How to Start a Travel Blog & Make Money - The 2019 Guide

in travel •  7 years ago  (edited)


My travel blog is the byproduct of my passion for photography and travel. I started to document my excursions and photographic adventures around the world, and from that, another hobby (writing) developed. Travel blogging can be both rewarding and frustrating at the same time. Disappointing because of all the trials and errors that I went through for the nearly two years of development. Satisfying because once I learned from mistakes and realized some wins, the feeling is exhilarating.

From all the failures there were a lot of Eureka moments that more made up for those mistakes. Here I will share with you what I have learned, and you will get something from this guide to help you start your own Travel Blog.

First, let's do a reality check and set the expectations. You are NOT going to make thousands of dollars in your first few months (let alone the first year) of travel blogging, period. Forget about having a travel blog that will fund your travels. You will have to fork out the initial investment for your travel expenses so you will have something to write and blog about. I know there�s a lot of websites out there making outlandish claims that you can make thousands of dollars travel blogging. But guess what? You have to sign up for their newsletter so they can sell you something or take their how to make money travel blogging course.

Travel blogging is a small pond with more fish in it than the seven seas. Nine-five percent of people who start a travel blog give up after the first year. Nine-five percent of those that persevere earn next to nothing from their travel blogs. I know the temptation - traveling the world while being paid on a perpetual vacation. Who wouldn't want this?

The reality of it is, most travel bloggers are actually digital nomads, so they always have an income supporting them on their travels. I have landed gigs that allow me to work remotely and work anywhere. The travel bloggers I know are in the same boat � they are freelancers doing web development, content writing, copywriting, programming, graphic design, and any jobs that do not require physical presence.

Torress del Paine
You have to fork out the initial travel money. Your blog isn't going to pay you to see Patagonia in the first year.

I don�t mean to scare you. However, you need to keep your feet on the ground and don�t set yourself up for a huge disappointment. Nevertheless, people are always hungry for excellent content � there is still a lot of opportunities for travel bloggers who take fantastic photos, entertaining content, and kickass videos.

There are many ways to make money from your travel blog, and it can indirectly lead to other opportunities. My travel blog is a great promotion tool for my photography. Yours might promote your impressive writing skills. Maybe it can make money by selling tin foil � the possibilities are endless.

Another thing, Travel Blogging requires hard work and extreme dedication even without seeing the rewards for months. Some bloggers will not see a penny from all their efforts even after two years of blogging. However, if you are serious about it and have a passion for writing great content, you will eventually see the rewards.

How to Start a Travel Blog the Right Way



1: Determine Your Niche

To stand out in today’s travel blogging environment, you need to have a niche. Generalized travel blogs do not have the influence to compete with a well-established general topic travel blog. How do you find this niche? Focus on an even more specific niche of travel that you are passionate about and want to cover.

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I appreciate all the work you put into this post to help me and others be more successful bloggers.

MAY YOUR HEALTH BE WITH YOUR 2.png

Well done, beautiful story
For more creative guys
Great post..

Traveling is my all time wish but unfortunately, I am imprisoned in the four-corner of my office, lol

Blogging while travelling is an exciting task to do and its very wise to do so for you will earn with your articles while having fun with your journey.

Same, travelling and writing would be a great job. I don't think i would have the courage to do it all on my own.

First of all: Congratulations on winning the Europe Travel Blog Award 2018! That's impressive, and - from all I've seen so far in your blog - totally deserved.

Second: It's good to see that there are still blog posts top trending on steemit that actually deserve to be top trending! Thanks for this piece of high quality @adonisabril, and thanks for sharing your knowledge with the Steem community.

Last but not least, thanks for the eye-opener and for being honest about the invest a travel blogger needs to afford. Mostly, people don't realize how much effort is required to become a digital nomad. The pictures show a person that seems to be on vacation all the time - but the reality of course is a bit different...

I definitely had to resteem this to my audience and will be one of your followers from now on :-)

Marly -

A massive THANKS for your comment @surfermarly! Travel blogging is no walk in the park. The top 2% that are actually making a six-figure salary paint it like it's a dream vacation.

