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8 Simple Steps To Starting A Successful Travel Blog


Here is another "run of the mill" blog post on the topic of "how to make money travel blogging". If you had a chance to read our previous post about Matthew from Expert Vagabond, you won't find a whole of lot of new information in this post.

And, honestly, this what the whole "blogging business" is all about : there are just a few basics that can be learned, and implemented by ANYBODY.

You don't need any special skills or knowledge to start blogging. It's like writing a diary : you simply put your personal knowledge and skills into writing.

And because many popular blogging platforms are very easy to use, anybody without any computer programming skills can do it !

In her blog post "8 Simple Steps To Starting a Successful Travel Blog", Lauren from Never Ending Footsteps blog covers very basic steps to starting a travel blog.

Just like Matthew, she suggests tips on choosing the name for your blog,  using Wordpress themes, hosting services, getting a logo, adding plug-ins...


By the way, this is one of the ways how bloggers make money - affiliate marketing.

In this case, both Matthew, and Lauren get paid every time somebody clicks on their promoted links, and buys hosting service from Bluehost ( $65 per referral ! ).

Finally, in step 8, Lauren  shares with her readers some "nuggets of wisdom" on first blogging steps.

And this is where I want to point something out. You will read a lot about how to start a fitness or a travel blog, and A LOT of the information will be very general.

But it's the small details, tips, tricks... that will make all the difference when it comes to making your blog financially profitable.

In her 8th step, Lauren shares some great tips.

My favorite - "Create a business plan".

Previously, one of our fitness bloggers shared the same advice: Don't just start a blog. Start a business !

Many people who start a fitness or a travel blog believe that first, they'll need to get experience, knowledge, skills, or even make some money first before they call their fitness/travel blog "an online business".

I recommend to start treating your blog as a business from day one. As a matter of fact, thanks to Lauren advice, now I'd recommend to start a business plan even BEFORE you start blogging.

Just like with any other online or offline business, you'll need to know:

  • Who is your customer/reader ?
  • What is you business model ? What will you be selling/promoting ( products, services, information, or a combination of three ? ). What kind of problems will your blog be solving for your readers ?
  • What are your short/long term goals ? 
  • How are you planning to reach your customers/readers ?
  • Who is your competition ?

I believe that having business goals for your blog is extremely crucial. You can't achieve a goal that you can't see. And if your goal can't be measured, it can't be achieved ( and that's where using Google Analytics come in handy ).

Another great tip that Lauren shares is about the importance of standing out from the crowd.
She's right, there are hundreds of thousands of fitness and travel blogs out there with thousands of blog posts like "How to lose baby weight", or "10 Best Places To Eat In Paris".

This is one of those "golden nuggets" I mentioned above, that actually deserves more that just a couple of sentences.

Finding your niche, something that will make your blog stand out, will either make or break your online business.

When  I started this blog in 2009, my "niche" was adventure travel, fitness, and the great outdoors. I wanted to be the only travel blogger who'd personally tried every single outdoor activity out there ( and I'm very close to my goal :)).

First, I wanted to write about all outdoor activities. Later,  I realized that some of them were boring for me, others not financially profitable, while a few have grown up to be my separate projects ( like Seattle Land Paddling, or Seattle Kite, Surf, Paddle ).

I also liked her final advice not to do everything the way everyone says you have to.

But...

From my personal experience as an online entrepreneur, I believe that the easiest, and fastest path to success is to duplicate a business model that has already proven to be successful/profitable.

When you join ExtraHyperActive Network, 90% of work has already been done for you : turn-key blogging platform, email marketing, lead generation, supportive network of like minded people, and most important - automated, and hassle free money making system.


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