People have been writing about travel for a long time. When I started writing travel articles way back in 1990, there were only two options available to write about travel. You were either a staff writer on a magazine or newspaper. Or you could work for yourself as a freelancer providing travel articles and photos to a variety of printed magazines and newspapers. These options are still available however, are limited. With the advent of the Internet, travel writing has been evolving into travel blogging and content creation. The question now is, where will you place yourself in the travel writing and travel blogging scene? Here is my take on how travel writing has evolved from when I started in the 1990s to now.

 

Staff Writers and Freelancers

 

Staff writers were usually university trained journalists who got a job on a newspaper or magazine when they finished their studies. If the publication was large enough journalists would be placed in different sections of the paper or magazine. Not many were put straight into the travel department. They had to work their way up to it because of the opportunity to be sent on paid travel assignments. If you did work in the travel department the travel editor would have assigned a destination to a staff travel writer to write an article or articles to appear in the upcoming edition of the publication. For doing this they would be paid a wage. And all their intellectual property – the article written – would belong to the publication.

Often the publication needed more articles to fill their pages. This is when and where freelance travel writers would provide travel articles. Freelance travel writers weren’t always trained journalists, they were people who could string together a few words to write a great travel article. Basically freelancers would come up with an idea, pitch the travel editor and if the travel editor like the idea would give the go ahead to the freelancer to write the article. Author guidelines were usually provided. These included the number of words required, style and a deadline. Once the the article was published the freelancer would submit an invoice for payment. Once the editor received the invoice they would pass the invoice to the accounts department who would hopefully pay it without being chased up for it. They were usually paid by cheque – remember those?

 

Travel Writing Becomes Electronic

 

Freelancers, like me, once the editor had given me the go ahead to write the travel article would type it up on a typewriter from my hand written notes. Then I would send a typed copy of the article through the post. The editor would then have the article typed up at the publication ready for print. But with computers evolving, I would soon also send a floppy disc with my typed copy to the editor. This would help make it easier for the editor to create my article for the publication. I was told to make the editor’s life easier because I would get more writing work that way! That was in 1990.

As the Internet and computers evolved so too has the delivery of my articles. Gone are the days of supplying a typed copy on paper, a floppy disc or USB. Now I can simply type the article on my laptop and with a press of a button, I can send it to the editor. How things have changed! And how the equipment needed to be a travel writer / blogger has changed also. No matter where I go, I can take my laptop which is much lighter than the old style heavy typewriters. And payment is often faster and paid directly into my account.

 

Electronic Publications

 

Although the older options of writing for magazines and newspapers still exist there are a lot fewer of them to sell your writing to. But before you get depressed about hearing this many printed publications have gone purely online. This has meant the style of travel writing has evolved. It has been adapted for the computer screen with shorter paragraphs and lots more photos. Many online magazines are still designed similar to a printed magazine or newsletter, but one difference is you press a button on your computer now to turn the page. So travel writing of articles is still required for these types of publications. And the process to being published in them is also similar to printed publications. They may have staff writers and / or rely on freelancers to provide articles. So get your pitch letter ready and start emailing.

 

Content Creation for Websites and Blogs

 

Many people, with or without journalism qualifications but who have a love of travel and writing are creating a travel website with a blog area. And turning these websites into money making machines. While those who run these websites mostly create the content themselves, they also often rely on freelancers to contribute articles or content. These can be paid or guest posts opportunities. If paid, you need to have a payment system available, usually something like PayPal. Or if, it is a guest post payment is offered in the form a link to your website from theirs and maybe exposure on their social media channels. 

Like many freelancers the way to get paid or guest post gigs is to contact the owner of the website / blog first. The owner is like the editor of a publication and will decide whether or not they like your idea. And whether or not they want to pay for it. So arm yourself with a pitch letter if you are going to contact other website owners. But you can also use online platforms such as Fiverr to offer your writing and content creation services. 

 

Start Your Own Website / Blog / Online Publication

 

Many travel writers start their own website, blog or online publication to showcase their own writing. This can be a great income source and many people are starting blogs for this reason. My website / blog was a natural progression for me and is now my full-time career providing me with a good income. My income mostly comes from monetising my site providing me with passive income.

