travel blogs definition

What is a Travel Blog: Tips from a 6-Figure Travel Blogger in 2024

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A TRAVEL BLOG?

If you’re asking what is a travel blog, then you’ve come to the right place to find the answer because I’m a 6-figure travel blogger. I have leveraged my know-how to create multiple successful travel websites.

👩‍💻  To help you with your travel blog, I highly recommend taking a course!  Head here for info on the  best travel blogging courses . If you want to read a full review about the best one I’ve done,  head here .

Whether you want to know what the features of a travel blog are or if you wish to be a travel blogger yourself, this post will give you a foundation to build on.

Not only will I talk about what a travel blogging website is, but I’ll also share how to become a travel blogger and make money doing what you love.

What is a travel blog?

Travel blogs are essentially online guidebooks offering information about travel. Travel blogs are also updated regularly and are usually written from the perspective of one person or a small group of people.

Unlike guide books like Lonely Planet or Rough Guides which are trying to please everyone, travel blogs usually provide in-depth information on a specific niche, like a region or travel style.

For example, my blogs Travel Mexico Solo and Tulum Travel Secrets are about Mexico. Other popular travel blogs focus on luxury travel, vegan travel, RVing, cruise ships, traveling with pets, backpacking, etc. 

This means that travelers are more likely to find exactly the information they are looking for.

On a related note, if you’re wondering what is a travel blogger ? or what do travel bloggers do ? Then by extension, a travel blogger is a person who writes a travel blog 😊.

Can you make money with a travel blog?

I personally make over $40,000 or more per month from travel blogging. Of course, a travel blogger salary can be way less or way more than that.

A lot of bloggers don’t have plans in place for making money with their blogs. However, it is totally possible to monetize your travel blog 🤑 with the proper strategies. I’ll talk about them more later in this post.

How much can you make with a blog?

Nomadic Matt , The Blonde Abroad , and One Step 4 Ward are successful travel bloggers who all have blogs that make them $1 million yearly . Those are all big-name bloggers who’ve been in the industry for years.

A travel blogging salary range will vary greatly from person to person. I personally earn $40,000 or more every month 🤑 from my travel blogs. In 2022, I made $272,175 from blogging 🤯.

Other bloggers who are just starting out or have a less successful strategy may make anywhere from zero dollars to a few thousand a month.

6 Tips for Starting a Travel Blog

Wondering how to start a travel blog? Or looking for travel blog examples? Or maybe you are questioning how to be travel blogger ? Start with these six travel blogger tips and then go from there.

1. Be clear about your blogging goals

The first step to starting a travel blog is to be clear about your goals . Do you want to do this as a hobby or would you like to make money?

If you want to start a hobby blog, there are plenty of different tools and websites you can use to learn about travel blogging for beginners. Blogging is a fun way to share your experience with friends and family.

However, if you want to make money 💰, you’re going to need to be very strategic . Sign up for courses to gain the skills you need to be successful.

2. Choose your niche carefully

Once you’ve decided on your blogging goals, the most important decision you’ll make is what niche to focus on and what to write in a travel blog that relates to your niche.

🤔 How to decide on a niche

Picking a good niche is crucial . It needs to be something you’re passionate about .

Ideally, it will have a unique twist, something only you can bring to the blogosphere. Give it a domain name (a blog name) that relates to your niche. Like Travel Mexico Solo .

However, it also needs to be something that appeals to a wider readership . Think about who your ideal reader would be. Who do you want to write your blog for?

There are many types of travel blogs so having a well-defined niche will help you stand out as an expert, attract a loyal audience, and give you a well-defined focus on what to write about.

It’s also ideal for SEO. 💡 Google LOVES a clear niche.

3. A theme & reliable hosting platform are crucial

Another important step in starting a travel blog is setting up a reliable web hosting platform and a WordPress theme . I personally use Kadence theme on my websites.

Why is this important? Because both your theme and your blogging platforms impact your website speed and performance . Google will rank your website higher in search results if it is fast and optimized.

Don’t shoot yourself in the foot from the beginning by choosing a cheap web host. Choose one that is within your budget but has exceptional performance.

The same is true with your theme. Rather than focusing on making your website pretty, make sure it is functional and fast . No one is going to wait five seconds for your gorgeous website to load. It’s better for it to be ugly and load quickly.

For hosting, many people use Bluehost or A2 hosting , but I personally love using Lyrical Host . They are slightly more expensive, but you will be rewarded with a super speedy blog and 5-star customer service. 

🤑 Lyrical Host Discount Code: Use code TRAVELBLOGGING101 to get 10% off all Lyrical hosting plans.

4. Create quality content

What’s going to set your blog apart? Quality content . Readers don’t want to struggle through a long post full of grammar mistakes, repetitive phrases, and confusing syntax. When you write, write well .

Part of writing well is meeting user intent . That means if someone is searching for “best food tours in Antigua Guatemala,” your post provides them with exactly what they are looking for.

If they want a travel guide to Hierve el Agua , give them all the information they need to have an amazing trip. If you’re wondering “Is travel blogging beneficial?” the answer is most certainly yes…if you’re creating useful content .

Be the last click. That means if someone clicks on your post, they don’t have to return to the search results. They’ve found everything they need in your post.

5. Master search engine optimization

One thing that will make or break you as a travel blogger is search engine optimization (SEO) .

Writing with SEO in mind means you optimize your content so that Google will bump your post to the front page of search results.

You cannot succeed as a travel blogger without SEO. Become an SEO pro, and your travel blog will be positioned for success.

💡 Note: You do NOT have to be active on social media platforms in addition to mastering SEO. Social media channels are a bonus, but not as essential as some people will insist them to be.

If you want to learn how to find keywords with big potential to earn affiliate income, check out my How to Find Affiliate Marketing Keywords Class .

6. Monetize your blog early on

A lot of bloggers don’t have a plan for how to make money. Don’t make this mistake. If monetizing your blog is your goal, then have a plan for how to monetize your travel blog from the get-go.

To be clear, you won’t make lots of dough from the beginning. It’s going to take time and effort, but once you have a certain amount of traffic, there’s no reason why you can’t start making $s.

If you are wondering how you can start earning affiliate marketing money from day one, I’ve written an article all about it here ► How to Monetize Your Blog from Day One .

5 Ways to Make Money with Your Travel Blog

Wondering how to make money with your travel blog? I’m going to cover the most popular ways to monetize your blog. You can get as creative as you wish, but these are a good place to start.

1. Affiliate marketing

Do you know what affiliate marketing is? It’s basically recommending a product, a tour, a restaurant, or anything you’ve loved to another person.

In the blogging about travel sphere, affiliate marketing is basically the same. For example, I often recommend travel gear , tours , hotels , rental companies , travel insurance , etc. on my website. Then, I add affiliate links to these products or services.

When someone clicks the link and makes a purchase, I earn a small commission. Over time, those affiliate sales can really add up.

The best part about affiliate marketing is that you don’t have to have a ton of traffic to make some money.

In fact, I made over $160K from affiliate marketing in 2022 🤑 ($163,706 to be exact) — and I can show you exactly how in my  How to Find Affiliate Marketing Keywords Class .

2. Advertisements

Another common way to make money from a travel blog is through advertisements. If you’ve noticed the ads on my sites, they account for 35-45% of my blogging income 🤑.

The great thing about ads is that they are 100% passive income . I am making money while I swim at the beach and even while I sleep simply by having them on my website.

🤑  How much I make on Ads:  In 2022,  I made $85,130 🤯 from Mediavine .

3. Sponsored Content

Sometimes a tour company, hotel, or other travel-related company will offer to pay you to write a blog post about their product or what they offer.

They want the post in your voice so it’ll appeal to your audience, and they pay you to write it. You can even reach out to companies that you love and suggest they pay you for a sponsored post.

📝 Note: If you do a sponsored blog post, it’s essential for SEO to mark it as a sponsored post on the back end of your website and check that all links are no-follow.

4. Offer Paid Subscriptions or Consulting Services

Another option for making money from a travel blog is to use it as a marketing tool for coaching or consulting services .

For example, if you have a course on email marketing, you can use your blog to send people to your webinar and from there get them signed up for the course.

You can also offer paid subscriptions as a way to bring in more money.

5. Sell Travel Itineraries, Books, or E-Books

Selling travel itineraries, books, and e-books is another creative way to bring in income from a travel blog.

Matthew Kepnes of Nomadic Matt started making $50,000 to $60,000 a year in 2010, and e-book sales were a massive part of his income.

What Is a Travel Blog: Frequently Asked Questions

Do travel bloggers make money?

Travel bloggers CAN make money. I personally make over $40K or more every month , and there are plenty of other top-notch bloggers who make even more.

With proper strategy and skill, it is entirely possible to make money from a travel blog. I’ve done it , and I’m not special, I know you can do it too.

If you implement the suggestions in this post, you’ll be well on your way to monetizing your blog.

Are travel blogs still popular?

Travel blogs play an important role. They offer genuine, up-to-date travel information for people searching in a specific niche.

Travel blogs are no longer prolonged journal entries about one person’s experience riding an elephant in Thailand or answering the question of what solo travel teaches you.

Now the focus is on providing quality in-depth information so that other people can have the same experience you did.

While there is still room to share personal experiences and travel perspectives, being helpful and informative takes center stage.

Now if you are asking the question of how to start a travel blog without traveling, then I would caution against this, simply because you won’t be able to provide authentic first-hand travel experience.

More and more Google has started to prioritize E-E-A-T, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

And if you haven’t traveled before, it will be pretty hard to convince Google to take your blog seriously.

How do you write a travel blog?

How to write a travel blog starts with keyword research . The goal is to find a search term that many people are looking for and that your travel blog site can rank for.

Next, you should look at other blog posts that rank on Google for that search term and create an outline based on what the user wants to know .

Finally, write the content as concisely and completely as possible . This is basically your travel blogger job description.

What makes a good travel blog?

A good travel blog offers engaging storytelling, high-quality and inspiring visuals, practical advice and tips, authenticity in sharing personal experiences, and up-to-date information.

This can include travel tips, restaurant recommendations, tour reviews, suggestions on where to stay and what to do, entertainment, humor, and more. 

All of the information in a blog post should be clear, concise, and flow well . A good travel blog is beautifully written, well-organized, and easy to read.

Most of all, it provides the information people need to travel and experience a place themselves.

Is it hard to become a travel blogger?

Becoming a travel blogger requires hard work and perseverance. It isn’t sipping cocktails on a tropical beach and taking Instagram pictures.

In fact, many travel bloggers quit after a year.

It takes time and a lot of effort to see results. If you are willing to stick it out for the long haul, work hard, learn continuously, and implement new strategies, you will have a higher chance of success.

How to create a travel blog for free?

Creating a free travel blog is simple; platforms like Wix or WordPress.com offer free plans. You can choose a template, personalize it, and start sharing your journeys. However, if monetizing is your goal, investing in a self-hosted blog with a paid domain and hosting is a smarter move.

How to start a travel blog on Instagram?

To start a travel blog on Instagram, create a dedicated account and post captivating visuals with engaging captions . Remember, Instagram is a platform known for micro-blogging — short and sweet posts. It’s also a good idea to have a website where you can share longer travel stories.

Final Thoughts: What is a travel blog, and is it worth launching one?

A travel blog is a website all about travel. Most travel blogs focus on one specific sub-topic or niche related to travel. You can find a wealth of travel blog description examples to get an idea of how diverse these niches can be .

The options are endless and can range from a blog about Wisconsin to blogs about budget travel, camping, national parks, family travel, and travel for retired folks.

Starting a travel blog and turning it into a successful business will require a lot of time, hard work, and perseverance. And it isn’t for everyone.

However, if you are passionate about traveling, online business, investing in yourself, and travel blog writing about amazing places, travel blogging can absolutely be worth it. It has been for me.

Don’t forget to look at what is travel writing examples for inspiration and to improve on your own work. In the end, if you’re still thinking, “I want to be a travel blogger” then go for it!

If you’re ready to start your profitable travel blogging journey, I suggest investing in the courses for travel blogging :

• Scale Your Travel Blog to Six Figures  (Best General Blogging Course)
• How to Find Affiliate Keywords that Will Make You a Ton of Money  (Best Affiliate Marketing Course)
• SEO Roadmap for Travel Bloggers  (Best SEO Course)

What Is a Travel Blog (And Why You Should Start One)

What Is a Travel Blog?

When you’re planning a trip, what do you do? You probably do a lot of research online, reading blogs and articles about the places you’re interested in visiting. And if you’re like most people, you’re probably more likely to trust the advice of a fellow traveler than that of a travel agent or guidebook.

That’s where travel blogs come in. Travel blogs are a great way to get firsthand accounts of other people’s travel experiences. They can provide you with valuable information about everything from where to stay and what to see to how to get around and what to pack.

But what exactly is a travel blog? And how can you use them to plan your own trips?

In this article, we’ll answer those questions and more. We’ll discuss the history of travel blogs, the different types of travel blogs, and how to find the best travel blogs for your needs. We’ll also provide some tips on how to write your own travel blog if you’re thinking of starting one.

So whether you’re a seasoned traveler or you’re just starting to plan your first trip, read on to learn more about the world of travel blogs!

A travel blog is a website or online journal that documents a person’s travels. Travel blogs typically include photos, videos, and written content about the places the author has visited. They can also include tips on how to travel, where to stay, and what to see.

Travel blogs have become increasingly popular in recent years, as more and more people have started sharing their travel experiences online. There are now millions of travel blogs in existence, covering every corner of the globe.

Travel blogs can be a great way to learn about new places, get travel tips, and connect with other travelers. They can also be a great way to document your own travels and share your experiences with others.

History of Travel Blogs

The early days of travel blogging (1990s-2000s)

The first travel blogs were created in the early 1990s, as the internet became more accessible to the general public. These early blogs were often personal journals that people used to share their travel experiences with friends and family.

In the early 2000s, travel blogging began to take off in a big way. This was due to the rise of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which made it easier for people to share their travel photos and stories with a wider audience.

The rise of social media and the “new” travel blogging (2010s-present)

The 2010s saw a major shift in the way that travel blogs were created and consumed. With the rise of social media, travel bloggers began to use platforms like Instagram and YouTube to share their travel photos and videos with a wider audience. This led to a new type of travel blogging that was more visual and engaging than the traditional text-based blogs of the past.

The future of travel blogging

The future of travel blogging is bright. As more and more people travel, they will continue to seek out travel blogs for inspiration, tips, and advice. Travel bloggers will continue to evolve their content to meet the needs of this growing audience.

Types of Travel Blogs

There are many different types of travel blogs, each with its own unique focus. Some of the most common types of travel blogs include:

• Personal travel blogs: These blogs are written by individual travelers who share their personal experiences with their readers. They often include photos, videos, and written content about the places the author has visited.
• Photo travel blogs: These blogs focus on photography. They typically include beautiful photos of the places the author has visited, along with some written content about each location.
• Vlog travel blogs: These blogs are similar to photo travel blogs, but they focus on video content. They often include travel vlogs, which are videos that document the author’s travels.
• Curated travel blogs: These blogs are written by a team of editors who select the best travel content from around the web. They typically include a variety of articles, photos, and videos about different travel destinations.
• Sponsored travel blogs: These blogs are written by travel bloggers who are paid by brands to promote their products or services. They often include positive reviews of products or services that the author has used on their travels.

Travel blogs are a great way to learn about new places, get travel tips, and connect with other travelers. They can also be a great way to document your own travels and share your experiences with others.

