Let’s start a travel blog

Table Of Contents:

How To Start A Travel Blog

Is today the day you finally learn how to start a travel blog? Have you been thinking about doing it for a long time, of course, you have, however, you keep putting it off?

We did and if we had started on how to write a travel blog when we first started travelling 25 plus years ago, we would have had superstar staus by now:) or a lot of material on how to become a travel blogger.

Are you worried that learning how to start a successful travel blog that will one day earn money is an overwhelming task? We want to help and we are here to help you.

I started this blog in 2018 and even though we didn’t know the first thing about how to start a travel blog, after the 1st year, it earned enough to sustain some of our travels.

( Teaching online was our safety net, let us show you how to do this if needed ) and today it earns over $1.8k USD / month and growing through advertising, affiliates, and product sales. We also sell our resources online 

Note: The affiliates we use below, pay us a small commission to help with the site’s growth and maintenance and also helps us to help you. By clicking any one of our affiliate links, you won’t get charged any more than the normal rate, in fact with some, you will gain from our deals we have put together with the affiliate:)

Tip; If you use our affiliate link for VPN, not only does it give you peace of mind, that no one can hack into your computer, it can also save you money as many search engines price on ISP nationality, with one hidden behind a VPN, They can’t alter the best price.

 

 

Establishing Your Whys and Why Not!

Question your motives and your reasons for how to start blogging.

For me, it began with my passion for achieving above the norm,  (as my Auntie used to say, bless her! Life is not a dress rehearsal) traveling, meeting people, and testing my own abilities.

I then decided to start a travel blog around my lifestyle which was being in different countries, collections of memories since 1996 and to share my experiences on the road along with writing detailed travel guides for sharing AND to help my audience to follow some of the same route throughout the countries that I have visited and the wonderful travel experiences I have gained. It then just kept expanding through time and here I’m today! So lets help you start a travel blog! More about us…

This tutorial below is the easiest to follow, step-by-step FREE guide on starting a travel blog with WordPress, that all top bloggers use for how to start a travel blog but done in our own unique way after feeling our way around it and being mentored by one of the best how to start travel bloggers of today.

What we are offering is just not to take your money and a generic button press, but a consultation on how to start a successful travel blog with our travel program course, if needed as well. (Contact us for more details.)  that fits around your lifestyle now for future growth and it’s the only one that offers a huge discount on hosting and lots of add-ons.

Included in our how to start a successful travel blog program course,

We will send weekly emails after this FREE initial set up, give you access to our travel is awesome shared locked Facebook network and access to discuss with other TAT bloggers, also a roadmap of our program, so if you’ve forgotten something, it’s on hand

Which shares trade secrets and gives also private access to our locked blog articles, FREE Ebooks plus much much more on how to start a successful travel blog, as well as ongoing email training and access to our private network, connections, and experiences we have had over the 25yrs of traveling the world.

Our motto is; We care because you care. We will also offer you a ONE-HOUR FREE consultation face to face via Zoom, FB, Skype, just to help you get started and talk you through your set up below

Let’s be honest, travel blogging or any type of blogging isn’t as easy as it looks from the outside. There’s a lot of work going on in the platform background that most people don’t see.

However, it’s very interesting with learning the platform and can be very rewarding if you put dedication and effort into it. Most people think a successful publican opens the doors and shuts the doors after serving the last beer. Lots of work before and after.Same here, but this feels like a hobby rather than work, so no problem on that score.

So today I wanted to share a useful guide on how to get started with travel blogging. Because it’s the first step to becoming a successful travel blogger!

 

The Travel Blogging Journey

The process of starting your very first TRAVEL BLOG is actually pretty easy. If you follow this guide, you can have your own blog up and running at your pace.

Starting your blog is just the beginning of a long and winding road ( The Beatles . )

Now keep in mind the following advice is for those who are prepared to take travel blogging seriously, as some of these steps require spending money, nothing that will take your shirt off your back, however, it will become a business if you are doing it for monetary purposes.

If you just want to blog as a part-time hobby, you can always start a simple travel blog for family & friends on WordPress.com. It’s totally free!

But if you’re interested in making money with travel blogging as I do, keep reading below for the details. Remember it just doesn’t have to be about travelling!

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Essential First Step of How To Start A Travel Blog

In order to get you started down the right path in building a brand new travel blog, you’re going to need an (affordable) domain name and hosting — we’ll be using the provider I personally recommend and have my blog signed up for a domain and hosting to make it easy. We use the company below.