 

Finally, How Travel Writing has Evolved

 

So there you have it, this is how travel writing has evolved from when I first started back in the 1990s to today. It has gone from printed publications being your only market to get your travel writing published to now having more options. That of printed publications and an array of online options. So if you are dreaming of becoming a travel writer, travel blogger or content creator there are options out there for you. And you don’t need to be a journalist either. If you would like to get some skills consider doing a travel writing course. It will give you the basics to start your travel writing and / or travel blogging and content creation career.

 

Being a Travel Writer brings up images of travelling the world and writing about it. Sounds glamourous. It’s not always like that, it can take hard work. While others are out partying you might be at your computer in your hotel room writing up your notes for the day. Get the lowdown on what its like to be a travel writer in this interview with Baia Dzagnidze who is currently a travel writing digital nomad living in Tbilisi, Georgia.

 

Tell me about yourself! Where are you from and what do you do?

 

My name is Baia and I am from Tbilisi, Georgia. I am a journalist turned into a travel writer and blogger.

 

What does a Travel Writer do?

 

It’s pretty self-explanatory what travel writer does – travels and writers :)) However, it’s not as easy as it sounds. It surely is a dream job for anyone who likes traveling and writing, but there are a lot of aspects and challenges to overcome in order to be a successful travel writer.

 

What made you decide to become a Travel Writer?

 

I used to work as a journalist and an executive editor of a local English-language newspaper here in Tbilisi. After two years, I decided to go on a four-month-long backpacking trip to Southeast Asia. After coming back, I realized I was bitten by the travel bug and that’s when I decided to shift my career into a different direction and incorporate two things I am most passionate at.

 

How long did it take you to get up and running?

 

It took a lot of work and persistence. If I recall correctly, I had my first breakthrough with working for a reputable online travel publication after a year of building my portfolio. In the beginning, I used to take any gig and travel writing opportunities I possibly could. I used to pitch to various publications, but as I look back at those pitches, they were horrible. No wonder why I got rejections most of the time :)) Moreover, my home country, Georgia, was not appealing for many publications, even though it still is an emerging destination.

 

Where do you find clients and resources for your Travel Writer business?

 

I find clients from different sources. Some find me through friends, some through a Google search where they find my articles for international publications and email me for a possible commission they have in mind. Others I find myself through pitching to print and online magazines. Online platforms such as Fivver can also be a good source.

 

How many hours does a Travel Writers usually work?

 

Even though I am a freelancer, I treat my work and blog as a usual office job. So I usually spend around 7-8 hours a day looking for publications, creating pitches, writing articles both for publications and my own blog, editing photos, etc.

 

How much money can Travel Writers make?

 

As I am not an in-house writer of any publication on a regular base, my income depends on the publication rates. It’s hard to generalize, as each publication has its own and different rates for in-house and freelance writers. It also depends on where you live and in what currency you get paid. In my case, since Georgia is a budget-friendly country, two or three articles of good rates are enough to support me for a month.

 

What does a day in your life look like?

 

I usually work from home, so after a filling breakfast and a cup of coffee, I sit down at the computer to check my emails and follow my to-do list. I spend most of the time in front of the computer, but sometimes I do take a day or two breaks off the screen and spend my time wandering in the streets of Tbilisi or reading a book.

 

What equipment do you need?

 

To start with, you should have a laptop so you can write your articles. To help sit comfortably wherever you are a laptop stand will be very useful. To keep your electronics charged in any country a universal power adaptor is a must. Powerbanks are very useful to help keep your gear charged when you can’t get to a power point. Camera equipment will help you take great photos to go with your travel articles.

 

LAPTOP STAND

What are your favourite things about working as a Travel Writer?

 

The most favorite part of being a travel writer is that I meet incredible locals with fascinating stories to share. I also love the fact that I travel to a country different than usual travelers, and that sometimes I can get experiences a few people can.

 

What are your least favourite things about working as a Travel Writer?

 

When traveling to a new country, I need to pay attention to every detail happening around me; I need to have my notebook and a pen always closeby to make some notes. Not to miss anything is quite overwhelming and stressful.  And depending on the location, I should be extremely cautious of pickpocketers on top of that.

 

What do you recommend to someone who wants to be a Travel Writer do?

