elementor, AAWP, CookieYes, LiteSpeed Cache, Mailchimp, Sassy Social Share, Yoast SEO, and WPForms are some of the plugins that can help you customize your blog design, optimize your content, and create engaging forms and surveys. Once you have quality content and an attractive design, it’s time to promote your blog through social media, guest posting, email marketing, and collaborations with other bloggers.

Remember that creating a successful travel blog takes time and effort, but with patience and persistence, you can turn your passion for travel into a successful blog that inspires and informs others.