Get a free domain name and up to 60% off a hosting plan with BLUEHOST

 

 

GET YOUR DOMAIN AND HOSTING NOW —-Click this link if you haven’t hit the link above already and it takes you straight to your discounted price. Also by clicking this link, we at Tourandtakein will give you all the support you need for signing up and making an easy start-up process. Any questions please send to info@tourandtakein.com

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1. Pick A Name For Your Travel Blog

Don’t forget to CLICK ON THE ADVERTISEMENT ABOVE or hit the BlueHost banner below to start your process

Our first blog was called  CarlosAntonioAsia.com . Do you see the obvious problem with that domain name? Well, I didn’t until later.

I was selling products/services throughout Asia, having a great time and the business was steadily growing — when I suddenly decided I wanted to sell into the European market and beyond and then the name was pretty pointless as search engines only picked up for searches within Asia and it made me look as though I was only trading from and into Asia! Therefore, I chose Tourandtakein, as I could combine my travel and informative education of teaching together. Don’t forget you can pick your name later if you’re struggling right now!

 

 

 

Make It Short & Memorable

Your travel blog domain name should be relatively short, easy to type, easy to spell, easy to remember, and easy to share. I recommend brainstorming by writing down a bunch of words you think will best describe your blog and also you can start a blog without a name and while writing the content in your blog, the light bulb will come on and you’re away

Try using a thesaurus. Ask your friends for advice & suggestions and tell them you are learning how to start a travel blog.

Avoid Hyphens & Numbers

This can be difficult to do these days, but it helps to avoid using hyphens or numbers in your domain name because otherwise you’ll be forced to explain it to someone. For example:

POTENTIAL READER: “You have a travel blog? Cool! Where do I find it?”

YOU: “Oh, it’s called expert hyphen tourandtakein the number 1964 dot com.”

As you can see, this type of domain isn’t the greatest for word-of-mouth marketing, which happens to be a good source of promotion while you’re travelling and meeting people and explaining to them possible for future sales yourself on how to make money travel blogging.

Avoid Overused Words & Similar Branding

Avoid trademarked company names or words that may be overused in the industry. Sure, you can pick something like Virgin Tony, or Wandering Tony.

But domain names like that won’t stand out very much in the travel blogging niche because those ideas have already been taken by others who are more established.

You’ll have better luck in the long run with something more unique and identifies your perspective of what you are trying to achieve.

I was thinking long-term when I eventually made my decision and that was to travel long term and give something back to the education market.

Yet I was passionate about how to be a professional travel blogger and knew eventually this would be perfect. I’d just have to grow into my new name!

2. Set Up Hosting For Your Blog

What the heck is hosting? It’s not as confusing as it sounds. Most websites need to “rent” space on the internet. A place to store all your blog’s data, files, and photos so that people around the world can easily access it when they type in your domain name.

Hosting can actually be pretty cheap. I recommend new travel blogs get hosting with BlueHost, which you should already have done by the above links now, this is tried and tested, and a very professional hosting company. There are many different hosting companies out there, but BlueHost is very affordable & makes setting up a new travel blog easier than thought. We use it, as you’ve possibly guessed:)

They offer quality shared hosting for a very low price (only $3.95 per month) for 12 months. About the price of a decent drink for you!

Eventually, when you have hundreds or thousands of visitors per month on your blog, you may want to upgrade your hosting to a dedicated server. This is an option, however, for now, this is a great reasonable choice.

So if you are just starting out, getting a basic hosting site with BlueHost an affordable.

How To Set Up Your Travel Blog

A: Click the LINK to “GET STARTED NOW.”

B: Pick a hosting plan depending on your budget/goals.

C: Check to see if your blog name (domain name) is available.

D: Add extra features if you want to.

You may want to click on the added feature  Domain Privacy Protection. Otherwise, anyone can look up who owns your site, giving them access to your contact info. This way they won’t be able to.

 

Get Your Free Domain 3.95 @ First

 

3. Install WordPress Software

To start a serious travel blog, you want a self-hosted WordPress account. This means the WordPress software resides on your hosting company’s servers, not on a free WordPress.com account. What’s the difference? This is where our travel program and FREE one-hour consultation face to face will come in handy!

• Your website is “MyTravelBlog.com” rather than “MyTravelBlog.WordPress.com”
• Own your data and have full control
• Sell advertising on your site
• You can install plugins & custom themes
• Use Google Analytics tracking (important)

Yes, you want to use WordPress too. Not Blogspot, not Blogger, not anything else. WordPress is the king of blogging, and probably always will be.

Most professional websites use the WordPress blogging platform these days, even major brands like the New York Times, BBC, Time, Beyonce, etc. You’re in good company!

BlueHost Makes It Easy!

Installing WordPress with your BlueHost Account is super easy — because it’s done automatically with the click of a button.

Once installed, you’ll be able to log into the WordPress dashboard with your new username and password and start building your site. Welcome to the club! You now have a travel blog and how to write a travel blog means.

