Lessons from 5 years of travel blogging
Last weekend, as I was flipping through some old photos, I came to realize that an important milestone had passed by without us noticing. Over 5 years ago we clicked ‘submit’ on our very first blog post.
Certainly a milestone like this is cause for reflection.
Like most travel bloggers, we started this blog as a way to share stories with our family and friends while we traveled around the world. We had no intentions for it to be anything more than a personal online journal.
But along the way, something incredible happened. People we’ve never met started to read our blog and appeared to actually care about what we had to say.
It was a game changing revelation.
Since then, this travel blog has grown into something much more than we ever would have expected. It has challenged us to write better, to take better photos, to travel deeper, and to evolve with the ever-changing digital landscape. We’ve learned to slow down and appreciate the simple things in life, to maximize the time we’ve been given on this planet.
Managing this blog has taught us a lot over the past 5 years. Today, we’d like to share some of our lessons learned.
1. Numbers are only important if you give them importance
When we first started using social media to share blog posts and content, we became fixated on the numbers. Unique visitors, page views, comments, fans, followers, subscribers, dollars… we wanted more, more, more. It was never enough.
But when we achieved our number goals, nothing of real value changed.
It didn’t make our blog any better. It didn’t make us better photographers or storytellers. It didn’t make us better parents or citizens of the world. We realized we were focusing on the wrong goals.
Social media tribes are a lot like high school cliques. And, if treated as such, can feel a lot like popularity contests. The real value of fans, followers and subscribers is interaction and collaboration. It’s far more rewarding to make 25 meaningful connections than to have thousands of followers who never engage in some form of conversation.
2. We write because we want too, not because we have to
We never set out to become travel writers. We did not plan to make this travel blog our profession and we have no desire to make this travel blogging thing our full time gig.
We write because we want to, not because we have to.
When I look back at old blog posts, I’m embarrassed at how bad the writing was back then. We still feel there’s plenty of room for improvement, but we’re happy to be on this creative journey.
Don’t get me wrong, we take our blog work very seriously, but it does not own us or define us. We don’t want to be in a position where we MUST write stories and blog posts to pay the bills and feed our kids. That would kill the pleasure we take from writing and sharing out stories.
3. There’s a fine line between inspiring and bragging
“Why do you guys still write a travel blog?” a friend asked recently. “You’re not traveling around the world anymore. You’ve got jobs, kids, a mortgage. What’s the point?”
His question was not meant to be critical, he was simply curious.
It’s true, our lives have become quite full with the addition of our two boys. Some days, we want to shut it down and release ourselves from the frustrations and time commitment required to run a blog.
But when a reader tells us that one of our stories has inspired them to visit a destination or push their comfort zone and tackle a big adventure, it inspires us to keep writing and sharing our stories.
By definition, to inspire is to fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something.
However, there’s a fine line between posts that inspire travel and posts that read more like ‘look at how awesome my life is right now’. We’ve been guilty of the latter many times, particularly when we first started blogging (and I’m sure we’ll make mistakes in the future).
We’ve learned that it’s okay to be proud of our travel accomplishments, but it’s equally important to be humble and aware of our tone. People visit our site for a variety of reasons, so I suppose the key takeaway is to not generalize or make assumptions about our audience.
4. The grass is not always greener on the other side
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say, “it must be nice to get all that free stuff from your blog”. Free stuff? That’s like saying, “it must be nice to have a bank that gives you free money every two weeks”. Assuming, of course, that you receive a pay check every two weeks.
When you look at a travel blogger’s Instagram or Facebook feed, it’s easy to feel envious of their lifestyle. But what you don’t see are the sacrifices that were taken to achieve that moment.
It’s true, a makeshift office on a remote beach in Thailand is awesome, but being a travel blogger is not as glamorous as it seems. Sure, travel blogging has helped us visit and experience some incredible places, but the hours are horrendous and the blogging landscape is constantly changing.
Unlike the many of our peers, we have careers outside of blogging that require us to physically be in the office. We have cubicles, lunch breaks and predictable routines. When we get home after a long day at work, we begin our next job – being parents to a toddler and infant. After we do dinner, diapers, bath, books, bottle and bed, we open our laptops and start our third job – managing our travel blogs.
I’m not complaining, this is our choice and we’ve intentionally built our lives this way.
We’ve learned that it takes a lot of hard work, dedication, rejection and sacrifice to reach those ‘green meadows’.
5. Travel blogs are like Icebergs
Like the underwater part of an iceberg, there’s a lot more to travel blogging than writing blog posts. Truth be told, the finished product you see consumes about 20% of the time required to manage this blog.
