Keeping a travel blog is not only a great way to capture your memories, but also to share your love of being on the move with family and friends. So, how do you get started?
Define your purpose
Most people start travel blogs to keep friends and family up to date with their globetrotting. This is a great place to start, as you already know your audience and can tailor your content to them.
If, however, your purpose is to make your fortune as a blogger and travel the world on the advertiser’s dime, be aware that more than a million travel blogs already exist. Unless you are exceptionally lucky, you will need to be travelling for two years or more before you will start to make enough to cover basic food and accommodation. And all of this relies on you being a good writer, treating the blog as a full-time job, and having the technical know-how to get ahead in the travel blog game.
So, to start with, why not hone your skills by writing a travel blog for friends and family and see how it goes?
Choose your platform
There are many, many blogging platforms from which to choose. Two of the most popular are Blogger and WordPress. I personally like WordPress, but it is worth reading up on the pros and cons of each before you make your decision.
Choose your name
Next is the fun bit – you get to choose your blog name. Just be sure to check that nobody else is using the same blog name. A quick Google search can provide an answer on this – and, if you are using a pseudonym for your writing, ensure that you aren’t stealing another blogger’s name. This can help to avoid confusion, and ensure that if your blog does take off people will be able to find you via a internet search without too much trouble.
Pack the right gear
Make sure you have the right gear to take on your travels, to ensure you can keep your blog up-to-date. If you only want to blog sporadically then internet cafes might suffice. Otherwise, ensure you have a laptop or a tablet with a separate keyboard (typing those blog posts on a touchscreen isn’t much fun). You should also consider how you will connect to the internet – will wifi be enough? Could you link your phone to your computer and use the 4G connection? And lastly, consider your camera. Blogs are very visual these days, and including good photos can go a long way to making your blog look polished and professional.
Shamelessly promote yourself
Send the link to your blog to family, friends, your local barista … spread the word far and wide that you are blogging and start to generate some web traffic to your site. This will help to get you noticed by Google, and will mean your blog posts will have at least a few readers (making the whole process feel much more worthwhile).
Hit the road
And finally, get out there, travel, have adventures, do amazing things, meet amazing people, see amazing sights. After all, you’re writing a travel blog, and that means giving yourself something to write about!
Do you have a travel blog? What do you wish you’d known before you started blogging?
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