That wasn’t too hard, was it? But wait, there’s a little more! Your websites will be secure as in the https:// tag and be seen on all platforms including being mobile-friendly.

 

 

 

 

4. Learn How To Use WordPress

Feeling intimidated about WordPress? Don’t worry. Because it’s the industry standard when it comes to blogging platforms, and has been for years, there are TONS of useful tutorials online that will teach you about anything you need. You can also take one of the courses on the subject!

• WordPress itself has a huge library of FREE WordPress lessons that will help you get started.
• If you become a BlueHost customer, ask customer support about Blue Flash, its own series of free tutorials and guides.

 

Basically, spend a day learning how to use your WordPress dashboard, how to tweak your site’s settings, how to post an article, etc. You’ll get the hang of everything as practice makes perfect. If you feel how to start a blog is too much for you don’t worry Tourndtakein can help with our dedicated team. Just contact us.

5. Download A Professional Theme

Your new WordPress blog comes with a couple of standard “themes” or designs for your site. While this is ok for playing around in the beginning, if you want to take this seriously and eventually make money with your travel blog, you should buy a premium design. We did and now use one which can be paid annually.

Professional blog themes cost about $50, and they’ll greatly improve the look and functionality of your site.

I’ve changed themes a few times over the years, but the current one I’m using is called Travelore.

Many sites have themes for sale, just do a review and check out what type of support you get, etc…

 

 

Many professional themes provide a support forum where you can ask questions about customization, and someone will help you get the look you’re after using CSS/HTML coding. Or, you can hire a cheap web developer through Fiverr to do custom design work on your site. We have personally used them for designing banners etc.. We also have a trusted source of web designers that we pay for things that mainly take time to learn etc..

You may also want to have a cool logo created. I used the same site for mine and for $15 got around four designs to choose from by just giving them my domain name. A professional logo really makes your brand stand out from the thousands of other travel blogs online.

6. Install Essential Plugins

You can think of WordPress plugins as third-party apps for your travel website. They give your blog additional features. Most plugins are free, some you have to pay for. We do though also use premium plug-ins which are payable, however, good for the return from what you receive them from.

You can download new plugins in the “plugin” section of your WordPress Dashboard.

Here’s my recommended list of plugins to install with your travel blog.

• Akismet – protects your blog from spammers leaving comments on your posts. Not perfect, but probably the best one out there.
• Bluehost – This plugin integrates your WordPress site with the Bluehost control panel, including performance, security, and update features
• Email subscribers and newsletters – We use Mailpoet ( 30% discount ) Add subscription forms on the website, send HTML newsletters & automatically notify subscribers about new blog posts once it is published.

 

• Yoast SEO – Very important plugin for optimizing your articles for Google search, plus integrating Google Sitemaps and Analytics.

• Easy Social Share Buttons – Nice social media sharing buttons for your articles.
• WP Rocket – Caching plugin that speeds up your travel blog
• Imagify – Automatically optimizes your media library images for fast loading.

Plus many more, drop us an email after subscribing and ask for more great plugins that will help boost your blog! Always happy to give you advice on what works and what doesn’t.

There are others of course, but these will get you started.

7. Craft Your Online Persona

Create An About Page

One of the first things you should do on your blog is to create an about page. This is one of the most highly trafficked pages on any travel blog, because it tells people who you are, and your background, and explains why they should follow you.

Keep it fun and personable. Let your readers know who you really are! Below: Just a fun day of beach football in Batam Indonesia.

 

 

 

Embrace Social Media

If you want to build a successful and profitable travel blog, posting regularly to social media is important as well as SEO, which can be then organic. A site will be valued by its organic traffic

 

Learning how to master social media is a huge topic, one that we will cover later. this is also included if you buy our travel blog course on how to start a travel blog with us.

To begin, sign up for all the most popular platforms, and keep your social media username the same on all of them if possible. Otherwise, people can get confused.

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Instagram 

Pinterest

Tumblr

Social media activity: Should I start my successful travel blog just on Facebook or Instagram instead of having an actual website/blog.

Big NO, If you are just relying on Facebook or Instagram. They are out of your control overall, and they could easily disappear in the future. Why build someone else’s brand? Make your unique own brand. Look at our article for the reasons of Blog v Social Media.

By all means, use social media to promote and support your blog and if to stay on top of them, interlink them with your blog, these could be a great traffic booster. Don’t build your business on a platform you have no control over, it’s just not the way of good business! Initially, this is the first step while you’re working on your SEO to kick in. Again Touratakein has a team of social media experts who can advise on how to gain traffic at the start of a blog. Contact Us.

