Hello, you bad ass blogger you. This is your internet mom/travel blogger advice guru. I’m sitting down with you here today because you’re thinking about starting a travel blog. Now before we get into the juicy details of starting from the group up, I want to ask you why you want to start a travel blog.
Starting a travel blog was probably one of the best things I did in my life.
Through my blog, I’ve been able to do a lot of things like get sponsored travel, medical procedures, hotel stays, make a small income and so much more. It’s allowed me to channel my passion for writing in a creative outlet that not only I enjoy, but my audience does as well. I can talk to you like we’re sipping sangrias on top of Seoul’s hottest rooftop bars.
But here’s the real deal. Having a travel blog isn’t just about money or sponsored travel.
I’ve met people through my blog and YouTube channel who have been inspired by what I do and have had their travels or lives made a little bit brighter about what I put on my site. And let me tell you, amigos, helping people is one of my greatest joys in life. It’s the teacher part of me that gets a high from doing so.
So in lieu of the gazillion articles telling you how to start a travel blog, here’s mine. Why should you listen to me? I’ve been in the travel blogging game awhile. I’ve made an assload of mistakes so you don’t have to. I want you have what I have now in less time than it took me.
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Here are the key points in starting a travel blog:
- Choose a Name for Your Blog
- Set Up Hosting
- Customize Your Site
- Integrate an Email Provider
- Essential Plug Ins
- Where to Start
- How to Make Money?
- Cost of a Travel Blog
Choose a Name For Your Blog
Are you crapping your pants right now at the thought of having to choose a name for your travel blog right away? A brand name is a commitment and it should represent you and what you stand for. You’re here because you’re itchy to start one, but luckily you can get started with a hosting platform like Blue Host and choose a domain name later. We’ll talk more about how to get started with Blue Host a little later, but for right now, this is what I want you to do.
Choose Your Niche
You’re probably thinking, “Well DUH Gina Bear. My niche is travel.” But my friend, travel is such a HUGE category. The way you stand out from the rest is establishing yourself as an authority figure on a certain aspect of travel. Writing without direction on a blog is like blog suicide. Just. Don’t. Do. It. This is where your homework comes in. Get a piece of paper and write down all the things that interest you about travel. Are you into the adventure aspect? Food? Family or solo female travel? Whatever excites you, stick with it.
Plan for the Long Term
One of the biggest mistakes I made about choosing my name at first was going with Gina Bear in Japan. I had a shelf life for my Japan misadventures and I hadn’t given much thought as to what I was going to do after Japan. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Your dreams and goals with your travel blog will evolve over time. Make sure your name goes with it.
Keep it Classy
Brands want to work with other brands who maintain a professional image. I know of a young travel blogger who called his blog the Hungry Partier. While it was fine and dandy at the time for highlighting the best places to eat and then get white girl wasted in Seoul, it wasn’t professional. He still cringes at his decision to name is first blog that and has since evolved his brand to just his own name to be more professional.
Check Social Media
While you’re thinking up a domain name for your travel blog, brainstorm and then check to see if that user name is available on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube etc. One of the worst things you could possibly do to yourself is choose your domain name and not have it be consistent over social media. It’s important all of your social media and domain name match so people can know your brand and search it easier.
Avoid Cliches
There are sooooo many blog names out there with Wandering, Nomadic, Traveling, Wanderlust and Adventurous. You won’t rank well on the Google Search Engine if you’re just copying someone else. I can’t tell you how many blogs I’ve come across where I have seen this and just forgot their blog name immediately because it didn’t stand out. People like Nomadic Matt and Adventurous Kate have been around awhile are going to cream you in the Google search. If you choose adventurous + (your name), the first six results are gonna be the big boys. I guarantee you won’t get any traffic because of that.
How did I choose Gina Bear?