 

There are tons of travel writers out there, so finding your niche is especially helpful. Think of what you like about traveling or in general in the world – you can become a travel writer depending on your hobby or interests and find the market for it. There are plenty of writers who focus on scuba-diving destinations for instance, or those who like airplanes and know nuts and bolts of aircraft. The possibilities are endless, it just requires reading and thorough research.

 

What travel writing services do you offer?

 

I offer blog post writing, SEO optimization, article writing, and overall content writing for websites for travel agents, companies, hotels, or anyone in the travel and hospitality industry who needs any sort of professional and presentable content for their website.

 

Travel Writer Job Summary

 

A travel writer is a person who travels and writes about various travel-related articles for companies and publications. Travel writers may work for a few different companies or publications, both in-house and freelance. Depending on their interest, travel writers report on various themes including transportation, how-to guides, detailed city guides, cultural and historical destinations, feature stories, adventure, ecology, round-up of various destinations, and international events to name a few.

 

Guest Author: Baia is a Travel and Content Writer from Tbilisi, Georgia. I am a journalist turned into a travel writer and blogger. Check out her profile at her website www.redfedoradiary.com.

READ OTHER WORK ONLINE AND DIGITAL NOMAD JOBS

How To Work Remotely
Work Online As A Software Developer
How To Teach English Online
Work Remotely As A Virtual Assistant
How To Become A Digital Nomad + 18 Digital Nomad Jobs

So you have decided to start a travel blog and you would like to make money from it, right?. Well congratulations, you have come to the right place to kick start your travel blog and new career. I have been blogging for about 20 years and I’d like to pass on my warts and all version of how to start a blog and make money from it.

Now I have read many posts from other people saying how easy it is to start a travel blog. For some it can be very easy.  They say it will only cost you as much as a cup of coffee to set up. Or it will only take the same amount of time as to drink that same coffee. Well, I beg to differ here. For many of us some things can take a little longer and it will be a challenge. Therefore, we will need help from professionals.

You have probably done a lot of research already. And I guess you have been overwhelmed with the words domain, hosting, analytics, SEO, keyword, etc. A lot of these terms went straight over my head. It took a lot of research and reading to come to grips with them all. I will now do my best to explain them to you here.

If you are series about starting a blog and make money from it keep reading. Here is my warts and all post on how to start a travel blog and make money from it. I have tried to make the information as simple as possible and provide the steps to start your blog. The biggest piece of advice I can give you here is to not give up. It will be worth it in the end. You can make a good living from blogging. It may not happen right from the start but with perseverance success can follow.

What Do You Need to Start a Blog?

1. A computer (not a tablet or smartphone-they are a bit small to design on).
2. An internet connection.
3. Funds for the initial set up.
4. Time, and lots of it.

 

READ MORE: Essential Tech Gear for Digital Nomads

 

Starting a blog is a step-by-step process. So let’s get started.

 

How to Start a Blog in 11 Easy Steps

Step 1: Pick Your Name (and brand)

There are a number of things to think about when picking your name. Do you want it to become a brand? And want it to be found easily on search engines? You also want it to reflect what you are actually about? What if the name you want isn’t available? Is it very similar to someone else’s name? What will you do if it is? Questions, questions, questions!

It can be a hard decision on what to call your blog as you want it to last the test of time. I suggest you draft some names on a piece of paper. Take in to account the niche you are specialising in. There are plenty of niches to start a blog in – travel, lifestyle, recipes, coaching to name a few. To use the travel blogging niche as an example, many travel bloggers have already used backpack, nomad, travel, saurus or adventurous already. See, you have already drunk that cup of coffee and haven’t chosen your name yet!

When picking your name consider what you want your blog to be about. Having a relevant name to the area you are blogging about can help people recognise what you are about faster. For instance, I registered shazzatravels.com. The blog is about travels of someone called shazza! Or www.liveworkplaytravel.com – about living, working, playing and travelling around the world. What about www.londonworkingholiday.com. It is about a London working holiday.

Do a search on the Internet and check out other bloggers. See what they have called themselves. It will probably give you some inspiration. Once you have your list Google the names to see if anyone else has the name or something very similar.  You don’t want to be seen to be copying anyone.

