As a travel blogger, you likely showcase an enviable lifestyle of adventure and freedom.
You visit exotic destinations, stay in luxury hotels, dine at acclaimed restaurants, and experience once-in-a-lifetime thrills, all while building your social media following and influence.
Your perfectly curated photos on Instagram tell a story of nonstop exploration and excitement.
But what the audience doesn't see are the long hours of work that go into each trip and blog post.
The truth is, being a travel blogger is not always as glamorous as it appears.
Day in the Life: What Does a Travel Blogger's Typical Day Look Like?
As a travel blogger, no two days are the same.
However, a typical day usually involves a mix of the following activities:
Research and Planning
A large part of a travel blogger’s job happens before the trip.
This includes thoroughly researching destinations and points of interest, creating an itinerary, booking accommodation and transportation, and handling logistics.
The planning process can take weeks or even months for longer, more complex trips.
Content Creation
Once at the destination, the focus shifts to creating content.
This includes:
-
Taking photos at scenic locations and of notable landmarks.
A travel blogger may take hundreds or even thousands of photos in a day to get the perfect shots.
-
Shooting video footage for YouTube vlogs, Instagram stories, and IGTV.
Video content has become increasingly important to engage audiences.
-
Writing blog posts, reviews, and social media captions.
Travel bloggers spend a significant amount of time crafting posts and captions to share details of their experiences with followers.
-
Interacting with followers and locals.
Some travel bloggers conduct interviews with locals or followers to provide an insider’s perspective.
They also frequently respond to comments and messages on social platforms.
-
Exploring the area.
While travel blogging involves a lot of work, it also allows for opportunities to experience new places.
Bloggers often wander, dine at local eateries, and participate in cultural activities.
Editing and Promotion
The work continues once the trip ends.
Bloggers spend time reviewing and editing photos, video footage, and blog posts.
They then promote their content on social media and their blog to maximize reach and engage new readers.
With many travel bloggers, this cycle then repeats again as they prepare for their next adventure.
The Glamorous Myth: Travel Blogging Isn't Always Picture Perfect
The glamorous life of a travel blogger is an appealing myth.
In reality, it requires long hours of work behind the scenes to build a successful blog.
Research and Planning
Travel blogging isn’t as simple as spontaneously jumping on a plane to an exotic destination.
Extensive research and planning are required to determine locations, attractions, activities, costs, and logistics.
This process can take weeks or months for longer, more complex trips.
Securing Comped or Discounted Travel
Some travel bloggers are able to secure free or discounted travel and lodging in exchange for coverage, but this is not always the case, especially for newer bloggers.
Negotiating these deals requires building relationships with tourism boards, hotels, and PR agencies over time through consistently producing high-quality content.
Shooting and Editing Photos and Videos
Capturing engaging photos and videos is essential but time-consuming.
Equipment must be transported, locations scouted, and images shot at optimal times of day with good lighting.
Editing and post-processing imagery adds additional hours of work.
Writing, Editing, and Publishing Content
For each trip, a travel blogger will spend 30-50 hours or more writing a multi-part blog post series, including drafts, edits, rewrites, and final publication.
Keeping content fresh by publishing 2-3 posts per week year-round demands an ongoing time commitment.
While travel blogging has its perks, it is not a shortcut to an effortless lifestyle.
The glamorous myth obscures the significant investments of time, money, and work required behind the scenes to build a successful travel blog.
With passion and persistence, though, the rewards of this fulfilling career can make the effort worthwhile.
Skills You Need: Writing, Photography, Videography, Social Media
To be a successful travel blogger, you’ll need to develop a diverse set of skills.
While passion for travel and storytelling are must-haves, you’ll also need to strengthen key technical and digital proficiencies.
Writing
Constant writing is an integral part of a travel blogger’s job.
You must be able to write engaging blog posts, articles, and stories about your adventures, experiences, tips, and recommendations.
Develop a distinctive voice and style to set yourself apart.
Strong writing skills, with an ability to describe destinations and convey emotions, are essential.
Photography
They say “a picture is worth a thousand words.” High-quality, visually stunning photos are a key part of any travel blog.
You’ll need to have a good eye for composition, lighting, and editing.
Invest in a high-megapixel DSLR or mirrorless camera, a selection of lenses, and photo editing software.
Practice and continuously improve your photography skills.
Videography
In today’s digital world, video content reigns supreme.
As a travel blogger, you should aim to incorporate short clips, live streams, stories, and vlogs into your content mix.
Film interesting moments from your trips, capture sights and sounds, and share your experiences with your followers.
Basic video shooting and editing abilities are a must.
