Final Up to date on March 20, 2025
I’ve been knowledgeable journey blogger for 17 years — in the present day I’m going to share my secrets and techniques on how one can turn into a profitable journey blogger.
Once I first began this weblog in 2008, by no means in one million years may I think about the place it will take me.
It’s introduced me around the globe – throughout 150 international locations and 7 continents – and led to some epic adventures and lifelong experiences. From expedition cruising in Antarctica to seeing the Northern Lights in Lapland, gorilla trekking in Uganda to touring North Korea.
Turning into a journey blogger modified my life — in each sense of the phrase.
Not solely do I now lead a lifetime of journey, however I additionally make a cushty dwelling doing what I like. I go on task to chill locations for publications like Lonely Planet and I get to work from wherever on this planet. I completely love what I do and I’ve by no means been happier.
In essence, being a journey blogger is a dream job – in any case, I receives a commission to journey the world. For individuals who have the identical dream as me, here’s a detailed information on how one can turn into a journey blogger.
Tips on how to Turn into a Journey Blogger
In the present day I’ll be sharing what I’ve discovered about journey running a blog prior to now 17 years – what has labored for me and what hasn’t. I’ll spill all my secret ideas and every little thing I do know on how one can turn into a journey blogger like me.
FOR BEGINNERS:
Know Your Objective
Earlier than you begin a journey weblog, the primary query you have to ask your self is: Why do you need to be a journey blogger?
For me, it has all the time been about journey and storytelling. I truly began this weblog in 2003 (on blogspot then) as a method to maintain my household and mates up to date about my life overseas. It slowly advanced into greater than a journal. Solely in 2008 did I resolve to rework it right into a extra skilled platform to generate some earnings.
If you wish to turn into a journey blogger for the cash or free journeys, then don’t even hassle. Save your self a while and discover a extra profitable medium as a substitute. It takes years (could also be much less for some) to construct an viewers and readership earlier than the cash begins coming in. So take into consideration what your motive is earlier than you truly make the leap.
Discover a Area of interest
What are YOU all about? What actually calls to you? I do know you like to journey, however what sort of journey do you do? Price range or luxurious? Epic journey journey or seashore holidays? Do you want sluggish journey or brief holidays?
Again within the days once I first began journey running a blog, it was sufficient to specialize in a normal area of journey: price range, luxurious, journey, solo and so forth. These days, you’ve received to be extra inventive and discover a promoting level that makes you completely different from the remainder.
Are you an adventurer who leads overland expeditions of your personal? Or do you want volunteering and have volunteered around the globe? Perhaps you want to jot down about household journey?
It took me a number of years of journey running a blog to determine my particular pursuits. So be affected person and take your time to seek out out what you’re most obsessed with and go from there.
Have Persona
Most individuals learn blogs as a result of they need to learn tales they will relate to; about people who find themselves regular like everybody else doing unbelievable issues. The one largest factor that differentiates blogs from magazines or newspapers is that this private component.
At all times attempt to inject your private opinions and experiences. Be open and clear – and write to them such as you would write to your finest buddy. Folks learn journey blogs as a result of they need to know your first-hand experiences and the way it was like touring to a sure vacation spot.
Develop your voice and don’t be afraid to let your persona shine in your weblog.
You Must Like to Journey AND Write
Many individuals appear to suppose that each one you have to be a profitable journey blogger is to have a ardour for touring.
Sure you do want to like to journey and have some journey experiences (having backpacked southeast Asia as soon as doesn’t make you a seasoned traveler!). Nevertheless it’s not sufficient to only have a ardour for journey.
To efficiently turn into a journey blogger, you have to love BOTH journey and writing.
On the finish of the day, your experience could also be in journey however writing is your craft. If you wish to make a profession in journey running a blog final, you have to have a love for phrases and all that comes with running a blog (which requires an entire spectrum of abilities from digital advertising to social media).
Throughout my early years of running a blog, I took a guidebook writing boot camp in Guatemala organised by VIVA Journey Guides — it gave me the muse I wanted to be a author, and most of it, it made me realise how a lot I like writing. Take a journey writing course, do a web based workshop or learn all the finest journey books to up your writing abilities.
Make Constructing an Viewers Your Precedence
I can’t emphasize this sufficient: constructing an viewers ought to be your high precedence as a journey blogger, particularly if you’re new to this. Not how one can monetise your weblog, not pitching firms and getting freebies.
I can’t rely the variety of instances I’ve been approached by a brand new journey blogger to share my contacts after they barely have any readers. I’m all the time completely happy to share (that is what the neighborhood is about) however I get actually pissed off when individuals don’t get their precedence proper.
