Time flies. By the end of March 2019, I reached the first milestone of this website: six months of travel blogging. On the one hand, time went by quickly; but on the other side, what a busy time that was.
The website went live on the last days of September 2018. However, I started working on it about two months earlier. It took me a lot of time to make everything work, to produce some initial content, and, above all, to learn the things I had to. By no means, I’m an expert on the technical stuff. Although I have dealt in the past with websites (Geocities in the late ’90s, Squarespace in the early ’10s for my personal website), my WordPress knowledge was almost inexistent.
Apart from that, I had little idea about SEO or bounce rates. The list of the things I didn’t know can go on forever. Even now, after six months of travel blogging, I find myself studying several hours per day. I know that if a website wants to grow there is a lot of work that won’t be visible to the user. But, of course, this doesn’t mean that this work is not to be done.
The 12 things that you are going to read below deal with what I learned so far. They definitely apply to almost every kind of blog. I decided to write this post because a) I wanted to inform people that are about to start a blog both about the joy and the difficulties b) to listen to what other bloggers have to say and c) to mark that important milestone and get ready to move towards the future.
So, let’s start.
12 things I learned after six months of travel blogging
1) Starting a blog is easier than I thought…
As I said earlier, I didn’t have almost any WordPress knowledge. But creating a blog from scratch was easier than I thought. You can easily sign up and have the first version of your blog in 30 minutes. It’s true -and I have even written a comprehensive guide on how to do it.
After comparing several hosting websites, I found that the most suitable for me was Bluehost. The process of signing up was easy, and if you follow the step by step guide, you will have a WordPress website running in no time. The next thing I did was to buy a professional theme (I’ll explain why later on) and then the Letters To Barbara had its first version.
Is everything that easy? Well, no.
2) …but running a travel blog is more difficult than I thought it would be!
First things first. I don’t say that in order to discourage you. On the contrary, this article should be an inspiration for the people willing to start a blog.
As I wrote in the introduction, running a travel blog (or any blog), doesn’t only depend on your writing talent. Sure, content is king, but I guess everybody knows that and you definitely don’t need the experience of six months of blogging to find out. But when you are running a blog you should learn how to optimize your posts for SEO, what is the optimal size for your photos, why do you need an alt text for your photos, why do you need subheadings, etc. The list is really long.
What I’m trying to say here is that I had to go through a bunch of different parameters. Then, I had to implement them on the website and to keep them in mind at all times. This whole set of parameters became a daily routine soon. I had to go through specific things weekly or even daily, and I had to evaluate them. Whatever didn’t work I had to change it, while the things that worked I had to develop them further.
It might not be that hard, but these are things that request your attention. There were days that I was writing less (or not at all), and I preferred to deal with those things. But what I can say honestly after six months of travel blogging is that these elements were crucial: they all helped the website to grow.
3) Don’t be afraid to invest
As I’ve already written, I invested from day one to a professional theme. If you’re serious about blogging, then you want your blog to look as professional as possible (it’s also okay not to be serious about your blog). I wanted my website to look pleasing to the eye, and I actually asked several people what they thought of it. At some point, almost each one of them approved its appearance.
Buying a professional theme was not the only expense I did for this travel blog. Two months into blogging I purchased the pro version of a social media plugin. Also, last month I bought the pro version of Grammarly (it has a free version too), which I find very useful. If you are not a native English speaker, I highly recommend it.
Sometimes I boost some of my Social Media posts. I don’t spend an insane amount of money, but I do some promotion once in a while. Investing in your travel blog will never stop. On the contrary, it will go hand in hand with its evolution. I don’t regret investing money: I wanted to treat this website as professionally as possible. Remember that your blog is your own little corner in the digital world. If you don’t help it evolve, nobody will.
4) Do not overestimate the importance of Social Media
Yes, I just wrote about boosting some posts selectively on Social Media so it might look contradictory. Let me add: but don’t underestimate it either.
Depending on Social Media for traffic is, in my opinion, wrong. Now and then there is a change in the algorithm. You might do everything right but then, one day the algorithm changes and you receive 1/10 of the traffic. Do you want this to be the tombstone of your website? Absolutely not.