Social Media
While your blog is your home base, social media platforms are where you can build your audience and following.
You must be active and engaged on networks like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
Post daily, share photos and short clips, engage with your followers, and promote your latest blog posts.
Social media marketing and community management skills are essential for gaining more readers and spreading your message.
To sum up, travel blogging requires a diverse set of talents.
Continuous learning and improving your writing, photography, videography, and social media skills will be instrumental in your success and growth as an influential travel blogger.
With practice and persistence, you can master these abilities and craft an exciting career exploring the world and sharing your adventures with others.
Behind the Content: Research, Planning, Creating and Editing
As a travel blogger, an enormous amount of work goes on behind the scenes to create content for your readers.
Before you even start writing a post, hours of research and planning are required.
You begin by determining your topic and focus, which often involves extensively researching locations, activities, hotels, and restaurants at your chosen destination.
Reading travel guides, reviews, and other blogs helps ensure your recommendations will be insightful and up-to-date.
Next, you craft an outline to organize your thoughts.
The structure needs to flow logically and keep readers engaged while balancing details with visuals.
An impactful post has a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
Within the body, use headings and subheadings to highlight main points.
Embed links to additional resources and include stunning photos to bring the story to life.
Vary your sentence structure and word choice for the best results.
Once drafted, diligent editing and proofreading are a must.
Double check any facts, fix grammatical or spelling errors, and ensure consistent formatting and style.
Read the post aloud to identify any areas that could be improved for clarity or flow.
Having compelling and authentic content is key.
Provide a balanced perspective of both the highlights and challenges from your experiences.
Share useful recommendations and tips to help readers plan their own adventures.
Build a connection by letting your personality shine through with a conversational tone.
Continuous learning and improving your craft is essential to becoming an authority in your niche.
Stay up-to-date with trends in blogging, social media, and SEO best practices.
Take courses on photography, writing, and marketing to strengthen your skills.
Connecting with your readers and fellow travel bloggers leads to new opportunities and partnerships.
While glamorous in concept, the reality of a travel blogger’s life involves significant work.
However, the rewards of inspiring your audience and having adventures along the way make the time and effort worthwhile.
By putting in the hours behind the scenes, you can build a successful blog and career.
The Business Side: Brand Partnerships, Affiliates, Ad Revenue
As a travel blogger, a significant portion of your time will be spent on the business side of things to build your brand and generate revenue.
Here are some of the main ways travel bloggers make money:
Brand Partnerships
Travel bloggers often partner with tourism boards, hotels, airlines, and gear companies that provide free or discounted products or trips in exchange for promotion and reviews.
The key is finding good alignment between your blog’s focus and potential partners.
Do your research to determine fair compensation for any sponsored content or brand deals.
Affiliate Programs
Many travel bloggers earn money through affiliate marketing, where you earn a commission for recommending or linking to products and services.
Well-known programs in the travel industry include Booking.com, Hotels.com, and Amazon.
Be transparent with your readers and only recommend products you genuinely use and trust.
Advertising
Some travel bloggers sell ad space on their site to generate advertising revenue.
You can sign up for an ad network to fill unsold ad spots or sell ads directly to relevant brands.
Make sure ads are clearly distinguished from your content and placed strategically without disrupting the user experience.
Consider your readers and be selective with the types of ads you allow.
Services and Products
Once you’ve built a loyal following, you can create your own services and products.
Possibilities include online courses, ebooks, travel guides, consulting, and tours.
Focus on high-quality offerings that provide real value to your readers based on your expertise and experience.
While brand deals and ad revenue may be appealing, don’t lose sight of why you started your blog.
Maintain your integrity, be transparent with your readers, and keep producing the authentic and inspiring content that made you a successful travel blogger in the first place.
With hard work and patience, you can build a profitable business around your passion for adventure.
Conclusion
As you can see, the life of a travel blogger is not all exotic locations and glamor.
It requires an immense amount of work behind the scenes to build up an engaged following, secure brand deals, plan and budget for trips, take high-quality photos, and create informative yet entertaining content for readers.
While the end result of sharing adventures from around the world may seem enviable, the reality is that it is a job like any other, requiring dedication, skill, and at times long hours.
The next time you find yourself scrolling through stunning travel photos on social media, remember that for every single post, there are countless hours of effort by the blogger to make that moment of escape and wanderlust possible for you.
The work is hard, but for most travel bloggers, the rewards of pursuing their passion and inspiring others to explore the world make all the effort worthwhile.
Thank You for reading Behind the Scenes: The Truth About a Travel Blogger's Life for more our article's visit sitemap page.