Do you want to share your travel advice and experiences through a blog? Travelynne.ca was launched just over a month ago. I remember being right there, embarking on an exciting and daunting journey. It’s been a great adventure. I traveled to ten different countries in the past year while also juggling my full-time career as a marketing professional in Malaysia. I have developed a variety of new skills along the way, from web design and SEO to content writing, social media strategies, and affiliate marketing.
If you’re thinking about starting a blog for travel or feel overwhelmed by all the information available, I can help. Keep reading for some practical and honest advice that I wish I had known when I started my blogging journey.
1. The Secret to a Successful Blogging: Start Now
Your travel blog will not start by itself, and the longer you wait, the more you will wait for results.
You don’t need to worry about the look of your site, whether you picked the right domain name for your travel blog, or whether your content is good enough. You’ll probably never feel ready, but the more time you spend on your website and the more authentic and reliable the content, the better your chance of seeing results over the next few months and years.
The only way to become good at travel blogs is to begin travel blogging. “Create content, publish, monitor, learn, and repeat.”
Travel blogging is a time-sensitive business, so you should get your content online as quickly as possible. Google can take up to a month to index your content.
2. Do not complicate it!
You will soon realize that blogging is not something you do “just for fun”. I recommend you set aside some time to consider your “why” and write down ideas or even a small business plan.
You may want to create a travel blog because you enjoy travelling and want to share that passion with others. But if you dig deeper, you will find out there is more to it. Ryan Robinson’s blogging business plan was a great resource for me when I decided to create my travel blog. I would highly recommend it. It forced me to consider what I wanted to achieve and the best way to get there. A business plan will help you to formulate your vision and can serve as a guide. The plan should include your goals, audience, plans for content and how you’d like to earn money from blogging one day. ).
You should do more research if you plan to make money from blogging. While many people make money from blogging, it is often a labour of love.
My business plan is like a road map to help me when I am overwhelmed with competing priorities or need to realign myself toward my vision for Travelynne.
Remember: A business plan is a living document that evolves along with you. Do not overcomplicate the exercise! It doesn’t need to be rigid or elaborate. Even a simple framework, in the form of bullet points or one page, can provide immense benefits. Try free-writing one page of bulleted points to answer the question, “Why am I starting a travel blog?” What do I hope to achieve by starting a travel blog? “.
3. Perfect Blog Branding Can Wait
It’s a big deal for me as a digital marketer. To say that branding is not important to me is a big statement. It’s not because branding isn’t important – it just isn’t as important as publishing content. To start branding quickly, I recommend that new bloggers use a typeface (aka text-based) Logo. You can create one yourself using Canvas Typography Logo templates, or you can generate one with Logo.
Don’t make my mistake and spend months thinking about names for travel blogs, logos and colour schemes. Templates are also important. “I wasted a lot (and money!) on this!”
You can change the look of your blog as you see more results, but it is not essential for a successful blog. Since many of the successful travel bloggers that I follow have ugly, unsophisticated sites, I’m sure. They are still doing much more than me by publishing high volumes of valuable content and building community with their audience.
You can and probably will change the look of your blog in the future. However, you can’t get back the time you spent worrying about it. So keep it simple and start blogging!
Your blog will evolve as you develop your own voice. Travelynne has its growing pains, and that is okay! In the past year, I’ve learned many valuable lessons. I’ve seen improvements in my work, sometimes incremental and other times monumental.
4. Trial Travel Blogging Before Committing
Consider guest posting on another blog to get a feel for the site before you commit to it. Before I launched my blog, I wrote a “Beginner’s Guide to Kuala Lumpur” for a blog named Find a Way Abroad. It was just the nudge that I needed. After a year, with the help of Kat, the founder of that blog, and a little informal mentoring, I created Travelynne.
You’re more likely to find opportunities to blog if you use Instagram to engage with other travellers. You should look for smaller blogs because the major travel blog sites (ex. Time Out, Rough Guides and Culture Trip are all good examples of smaller blogs. Small and medium-sized blogs are more likely than larger ones to be open to adding extra content. Please get in touch with me if you’d like to!
