Tips for Choosing Your Career Path as a Travel Blogger
By now you should understand that the answer to the question “How much do travel bloggers make?” is a resounding “IT DEPENDS!”
If you’re seriously considering entering the world of travel writing, ask yourself the following questions to help you decide which pathway to take:
Am I a good writer?
Answer this question honestly. Though you might be passionate about travel, travel writing may not be for you if you cannot translate your feelings into compelling copy.
While this eliminates travel blogging for a company and freelance travel writing as viable professional pathways, this shouldn’t stop you from creating a blog. If you’re a skilled photographer, use your blog to showcase your travel photography. You could even earn extra income by licensing your images for commercial use.
How much creative control do I want to have?
Do you have a specific vision for blogging? If so, you might feel creatively stifled by a company’s work processes and brand guidelines. As mentioned earlier, a company blog is a marketing tool for the company first and foremost. It is not the place for a writer’s creative experimentation or self-expression.
How much time can I realistically dedicate to travel blogging?
When sharing their success stories, the above bloggers all stress the importance of a strong work ethic, self-discipline, and patience. They all mention that they only started earning after months of hustling- tweaking their website design, writing regularly, and developing unique perspectives. If you aspire to their level of success, you must give yourself ample time to get there.
The more time you spend working on your blog, the more likely you are to earn the traffic needed to monetize your blog, even in small ways.
Conclusion / Summary
The goal of this post was not to encourage or dissuade anyone from pursuing a dream of travel blogging. Rather, it was to provide actual numbers to help you make informed decisions about which career path best suits your interests and skillset.
We believe that if you have a story to tell, you should tell it. Your story may stay a part-time hobby that eventually grows to provide some supplemental income through affiliate partnerships. Or, that story may become the next My Global Viewpoint, subsidizing your worldwide travel.
As we hope you’ve learned, there are types of travel writing to fit every work style and risk tolerance. If you enjoy the security of an office, explore full time roles as a travel writer. If you have writing experience, build up your portfolio and start pitching ideas for freelance travel projects. And if you’re starting from scratch, use your own blog to tell your story. Just get writing and see where the journey takes you.
Ready to start? Become a travel blogger today by signing up for Viator’s partner program. Viator offers instant access once you sign up to be an affiliate and with every booking made, you’ll receive an eight percent commission. Set yourself up for success with the New Affiliate Playbook and build curated collections with Viator Shop.