You're welcome! :-)

Awesome post.... I am doing this here on Steemit and earned over $10,000 in my 1st year blogging. I am just posting my photography and art work from road trips and local outings here in Northern and Eastern Ontario.... mostly my kayak adventures on Lake Superior and Algonquin Park in Canada.

A93337EF-4F24-4022-A1EB-051E39FB88C5.jpeg

Excellent info - following you - and a big thank you!

Wow, great content. Very comprehensive guide.

Great content, followed and resteemed!

nice inspiring and motivating post..

thanks for the tips.. you helped me alot :D

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

What a detailed write up. Thanks for putting together such a vast amount of information. To be honest I haven’t had time to read through everything so I’m using this comment as a bit of a place holder.

Are you using the Steem Press plug in on word press?

I’ve been wanting to set up a blog of some sort for my upcoming travels and have been pondering selling everything I own to get out and see the world with my wife.

I always figured Incould document my trip via Steemit to earn a little crypto along the way but also had the idea of setting up a standalone blog. Steem Press seemed like a good solution for covering both options but I’m useless st tech stuff like installing Wordpress on my computer and doing all the codey stuff. It’s well worth learning I think. I just need to push myself to get it done.

Wow this is a hugely comprehensive blog post

i have a plan to travel and document it

Wow...

This is definitely what I am looking for! I have followed you and saved this post! I'm sure it'll take hours and hours to go through everything! I have lots of time this summer so I will definitely look more and more into it! I appreciate all the work you put in the post to help others succeed.

Like you stated above it's a very small portion of people that do succeed but obviously with the right attitude and the right guidance can definitely make it work! Thanks for everything @adonisabril

Great post best guideline.

راهنمایی بسیار خوبی بود ممنونم

Hi @adonisabril Great post not only for travel bloggers, but for all bloggers.

This is a great post and hopefully will be found by others than those great travel bloggers who are brilliant for world tourism because they tell it like it is, getting a true reflection of what they have seen and whether its worthwhile following in their footsteps.

In my opinion I think having good writing skills is the most important ingredient that many individuals engaged in writing for the web overlook. It is very important to try and write from the heart about what you see, or trying to get a constructive opinion over, or if in the world of ecommerce what you offer.

Your post very clearly articulates the importance of not just writing great content, but building a brand and a community around that content.

This a a fantastic post!!

Have a wonderful Friday
I would also like to express my good wishes and congratulations for you
A hug

yes. writing skills is important. you need to express yourself very well

Hi @steemero It has to be this way in all circumstances.
Writing is no different to any other skill in that you need to gain a lot of experience before you reach a certain level of competency. As the old saying goes: Practice Makes Perfect.

Have a wonderful night
A hug

Content is always king :)

Great post

Hi @adonisabril Fate doesn't always make the right men kings!
Content is a key criterion for success an travel blog presence. Nevertheless, the contents are generally applicable to any qualifications which are based on standards of performance. That content is the underlying component for successful e-tourism, in the account of the facts.

Have a nice night
A hug

Aside from this being an excellent and thorough guide for anyone considering a travel blog, I think what I like best about the whole thing (speaking as a 20-odd year blogger) is that you make it perfectly clear that you don't "just post some cool pictures and get rich," which seems to be a common misperception among hopefuls who want to start a blog. It takes a lot of time, effort and dedication.

Not in today's world...In early 2000 maybe!

It definitely takes a lot of time and persistent effort.
Blog creation and management with growth is no longer an easy thing, but with the right work and effort, definitely something very rewarding in the long run...

As I can agree with you, there is a lot of work behind to do, to start and keep going a travel blog. It is not holiday and writing just some lines and make easy pics... no no... there is a lot of work on it. We travel since 1,5 years already now and living from steemit and blogging, and there is much hard time as I can tell truly. But is is worth for me. Dint want to miss this time and the experience....

it is really tough to live with just blogging

Always follow your dreams, I say :)

This is a wonderful guide. I want to start a travel blog as well and did so a couple of times in the past, but the niche one is what always gives me pause. As you pointed out, there are a lot of travel sites out there and so we need to have something we specialize in and make that consistent to our audience's needs. I hope to find my niche as well.

Good luck!

Exellent blog, very very useful and wow: you put so much effort in to this one! Thank you so much....tons to learn here for me as a newbie in travel blogging!

