Gone are the days where people buy travel guides at bookstores before embarking on a trip to a faraway destination. In modern times the vast majority of people turn to the internet to find out what to do, where to go, and things to see when traveling. For those that want to contribute to this ever-growing industry, here are 3 tips for aspiring travel bloggers to help you get started.
1. Be Genuine
It is very easy to see when a travel blogger has actually been at the destinations vs one who just pulls stock photos from the internet and pretends they went there. Alona from the popular Jet Set Together travel blog says, “I often try to show photos of myself at places so people know my advice is from my genuine experience and not something I’m making up”.
Recently there have been many cases where click farm travel bloggers use AI to generate content when they haven’t even been to the destinations. So if you want to succeed as a travel blogger, don’t fake it.
2. Take Great Pictures
Travel blogging is more a visual medium than a written one. Because until you can convince the search engine algorithms that your content is valuable, most people are going to find your blog based on the pictures you share on places like Instagram or Pinterest.
No one expects you to be a professional photographer, especially right from the start. But it doesn’t hurt to watch a few youtube videos on framing and lighting so your photos actually make people want to visit the places you are writing about.
3. Get Involved In The Community
This works for ALL bloggers, not just travel bloggers, but get involved in the community that you are writing about. If you are writing about your travels, try to get connected to other travel bloggers by commenting on their websites, or linking back to their articles if you found them useful. Who knows, you may actually make a friend.
The people who have been blogging before you might be willing to help you with things like sharing your posts, repinning, tweeting, or even just general blogging advice. Kodi from Cooking To Entertain says, “I always take local cooking classes when I travel because I not only want to show the authentic way to make a recipe, but also to meet other people who like the same things I do.”
Try looking at facebook groups or pinterest boards of other travel bloggers, or even messaging some directly through the contact page of their blog.
Bonus Tip: It Is Okay To Be Negative
No one expects you to write positive stuff all the time. In fact it can come off as toxic positivity if you never write about your negative experiences. Readers will appreciate your honesty, since they would not want to go somewhere that is bad.
Did you have a bad stay at a hotel? Blog about it. Did you find a popular destination to be overrated? Blog about it. What about food; did you get a bad meal/service at a restaurant? Blog about it. And don’t forget to show good photos. These are the types of things that your readers will actually appreciate.