5. Save money with a website and domain.
While I was wasting time humming and ahhing over the finer details of Travelynne’s look and feel, I spent too much on designers to design a logo and create other visual assets. Although I’m happy with the result, it was not necessary at that stage.
I am one of the many new travel bloggers who are swayed by fancy tools like premium themes, travel blogging courses, or high-end gear. These can be excellent investments in the future, but you won’t see any return on your investment anytime soon. Think about the practical side of investing in skills and begin with free resources.
To start a travel blog, you only need two things: a website builder like Squarespace OR a content-management system (like WordPress) and a domain name (aka the link to your website). When purchasing the domain, you should also opt in for privacy protection. If using a CMS, web hosting is required. I personally chose Squarespace, and below, I’ll explain why.
That’s it! Let’s keep it simple. Your early investments should be focused on the most important thing: writing and publishing quality content.
6. You can adapt your plan.
My ambitious plan when I launched Travelynne was to publish at least two articles per month. This plan was radically altered as I progressed. Although I did reach my target of 24 articles per year in my first full year, my efforts were not consistent. I’ve published two or more articles in a few months but have nothing else.
“The reality of having to balance a full-time career and a side job quickly set in.” “Despite not reaching my original frequency goals, my blog has still grown and been successful.”
What is the lesson? You can change your mind. Your blogging journey will not be linear. It’s crucial to stay committed and find a blogging routine that suits you, which may include adapting your initial plan in order to meet your current reality.
As you progress, you will gain new insights, and you may have to adjust your priorities to reflect these. There’s more to blogging than just writing new content. You have to maintain a website, optimize older content (more about that in #9) and produce videos or images.
Perseverance pays off when you do your best and keep returning to your “why”.
7. Write as You Go
It could be that I am an ADHD girl who has a tendency to procrastinate. I have a bad habit of starting several blog posts, leaving them unfinished, or having a good idea but never acting on it.
It’s because of this that creating content as I go through it has changed the game. I have saved a lot of time, and the writing process has become more authentic. It is particularly important for blog posts that are heavy on logistics, such as step-by-step instructions about transportation or tracking costs. These can be difficult to write afterwards. Researching blog topics from the past can be a time-consuming task. The more logistical the post, the more difficult it is to write.
Google Keep is my tool for taking notes while on the move. These notes often turn into blog posts, which I then transfer to Squarespace and finish when I get to my computer.
8. Find your people and resources
It’s not just important for corporate life but also crucial to blogging. I’m always looking for content creators and travel bloggers I admire to learn from. On the other side, I take note of those who don’t interest me because I can learn a lot from them.
When I come across travel content creators that I admire, I usually find them doing something to which I aspire, whether it is their content format or style, how they interact with people or their overall success. I am also interested in what different monetization options could mean to me over the long term.
Many adventurers inspire me. I learn from them constantly, get inspired by their stories, and even exchange words of encouragement and advice. My friends Jen and Stevo from Two Can Travel helped me answer my questions and vent about blogging. Kat of A Way Abroad also gave me valuable advice and encouragement early on.
The things you have in common with others will help you to find new friends, collaborators and supporters. This is a great way to grow as a blogger because it gives you a community of people who share your interests and reminds you that you’re not alone.
It is important to learn because blogging involves learning so many things, including search engine optimization (SEO), web design (web design), content creation, video editing, graphic design and more. While I am a solopreneur, I did not do it alone. I received a lot of help from other bloggers and online resources.
These people and resources have helped me improve my writing, analytics and web design abilities. Thank you so much to all the bloggers and content creators!
9. Search Engine Optimization is not a sprint but a marathon.
Search engine optimization (SEO), the art of climbing search engine rankings, is a rewarding but challenging process. I quickly realized that SEO was a long-term endeavour, which led me to change my strategy for this year. After experiencing an increase in Google traffic due to a “viral blog post,” I realized the importance of revisiting and optimizing older articles rather than focusing solely on creating new content.
This involves tweaks that are based on analytics, such as adjusting titles, reworking subheadings and possibly rewriting sections to enhance their E-E-A.T score. This includes analytics-based tweaks such as changing titles, reworking subtitles, and perhaps rewriting entire sections to improve their E-E.A.T score.
