I will explain who travel blogging is suitable for and how to start, write, monetize.
[I'd like to blog about my travel hobby, but I don't know how to get started] and [Can a travel blog make money?] [Is a travel blog right for me in the first place?] I believe that many people are concerned or interested in this issue.
This article is for you if you
- People who want to start a blog on the subject of travel.
- People who want to know if travel blogging is proper for them.
- People want to see if they can make money with a travel blog.
This article is based on the actual experiences of our staff, so if you are interested in starting a travel blog, please refer to this article!
Who is and is not suited to travel blogging
- Suitable for
- Not suitable for
Five advantages and three disadvantages of travel blogging
- Advantage 1: It helps someone else
- Advantage 2: It can increase the density of travel and life
- Advantage 3: It can be used as a travel journal
- Advantage 4: It could add to travel and living expenses
- Advantage 5: It gives you a chance to travel at a great price
- Disadvantage 1: It is not good value for money
- Disadvantage 2: It is easily influenced by social conditions
- Disadvantage 3: It is easy to have trouble finding blog posts
Conclusion： Travel blog x α is recommended!
Four tips for writing and running a travel blog
- Travel to popular tourist destinations is recommended at first
- Write about real-life experiences in detail
- Make full use of photos and illustrations
- Utilize SNS
Things to keep in mind when running a travel blog
- Give only information based on real-life experiences
- Try not to get too immersed in travel
Who is and is not suited to travel blogging
Before I get into the specifics of starting a blog, let's first look at who is and is not suited to travel blogging.
I hope you can use this information to help you decide if travel is the suitable theme for your blog.
Suitable for
Suitable for
- People who love to travel
- People who live in a tourist area
Travel blogs are suited for people who love to travel, such as people who schedule their holidays with travel as a top priority and people who never miss travel no matter how busy they are.
Otherwise, you will not have many opportunities to travel.
If you don't have many opportunities to travel, your blog material will dry up.
As a result, you will not be able to write articles. You may need to change direction to other topics or may not be able to continue blogging.
Therefore, travel blogging is an I can't live without the travel! People who love travel so much that they can say with certainty that they will be able to start.
Travel blogging is also suitable for people who live in popular and well-known tourist destinations and for whom the information they get in their daily lives is directly helpful for travel information.
Most readers are looking for helpful information that will increase their travel satisfaction.
For example, [information on hidden stores known only to residents] or [the most efficient travel routes known only to locals.
People living in tourist areas (residents) can obtain this information just by living in the area.
Travel blogging is ideal for them because they can provide value without doing anything special (travel)!
Not suitable for
Not suitable for
- People who can't separate [I travel for the blog] from [I travel for the blog.]
- People who put profit first
When you are running a travel blog, you are always looking for [articles] such as [I can introduce this place in my blog] or [I wonder if there are any exciting points to write about.]
If you can't separate your travel from your blog, your blog can get in the way of your desire to [enjoy your travel to the fullest].
Also, travel blogging is not suitable for those thinking about profit first.
Most of the revenue from travel blogs comes from advertising revenue from [travel items] and [hotel reservation services,] for which only a few percent of the purchase price is kept in your pocket.
For example, if a $100 product or service is sold from your blog, you will receive no more than $10.
If you start a travel blog with only revenue in mind, you will likely fail to make any money.
"Unless you are attracted to something other than revenue, sustaining a travel blog may not be easy."
Five advantages and three disadvantages of travel blogging
Here are five advantages and three disadvantages of travel blogging.
- Advantage 1: It helps someone else
- Advantage 2: It can increase the density of travel and life
- Advantage 3: It can be used as a travel journal
- Advantage 4: It could add to travel and living expenses
- Advantage 5: It gives you a chance to travel at a great price
- Disadvantage 1: It is not good value for money
- Disadvantage 2: It is easily influenced by social conditions
- Disadvantage 3: It is easy to have trouble finding blog posts
Advantage 1: It helps someone else
By starting a travel blog, you can [help someone] and, in turn, [feel like you are contributing to society!]
Our staff believes this is the most significant advantage of starting a travel blog.
For many people, travel is a source of anxiety.
[Is it safe?] [What should I prepare in advance?] [What is the most efficient transportation plan?] I am sure that many things will come up one after another that you are concerned about.
At such times, the information provided by [experienced travelers] and [residents] can be of great help.
Perhaps you can prevent someone else from making a mistake.