I actually get asked this question a lot in real life for people that meet me. Where did my brand name come from? Well, it started in middle school when I met my one of my best friends. I give great hugs like a bear, thus my nickname was born. My intention is to make you feel good after you come to my blog and make you feel like you just got a hug. 😉
Set Up Hosting
Why do you need a self hosted blog when there are free platforms like Blogger, Squarespace, etc? The reason is if you’re serious about making an income as a blogger, you will want to monetize your blog by using affiliate links or making your own products. When I first found out about self hosting, I literally wanted to cry. I didn’t know what it was or why I needed it, so here Gina Bear to break it down for you, step by step.
I recommend Blue Host because their support staff is great, will resolve your issues within minutes and will migrate your wordpress.com blog to wordpress.org with no trouble. Also, if you use this link, you’ll pay $3.95 a month instead of $7.99. I negotiated with Blue Host to give you guys the best possible deals. Setting up Blue Host is just about as easy as baking your Bagel Bites. First, head to the main page, and this is what you will see.
Click on the shiny and pretty green button that tells you to start now. You’ll then be redirected to a page where you can choose your hosting plan.
After you choose a hosting plan, you’ll be taken to a page where you can sign up for a domain name. If you’re not sure about choosing one, you can choose one later. It’s a commitment in choosing a domain name, so make sure you use my tips and brainstorm what you want before you marry your brand for awhile.
If you’ve already bought a domain name, just type that in so you can switch over. When you start putting in your information, there will be a pop up on the site for additional savings. Make sure you click on it for even more savings.
I recommend started on the 36 month plan. This is so you don’t end up paying more per month. When you buy in bulk, you end up getting great discounts. Also, wait until the 65% off coupon comes up to apply it to your already great savings.
Finally, when you’re done filling out all your information, fill out your card info and hit done. Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of a new blue host domain!
Custom Layout
After installing Blue Host and choosing a placeholder layout, you have the option to go off on your own and choose your own layout. If you like mine, it comes from pishandposh.com, a site dedicated to feminine WordPress themes. If you’re not into my theme you can try browsing through Theme Forest. They have hundreds of themes that are customizable, start at only $50 and have a support team to answer your questions in a few hours.
Get a Logo and Header
My logo was a gift made by Izzy Pulido of The Next Somewhere. If you think my logo is adorbs (because it totally is) then make sure you contact her at thenextsomewhere@gmail.com. If you look closely, you will see many things Japan and Korea in the logo. It really fits Gina Bear as I write most about the two countries that have captured my heart. A logo and a header is something that you need to set yourself apart from other bloggers. It defines who you are and what you stand for. Get ideas by looking at other bloggers and talk to someone who can help make your dream a reality.
Canva
This is legitimately dummy proof and even though I have the Adobe Package for Photoshop and Lightroom CC, I still highly recommend this. You can make beautiful designs and layouts without the learning curve Adobe gives you. Everything is saved online so you never have to worry about losing anything.
Fiverr
The only way you get good at designing pretty things is by practice. There’s no other way around it. If you see my first Pinterest Pins or designs, they were nothing pretty to look at. Of course, if you’re not comfortable, you can go on this website and look for someone to design one for you. On Fiverr, you can browse reviews on each designer’s work and choose who you want to work with there.
Integrate an Email Provider
I literally cannot express how important it is to have an email list. I’m kicking myself in the head because I wish I would have started my email list a lot earlier. With platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram constantly going through algorithm changes, it’s easy to become discouraged and want to give up. I’m here to say, don’t waste so much time because your email list is more important. The people on your email list are the ones you really like what you’re doing and have given you a special place in their inbox. They want to know about your content so they subscribed because what you’re doing is kick ass. If you want to monetize your blog, you have a bunch of people who like what you say and will probably buy from you if you recommend something. Every email is worth $1 and you’d be silly not to take advantage of it. I’ve used two amazing email providers over the the years and I can confidently say that these are Gina Bear approved and freaking awesome. Whichever you chose, it will be great so here are my top two recommendations
Get Response
I absolutely love how Get Response has live chat support 24/7. I can ask a question and it will be answered right there on the spot. I will get tutorials and everything I need right away. I also like how easy it is to customize autoresponders. Once you get the hang out it, it’s super easy to navigate and you don’t have any troubles with it. It’s also super easy to install the coding on your WordPress site.
