Travel blogging can be the ideal profession for people who love traveling and sharing their experiences. But is it possible to make a decent living out of this passion? In this article, we will cover non-cliché tips on how one can make money being a travel blogger.
So, let us begin!
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How to Earn Money As a Travel Blogger?
Perhaps you are asking yourself how travel bloggers make money and you are not the only one asking that question. It can be indeed fun to travel the world while earning money from blogging and documenting your travels and adventures. Yet, without a plan, the endeavor might prove futile. In the following paragraphs, I have outlined the steps that are primarily responsible for success in travel blogging along with the necessary practical tips.
1. Start with a Strong Foundation
Before you begin the process of earning, some things need to be done in advance as it is important to ensure that your dreams do not collapse at an early stage. Here are the things that you need to do first:
Find Your Niche
Selecting a niche while travel blogging is important because it enables you to find an audience amongst the large number of other travel blogs that exist. It is possible to travel for less money, travel in style, and go on an adventure or more. If you concentrate on a single aspect, you will be able to meet an audience that is already interested in what you have to offer.
Create High-Quality Content
Blogger and author Neil Patel embraces the philosophy that, in blogging, content is king. Well, in other words, author David Mamet’s quotation can also correspond: Good stories always engage the audience, spark interest, and stick in the reader’s mind. Aiming for and including high-quality visuals undoubtedly elevates our blog. Once you can do that, the readers will do more than just read your blog; they will promote it and become loyal followers of it.
Build a Professional Website
Another thing that I would encourage bloggers to do is to establish an effective website or web page. Your website should serve as your virtual home; hence, it must appear pleasing and professional while extending ease of use. Try to use a straightforward design that has folders that are neatly organized so readers do not roam around the place looking for specific items. Additionally, ensure that your site is also usable by many because most people would be reading it on their mobile devices.
In case you are struggling with the configuration of your website and login information for Google AdSense Profit Sharing, for instance, Abd Khizer Tariq (KT Blogger), who is an SEO specialist, could be the solution. He has the relevant experience of working with bloggers and implementing their SEO issues as well as making it work with Google AdSense, so basically doing all of the things to make sure that your blog has sufficient visibility to begin with.
2. Monetize Your Blog
Now that the sturdy foundation is set, it is time to start generating income. Here are some of the ways you may go about it:
Join Affiliate Programs
Travel bloggers can also make money through affiliate programs, which is really common. So, when one affiliate program is joined, for every purchase made by a customer through the link on the blog, a commission is paid. Apart from the hotel booking services, other programs that offer affiliate opportunities to travel bloggers are Amazon Associates and Airbnb. Somehow, try to restrict yourself to such products that you would use and that fits in with your niche.
Offer Freelance Services on Fiverr and Upwork
If you are good at writing, taking photographs, or managing social media; it would be great to create an account on Fiverr or Upwork and look for gigs. Several travel bloggers tend to use these gigs for additional income. You can also write travel guides, develop websites for countries, or design sponsored social media accounts for companies. This is a great opportunity to generate some income while at the same time working on your blogging site.
Maximize Your Networks with LinkedIn
LinkedIn should not be left out in the bid to build relationships and look for prospects. You have the ability to reach out to brands, tourism boards, and other bloggers for a potential partnership or collaboration. Always ensure that your profile emphasizes your accomplishments in the world of blogging and is kept current. Look for groups on LinkedIn that deal with the travel niche, and join them to meet people with similar interests.
Incorporate Google AdSense on your website.
Google AdSense enables you to show advertisements on your site. After an advertisement is clicked by a person visiting your site, you will get paid some money. Make sure to use all areas of your blog to display ads where possible, without compromising the usability of the blog, to increase the earnings. Too many adverts on the blog, however, can annoy readers and put them off from coming back to the blog.
3. Diversify Your Income Streams
Countless risks are posed by relying on a single source of income, so you should explore other means of making money. Additional ways are as follows to earn as a travel blogger:
Develop and Market Your Own Digital Products
Ebooks, travel guides, or online classes are all in the category of digital products and are excellent options when seeking passive income generation. After developing the product, all you need to do is place it on sale and you will never have to exert energy on it again. For instance, a travel blogger’s website could feature an ebook on how to travel on a tight budget.