If you’re thinking about starting a travel blog, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, decide what type of travel blog you want to create. Do you want to write a personal blog about your own travels? Or do you want to create a curated blog that features the best travel content from around the web?

Once you’ve decided on a focus for your blog, you need to create a strong content strategy. This means deciding what type of content you’ll publish, how often you’ll publish it, and how you’ll promote your blog.

Finally, you need to create a great website for your blog. This means choosing a good domain name, designing a beautiful website, and setting up an easy-to-use content management system.

If you’re willing to put in the work, starting a travel blog can be a rewarding experience. It’s a great way to share your love of travel with others, and it can also be a great way to make money.

What Is A Travel Blog Definition?

A travel blog is a type of blog that focuses on travel-related content. This can include anything from personal travel stories to tips and advice on planning a trip. Travel blogs can be written by anyone, from seasoned travelers to those who are just starting out.

Travel blogs can be a great way to share your travel experiences with others, connect with other travelers, and learn about new destinations. They can also be a great way to make money online.

Benefits of Travel Blogging

There are many benefits to starting a travel blog, including:

• Sharing your travel experiences. One of the best things about travel blogging is being able to share your travel experiences with others. You can write about your favorite destinations, the things you’ve seen and done, and the lessons you’ve learned. This can be a great way to connect with other travelers and inspire them to explore the world.
• Connecting with other travelers. Travel blogs are a great way to connect with other travelers from all over the world. You can read their stories, ask them questions, and share your own experiences. This can be a great way to make new friends and learn about different cultures.
• Learning about new destinations. Travel blogs are a great way to learn about new destinations. You can read about the best places to visit, the things to see and do, and the local culture. This can be a great way to plan your next trip or to simply learn more about the world.
• Making money online. If you’re interested in making money online, starting a travel blog can be a great way to do it. There are many ways to monetize a travel blog, including advertising, affiliate marketing, and selling your own products or services.

How to Start a Travel Blog

Starting a travel blog is relatively easy, but there are a few things you need to do in order to get started.

• Choose a niche. The first step is to choose a niche for your blog. This could be a specific destination, a type of travel, or a particular aspect of travel. Having a niche will help you focus your content and attract the right audience.
• Create a blog name and domain. Once you’ve chosen a niche, you need to create a blog name and domain. Your blog name should be something memorable and easy to spell. Your domain should be related to your blog name.
• Set up your blog platform. There are many different blogging platforms available, such as WordPress, Blogger, and Squarespace. Each platform has its own advantages and disadvantages. You should choose a platform that is easy to use and that meets your needs.
• Write your first blog post. The first step is to write your first blog post. This should be a short to your blog and your travel experiences. Be sure to include a call to action, such as inviting readers to subscribe to your blog or follow you on social media.
• Promote your blog. Once you’ve published your first blog post, you need to promote it. This can be done by sharing it on social media, submitting it to relevant directories, and reaching out to other bloggers in your niche.

Starting a travel blog can be a great way to share your travel experiences, connect with other travelers, and learn about new destinations. If you’re interested in starting a travel blog, be sure to follow the steps outlined in this article.

Here are some additional resources that you may find helpful:

• [The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Travel Blog](https://www.bloggingwithapurpose.com/start-a-travel-blog/)
• [How to Make Money Blogging About Travel](https://www.bloggingwithapurpose.com/make-money-travel-blogging/)

A travel blog is a type of online journal or website that documents a person’s travels. It typically includes photos, videos, and written content about the places the author has visited. Travel blogs can be used to share travel tips, inspire others to explore new destinations, or simply document the author’s personal experiences.

What are the benefits of starting a travel blog?

• Sharing your travel experiences with others. A travel blog is a great way to share your travel experiences with others and inspire them to explore new destinations.
• Building a community of travel enthusiasts. A travel blog can help you connect with other travel enthusiasts and learn from their experiences.
• Promoting your business or brand. If you’re a travel writer, a travel blog can be a great way to promote your work and attract new clients.
• Generating passive income. If you monetize your travel blog, you can generate passive income from advertising, affiliate marketing, or product sales.

How do I start a travel blog?

Starting a travel blog is relatively simple. Here are the steps involved:

1. Choose a platform. You can start a travel blog on either a self-hosted WordPress site or a hosted platform like Blogger or Medium. 2. Choose a domain name and web hosting. If you’re using a self-hosted WordPress site, you’ll need to purchase a domain name and web hosting. 3. Install WordPress. Once you’ve purchased a domain name and web hosting, you can install WordPress on your site. 4. Design your blog. You can use a WordPress theme to design the look and feel of your blog. 5. Start writing content. The most important part of a travel blog is the content. Start writing blog posts about your travels, including photos, videos, and written content. 6. Promote your blog. Once you’ve started writing content, you need to promote your blog so that people can find it. You can promote your blog through social media, email marketing, and paid advertising.

What are some tips for writing a successful travel blog?

Here are some tips for writing a successful travel blog:

• Write high-quality content. The most important factor in a successful travel blog is the content. Make sure your blog posts are well-written, informative, and engaging.
• Use visuals. Photos, videos, and other visuals can help to make your blog posts more engaging and interesting.
• Promote your blog. Once you’ve started writing content, you need to promote your blog so that people can find it. You can promote your blog through social media, email marketing, and paid advertising.
• Be patient. It takes time to build a successful travel blog. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results immediately. Just keep writing great content and promoting your blog, and you’ll eventually start to see results.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when starting a travel blog?

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when starting a travel blog:

• Not choosing a niche. It’s important to choose a niche for your travel blog so that you can focus your content and attract a specific audience.
• Not writing high-quality content. The most important factor in a successful travel blog is the content. Make sure your blog posts are well-written, informative, and engaging.
• Not promoting your blog. Once you’ve started writing content, you need to promote your blog so that people can find it. You can promote your blog through social media, email marketing, and paid advertising.

Here are some key takeaways from this article:

• Travel blogs can be a great way to document your travels and share them with others.
• They can also be a great way to connect with other travelers and learn about new destinations.
• If you’re thinking about starting a travel blog, be sure to do your research and create a blog that is unique and interesting.
• With a little effort, you can turn your travel blog into a successful online business.

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What is a Travel Blog: Beginner’s Guide to Travel Blogging

Are you ready to turn your love of travel into a full-time adventure? Do you want to travel the world as a professional blogger? Are you here to discover the exciting world of travel blogging ? Create your own engaging travel blog now and set off on a path of inspiration, connection, and unique adventures. But, before we get started, let’s take a look at what is a travel blog and how it may transform your life. Let the journey begin!

Table of Contents

What is a Travel Blog Exactly?

A travel blog is an online platform where individuals or groups share their travel experiences, insights, recommendations, and stories with a global audience. It is a digital journal allowing travel enthusiasts to document their journeys and provide valuable information to fellow travellers.

Travel blogs typically consist of written content, accompanied by captivating photographs and sometimes videos. They offer a personal perspective on destinations, providing readers with authentic and firsthand accounts of travel experiences. From highlighting must-visit attractions and hidden gems to sharing practical tips and advice, travel blogs aim to inspire, educate, and entertain readers who are planning their own adventures.

Some Key Points About Travel Blog

One of the key elements of a travel blog is storytelling . Bloggers often share engaging narratives that transport readers to different parts of the world, immersing them in the culture, landscapes, and flavours of the destinations they visit. These narratives can evoke emotions, spark wanderlust, and create a connection between the blogger and the reader.

Travel blogs also play a vital role in trip planning. They offer detailed itineraries , travel guides, and practical tips that help readers make informed decisions about their upcoming journeys. From choosing the best accommodations and local transportation options to recommending unique activities and local cuisines, travel blogs provide valuable insights that can enhance the overall travel experience.

Why You Should Create a Blog?

Get the answers to what is a travel blog for! If you love travelling then creating a travel blog has many benefits . Travel blogs foster a sense of community among travellers. Readers can engage with the blogger and fellow readers through comments, social media, and email subscriptions. This interaction allows for the exchange of ideas, recommendations, and support, creating a network of travel enthusiasts who can connect, collaborate, and inspire each other.

In recent years, travel blogging has evolved into a profession for many individuals. Successful travel bloggers often collaborate with tourism boards, brands, and other travel-related businesses. They may earn income through various monetization strategies, such as sponsored content, affiliate marketing, advertising, and selling digital products or services. However, it’s important to note that while monetization is a possibility, passion for travel and a genuine desire to share experiences should remain at the core of any travel blog.

What are Different Types of Travel Blogs?

Travel blogs come in various forms, catering to different interests and audiences. Here are the top 5 popular types of travel blogs:

• Destination-Focused Blogs: These blogs primarily focus on specific destinations or regions, providing detailed insights, itineraries, and recommendations for travellers interested in exploring those areas. For eg: Travelling Or Traveling 😉
• Adventure and Outdoor Blogs: Adventure travel blogs focus on thrilling outdoor activities such as hiking, mountaineering, diving, or extreme sports. They provide guidance, safety tips, gear recommendations, and personal accounts of adrenaline-pumping adventures.
• Budget Travel Blogs: These blogs cater to travellers on a tight budget, offering tips and tricks for saving money while still experiencing incredible destinations.
• Luxury Travel Blogs: Luxury travel blogs cater to travellers seeking high-end experiences, featuring luxurious accommodations, gourmet dining, exclusive destinations, and premium travel services.
• Solo Travel Blogs: Solo travel blogs focus on the experiences and challenges faced by solo travellers. They guide solo travel safety, empowerment, and recommendations for destinations that are solo traveller-friendly.

Some Other Types of Travel Blogs

• Family Travel Blogs: These blogs cater to families travelling with children, offering tips on family-friendly destinations, kid-friendly activities, packing tips, and travel logistics.
• Food and Culinary Blogs: Food and culinary travel blogs explore the world through its cuisine. They highlight local dishes, food markets, culinary experiences, and provide recommendations for food lovers looking to indulge in authentic flavours.
• Digital Nomad Blogs: Digital nomad travel blogs cater to individuals who work remotely while travelling. They provide tips on finding remote work opportunities, coworking spaces, travel-friendly gadgets, and maintaining a balanced lifestyle on the road.
• Sustainable and Responsible Travel Blogs: These blogs focus on responsible tourism practices, eco-friendly travel, and ethical experiences. They promote sustainable travel choices, eco-conscious accommodations, and activities that have a positive impact on local communities and the environment.
• Cultural Immersion Blogs: Cultural immersion blogs explore the traditions, customs, and local experiences of different destinations.

Remember, these categories are not mutually exclusive, and many travel blogs combine elements from multiple types. You should choose a niche that aligns with your interests and expertise, or create a unique blend that reflects your travel style.

Check out Complete Guide to Travel Blogging: Starting Out to Earning Income and get started!

Bottom Line…

Overall, to answer what is a travel blog, it is a powerful tool for both bloggers and readers. It allows bloggers to showcase their adventures, express their creativity, and share their knowledge while providing readers with inspiration, guidance, and a virtual window to the world of travel. Whether seeking information, entertainment, or motivation, travel blogs serve as a valuable resource for anyone with a wanderlust-filled soul.

Are you asking yourself why to create a travel blog? Read Should I Start a Travel Blog: Is It Really Worth to get the answers!

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Arrivals Hall

The Travel Blog that Inspires, Educates & Entertains

What is a travel blog?

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure about affiliate links  here .

In the last few years I’ve focused more energy on promoting my travel blog offline through a number of mainstream media appearances . 

Many people have kindly commented on my media features. However, a few of the comments are followed by a long silence and the question What is a travel blog?

In this blog post, I hope to demystify the cyberspace realm of blogging, give tips on how to start a travel blog, and examine the role of travel blogs in the travel industry.

What is a travel blog?

A blog is a type of website that is updated regularly in the form of posts. These posts can be stories and/or snippets of information, reviews, photographs, images, podcasts and other types of content that can be uploaded online. 

More often than not, a blog is written from the perspective of one person or a couple/small group. Large companies are embedding blogs into their main website to explain products/services in more detail and to attract internet traffic to their main website. Zurich Life’s Cost of Education blog the best example of such a strategy. Further information on standalone versus embedded blogs can be found in my Introduction to Blogging post.

A travel blog is simply a blog where the entire focus is on the world of travel.

To see where blogging fits into the online marketing world, check out my Introduction to Digital Marketing post.

A blogger is a person who writes blogs…right?

Correct…sort of. A blogger is someone who creates a blog, regularly uploads content to that blog and subsequently publishes it as a post.

Blogging is a multimedia endeavour, involving more than just writing which is why bloggers are often called Content Creators. Content is King is the most popular phrase in a blogger’s lexicon and most bloggers use a mix of content in their posts.

A vlogger is a blogger who posts their content as video logs, with YouTube as the most popular platform used.

Blogging doesn’t stop with publishing a post as most bloggers market their posts using social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter etc.) and engage in online discussions to promote it further. Many bloggers sell products on their site and some are lucky enough to be invited to events as paid speakers.

Along with Content Creators, bloggers are often called Social Influencers, Digital Influencers and Digital Nomads.

Having been influenced by traditional print journalism and travel literature, I consider myself a content creator and an observer bearing witness to places, people and their stories, and subsequently curating that experience in the form of a blog .

How to start a travel blog

• Firstly, have something meaningful to write about. If you want to stand out from the crowd then focus on a niche (i.e. the travel topic which you’re an expert on or passionate about). Popular travel blog niches include adventure travel, culinary/food travel, travelling with children. There’s no such thing as a narrow niche. My niche looks at the cultural and historical aspect of destinations for solo female travellers and I still get readers. Trust me, there are people out there in cyberspace who have the same interest and passion as you. You’ll never be alone on the internet!
• Study SEO. Surely a typo for CEO? No, SEO is Search Engine Optimisation and is the ability to create and manage a website so that it ranks well on search engines. Attention is the currency of the internet so if you want to appear on page 1 of a Google search then learning and applying SEO is essential.
• Choose a blogging platform. A blogging platform is a service which enables you to store and publish your content. Popular blogging platforms include WordPress . com , WordPress.org , Joomla , and Tumblr . Decide what you want from your blog and how your needs are met by the blogging platform companies.
• Choose a domain name which reflects your content. A domain name is basically part of your blog’s website address. For example, the domain name of Arrivals Hall is arrivalshall.com. Domain name matters a lot for SEO…which is why you should study SEO before setting up your site. Blogging platforms will assist with the technical aspects of domain name set-up.
• Create the blog using the blogging platform chosen. Create pages on your blog to give readers a background to you and your content. The following pages are essential for travel blogging:
• Destinations/Regions
• Link your social media to your blog to promote the site and posts.
• If you want to take blogging seriously then ensure your blogging platform has a statistics facility. If not, attach Google Analytics to your blog. Beware, some blogging platforms don’t allow you to attach Google Analytics unless you pay a high subscription fee.

Frequently Asked Questions about blogs and blogging

Do you have to be rich to start a travel blog?

It depends on your definition of rich! Money will buy you everything including the services of a professional website designer and digital marketing expert. For DIY bloggers, setting up a domain name and a basic blog should cost no more than €50 per annum on most blogging platforms.

Does a travel blog have to be written in English?

If you want to make money, write it in the language of your target audience. If it’s a hobby blog, write it in whatever language you feel like expressing yourself in.

Do you have to have a qualification in computers/IT to create and manage a blog?

Neither I nor any blogger I know has an IT qualification. If you want to monetise your blog then a marketing qualification would be an advantage. I find the following bloggers are excellent for keeping up to date with developments in the blogging, social media and IT world: Neil Patel, Brian Dean at Backlinko , Arfa Nazeer at SheMeansBlogging and Moss Clement at Moss Media . 

