Travel Blogging Lessons Learned {After 10 Years}
Post Last Modified – January 29, 2023 gr8traveltips.com
Travel Blogging Lessons Learned Over The Years
Wow, time 🪁 flies when youre having fun! I cant believe Ive being blogging for over 10 years with my present blog 🎱 Gr8 Travel Tips.
This doesnt count what I call; 🏫 My First Learning Blog, which I had for a couple of seasons doing just for fun, while I was still working full time.
I thought I would pass on my personal experience and a few {📖 Travel Blogging Lessons Learned}, over these years with you.
I still consider myself as just an experienced 📝 Amateur Travel Blogger, as I do not blog as a business or for profit.
Travel Blogging Lessons I Have Learned – Tips & Advice
Ive learned a great deal over this period of time and Im still constantly learning every day. Things continue to change in this vast field of blogging.
If you intend on making a living or even making 💵 money as a travel blogger, you better take a long hard look at exactly what youre getting yourself into!
There are literally {Millions of Travel Blogs} out there, making this niche perhaps the most difficult of all to succeed in.
My last Google search on Travel Bloggers came up with 88,600,000 results! 😬
Ask Yourself – Why Do You Want To Blog In The First Place?
I love to travel and have so, since I was just a boy. I was so fortunate to have parents that could afford this luxury and as a result, I was bitten by the 🐞 travel bug at a very young age.
It was one of my brothers who introduced me to blogging several years ago. He ran a small blog for a business he had and suggested I start one as well. I was still working full time at my career and decided that hey, what a great idea!
I might even be able to make some extra money at the same time!
Boy was I wrong!!
Blogging is definitely not a money making venture for the majority of us, unless you make it your full time business, as with any other regular job.
Even so, there are very few bloggers out there around the world that actually make a good living, or even make a reasonable amount of money blogging.
I blog because I love travel and reading about other peoples adventures around the world.
This was the main reason for blogging in the first place, sharing our family travels and 📸 photographs on my blog with others. Over the years, I also enjoyed offering helpful tips and some travel inspiration along the way to others.
I am also very active and passionate about 🚴 Health & Wellness, especially for those of us in our more -Senior Years!
Set Goals For Yourself And For Your Travel Blog
Travel Blogging Lessons Learned in my first years of blogging, were all about; SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Keyword Research, HTML, writing quality content, google serp’s (search engine results pages) ranking and much more.
I had no idea what I had got myself into just to write a; ✏ quality post, that may or may not get indexed and ranked with search engines on the internet.
It was hard, but fun at the same time. I was learning something new and it was fairly exciting. The learning part never stops, I am still learning new things every day, in becoming the best blogger I can possibly be!
I can usually find tons of help on 📹 YouTube on just about anything.
It takes a bit to sort through the trash, but there is really good stuff to help you along the way. This was especially helpful as a resource for my personal travel blogging lessons learned when first started out and I still use today.
I decided after a very short while blogging, that my intentions were not to blog to for money.
Photo by Jonathan Petersson from Pexels
I set a specific 🥅 goal for myself from very early on. I wanted to reach a point where my blog would eventually attract a variety of businesses in the travel, hospitality and various other related sectors.
The goal I wanted to reach, was to eventually be invited to {partner and work with} a variety of businesses from around the 🧭 world.
Ones that would invite me to work with them, given the opportunity to {promote their business} on my blog and throughout most Major Social Media Platforms.
Most importantly, I wanted to continue to have fun and enjoy spending my time blogging. Along the way, continue to keep growing and learning as much as I can to keep running a successful and quality blog.
I also enjoy sharing our personal; ✈ travel adventures, 📸 photo memories and experiences with others around the world.
Most recently during the pandemic and because I enjoy reading, I added a {📚 Book Review} segment to my blog. I receive publications from authors and book publishing company’s, to review and promote on my blog.
It has been great fun and has been a huge success!
Travel Blogging Successfully Takes Time And Is Bloody Hard
Want to become a successful blogger? ❓
Then like any business, you better be prepared to commit yourself to – hours and hours of hard work.
You can write the best article in the world and post it on your blog. But, there’s a great deal more involved, if you’re looking to promote yourself and your posts for the world to see!
Photo Courtesy Of Pixabay
Even this doesn’t guarantee those articles that you spent hours preparing, will ever be read or even 👀 seen.
Think you’re going to make page one on Google’s {SERP’s} Search Engine Results Pages from the get go? ❓
Well, your odds are probably better winning a lottery for most of your posts, especially when first starting out. That is, unless youre prepared to 💵 pay for advertising, to have them listed on page one.
Think by starting a new {Facebook Business Page} for example, will get you thousands of {Followers and Viewers} from the start? ❓
Not!!
Facebook now calls it 🚀 Boost Your Post, in order to spread your article around, but it’s going to 💰 cost you!
Blogging for sponsorship or income takes a great deal of hard work. Just ask any one of the more successful professional bloggers out there. I am sure they will all tell you, success does not come on a silver platter.
