Travel Blogging: Its not all rosy!
I love my job as a travel blogger. I work as per my schedule. Sometimes, I get paid to travel. Most of my trips are at least part sponsored, if not full. Any day, this is a better place to be in as compared to my corporate banking role… at least, that is how I am feeling at this moment. However, there are some woes that I have as a travel blogger, or rather, as a newbie full time travel blogger. If you do intend to take blogging your full time job, read on…it is a fun ride…but it isn’t a smooth ride!
- There isn’t as much money, Honey! The cash flows are not even close to 25% of my banking salary. While I do miss the money, nothing comes close to the joy of travelling and having an independent work schedule.
- But travelling does cost money! I am happy that we have a little kitty that we have saved by working for the past 10 years and I can dip into it time and again to fund my travels. Maybe, during the initial phase of your blog, treat this as an investment that will yield results. However, no one can commit on the timelines for the same.
Our most expensive trip till date… Abisko, Sweden
- It can take time for a blog to be successful…and this can vary between 6 months to 6 years! Really, you just don’t know which post will become viral and make you famous. I am keeping my fingers crossed and am hoping that it does happen soon!
One of our most popular posts…the winter itinerary to Iceland
- Be in it for the long run! Most travel blogs die within the first 6 months… very few make it past one year; those that survive beyond that are serious bloggers. I have been blogging part-time for over 2 years and full time for over 3 months…and am hoping to be here for a really really long time.
Our trip to Petra in 2014 …where the idea of Ticking the Bucketlist was born!
- Patience, patience and more patience…with lots of motivation! With less than a 100 views every day during the intial phase, running a blog can be frustrating. But be patient and motivate yourself …if it were that easy, the space would cluttered even more.
- Content is the king! An oft repeated phrase…but it is so very true. It takes time and effort to generate good content that readers would like and appreciate. Never cut corners and do a shoddy job. You never know who might be reading your posts…possibly the editor of a travel magazine who might give you your most awaited break.
Our first picture to be published in the Lonely Planet Magazine
- Blogging is hard work! Yes, I work as and when I want to…but I still work for at least 6 hours and at least 5 days a week, creating content, cleaning photographs, liasing with tourism offices and being on concalls. The fact that I can work sitting on a beach lounger at a Zanzibari beach just makes the job so much easier!
This is the view from my ‘office’ in Zanzibar. What do you see from your window right now?
- Sometimes, you have to really push yourself! After a long day of sight-seeing, there are times, when I just want to sit in a warm bubble bath and sip on a glass of white wine. Then there are other days when I want to sleep in late. However, there are still tourist attractions to be explored that I know will be of interest to my readers. So, what do I do? I trudge on…trying to get nice pictures and information to ensure that I am well equipped to generate useful content.
- Its so easy to put on weight! For a foodie, weight gain while travelling happens in a jiffy. I put on about 2 kgs if I am travelling for about a month or so. Trying to maintain an exercise schedule is a challenge.
- Homesick! I am a travel blogger, but I am not a digital nomad. I have a home to come back to and miss family and friends when I travel for many days at a stretch. I think its ok to be home sick… we all need to love and be loved!
Love is the air!
Three months of full time travel blogging…its not been be all rosy. It has been like a rainbow…I have felt blue…and I have felt pink. I have loved every part of the journey so far. Now that I have found the rainbow, I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping to find the pot of gold!
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Way to go! Keep travelling.
Keep at it! I love reading your blog. It inspires me to travel more.
Thanks Sam!
So true n honest!!!
Straight from the heart…or the gut 🙂
Longgggg way to go 🙂
Seriously it looks so rosy from outside. Nvr thot of these challenges Lovely write up 🙂
Thanks Mukta 😀
Its great to read how your first 3 months have been. I love your posts, keep it up!
Thanks Ankur! been quite a roller coaster ride so far!
Great info!! I’ve had a lot of success growing my Instagram account (almost 50K now!) so I decided recently to start blogging also and maaaan is it a lot of work.. and to be honest a little (ok a lot) discouraging. This really helped put things in perspective. Noted that it takes time, it’s a marathon not a sprint, and it takes patience. Really enjoyed reading this – thank you for sharing.
Ah, perseverance….I think the #1 key to travel blogging. It is a long haul proposition. I’ve had fun with mine though technology is something I’m constantly working on and the part that came as the most shock! You are doing a great job!
Really like your honest points here. Its not all rosy for sure. I have been blogging just 6 months, and I am keeping my full time job. Its already as if I am working on two jobs together. If you don’t mind, do you have kids? I see people with kids also adopting to full time travel but I don’t find it very comfortable. I have a 2 years old kid. Although I hate the uninteresting day job, it gives me a good salary end of the month and I don’t want to completely uproot my kids home
Great post. I really needed to hear all of this, as I often find myself losing motivation and thinking my blog is going nowhere…and then again, my blog is only 4 months old – and I’m already getting some freebies here and there from companies when I travel. So I guess I just have to take your advice and be patient 🙂
This is all SO true. I think so many people get into travel blogging thinking that it will be like living a dream. Nonetheless, it really involves a lot of hard work!
The ones who are not doing it, they have no idea how much work (and money) travel blogging consumes. I would say persistence is the key, of course in the combination with original content and SEO optimization. I am also waiting for crazy amounts of visitors to start coming 🙂 Good luck dear!
I use to be an invest but gave it up to start blogging in March and I have to agree it is hard and a lot of work. I think I work even more than I did when I was in an office. You touch on so many point that I can relate to that I felt like I was reading about myself. Thanks for the personal post and I wish you the best of luck with the blog.
Great going Sonia.. Wish you all the very best.. you are an inspiration as i start on the journey..