Not only that, but it may also help to get people to think, [Sounds interesting!] It is also possible that they will become interested in the place.
Or, [I'm not going to go after all,] which will help them decide whether or not to travel.
Advantage 2: It can increase the density of travel and life
When you start a travel blog, you ask yourself, [What are some exciting points?] You will constantly be searching for blog topics as you travel and live.
As a result, you will notice things you would miss if you travel and live.
For example, you may learn about stores that only local people use or come across local products that many people don't know about.
This will naturally lead to a more intense and fulfilling travel and living experience.
Advantage 3: It can be used as a travel journal
A travel blog can also be used as a travelogue.
You can keep a concrete record of your travel in text and images, allowing you to recall your memories and emotions at any time vividly.
Not only that, you will not repeat similar mistakes when traveling to the same place.
By keeping a detailed record of your previous travel on your blog, you will be able to travel more efficiently with fewer mistakes.
"A travel blog with a stack of articles can double as a personal guidebook!"
Advantage 4: It could add to travel and living expenses
While not highly profitable, it is one of the benefits of making money while [traveling = doing what you love] or transmitting information about life in the area.
In other words, you can earn money just by [traveling to the places you want to go,] [doing what you like,] and [blogging about it.]
If you are a resident, all you have to do is [life] and [blog about what you do.]
There is no better way to earn money for travelers and residents than this.
Advantage 5: It gives you a chance to travel at a great price
As you continue your travel blog and become better known, you may be able to get [corporate deals] from [hotels] and [tour companies.]
For example, you may be able to stay at a hotel for gratis or take a tour on the condition that you are featured on the blog.
You'll save money on travel expenses if you get a corporate deal. Still, you'll also get a great deal on travel opportunities!
Disadvantage 1: It is not good value for money
Travel blogs are an excellent way for residents to run a travel blog, considering it [as a way to earn money].
As I mentioned earlier, you should consider your blog as [an adjunct to your travel.]
The cost is too great for a [travel just for blogging.]
And yet, travel blogs are not highly profitable.
The primary source of revenue for travel blogs is low unit-price advertising revenue, such as [merchandising,] [tour reservations,] [hotel reservations,] and [airline ticket reservations.]
"According to our staff, they imagine they won't even get 10% back on the cost of travel initially!"
Disadvantage 2: It is easily influenced by social conditions
Another disadvantage of travel blogs is that they are easily affected by social conditions.
It can make it challenging to continue a travel blog in some cases.
For example, a pandemic of the new coronavirus, which is still raging today, war, or terrorism can make travel itself difficult.
Naturally, if you cannot travel, it will be challenging to write travel-related blog posts.
In addition, society's overall need for travel may decline.
As a result, the number of visitors to your blog may drop dramatically, and you may find yourself in a situation where your blog is hardly read.
Disadvantage 3: It is easy to have trouble finding blog posts
Frequent travel is not easy for several reasons, such as [it costs a lot,] [I can't take a lot of time off,] and [Social conditions easily influence me.]
If you travel and write articles, you may run out of article material if you operate a blog that only provides travel-related information (a blog specializing in travel).
As a result, there is a possibility that [not being able to write a blog = not being able to continue blogging,] so keep this in mind.
Conclusion： Travel blog x α is recommended!
Considering the inherent disadvantages, it is recommended that travel blogs be run in conjunction with other themes!
As shown in the image, the disadvantages of a stand-alone [travel blog] can be compensated for by combining it with [other themes.]
I recommend using themes that are highly related to [travel.]
If you are a travel enthusiast, you should already be familiar with the easy-to-handle theme.
For example, [travel x credit cards,] [travel x English conversation,] [travel x cameras,] etc.
One word of caution: Limit the number of themes combined with [travel] to two or three.
If you add many other themes, it will be hard to know what kind of blog it is and will likely confuse visitors.
If you want to start a travel blog [as a hobby] or [just a travelogue,] you don't need to consider the crossover with other themes.
Just go ahead and enjoy publishing your travelogues as you see fit!
Our staff used to run a blog on [Travel x Study Abroad x Blogging!]
Four tips for writing and running a travel blog
Here are four tips on how to write and manage a travel blog.
Tips for Writing and Managing a Travel Blog
- Travel to popular tourist destinations is recommended at first
- Write about real-life experiences in detail
- Make full use of photos and illustrations
- Utilize SNS
Incorporate the above four tips, and you'll have a well-run travel blog!
Let us explain one by one.
