Becoming a travel blogger may be a little more challenging than you think. Sure, it looks fun, but there is more to travel blogging than enjoying a martini on a pristine, crystal blue coastline.
Of course, there are plenty of perks. It is pretty excellent to have the shores of the Caribbean as a backdrop while you write, but do not be disillusioned into thinking that travel blogging is all fun and games.
There is real work to be done if you plan on making a living and becoming a professional travel blogger. Here are a few helpful hints to get you on the road to creating a cultured life full of writing, mingling, and traveling.
Blog with the right intentions
You will not last as a travel blogger (or a blogger, for that matter) if you are only after the fun and fortune. Developing an alcohol addiction is not the foundational skill of a successful travel blogger. That is not what travel blogging is all about.
Sure, the exploratory aspect of travel blogging is fun and adventurous, but there is always work to be done. You will have to train yourself to see marketing value in the experience, while not allowing the “job” to ruin the joy of discovery.
The bulk of the draw of traveling is that the experience is rare. When you live life on the road, the experience can easily become overshadowed by exhaustion and isolation. It is not always easy to live without roots.
Find a niche and stick with it
It is best to focus your writing on one area of traveling so as not to confuse your readers. People want to be able to count on your for something. If you are reviewing restaurants in Greece one week and beach accommodations in Cabo the next week, you are probably confusing your readers.
Find your niche in travel, and master that one area of the experience. For example, solo female traveling, family travel, luxury travel, or senior travel could serve as a long term focus area of your blog.
Hone your storytelling skills
You will need to learn to harness the power of awe and discovery when you write a travel blog. Tell stories that induce the drive to see new lands. End the descriptive discovery in an exciting call to action or valuable life lesson.
Valuable insight will help solve problems
Though storytelling is a valuable skill to learn when writing a travel blog, your valuable insight should be shared with a business mindset. You are ultimately marketing these destinations and entertainment spaces, so you need to write with that in mind.
Patience is a valuable virtue
If you are looking to make your first million from travel blogging, you are disillusioning yourself. This is not a get-rich-quick line of work. You will have to dedicate a great percentage of yourself to developing your brand as a blogger. It will take time and patience to succeed.