Essential Plug-ins for Travel Bloggers
Congrats! Your swanky new Word Press Blog is now up and running. In order to make your site run smoother, you need some plugins to make that happen. Here are some of my favorite ones and why you should use them too. Adios, spamola!
Akismet
Unfortunately spam is still a thing and you’re going to get comments with shady links all the time. This plugin weeds out the crap for you so you never have to see it.
Auto Optimize
The performance of your site is what makes this plugin crucial. Sites that run faster do better when ranking on Google. It can aggregate, cache and minify scripts and styles. It also helps when installing Google fonts for further customization.
Google Analytics
This helpful plugin helps connect your WordPress site to Google Analytics. Why is it important to have? It’s good to know where your traffic comes from, who is looking at your site, and which posts are most popular. The more you know, the more you can give to your audience.
Optimus
For me, the speed of my website is really important. I want to rank higher and I want my readers to be able to see my content quickly. Optimus is great because it automatically reduces the size of media files without distorting the quality. This helps your website and posts load faster. This is a paid plugin so if you don’t want to spend money, don’t worry about this.
Related Posts
This is great to install in the bottom of posts so your readers have more related content to see. Don’t feel like you’re bombarding readers with self promotion by suggesting more posts. Give them more content they would probably like. They’ll click on it and it will help your blog’s bounce rate.
WP Super Cache
This helps to generate static html files for your WordPress blog. This also helps the speed of your website and helps returning visitors have a better experience.
Yoast SEO
If you only install one plugin, make sure that this one is high on your priorities list. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is so important if you want anyone to see your blog and you want to rank on Google. Do yourself a favor, download it and learn how to get really good at SEO. It’ll be the best time investment you make ever.
You Have the Blog, Now What?
First, I just want to say congrats for making it through this Goliath of a blog post and sticking with me up until this point. You’re doing great and I heed you to keep reading carefully. I’m still telling you how to succeed and how not to repeat the rookie mistakes I made.
About Page
The first thing you should do before you even write your first post is to tell your audience a little about yourself. People become fans of blogs because of the author’s ability to relate to their audience by being vulnerable at times. Your audience wants to know who you are, what you’re doing and why they should care about you. Introduce yourself. After all, you wouldn’t walk up to someone you don’t know without saying hello and telling them a little bit about yourself, now would you? If you want some inspiration, check out my about page here.
Contact Page
This was legit one of my biggest rookie mistakes and if I could take it back when I first started blogging, I totally would. When building your brand, your readers will probably want to reach out to you first. Sometimes they don’t want to leave a comment so the next best way to reach you is via email. Invite them to connect with you. Later, this will extend to brands seeking you out. Check out my contact page here.
Write Your First Post
Now that you have the basics set up, make your first post about you. It’s easier to write about yourself. Let your audience know why you started the travel blog, what you’re going to write about and what your goals are.
Get Google Analytics
In order to measure your success, you need to attach your WordPress blog to Google Analytics. Most companies and brands don’t accept WordPress analytics and they will ask for your Google stats. The more you know, the more you grow. 😉
Find a Network
I cannot even begin to express how important finding a network is. One of my favorite networks when I was beginning to take my blog to the next level was Female Travel Bloggers. They have all sorts of threads that help you to promote yourself through your blog or social media, and ways to connect with other female travelers. For more groups that will help you through your various stages of blogging, check out my favorite Facebook groups for travel bloggers.
Be Yourself
You’d think for someone who went to school to learn to be a good writer and editor, my writing style would have been flawless from the get go. You’re absolutely wrong about that.
It took a really long time to find my voice. (So don’t get discouraged if you don’t find yours at first either.) The real Gina Bear behind the computer loves the f bomb and can’t resist a bad dad joke or good crack about shit, dicks, and farts. She’s also brutally honest and some people can’t handle it. This who I am and I’m totally okay with being like that. At first, I was terrified to be myself. What if people didn’t like me the way I was and hated my blog as a result of it?
The answer is polarization, my friends. You can’t please anyone. I guarantee you’re going to attract the right audience and crowd if you are yourself.
