This could be you!
It seems everyone is blogging these days, especially in the travel industry. Sipping fruit cocktails on a beach in Bali, whilst uploading posts to your blog via your laptop is now a ‘real job’.
But starting a travel blog isn’t as easy as it looks, as I found out when setting up this blog as a part of a Web Writing Course through the New Zealand Writers College.
Starting a travel blog
WordPress makes setting up a blog very easy but, if you don’t feel ready, a good way to start blogging is to write guest posts for other blogs. Check out these posts I did for Travel Tips Plus and travel blog Velvet Escape.
Writing travel tips, such as the one I did for popular travel site Travel Dudes, can also boost your own blog ratings, as they Facebook and Twitter the post to their many followers .
Maintaining a travel blog
Consistency is key and the biggest hurdle I’ve found blogging is finding the time alongside a full time job. It’s difficult to come up with regular posts especially when you don’t travel for a living. But sometimes posts can come out of just being aware of your surroundings, like my post A Quaking Good Time in Christchurch.
Image Source: Criminal Justice
What makes a good travel blog?
There are a huge array of travel blogs on the net but there’s a distinct difference between a travel writer who blogs, and a blogger who travels.
Some may disagree but I think being a good writer is essential to being a successful travel blogger. You also have to love travelling, otherwise your travel blog can come unstuck quite easily.
One of my favourite travel blogs is The Everywhereist, an ex-copywriter who freely admits she follows her husband around while he travels for his job. Her blog describes their experiences along the way. This could get boring but she’s such a good writer, and the posts are so entertaining that you just want to keep reading.
After all the whole point of travel blogging is to entertain and inform. Why would anyone bother to read about your experiences, and you to write them, if they weren’t entertaining and informative?
I’m learning that starting a travel blog is the easy part. To be a successful travel blogger takes a lot of hard work and perseverance.
Bella Travel 
02/11/2010 at 3:01 pm
Thank you so much for the shout-out – I’m truly honored that you enjoy my writing – and the site!
02/11/2010 at 3:05 pm
You’re welcome 🙂
02/11/2010 at 11:20 pm
Hi Angela,
You raised some excellent points here. It does help if you can write well or if you can take great photos (people love a good photo!) – content is, after all, ‘king’, as they say. I would add that blogs in which your personality shines through always make for a good read. Blogs are about personal experiences and readers like to be able to connect with the person behind the blog.
Blogging is a hard slog but if you blog with your heart, the returns will be more than worth the effort.
Cheers,
Keith
03/11/2010 at 10:33 am
Thanks for your comments Keith, much appreciated! 🙂
21/12/2010 at 5:46 am
It’s hard work to maintain a travel-blog but I really love it.
21/12/2010 at 9:50 am
Hi Hans, yes lots of hard work but good fun as well!