 

Tips for picking your name:

 

– Keep it short and simple. They say no more than three words however, I have seen many that are four to five words.
– Give it longevity. Don’t use my travels in 2015. Because that will soon be over.
– Don’t limit yourself unless you want to. A name such as my Aussie travels will mean you can only write about your Aussie travels. That is unless you only want to write about Aussie travels forever.

While picking your name also think about your brand. Ask yourself, what is your travel blog about? You probably just thought ‘duh, travel!’ well there are literally millions of travel blogs out there and you need to consider how you will stand out. Most bloggers choose a niche. For instance, some might specialise in working holidays such as myself with www.liveworkplaytravel.com. Others blog about luxury travel, budget travel, food they eat during their travels, travel tips, environmental travel, family travel, over 50’s travel or adventure travel. I think you get the gist that the list is endless as to what you can specialise in. Consider the direction and style of your blog and this might help you to choose the name.

Once you have chosen the name, you need to make sure it is available.

Step 2: Register the Name (as a business name and domain name)

Once you have decided on your name you need to register the domain name. If you want your blog to be a business then it is advisable to register the name as a business name as well. This is best done in your home country.

What is a domain name you ask? I will use a block of land and a house as an analogy.

1. You buy a block of land (domain name) from a real estate agent (domain name registry).
2. Then you build a house (website/blog) on your block of land. The house sits on the land like the website/blog sits on a domain host.
3. Your block of land has an address (domain name).
4. I add furniture (content) to my house (website/blog).

To put that in to reality.

1. I bought the domain name LiveWorkPlayTravel.com from GoDaddy.
2. Then built my website/blog. My address (domain name) is www.liveworkplaytravel.com
3. The domain lives on the domain host (Relentless Hosting).
4. I add content to my website/blog through static pages and blogs.

It should be noted that many of the places that allow you to register the domain name also offer hosting packages (see next point). There are many places to register your domain name.

Step 3: Set up Hosting for Your Domain Name (website/blog)

 

What is hosting? Why do I need it?

Hosting is basically a place you rent a little slice of the web to display your website/blog. Compare it to buying a piece of land on which you will build a house. The land will always be there but the house may be renovated/rebuilt a number of times. Basically a website/host provider acts in exactly the same way. You buy a little piece of space for your website/blog.

My favourite hosts are Relentless Hosting and BlueHost. Due to me having a number of blogs I use a number of hosts. Something to do with don’t put all your eggs in the one basket. I suggest you check them all out and go with the one that suits you and your budget. All are easy to use and offer step-by-step information to help you get your website up and running.

 

Step 4: What Blogging Software will Your Website/blog be Designed in?

Most website/blogs are now designed in WordPress. WordPress was especially designed for blogs. But what is WordPress I hear you ask? WordPress is basically a ‘content management system’ or CMS for short. It allows you to put words, pictures and style your website/blog without you needing to know coding or programming. Your host will allow you to download WordPress for you to work in.

It should be noted there is WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com is for free blogs and you usually have WordPress in your website/blog name. WordPress.org is for people who want to own their own website/blog name. The second option is most preferable and this is the one you want. And WordPress will need to be installed on your website.

Step 5: Design Your Website/blog

Designing your website/blog can be a very a time consuming thing. I actually went and did a WordPress course to learn the basics. My course helped me to set up my name, buy my hosting and then design my website/blog. The course was one morning a week for 8 weeks. If you know nothing about WordPress, like I didn’t, are not tech savvy and don’t want to be consumed (sometimes with frustration) in designing your website/blog I would suggest you enlist the help of a specialist WordPress website/blog designer. The cost involved will vary but you will need to weigh up the time and potential frustration of doing it yourself to having someone do it for you.

A WordPress website/blog allows you to have static pages like on websites. This is where you put information for people to refer to. Then there are Posts which are blogs.

 

Step 6: Choose Your Theme

 

Before you start putting information or your website or posting blogs you need to decide on the Theme of your website/site. This is basically the appearance of it and you will need to choose fonts, colours, layouts and the overall appearance. The home page is basically like a book cover, it is what will attract people. WordPress comes with a number of free themes for you to choose from. 