It took me two years to get my first press journey invite and earn a gentle stream of earnings from this weblog. For some, it’s occurred a lot quicker, and for others it’s taken much more time. The vital factor is to know that success doesn’t come in a single day — work exhausting at constructing your readership earlier than anticipating to reap any rewards.
Hold Writing and Don’t Give Up
To be knowledgeable journey blogger requires years of exhausting work and dedication. Don’t anticipate to generate income instantly after beginning a journey weblog; if you’re not able to dedicate all of your effort and time to it, then it’s finest to only deal with it as a interest.
Many bloggers I do know quit after a 12 months or so as a result of they’d no concept how a lot dedication was required. In addition to placing in lengthy hours, you have to hold at it for a very long time (speaking years, not weeks!) earlier than you see any type of return.
I bear in mind the times once I first determined to take a shot at journey running a blog in 2008: I’d rush residence after a day of labor at my full-time job and get all excited to work on my weblog. On weekends, I used to be completely happy to remain residence and write for hours on finish. That’s the type of dedication you want.
Being a journey blogger is like operating a marathon — you have to have stamina, go slowly however steadily and preserve your power to final by means of the race.
TAKING IT A STEP FURTHER:
Take a Running a blog Course
Each job requires you to know some abilities — so does being a journey blogger. In addition to understanding how one can write, you have to know search engine optimisation, internet creating, social media administration, graphic design and so forth. It took me years to select up all that by myself and I really feel that I STILL have a lot extra to study.
In the event you’re severe about creating wealth from journey running a blog, I like to recommend investing in a running a blog course to study all the talents you want. Nomadic Matt’s Famous person Running a blog Academy is nicely price trying out in the event you’re eager about studying each main facet of running a blog.
Their in-depth course covers every little thing you have to know concerning the enterprise of running a blog: from the technicalities of constructing a weblog to what to cost for promoting and how one can strategy firms.
The on-line course will be taken at your personal tempo and you’ll learn the detailed tutorials as many instances as you need. In addition to the tutorials, you’ll even have entry to audio interviews and webinars. There are additionally job alternatives on their job boards and discussion board.
Learn Extra concerning the Running a blog Course
Be taught Images
Images is an enormous a part of any weblog and nice photographs are a should for any profitable weblog. You’ll want some fundamental pictures abilities even when your curiosity lies in writing. Shifting ahead, videography is the subsequent largest factor so I like to recommend trying into that.
Firstly, get a very good digicam. Belief me, it’ll be a very good funding. I used to have a DSLR, particularly a Canon 60D, however it was exhausting to lug round such a heavy gear. I lately upgraded to a light-weight mirrorless Olympus E-M10 Mark II and I’ve by no means been happier.
Subsequent, streamline your modifying and group course of. It takes some time to determine the method that fits you, however after you have it, it’ll be fast and straightforward to add your photographs every time. Learn my article on how I set up my journey photographs.
I exploit the Lightroom software program program to edit all my photographs in bulk and add my watermark. I have already got a Lightroom preset in place (you simply want to do that as soon as while you begin) so modifying simply includes making use of my preset to all my photos in a folder without delay.
Lastly, use a cloud service to retailer and backup your photographs. Dropbox for instance is the most well-liked file storage service. Simply pay a payment every month for the superior plan and also you’ll get intensive cupboard space. Plus they’re all robotically backed up and embody file restoration and historical past.
Rock Social Media
For bloggers, social media will be an immensely highly effective software that will help you attain a good greater viewers.
I spend an enormous chunk of my time on social media. This isn’t simply because it helps me construct my model however just because I take pleasure in it. Social media lets me join with my viewers extra immediately and permits me to interact with them extra repeatedly than on my weblog.
For me, my main channel is Fb, adopted by Twitter after which Instagram. Once more, you have to experiment and observe to see which platform works finest for you. Every channel requires a unique sort of posting and content material curation. Remember to test the analytics for every platform to seek out out the perfect time to submit and when to submit.
Right here’s my private strategy to every channel:
1 submit a day, normally extra once I’m on the highway. Tag the placement for people who find themselves close by to seek out my photographs. I additionally embody as much as 10 hashtags for my picture to pop up in searches. I like to recommend taking the time to analysis which hashtags are hottest for a selected vacation spot or exercise. Add me on Instagram!
Fb
2-3 posts a day following the rule of thirds. Basically, I all the time attempt to share quite a lot of updates — one-third of them could be private updates that give readers a peek into my life on the highway; one-third are questions directed to my followers to create some engagement; and one-third are some fascinating and viral content material from others. Try my Fb web page.