What challenges does a travel blogger face?

The same challenge every blogger faces…getting attention to build an audience. The internet is full of cats and Kardashians so competing with them for an appearance on Google page 1 is the Holy Grail of blogging.

I’ve never actively courted attention in my pre-blog life so managing the attention my blog has both attracted and requires has been a learning curve.

Challenges aside, blogging is empowering individuals by giving them a voice. Blogging empowers their audience by delivering relatable content. Blogging empowers businesses by increasing their market reach. And bloggers can make money through activities such as sponsored posts and affiliate marketing – My booking.com partnership is an example of the latter.

According to Killarney-based digital marketer, Anthony Keogh of SiliconIrish , “ Once Google opens the world of opportunities it gives anyone, anywhere a chance to write about their travel experience online and with a little online marketing know-how, you could reach an audience you couldn’t imagine you would ”.

Role of blogs in the travel and tourism industry

Travel blogs are an effective digital marketing tool for travel industry businesses by directing internet traffic to their websites and thus increasing bookings/sales opportunities.

Travel blogs can equally inspire travel to a region which is why tourism authorities are increasingly working in partnership with travel bloggers.

But most of all, the internet has empowered customers to research and buy independently. Statista’s research shows a considerable year-on-year growth in online travel sales. By engaging with travel bloggers the travel industry is simply adapting to the changing environment it’s presented with.

Further Reading

If you are interested in attending a travel blogging conference you should read my review of the TBEX Europe Blogging Conference.

I have also written about the benefits of social media for business .

Share this:

4 thoughts on “what is a travel blog”.

Good advice here Hazel. We have a few key roles to play as travel bloggers.

Thanks Ryan.

Well written about ‘Blogs’. I enjoyed reading your article. keep sharing such an informational article.

Like Liked by 1 person

Thanks John. Glad you enjoyed it.

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What Is a Travel Blogger and How You can Get Started

Being a travel blogger can be an enjoyable way to inspire travel enthusiasts or share personal travel narratives, and successful bloggers often earn income from their content through advertising and affiliate programs.

Establish your audience and goals before building your blog on a reliable platform.

Choose a niche

Success of any travel blog hinges upon selecting an engaging niche topic.

There are various topics available, but selecting one that reflects your own lifestyle and meets demand over time should be of primary consideration. Conduct keyword research in order to assess if a topic has become overdone or there may be room for fresh insights and perspectives.

Additionally, travel blogs can feature personal accounts from readers to create an immersive and engaging experience for readers – creating loyal audiences and building brand recognition in turn.

Travel blogging can even serve as an income generator through affiliate marketing programs, sponsored posts or advertising revenue.

For example, a travel blog covering luxury resorts and spas could use queries such as “luxury resorts near me” to draw in an interested audience, as well as provide helpful tips on organizing an ideal vacation experience.

Conduct keyword research

Utilize search engine optimization tools to identify keywords that will help your site rank higher on Google. These tools will demonstrate how much traffic top pages receive for specific queries, as well as which keywords are responsible for driving this traffic.

Use their results to select topics relevant to your topic while offering low ranking difficulty levels.

Understanding search metrics such as search volume and CPC will allow you to identify the most profitable keywords for your blog. You can visit this site to learn more about CPC, or cost-per-click ads. Take note of what types of keywords your competitors are using on their websites as a starting point; free tools can also give ideas for keywords.

Another element to keep in mind when creating content for your audience is their needs and interests.

You could discover specific places they’re seeking out or experiences they want, so research those topics carefully and create content tailored specifically towards their interests – travel forums or social media can provide great information as to what people are searching for!

Making sure your content is mobile-friendly is also essential, with more and more people using smartphones to access the web. Finally, adding a logo will help build brand recognition in the industry as an authoritative figure in your field.

Create a website

If you are serious about starting a travel blog, creating a website is essential.

When selecting your CMS (content management system) or website builder of choice – drag-and-drop editors make website builders ideal for newcomers who may have trouble using CMSs directly.

WordPress remains one of the top options used by 95% of bloggers when creating websites.

Once your site is live, the next step should be adding content. A regular posting schedule will keep readers engaged while also encouraging Google to visit regularly – add photos and videos of your travels if possible too! As you write posts for your travel blog , it is wise to prioritize quality over quantity. Producing lots of uninformative or poorly written posts won’t do any good if they are not SEO optimized and well written.

Furthermore, creating an email list for your blog allows readers to directly reach you with updates or special offers.

Finalize your strategy by engaging your audience through social media. Social media provides an effective platform to get people talking about and sharing your travel blog with their networks – make sure to include links to all of your accounts when sharing posts across various platforms. You can click the link: https://www.statista.com/topics/1164/social-networks/ to learn more about social media usage patterns.

Write posts

Writing relevant and beneficial posts to your readers is integral to building an audience and increasing search engine visibility.

From travel tips to using credit card points more effectively, your content must be engaging and informative for your target audience. Furthermore, try adding a contemporary spin to your posts so it is easier for people to relate to what you write.

Be sure to add high-quality images and videos to your posts, creating an exceptional reading experience on your blog. Furthermore, adding a contact form allows people to reach out easily – many bloggers use paid mail services but there are free alternatives available online.  You can visit this helpful site to learn more about clear writing guidelines.

Remember that your travel blog should reflect its niche.

Choose an easy-to-pronounce and remember name without overusing generic or overused words, and avoid creating confusion through an unclear layout with unclear navigation. Creating an enjoyable user experience for visitors keeps them coming back!

Additionally, establish a regular publishing schedule of new posts; this will encourage readers to come back often while improving SEO rankings.

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How to Start a Travel Blog: The Complete Guide

Many people dream about traveling the world for a living; and there are people that are actually able to do so that aren’t pilots, flight attendants, or businessmen. These people are known as travel bloggers and they get paid to visit and write about their major passion in life: travel.

Before you think it’s all a dream, it’s time to debunk a few myths and tell some truths about how to start a travel blog. 🏖

Travel Blogging Truths

Who wouldn’t want to be a travel blogger? Travel can be expensive and the idea of having someone else cover your costs is certainly enticing. But it’s not all about grabbing trips to Paris in first class. Travel blogging is just like a job .

Travel blogging isn’t easy. The fact that you’re traveling and getting paid to do so while staying in top accommodations is what most people see. They don’t realize that there are a lot of struggles that go hand-in-hand with figuring out how to start a travel blog.

Here’s what you need to know before getting started as a travel blogger:

• It’s a saturated niche. Everyone wants to ride the wave of being a travel blogger, thinking it’s all rainbows and sunshine—that by virtue of having a travel blog (and a few followers), they can request comped stays at 5-star hotels. But it’s not that easy . There are plenty of travel bloggers that spent a long time building their empire before they took off to the point where they received any special perks (or compensation).
• Many times, you’re behind your computer. Being a blogger is like having your own magazine and being the editor, photographer, writer, and stylist—all in one. Some bloggers have teams now, but in the beginning, it will be just you . Taking and editing photos and/or video, write-ups, SEO , social media scheduling: all these tasks will require a fair amount of time stuck in front of your computer.
• Writer’s block. Companies pay you for content, and to be a successful travel blogger, you have to follow deadlines like any regular job. Creating great content while at the same time, experiencing what every place has to offer isn’t easy, especially when you just want to relax and you’re on a tight deadline.
• You won’t earn a fixed income. As with freelancing in general, you’re only as good as your next project. You’ll also have to think of travel blogging as an expense at the beginning. After all, how will you start writing about places you haven’t been to? You have to invest some money to do the traveling that will serve as the subject for your content.
• If you’re a solo travel blogger, it can be lonely to go from place to place on your own. And since you aren’t in a place for too long, you’ll constantly make and break friendships and connections.
• Not knowing what’s next. Becoming a travel blogger may seem exciting at first, but you have to be constantly planning for what’s next. There may be a time where travel loses excitement or you run out of funds and you’ll need to plan accordingly.

If you just want to learn how to start a travel blog for the sake of sharing your travels, then these truths may not apply to you. Your expectations and ambitions will be based on self-fulfillment (and perhaps sharing your adventures with friends and family) more so than building a brand to appeal to sponsors.

How to Start A Travel Blog

Not scared away by the harsh truths of travel blogging? Here’s how to start a travel blog, step by step:

Choosing a Niche

There are two basic ways to get started: travel then figure out how to start a travel blog , or plan to start a travel blog then do the actual traveling . The motivation for the people in the former situation is likely just that they want an outlet to share their travels to family and friends, while the latter is more suited to those that plan to expand and monetize their travel blog in the future.

Like food blogs , travel blogs are a dime a dozen, so it’s best to start by choosing a niche (especially when you eventually want to earn from travel blogging) that will help differentiate you from the pack, since general travel blogs will usually not fare well when it comes to SEO efforts.

Travel Blogging Sub Niches

There are so many travel blog niches you can think of and fill a need for. To some, their niche comes naturally. For others, it could take a while to make a decision. Here are some questions you can ask yourself when determining a niche for your travel blog:

• Why do I want to blog?
• What am I passionate about telling or teaching to others?
• What are my skills, strengths, interests, and expertise?
• Can I write about this topic for a long time? The niche shouldn’t be too broad or too narrow.

If you’re looking for inspiration, here are some of the more popular travel niches:

• City blogging: Focused on your city (you don’t have to travel that far, and you perhaps know the topic better than most)
• Country-focused: Destinations around the country
• Area/Region: Like South America or Southeast Asia-focused
• Demographic-focused: Like travel blogs specifically targeted to Americans/American passport holders
• Budget travel
• Luxury travel
• Solo travel
• Female travel
• Traveling for work
• Adventure travel
• Family travel
• Empty nesters/traveling for seniors
• Traveling with disabilities

Or if you’re really ambitious, you can even blog about your worldwide journey, as Gary Arndt has done on Everything Everywhere . He sold his house in 2007 and has been traveling around the world ever since (over 175 countries and counting).

To be sure that someone will want to read your blog, search for your competition (to validate if there’s an existing audience for your idea). You might even want to utilize a tool like Ahrefs  or BuzzSumo to look up some of the most popular content in a niche, such as “Traveling in South America,” to get an idea of what other bloggers are writing about. Then ask yourself, can you do this better?

Alternatively, you may want to try and be the first in your niche. If you can, find a gap in the market. If you find yourself asking “Why hasn’t anybody done this?”—do it yourself!

Most bloggers market themselves as brands. Your brand is what you’re known for and known as. It’s what makes people say “That is so XX!” when they see a piece of your content.

Aspects of blog branding include:

• Your blog name and niche
• Your blog’s overall look: the theme, fonts, logo, color palette, images you use, and so on
• The voice of your writing

Coming up with your Blog Name

Your blog name is important because it’s also what your blog is known as (your brand). While you’ll be able to change many things about your blog over time, your name is something you should stick with. Give it a fair amount of thought before deciding on it.

Not sure what to call your shiny new travel blog? You might start with your own name, a play on that name, or a mix of your name and travel-related terms. A few general rules for settling on a blog name (which will also be your domain name):

• It must easy to recall and easy to spell
• It should also be not too long
• It must not contain hyphens or numbers

For more tips, you can take a look at our guide:  How to Choose a Domain Name (8 Tips to Stand Out).

Some brilliant travel blog names to look to for inspiration include Nomadic Matt , which is about a guy who travels the world, Adventurous Kate , a blog about a girl who quit her job to travel the world, and The Blonde Abroad , which is about a solo female traveller who is (you guessed it) blonde. There’s also Tanks that Get Around , a travel blog/travel tank top shop.

Setting up the Blog

A professional blog has three technical elements you’ll need to setup: domain name , blogging platform, and web host.

Choosing a Blogging Platform

There are many free blogging platforms out there, like Blogger, WordPress.com , and Tumblr. Any of these options is fine for a personal blog, but if you plan on monetizing your site, a self-hosted WordPress blog is your best bet .

The other platforms come with their own restrictions, but with a self-hosted WordPress site, you’re free to customize it completely. Self-hosted WordPress also allows you to grow and not worry about having to change platforms later if your travel blog suddenly becomes super popular. Read more about the differences between WordPress.org and WordPress.com .

WordPress powers 43.5% of the internet , is super user-friendly and has flexible customization options. It is used on many different kinds of websites , be they blogs, ecommerce sites, news portals, or business sites. Due to its open-source nature, WordPress is free to use, however creating and maintaining a site might cost you some money .

While the content management system you choose is free (assuming you choose WordPress), you’ll have to pay for your professional domain name and web hosting.

Choosing a Reliable Web Host

The web host is where you store your website’s files. Hosting plans can be as cheap as $4/month and can be upgraded to give you more storage space and bandwidth for visitors as your blog grows.

It’s important to choose a reliable and stable web host that does not have too much downtime. If you’re starting out, you might be better off with shared hosting, which means you’ll be sharing a server with other blogs. The downside is, your blog may load slower because you’re sharing resources with other websites. Also, you might have to spend more time fiddling with your site.

Application hosting , database hosting , and managed WordPress hosting through a company like Kinsta have its advantages for those interested in how to start a travel blog.

Since you’re on the go, the last thing you have time to worry about is downtime or messing around with your server. Additionally, you might not always have access to the best internet connection to fix things. Falling back on a reliable managed host might actually save you money.

You’ll also get access to a variety of tools which can make managing your site a lot easier, such as Kinsta’s custom dashboard .

A few other things to look out for when deciding on a web host:

• WordPress optimized
• Good customer support
• Automatic backups
• Ample storage space

Read more about how Kinsta is different than other hosts.

Customizing the Blog’s Look

After you’ve installed and setup the free WordPress CMS with your web host, you can focus on setting up your blog’s look and feel—an important aspect of branding.

Customizing the following will help your travel blog become your own:

• Theme: You can choose from both paid and free options . There are themes that cater specifically to travel blogs. When you’re just getting started, don’t overthink your blog’s theme. You might want to start with a free one first, because unlike your blog’s name, you can change the design later on .

To help with the process of choosing the blog’s overall look easier, you can make a branding board. A branding board includes:

• Color palette : Have a set of 2 to 3 complementing colors (anything more would be distracting).
• Fonts : 3 at most. Think one for your logo, one for headings, one for body copy.
• Images that reflect what you want your blog to evoke when visitors drop by your site.

Increase Blog Functionality with Plugins

What attracts many users to WordPress is the customizability it offers thanks to plugins, which are codes you can install to add functionality to your site. Since you’re just getting started, defer to the experts. Blogging Wizard shares some of the must-have plugins that can help with SEO, analytics, backups , safety , and speeding up your blog .

There are also some plugins to consider that were created specifically for travel blogs. These include:

You might also want to add an Instagram plugin to show off your travel photos on your blog.

You might also consider installing affiliate plugins , but we’ll talk more about that in the latter monetization section.

Content Creation

The most important part of a blog is the content. Content shouldn’t just be confined to articles (or text); it can also take the form of photos (graphics, infographics), videos, and audio ( podcast ).

Of course, you shouldn’t start with all of these different types of content at once—it can be overwhelming. Instead, you can start adding new content types as your blog starts growing and you get the hang of running it.

To get some inspiration we recommend you to take a look at these guide:

How To Be A Solo Content Marketing Ninja

How to Create Evergreen Content That Lasts (17 Tips and Tricks)With WordPress

5 Things More Important for Your Content Than Content Length

There is no right or wrong way to write. Many people adopt a journal way of writing—telling people about their day or experience, while some go for how to guide types of posts.

The best kind of blogs are the ones that deliver a mix of content types. Many people that read travel blogs are after the information you can give them about a place, while your unique voice (which adds to the branding part of the blog) is what will draw readers to you.