 

Step 7: Choose Useful Plugins

 

Once you have chosen your theme you can add pictures and words to make it your own. Then you will need useful plugins. What is a plugin you ask? Well a plugin allows you to do extra things to your website/blog. Such as have a shop on your website/blog. I use Woocommerce for my shop. Possibly SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) plugin like Yoest SEO to help you add keywords so people will find your website/blog when they do searches. There are also useful plugins like SMUSH that reduces the size of your photos to help with speed. Speaking of speed. People will leave your website if it loads slowly. If it takes longer than a second or two most people will leave. So a caching plugin such as Litespeed Cache will help to cache your updates and allow you site to load fast.

TIP: I decided to hire a specialist web designer to help me with the logistics of setting up my website. I’m more creative than technical so instead of creating hours of frustration trying to work out the technical side of things, I hired a specialist to set everything up. It cost around $400 and took about a week. It was a simple design with a few pages and some good plugins. She gave me loads of information to be able to create blog posts myself. I found my web designer through Fiverr.

Step 8: Map out Your Web Page Design with Pages and Categories

 

Before you start writing it is wise to think about the pages and categories you will have on your website. This will allow you to put your blog posts in the right places for people to find them. For instance, on my travel website LiveWorkPlayTravel I have a Page called Work. On this page I have different Categories of Work – Work Abroad and Work Online. When I write a post I assign a category to the post. For instance, this post about ‘How to Start a Blog’ is assigned to the category ‘Online Jobs’. With these things in mind, I can categorise my posts so my readers can find the information they are looking for.

 

Step 9: Write Your First Blog Post

 

This is my favourite step, writing posts. Here are some simple tips for creating your blog posts:

• When I have an idea for a post I do some keyword research to find out what people are looking for. Then I ensure I include those keywords in my post.
• Posts should be around 1000 words plus. The more words you can write on the topic shows that you are an authority on it.
• Create a catchy title that will reel readers in. Using words such as ‘best’, ‘ultimate’, ‘how to’ are great to use.
• Break up your content by using sub-headings (H2 and H3).
• Write short sentences and only have about 4 or 5 sentences in a paragraph – with no more than about 300 words in each paragraph.
• Add images to break up the text and enhance the reader experience.
• Proofread your post for correct grammar and spelling before you hit submit. I often get my partner to proofread for me but if he isn’t around I use Grammarly.
• Think about how you can make money from your blog and include links to them in your post. See next step.

 

Step 10: Ways to Make Money from your Blog

 

There are a number of ways to make money from your blog. They include:

• Monetise your website by adding affiliate links to your blog post. As I have a travel blog I include affiliate links for accommodation with Booking.com. As well as travel options with Eurail. There is also travel insurance with WorldNomads. These are just a few of the affiliate programs I am with. There are affiliate programs for many niches. I suggest you do a Google search of affiliate programs to find one that suits your niche.
• Join an ad network such as Google Adsense or Mediavine.
• Create and sell your own products which could be electronic products such as ebooks or a course or physical products such as t-shirts. 
• Offer your services to other bloggers such as VA (Virtual Assistance), creating Pinterest Pins or Coaching.

 

Step 11: Marketing Your Blog Post

 

Now you have a blog post which you hope to make money with you need to let people know about it. So how do you do that? Options include:

• Social Media. To help spread the word I have created social media profiles on a number of platforms. Most of them send traffic to my blog but some work better than others. It is trial and error what works best. The major social media channels are Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok and YouTube.
• Email Marketing. From the day you launch your blog, you should be collecting email addresses from your readers. Then you can keep in contact with them with newsletters and marketing. To collect email addresses you will need to sign up with an email marketing provider. Some are free while others aren’t. Check out Mailchimp, ConvertKit and MailerRite, they seem to be the most popular.
• SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimisation. Remember when I mentioned keywords? Well when you write your content, you will want to put in keywords. It is the keywords that Google looks for when people type in a request. For instance, if I want to know how to make money blogging, I would type this in to Google and all the blog posts that have this keyword, will show up, preferably on page 1. So consider SEO when writing as this is one of the best ways to market your work – to be found.

 

Are You Ready to Start Making Money from Your Blog?

 

I’m a huge fan of starting a blog to make money, after all I have done it. I love that I get to write about a niche that I am passionate about and in return I make money to live, work, play and travel my way around the world. I’d love to hear from you about your blogging challenges and triumphs in the comments following.