A lot of people really tend to hate when travel bloggers accept sponsored products, hotel stays or press trips. This is a double edged sword because readers tend to snub travel bloggers who do this and say that they are fake. I’m going to be completely transparent here. I wouldn’t have been able to travel or experience half as much as I did last year in 2017 if it wasn’t for my sponsored products or familiarization tours. Why?
I’m a person just like everyone else. I have bills to pay and one of the most expensive ones I’m STILL paying for five years after university is… You guess it, my student loan. Right now, I make a meager teacher’s salary and I’m sending money back every month to pay for the tools that run this blog… Plus the piper who owns my ass for getting a piece of paper that says I’m a professional English Major fluent in writing eloquent bs.
My advice is, do what makes you comfortable. If you’re totally okay accepting products, sponsored stays and familiarization tours you know are legit, trustworthy, and your readers will love… Then do it.If you’re not comfortable doing it, if something feels wrong, or another brand is trying to micromanage yours through the content they want you to create, then the answer is simple. Use your common sense and don’t do it.
Stand out from the crowd and don’t do what everyone else is doing. Watch how the greats stand out from their competition, and emulate that. Write your thoughts as if you were speaking to your gay boyfriend or best friend. I guarantee the more you sound like yourself, the more people are going to appreciate and like your writing style.
How To Make Money With a Travel Blog?
We all wanna know about that ching-ching-ching. If you’re good at something, never do it for free, right? You want you passion to make money, so how on earth are you gonna get that down?
Adsense
One of the easiest ways to start making money is through Google Adsense. I’m kicking myself in the head again here. (You guys should really count how many kicks I owe myself with all these rookie mistakes.) Sign up for an account, place a 300x 215 banner below the first paragraph of a post and you’re good to go. Also, download the Google Adsense plugin for easier navigation.
Amazon
If you’re just getting into affiliate marketing, this is one of the best ways to go. Any time you mention a product you like or use and want to recommend it to your audience, you will have a unique link from Amazon. If your reader buys the product based on your recommendation and through your link, then you will receive a commission.
Affiliate Programs
As tempting as it is to go overboard and post a ton of affiliate links, don’t just jam them all in one post. If you are going to jam a bunch in, make sure you are providing value to your readers so they can make an educated decision about the products you are promoting. Personally, being an affiliate is wonderful and I think one of the best ways to make an income. Being an affiliate means you have multiple income streams so if one gets cut off, you’ll be fine. In fact many successful millionaires, bloggers and entrepreneurs have multiple streams of income. If you take any advice, take this. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
How Much Does it Cost to Start a Travel Blog?
In the end, it all depends on you and what you want out of your blog. If you want to chronicle your misadventures and keep a travel diary like I did on Blogger or WordPress.com, by all means, it’s free.
I chose to be more professional and leverage social media in order to get my content out there. I also wanted an opportunity to be able to monetize my blog so I could eventually move from my 9-5 job to full time blogging and travel.
If you’re worried about costs, the biggest takeaway from this entire article you should keep in mind is the fact I have yet to come across a travel blog that wasn’t self hosted. This is crucial and essential if you want any sort of success.
My Travel Blog Cost
For all the tools I use to run my travel blog and social media, it costs about $150 to run my blog per month. This is a small price to pay in comparison to all the sponsored travel and sponsorship deals I’ve been able to get. I’m super grateful for everything my blog has given me and I’m grateful for everyone who reads it and trusts what I say. I promise to continue delivering quality content.
I started my travel blog as a young college graduate lost in translation in Okinawa, Japan. I was fresh out of college and had never lived abroad for more than three months. Gina Bear originally started as a diary to chronicle my misadventures and then my brand grew to something bigger. In a way, I was the inside scoop on all things Japan and Korea and became a trusted authority. My blog helped expats navigate through the tougher parts of living in an Asian foreign country by giving them suggestions on things to do, where to eat and how to make their lives easier. I provided value by sharing my own experiences and because I did that, everyone else was able to have a better and easier time.
The following article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase through my links, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions help keep Gina Bear’s Blog running.