If you plan to travel after setting up your travel blog, you can plot out what content to write, what places to feature, what angles to write about. Ideally, you’ll have at least 15 posts ready to go before launching. This will give you time to consistently release content as you work on your next pieces, while giving readers enough content to stick around and read.

Tips to Optimize Content for SEO

There’s no hard and fast rule for content length and ranking on Google but in general, the longer, the better.

Though the in’s and out’s of proper on-page SEO are outside of the scope of this article, here are a few quick hits for setting up content for success:

• Use headings to organize your article (and to strategically make use of keywords )
• Write titles that people will pique people’s curiosity so they will share your post, but don’t be clickbaity (meaning, truly back up the article with great content). Also, write titles the way people search.
• Use keywords in URL slugs

For a more advanced study of SEO (that’s still beginner-friendly), check out our SEO checklist  and some recommended SEO plugins  you should start off.

Asher Fergusson, a successful travel blogger, and Kinsta customer said that the secret for his rapid growth in organic search rankings was to conduct a controversial research study. After having a nightmare Airbnb experience with his wife and 10-month-old son in Paris he decided to review over 1,000 horror stories to see what’s most likely to go wrong. The resulting article titled, “ Is Airbnb Safe? ” led to being featured on the front page of Reddit and was picked up by dozens of mainstream media outlets. This boosted the SEO strength of his entire website.

Photography

People are visual creatures, which is why platforms like Instagram and Pinterest are so successful and growing at a rapid pace .

Taking great photos or videos that make viewers feel like they are there or will want to be there will attract more visitors to your blog. The photos will also be used for your blog promotion; pretty photographs with catchy titles attract people on sites like the aforementioned Pinterest.

While you’re thinking about images, don’t forget to optimize your images , both for performance and for SEO . You can’t just upload full resolution photos to your blog and expect them to load fast. You’ll need a little help from an optimization tool or plugin. Name your files something meaningful (and short), as Google looks at things like these when it chooses what to index for Google image search. Which tools and how to showcase your photos you can read our guide:  8 Best WordPress Photo Gallery Plugins .

There are three main ways to promote your blog:

• Social media: The easiest way to promote your travel blog is through your own network, but social media, with hundreds of millions of monthly active users, is also known for targeted advertising, meaning that it can help your content reach the people most likely to care about it. Hand Luggage Only’s Instagram is a great example of a beautiful travel photo diary. Another awesome platform where you can promote your content is Pinterest. We wrote a detailed guide on the best Pinterest marketing tips .

• Traditional media: Getting featured on newspapers and magazines is good exposure, even for an online entity. In fact, this is how popular blogger Nomadic Matt quickly grew his following.
• Search engines: The largest potential source of traffic, but comes with a lot of competition.

Writing guest posts is another way to get backlinks to your site from more prominent travel blogs. On another note, collecting email addresses and sending out email newsletters is an effective way to get more views because it gives you a direct connection with your subscribers (unlike social networks, which may restrict reach to your existing followers).

Nomadic Matt, arguably the most popular travel blog, recognized the potential for these tactics but went in a different direction . He pitched guest blog posts to finance blogs on how to save money traveling. He guest posted on entrepreneurship podcasts to talk about how he was able to build a business from his travel blog.

These tactics set himself apart from others, and also introduced his site to multiple different audiences.

Travel Blog Monetization

There are several ways to monetize your travel blog , but when you’re starting out, it can be tough. What many travelers (or digital nomads) do to sustain their traveling lifestyle while working on the road involves accepting jobs as virtual assistants, doing freelance writing, consulting, or offering some other type of service.

Ways to Make Money from Your Travel Blog

Besides using your personal brand to get clients for services you may be interested in offering, there are many other ways to make money from your travel blog:

• Sponsored trips : Work with private companies or brands and tourism boards. Tourism boards usually want press to encourage more people to visit their country. They will usually pay for food, lodging, activities, and sometimes even airfare. Since they want resulting posts to reach a wide audience, this might only be offered to those with bigger followings. Some companies may also invite you to sponsored trips to launch their products—with everything paid for.

• Workshops : After growing a following and being recognized as an expert, you may be invited for speaking engagements or workshops that you can charge for.

Blog not making enough yet? Check out these 65+ ways to make money online on the side while you continue to grow your travel blog up to where hopefully one day it can financially support you.

This guide by Firstsiteguide includes a few more ideas if you are looking to start your travel blog.

How to Start a Travel Blog

A travel blog is a good way to document and share your love of travel, but it also brings about the potential for income. First decide whether you’ll be blogging for passion or profit, then follow these guidelines to help you with the specifics of how to start a travel blog.

What are your tips when it comes to the question of how to start a travel blog? Tweet at @Kinsta and we’ll share the best insights! Or drop them below in the comments.

Maddy Osman creates engaging content with SEO best practices for marketing thought leaders and agencies that have their hands full with clients and projects. Learn more about her process and experience on her website, The Blogsmith and read her latest articles on Twitter: @MaddyOsman .

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This post was seriously the most helpful post I have read!!!! I just need to bust out more content and focus on affiliate marketing now! I’m looking for a course on this. Thanks for the helpful post!

So glad to hear it, Laura! Best of luck on your blogging journey. :D

I’m Happy that I came across this post as I am still on my way building my site as a travel blogger. :)

Glad to hear that! Let us know how it goes :)

This is the one of the most honest and truthful post’s I had read! Thank you!

Hey, thanks for all your tips and tricks. :) Greetings from Vienna

I enter your website regularly almost every day. You have some great articles. I Love Your Suggestions. Thanks.

I just start my blog but with your tips, I can improve my blog so much. Thanks a lot for providing the information.

Very helpful article for those who are willing to write a travel blog to provide very practical help

Much needed blog, I was thinking of starting my own blog but was not sure how to start after reading your i felt quite good of starting new one.

I haven’t seen a post as helpful as this one!!! Just need to create more content and focus on affiliate marketing now! This is something I’d like to learn more about. You made a great point! Thank you!

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What is a Travel Blog:

Definition & examples from a 6-figure blogger.

A travel blog is a blog that’s specifically dedicated to travel in some capacity.

There are a ton of different sub niches, which help bloggers curate their ideal audience with a focus. The more niche the blog, the easier it is to start growing.

Some of the most popular types of travel content you’ll find on blogs include:

Trip Recaps

These types of posts are focused on the writer’s experience and often take a story-like format. They often feature original images and snippets about specific activities and experiences they had.

Itineraries

These guide you through the essentials of a specific destination and help the reader plan a trip that will make the most of their (often limited) time at the destination. These are often focused around things to do and places to eat.

Tips are informational content that usually appears in the form of listicles. These are great for addressing questions that people have about a destination like the top safety tips for solo female travelers.

Packing Lists

If you’re looking for a great opportunity to link to specific gear reviews you have, provide a mass list of affiliate links, and even capture emails, packing lists are for you.

Tour and Hotel Reviews

For bloggers that regularly travel, tour, and hotels reviews put a personal spin on whether or not a reader should try a particular tour or hotel. They cover everything from the rooms, to food, and transportation.

Swipe up to read the full post!

What is SEO Writing?: Beginners Guide to SEO for Blogs (with Examples!)

37 Advantages and Disadvantages of Blogging

What is a Travel Blogger and What Do Travel Bloggers Do?

Written by Samantha Sherer on Feb 2nd 2019. 14 minute read

It’s the ultimate dream, travel the world to experience all the major sights and hidden delights tourists don’t get to see.

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Even better, the icing on the cake would be to earn an income from your travels. The question everyone asks is whether this really is possible. The answer is yes – with a travel blog.

What is a   travel blogger?

A travel blogger is someone who travels to different places, writes about their experiences and publishes them onto an online blog. If you have enough money saved to live on, you could use your travel blog to share your journey without worrying about readership or making money.

If you’ve ever wondered how travel bloggers can make money on Instagram or other platforms, the answer is – by  monetizing their blogs  with the aim of either funding their travels or earning a professional income. With that view in mind, let’s look at how to start a travel blog.

The top 12 tips for starting a travel blog

What profitable travel bloggers do is create high quality content and remain consistent. Many new travel blogs will cease to exist early on, so if you want to be published for many years to come and make a decent income from your travels, you need to put some thought into your blog. Just because you build it does not mean that your audience will come. Instead, you need to work hard at creating a platform people want to visit time and again.

To help you get the most out of your travel blog, and become what is considered a successful travel blogger , check out our 12 top tips:

Treat it like a business

Although it may be tempting to head off on a plane and write your blog when you have a spare moment, doing this is unlikely to make you money. Treat it like a business and decide how much you want to earn in advance.

Decide to get paid

When you love something, it is easy to fall into the trap of just doing it because it's your passion. Unfortunately, that sentiment won’t earn you money, so you have to decide in advance you are going to be paid for your work. How the best travel bloggers make money on their blogs and other platforms like Instagram , is by upkeeping an attitude of viewing their blog as a business, rather than a hobby.

Plan ahead and be organized

An essential component of beinga travel blogger is organization. As part of your business plan, you need to decide in advance how you are going to run your blog. Know where you want to travel, how you are going to get there, where you are going to stay, etc. Devise a content calendar outlining the content you will be publishing each month, and decide the methods you will use to monetize each post accordingly. In real life, it is likely your plan will change and fluctuate, but having a guide provides you with focus.

Build an audience

Before you can earn any money from your blog, you need an audience. There are many methods to build readerships, from paid advertising to organic searches. Make sure you always have several methods in place at any one time to maintain consistency.

Do it for your readers

What great travel bloggers do is write with their readers in mind. Do your research and find out what questions your potential traffic wants answered, and then address those queries. If you base your blog around solving your audiences' problems, they will return again and again.

Be different

There are many travel bloggers, so to stand out from the crowd you need to be original and change the generic idea of what a travel blogger is . Use a different approach, or find an exclusive niche within travel blogging. Create a unique selling point that no one else has.

Be yourself

Discover a niche that works for you and your audience and give it your own voice. If you try and copy someone else, your authenticity will suffer.

Learn all you can

You can always be better, so commit to learning all you can. Whether you improve your writing skills, your search engine optimization techniques, or your knowledge of traveling, always look to learn all you can.

Invest in your blog

In the early days when your budget may be tight, you may not be able to invest in hiring professional designers or other help, so initially invest as much time as you possibly can. When you have more money, invest some of it back into your website to ensure it is as professional as possible.

Record everything

While you are traveling, make it a habit to record everything as you never know when it may come in handy. Take photos of everything, record where and when you visit different places, jot down your emotions and details about the people you meet. All these notes will help when your creative juices need a push to put words on the page.

Be consistent and persistent

Your blog needs time to build. Your audience will need to get to know you before they trust you, so be consistent and persistent with your entries. Write as much as you can, particularly in the early days.

Love your job

A travel blog is as much a job as it is a way of life. You must love your job. If you don’t, you may need to question if you are in the right industry.

How much do travel bloggers earn?

When embarking on a new career, it’s normal to want to know how much you can earn. However, with any freelance role, how much you earn is dependent on the amount of work you put in. As a rough guide, an established travel blog can expect to  make $3,000-5,000  a month, although some make much more.

Here are a few examples of some successful travel blogs:

Derek Earl Baron  of  Wandering Earl

Derek has been traveling since 1999, but originally he funded his travels by odd-jobbing while on the road. However, this all changed in 2008 when he published an eBook about his journeys, which earned him enough to carry on traveling without working on the road.

This led to the Wandering Earl blog launching in 2009, with the readers of his book becoming his first followers. The blog grew, and by 2011 he was earning $2, 500 a month from his book sales and affiliate marketing. His earnings are now reported to be  $12,000 a month .

          View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Derek Baron (@wanderingearl)

Matt Kepnes  of  Nomadic Matt

Matt Kepnes earns a staggering  $50,000+ a month  from travel blogging. His blog grew from his desire to travel and make money on the way, but he started the site purely as a method of practicing his writing so he could work for  Lonely Planet . But the more he developed his blog, the more he realized there was a need for budget travel advice people could dip into online. So he changed his focus, and the rest is history.

          View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Matt Kepnes | Nomadic Matt (@nomadicmatt)

Bethany Davies of  Flashpacker Family

Bethany has been traveling since her early 20’s. In 2014, she and her family left New Zealand and have been traveling ever since. They fund their travels and earn an income with various sources, including advertising on the website, consultancy work, web design and renting out their home. On average they earn about  $5,000-10,000 a month .

          View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Bethaney Davies Travel Blogger (@flashpackerfamily)

How do I make money as a travel blogger?

Most travel bloggers make money through a variety of different income streams, rather than relying on just one method. Many travel bloggers are content to fund their lifestyle, whereas others achieve incomes that far exceed their travel costs. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that lucrative travel blogs do not happen overnight. They take a lot of time and effort to become established and develop a large following.

Money making methods include:

Affiliate marketing

Promote and sell products on behalf of a third party. When one of your leads clicks on your affiliate links and makes a purchase, you will get paid a commission.  With no stock involved, it’s a perfect method for the travel blogger to utilize to earn money.

Selling products

Creating and selling your own related products can be a great money earner as all the profits go straight to you. However, making the products initially can take some time and effort.

Advertising

Allowing automatic ads on your website can earn some extra money each month. You could also consider charging companies to run permanent ads on your site.

Sponsored posts

Established blogs often get requests from companies asking them to write sponsored posts about their products. In return, the company pays the blogger or offers products as remuneration.

Public speaking

Speaking at conferences or at professional networking events can be quite lucrative, if you have the confidence to pursue this form of income. Top travel conferences and events you can find us speaking at include  Women In Travel Summit  and  TBEX . 

Coaching  

Teaching others how to run a travel blog, either through mentoring, consultations, online courses or lecturing at colleges, is not only a good way to increase your income but also builds your credibility.

Freelance writing  

Getting paid by other businesses to write about your experiences and travel tips can provide a good income while fitting the lifestyle of the travel blogger.

Where do I find affiliate programs for my travel blog?

When it comes to finding affiliate programs that fit your travel blog, you can really think out of the box. Let’s say you are writing a blog about what insurance you should have as a travel blogger. You could discuss travel insurance and point to  affiliate programs  that match. Or perhaps you want to talk about how to find affordable  accommodation  while on the road. Whatever you want to write about, you can find a product or service to promote that will fit. Look to Awin’s  advertiser directory  for inspiration.

 A final word

Building a travel blog takes time and effort, but the rewards more than outweigh the hard work. For many, it is the dream job. However, to succeed you must stay focused and work at it. But most importantly, maintain the love for your job. Try to keep your knowledge fresh and this will come across in your blog. Your audience will feel your passion and buy into you. Following that, your blog will start paying dividends.

If this is your dream, follow it. You’ll never look back.

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What Makes a Good Travel Blog?

Working at National Geographic is an awesome learning experience, in which I’m constantly surrounded by real talent, sound wisdom, unique minds and artistic people (I love it).

Among the strong and creative team that I work with is one-of-a-kind internet princess Marilyn Terrell ( @Marilyn_res ), Chief Researcher at National Geographic Traveler and a host of many other things, like a mother to five children (and one squirrel ). Marilyn makes sure every issue of the magazine stays 100% accurate and authentic, a responsibility that has taken her all across the infinite spans of the internet. Honestly, I don’t know anyone else in the world who knows the web like Marilyn knows it.

I really am quite lucky to work so closely with Marilyn, and she is one of the many behind-the-scenes people that keep my blog happy, tidy, and fresh.

