Recently, I’ve been receiving numerous emails regarding the hurdles of being a travel blogger.
The ultimate FAQ showing up seems to be: I’ve stopped traveling but I still want to blog about it. How do I do it? Help! Travel is your one true passion, but real life takes over for a few months. Whether it’s resting in one city to catch a breath or settling for a job that doesn’t require moving from city to city; you find yourself the inability to come up with new content to write about. So how can you sustain a travel blog when you’re no longer living the life of a wanderlust?
Although I consider both Taipei and Paris my homes, three months at a time when I’m not necessarily traveling from country to country and need to focus on the business aspect of Jetset Times, so I completely understand the frustration. No need to fret, there are simple steps to take so that you continue to increase traffic coming to your blog, and keep up with your daily views.
1. Don’t stop writing.
The minute you stop writing is the moment people stop visiting to your blog. So keep up with daily posts. If not daily, then at least once every other day. If you run out of travel content to write about, then post a series of photos for #MondayMuse, #ThrowbackThursday or #FlashbackFriday. So that even if you’re not traveling, you can write about where you went.
2. Use “social” to sustain your online travel brand.
Social media contains a huge circle of travel influencers. Stay connected on Twitter with users who have massive klout powers such as: MrScottEddy (670K followers) or Nellie Huang (61.8K followers.) These influencers within the travel industry are generous with their tweets and follow-backs. They may be able to help you stay relevant within the travel community.
Instagram is also a fantastic tool to sustain your online travel brand. Frequently post photos of your past travel moments, or repost travel pics of your favorite bloggers are powerful ways to stay within the conversation and create content that you may work into a post on your travel blog.
Loving this hammock at @BardessonoHotel in #NapaValley. #Luxury #Travel #Wine pic.twitter.com/7fGKL0DigU
— Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) May 31, 2015
Calling all travelers! Join #AdvTravelChat on Wed May 27th 1pm NewYork/ 6pm London time to share w us #travel tips! pic.twitter.com/GKOgvdsnJZ
— Nellie Huang (@WildJunket) May 25, 2015
3. Highlight where you are as a travel destination.
Being a wanderlust may seem like an easier mentality when you’re traveling. But it’s also something you can adhere on a daily basis. If you’ve settled in a city for a long period of time, you’ve also become an expert on where to go for the best coffee, which restaurant serves the best Italian dish or where to go for the best skyline view. Let your current city become a travel destination on your blog. Today’s travelers want to know from local experts, and they’ll keep coming back to a blog for hidden gems.
4. Don’t underestimate your weekends.
If you’ve stopped traveling long-term, I know you haven’t stopped doing fun things on weekends. From excursions to mini-getaways; if you’re someone who’s been bitten by the travel bug, then you also love to fill up weekends with epic activities even if you’re not globetrotting the world. Use those experiences as a source of content to write about.