Most of our time is spent doing other activities, like sharing blog posts on our social networks, responding to emails and comments, editing photos and video, doing SEO work, fixing bugs and updating the website design, completing interviews and writing guest posts, connecting with other travel bloggers and sharing their work, pitching DMO’s and PR companies… and that’s before we do the standard planning that goes into travel, like booking flights, hotels, transportation, etc.
It’s easy to get distracted by these activities, so it’s important to stay focused. Equally important is to ensure we do not neglect or ignore any of these tasks… they are all cogs in the travel blog wheel.
6. Travel blogging alone does not make a lot money
Let me start by saying the term “a lot of money” is extremely subjective. We have an infant and toddler, so our needs are quite different from someone who does not have household expenses or is living in an inexpensive country like Thailand or India.
In our experience, travel blogging alone does not yield a sustainable income. Sure, it subsidizes our travel expenses and gives us the extras in life, but in order to earn a decent income, one must go beyond the blog and do other projects like freelance writing, selling ebooks and/or photography, consulting, digital marketing, etc.
The blog, therefore, should be treated as a marketing vehicle used to promote other income generating initiatives.
Now, that’s not to say the travel blogging landscape won’t change in the future – it most certainly will. It has evolved significantly over the past 5 years and we believe that sustainable sponsorship and income opportunities will continue to materialize. The operative word being sustainable.
That said, most travel bloggers we know don’t blog for the money anyways.
7. Making travel videos is much harder than it looks
Producing travel videos has been a humbling experience. We’ve tried hard to improve our camera presence and editing skills, but we’re still a long way from where we’d like to be.
To be fair, we haven’t given video the attention it deserves. It’s difficult capturing footage when we’re chasing after a toddler and carrying an infant in the other arm. We’re not giving up, but it’s become very clear that mastering video is much harder than it looks.
The good news is that if you continually work on your craft, good things will happen.
I remember when our friend and fellow travel blogger Mark Wiens shifted his focus to video a few years ago. His videos were good back then, but nothing like what he produces today (he’s crushing it now!). His commitment to making awesome videos has paid off for him – big time. He now has over 43,000 YouTube subscribers and his videos get 100,000’s of views. Check him out if you’re a fan of food travel.
(2018 update – Mark now has 2.2 million subscribers!)
8. You must travel to maintain a great travel blog
Our website traffic and social interactions rise and fall with our travels. When traveling, we see our website metrics double. Obviously, a big part of this is because we produce more content and share more photos when we’re traveling.
But there’s more to this statement than just the numbers.
When we travel, we feel more creative and motivated to write. We see things with greater vision. We listen with greater attention. We search for stories we think our audience will find interesting.
Generally speaking, most people who read travel blogs are looking for a quick escape from their current environment. They want to be introduced to a new destination or reminded of an old favourite. They want photos, they want video, they want narrative.
There’s nothing wrong with sharing old stories from past trips, but you must continue to travel so you’re content is fresh and relevant.
Now, this does not mean that one must travel around the globe indefinitely in order to stay interesting. Weekend escapes to popular vacation destinations are just as meaningful – there’s an audience for all travel styles – but travel you must!
9. The competition keeps getting better
The travel blogging scene was very different 5 years ago. Back then, travel companies and tourism boards were hesitant to work with travel bloggers. The general vibe was “we know we need to work with bloggers and embrace new media, but we want to see how things develop before we invest“.
Fortunately, innovative leaders like G Adventures and Expedia took a chance and embraced travel bloggers, which has helped other brands and organizations see value in partnering with new media. Annual events like Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) have also helped bridge the gap between publishers and brands, creating an environment for both sides to connect and collaborate .
Fast forward to 2014 and the landscape has dramatically changed. The number of active travel blogs has exploded in the past few years and this next generation is kicking ass.
Travel blogging is now viewed by many as a viable career path, which has forced everyone to step up their game.
10. If you want something, ask for it
This applies to most things in life. If you don’t ask, there’s a really good chance you won’t get what you want. You’ll be surprised at how willing people are to work with you and help you achieve your goals.
Before every big trip we take, we do our homework and pitch companies we think are a good fit for our audience. We look for sponsorship opportunities and creative ways to subsidize our travel expenses.
Then, we simply ask for what we want.
When we wanted to work with a Canadian travel rewards company, we contacted Aeroplan and pitched our vision for the partnership. We’ve been working with Aeroplan for over a year now and will continue to do so for the remainder of this year. This relationship would never have happened if we didn’t ask. (2018 update – we’ve now worked with Aeroplan for 7 consecutive years).