Travel to popular tourist destinations is recommended at first
Although [blogging is just side travel,] I recommend traveling to popular tourist destinations initially.
It is because articles on popular tourist destinations are relatively less challenging to write. It is easier to get a [feel] for creating articles.
Many bloggers have already written articles on popular tourist destinations, and you can create articles while referring to them.
Also, compared to niche tourist attractions, many points can be introduced as information.
It can be said that [that's why they are popular.] Still, I think [easy to introduce = easier to create articles about] than less popular tourist attractions.
Write about real-life experiences in detail
The basic idea of a travel blog is to write about real-life experiences in detail.
It is easier for readers to perceive the blog's value as [informative.]
Most readers do not come to a blog looking for [mundane information] provided by major media outlets or tour companies.
They visit because they want to know [how it felt] and [what people who have traveled and lived in Japan thought about it.
Here are some good and bad examples
Image: Writing about real experiences in detail
What may seem casual to an experienced or resident person may be very important to someone with no experience.
So, make a story out of everything you noticed on your travel, and write it down in great detail!
"Unlike major media outlets, the greatest strength of running a personal travel blog is the ability to transmit [subjectivity based on actual experiences."
Make full use of photos and illustrations
Make good use of photos and illustrations in your travel blog.
They add realism, but they also help convey the destination and local atmosphere more clearly.
For example, let's say you describe the atmosphere of a lake in the Philippines in a sentence.
Example
→ Unexplored spots in the Philippines. It is hard to see unless you are in a resort area. The colors of the lakes seen here are beautiful.
Although you can imagine beautiful it must be, it's hard to get a clear image from just the text.
However, if there are photos of the actual situation, you can get a clearer image.
One Point of Advice
When taking photos, try to be conscious of whether they convey the realism and atmosphere of the destination! The following are two tips on how to take pictures.
- Use a wide-angle lens to emphasize perspective with other topics to get close to the main subject.
- Intentionally reduce the proportion of the main subject in the angle of view to emphasize the overall three-dimensional effect.
"Please make sure that your photos are processed to include your blog name or handle name. This will drastically reduce the risk of photos being used without permission. Photos are property in a travel blog, so treat them with care!"
Utilize SNS
The use of SNS is essential for travel blogs.
In particular, Instagram is a good match for travel blogging and, if used well, can aim to gain fans.
Due to the nature of the service, many Instagram users are looking for [beautiful] and [good-looking] photos.
Therefore, photos such as [landscapes] handled by travel blogs are likely to get a response from Instagram users.
It also lets people who do not usually read blogs know about the existence of travel blogs.
This is a great way to appeal to a wide range of people and to expect to win new fans.
For your information, the following article describes Instagram in detail.
Things to keep in mind when running a travel blog
When managing a travel blog, keep the following two points in mind.
Points to keep in mind
- Give only information based on real-life experiences
- Try not to get too immersed in travel
Give only information based on real-life experiences
You should only write about information and knowledge gained from actual experiences in a travel blog.
If you act as if you have [real experiences] and are caught in a lie, you will lose credibility with readers.
For example, writing an article about a tourist destination you have never traveled to.
Since you cannot convey the [passion] and [practical information] that comes from experience, you will be immediately recognized as someone who has not been there.
And, of course, photos are not allowed.
Since the articles will not be realistic or persuasive, I don't think you will get any response or return if you write an article about anything other than your experience.
By the way, the same goes for introducing travel goods and services.
Only introduce products and services that you have used!
Try not to get too immersed in travel
If you become too immersed in your travel, you may have trouble when it comes time to write your blog post.
Travel is a rare opportunity to experience something unusual, such as fun and stimulation.
I understand the feeling of immersion, but always keep your blog in mind.
Otherwise, you may have fewer [insights] for blog posts or forget to take notes, which you regret when writing your article.
Summary
These are the advantages and disadvantages of travel blogging and how to start, earn, and write a travel blog.
Now, let's review the contents of this issue.
- Travel blogging is for people who love to travel!
- Travel blogs are also great for residents whose lives provide helpful travel information!
- The best part of travel blogging is that you can help others
- I recommend crossing themes, such as travel blog x α!
Travel blogging allows you to make money while doing what you love (traveling).
Hopefully, it will help you with your travel and living expenses, so if you love to travel and live in a touristy area, there's no reason not to get started!
I sincerely hope that the launch of your travel blog will bring you much fruit.
Thank you for reading to the end!
To learn more about blogging, check out the post below.