This week I cornered Marilyn in her office and asked her to share some of her knowledge on all things travel blogging. Unfortunately, neither of us could make it to TBEX this year, but if anyone knows the world of blogging, it’s Marilyn and bloggers everywhere can benefit from her intelligent insights.

For that reason, I urge you all to watch this full video clip. Here’s a few excerpts of Marilyn’s thoughts on blogging:

When traveling:

• Look for the unusual
• Explore a place
• Talk to people

When blogging:

• Read great travel writing
• Avoid jargon and cliche
• Keep posts short
• Write strong and startling headlines
• Always include a great photo
• Be committed (write regularly and for the long-term)
• Nat Geo Expeditions

Marilyn also recommends some great travel blogs and bloggers to learn from and I can add my voice of support for all of the following:

David Farley ( @DavidFarley ), Pam Mandel ( @NerdsEyeView ), Jenna Schnuer ( @JennaSchnuer ), Spud Hilton ( @SpudHilton ), and Uncornered Market ( @umarket )

If perchance there are any bloggers out there who live under a rock and have somehow failed to connect with Marilyn (impossible to conceive!), then you need to change that now. So follow @Marilyn_Res and enjoy the ride!

  . . . and thank you, Marilyn.

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The 50 Best Travel Blogs & What You Can Learn From Them

Travel blogs have become a very popular and lucrative niche over the last several years. Even with the challenges of COVID-19 and a dramatic drop in overall travel, the opportunities for the next several years are incredible. Statistics show that over 80% of travel planning is done online these days, and more than half of travel bloggers operate more than a single site. This highlights not only the demand but also the need to diversify your offerings as a blogger.

Given the current travel restrictions around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now’s the time for travel bloggers to focus on marketing their blogs and growing their audience. There are lots of ways to promote your travel blog, too, from effective content marketing strategies to social media marketing , paid social media ads , and more.

It’s not just about growing traffic to your travel blog, but monetizing it, too. After all, you need a way to fund all those globe-trotting adventures. Renting out your pad while you’re on a travel journey? Install an Airbnb follow button on your travel blog so visitors can save your Airbnb experience, listing, or other pages. Travel bloggers who offer guided tours of their cities or other experiences for travelers can install the TripAdvisor follow button , which enables blog visitors to save your TripAdvisor listing or experience.

In this post, we’ve compiled a list of the 50 best travel blogs that can inspire your own work. Creating a content and business strategy for a blog can be tough, and it is always helpful to learn from other leaders and influencers in the space. You’ll find a diverse mix of sub-niches in the list, including sites that focus on travel photography, retirement travel, and solo female travel. The travel blogs featured below aren’t ranked or rated in any particular way but are listed alphabetically.

1. Adventurous Kate  

@adventurouskate

Kate McCulley has traveled to 83 countries so far and her blog, Adventurous Kate, is a great resource for anyone looking to travel and turn their passion into a full-time business. Her target audience is independent women and she covers topics like travel resources, destinations, and travel safety. To help connect with her audience, Kate also publishes a monthly recap where she talks about highlights and key learnings from each period of travel.

What you can learn from Adventurous Kate:

• Why you need to target your blog for a very specific audience
• How to balance informative posts and personal posts to keep your content interesting
• Ideas for taking great pictures while traveling that are interesting and authentic

2. Against the Compass

@AgainstCompass

Against the Compass, from Joan Torres, focuses on off-the-beaten-path destinations that may be overlooked by other sources. Joan is from Spain, and he has a great “start here” page that explains his motivations and goals for his travel blog. He strives to provide unique content that can’t be found anywhere else, including detailed guides for many destinations in the Middle East.

What you can learn from Against the Compass:

• How focusing on specific countries can help differentiate you from other travelers
• Why travel insurance is a very popular topic today
• Setting up a travel blog to support multiple languages

3. Along Dusty Roads

@alongdustyroads

Along Dusty Roads was created by Andrew and Emily, a British couple who have been traveling extensively for the last six years after leaving their local jobs. As with many of the travel blogs in this post, the blog owners have many first-hand stories to share. This website is a reminder of how important it is to develop some of your own unique experiences that will be relevant for the audience you are looking to grow.

What you can learn from Along Dusty Roads:

• How to incorporate dramatic landscape photos into your landing pages and posts
• The importance of selecting a particular color palette for your branding
• A great way to integrate your Instagram feed into your website

4. Anywhere We Roam

@anywhereweroam

Mark and Paul operate the Anywhere We Roam blog and have been sharing a lot of great content over the last several years. This blog features a lot of stunning landscape photos and does a nice job of highlighting excellent nature and wildlife destinations. One particularly helpful resource on their site is a ‘Book’ tab where you can view tips and instructions for how to set up everything you need for a trip, including insurance and activities.

What you can learn from Anywhere We Roam:

• How a defined mission statement can strengthen your blog
• The importance of highlighting any travel awards or mentions from authoritative sites
• Useful ways to diversify your social media presence on multiple platforms

5. Atlas & Boots

@atlasandboots

Atlas and Boots was founded by novelist Kia Abdullah and photographer Peter Watson. This outdoor travel blog is the perfect resource for real adventures to immersive natural locations. They not only cater to outdoor adventure seekers but also have resources for finding remote work and balancing life and work while traveling.

What you can learn from Atlas & Boots:

• Why a simple website theme can really make your photos noticeable
• How to develop guides for hikes and treks that cater to outdoor travelers
• Excellent ways to incorporate travel books and movies

6. Backpacker Banter

@stokedfortravel

Chris Stevens runs Backpacker Banter as a resource for budget travel tips and guides. He has been traveling since 2009 as a surfer, photographer, and blogger and has a lot of fascinating guides covering destinations like South Africa and Thailand. The ocean is obviously a primary theme of his blog, and you can really see how his branding and photography highlight the best part of life near the water.

What you can learn from Backpacker Banter:

• How to balance multiple brands and websites as a blogger
• Ways to offer exclusive discounts to your readers
• How to develop a travel niche around your desired lifestyle

7. Barbaralicious

@bbarbaralicious

The site Barbaralicious has accumulated over 100,000 followers, and Barbara Riedel regularly adds new content to her travel blog. A native of Germany, Barbara has optimized her site for both German and English language audiences, and the blog features self-published books and additional services. This travel website is a nice example of how to combine professional offerings with a travel blog.

What you can learn from Barbaralicious:

• How to format and release self-published books
• Ideas for diversifying income sources through services, products, and publications
• Using your personal story to make your brand authentic

8. Be My Travel Muse

@bemytravelmuse

Kristin launched Be My Travel Muse as a blog dedicated to helping others plan their dream trips. She actively promotes her brand on social media channels, including Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. On her travel blog you will find a lot of excellent resources for solo female travel, such as destination guides and shopping tips.

What you can learn from Be My Travel Muse:

• How to create an immersive travel map on your blog
• Ideas for how to build a compelling landing page
• Excellent examples of YouTube video content

9. Bound For Nowhere

Husband and wife team Owen and Mak have been traveling non-stop for over 1,600 days and fully embrace the van life. They have a well-organized travel blog that includes details of their journey, van build, and recommended gear. This site is a useful resource for travelers who seek to live and work in a fully remote environment while visiting destinations around the world.

What you can learn from Bound For Nowhere:

• How to create simple and cohesive branding for your blog
• Effective ways to offer products and accept donations
• Where to find affiliate opportunities in addition to Amazon

10. Bucket L istly

@peachananr

Pete Rojwongsuriya is a full-time travel blogger who has visited over 65 countries and written over 200 articles. His goal for the BucketListly blog is to help other travelers plan their trips in a way that is simplified and less stressful. The main way he achieves this is by sharing personal stories, including his candid experiences and failures that can help others learn from his mistakes.

What you can learn from Bucketlistly:

• How to offer Lightroom presets as a way to increase newsletter signups
• Why you should focus on the travel locations you are most familiar with
• New ideas for creating a modern and immersive travel blog theme

11. Cheapest Destinations

Tim Leffel is a travel writer and author who is best known for his book, The World’s Cheapest Destinations , which shares the name with his travel blog. His work has been featured in multiple publications, and he has been interviewed by many other popular travel bloggers. The blog contains some informative posts that explain the cost of living in various countries and how to find great deals when planning your itineraries.

What you can learn from Cheapest Destinations:

• Ways to promote travel books through your blog
• How a simple blog design can be used to capture a large audience
• The importance of linking to your other websites and offerings

12. Expert Vagabond  

@expertvagabond

Expert Vagabond features photography tips, travel advice, and guides for how to maximize your travel budget. Matt Karsten started the blog over 10 years ago and has been featured on some impressive websites including National Geographic. He is also active on social media and does a great job of focusing his travel blog around his core topics of photography, backpacking, and nomadic life.

What you can learn from Expert Vagabond:

• What a professional theme and branding looks like
• How to feature your most popular articles and posts
• Great ideas for integrating social media feeds into your landing page

13. Follow The Boat

@followtheboat

Follow the Boat is the blog of British citizens Jamie and Liz who have been traveling in their boat since 2006. They strive to make their content very personal and realistic without sensationalizing the experience of traveling full-time. You’ll also see that they’ve integrated a web store into their travel blog to offer visitors various products.

What you can learn from Follow The Boat:

• How to blend photography and travel writing in your posts
• The importance of being authentic and candid with your audience
• Ways to promote and sell products through your travel blog

14. Girl Eat World

Melissa Hie, from Singapore, is the blogger who runs Girl Eat World, and she documents her travels through the various foods she eats along the way. She focuses her social media efforts on Instagram and Facebook, where she does a nice job of cross promoting her work. Her travel blog is not her full-time job, and you can follow along with her personal and professional journey through the annual reviews that she shares.

What you can learn from Girl Eat World:

• How an FAQ can help orient new site visitors
• Where to place a travel map to share destinations
• Why a simple website theme can help improve your content

15. Girl Gone Travel

@ImCarolCain

Carol Cain is the CEO of a communications and branding agency, and her blog, Girl Gone Travel, documents her experiences traveling with a large family. This is a great example of a travel blog that allows someone to highlight their passions and their professional work. The website has a simple design and allows Carol to focus on her content and promote her offerings.

What you can learn from Girl Gone Travel:

• Where to place testimonials on your site for maximum effect
• How to structure a page that offers collaboration opportunities
• Why you should integrate Instagram into your landing page

16. Global Help Swap

@globalhelpswap

The travel blog at Global Help Swap includes travel snapshots and information about important environmental events throughout the world. Bloggers Karen and Paul embrace the idea of responsible travel and share tips with their followers to help them create their own memorable journeys. As the name implies, the site also has a listing for global volunteer opportunities for travelers.

What you can learn from Global Help Swap:

• How to create a service-oriented travel blog that has a defined purpose
• Formatting ideas for travel guides
• Which social media platforms are effective for promoting a travel blog

17. Goats on the Road

@goatsontheroad

The 30-something couple Nick and Dariece have been working and living on the road for over 10 years so far. Their blog, Goats on the Road, has been featured in dozens of major websites such as Forbes and Travel Pulse. They started this website in 2012 and since then have expanded their staff to include an active group of content contributors.

What you can learn from Goats on the Road:

• How to find additional contributors to create value-added content
• Where to find remote jobs and careers to promote on your travel blog
• Ways to define and leverage a unique website name

18. Gotta Keep Movin

Emma Higgins created Gotta Keep Movin in 2010 and has been traveling full-time since 2011. One of the unique aspects of her website is the inclusion of annual printed guides that document a year living in a particular destination. This strategy allows Emma to use her skills as a freelance travel writer to develop additional revenue streams through her platform.

What you can learn from Gotta Keep Movin:

• How to market and sell printed materials on your site
• Why podcasting is a great medium for the travel blogger
• Where to find other travelers and writers who can contribute content

19. Hand Luggage Only  

Two college roommates, Yaya and Lloyd, came up with the idea for Hand Luggage Only while studying together at the University of Cambridge in England. Since 2014, their travel blog has been a resource for travel insights, photography guides, and food reviews. They’ve amassed a large following and do a nice job of developing engaging content.

What you can learn from Hand Luggage Only:

• How to take vivid and interesting travel photos
• The importance of including relevant category links on your main page
• How to organize a searchable archive for older content

20. I Am Aileen

Aileen Adilid promotes the idea of solo female travel through her blog, I Am Aileen. Her site features destination guides that span all seven continents, and there are also detailed posts showing visitors how to create a successful blog and become a digital nomad. This a a well-designed and professional looking site that covers a large number of different travel topics.

What you can learn from I Am Aileen:

• How to combine lifestyle and travel themes into a single blog
• Designing an online shop for physical and informational products
• How an online newsletter can help build your following

21. Legal Nomads  

@legalnomads

Legal Nomads started as a personal blog and has since grown into a complete travel website that covers topic such as writing and gluten free travel. Jodi Ettenberg maintains the blog and offers readers some amazing stories about resilience and how to balance work and life priorities. Jodi shares details and really strives to give readers a complete picture of the challenges that one can face.

What you can learn from Legal Nomads:

• Where to find resources when traveling gluten-free
• Useful ways to integrate an online shop
• How to pivot your website to meet your personal and professional needs

22. Life Part 2

@LifePartII

Life Part 2 is among a growing number of travel blogs that cater to the needs of baby boomers. Jonathan and Sarah are retired and travel full-time to destinations throughout the world. They share tips that help visitors make the most of their retirement and inspire them to try new things and keep growing. In addition to travel topics, there’s also some informative content that discusses lifestyle concepts such as minimalism and budgeting.

What you can learn from Life Part 2:

• How to define a specific niche for your travel blog
• Why listing your experiences can be a great motivation for readers
• Ways to develop your true purpose as a blogger

23. Lost With Purpose

@lostwpurpose

Alex Reynolds launched Lost With Purpose as a female solo travel blog where she explains exactly how to work and travel independently. The site is an inspiration for new travelers and also has a lot of useful tips and resources that anyone can use. She also offers exclusive tours in Pakistan, which allows her to spend time with fellow travelers and offer a truly unique experience for those who attend.

What you can learn from Lost With Purpose:

• How to launch and market customized travel tours
• Writing and formatting immersive travel guides
• Where to place links for Patreon support from readers

24. Maptia  

Maptia is a travel blog that focuses on the art of storytelling. Each article on the website mixes vivid photographs with well-written accounts to really explain what the experience is like to visit different places. Visitors can sign up for a newsletter to stay informed about the latest stories, and there are additional resources available to explore the community.

What you can learn from Maptia:

• How to develop a narrative style for your blog content
• Where to find active contributors and develop a true community
• Great ideas for creating a visual web store and selling photography products

25. Marriott Traveler

@mbonvoytraveler

Marriott does an excellent job of fostering an active community for their blog, the Marriott Bonvoy Traveler. The site is created as its own entity, and it has the look and functionality of a standard travel blog. The articles are well written and include photography that helps capture the essence of each topic.

What you can learn from Marriott Traveler:

• An inside look at how a major company publishes their travel blog content
• How to use diverse categories that cover many aspects of the travel world
• Great examples of how to embed video content directly into posts

26. Matador Network

@MatadorNetwork

Matador has become a massive network of travel enthusiasts that includes millions of readers who regularly visit the blog. With a dedicated international team of contributors, this site is an inspirational example of using a travel blog to promote a true business venture. The team has also created an exclusive travel app, travelstoke, and you can view a selection of their premium shows and mini-documentaries called Matador Originals.

