How to start a successful travel blog

If you love travelling and have a skill for writing, starting a travel blog might be a great choice for you. Travel blogs are a great way to earn money from writing about memorable experiences. Plus, today more than 70% of travellers worldwide research and book online. So you can take advantage of this trend to make your travel blog profitable. 

This guide will cover how to start a travel blog, including:

• Setting up your blog 
• Planning your operations and content
• Marketing your blog and earning money 
• Managing your growing finances

If you want to know how to start a travel blog, we’ll cover a few essential steps to get started. 

To create a successful travel blog, make a plan before writing. A business plan can help you prepare by outlining a budget, purpose, market research, and overall goals. Also, consider your startup costs, including web hosting costs, travel expenses, and marketing costs. This plan can help you decide where you want your blog to go. 

Next, pick a platform to build your blogging website, such as Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress. You can start with a free website to lower your startup costs. But paying for web hosting and a unique URL lets you create a more professional and ad-free website that’s easy for readers to navigate. 

When designing your website, make sure you include a title, personal bio, travel photos, and page where you can regularly update blog content. Also try to check that your website is mobile-friendly since that will make it more accessible to readers. 

Be sure to consider your blog’s overall brand identity, or the design and tone that represents it. Then, use this brand to design an eye-catching logo and colour scheme. Plus, choosing the right style will help you write for the right people. 

You may also need to register your business as a sole trader once you start earning money from your travel blog. As a self-employed person, you’ll need to manage and report your own taxes, which you can learn more about here. 

Another part of starting a travel blog is organising your operations for success. Start by creating a monthly content calendar and daily timetable. This plan will help you remain consistent with your content. Plus, regularly posting will help you grow your audience over time. 

To create strong and compelling travel content, consider looking at other successful travel blogs. But also think about how you can stand out. The content you choose to focus on goes hand in hand with your target audience. For travel blogging, you may be seeking people interested in travelling or learning about travel. But also ask what age and economic background you write for. 

For example, if you want to write articles about luxury travel, you’ll likely target people who can afford it. On the other hand, you could focus on student travellers or travelling on a budget. 

Knowing how to start a travel blog is one thing, but a blog full of content will only reach people if you market it well. Luckily, there are plenty of readers out there for you to access. 

Social media is a great way to market your travel blog. By posting on these accounts and engaging with the platforms, you can grow your readership. Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest would be great platforms to market a blog. You could post blog links, travel tips, and updates on upcoming content on these platforms. You could also post travel photos or updates during your trips.

If you start to earn a following, you can encourage your readers to share your content on their social channels. Alongside social media marketing, network with other travel bloggers and collaborate to earn from their audience.  

On top of this, use SEO to create quality content and reach more people. With the right target keywords, headers, and hyperlinks, you’ll be able to take advantage of this and increase traffic to your site. 

As you market your travel blog and grow a steady readership, use tools like Google Analytics to monitor your site traffic. This data will help you know how many people you reach and see which posts are most relevant to your readers. 

Once you grow your blog audience, you can earn money through affiliate marketing or sponsored content. Affiliate marketing is when you post links to products or services that you profit from, depending on how many readers click the link or buy the product. 

To earn sponsorships or affiliate marketing, you’ll need to network. Consider doing this by researching and contacting relevant brands. For example, you could contact the companies of your favourite travel products, stays, or booking platforms. To win these brands over, share your website analytics to show how many people you reach.  

Once you have affiliate links or sponsorships, make sure you comply with regulations and let your readers know they’re in your articles. 

You can also use your blog to earn guest blogging jobs on other sites or create your own products. For example, you could develop courses or travel guides. Market research can show what courses or products are in high demand. With a well-planned approach, you’ll turn your successful travel blog into a profitable business. 

As you start earning money from your travel blog, you’ll need to manage your money well for success. For example, you may want to invest some of your earnings into new travels to write about. But, financial management can be stressful and time-consuming when you’re self-employed. That’s why thousands of business owners use the Countingup app to make their financial admin easier. 

Countingup is the business current account with built-in accounting software that allows you to manage all your financial data in one place. It can help you track your blog earnings and your tax-deductible expenses. With features like invoicing on the go and cash flow insights, you can confidently keep on top of your business finances wherever you are. 

You can also share your bookkeeping with your accountant instantly without worrying about duplication errors, data lags or inaccuracies. Seamless, simple, and straightforward! 

Start your three-month free trial today. 

Find out more here.