Within the first three months of travel blogging, I used to boost more often posts. Sure, I saw some traffic -but also, I saw high bounce rates. Then, when the promotion was over, the traffic was going down again. Spending your money to obtain traffic and later, when you run out of money, your website goes back to zero -how can this be sustainable? Quick reply: it can’t.
Nowadays, even if I don’t post anything on social media for several days in a row, I keep on receiving steady traffic. It’s because I tried to work harder on optimizing the website for organic traffic. Once per month, I might run a social media campaign, but not more often than that. Sure, Social Media is an important aspect of our digital life. It’s also true that they can bring traffic to your website. But nowadays I don’t use them all the time.
More specifically: I have a 30K+ Instagram account, but the traffic I receive on the website is not what I expected despite the good engagement on the posts (check my Instagram ebook here!). A 1,8K Facebook fan page is giving me enough traffic. Pinterest doesn’t work that great for me either, despite having 28K monthly views (no, I don’t use a service to schedule my Pins, maybe in the future). Surprisingly, Twitter gives me enough traffic and low bounce rates; it’s the Social Media I use the less, I think I don’t even have 200 followers. But I find Twitter super useful for networking. Last but not least, I have recently started a Youtube channel. I see some traffic from it, but I don’t have enough content. I guess I’ll have to evaluate Youtube as a traffic source later on.
5) Start a mailing list
Before starting my travel blog, I kept reading how important it is to have a mailing list from the beginning. Even though I read a lot of pro-arguments, the truth is that only recently I understood its value. Running a mailing list from day one (by the way, you can subscribe here!) means first of all that you can have a direct communication channel with your most loyal readers. Then, it also means that you do not depend anymore on any changes in algorithms. Even if Facebook or Instagram change their algorithms, you can still reach your readers without having to struggle with promotions. And of course, you can sell your own products or services (I plan to launch something within the next months so stay tuned).
When I got my first two e-mail subscribers, I felt a huge responsibility. Those were people that trusted me; therefore, I wanted to send them the best content I could. Nowadays, the mailing list of the Letters To Barbara is significantly bigger but I still feel joy whenever I see a new name popping up. I truly think that from all the advice I found online from other bloggers, this one was the most valuable one. Plus, it offers a constant stream of traffic to the website.
6) Write while traveling
I have already mentioned this one on my Free Travel Writing Course (subscribe here) but I will explain it a bit now, too. Although it might seem a bit too much, writing while traveling is probably the best way to narrate your experiences.
When we are on the road, we are more open to whatever happens to us -and we are more vulnerable, too. There is also an aspect that we underestimate: we carry the vibe of each place. Vibrancy, boredom, enthusiasm, all these things are integral parts of traveling. I find it always easier to transcribe the experience of each day when I’m traveling. On the other hand, writing days or even weeks after returning home, won’t probably be the same: it’s hard to recover the vibe or the tiny details of the stories.
I know that it might seem overwhelming: walking up early, walking around non-stop for several hours in a foreign place and ending up late at night in front of your laptop. Through the years (yes, I might be blogging for six months, but I’m doing travel writing for over a decade) I learned that the best writing is done on site. When I’m back home, I have time for corrections and editing, but I rarely do significant changes in the writing itself.
How to do it? Well, each one has its own rhythm I guess. What I usually do is to save 2-4 hours per day for writing. During the day, I prefer to be outside, so I save these hours for the night. I don’t mind working from 10 pm to 2 am. If you are not a night owl, you can, of course, write in the morning about your previous day. I do, however, insist that the best travel writing is done while traveling. Give it a try.
7) Too much traveling can be tiring
Lots of people might say or think that being a travel writer is the best job ever. I can tell you that: it’s probably much better than most of the jobs out there. BUT: do not think that it’s a job requesting just a tiny effort. If you believe that travel blogging is all about cocktails in exotic places, endless vacation, and moving with limos or flying first class, I can assure you that it’s not. Actually, it’s far from it.
Sure, there are things that one can only love: meeting new people, hearing awesome stories, trying local cuisines, visiting places off the beaten path. But between such activities, there is a tough side, too: preparation, budgeting, scheduling, cruel flight times, long journeys, tight schedules, taking photos at the right time, writing. Whenever I’m going on a journey, I have a hundred things in mind. I know that I have to use an alarm clock, I know that I must cope with the schedule I prepared. Sometimes everything is just too much.
