A lot of things have changed in the last 2 years. What was thought to be evergreen content (content that would be valid for more than just the next few years), wasn’t that evergreen. Travel blogs were affected mainly due to rule changes, places permanently shutting down or having some special procedures in place.
Because of these changes, there is a lot of content out there on the world wide web, that has become out of date and in some cases even invalid. There is nothing much we bloggers can do about it except to update and change the content.
Opportunity to start your travel blog
Because of the many missing information that blogs now have, from travel review by plane, or bus, it would be great to start your blog. You could supply the most recent information about the travels you make, the restaurants you experience, or the tours you will never forget. Make the information as rich as possible as I have noticed in my blog, the best performing blog posts are the longest ones.
How to start a travel blog?
First off, make sure the information you share with your readers is accurate and recent to post pandemic. Have experience in the place you are travelling about. At the time that I am writing this I am currently in Yogyakarta. I previously did a street food tour in Yogyakarta here and am trying to get as much as photos and try as much as places to visit as I can.
So this way I can write from my own travel experience and share these with my readers. When I go to a place, I also ask questions about it, questions my readers might have. I want to supply on point information that makes my post stand out from the others.
How to get readers
Currently getting readers might be a challenge. You will need some patience, and make some effort to write knowing that for the first few months you might have a few readers only. When you get traction on social media, the search engines, you are set off to grow your blog month on month with new readers coming in every time. It will take some perseverance, but if you like writing for your audience (more than for yourself) you will set up a brand before you know it.
Travel blogging niche
Travel blogging is a niche, and within that niche, are even more niches. You can pick out a place to only write about that. Or you could only review transportations. It is all up to you what you want to share with your audience. Currently I am focussing on Indonesia, with Bali and Yogyakarta, and soon expanding to more places. I honestly think I won’t stop writing about places in .Indonesia or other places I will visit. So pick a niche, stick to it and start writing for your audience.
WordPress and blogging
I recommend the use of WordPress for it’s ease in functionality and a vast community behind it. WordPress is excellent to start your own blog. I do not recommend hosting it on other platforms where you don’t have your own domain/installation. Eventually you would want to set a brand, and perhaps earn some money?
Earning money from blogging?
It is possible for travel bloggers to earn money. They would do some from partnerships, advertising, guest posts and perhaps even paid reviews. But for this, it would take a year or so blogging about your travels. This means, that you travel around a lot, and have time to write about it.
I on the other hand, try to keep it a bit more casual. I want to keep it for fun.
Taletravels during the pandemic
It was hard during the pandemic, not much things could be done, and it was more of a survival mode. I could have continued blogging, but took a break for 2 years. I have little regrets about that, so if you plan to take a break, don’t wait for so long. If possible you should have some backup articles planned so it would appear the website is still publishing new content. This keeps your readers and your favourite search engine active for you.
Should you start a travel blog?
If you have the passion for it, I would say go for it. Make sure you can make at least 150 articles on it (just my advice), make them rich in content, at least a 1000 words each and make it worthwhile reading for your target audience. My target audience is namely those who want to travel to Bali for example. I do have some content about traveling to Yogyakarta (from Bali) but this piece of my blog should still grow. I am not worried as I am here now to discover and explore more.
8 reasons to start your travel blog
- Other travel blogs became outdated
- Set up your brand
- Your own blog / website means your own rules
- Share your passion about a certain travel niche related subject
- Connect with other travel bloggers
- Earn money eventually from it
- Travel blogging teaches you new things
- Discover new places to share and write about
With so many things out of date now because of the pandemic, it would be good for our readers who would like to travel to the place we write about. Give the information to questions that you and your readers could ask about.
Why did I restart blogging after a 2 year break?
It was pretty hard to start up again, but after Bali became lively again, I noticed how much of my content are slightly out of date. This is being worked on as we speak. But I also thought about I should inform my readers about everything that is new and has changed since the island reopened. I took the opportunity to restart my old blog, which stood still for 2 years. This month I have written 7 published new articles. Some of them already being read actively as the search engine promotes these updated pieces of information. That also gave me a little more confidence and motivation to (re) start the travel blog again.
Hi I am Dwi. I am a blogger, travel agent and a mom of a lovely daughter and wife to a supportive husband. I customize and plan tours in Bali and islands nearby for a living and have been doing this for more than 14 years. Get in touch via contact [at] taletravels.com