Im sure i will read this blog over and over again ;-)

i also find it useful

You're welcome :)

You inspire me! I will try do it , but till in Russia trip

Step 0, don't have kids! :)

WOW! This is quite sobering. In a good way mind you. It has dispelled many of the myths I had about being a travel writer. That said. this is in need of another reading. There is a lot here to digest. Thanks a million for this. And now the work begins.

PEACE!!!

Thank you for finally posting a clear workable way to start travel blogging!
Followed you!
-Frolicking Raptors

Great post, my friend ... it will help me a lot since I am also a lover of nature, especially going out of my dreams one of my frustrated dreams would be to climb Mount Everest and be able to document my experience .. And hear fantastic photos and advice sure I will follow you and resteemed

best of luck your traveling is so nice. All the best
and your post is very beautiful. Thank you for this post sharing @adonisabril

Great effort bro! Traveling is a dream for me and those people who never afford Traveling cost but we see these kind of beautiful places because of you and all Travel Vlogers! I must say again great efforts.

Hi @adonisabril, congratulations on the article. We follow and upvote! Greetings from Mexico!

muy buena publicacion espero que votes por mi post aqui te dejo el enlace
https://steemit.com/steemit/@rashelldani/dumbo-pelicula-de-2019

Good post
Nice post

[positive adjective] post

Thanks for sharing your knowledge @adonisabril. Yes, writing a blog is not an easy task and we need to be realistic. But if this is your passsion and you have the resources, lets start this new adventure. Great post!!

informative, detailed, and simplified! good read too. Thanks for sharing!

It is very kind of you to write such useful guide

Thank you! Very useful post! I also started writing about my travels))
Morozova-51.jpg

Hey @, great post! GOOD
I enjoy your content Keep up the good work! It's always nice to see nice content on Steemit! :)

I like this article, great job!!! :D

Pretty cool post @adonisabril. Great information. Learnt a lot about travelling from this and the previous post. Good info given and very exciting as well. I like the picture though.

Thank you for all the details for creating a travel blog. It is useful to everyone for creating blog anykind. Thanks @elizahfhaye

Beautiful lake😍😍 inlove

Great content . Loved it.

muy bien excelente

Thank you for sharing all of this very helpful information! My dream is to make money while traveling.

Really a complete guide for those who wants to start travel blog

Great post, thanks for sharing!!

@adonisabril These all things helps me a lot. Thank you very much for this step by step information. As you mentioned that we can sell our photographs so how much they pay us ? And are you talking about our dslr clicks ?

i can' play photoshop =))

Thank you very much for your detailed post. I will keep it in bookmark just in case I or my friends may need it.

Outstandingly Informative @adonisabril!! 👍👍
Resteeming for my other friends to read this awesome info!!
Many thank yous for such a GREAT posting!!
Voted earlier, commenting now, reading in full when
I get dinner done lol

Take care!! ☀

Thank you for your wonderful and useful guide. I wish I could be like you, traveling and making money.

Thanks for a in-depth analysis and great advice on the subject! Traveling with a camera and netbook is just a start for travel blogging. There is a lot to learn in the field, thanks for sharing the knowledge. Happy Travels!

STA70305.JPG

One of the best post ever. thanks for nice article.

A very good post @adonisabril . You have made a step by step process of how to make a travel blog. This one also applies to other types of blogs. It's import to us all since we are writers. Do you know What? last year someone sold me a similar course at $497. I call upon everyone that has read this post to know that this is valuable Information. Once again I thank you so much.

Very interesting your idea, make a travel blog, although everything has its weaknesses but then come the fotalezas that is in any situation. Good thing you developed these qualities, photography, guide, tourist and writer, I congratulate you and thank you for sharing. greetings from venezuela friend

wow! good post
I love it

Very nice post. It's help us very much. Thanks for sharing your information with us

Wow, this like one of the only How-To (internet anything) guides I've ever seen that had actual useful information. Put that shit in an eBook and get some extra passive traveling income.

One good tip you left out is being a drug mule. Get paid to travel and meet interesting people.