What you can learn from Matador Network:

• The benefit of having an app that is associated with a blog
• How to develop an international community of active followers
• What can happen when you place high editorial standards on content

27. Matthew Woodward

@OnTheRails

With so many travel blogs out there, it can be a challenge to differentiate your website and make it unique. Matthew Woodward has carved out an interesting niche for himself and travels nearly exclusively by train. He has mapped his largest trips on the website as distinct itineraries that capture multiple stops along a journey between two cities.

What you can learn from Matthew Woodward:

• The benefit of developing a unique point of view
• How to promote books on a travel blog
• Where to find new ideas for YouTube and Instagram content

28. My Life’s a Travel Movie

@AlyssaRamos

Alyssa Ramos is a travel blogger and social media influencer who documents her journeys on her blog, My Life’s A Travel Movie. She prefers to travel solo and shares a lot of helpful tips for other aspiring travelers who want to learn how to get started. There’s a ton of content on the website, and she also organizes group trips to interesting destinations.

What you can learn from My Life’s a Travel Movie:

• How to use Instagram to increase traffic to your blog
• Where to promote the products in your web store
• Why giveaways can help you grow your email subscriber list

29. Never Ending Footsteps

@NEFootsteps

Lauren Juliff is a writer who has been traveling extensively over the last 10 years while running the Never Ending Footsteps blog. Along with destination guides, you will also find some excellent articles about working and living in many different countries. She also has an interesting travel anxiety course available to help individuals overcome their fears and reduce anxiety through traveling.

What you can learn from Never Ending Footsteps:

• How to promote courses on your travel blog
• The importance of using social media along with your website
• How to be candid and authentic with your audience

30. NOMADasaurus

@NOMADasaurus

The NOMADasaurus website has been around since 2013 and has become the biggest travel blog in Australia. Alesha Bradford and Jarryd Salem use this platform to share travel tips and show their readers how to promote sustainability. The site is easy to browse, and they do a really nice job of combining interesting writing with impressive photography.

What you can learn from Nomadasaurus:

• How to offer adventure tours to your audience
• Why you might want to promote sustainable tourism on your blog
• Ways to maximize your engagement on Twitter and YouTube

31. Nomadic Boys

@nomadicboys

Stefan and Sebastian are a couple who have been traveling for the last 10 years and together created a leading gay travel blog called Nomadic Boys. They offer tips and inspiration for members of the LBGTQ community and their international audience. This website is an excellent example of combining lifestyle topics with resources for long-term travel.

What you can learn from Nomadic Boys:

• How to establish an email newsletter
• The importance of networking for blog success
• Tips for curating travel content for the LBGTQ community

32. Nomadic Matt  

@nomadicmatt

Nomadic Matt is a well-known blog in the travel space that has been around for over 11 years. Matt has been to over 100 countries, and his travels have been covered by major publications like the BBC and The New York Times. He has a nice mix of informative and inspirational content that helps visitors learn more about traveling to any place at any time.

What you can learn from Nomadic Matt:

• How to launch and maintain a webshop on your site
• The true value of community and how to maximize your networking
• Ways to successfully sell guidebooks and courses

33. Notes From the Road

@erikgauger

Notes From the Road is an experimental travel blog by Erik Gauger. His content focuses on experiences in nature, and you’ll find a lot of stunning wildlife photography within many of the posts. He also includes several of his own illustrations. Erik’s goal for his blog is to capture true experiences that are told in a sincere way as they happen.

What you can learn from Notes From the Road:

• The value of demonstrating authenticity through your blog
• How to show a vivid picture of nature during travel
• Ways to organize your travel writings by destination

34. Oneika The Traveller

@oneikatravel l er

Oneika Raymond is a media personality and journalist who has appeared on the Travel Channel and NBC New York. Her blog, Oneika the Traveller, allows her to share experiences from her travels to over 115 different countries over the years. She aims to inspire people of color and provide some important commentary and opinions along the way.

What you can learn from Oneika The Traveler:

• How to balance blog content with a social media presence
• Ways to present professional travel experience
• Why you should embody the essence of the lifestyle you promote

35. Practical Wanderlust

@practicalwander

Practical Wanderlust is a blog by a couple, Lia and Jeremy, who strive to provide their audience with realistic tips and advice for traveling. They’ve created detailed guides for many destinations and also offer gift guides for topics like hiking and eco-friendly travel. You’ll find some great articles on the blog along with some amazing photos from many unique places.

What you can learn from Practical Wanderlust:

• Using printable checklists to attract newsletter followers
• Why hosting a podcast can help develop your audience
• How to promote products through affiliate sites

36. Retire Early and Travel

@RetireTravel

Keith and Tina Paul created Retire Early and Travel to help people prioritize travel and find ways to retire early and make it happen. They work alongside major travel agencies and businesses to find experiences they can review for their audience. This is an excellent example of using a travel blog not only to engage with an audience but also develop a true business around the concept.

What you can learn from Retire Early and Travel:

• The importance of developing a core audience
• How to use your blog to promote travel companies and offerings
• The benefit of focusing on a specific travel concept for your blog

37. Sidetracked

@SidetrackedMag

Sidetracked seeks to capture the emotion of travel within each and every blog post. They run their travel blog as a web magazine with a complete editorial team and regular group of contributors. The field journal gives you quick access to specific entries covering different locations, and visitors can also purchase printed Sidetracked books from the online shop.

What you can learn from Sidetracked:

• How to run and operate an online travel magazine
• Great ways to match your highlighted content with each season
• Where to find great brand partnerships

38. Spin The Globe

@spin_theglobe

Sylvia Longmire has gained international recognition as a traveler who doesn’t let her disability hold her back. Previously diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Sylvia travels in her wheelchair and provides an intimate look into the challenges and potential for wheelchair accessible travel. She has also released several books and provides an impressive number of consulting and trip planning offerings on her blog.

What you can learn from Spin The Globe:

• The true value of capturing candid and authentic stories
• Ways you can promote books through a travel blog
• How to embrace life and focus on your potential

39. Stuck in Customs

@treyratcliff

Stuck in Customs is the travel blog of photographer Trey Ratcliff, and he really captures his personality on the site. He has amassed an impressive following and shares a ton of informative tutorials and guides for taking better photos and videos. This website is a great example of being fully committed to your niche and developing multiple streams of income.

What you can learn from Stuck in Customs:

• How to promote yourself and your work in an authentic way
• Why you should use multiple social media platforms
• How to develop informative tutorials and guides

40. The Barefoot Nomad  

@BarefootNomads

The Barefoot Nomad is the blog of Micki and Charles Kosman, who have been actively traveling since 2003 and sharing a multitude of tips with their audience. With an active community of followers built over the last 10 years, their blog highlights the importance of consistency and regularly posting fresh content. Highlights of their blog include travel tech reviews and tips for how to manage travel as a family with young children.

What you can learn from The Barefoot Nomad:

• The importance of writing a detailed About Us page
• How to develop your content for long-term growth
• How technology is impacting the travel niche

41. The Blonde Abroad

@theblondeabroad

The Blonde Abroad is run by Kiki, who has compiled a diverse set of travel tips on her website. She promotes the concept of solo travel and the many ways you can define your own unique approach to visiting any destination you choose. You’ll find a nice mix of inspirational posts, guides, and planning resources on her blog.

What you can learn from The Blonde Abroad:

• The importance of integrating lifestyle tips and guides for deep audience engagement
• How to incorporate a web store into your travel blog
• The value of an easily accessible “start here” page to help direct new visitors

42. The Points Guy

@thepointsguy

As the name implies, The Points Guy is a travel blog dedicated to maximizing the value of travel points and miles. Brian Kelly started this blog in 2010 and has since built a huge audience with over 10 million unique visitors to the site each month. On The Points Guy blog, Brian shares guides for how to accumulate and use travel rewards and also covers airline and travel news and other important topics related to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What you can learn from The Points Guy:

• How to integrate two big topics, travel and personal finance, into a unique niche website
• Why including relevant news topics can help keep your content fresh
• How to set up a category for dedicated reviews for travel services and products

43. The Travel Episodes

@travelepisodes

The Travel Episodes is the blog of Johannes Klaus, who focuses on the idea of travel as as a medium for storytelling. His travel stories include vivid photography and well-formatted posts to really build a sense for what it feels like to visit these destinations. Each post is written in a long-form journalistic style and often includes stories that span multiple days of a particular trip.

What you can learn from The Travel Episodes:

• How to create narrative-style travel posts that include relevant images
• What topics and themes can be developed into deeply engaging content
• How to maximize the value of guest bloggers and contributed stories

44. Time Travel Turtle

@michaelturtle

Time Travel Turtle is Michael Turtle’s blog, and his content reflects his background as a television and radio reporter. His goal as a blogger is to share stories from his travels in a way that inspires others and helps them plan their own adventures. One major focus of his site is the importance of Unesco World Heritage Sites and why they make such incredible destinations to visit.

What you can learn from Time Travel Turtle:

• Where to place your most popular posts as a dedicated feed
• Why integrating a clear mission, such as visiting World Heritage Sites, can give your website structure
• The importance of including lesser-known destinations and stories in your posts

45. Travel Break

Travel Break is run by Stephanie Be, who took a gap year after college and has traveled to 42 countries since then. Her website has a very streamlined layout with content that focuses on planning, packing, and travel tips. She has also created an online shop and promotes a dedicated travel companion app.

What you can learn from Travel Break:

• The importance of being featured on other authoritative websites and blogs
• How to structure and promote an engaging online store
• Ideas for how to promote exclusive travel services and professional offerings

46. Travel For Wildlife

@Travel4Wildlife

Travel for Wildlife is a nature travel blog created by a couple, Cristina Garcia and Hal Brindley. They not only share travel tips but also dedicate time to promoting conservation initiatives and the importance of responsible wildlife tourism. This website is an excellent example of how to combine a passion for travel with larger themes and trends in the industry.

What you can learn from Travel For Wildlife:

• Ways to organize and share destination guides
• A simple format for featuring your trending content
• How winning tourism awards can help build credibility for your blog

47. Uncornered Market  

Bloggers and consultants Dan and Audrey started Uncornered Market to share stories from travelers and organizations that embrace the planet and promote responsible forms of travel. Hailing from the United States, they share stories that paint a more genuine picture of American life than can be seen on television. This approach helps them engage with an international audience and provides a strong base for promoting their consulting services.

What you can learn from Uncornered Market:

• How to combine a travel blog with a commercial site featuring professional services
• Why creating case studies for your blog can help you gain credibility with a professional audience
• Where to place alert banners to provide visitors with urgent and important news and content

48. View From the Wing  

Gary Leff is a CFO and travel expert, and his blog, View From the Wing, is an inspiring example of a site that has a clearly defined, specific purpose. His main focus is sharing travel deals and advice for how to manage air travel, hotel, and credit card rewards. Having been featured in a number of television, radio, and print publications, Gary continues to expand his reach and share the latest trends in the industry.

What you can learn from View from the Wing:

• How to promote an email newsletter to your audience
• The best way to organize trip reports by region and year
• Where to place your best deals when promoting third-party offers

49. Wandering Earl

@wanderingearl

Derek has been traveling full-time since 1999 and has spent the last 20 years traveling to over 100 countries. His blog, Wandering Earl, contains blog posts and travel resources that chronicle his experiences. By building his website around his lifestyle, he has been able to create an authentic identity and share content that truly resonates with his audience.

What you can learn from Wandering Earl:

• The value of making a resources section a highlight of your landing page
• How to get the maximum value out of a simple website theme
• Where to plan travel tours as an offering for dedicated travelers

50. We’re The Russos

@WeretheRussos

The We’re the Russos travel blog was created by full-time RVers Joe and Kait Russo in 2015. They’ve developed an effective and simple brand for their website that includes a nice professional logo and basic theme. They also do a great job of embedding their relevant YouTube content directly into posts and mixing different topics to keep the feed from becoming repetitive.

What you can learn from We’re The Russos:

• How to develop and promote travel books for your website
• Why YouTube can be an excellent extension of a travel blog
• Tips for starting your own blog and earning money while traveling

Studying these amazing travel blogs and what they do right can inspire you to create your own travel blog that makes a mark in this popular niche. Once you start growing your audience, there are many ways to monetize your travel blog and finance your travel adventures. If you rent out your apartment or home to travelers while you’re jetsetting around the globe, promote your listings on sites like TripAdvisor and Airbnb with our easy to install Airbnb and TripAdvisor follow buttons, making it easy for your blog visitors to save your listings or experiences for the next time they’re planning a trip to your neck of the woods. Not only can you install them in just minutes, but they’re totally free to use!

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Travel Blogger Academy

Write. Travel. Get Paid for Both.

3 Types of Travel Blogs (and Which Pays Best)

Make sure you're headed this way...

You’ve only got three choices…

… and depending which you choose, your blog either blossoms into a wildly profitable, scalable business – equipped with an army of writers, recurring passive income and the possibility of a six-figure buyout…

… or it sputters along like a near-dead VW bus along the frigid Icefields Parkway.

You’ve only got three choices… those are two of them.

But the third option kills it.

It’s the method used by Lonely Planet, Frommers and Travelfish to rise above the noise and deliver world-class travel info/entertainment.

And once you understand this method, you’ll take a good, long look at your travel blog and suddenly see a world of opportunities.

Sure, the other two might work (at least in the short run) but the stone cold truth is…

Most travel blogs – financially speaking - are designed to fail.

The three types of travel blogs are as follows.

First, there’s…

The personality piece

Personality pieces are conversational. It’s a chance to speak directly with your readers and convey your own thoughts. I can think of no better example of conversational travel writing than Geraldine over at The Everywhereist… her writing positively reeks of personality .

In a good way.

Personality can be extremely important to your travel blog. Used improperly, it could be killing your blog.

Don’t get me wrong: personality is a good thing . In fact, in this overcrowded travel industry – surrounded by corporate giants like Lonely Planet and National Geographic – personality is the one advantage you do have.

After all, these publications have a steady rotation of writers and editors - many who come and go over the years – and they’re all ordered to do the same thing…

Maintain the voice.

If you’ve ever read a Lonely Planet region guide (e.g., Southeast Asia on A Shoestring ) you know what I mean. It’s damn near impossible to tell the difference between writers. And there’s an obvious reason for that: while several writers contribute to your guidebook, one clear voice establishes the book’s tone.

But at what cost?

What if a writer got roaring, blackout drunk one night and woke up wearing nothing but socks and a mustache? Wouldn’t that be worth reading?

Of course it would!

But sadly, such a story would never, ever make it to print… not in a million goddamn years.

So as I mentioned earlier, personality is a good thing. Personality makes your writing shine, makes you real in the eyes of your readers and ultimately bonds you together in ways “professional” publications never could…

Don’t believe me? Ask any professional travel writer if they’ve ever had lunch/dinner/casual sex with their readers. Then ask a travel blogger the same question. Matt Kepnes has. Gary Arndt has. So have I (food and drinks, anyways).

There’s a deeper, more personal connection with travel blogging.

And like Samuel Jackson says in Pulp Fiction:

“Personality goes a long way.”

Indeed. But here’s the painful truth: personality doesn’t pay the bills on its own .

Advertisers are less likely to pay a premium if your content is quite literally all over the place.

Which is why you must focus.

This leads us to the second type…

The destination blog

You go to Google… type in “things to do in Austin, Texas” and - as if by magic – a website appears with articles on the best bars in the Warehouse District, top-notch BBQ for music lovers and why hundreds of people stand over the bridge on Congress Street each night…

… but it ain’t magic.

Destination-focused blogs target popular areas around the world and offer in-depth advice without going too wide.

Instead, they go deep.

Deep into a city/country/region.

So deep they’ll tell you what the best BBQ is… where to get it… what to order… the best day to go… who’s the best cook (and server)… and why asking for a fork is a death wish.

