Is Travel Blogging A Good Way To Make Money?

 I run a travel magazine and a lifestyle blog. You can check them out here and here...

Do they make me money? Well, heres the thing.

Yes. But that's not the point. 

In fact, the money I make from the two sites I run is pretty meagre and wouldn't cover my rent. But, I never intended blogging to be my full time job.

No, what my blogs do is something else.

1. They showcase my writing...

2. They are a way to learn and improve my writing for professional purposes (I am a profesional writer elsewhere), and....

3. They get me lots of cool free stuff.

I have only ever made small money off ads on my sites, so I can't say that travel blogging is a good way to make an income.

But, what I have got, is free trips abroad, products to review and a few free meals. 

Over the years I have kept up the quality of content and the consistency of posting to generate more and more traffic. I'm not a big fan of social media, in fact I kinda hate it. So I was never gonna be an Instagram influencer or a YouTuber.

However by leveraging the quality and traffic of the sites I run I have been on trips to music festivals, ski resorts, boutique hotels, whisky bars, quaint cities and fun excursions.

In fact, the most important thing that these sites have done is improved my understanding of search engine optimisation and engaging writing. 

Many people do make good money from travel blogging, it's true. But don't be under any impression that this is an easy thing to do. In fact, quite the opposite. You need to blog regularly, you need to update your website, post on social media, create multiple types of content. 

It really is a very intense full time job.

So if you have the chops for it, yes, you can make a site that pays you well from ads and sponsorships.

But I think the best way to get paid as a travek blogger is......

Write for someone else.

Yup. Reach out to travel magazines and blogs (such as mine) and pitch your content. You might not get paid (you won't anyways even on your own site), but you will get the experience and exposure and kudos that will pay dividends in the long run.

And the more publications you write for, the better your kudos. And, eventually, you might even get paid real money!