Do you love blogging? Or are you thinking of starting to blog? What about traveling? Is it one of your hobbies [if not the top hobby]? Now, what about the idea of starting a traveling blog?
Yes, it is such an incredible idea. But have you got the essentials? If you are given the go-ahead right now, can you be confident of managing it impeccably? Maybe, maybe not. But we’re not here to flip coins and pick a card. Instead, we are here to help you be successful in your travel blog. What do you need?
Here are some of the things you should know about a travel blog before you get started.
It needs total dedication
We want to assume that you already knew this. Even if you didn’t know, now you do. A travel blog, or any blog for that matter, should be taken as a regular job. You must dedicate your time and effort to it. If you don’t devote time to your blog, there won’t be any room or chance for writing.
You should know that the blog is going to take a lot of your time because you will spend hours in front of your computer. If you are unable to manage your time appropriately, try to learn some excellent time management skills to help you be disciplined in your blog management. But it doesn’t mean that you should waste all your time and energy on the blog without taking care of other duties. Balance them well.
You will need WordPress
Any aspiring blogger will confirm to you that WordPress is the way to go if you want a perfect platform for blogging. Specifically, WordPress was created for content creation, and bloggers were in the mind of the developers at first.
However, do not host your blog on the free WordPress(dot)com account. Doing so will give you an extension on your domain name, which won’t entice your target audience as such. For instance, if you are starting a blog with the domain name ILoveTraveling(dot)com, it would appear as ILoveTraveling.WordPress(dot)com on the free WordPress account.
Instead, place your WordPress software on your hosting company’s servers. Obviously, you will need to purchase a hosting plan from a reputable company.
Well, you might need some knowledge when getting started, but it is all too easy. Thankfully, you will find a free tutorial on WordPress to get you started.
If you don’t have the proper skills to design a good blog with an appealing look, you can opt for a website builder to help you out.
Things Might Not Look So Good At First
This goes to all aspiring bloggers; when you are getting started with your blog, your first post(s) might make no sense to you in the future. You see, when you are new in the blogging business, you still don’t have the right skills to write a good post.
The little knowledge you have at that time tells you that you are good to go. But when you go through that post in two or three years to come, you will wonder what you were thinking when writing it.
Moral of the story? You will get better in time. Don’t kick yourself.
Choose a Specific Niche
This is a point that goes to those who want to enjoy more than just writing and posting on the blog. Yes, blogging is your hobby, but do you know that it can also earn you some good money?
This depends on the niche that you choose. Well, you might wonder ‘isn’t traveling already a niche?’ Of course, it is, but there’s more into that.
What else are you doing as you travel? Are you promoting a specific product? Is it a hotel or vacation spot you are promoting? Are you flaunting your gorgeous ripped body as you travel? Whichever it is, stick to one niche and make it fun.
You can either choose to travel and go with fashion, food, fitness and workout, shopping, airline/travel agency, festivals, spas, or whichever you prefer. When choosing a travel blog niche, ensure that you go for the one that pleases you.
You’ll Hit Rock-Bottom, But Don’t Give Up
When you are starting to write, and even promote specific products, things will not go as you expect as first. Your sales won’t go anywhere. But what could be the reason for this? Is it that people just don’t like you because you are inexperienced? Well, not really.
At this point, you are still trying to get the readers and your target audience to trust [and like] you. When you write your few posts, and nobody is reading or taking time to finish [and none is sharing the posts], you should never give up. Even if you are trying to sell, but no one buys anything in the whole month, you should still not throw in the towel.
Remember you wanted to be a blogger and touch the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people. So, you should never quit until you see that dream come to pass.
Collect as Many Emails as Possible
Visitors’ emails are very vital if you want to reach out to them. After all, that’s the only way you will contact them online. Whenever you start getting page views, don’t just be carried away by how many people land on your page.
The best and supposedly only way to develop a consistent and dedicated audience is by capturing them through email. Whenever a reader leaves an email address, it is a clear sign that they want to get more from you. The reader will want to know whenever you post new content, if there is any new product released on the market, or if there is something else from you.
So, when getting started with your blog, try as much as you can to capture their email addresses from day one. Never waste any chance and opportunity to get those email addresses.
But most importantly, start now, and not ‘next time.’ If you keep in postponing the day of starting your blog, it will never come. All you need is a good laptop, a camera [for capturing your photos as you travel] and a good internet connection. The rest is done online.
Keep in mind that a good traveling blog can rack you up some good money if you do it right.
