Travel Blogging is on the rise with all sorts of articles about how you can quit your job and travel the world while making money in the process. Some travel bloggers really do live off their blogs and travel the world, while some write for the simple passion of sharing their adventures with their readers.
It really doesn’t matter which category you fit into, everyone has his or her reason for blogging. Today I’ll share with you a list of ways you can Become a Better Travel Blogger; turn your travel blog into a great resource for anyone that reads you, be it your mother, your friends or those people you have never met on the other side of the world.
10 Ways to Become a Better Travel Blogger
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Be Yourself
When writing about your travel experience, use your own voice. Be transparent, be yourself. By doing these things you are being unique because no one else is like you. By following what others are doing in terms of story-telling you aren’t giving yourself enough credit.
It’s ok to be inspired by other writers, that’s what learning to write is all about. Inspiration can help you become a better travel blogger. Just don’t copy someone else’s style, create your own.
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Concentrate on a Niche
You might think that “travel blogging” in itself is a niche, and it is; although you are better off getting a bit more specific. Maybe you are a Family Travel Blogger or a Couple Travel Blogger, maybe a Digital Nomad, or a Slow Traveler, or a Cultural Traveler, or a VIP Travel Blogger. There really are quite a few niches inside travel blogging that you should really think about. In which of them do you fit best?
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Be Honest
There is no point in lying about your experiences as you travel. Your readers want to know what really happened. Honesty will help you become a better travel blogger.
Share your good days, your bad days, your not so good crappy days too! Travel isn’t always wonderful, there are rainstorms, earthquakes, pickpockets and so you should share your truth. I’m not saying write a post in which you complain about all the things that went wrong; I’m saying find a balance where the pros outweigh the cons, unless of course you had a really horrible time. Then maybe it’s best to not write about it at all. It all depends on the style of your blog and your writing.
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Use Good Photographs (your own, stock, or from other bloggers with credit)
Good photography is important for travel blogs. If the photos are sub-par then the story will not save your post. If you think your photos aren’t that great then you can do a couple of things. Either take some photography courses; even with an iPhone you can take great photos, you just need to know how. You can also find images on the Internet to use; free or paid images are all over the Internet for your perusal and use.
Extra Tip: Make sure to always credit the photographer if it is borrowed.
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Give Practical Information
Think of your readers, maybe they want to go on the same trip as you, or to the same place. Share pertinent information about the places you visited. Things you noticed that might be of use to other travelers.
For example: How easy is to find a money exchange bureau? Is there a Chinatown in the area? What’s the public transportation like?
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Link to Hotels, Attractions, Restaurants
Travel Blog Posts are always best when at the end you give links to all the places you visited, especially if you raved about them. To become a better travel blogger make sure to include a little list at the end with all the places you went to, the places you ate, the attractions you saw. Find their relevant links and make it all clickable. This is even easier if you collect business cards and brochures wherever you go, that way you have it all in hand when you write your post.
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Make Videos
Doing video has never been easier. You don’t even need a separate camera to record, your iPhone or Android are pretty good at taking video! Have you ever tried?
Depending on the style of your blog, you can either do an informative video about the places you visited, or maybe a more conceptual video with just images and action shots, maybe you can do a video where you talk about an experience you had. Videos done by two people are always a lot of fun and great to watch.
Create a YouTube or Vimeo channel for your blog and have some fun. You will see the views and visits peak as you become a better travel blogger.
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Be Active on Social Media
Just publishing your post on your blog and waiting for the best isn’t going to cut it. If you really want it to be seen then you have to be active on Social Media. Share your post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, talk about it on Instagram. Be excited about it, interact with other travel bloggers in your niche, get to know people that like traveling the way you do.
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Edit Your Work
This applies not only to Travel Blogging but to Blogging in general. Always proofread your articles, do a spellcheck, read it out loud to see if it sounds coherent. If you aren’t sure, then have a friend or family member look at it. Sometimes we don’t see silly mistakes because they’re too small, but just a typo makes a big difference.
Extra Tip: Make sure all the links go to the correct places. Also check that all your borrowed images have the correct credits.
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Don’t Spoil a Holiday by Only Thinking About Your Blog.
Last but not least, don’t spend your time thinking about your blog the entire time you’re on holiday. Take it as it comes and take note of what you want to record, but if you travel with others that don’t run the blog with you, they probably won’t understand. Best is to write everything down before you go to sleep every night, instead of stopping everyone so that you can “blog about it“.
Now if you are a “professional” Travel Blogger, and your entire life is blogging about your travels and that is what feeds you and keeps roofs over your head, disregard my previous comment.
As you can see, there are many variables. The way you travel blog really depends on the kind of blogger you are. To become a better travel blogger some rules are important (like crediting photos and linking back to places, hotels, and restaurants) and some rules are meant to be broken sometimes.
Most importantly, have fun, enjoy your travels and show your readers that you are a great read!
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