 

As you know if you read ‘About me’ I have travelled all my life thanks to my dad who worked for an airline. Then I fell into travel writing and wrote a number of travel guides. To sell my travel guides and to provide information on working holidays I created a website. To be honest, I have had a website for about 25 years and I have seen how websites have morphed from being a link to your business to now being your business. And all businesses need to make money so they can continue to offer goods and services to make money. My business is travel writing. Even though travel writing still exists it has morphed into travel blogging. Like many other travel bloggers I make my money online by monetising my website. If you are an aspiring blogger or have been in the game for a while and are looking to monetize your website here are eight ways to monetise your blog to make money.  

 

READ MORE: How To Start a Travel Blog for Beginners

 

Create and Sell Your Own Products

 

The initial way I made money online as a travel blogger was by selling my own products which were travel guides. By the time I got a website I had two printed travel guides already in the market place. So that really helped! As I wrote more travel guides these were added to my website and I must say I sold many travel guides this way. Then as more people embraced the internet and created websites more information became readily available, and for free. Plus ebooks arrived. So even though I still have my travel guides available as printed books they are now mostly ebooks. This makes my life so much easier as I don’t have to go to the post office on a daily basis now to post books as they can now be downloaded instantly after payment. So if you have an idea for a book, turn it into an ebook, create a website or blog and hopefully make loads of sales. But books aren’t the only product you can sell there are plenty of things you may have created – t-shirts and jewellery to name a couple. 

 

Sell Other People’s Products

 

Selling other people’s products is another way travel bloggers monetise their website/s to make money. Other products could be other bloggers services like a Travel Blogging Course. Many join the Amazon Associates program and make commission when they sell a product. One of the ways to sell the products is to do a product review. Here’s a review I did on packing cubes so you can see what I mean.

 

Have Ads from an Ad Network

 

The second way I made money as a travel blogger was to join an ad network and have ads on my site. Basically, when you sign up with these ad networks, they give you access to creative code for ads that you can put on your website or blog. When visitors to your site click through these ads you are paid a commission. So the more traffic to your site, the more you should get paid because more visitors will hopefully be clicking on the ads. However, you don’t want too many visitors leaving your site straight away through an ad because you want them to stay on your site to see what you are offering. Current ad networks include Google Adsense, Ezoic, AdThrive and Mediavine. Mediavine do require you have 50k sessions/month to qualify so if you want to make money having an ad network on your site you might want to start with Google Adsense.

 

Affiliate Sales

 

Affiliate sales are great for beginners and long-term travel bloggers because most of the hard work is done for you. You simply join an affiliate program, get links to the program and put them on your website and in your travel posts. Then, when people click on the link and make a purchase of the product or service you will receive a commission. Sounds easy, but just having the links on your site are not enough, you do need to sell the product or service. There are a number of ways to do this but it depends on the type of product or service. So if you have linked to a travel gear store you might want to write buying guides for products, like best backpacks to travel with. Or if you have joined an accommodation affiliate program you could write accommodation reviews with links to specific hotels. Making affiliate sales is a good way to make money as a travel blogger and one that many travel bloggers use.

 

Launch a Course or Become a Private Coach

 

Many successful travel bloggers have launched a course on their area of expertise, from starting a blog, to pitching brands, to creating Pins and Facebook Ads. So if you have an area of expertise, you can sell your knowledge online. Sell the course directly through your website or blog or you can sell it on popular programs such as Thinkific, Udemy and Teachable. As I am a travel writer I have created a course ‘How To Be A Travel Writer’. I make a fair amount of money from helping people begin their travel writing journey. Some people who specialise in a specific skill can become a private coach and help beginners with their journey. I could easily coach another travel writer, one on one, until they feel confident to write on their own.

 

Sponsored Posts and Content

 

Travel Bloggers can get paid to work with brands. Basically brands will sponsor you, paying for airfares, accommodation, free samples of their product for you to use and try and in return you will write content and promote it on your site and social media channels. To find such work you either put in a proposal to a brand you want to work with or if you have a large social media following the brand might find you. Whether you choose to collaborate is up to you. It will depend on where you are going with your blog. Every blogger is different. Some love writing for brands while others just want to concentrate on their own brand and make an income from other ways, like those mentioned in this post.