Now, imagine that you have to do this for several weeks in a row, without some time off. Could you live without having free weekends, without having time for friends and family? Too much traveling can be tiring and overwhelming. Last February I got sick from too much traveling, and I decided to slow down a bit.
8) The importance of days off
Subsequently, the fact that too much traveling can be tiring bring us to this point: the importance of days off.
Running a travel blog will occupy your days and nights. There will always be a minor correction to do, and you will always think that you don’t post enough on Social Media. That said, you will always find an excuse to work on your blog. After six months of travel blogging, I can assure you that some days I became obsessed with the website. No surprise: I spend money and time on it, and I want it to perform well.
But: while success is important, you should never forget that you are a human being. As such, you have to eat properly, you have to meet friends, and you should also have time for other activities. Life is not only about travel blogging: it’s actually so much more.
So, while working a lot on your travel blog is important, it is equally important to have days off. Yes, it’s okay not to post every day on Social Media. It’s super fine not to work at all for one or two days. If the website doesn’t perform that well for a couple of days in a row, you don’t have to work 18 hours per day. Breath. Such things can happen. But since you are running a one-person business, you should not exhaust that one person.
9) Trust the people that know more
While reading (or actually: studying) about how to start a travel blog, I came across the blogs of several people. They were famous travel bloggers, SEO gurus, or people passionate about what they were doing. I learned a lot from their blogs, and I’ve been following them ever since. For example, Brian Dean’s blog was a real goldmine for SEO tips.
All I want to say here is that there are lots of talented people out there. You don’t have to compare yourself with them; you’d better focus on learning from them. When you start something new, you see all these new possibilities in front of you that sometimes will make you think that you know everything or that your ideas are all fantastic. While I wish that this was true, it’s a lot better to surrender to your ignorance and start building something by learning from the best.
Before writing my first novel, I wanted to read the best literature in the world. I would spend hours studying Camus, Balzac, or Dostoevsky. Then, I tried to understand how exactly they created their books. After I digested as much as I could, I’d start writing. But -and that’s important- I’d never try to write like them. I was trying to find my own voice instead, while I focused on implementing the things I learned from them.
The same goes for travel blogging. The Internet is giving us nowadays so many possibilities and what we have to do is to find the right information. Trusting the people that know more than me was the first step in starting a travel blog.
10) Don’t expect to make money from Day One
If you are treating your travel blog as a business, then one of your goals is probably to make some money out of it.
The possibilities of making money online are endless -but this doesn’t mean that it’s easy. On the contrary, it’s hard. There are a plethora of travel blogs (and blogs in general) out there having the same goal. Plus, there are already big players in every niche, that get most of the money. So, how can somebody make money from a travel blog?
Well, to name just a few: affiliate marketing, Google ads, brand ambassadorships, freelance writing, paid journeys, selling ad space, creating your own products. Unless you have enough traffic, none of these will provide you more than a few cents per day in the beginning. Actually, you might not see a single euro for months. And it’s absolutely okay.
It’s only after hitting the six months of travel blogging milestone that I started seeing some revenue. It is still a small amount of money. But as long as I’m creating content, the amount of money raises every day a little bit.
All I want to say here is: don’t listen to people claiming that they made thousands of euros or dollars in their first month. This can only happen if you are already famous and you have an audience. If you, like me, are planning to start from scratch, you won’t see any money in your bank account in the first months. I promise to be the first to applause if you make thousands of euros in your first month. But I will also be the first to tell you “It’s alright, it’s totally normal” if you just make 82 cents.
11) Don’t work for free
After running a travel blog for a couple of months, you will start receiving e-mails or phone calls. It means that your blog starts to be discovered and people would love to work with you.
It’s all fun until it gets down to money. Working for exposure is a new-age shit, and you should better stay away from it. First of all, it means that you don’t appreciate what you do. Second, you harm every other member of the travel blog industry (and in the big picture, every employee, too). Third, you are not serious about running a sustainable travel blog.
Remember that you have put effort, money, and love for what you do in your travel blog. Having people asking you to work for free is shameful for them, not for you. They will probably also tell you that this will be a long term collaboration. This actually translates to: you always write for free, we won’t pay you, and some invisible audience will learn about you. Who cares? Not me -and hopefully not you either.
