9 Travel Blogging Tips for Success
Travel blogging looks very different now than what it did just a few short years ago.
I have been blogging for over 2 years, and currently receive over 100,000 pageviews per month on this blog, Tiny Footsteps Travel.
The majority of my traffic comes from Google and other search engines, with a small fraction coming from Pinterest and other social media.
People often ask me what I might be doing to have maintained this kind of success during these uncertain times, so here it is – I’m going to share what it is (I think) I’m doing right.
I’m going to share with you tips that I believe have helped me to reach, and to maintain a steady level of traffic throughout the past couple of years. I hope that I can help you achieve the same if it’s your dream.
Let’s dive in!
8 Important Travel Blogging Tips for Success
1. Focus on places/experiences that you’re an expert on
Today, more than ever, it’s worth it to focus on places where you can provide a lot of your own, original insight.
The more of an expert you are in a certain place or experience, the more you should lean into that expertise to share with others.
This is why I’ve written so much about Toronto for example; I’m from there, I live nearby, and I go to the downtown core frequently.
In a nutshell: The more original you can be about a place or experience, the more you should write about it!
2. Write in clusters about the same place
It pays to focus on a place (ideally one that you’re an expert in) and write as much as you can about it.
About Toronto for example, I’ve written about :
- Things to do in Toronto with kids
- Best breakfasts in Toronto
- Family-friendly restaurants in Toronto
- Taking the express train from the Toronto airport to the downtown core
- Toronto in winter
- Toronto at Christmas
- + much more
Writing a lot about the same place allows me to:
- Interlink between all my articles, (which tells Google and other search engines that I know my stuff about Toronto)
- Direct my readers to other helpful articles that expand on something they might be interested in
3. Let your personality shine
With the AI tools and tip-sharing platforms of today, travel bloggers have more competition than ever.
Why should people come to us when they can now get the opinions of dozens of other travellers within a few minutes in a forum, or by asking ChatGBT?
The more similar your descriptions sound to what has already been written many times all over the internet, the less likely they will stand out.
The one element you can add to your blog writing that no one else can (including AI tools) is how your view of something is unique to you. And trust me, there are people that want to hear how you personally felt and why.
Tip: It’s ok if your readers can’t relate to the specific things you’re sharing. I share many things in my articles (that I’m a vegetarian, that I have kids, I avoid hectic, loud environments, and I dislike crowds) and I include how my lens of how I look at the world is shaped by these things, but that someone else may see it differently. I remain unbiased in how share things, but share how my experience shaped by my preferences
4. Don’t forget external links
Some bloggers make the mistake of focusing mainly on internal links and affiliate links on their websites.
Your blog is a resource of information for your readers, and there’s no way you could possibly cover every little detail that would be helpful to them.
So, if you know of other sites or online resources that would help your reader expand on something you’re mentioning to them, share it!
Your blog is a part of the World Wide Web. Both people and search engines value sites that link to others on the internet, and vice versa.
Pro Tip: I sometimes link to other travel blogger’s sites, if they have an article that expands on something that would help my readers, but that I won’t be covering. If it was helpful to me, then it’ll help my readers, so I share it.
5. Ditch the perfectionism
What I’ve learned from one of my favourite books Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things is that perfectionism is usually a barrier to success, not a cause of it.
I believe that part of what has brought me success is that I consistently create content, without putting the pressure on myself to make it ‘perfect.’
If I waited for things to be perfect, it would take so much longer for them to be put out there – and longer for success to come. I do my best, and I often go back to edit and update if possible. But I don’t strive for perfection, as I’ve learned that it’s a losing battle.
6. Practice empathy
Empathy is an underrated skill, in life and in writing. It keeps you in check and reminds you that it isn’t just about the money – it’s about helping people too.
Empathy is what allows you to:
- Put yourself in your reader’s shoes
- Understand what it is they’re looking for
- Write content that truly resonates
My articles have a good flow because they follow the pace of what I predict my reader will be thinking and feeling as they read. This keeps the writing engaging, interesting, and has a human connection to it.
I believe that thinking about my readers first has brought me more readers, more affiliate bookings, and more ad revenue.
7. Be careful with using AI
AI is an exciting new tool and (almost) everyone is using it in one way or another now. It seems like a convenient way to get lots of writing done and become a content-pumping machine, right?
Well – wrong. I’m not necessarily saying to never use AI, because there are so many different ways to use it.
But, I would avoid using AI to :
- Generate mass amounts of content for your blog (I personally don’t ever write with AI)
- Write your blog post introductions (your intro is your first chance to connect with your reader!)
- Overusing it in general
The reason is, the more AI you use, the more generic your writing is likely to be.
I can’t pretend to know what search engines are looking for. But over the past couple years, I’ve noticed who my blogger competitors are – and they tend to be bloggers that are producing very original, personal-experience-based content.
Pro Tip: Focusing on places/things that you already have a lot of personal experience and insight on is a good way to avoid the temptation to use AI to ‘save time.’
8. Differentiate, but don’t try to ‘do it all’
The good news is that there are so many ways to make money based around a travel blog these days. It’s so inspiring to see all the things you can do with a travel blog to generate income.
I see travel bloggers making money with:
- Facebook (pages and groups)
- Sponsorships
- YouTube
- + more
The bad news is that trying to do all of them can be hard to manage, can spread you too thin, and burn you out.
I recommend starting out with 2-3 of the above, and not adding more until you have a pretty good rhythm.
Currently, I’m dedicated to Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I feel my plate is pretty full just with those and haven’t dived too deep into any of the others yet.
9. Keep the negativity at bay
For success to happen, you need to be careful about what kinds of groups (in person or online) and forums you’re spending time in and how the mood and tone of them impact you.
I decided to unfollow most of the blogging groups, as in uncertain times, they’d become very negative. I realized I wasn’t going to reach my dreams if I stayed in them and allowed the limiting beliefs to infiltrate into my psyche.
To be clear: I am not saying that bloggers, writers and other content creators don’t have a right to be concerned with the fear of AI and algorithm changes. They scare me too. But I realized I wouldn’t get far if I stayed in groups that consistently told me that blogging was dead.
Rather than stick with groups and forums that had become very doom and gloom, I held my head down and kept writing – and hoped for the best.
Final Thoughts- Successful Travel Blogging Involves:
- Leaning into the creative process
- Being consistent
- Letting your personality shine through
- Having the courage to say something even if it isn’t the popular opinion
- Writing engaging content that resonates and connects with your fellow human readers
- Not being afraid to let your own uniqueness shine into your content
- Being patient and sticking with it
If I can do it, I believe that anyone can. I hope that you’ve learned some helpful tips!