In terms of SEO, it is important to understand the concept of E.E.A.T. (Expertise, Experience, Authority, Trustworthiness). It’s all about offering value to real people, building credibility, and being original. These elements will help you stand out. Early on, I suggest that you become familiar with Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These tools allow you to track your blog’s progress, index pages on Google, and conduct basic keyword research. Start by taking advantage of the free Google Skillshop courses.
You’ll have to find a balance between creating new content, improving existing posts, and learning new skills. Travel blogging requires a nuanced, consistent approach. You’ll need to develop your SEO skills and regular updates.
It’s a continuous effort. A balance between applying new knowledge and improving over time. Baby, learn by doing!
10. Find Your niche (…a Work in Progress! )
What is your niche? What makes you different from other travel bloggers?
This may be obvious or easy, depending on your expertise. Sincerely, I am still navigating the waters. It’s a process of self-reflection and experimentation to find that niche and audience that resonates with my passions and experience. It’s also the key to a successful travel blog.
While a well-defined niche can help you target a specific market and make money, it may be just as important to let your experiences and interests guide you towards your niche.
Travelling, as it stands, reflects the richness and diversity of my travel experiences. As I continue to blog, I hope that I will improve and find my niche through the stories or content I am most passionate about. With every post I make, I feel like I’m getting closer to this understanding.
You’re welcome to watch me stumble around the world’s travel blogs. Please share your insights about your journey to find your niche in travel blogging or how you continue your exploration.
11. Own Your Site: I chose Squarespace over a WordPress blog
Owning your travel blog from the start will save you headaches in the future. You don’t want someone else to be able to change your website.
Squarespace, in my opinion, is a user-friendly and reliable all-in-one package that includes web hosting, free domain names, templates and excellent customer service. Squarespace’s user-friendliness allows you to manage your website yourself without the need for an outside designer or developer. You can start without any additional steps or purchases, such as WordPress plugins and themes. There is a learning process for web design and Squarespace. However, there are many resources available (see #8). These include blogs, vlogs, and the Squarespace Community Forum, where you can get answers and tutorials.
It’s not that WordPress is bad—many of the bloggers I admire are using it, and 45% of all websites were built with WordPress. Squarespace’s drag-and-drop interface makes it easier for beginners to manage and learn. Squarespace doesn’t even require you to buy web hosting or a domain. WordPress may offer more customization options. However, these customizations might require more technical expertise or the help of a designer or developer.
According to my research, WIX is no longer what it once was and is lagging in terms of functionality when compared to Squarespace and WordPress.
Squarespace is an easy-to-use web-building tool that can help you create a self-managed website without spending a fortune.
12. Create a Blogging Ritual
It’s one of the easiest things I have learned: it’s important to devote the right amount of time, energy and space to your blog. It’s more than just finding time to research or write; it’s creating a routine that makes blogging a rewarding and enjoyable part of your daily life.
This ritual is often a Saturday morning spent in a cosy cafe sipping a cup of carefully crafted coffee while I write for Travelynne. Sometimes, I transform my living room on a Friday night into a retreat, with my favourite takeout on the table and a relaxing Lofi playlist.
These moments are about passion and pleasure, not productivity. These habits helped me establish routine and discipline to reach the goals I set for myself at Travelynne. Aspiring bloggers are encouraged to create their rituals. Make blogging fun and special—this will help you stay motivated and creative for your blog.
13. Make peace with self-doubt
As a travel blogger, I often wonder where I fit in a world bursting with information and talented content creators. I had so many doubts before publishing my first blog: “Will anyone even read it?” How can I manage blogging and my full-time work? Will I be able to keep up? Can I earn money blogging?” The self-talk that accompanied the daunting but exciting prospect of starting a blog was constant.
First, you should know that doubting yourself is common, especially when surrounded by a sea of content that appears flawless. At some point in their career, every blogger and creator has experienced similar doubts and fears.
It’s important to be confident in your voice and to have a unique perspective. I concentrate on what makes Travelynne unique – My Personal Travel Experiences, My Storytelling Style, My Ability to Explain Logistical Details, and My Bravery in Solo Adventures. Instead of comparing myself to others, my focus is on my growth and learning. I am proud of my small wins and realize that each new post is an opportunity to improve.