( Psssst : If you love BBQ… then you must visit either Kreutz Market or The Salt Lick just outside Austin. Actually, you should visit Austin regardless… it’s the best city in the U.S.)

Destination blogs have the right idea. Their focus on a specific area enjoys two HUGE advantages:

First, region-specific websites build authority . This point is extremely important, as it improves search engine rankings and traffic referrals.

Don’t believe me? Travelfish.org features content on Southeast Asia only… and receives over 15 million impressions per year for their troubles.

And because their content is laser targeted, advertisers pay a premium to reach their readers .

Looking at their media kit, you can see they charge anywhere between $3 - $8 eCPM (per thousand pageviews), which is substantially higher than you’d expect with non-direct ads (e.g. Google Adsense).

Let’s “reverse-engineer” Travelfish’s approach. If they charge $22 per eCPM – based on four ad spots per page as outlined in their media kit – and they receive 1.25 million pageviews each month, then that means they make roughly…

Sorry buckaroo, I’m not going to tell you.

Instead, here’s the math you need to use:

Divide pageviews by 1,000, then multiply by eCPM.

So in this case:

1,250,000 / 1,000 X 22

Do the math yourself to see how much moo-lah Travelfish probably pulls in each month. As you’ll see, it’s enough to pay for plenty of pad thai .

Oh, and by the way? The owners of Travelfish could easily sell this site to an interested party. Since it’s not plastered with one particular personality – and thanks to its focused content – a new owner could step in without affecting the brand.

Try that with a personality blog. As soon as the lead blogger leaves, everyone notices… and the site’s perceived value plummets overnight.

Destination pieces make more money than personality driven blogs… but…

Why stop there?

Let me explain:

• With a personality driven blog, YOU are the asset.
• With a destination based blog, the SITE is the asset.
• With a hybrid of the two, BOTH become assets.

Now I’m not really a “numbers” guy… but wouldn’t you rather be building two assets instead of one?

Wouldn’t you rather create a travel blog which builds your authority and personal brand (which can lead to press trips, speaking engagements, book deals, etc.)…

…. AND delivers laser-targeted content which lets you charge a premium for advertising…

… AND lets you quickly sell it for a giant lump sum whenever you want to move onto something else?

Of course you would!

In my opinion, the hybrid model gives you the best of both worlds, without any of their weaknesses.

And the best part is, it’s really, really easy to do.

How to build a hybrid travel blog…

First, loosen your preconceptions on what a travel “blog” should be. In fact, lay your preconceptions outside and stab them with a rusty screwdriver (Wu-Tang, anyone?).

Next, create an outline of your site content based on regions. If you write about Vietnam, break it up into smaller regions. If you blog about Southeast Asia, break it up into countries (like Travelfish).

And if you’re like most travel bloggers, you write about everywhere … so break that up into continents and then into countries.

If you don’t have a travel blog yet, write out your categories on a piece of paper.

See your outline? This is where 90% of your content will go. It should provide advice/insights/practical info on specific destinations without too much personality.

There are two reasons for this:

• By maintaining an informative, editorial style of content you can hire other writers down the line. It’s much harder for someone to copy your personal style than it is to write editorially.
• An editorial travel site is much easier to sell (and for a higher profit, too) because the site’s brand is unaffected by transfer of owner.

So this is where 90% (or more) of your content will appear. It’s factual, relevant and interesting.

But what about the other 10%?

The other 10% should go towards your blog. Remember, when I say “blog” in this sense I mean a traditional blog… one which lists your newest post first.

The URL should be something like www.yourdomain.com/blog/

You can use your blog for many, many things… but it should really focus on three things:

• Gain links and social shares from other people.
• Build both your brand and your website’s brand.
• Hype up cool things your company is doing.

If you can do all three of things in one post, congratulations. Chances are, however, you won’t be able to hype your site in every post.

BUT – and listen closely, buckaroo - you should be gaining links and building your brand with every post.

Oh, and by the way… be sure to include links in your posts to travel articles you’ve written elsewhere.

For example, let’s say you wrote a destination piece on Paris. You then write a blog post called “7 Unknown (And Slightly Naughty) Things to Do in Paris” and link to it in your post. If you have other articles about Paris, link to them as well within the post itself.

I’ll bet you a beer your readers will click those links and read more of your content.

Which is the point 😉

What You Must Do Next…

… is quite simple, really.

Map your blog out by region. Offer in-depth advice on specific destinations. Move all “soft” content to the blog, and link to your destination articles.

Not only will your readers thank you… you’ll gain more traffic from the search engines, be perceived as an authority (instead of an amateur travel blogger) and advertisers will be willing to pay you more money for advertising.

Actually, before you do that…

… drop me a comment below about this strategy. Questions? Concerns? Leave ‘em in the comments and I’ll help you out.

Adam Costa is co-founder and Editor in Chief of both Trekity.com and TravelBloggerAcademy. He currently lives... um... somewhere.

Wow Adam… you have a ton of valuable content on this site for travel blogger - we’ve recently launched a travel blog so coming across this site is like striking gold. Keep the tips coming

Great to hear you’re digging it so far - there is a lot more to come. What are you looking for specifically? (e.g. monetization, traffic, etc.)

Interesting - the hybrid approach is exactly what I’m doing with my travel site - I’d just never seen it written down anywhere - I thought I’d invented it 🙂 Oh well , great minds at all that!

Great minds, indeed 😉

The hybrid approach works best for most bloggers, in my opinion, because it gives them a chance to spoon feed the search engines valuable, destination related content (which people search for)…

… and provides them a chance to brand the blog with their own personal flavor.

Good to see you here Lissie - what specific types of content would you like to see more of here?

I cannot thank you enough for the article.Thanks Again. Really Cool.

Great tips Adam. Going to be an interesting course. We have seen a huge increase in traffic (doubled) over the least 3 months so keen to see where it ends up over the next 3 months as we move into taking the blog full-time.

Glad you’re digging the course, and congratulations on doubling your traffic!

What methods did you use to boost it?

Good post. Kinda ties into what I’ve been trying to accomplish with my blogsite. On the hybrid approach, when creating content for the 90%, do you create static pages or just regular blog posts and place them in categories based on locations?

I’d recommend regular blog posts and place them in categories based on locations. The trick is to separate the “blog” from the regular site. For example, your destination articles would go on http://www.mysite.com and blog posts would go on http://www.mysite.com/blog .

So, the destination articles will also show up on http://www.mysite.com/blog but have easy access to those posts on the home page http://www.mysite.com? I think I get it. We are just starting to create content so wanted to know the best way of organizing the site as it’s created.

Close… but not quite. The destination articles will be listed on http://www.mysite.com/category/your-article-destination here. Then, any personal travel pieces would go on http://www.mysite.com/blog/your-personal-piece-here .

For example, let’s say your blog covers the world, and your categories are countries. So if you write an article about Hanoi, the URL would look like this:

http://www.mysite.com/vietnam/hanoi/

And if you wrote a personality driven blog post about it, the URL would be:

http://www.mysite.com/blog/adventures-hanoi/

This way the destination articles are on the homepage, while personal pieces are on the blog.

Please keep in mind, this is just my opinion. As someone who’s been marketing online for five years, I bring a lot of experience to the table… but… there are more ways to build a travel blog than just this.

But if you want to build a hybrid blog, this (in my opinion) is the way to do it. http://www.mysite.com/blog/heloo

You’re giving away all of my secrets… damn you! Ha ha & just teasing but I fit into the third ‘most profitable’ category you describe above though got there on my own rather than reading a post like this and mapping it out… I honeslty don’t see many others formatted like mine (with the blog section separate focus but a part of the website and included under a category ‘blog’) though many do the same thing, like Nomadic Matt who went in reverse, first his personality blog, then creating great destination content/guides.

So, shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, pipe down will ya Adam. I would rather folks have to do it the hard way like I did and figure it out for themselves… 🙂 Great post, wish I had had access to this information a year plus ago! Cheers, Molly

Sorry Molly, I had to spill the beans sometimes. I’m glad you’ve embraced the third model - it’s really the best way for travel blogs to leverage objective info while creating linkbait. I’m using this strategy on Trekity and - once we get all the development issues worked out (sigh) - I’ve gonna build that blog out something fierce 😉

I’ve been wrestling with an idea for a bit and would love to run it by you and this theory of yours. My blog is an everywhere blog but I have been thinking of focusing a large portion of it to my home. Which is a major world wide tourist destination. Do you think it would be better to a site from the ground up focusing on that one destination or can it somehow be incorporated in to my everything blog?

Hi Alexandra,

Tough call - if you incorporate to your existing blog you’re leveraging your existing audience/links/karma, etc. Which is great.

You can leverage some of that goodwill to a new domain, but there’s dropoff. However, a new domain is easier to brand.

After looking at your site, I’d suggest using your existing blog.

I’ve always been a big fan of “hybrid” travel blogs. There’s more on there than just a personality or guides.

My favorite of all time is www. thelongestwayhome.com he’s been doing it for years and helped me out so much!

I’m also a big fan of http://andeandrift.com it’s not hybrid but it’s got more personality with tom and his wife than many others do. Almost like a weekly tv show.

My question is how do these travel blogs go on for so many years? Are they earning through ads and content or other work? Would be great if you could do another feature and actually ask travel bloggers who have been traveling a long time how they are earning?

Many bloggers are making their money from direct ads (as opposed to Adsense). Some are selling their own products (which I recommend) and making money on sponsorships.

You can hear each blogger talk about it in the interview series here:

http://travelbloggeracademy.com/top-travel-bloggers/

I’ll be writing a lot more about monetizing sites in the future, too!

Hey Adam great post! I am going to be taking my first big travel adventure soon. I will be teaching in English in Georgia (The Country) :). I have been playing with the idea of starting a travel blog, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I figured why not put my love for culture, writing, photography, and music on one site for the rest of the world to see. I do have a question though, I will be spending the next year in Georgia teaching English, I will be doing some traveling in Turkey and Armenia on my days off, but I wasn’t sure how to structure this blog. After my year is up I plan on going to Prague next to get a teaching job and then writing on the side. I just wasn’t sure if I should just dedicate this site to me being in Georgia or leave it open to my future travels as well.

Hola Brittanie,

That’s a tough one. If you’re looking to turn your blog into a business, then choose whichever you can work on for several years. If you’re doing it as a hobby, then feel free to lump them all together - it’s your blog, after all!

Thanks for your comment!

Hi Adam, love this article, just starting my blog, http://www.the traintraveler.net. In 2000 I started a website called The Train Traveler, and did it for three years. Didn’t even know the word “blog”! Now I’m up and running again, have high hopes and great expectations. Your advice from the course and this site will be invaluable. Regards, Lynne

Good job! We are trying to build a hybrid type kind of blog too. Keep up the good advice and thanks for this website!

I have just realized this is what I want to do. I didn’t know where or how to start. But I am glad I came across your site so many tips. I want to thank you Adam. It’s good to know if I have any questions you will be there

Thank you! I’m moving abroad in August and want to blog about it but didn’t want to have just another “20’something western lady goes on an adventure” blog (which, despite my best efforts, is exactly what I’ll probably end up with). This article really highlights some of the quintessential aspects of creating a more-than-just-a-blog-blog and has helped me organize my thoughts. AND you made me laugh. harharhar.

It’s more than a year, and I’m reading it for the first time. 🙁 Now I have to work on my destination blog and arrange the categories once again. Anyway, thanks for the thought you shared.

Thanks Adam for ur article.However, can u explain more the concept of editorial travel site?in comparison to normal travel writing, as u mentioned

or” personality writing”.

This northern summer, we (my wife and I) will be driving a leased Renault from Paris to Istanbul and back, via Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany. This is our first experience of Europe.

We’ll be doing this on a budget, staying in budget hotels and apartments, eating in budget cafes and restaurants, etc., but we’ll also be ballooning over the Loire Valley, staying in a cave hotel, exploring the lakes district of the Swiss Alps, exploring the canals in Venice, staying with a family we don’t know in Serbia, paying our respects at Gallipoli and much more. We’ll also be seeking out the best music bars everywhere we go.

I am looking for publications or blogs that might be interested in paid daily blog posts or descriptive articles of this journey over about six weeks, which can include photos and video. I’m an experienced journalist and travel writer and an experienced budget traveller (flashpacker). I mostly blog on my own travel website (www.travelnasia.com) but I have been published by The Australian newspaper, The Age newspaper and many magazines including Australian Boating, Motor Manual and more. I don’t currently write for a living.

I’m also willing to blog occasionally in the lead-up about how we’re organising this trip. I am a bit of a planning nazi before we travel and I’ve already written a 30 page travel itinerary for my other half who struggles to get her head around what we’re going to be doing on this trip. I’ve also thoroughly researched how to stay connected throughout this trip without breaking the bank, and how to back up our photos, videos and dashcam footage without a PC (we’ll be taking an iPhone and an Android tablet). Will it all go to plan? Hell no, but that’s half the fun of it! I half expect we’ll get to Veliko Tarnovo in northern Romania and find ourselves in the middle of WW3!

What do you think is the best way to get published and paid for blogging this trip? Or do I just create yet another personal travel blog?

Hey, sounds like a great trip. Because your trip is based on a specific geographic area, you’re going to have to research and contact larger sites that focus on that same areas and pay for guest writing. A car rental company based in Europe might be a good place to start. The good news… you have a solid itinerary and can research these websites pretty easily. Personally, I wouldn’t advise starting a new travel site just for this trip as most of your writings will be published elsewhere. Wishing you all the best and safe travels! - Darcie

Hi Adam and Darcie

Firstly thank you so much for writing this post, the information in it is timeless although it’s a pity it took me so long to find it!

I’m in the embryo stages of putting my travel blog together, it’s already been through numerous redesigns because I couldn’t decide which voice to write in 1st/2nd person etc…

I started the blog by accident which resulted in me embarking on a 7000 mile walk (don’t ask) but it soon became apparent more than I was interested in it so the blog itself became a laser focused niche it just needed a direction and here we are.

This post is sort of where I decided to to take it, shame it took me months to come to this conclusion when it’s all here for me.

Appreciate all your efforts, wish you much success and look forward to reading much more.

Regards Rob

That’s awesome Rob! We’re glad you’ve found your way and hope the rest of the site helps you along your journey. Thanks for sharing.

hey all, I am new to the blogging world so disclaimer if my questions seem unprofessional. Adam and Darcy,thank you for this.Trying to absorb the information like a sponge dropped in the sea. My question-you talk about moving all soft content to the blog and then link to your destination articles. I have a travel blog http://wangechigitahi.wordpress.com that has my work classified in continents and then countries.in reference to your above statement,should I have a website and a blog to have posts and articles or what did you mean? Heeeeelllppp

Hey Adam, Thank you for this detailed post. When I decided to start a travel blog focused on traveling in my home country, the first thing I outlined was what all content I want to feature on the website. Structuring the blog was the toughest task because I wanted to strike a balance between travel stories and travel advice on destinations as the blog would be primarily focused on food and culture. My blog is still in the making and I absolutely love the concept of a hybrid blog. Surprisingly, this is the only post where the hybrid approach has been discussed clearly and I found it to be highly useful. It sounds like the perfect balance between providing off beat destination advice and sharing travel stories that will inspire people to set off to explore. The advice you provide on this website is paramount. I keep digging through the website and have found some gem like articles which will prove to be highly valuable to build my blog. I would be happy to read more about writing blog posts that will drive traffic, how to structure articles, should top-to-do lists be incorporated, etc.