But if you stick with it, the rewards can be amazing! 👍
Ive met a lot of great people running my small amateur blog over the years, and have had some absolutely wonderful sponsorship opportunities as well.
It is so satisfying to see such great results in what I set out to do years ago, through dedication and hard work.
Enough rambling, lets have a look at what Ive learned over the years as a; happy, fun, solo, hobby blogger. I’ve also added some personal recommendations for those just starting out, that may be a bit of help along the way. 😎
Find A Special Blogging Niche
If you are considering a 🛳 travel blog, I would recommend trying to focus on a {Specific Niche} that deals with this subject.
This could be focusing on a {distinct segment} of the travel market such as;
This will give you a better opportunity at becoming noticed and establishing yourself as a {reliable source of information}, that people can rely on for your chosen niche.
I started out as a {family travel blogger} while our kids were young, still in school and traveling with us. I then switched to my present blog which now focuses on; Travel, Health and Wellness for, but not limited to, More Mature and Retired Adults.
As my wife and I are both Baby Boomers {Born between 1946 and 1964}, so it seemed only natural to switch to this niche after I retired from my career.
If you want to earn income and perhaps a living in blogging, then try to become an {expert}, in a particular field. One that others will eventually turn to for specific information, when they are searching the internet or on social media.
Dont Get Hung Up On Social Media Numbers
This will drive you absolutely 🐶 dog balls, if you become fixated on the numbers game in – Social Media. I was at first, but after awhile, it didnt take long to see that its a – ⏰ Waste of Valuable Time!
Concentrate on good quality 📝 writing and gaining real followers over time. Don’t worry about gaining thousands of Followers on Social Media Platforms.
It’s better to become proficient at writing a good, quality article and get noticed and ranked well on; Search Engine Results Pages.
It doesnt take a brain surgeon to see what blogs out there, that are actually really good quality and legitimate blogs. These successful blogs actually have – Real People Following them.
Even having thousands of followers on Social Media, still doesn’t mean they will be interested in viewing your posts on your blog.
Photo by Canva Studio from Pexels
For those who want to eventually work with sponsors and partners, their sales and marketing professionals can see thru all this trash. 🚮
They will only work with those that can effectively {Promote Their Business Professionally} on a 🌎 Global Scale.
Choose Social Media Accounts That Work For You
Things are constantly changing with many of the major social media accounts out there. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest are and I am sure you know, the {Big Players} out there.
Having said this, it’s still important to establish yourself on these big name accounts, in order to promote yourself and your blog.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
It’s also important to socialize and interact with others on those Social Media platforms, in order to make yourself known to others out there. Social Media is just that; “Social Interaction With Others.”
Join {Groups} in these platforms and start socializing!
It also makes sense to devote the majority of your time, to the accounts that will and do drive the most traffic to your blog. At the same time, you want to enjoy spending your valuable time on these platforms.
This is strictly personal with each individual. You will soon discover what works best for you and that you enjoy most. After all, you want people to read your posts that youve put so much effort into, dont you? ❓
Heres what has worked great for me over the years;
#1 Pinterest For Travel Bloggers
Pinterest is absolutely huge and for me, it is the number one source of traffic to my blog of all of my Social Media accounts.
Last count on Google search, Pinterest showed over 478 million active monthly participants! 😮
What I really like about this social media platform is that once you become ✔ Verified, then with each 🧷 Pin you post, theres a Read More tab.
This is where people can actually click on this tab and go directly to your blog, to read the article you have created from your Pinterest pin.
How great is that and its absolutely free!!
#2 LinkedIn For My Travel Blog
LinkedIn is great for me, because of the nature of my blog. This is more a business minded platform and for people like me, its the number one and greatest way to connect with {business professionals} in my chosen niche.
Ive made literally hundreds of great connections with; sales, marketing managers, business owners and so many others over the years.
Connecting with many of these professionals has led to some amazing {Sponsorship Opportunities} for me!
#3 Instagram For Sharing Travel Blog Photographs
Instagram is a platform I’ve began focusing more on in the last few years. I thought it was time to publish more of our travel 📸 photos and memories here.
It also allows a ⛓ link to your blog on your profile, which is an added bonus. Did you know that there is over 1 Billion active users on Instagram each month? ❓
That is huge!!
However, my biggest pet peeve with Instagram is;
People will follow you for example and you follow them back as a courtesy, or you like what they are posting.
Then after a short while, they simply go and – Unfollow You!
Many do this to make their numbers look impressive, having tons of people following them. I dont even bother following back those accounts any more.
As an example, they may show having say; 5,000 followers, but they are only following 500. You know right well, that it’s just a matter of time before they – Unfollow you. So don’t waste your time with them, unless of course you actually want to Follow them regardless.
How ridiculous!!
#4 Facebook For Reaching Out
Facebook for me is fine for promoting, connecting and interacting with people and businesses around the globe. I do like {Facebook Groups} for interacting, promoting and sharing with others.