 

 

 

8. Writing Your First Blog Posts

Now it’s time to begin creating content for your travel blog. When you first start out, I recommend publishing new articles at least 1-2 times per week. But remember, quality is more important than quantity!

Take your time to craft excellent, useful blog posts that have an impact. You want your articles to inspire wanderlust, but they should include plenty of actionable tips too.

 

In the beginning, maybe tell people why you are starting a travel blog. Or share what you’re packing for an upcoming trip.

Share your favourite (or not so favourite) parts of a country. Give tips for fun things to do, share your crazy travel stories, show off your beautiful images in photo essays, create a short video tour, or give food recommendations.

Whatever the topic is, WordPress and how to write a travel blog will help you understand how to publish images, headers, and all the other formatting that comes with publishing.

Try writing about different topics to find your voice, and see what kinds of posts actually resonate with readers.

Need some ideas? Subscribe to our blog and drop us a mail at info@tourandtakein.com. Where always happy to help:) Your success is part of our success.

We were new to this and now we’re confident of writing / making our articles hit the top 3 pages in the Google search engines for keywords. Check us out

What If You’re Not Traveling Now?

Are you still planning your travels? Well, you can write about that too. Share different ways you are saving money for travel or maybe a bucket list of activities you want to try.

However, my favourite strategy is to write about what you know.

As an example, let’s say you live in Bolton, England. Maybe you don’t think it’s an interesting city to write about, yet there are thousands of people looking for travel tips about Bolton every day.

Share what you know with them! Help these people have a great trip, and they will become regular readers.

Network With Other Bloggers

Remember to read other travel blogs for inspiration and ideas, and leave thoughtful comments on their articles. Link to other people’s blog posts from your site when appropriate.

Become an active member of the travel blogging community. Plenty of forums for Nomads on Facebook etc..

9. Start Making Money With Your Blog!

At first, your only readers will be family and friends. But that’s ok! We all started like that and years to come, you will look back at your blog/articles and think, how did I publish that! ( It’s rubbish, but remember little acorns make big strong oak trees. To begin making money with your travel blog, you need to have a larger audience than just family and friends.

The more traffic your travel blog receives, the more money you can make with it. It takes time to build an audience and grow traffic. Don’t focus on making money right away, focus on building your audience. A great audience brings corporate clients!

However, you can start earning income early with Affiliate Programs like BlueHost and Booking.com.

How Much Money Can You Make From A Travel Blog?

Honestly, the sky (and your imagination) is the limit. In the beginning, you won’t be earning too much money though, and it really depends on how much time you put into it.

Your income and success grow only when your audience grows. So that should be your first priority moving forward!

Attracting new readers to your blog with great travel content and how to make money travel blogging is a strategy. Think about it!

To give you an example, you might be able to make a few hundred dollars (or a few thousand) per month after a year of blogging. It really depends on all kinds of unknowable factors.

While it has taken me some time due to other work commitments at present I can see, feel the site getting more monetary based every day. Plus gaining new ideas in the process. Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can You Really Make Money Blogging?

Yes. To become a successful travel blogger though, you need to provide value to others. Blogging about your day is not the same as writing a helpful destination travel guide. In addition to the fun articles, produce stuff people are actually searching for!

How Much Does It Cost To Start A Travel Blog

The up-front costs for starting a travel blog are pretty cheap. If you sign up for hosting with BlueHost, it’s only $3.95 a month (for the 36- month package.

Plus, you might want to download a professional theme for about $50. Not needed, but it does help you stand out.

On top of those expenses, you may want a nice logo designed too. Using a site like Fiverr, you can have one made for another $20 -$50. So all-in, you’re looking at spending less than a good weekend out upfront.

Is Travel Blogging Too Saturated?

While it may seem like everyone and their dog (NOUN) has a blog these days, most people don’t take it very seriously. Only the most dedicated make a living with it. So it’s really up to you how much effort you put in.

Do You Need A Laptop & Camera?

Yes, you’ll need both. They don’t have to be top-of-the-line, but you’ll want a computer for writing and sharing blog posts, and a camera for capturing images from your adventures. Have a look at our blogs for my list of things you may need for travelling light and working online.

Should I Enroll In A Travel Blogging Course?

Yes as It will help, as we did and I went through a mentor, who guided me and saved me lots of times of just giving up as I got the syndrome of ( I can’t do this mentality.) As he said “if he can, so can you“

Ask us about our How To Start A Travel Blog Course. Contact Us With Details About Your Goals.

Keep in touch, and I say this with my heart, this doesn’t feel like work, it feels more like a hobby that I get paid to do, and what’s more, my Facebook friends have grown 3 fold from people I know, who now want to see how the other half live:) Saying that modestly!!