Of course, we get a lot of rejection too. It comes with the territory. But, when we don’t get the answer we want, we ask our peers and social networks for new contacts. Persistence is essential.
11. We ARE lucky
When we first started blogging, one of the things we hated hearing was “you guys are so lucky to be able to travel as much as you do”. It was like finger nails on a chalkboard.
We have made significant sacrifices for our lifestyle. We have invested thousands of hours into this blog and traveled down the path of uncertainty many times — how dare you say that our hard work and sacrifice was based on luck!
We defiantly argued that our achievements were not based on luck – they were achieved because of our commitment, focus and hard work.
We’ve learned we were wrong. We ARE very lucky.
We are lucky to have been born and raised in a free country. We are lucky to have supportive parents, family and friends. We are lucky to have received a good education. We can read and write. We are lucky to have a passport and are privileged to be able to travel.
Yes, we are very lucky, and that’s something to be proud of.
Thanks again for your support over the past 5 years!
We are very thankful and happy you’re on this journey with us.
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Do you have a travel blog? What have you learned?
Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Great/candid post. Congrats on the anniversary and all you’ve accomplished =)
Thanks Alex. It took a while to translate my thoughts. How are things in Denmark?
I initially started a healthy lifestyle blog about a year ago, and it has morphed into a type of travel blog now that I’ve been travelling in Egypt for the past month and a half and am on my way to Thailand. I am loving the outlet to share my stories! Thanks for your kind words of advice 🙂
Thanks for visiting Anna. Sounds like a great trip.
Very inspiring post. Cam and Nicole please keep writing — you guys have inspired people like us.
Greetings from Belize!
Thanks guys! We can’t wait to get back to Belize with the boys. Hopefully soon 🙂
Thanks for sharing all you’ve learned – it’s such great advice for us new travel bloggers. Congratulations on the 5 year anniversary! We really relate to #10 as we have just recently started asking companies for sponsorship and have been surprised by the positive response. It really does reinforce the idea of “Just Ask”, you never know what the response could be 🙂
Just ask! Its how we started since we had places we wanted to go, so we customized our own tours. It was the best and now, companies are so responsive.
Thanks Tracy.
Cam and Nicole, congratulations on your five year milestone. It obviously represents a lot of time and effort and learning.
All the best for the next 5 years!
Thanks Anne!
I can’t tell you how much this post meant to us. You guys are great examples if how you can make it happen.
Thank you so much Mike. Those are very kind words!
I love your travel blog! thanks for keeping us inspired. I have just retired and started (slowly) travel blogging as we have big plans upcoming, retirement at least have the time abroad.
The best time in life! Very happy to hear that you are taking advantage of retirement. We have already planned that when the kids leave we will live 6 months in Vancouver, 6 months elsewhere.
This is a great post! You’ve inspired me once again. The first point really did hit me the most. 😉
Happy travels!
Thank you so much! We are happy you’ve enjoyed the blog. It’s always great to receive positive feedback
I love this post. Made me wanna open my laptop and start a new blog post. I love when you pointed out that it takes a lot of time and effort in doing a travel blog post. We are the main actors, the supporting actors, directors and casting directors…but the beauty of it, we have the world as our stage ^^… keep it up!
Thanks Kenneth! Yeah, so many people don’t realize how much time it does take.
Congratulations!!!!!!
Good round-up. I’m not even two years far, but loving it more every day!
You too Sofie. 2 years is quite a milestone!
Congrats on the 5 years guys!! I remember terrorizing you about your AA ticket before I left on my RTW trip. Hopefully next time I’m in Vancouver we can connect for some craft beer.
xoxo Arnette
Yes, for sure contact us when your in Vancouver. Would love to meet up.
Congrats on 5 years! My blog will be turning 3 in the summer and it feels like I’ve been doing this forever; I can’t imagine how you two feel! I kept nodding my head in agreement as I scrolled down the post. I especially like the tip of the iceberg analogy. If only it was about the writing, photos and videos it would certainly be a lot easier!
3 years! Wow, that’s quite an accomplishment. We remember way back when you started. My how the time flies!
Congrats on the 5 years! (I’ll be coming up for 10 years next year – must try to make sure I don’t miss that!)
You’re right, it’s not easy making a living purely from travel blogging, especially with the world and his wife now seemingly wanting to become a travel blogger these days. As you say, I think the best way of achieving it – as a full time existence – is by offering associated services (eg. writing for others, helping with marketing, etc.). If you can make a good name for yourself as a travel blogger and stand out from the crowd, then these are the kinds of services that you are likely to be able to successfully offer.
