travel map and laptop

Working on the road as a travel blogger can earn you an average of $58,000 a year. This may sound too good to be true. You create your own hours and explore the world while making more than an office job.

But, while the pay can be grand, it isn’t all about lounging on the beach with your laptop. A lot of preparation and discipline goes into the most successful travel blogs.

So, if you are wondering how to start a travel blog and earn the big bucks, take these handy tips for getting started seriously. You don’t want to waste your time and have your blog go abandoned. 

1. How to Start a Travel Blog

While you may enjoy taking a vacation and writing occasionally, this may not qualify you for life on the road. You really have to be comfortable with change. 

So before you create a travel blog think about your intentions and expectations.

Do you intend to devote yourself to working alone without the motivation of a nine to five job? Are you prepared to meet new people then pack up and go to your next destination? Saying goodbyes can be hard for some people. 

If your desire is to live a nomadic, hard-working, and ever-changing lifestyle then you are on your way to travel blogging.

2. Pick a Catchy Name

A lot of thought should go into your blog’s name. It should reflect what type of travel you are doing and where you want to explore. 

Make sure that you think broadly. You may start traveling within your own country and focus on cuisine across the continent, but this may change in a few months as you run out of ideas. So, FoodieUSA may not be a good choice.

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Remember that once you purchase a domain name it cannot change (you will lose your audience and Google reputation if you do).

Travel blogs should also be personal and original. Include your name or something unique about yourself. This will help you, in the long run, to be authentic, which readers love. 

3. Set Up Your Website

Once you have you picked your name, it is time to start a travel blog with a cool web site.

If you want to make money with your travel blog, have control over design, and use a real domain, then do not use the free blog service from WordPress.com. Instead, install the WordPress.org platform for hosting your own site.

You will need to find a hosting platform (this will store your content in a safe location) and pay a monthly fee. The cost will depend on the size of your site and traffic. This can range from a few dollars to several hundred. 

Connect your domain to your hosting platform and WordPress to manage your site completely. While this may seem daunting, hosting companies often have support for server issues, and WordPress is very intuitive and flexible. 

4. Choose a Design

If you like to design and have the time to do it, WordPress has a few simple templates for free to get you started. You can also purchase themes through WordPress or third-party sites that include travel-specific designs.

Themes can cost anywhere between $20 to $100 depending on their complexity and templates included. You can then replace photos and content, and also mess around with layout and design. This can actually be really fun to do.

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Or if you have a budget for a professional designer, you can outsource your website design. This will cost more money and you will need to convey your vision to an outsider. But, designing might not interest you. 

5. Get Some Plugins

The best part about WordPress.org is the countless plugins available for free and low cost. Plugins are like add-ons to help with design, tracking, a functionality.

Get help with SEO (site engine optimization) by making sure your content is searchable in Google. Create a contact form or newsletter to stay connected with your fans. 

Here are a few other helpful plugin functions:

  • Get an SSL certificate to secure your site
  • Use a page builder or editor to go beyond your themes editing ability
  • Check duplicate content
  • Add a shop section using Woo Commerce to sell your crafts or traveling treasures
  • Reduce the size of your images to make your site faster
  • View your Google Analytics data for traffic monitoring
  • Clear your cache to make sure the most current version of your site is online

You can run your site without these plugins, but the more tools you have, the better your site will run. This will increase traffic tremendously. 

6. Use Social Media 

In today’s world, if you want to get noticed, then you need to be on social media platforms. This is where you can share photos, get followers, and connect directly to fans on their feeds.

Instagram has become one of the most popular mediums for sharing travel blogs because photos are as important as content. Consider posting photos like a map of sunshine coast hinterland, to get your followers involved with your trip. 

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It is essential to add social media buttons on your website for people to share your articles and photos, as well as follow you right from your site. There are many plugins to add these buttons and even track likes and shares.

7. Begin Writing

The moment you’ve been waiting for has come. It is time to start writing. Get your basics down first, beginning with an introduction in your About Me section.

Then think of the categories that you might want to use, but be vague. You may want to brainstorm topics and destinations, then make general categories. As your blog develops so will your topic categories. 

Writing generic content like best spring break destinations will not get you devoted readers. Include firsthand experiences that reveal secrets that you can’t find unless you’ve been there.

Overall, be yourself, be professional, but also have fun. This comes across to your readers and they will be drawn to your positivity and freedom. 

Being Your Own Boss

Now that you learned how to start a travel blog, you can be your own boss and work from anywhere. You are in control of your paycheck, so put as much work into your blog as you desire. 

For other nomadic jobs where you can work from anywhere check on these self-employed alternatives