Expand Your Blog Through Writing Sponsored Posts
Usually, as your blog grows, there are chances that you may be contacted by brands about sponsored posts. In a sponsored post, the blogger does a post on behalf of a company for a specific fee. Sponsored posts require a disclaimer and consultants must consider the relevance of the company to their blog.
Provide Travel Consulting For Other People Wanting To Start A Blogger.
In the event, you have successfully built your travel blog, you may undertake the same endeavor and help those willing to pursue the same goal. Individual coaching sessions can also earn you money or you could go for a course on blogging about travel for financial benefits.
4. Promote Your Blog to Increase Traffic
A blog that receives more visitors has a better chance of making money. Use these strategies to promote your blog:
Leverage on Social Media
People use platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for their leisure, thus people use these sites more which makes it easier to attract visitors to your blog. You can promote your blog posts, talk to the people who follow you, and become a part of travel groups and communities. Posting and interacting with the audience can help build the number of loyalists to your blog.
Utilize Search Engines Optimization
Search engine optimization of your blog is important in making your blog to be read. Each blog post, title, and meta includes words that are related to your niche, keyword phrases, and headlines about your blog. Bad content should be avoided when writing content for search engines as well as for readers. The main goal of this guide “How to earn money as a travel blogger” is to incorporate this term and its variations within the text and headings in a natural way.
Build an Audience through Email
Your readers should follow you to an email list and there should be some form of incentive to do so. Give away freebies such as a checklist of what to take during a travel or simple a guide that can be useful and make people sign up with their email. Keep sending out newsletters to your audiences frequently showing them your new posts, including your latest blog posts about traveling, offering tips, and making them feel special by sharing content that no one else gets.
5. Stay Consistent and Patient
Making money as a travel blogger requires patience and effort. One should have sound expectations and realize that it is impossible to become Floyd Mayweather within a week. Here are a few pointers to help you stay on course:
Set Goals
Creating both short-term and long-term targets can be encouraging. To illustrate, a short-term target may include one blog post a week whereas a long-term target may be to build the blog up to an average salary.
Remain Active
The internet is always changing which means if you want to stay on top you have to keep changing with it. Take courses, read industry blogs, and test your new campaigns. The more you know, the easier it will be for you to be a successful travel blogger.
Interact with Your Followers
To have a sustainable business, a loyal and dedicated audience is important. Answer the questions, seek suggestions, and appreciate people who read your work. If your audience feels connected, the chances are that they will promote your blog.
FAQs
Do I have to have many Followers to Earn Money from this Business as a Travel Blogger?
It is not mandatory that you should have millions of followers to earn a decent amount of money, one devoted and engaging audience is sufficient for making money. Brands and advertisers are often after bloggers who have a trustworthy audience that will listen to their endorsement. If a small proportion of your audience is active, you would still be able to earn from affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and freelance work at the same time.
What is the Earning Potential from Google AdSense on Travel Blogs?
The amount that you can get from Google Adsense is largely influenced by how much traffic is generated on your blog, the position of the ads on your blog, and even the niche of your blog. Generally travel blogs earn between 0.10 to 0.30 US dollars per ad click. If you manage to get enough visitors to your blog, the earning potential can be higher, however, AdSense alone will not provide enough revenue for you to make a living from it.
Can I still be a Travel Blogger while staying in one place more than usual?
Absolutely, there is no need for concern in terms of whether you will become a travel blogger or not because you do not travel each and every time you sit down to write a post. You can discuss places you’ve covered in the past, share travel experiences, or even the travels you do at home. Some travel bloggers target closer destinations or weekend getaways, so content doesn’t have to be difficult to create a long way.
Final Thoughts
To become a travel blogger is a massive dream of many but the process is not as easy as people think. Patience is needed here as it’s not only about the mountains of writing to create brand engagement with their readers through multiple avenues available on the internet but also the professional aspect because it means monetizing their passion for travel. It can be as easy as creating content, participating in Fiverr, Upwork, LinkedIn, and Google Ad Sense, or a million other ways.
Please note that success is not going to be delivered to you on a silver platter within a day. Become adaptive and responsive, be engaged actively, and always be ready for new things. In the end, with some patience and a proper plan in place, dollar signs can be attached to the travel blogger title. Most importantly, you don’t have to fend off The Untouchables but explore everything on your own terms.