10 years. Wow that is an accomplishment. CONGRATS!!!
Haha… thanks… not there yet, but will be come December 2015. 🙂
Great post. I don’t come to your blog enough, but you guys have been an inspiration. I work a regular office job (in journalism), have a family and travel blog. Seeing you guys do it with two children is inspirational. We have one, and fortunately he’s at an age (7) that he loves to take part in all of this. I agree with everything you say, especially the fact that the writing on the blog is such a small part of it. It’s a very satisfying second job, even though the money is pennies per hour spent, if that.
Thanks for the comment Lance, it’s always great connecting with other traveling families.
Wow, what an excellent read! I started my travel blog about 6 months ago and I have learned that it’s a long and tedious process. But this post just gave me new motivation and confidence to keep writing and traveling!
Cheers and happy travels 🙂
Drew
Great to hear Drew – it’s not always easy but we’ve found it very rewarding. Cheers!
I just discovered your blog: great blog, great post! Congratulations 🙂
Great – we’re happy you found us! Thanks for stopping by
I am a longtime freelance writer and very new blogger. I learned so much from this article; you really inspired me. Thank you!
Hi Marilyn – I’m so happy to read that this post has inspired you. That comment made my day! 🙂
Congratulations on 5 years of blogging! Thanks for the reminder about numbers; it’s easy to get discouraged with low stats. I also love the iceberg analogy – it’s so true!
Thanks so much Laura. It’s funny, the iceberg analogy came up over a few drinks while trying to explain what it’s REALLY like managing a travel blog. It just seemed to stick!
Don’t worry about the stats and numbers, at least TRY not to worry. It’s a good practice to monitor your numbers so you can see what’s working and what isn’t, but don’t let the numbers discourage you or lead you down the wrong path.
I’ve read many terrible blogs with awesome numbers, and awesome blogs with low numbers (FYI – I only return to awesome blogs). Sponsors and travel partners are interested in the whole package that a travel blogger brings, at least the ones you want to work with, and the numbers only tell part of the story.
Anyone can buy social media followers and pay for traffic, so I try not to place too much weight on numbers.
Firstly, congratulations on your 5 years of blogging. I am sure this might be tough, but has surely brought a lot of experience and happiness in your life.
Thanks Belinda. It’s been a fun ride. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone…
I am so happy I came across this post! Congratulations on completing 5 long years of blogging! You guys are so good. Most of the stuff that I read today sounded like I am reading my own thoughts! I really appreciate the humbleness part. It’s more important to do what you are doing with honesty and love, and not to gain any ranking. I have been blogging for one and a half years now. It’s going great. I really don’t go crazy about numbers. I care about becoming a better writer/photographer/traveler. Thanks so much for this post! 🙂
Thanks for the words Renuka, we’re so glad to hear that you’ve enjoyed this post, and that you’ve been have fun with your blog. It’s certainly been an interesting journey!
Hi, thank you so much for this post, I’m from the “new generation” and I’m starting this whole travel blogging experience right now… It’s always a pleasure to read about wiser and more experienced blogger! thank you
http://www.blocal-travel.com
Hi Giulia, thanks for stopping by and sharing your feedback. It’s always nice to hear that someone has found value in one of our posts. Good luck with the blog!
I can relate to a lot of the points you mention here, especially since I have a full-time job and two small kids, too. The landscape certainly is changing, which is making it easier to work with brands (sometimes) but also making it necessary to step it up, as you mentioned. It’s been an interesting ride–I’ve been doing it for 4 years now, I think! Goes by so fast!
Congrats on everything you have done.
Thanks Jenna! I think you’re situation is most like ours. We’ve enjoyed reading your blog over the years, it’s always a pleasure connecting with other traveling families!
Very well-written post – thanks for sharing! The 20/80 split of your time really resonated with us. We also get the “you’re so lucky to go on these great trips!” comments. But months of emails, planning, etc. go into our extended trips, and then when visiting, there are interviews and hotel inspections to do, photoshopping and downloading images at night, etc. (it’s not – hey, we’re on a holiday here). But – travel is our PASSION too, and we love it… (and the writing, but not the SEO stuff :-).
Thanks for stopping by guys! We’ve enjoyed following your blog… happy travels!
You guys were one of the first blogs I started following. Can’t say enough about how helpful and inspiring your stories and posts have been. Way to go guys, keep on writing!
Pablo – you just made my day! Maybe even my week.