Long term collabs should be based on mutual agreements where both sides earn something, and there is ALWAYS a contract. Ask always for money for your services. On the other hand, asking for 10,000 euros/dollars for a travel article when your blog is two months old and has only 500 readers is also not the way to go. While not working for free is important, you should also find out what your right payment would be.
Please, remember at all times that you have to make something out of the hard work you are doing. If it’s not money, it can be a free journey, a product that you always wanted to buy but you couldn’t, or something similar. Always evaluate the proposal and if it fits accept it; if not, just reject it. But working for exposure is ridiculous and you should not do it: in the end, you will be that guy who is always working for free. So gross.
12) Spend your time and money wisely
I know. You might be expecting a mindblowing last fact, but you’re reading a total cliché instead. However, spending your time and money wisely is probably a piece of advice that I cannot highlight enough.
Running a travel blog can be a lot of work. It will drain your energy, and it might leave you sleepless some nights (hopefully not!). Sometimes you will think of giving up, while other times you will be stressed prior to traveling. There is a whole set of things around travel blogging, and it will request a proper allocation of your time and efforts.
On the other hand, whenever we talk about time, money also comes as an extra factor. Investing money on your travel blog is so much different from just spending money. While it’s important to support your travel blog, it’s also important not to spend insane amounts of money on things that might not work. For example, spending half of your budget on Social Media Promotions when you only have 4-5 posts in your blog is a terrible idea.
Handling your time and budget wisely is probably the most important aspect of building a sustainable travel blog. It means that you will have enough time to create content as well as a functioning website; and also that you won’t run out of cash before even being able to support your blog.
Final Thoughts
So, these were the 12 things I learned after six months of travel blogging. I’m also planning to do a similar recap for the first year anniversary at the end of September 2019. Plus, there’s also an informative article about the optimal blogging gear for minimalists. Last but not least, if you are searching for the best web hosting provider look no further: I wrote an extensive review of Bluehost. You can read the review here and you can find out how to get up to 60% off on any of their plans.
As for my goals? Well, no big surprises here: to create more content, to travel sustainably, to increase the DA (reached 20 in 5 1/2 months), and of course to please the readers of this website.
Feel free to share your thoughts and blogging experiences in the comments below.
More articles: How to start a travel blog, Become a writer, The best travel camera & Are you a Xennial Traveler?
*Get my FREE Travel Writing Course*
Buy the camera I use | Book your hotel
Pin it for later
Please share, tweet, and pin if you enjoyed reading the 12 things I learned after six months of travel blogging. Your support keeps this website running and all the info up-to-date. 🙂
Last Updated on September 17, 2020 by George Pavlopoulos
Amen to these. Keeping a blog is almost a 24/7 thing. When I’m not working on it in some way, I’m always thinking that I should be. Even with that mentality, I totally don’t get enough done on it. I need to up my game a little. Nice post.
Hello Tony! soo good to see you here. I totally agree: blogging is a 24/7 occupation. Keeping a blog alive takes a lot of work and dedication. Thanks for stopping by, I really enjoy your journey around the world. All the best and keep up the good work 🙂
Hi George, I have somehow stumbled upon your website when surfing around for what type of travel gear bloggers use. I have my own pitiful website at the moment and I can tell you that blogging is way way harder than I ever imagined it would be. One of the most challenging aspects is writing good content. I have signed up for your FREE Travel Writing Course and hope this can improve my writing ability to a higher level. In my opinion I think good writing is the hardest part of creating a great blog. I am very impressed with your writing skills and hope to get some good tips from your course. I still haven’t read who Barbara is and I am very curious so I will be back. All the best!
Hello John, thank you so much for your wonderful comment! Indeed, blogging is much tougher than I expected it to be. I’m now 18 months into it, and I can assure you that it’s probably the most demanding thing I’ve ever done: I’ve written books, I’ve written articles under enormous pressure, but nothing really compares to this marathon. I do hope that you’ll find some useful tips on the Free Travel Writing Course. I have to say that there’s one thing really needed, though: dedication. I’m off to check your website now. Take care and all the best!