You see them all over Instagram—those bronzed goddesses who always seem to be on some white, sandy beach with a tranquil, turquoise ocean behind them.
Usually, there’s some sponsored ad within the description from a towel or water bottle company who paid the Insta-blogger to promote their product. You read a blissful caption along the lines of “No bad days!” and with a twinge of envy, ask yourself, “How did they get there?!”
First of all, they didn’t get there overnight. Life isn’t all about frozen margaritas and sandy cheeks—as much as they might want you to believe otherwise.
Truth is, it takes hard work to become a travel blogger. In fact, many travel bloggers have full-time jobs (including us)! But you can see from
If you want to know the secrets behind what makes travel bloggers successful, here a few tips on how you can get your blog to take you places. Buckle up!
Get the right tools
Before you can start jet-setting across the globe, you need to make sure you have all the essential equipment for your creative flow. A clean, attractive website? Check. A high-quality DSLR? Check. The best travel laptop? Check.
Not going to lie, investing in a premium setup will cost a pretty penny
Improve your photography
This one goes out to all those bloggers whose words just flow from their fingertips. Writing comes naturally to you and you can pump out content all day long—but how are your photo skills looking?
If you’re still snapping shots on your iPhone 7 and using pre-set Insta filters, you’ve got some improving to do. Now’s the time to sharpen your photography skills if you really want to take your blog to the next level. There are online courses you can take for photo-editing, but you should first read up on the basics like pixelation, page speed, and user experience (UEX).
Start posting!
Your wheels are ready for takeoff, but your blog hasn’t left the ground quite yet. To start a travel blog, you’ll first need to post plenty of content that can captivate an audience.
Build your personal brand across multiple social media platforms to capture the most viewers and engage your readers by asking them questions (What’s your favorite vacation? Where do you guys wish you could travel to?) and encouraging them to respond with comments. Once you start getting enough attention, you can begin affiliate marketing and start to make revenue off your travel blog.
Note: This part will take a ton of grunt work and it’ll take some time before you make enough money to actually use your blog to purchase flights.
We recommend setting up a marketing strategy to boost your rankings and organic online presence. It’s not easy and will take a ton of commitment—but don’t forget to still have a life!
Time to travel
Alright, future-blogger. You’ve saved up enough money to take your first “business” trip! Don’t forget to respond to emails, post regularly, and stay on top of all your platforms while you’re vacationing, er, working. That said, there’s a ton of value in taking a break from blogging.
Your mind is at its freest when you don’t have a million and one things to think about—and that’s when the real creative genius kicks in! So take some time to enjoy the fruits of your labor and sit back on that sandy beach you’ve worked so hard to make it to (and maybe snap a selfie for proof!). You’ll return to your blog refreshed, re-energized, and ready to deliver some amazing material to your readers.
That’s it! You’ll encounter some setbacks and hiccups along the way, no doubt. But if you stay patient and determined, you’ll be on your way to joining the ranks of travel bloggers just like me!