Thanks again. Ankita

Wow yor site and posts really inspire me

Reading your piece today was a confirmation that I am on the right track. I am doing exactly that a hybrid. Thank you for making feel proud of my work.

Great article. I think you’ve got it in a nutshell here. Without consciously having throught about it, I am doing the hybrid version, with an emphasis I’d say on option 2. It has served me well to date (just coming up for 10 years with my blog) and I am a full time travel blogger, doing quite well from it.

I do worry sometimes that the blog should be more about me, but my concern is more because that’s what all the other travel bloggers seem to do. I’m not really one for including myself in all the pictures, etc. It just seems rather narcissistic to me (not that I’m judging others who prefer to work that way) and I prefer to focus on the destinations than myself and my family who travel with me.

At the end of the day, each travel blogger should do what works for them, and what makes them happy, I guess…

Thanks for this really informative article, it’s definitely inspired me to go back to the drawing board.

I was thinking of starting a new blog for this, and keeping my current one (called ‘Wander Studies’) for longer, personal pieces, because I’m not sure the name quite fits a more general blog. Would be great to get some opinions on this!

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38 Types of Articles for Travel Blogs

Professional travel blogs have become the modern travel guidebook . The types of articles found on travel blogs often have a practical intent: Where to go? What to eat? Where to sleep? What to do? They give travelers the same types of “objective” and practical information as guidebooks, but for free. 

Most professional travel blogs are commercial, service-oriented content businesses . They exist to answer travelers’ questions and generate revenue from advertising, affiliate marketing, and direct sales.

In other words, professional travel bloggers are less concerned with posting personal stories, travelogues , or “subjective” musings than they are posting articles that answer questions that people are searching for.

Case in point: one “elite” travel and lifestyle blogger who accepts guest posts from other writers notes that she does not accept “diary-style travel writing,” but rather “detailed travel guides from your personal travels with tips and facts about a destination.” 

Another professional blogger accepting guest posts writes “Your post should not be a story about a personal experience.” Instead, it should be “practical” as the title of their blog indicates.

And that’s fine. They are business that publish content to capture a portion of internet search traffic.

Types of articles for travel blogs

As professional travel blogs have a different focus than personal travel blogs, so too should they publish different types of articles.

A professional or commercial travel blogger needs to consider writing articles that will help serve people searching for travel-related questions and inspire them to travel. 

But because they evolved from earlier travel blogs that published personal travelogues and musings, many professional travel bloggers today still write personal posts and articles from time to time. Or, they “sprinkle” personal anecdotes into their posts. It is helpful to incorporate these elements from time to time to “connect with your readers.”

Here are some ideas to help you begin.

Travel blog article ideas

• ## hours in…
• ## ways to…
• Day trips from…
• Destination guides
• Destination pieces
• Hiking near…
• Itineraries
• One week in…
• One weekend in…
• Outdoor activities near…
• Side trips from…
• Things to do in…
• The ## best…
• The ## [hyperbolic adjective] [noun] in/to…
• Ultimate guide to [location/destination/festival/activity]
• What to do in…
• What to eat in…
• What to see in…
• Where to stay in…

Use these post title examples to explore other ideas. For example, “how to” articles can deal with destination-specific information or more general information about traveling, lifestyle, “travel hacking,” and the like. 

Remember, if you want traffic to your travel blog, your goal is to help others by solving their problems, answering their questions, or inspiring them. 

As I mentioned earlier, professional travel bloggers often publish personal posts alongside their commercial content from time to time.

Personal travel blog posts can literally be on any topic, but here are some ideas.

Ideas for personal articles on travel blogs

• An update from…
• My ## favorite Xs in Y
• My goals for [month/year]
• My favorite travel moments of/in [month/year/destination]
• My first time in…
• My recent itinerary in…
• My plans for [month/year]
• The truth about…
• What am I reading in [month/year/location]
• What’s in my carry-on?
• Why I love/hate…
• Year in review…

Now that you have some ideas for your travel blog articles, don’t forget these tips to help you write better articles optimized for the web.

How do you write a travel blog article?

• Use free keyword research tools like Ubersuggest to see what people are searching for and write content around it.
• Write a catchy title using numbers, hyperbole, and intrigue.
• Write long articles using short paragraphs.
• Remember your readers. Help them solve their problems.
• Use subheadings to organize your posts.
• Link to other posts on your site when appropriate.
• Make lists.
• Break up text using photos and other media.

Last Updated on 28 September 2020 by Travel Writing World

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Make Moments Matter

105 Travel Blog ideas For Travel Posts Your Readers Will Love

Travel Blog Post Ideas

Got writers block and need some travel blogs ideas? Check out these travel post ideas for inspiration.

Trying to think of new travel blog posts can be hard work!

Despite what all your friends and family think, I know you don’t just get to explore amazing new destinations all the time or sit on a beach somewhere tropical relaxing. Travel blogging is a full time job, and it can be exhausting thinking of new travel blog content ideas.

Whether it’s coming up with post ideas when you’re at home, or what to write about when you have just been to a destination, sometimes the post ideas just don’t flow .

To help I have created 105 travel post ideas.

If you want to keep these for next time you have writers block you can scroll to the end to get your free printable of blog post ideas.

Happy writing!

Table of Contents

Tips For Writing Amazing Travel Blog Posts

How to write a travel blog post is going to different for each person and site. Here are a few tips that can help you create travel content with WOW factor. 

• Remember that as a travel blogger you are probably very experienced with all things travel. Your readers are most likely not! This means that something that may seem obvious to you is something they know nothing about.
• Help your readers. Answer questions they ask, think of all those small details that can make your readers experience while traveling better.Google Questions is a great way to see what people want to know.
• Write in your own voice. Your readers have come to your blog because they like what you have to say. Keep true to your voice and be YOU! The magic of travel blogs over generic sites is that we are quirky, fun, unique and personal.
• Think about how you will generate traffic to your post. Writing a post that will rank well with SEO is very different from writing a travel post for social media. Make sure your content, format and tone suits where you plan to market this post.
• Maximize your content. Each trip you make you need to be sure to write a good 5-10 posts ( even if it’s just a weekend away). Be sure to make notes and take lots of photographs . Research and plan your trip and have a rough idea of the posts you want to write before you leave ( you are guaranteed to have more ideas as you travel ).
• Just write! We all have days where the words just don’t flow. Be kind to yourself and give yourself a break ( we can’t be geniuses all the time, right?). Just type what comes to mind, don’t edit then save and walk away from the computer for a while. When you back to it, you may be inspired to add more or salvage a blog post from your ideas.

Travel Post Ideas

You can use these as prompts to get your writing juices to flow or take the idea as the title for your travel blog post ( just remember to use those SEO travel keywords too!).

Travel Blog Ideas For When You Are Not Traveling

• Why Travel Is Good For You
• How To Save For Your Next Adventure
• Create a post about your favorite and must-have travel items. All those things that make your trip better and easier. From packing cubes to camera equipment and walking shoes.
• Create a travel guide. Use all your posts you have about a destination to create an ultimate travel guide about it. ( This could even be a downloadable ebook you sell).
• Travel Books To Inspire Your Next Adventure
• How To Eat Vegan/Gluten Free/ Keto While You Travel
• The Most Versatile Travel Clothes ( It can be a mix and match post, or may convertible clothing or even items that dry super fast).
• Your top tips to beat jet lag.
• What You Need To Organize At Home Before You Travel ( Think of insurance, bill payments, events while you are away, house sitting etc)
• Travel Resources To Book An Amazing Trip
• My Favorite Travel Podcasts
• My Favorite Travel Blogs
• Which Luggage Is Best For You ( Compare luggage styles like backpacks, wheel suitcases and list pros’ and con’s)
• Why You Should Be A Tourist At Home
• Travel Gift Guide ( create lists of all the amazing travel products for travelers. You can do solo travelers, kids, grey nomads and much more)

Travel Post Ideas About Travel Tips and Hacks

• How To Find The Cheapest Flights
• Best Packing Hacks From A Travel Pro
• How To Stay Fit And Healthy While You Travel
• 11 Worst Travel Mistakes That Cost You Money
• Don’t Leave For Your Road Trip Without These Essentials
• How To Use Your Mobile When You Travel (This can include purchasing SIM cards abroad, mobile data charges, things to watch for so you don’t come home with a huge bill)
• Why You Need Travel Insurance
• How To Pick The Perfect Travel Accommodation ( Review or state pro’s and con’s for hostels, hotels, Airbnb, backpackers. Help your reader find the right accommodation to make their trip amazing).
• How To Volunteer Abroad
• Money Hacks ( This post can have currency tips, how to travel with money and information about travel cards, fees etc)
• Hotel Hacks ( Show your readers how they can make the most of their stay and what to look for. This can be lounge use, how to find out what free services are available and more)
• Carry On Packing Secrets
• How Not To Look Like A Tourist While Traveling
• Plane Travel Hacks You Need To Know
• Mistakes Not To Make When You Hire A Car
• How To Plan An Amazing Vacation

Travel Post Ideas For Destinations

Every time you visit a new destination try to have a number of posts planned so you can maximize your content with each trip. It is best if you can have a rough plan of action before your trip. This way you can research, plan your itinerary and activities to suit the posts you want to write.

• Must Try Food In ____
• 10 Spots To Take Amazing Instagram Photos in ____
• 11 Free Things To Do In ____
• How To See ____ On A Budget
• Non-Tourist Sites To Explore In ____
• Sustainable Travel Tips When You Visit ____
• How To Give Back When You Travel To ____
• Don’t Make These Mistakes When You Visit ____
• 5 Top Local Tips For Your Trip To ____
• Things You Have To Pack For  ____
• 5 Places Not To Visit In ____
• 15 Top Tips For Your First Trip To ____
• Public Transport Hacks For Your Visit To ____
• 11 Best Things To Do In ____
• XX Day Itinerary For ____
• Accessible Travel To ____
• Places To See In ____ When It Rains
• Responsible Animal Encounters In ____

Personal Travel Post Ideas

This one can be a little tricky. While adding a personal touch is something readers love, they don’t want to wade through a day-by-day diary style post. Instead think how your personal experiences and knowledge can help someone who wants to travel. Be entertaining while informative!

• How Travel Changed My Life
• Why ___ Is My Favorite Travel Destination ( After XX Countries)
• The Worst Travel Disasters And What I Learned From Them
• Honest reviews of tours you have taken ( can be city tours or tour companies)
• Your best personal experiences in a destination. Maybe you went adventuring off the beaten track, or found some secret places from a local. Share you stories in an informative and inspiring way.
• Hotel Reviews ( Travel writers can be pretty lucky sometimes, why not review that luxury hotel you stayed in?)
• My Bucketlist ( and why I want to travel there )
• Why I Like To Travel ____ ( This could be budget, luxury, with carry on only. Anything about your personal travel style and why it might appeal to other travelers)
• Your best food experiences while traveling.
• People love to know how much travel costs. Create a breakdown of your budget for your trips.

Generic Travel Blog Ideas

• How To Not Be A Bad Tourist
• How To Book The Best Family Vacation / Honeymoon / First Solo Trip etc.
• Top Tips For Solo Travel/ Couple Travel / Friend Travel
• Best Travel Quotes
• How To Travel Anywhere On A Budget
• Must Have Beauty Items For Travel
• Accessible Travel
• Inspirational Travelers
• What To Do When Travel Goes Wrong
• Should You Travel To ____ or ____? Discover Which One is Perfect For You.
• Travel Phrases To Learn To Make Friends With The Locals
• Top Backpacking Tips To Travel On A Budget
• How To Make Friends When Traveling Solo
• Things You Should Splurge On When You Travel ( And What To Not Spend Money On)
• How To Take Amazing Vacation Photographs
• Best Eco-friendly Products For Travel
• How To Take Self Portraits When Traveling Solo.
• Pro’s And Con’s For Using A Travel Agent
• What To Do When Homesickness Strikes
• How To Go Diving While Traveling
• Best Wildlife Experiences Around The World ( How To See Wildlife Responsibly)
• Why Travel Is The Only Thing You Spend Money On That Makes You Richer
• The Best Travel Cameras

Travel Blog Listicles or Round Up Ideas

If you haven’t been to a destination yourself or aren’t traveling at the moment then these posts are great to add to your site. There are Facebook groups where you can ask for round up content. Just be sure to correctly credit the author, use the best content you can and never use another writers content or images without permission.

• 10 Beaches You Have To Visit Once In Your Lifetime
• 50 Top Travel Tips From Travel Experts To Make Your Next Trip Amazing
• The Best Places To Travel In YEAR
• Best Sustainable Travel Destinations
• 10 Amazing Travel Photographs That Will Make You Want To Visit ____
• 25 Tips To Make Travel With A Baby/Toddler/Pet Easier
• Amazing Places To Travel For A Girls Trip/ Friends Vacation
• Seasonal destination posts. Maybe you visited in spring? Ask for content for a different season so you can compare or create a best time to visit ____ post.
• The Best Destinations For First Time Travelers
• 100 Places To See Solo/With Family / Before 30 etc
• 50 Best Road Trips
• 21 Destinations To Go For Your First Backpacking Trip
• 25 Overrated Destinations ( And Where To Go Instead )
• 30 Best Train Trips Around The World
• 25 Unique Travel Experiences
• Dive Sites To Visit In ____

Lighthearted Travel Post Ideas

It doesn’t all have to be serious. Have a little fun with your readers and create a quiz.

• What Country Should I Travel To Next?
• Which Type Of Traveler Am I?
• What Country Should I Live In?
• Horoscope Travel Destinations
• A Travel Item I Should Never Leave Home Without Is…?
• What Is My Travel Style?
• Find Out My Travel Photography Style

I hope these travel blog topics have helped you overcome writers block!

If you want these as a FREE pdf printable to keep for next time you are stuck for travel blog ideas just on the image below.

Travel with Meraki – The secret to successful travel blog ideas is helping others! Make sure your posts are informative, all information is correct and you answer questions your readers may have. If readers love your content they will keep returning to your site, recommend it to others and share your posts.

PIN FOR LATER!

Ideas For Travel Blog Posts

What is Told in Travel Blogs? Exploring Travel Blogs for Consumer Narrative Analysis

• Conference paper
• Cite this conference paper

• Carmela Bosangit 4 ,
• Scott McCabe 4 &
• Sally Hibbert 5  

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Blogging activity among tourists is increasing and represents an important new aspect of marketing communication in tourism. Millions of individuals have joined travel blog websites, to share their travel experiences online, and blogging has become an aspect of the tourist production and consumption process. The limited extant research on travel blogs focuses on tourists’ behaviour patterns and descriptions of destinations. In contrast, this paper examines travel blogs as textual artefacts to gain insights into how tourists construct order and make meaning from their experiences as part of the process of identity management. A narrative analysis of blogs from the three most visited travel blog websites was conducted. Tourists’ identity and sense-making were revealed by the stories that were told, the way in which they were recounted and how they were link to aspects of self-concept including values, preferences, skills, social roles and relationships.

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Authors and affiliations.

Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham, UK

Carmela Bosangit & Scott McCabe

Marketing Division Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham, UK

Sally Hibbert

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University of Applied Sciences Ravensburg-Weingarten, Weingarten, Germany

Wolfram Höpken

Laboratory for Intelligent Systems in Tourism, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA

Ulrike Gretzel

School of Hotel & Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong

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Bosangit, C., McCabe, S., Hibbert, S. (2009). What is Told in Travel Blogs? Exploring Travel Blogs for Consumer Narrative Analysis. In: Höpken, W., Gretzel, U., Law, R. (eds) Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2009. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-93971-0_6

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