Travelling around the world and writing all about it on your blog – it’s every blogger’s dream come true. If you love travelling, exploring new lands and meeting new cultures and you have a passion for writing, you should definitely consider starting your own travel blog. Not only will it make you feel awesome, it will also earn you money. If you already have a full-time job, don’t let that stand in your way of following your dreams, because it’s always good to have some additional revenue source on the side.
Perhaps you’re not familiar with this, but blogging can have extraordinary psychological effects on you. Writing about anything that’s on your mind can make you feel a lot better and fill you with joy, especially when you’re writing about something that you genuinely love, such as travelling.
However, you should have in mind that not many bloggers make full-time income, as the competition is becoming tougher and tougher every day. Each day, new blogs are created and there are quite a lot of people out there writing about their travel endeavors as well, so you must be unique if you wish to stand out.
People are always hungry for great content, so make sure you satisfy their needs and desires. Who knows – you might turn out to be one of the top travel bloggers out there. Let’s cut to the chase and take a look at everything you need to do to create your successful travel blog.
Pick Your Niche
Choosing your niche is an important first step to take before you even start creating your blog. As you already know, there are millions of travel blogs, so in order to be able to stand out from the endless list of bloggers, you need to find something particular you want to write about. You need to put your own unique twist on these topics, because a lot of people have written about it all before you.
You can write about luxury travel, popular tourist attractions, the most beautiful sights to see in the world, restaurant reviews with different kinds of cuisine and many, many other things – you get the idea. It’s crucial that you write about things you feel passionate about and, most importantly, provide your readers with your actual experiences. Travel as much as you can and write down everything you find interesting about the niche you choose.
Set up Your Travel Blog
When you start the process of setting up your blog, there are several things you must do before you can get on with your writing. Let’s break it all down and see what those steps include.
- Choose the Name for Your Blog
When naming your travel blog, you want to come up with something people will easily remember, but you don’t want to make it sound too plain and basic. Get your creative juices flowing and come up with a unique and interesting name that will make you really stand out. You will need to check if a particular URL is available, as there are a great number of travel blogs on the Web.
- Find a Web Hosting Provider
Finding a reliable web host is vital for your blog. When choosing a web host, focus on their tech support, backup services, reliability, bandwidth and any other service that you find necessary for your needs. The price is also important, but it is certainly not crucial, since it doesn’t always match the services offered, so don’t make it your priority.
- Buy a Domain Name
If your hosting package doesn’t come with a domain name, you will need to buy one. It’s better to find a host that will provide you with a domain name as well, but you can perhaps find it at a better price if you buy it separately. You only need to check if your desired name is available and that can be one of the toughest things you need to do, as there are so many names out there.
- Choose Your Blogging Platform
There are quite a number of blogging platforms for you to choose from, but the most popular one is WordPress. It’s extremely easy to use, it comes with thousands of themes, both free and premium, and it’s perfect for blogging. What’s most important is that it’s a free platform, so be sure to install it and set up your travel blog there. You will need to install WordPress plugins to make your blog more functional. You will find that access to the Internet and WordPress can open a lot of doors for your travel blogging venture and, with just a little bit of effort, you can be sure you will make your blog a success.
At this point, your travel blog can be up and running and you can start writing that killer content for your readers to enjoy.
Blogging Tools
Blogging tools are essential for every blogger, so you should research them and find the ones that will be most helpful. With the use of proper blogging tools, you will ensure your blog keeps growing and receives as much traffic as possible. The most fundamental tools you need for your blogging process are Google Keyword Planner, Google Analytics and Google Ad Manager.
This last, but surely not the least one, will help you manage the ads you want put on your blog, as that will make the money flow right into your pocket. You can put banner ads, sponsored ads, indulge in affiliate marketing or promote someone’s YouTube videos — you name it. Each and every ad you put on your travel blog will be a constant revenue source for you. Another blogging tool you can use is Canva, as it is ideal for adding the photos from your travels to your blog posts.
Advertise Your Travel Blog
In order to reach a wider audience and boost your reputation, you should advertise your blog on various social media networks. Set up accounts on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram and share your every blog post, and include your travel photos to really get people hooked. Advertising your blog on social media is what will help you spread your message to as many people as possible.
In order to further advertise your blog and improve your Google ranking, you need to make sure Google knows about it. That’s why it is vital to learn all about SEO and use that knowledge when optimizing your site for search engines.
If blogging about travel will make your dreams come true, set up your travel blog right now. It goes without saying that you should travel more and learn everything you can about the places you visit, so that your blog is rich with all the amazing stuff you pick up on your adventures. This will enrich the lives of your readers. Don’t just think about it, start right now and blog away!