Thanks for providing this information. I also started a new blog, it is not related to travel but as I am a software developer, I have started to with some development related blog.
this is my blog. http://jsdevlife.in/

Maybe I'm wrong but I believe that travel blogging should be one's hobby first with a potential to bring some money in the future. If you're not enthusiastic about your travels and only focused on the money element, the whole point of travelling is lost...

That is Great Article. But I am facing a problem of Keyword research and what about the content writing work?

Dear sir you made so many things clear, easy some eye opening some scary for those who just live in dreamland but you made a lot of things so easy and very interesting it's good to learn from the mistakes and experiences of others.
Tons of information in a single place, single post and it's awesome.
Everyone who wants to be a traveler blogger should read this and congratulate you for your suggestions efforts and time.
Love you.

Wow! Your photos are absolutely awesome! And the post is pretty in-depth and packed with lots of very useful tips and information. Following you to read more great stuff by you! Thanks!

Nice member you, because you mentioned well way of all buddies earn steem Dollar. Your post is really good.

You got a 21.19% upvote from @upmewhale courtesy of @adonisabril!

Earn 100% earning payout by delegating SP to @upmewhale. Visit http://www.upmewhale.com for details!

Thanks for the information... because I'm new...thank u very much

wow good pst and thank you for imformation

Hai

Congratulations @adonisabril!
Your post was mentioned in the Steemit Hit Parade in the following category:

  • Pending payout - Ranked 3 with $ 626,41

Really awesome post

Very informative contents.

I think it's really specific and extensive.
I think it's great to be rewarded for writing while doing what you like.

Thanks for the informative information. I like traveling, but I am not confident enough to quit my job. @adonisabril

Great view

does the same algorithm stands for gaming blogs?

Thanks for some great information. I am just starting up my travel blog and the tips you gave will help me to avoid missing some steps. I will be following you to learn more.

following those steps will make a travel enjoyable

Really great content. I can see that you are putting time and effort into your posts. Keep it up man!

Great post

This post was really helpful, thank you for your input, much appreciated,
Happy Travels

Wow! Quite a post. A lot of great info. I love camping here locally in SE Arizona so this may be the way to get started locally, then shoot for world travel! Thanks
@Lymmerik

Posted using Partiko iOS, join the beta testing program here

Keep on sir

I want to travel the whole wrold.. but i cant because of short money

You got a 45.54% upvote from @upme thanks to @adonisabril! Send at least 3 SBD or 3 STEEM to get upvote for next round. Delegate STEEM POWER and start earning 100% daily payouts ( no commission ).

traveling is like my heart . i wish i will be there one day.keep enjoying broo

So informative! Thank you for this!

It's good to see your post. I wish your success. If no one does not benefit others, one does not succeed. Remember this friend to succeed. If you like the cryptocurrency news, then follow @jyotirmay

This is really informative!
I love travelling and thought about doing this myself but I have patients that our dependent on me at the moment.....

@adonisabril This post is equipped with vital information on how to get started with travelling blog.
The truth is the post is more of an idea than reality, because for a new travelling blog to outshine a well known travelling blog is viable.
Firstly, the material resources and human resources available at the disposal of a starter may not be compared to those available to those already in it, because, blogs regarding travellings do involves some technicality, which are not know to new bloggers. these indirectly hinders a starter from reaching a greener pasture.

Secondly, those that are more informed and well oriented on this aspect of blogging has made the business a winner-takes-all, limiting the profit of the starter to peanuts.
That is my own opinion.

Thank you upvoted and resteemed. ( for my own records). Very valuable info.
Joy

I absolutely love travel. All I think about constantly

WOw such detail. I love travelling as well and getting some money ouy of sharing it is great. Document it and share it. But most especially enjoy every bit of it. 😉

Excellent publication friend.

Nice post thanks for this

This was like the bible for travel-bloggin, great content without a doubt, you speak from knowledge and experience. I want to try this once in my life, maybe traveling and Steeming?

@javo1096

wow! got important info!

Awesome post. Resteem.

good job

Very sensible, helpful and nice pointers. I love how explained and share about the hardship. I mean not all travel Blogger start with money and make it easy. Thank you for sharing this!

Thanks a lot , i learn a lot from your post ,and have gottem a lot of tips great job

Follow me I follow back https://steemit.com/@jkgautam