4-5 posts a day with hyperlinks to my weblog posts. Pictures create extra engagement, so I all the time attempt to embody photographs in my posts. Tag related profiles and embody hashtags each time attainable. Click on to see my Twitter profile.
Be a part of a Running a blog Group
In all honesty, I owe a lot of my success as a journey blogger to my mates within the running a blog neighborhood.
Again once I first began journey running a blog, the neighborhood was a comparatively small and tight-knit group. I made shut mates proper from the beginning and we regularly helped one another out, providing assist and recommendation each time wanted.
Lately, the journey running a blog neighborhood is a slightly sizable one, and it may be fairly overwhelming to make real connections within the crowd. Fortunately, there are many Fb teams created to debate particular facets of journey running a blog.
Listed below are some nice Fb teams:
Earlier than becoming a member of every group, please learn the principles or pointers first. Be happy to ask questions and reply when somebody presents you recommendation. At all times take the recommendation with a pinch of salt, as one thing that has labored for others may not give you the results you want.
Attend Conferences and Workshops
Conferences and workshops will be a particularly helpful strategy to join with different journey bloggers, in addition to potential shoppers and companions. These academic workshops normally cater extra to these new to the running a blog world, however the superior blogger can nonetheless discover inspiration in such a setting.
Whereas it’s straightforward to make contact with individuals on-line, nothing beats assembly in particular person. These conferences present a chance so that you can community with manufacturers and firms, creating the primary bridge to future partnerships.
I’ve personally attended a number of conferences and even spoken at a number of (TBEX and WTM) and positively suggest attending particularly if you’re a brand new journey blogger. Listed below are a few of them:
Be Artistic and Versatile
A profitable journey blogger is one who is aware of how one can diversify his/her earnings stream. They should be continuously arising with new methods to generate new earnings.
Within the first two years, I made most of my earnings from online advertising within the type of banner adverts and sponsored advertorials. I attempted various things to see what would work for me. Alberto even stop his job to work on this weblog with me and we launched a digital journal as one other earnings stream. Whereas it didn’t work out for us, we did study rather a lot from this expertise.
Ultimately, I branched out to additionally do sponsored campaigns for firms, model ambassadorship, and social media consulting work for firms. I additionally generate a small passive earnings from my ebook, The Journey Traveler’s Handbook. I began operating WildJunket Excursions in 2017 and so they’ve been a wonderful strategy to generate additional earnings and join intently with my readers.
Freelance writing has all the time been my largest love. Despite the fact that it isn’t fairly a worthwhile stream I nonetheless do it due to my love for journal writing. I at the moment write for Lonely Planet, BBC Journey, In the present day and lots of extra.
Right here’s an in depth have a look at how I receives a commission to journey, together with my numerous earnings streams and their sources.
Among the methods we journey bloggers generate earnings:
- Promoting: placement of show adverts on web site
- Sponsored Advertorials: publishing sponsored posts written both by your self or the advertiser
- Affiliate Advertising: incomes fee from recommending merchandise in your web site
- Model Ambassadorship: representing a model and changing into their spokesperson of kinds
- Freelance Writing: contributing to journey magazines or web sites
- Creating Merchandise: promoting your personal merchandise (ebooks, programs, paintings and so forth)
- Consultancy Work: providing recommendation to firms on how one can handle their weblog or social media
- Designing Journeys: planning journeys for different vacationers primarily based in your experience on particular locations
- Main Excursions or Workshops: operating excursions utilizing your data on sure areas
Set Objectives and Work In the direction of Them
Once I first began to turn into a journey blogger, I’d set month-to-month objectives for myself and all the time attempt to work in direction of them. My objectives had been something from rising my distinctive month-to-month guests to rising my Fb followers to getting an article printed in a preferred journal.
Having objectives saved me motivated and pushed me to work more durable than ever.
I bear in mind how completely happy I used to be to satisfy the milestone of reaching 20,000 distinctive month-to-month views. And once I received my article printed in an area newspaper. Oh and that point I signed my first contract as a model ambassador.
A weblog is a enterprise — you have to be severe and deal with it as a enterprise if you wish to carve a profession out of it. On the finish of the day, the important thing to turn into a journey blogger is writing compelling tales and capturing locations with good pictures. Focus all of your efforts on writing nicely and also you’ll be on the highway to success.
Good luck!
Any questions for me on how one can turn into a journey blogger? Be happy to go away a remark under!
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