 

Create Content for Other Bloggers

 

Not every blogger has time to write their own content and often have ‘guest writers’ or pay for content. I have used one particular lady on Fiverr to write content for me. She has been a great help and has taken the pressure off myself to produce content. So setting yourself up on Fiverr to offer content for other bloggers can be very lucrative, particularly when you are requested on a regular basis to provide content. Many advertise their services on Facebook pages or set up a profile on platforms such as Upwork or Fiverr.

Drop Ship

 

I had never heard of drop shipping until recently. One of the biggest drop shipping organisations is Alidropship. So how does drop shipping work? Basically you decide what you are going to sell first. I will use a toiletry bag as an example. The toiletry bag may cost $5 to buy from Alidropship. I set up a shop on my website but decide to sell the toiletry bag at $20. When someone buys the toiletry bag through my site, I then order it through Alidropship at $5 and they process and supply the order. I have made $15 profit by selling the product in my store. There are plenty of items you can drop ship. From travel items to clothes to pet products.

 

Are You Ready to Make Money from Monetizing Your Blog

 

The next time you’re curious about how travel bloggers make money, refer to this list. My biggest tip for making money from your website is to concentrate on one thing at a time. If it doesn’t work out then try another. It is better to be an expert in one rather than mediocre at lots. You will make more money if you are an expert. The truth is, when you pursue your passion the money will come. If you find other ways to make money from your blog please include them in the comments below, myself and others would love to hear them.

​

 

When I was thinking about starting a blog I did a lot of research. I discovered, just like when writing a travel article there are a number of steps to turn an idea into a great blog. Here is what I discovered.

 

Step 1: Understand your audience

 

OK. I have been writing about travel now for a long time, over 20 years and in particular I have concentrated on writing about overseas working holidays. So yes, I believe I know my audience and the information they want to know. My question here is, should I know my topic first or my audience? Know both well!

 

Step 2: Start with a topic and working title

 

hmmm….coming up with a working title that will grab someones attention in 2 seconds has been pretty daunting. Once again research has taught me that titles with numbers in them are very useful to attract attention. Headings such as

7 steps to write a great blog
Our top 5 useful packing tips
8 good reasons why a working holiday is for you
Top 6 attractions not to miss when in London

 

Step 3: Write an intro (and make it captivating)

 

This takes me back to my school days when it was drilled in to me how to write an essay. You need to grab your readers attention straight away and set the scene for the rest of the essay. To do this captivate your reader with your introduction otherwise you may lose the reader before they have even started.

 

Step 4: Organise your content

 

Just like when writing an essay you need to organise your content. Get your thoughts out, make the content flow. Give each thought/point a paragraph. I was advised that a blog should have a minimum of 300 words. Too much longer and you have the possibility of losing the reader, particularly if they aren’t being given the information they have been promised.

I was also advised to have a minimum of 3 links. Links will be to your services, your products and the affiliate programs you have joined, etc.

 

Step 5: Write!

 

Write, write, write – In the first person and write like you are talking to someone.

 

Step 7: Insert a call-to-action (CTA) at the end

 

I’m not sure if it is at the end, but throughout the blog a call-to-action is when you want your reader to join or to purchase something, for instance, join your mailing list, purchase your ebook or your course, etc. You will need to include the link to the product or service here. So here I will advise you I write the Live Work & Play series of working holiday guides that will help you prepare and enjoy your working holiday overseas. The link I have created will take you to my bookstore.

I’ve added an extra step here, I will call it step 7a – from reading lots of blogs I have noted that they have an ‘About the Author’ at the bottom. I think this is a good idea where you can tell the reader about yourself and also link to your own products/services.

 

Step 8: Optimise for on-page SEO

 

My understanding of SEO is limited, however, I have done a few courses on it because SEO (search engine optimisation) is very important. My website designer added Yoest to my blog so when I am in the back end of my blog where the designing and linking occurs I can add meta tags and key words which enables people to find me in search engines. I discover my keywords to use by using Keysearch – a great tool that helps me write great blog posts.

 

To conclude, I would suggest you read other blogs to see how they set things out. Discover the tone they use, etc. and remember, keep writing because practice makes perfect.