There is one thing I dont like and that many other fellow bloggers do find annoying with Facebook in recent years. You now have to pay, or what they are now calling; Boost Your Post to be visible to others on Facebook.
That includes your own Followers!
If you don’t pay, your article may only be seen with those people that are Following you. Along with this, unless they click on {Recent Posts} in the feed menu, your post may not even be seen by them either.
Thats crappy and a number of bloggers I follow, are getting quite discouraged as well with this.
Facebook is great for making connections, but most recently and because of privacy issues, I’m using this platform less each day and focusing on the ones that actually work best for me.
As well, I find getting followers is a difficult process as well these days, especially with this “Boost Your Post” stuff going on.
What I do like as mentioned, is you can join {Facebook Groups}, which I do encourage. I belong to one group for example called {Pinterest for Travel Bloggers}, which is great for sharing pins and reading other bloggers posts.
A great way to see how others in your niche are making out. I also belong to various 📸 Amateur Photography Groups which I really enjoy.
#5 Twitter For Interacting With Other Bloggers
I like twitter, its fun, but I dont get any traffic to my blog from this platform to speak of. Its a great way to find other bloggers around the globe and other related stuff of personal interest as well.
I use it briefly daily to promote, share and connect with others around the world.
I dont expect great traffic from Twitter to my blog and it shows on {Google Analytics}, another great free tool that I highly recommend using. Twitter can be however, a good way to interact with other like minded individuals and connect with fellow bloggers.
Successful bloggers out there, recommend concentrating on only a couple of {Social Media Platforms} and ones that you will find, work best for you in driving traffic to your blog.
A very prominent professional blogger I follow wrote;
“Concentrate on a couple of platforms that work best for you and don’t waste your valuable time with what doesn’t.”
A few years ago now, {TripAdvisor} began a new format that looked great for bloggers. You can check out my post in the link below, that explains it in full detail.
You can add a complete profile with a ⛓ link to your website, which is great for exposure!
It’s a great additional resource you can use for global exposure, but unfortunately it has not taken off as expected. Regardless, you can set up a personal profile with a direct link to your blog.
Follow Leading Bloggers In Your Niche & Learn From Them
For years, I continue to follow leading well established travel bloggers on social media. You can learn so much from them, because they at the Top in their field.
From writing, promoting, tips and much more, follow them and learn everything you can from them!
Most of them speak from the heart and offer wonderful tips and tricks, to help you along the way. You might even get lucky and have a few {Follow} you back over time!
Do not fall for those get rich quick bloggers you see all the time. You know the ones I mean.
How I Made $10,000 In My First Month Blogging and You Can Too!
All they want is your hard earned money. Follow real legitimate professional bloggers in your niche and they will offer all kinds of help and tips in many of their posts.
Ive learned so much over the years from leading bloggers in my field. If not for having read many of their articles, I probably would have given up many years ago.
I learned what to expect, how long to accomplish some of my goals and so much more from them!
You Will Get Better Blogging Over Time
Dont expect miracles overnight. It will take a few years of hard work and dedication to see any results. Your writing skills will drastically improve over time, while your building your blog.
One of the most valuable travel blogging lessons learned over the years, is to always go back and {update} your old posts on a regular basis.
You will amaze yourself on how much you will improve over time. This will definitely increase your chances of your pages ranking well on those search engine result pages.
Google will not rank, old poor and outdated blog posts!
In finishing up, here are a few suggestions and tips that I would recommend when starting out.
Learn all about SEO (search engine optimization).
Start an email list on your blog (newsletter signup).
Avoid placing those annoying pop ups on your blog, yuk!
Avoid using too many affiliate paid marketing ads all over your posts.
Create separate social media accounts for your blog.
Add personal photos in your blog posts. People love photographs!
Have fun blogging! If you arent having fun, dont waste your valuable time.
If you enjoy talking and video, consider {📹 Vlogging} as well. 📹 Video as become huge of late and many vloggers have become very successful at their craft.
Step Away From That Camera Lens When Traveling
For those starting a travel blog and when you do travel, take a break and enjoy some time to yourself. Look around you and not always through the lens of your 📸 camera or 📱 cellphone.
Enjoy your holiday and leave the blogging until you get home, unless of course, you are blogging for a living.
Im amazed today to see when we travel, so many people not taking a moment to enjoy their surroundings. Instead theyre taking selfies or have their eyes glued to their cameras and phones.
When I travel now, I try to completely {Detox} from Social Media and my blog. I want to truly enjoy my travels and get a break from the digital world.
Take a moment to stop, look around you and smell the 🌹 roses. Just another one of the Valuable Travel Blogging Lessons Learned over the years!
😎 Safe and Healthy Travels!
✨ Did You Know
Great Reasons To Start A Travel Blog
Travel Bloggers – Favorite Places
🍹 Don’t Forget It … Be Sure To Pin It! 🍹
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