Starting a travel is not easy for, believe me. I started this Travel Blog July 1st of 2013 with the commitment to continue this way of life up until the end. Eagerness, focus and love of what I’m doing are my motivations to linger this kind of hobby. Hobby? I believe it is a way of life rather than using the word hobby.In the same manner, when I decide to enter this way of life with the awareness of how difficult it is, I still choose it. Because living in my comfort zone is like stagnant water, so placid, so boring. So I have to do something about it, I challenge myself to become a travel blogger. So challenging but fun to do with, right?
Below, I will share my experience in a span of 5 months of blogging and you can consider it as a tip if you are planning to start a travel blog.
1.Start From Nothing.
I am not a writer in nature; I am not an innate photographer, I am not a real journalist. But I was trained to write, to capture and to bring the story. Formal writing is my weakness, but my strength is the willingness to learn it. Accepting constructive and destructive criticism is a huge help for me to improve my way of writing. Grammar, Cohesive, Coherence and arrangement so on so forth, things that I need to improve.
I started not a writer but a reader, follower and aficionado of blogs that are already established online. I started from out of nothing but to dream that someday I can also travel. I could also blog about it, but I admit I had no confidence that I could write a sentence at first.
Moreover, another issue is financial concern; remember that a car w/o gasoline will not function. So, I need enough money to start travelling, or else I can’t create a story if I am not able to witness it personally. So, I allocate a portion from my salary every payday and I experienced a tight budget way of life just to sustain my wanderlust.
Aside from that, I prepared my skill, I studied html in my own way (for blog), expose myself to adobe photoshop (enhancing photo), and started to sign up in social media(for promotion).
2.Setting a Target.
July 1st 2013, when I started to blog, I set up a target to post 150 articles within 6 months. In each articles should consists 500 to 600 words with a least 1 photo in each post. So that’s most likely 25 posts a month or it should be in a daily updates. It was very impossible for me to do so, since I am currently working fulltime for my job. But I am very eager to hit my target. Setting a target will push you to do more and unconsciously you will able to do it.
I know I can do it, because I believe that “what my mind can conceive, my body can achieve”. Despite of constraints, my laptop was stolen, and I don’t have a camera. So how can I bring the story?
3.Familiarize the Battle Field
Mapping the terrain is the best way to win in a battle. An army should be prepared on whatever will happen ahead. You should be fully equipped before entering in a fight.
As a travel blogger, I planned my travel ahead of time, research the place and what are the best spots to visit. Know the culture, the people and the accessibility. Read other blogs, books or research about the place so that you can start now forecasting the expenses that you can spend. Prepare also an emergency fund for any fortuitous events that you might encounter. Don’t risk yourself if you are not physically prepared, if you are sick don’t risk your life or else you’ll not enjoy the whole travel. Be mentally prepared, when you are already in the location list all your ideas or stories that might worth writing for, and captured more photo.
4.Focus on the Content
Focus the content first; you need to be specific in every article.
In Feature writing your best friend is thesaurus, but in blogging you need to choose the SEO friendly words. Do not use words that are not SEO friendly however what matters most is you can penetrate the World of Search engine. This will helps your blog to gain more traffic.
Content is more important because it is the soul of your blog site.
Do not forget to create an about page- it is an info about what the blog is all about and who is the author. By creating this page, you let to know your readers that this blog is authentic and not just a spam. Don’t also forget to create contact page- where in others can easily contact you. Lastly create policy information page- where-in you are going to inform the readers about your blog policy privacy (You can google policy privacy generator.)
5.Choose the Blog Design
Blog motif /color are important because the first impression of the readers starts from the design of your blog. Personally, I preferred a light color blog because it is visually pleasant, light and easy to read. Light color is more professional and can quickly attract reader. Choose also a blog design which is responsive and easy to navigate, by that, your page views will increase. Don’t use a blog design that display all your post in your main page, it will result to a slow loading page that leads your readers to give up on waiting for the entire page to load. Instead choose a blog design (can be download for free online) which offers to summarize you posts so that the loading is fast.
Use also “related post” tools so that in every article there were related posts will appears that the readers might like and basically they will click it.
Don’t forget you’re to include a header image to your entire site, your header or logo is a trademark and it is the window to your blog’s soul.
Click here for Tip 6 to 10