 

Where are all the Great Blog Post Ideas? I wonder sometimes if other bloggers are like me. Because some days I just don’t know what to blog about. Then other days blog post ideas are just popping in to my head and I’m not sure which idea to run with. So to help those ideas jump in to my head and then onto my computer screen, I do the following things which I have updated September 2022 as I evolve with blogging:

 

Get Out and About

 

The best thing I do to get blog post ideas is to get out and about and interact with the world. I often go for a walk or a drive which clears my head and allows ideas to pop in to the spaces in my head that are cleared. When you experience the world first-hand I feel you can write about it better.

 

Read and Interact with Social Media and Other Bloggers

 

I find it very interesting to see what other bloggers are blogging about and often this sparks an idea. Also, just seeing what people are up to can be a great source of ideas. You could call it ‘spying’, which by the way, I have been advised is a good tactic to do to not only get ideas to write about, but inspiration to design your blog posts and tactics they use to grow their blogs.

 

Read a Lot

 

I like to read, particularly printed magazines and the paper. I enjoy knowing what is going on in my local area and also around the world. Reading the paper and magazines lets me know what is going on and often prompts an idea.

 

Watch the TV

 

I enjoy watching TV and sometimes ideas pop in to my head. I like to watch the news each night so I know what is happening in the world. But many different shows inspire me.

 

Feedback and Questions from the readers of my Blog

 

Feedback and questions from the readers of my blog often prompts a blog or an idea for a blog. Answering my readers questions is a great way to meet my readers needs but most importantly gives me ideas to blog about. So it is important to be able to interact with your readers. I do this by responding to questions that come through my contact form and the comments at the bottom of each blog post. This also helps me on how to monetise my blogs to make passive income.

 

Write Down any Ideas and re-visit Them

 

Most importantly, I have a note book that I write ideas in – old fashioned I know but it works. If I cannot find my notebook I often write on scraps of paper. But every so often I transfer all my hand written ideas into a spread sheet which enables me to not only list my ideas but monitor my ideas by showing what dates I have used them. My list also allows me to re-hash them and know when I did it.

 

In Conclusion

 

No matter where you get your ideas from, as long as you’ve got ideas means you are off to a great start. I’d love to hear how you get your ideas.

 

How Travel Writing has evolved

When I started writing travel articles there were only two options available. You were either a staff writer on a magazine or newspaper or you could be a freelancer providing articles and photos to a variety of magazines and newspapers.

Staff writers were usually university trained journalists and as I wasn’t, I chose to be a freelance travel writer as you didn’t need to be a qualified journalist, you just needed to be able to string your words together.

Like many other freelancers, i had the glamorous idea of visiting far-flung places, staying in five-star accommodation, gazing at fabulous vistas, eating local exotic foods and getting paid handsomely for writing about the experience. Hmmmmm……didn’t always work out that way.

Things have changed since I first started, or maybe evolved is the right word to use rather than changed. Although the older options of writing for magazines and newspapers still exist there are a lot fewer of them to sell your writing to.

But before you get depressed about hearing this, with the advent of the Internet travel writing has evolved immensely and ways to make money from travel writing has evolved also. Instead of travel writers forming associations with the travel editors of magazines and newspapers and writing a specific article targeted at a specific market and on a specific topic most freelance travel writers are making money on the road from their own blogs and websites and providing guest blogs on other people’s websites and blogs. To find out more about the differences between Travel Writing and Travel Blogging read our blog.

So how do you make money from travel writing nowadays? Most editors will now advise you to find a niche and concentrate on it by having your own website and/or blog and showing the world how much of an authority you are on it. This is very true. You could write your own travel e-book and sell it on-line as well. You can also monetise your website and/or blog by joining affiliate programs and selling travel-related products.

For many, websites and blogs are proving to be a more flexible lifestyle. Being able to post a blog from anywhere in the world for people to see and read instantly is very fulfilling, and if the website and blog is making you money – even better!

Getting your work out there to be seen is the biggest asset you can have nowadays as a travel writer/blogger so having a social media presence is a must. Choosing which social media Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. to use will help to get your name and your product/s out there. You could also try the old fashioned way and send out a media release to markets who may review your work.

Yep, travel writing sure has evolved and I am enjoying the creative challenges it is throwing my way.