Thank you SO much for sharing. It’s great to hear that this little ol blog has had an impact. It makes it all worth while.
Happy travels mate!
I’ve been blogging regularly for nearly 12 years, much of that travel-related, and have seen many changes in the blogging landscape (it going mainstream, for one).
Blogging is like photography in that it looks easy at the outset but nearly all of the work involved is behind the scenes. It’s also like photography in the sheer numbers of people who pick it up and drop it again later, once they realize how much work is involved!
I’ve only just discovered you today (through Twitter), but I’m glad to have found your website. I’m a Canadian expat from Vancouver living in Portugal, and with the Winter Olympics going on, the ideas around what forms a ‘Canadian identity’ inevitably come up. When you mentioned humbleness in the post, it struck home for me how Canadian that sounds. The Portuguese are very humble, too, which means I’m right at home here 🙂
Congrats on 5 years, keep up the good work!
We’re so glad you found us Gail! Make sure you look us up next time your in Vancouver.
Glad to hear that you’ve found a good match in Portugal. It’s been over a decade since we’ve visited. We must change that!
Congratulations Cam & Nicole! I just looked at my advertising/pr tab to see when I started my “What a Trip” blog and this month is my 7 year anniversary!
I agree with all of your points; particularly number 6: Travel blogging does not make a lot of money. (Neither does freelance travel writing!) I always tell newbie bloggers to keep their day job.
Keep up the good work! Our daughter is a recent college graduate and our son will enter university next fall – we will soon have an empty nest! What a trip!
Thanks for stopping by Nancy. 7 years is quite the journey!
We’ve yet to find travel bloggers that make good money exclusively from their travel blog (although “good” is highly subjective), so we think it’s important that newbies understand that it will take several months, if not years, of earning well below minimum wage before it takes off – IF, it takes off.
There’s a lot of “digital nomad” speak floating around these days, and it’s a very attractive proposition for someone that’s young and with limited responsibilities/dependents, but I’m not convinced that it’s a sustainable model on it’s own (but I guess that really depends on the individual, doesn’t it?). Like any business, success will come to those with an entrepreneurial mindset, strong work ethic and faith in their vision.
Empty nest on the way?! Exciting times ahead…
I love this post, thanks. I can say I never would have thought of ‘travel blogging’ as a career..But I can say that if willing to take lots of sacrifices and putting in those massive hours needed it is well worth it.
I also appreciate the honest bloggers who share advice and experiences. Sometimes its a bit difficult to not be a tiny bit jealous of the FAM trippers and sponsored folks.. but I’m happy to eat yet another bowl of rice and try to keep some integrity..
The world is much more interesting than I ever would have known and all the sacrifices were well worth it. I congratulate you guys on your anniversary and if you ever head to Langkawi? Give me a shout lah..;)
Thanks for stopping by Vanessa, and for contributing to the conversation. We used to live in Penang, so we made the trip to Langkawi a couple times… beautiful island
Congratulations on the anniversary guys! I love posts like this one – shows how down to earth you are and you say it as it is. I enjoyed reading it and I am hoping for many more interesting posts like this one. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the post Irene. It’s important to the time to reflect, I’m sure we’ll look back at this post in 5 years and our lives will be completely different
Congratulations! I’m glad we’ve run into each other a few times over the years. Best of luck to both of you and your family as you continue to stomp the globe!
Thanks so much JoAnna! Hope you are well 🙂
Congrats on the milestone! Have just discovered your wonderful blog and appreciate the advice for newbie travel bloggers like me. Thanks!
Thanks Sarah. Welcome! 🙂
Lovely post – and happy blogverssary to you! To many more wonderful years of travelling and of blogging!
I really enjoyed this post; I’ve been very interested in travel blogging for quite some time and have been reading a lot about it. Travelling is such a joy and it really does put things into perspective. You’re right though, the grass is not always greener on the other side.
The thing that is so intriguing about travel blogging is that it’s like a memory book. You have it all there and can share it with other people and it helps you re-live and remember those moments. That’s the cool part.
Congrats on the anniversary. Great blog. Good reflection. Despite hitting all your goals you basically keep doing it cause you love it. Simple really.
Very nice inspiring post here, shows you had a great long journey in this travel blog. Its a helpful blog with travel guides and your experiences makes other travellers to plan well. Heartly congrats and keep on posting…Good Luck….
Great post indeed, very inspiring.. Congratulations.. Looking forward to another 5 years.. God bless..
Thanks Tina!
Yes in deed you have had a splendid and full 5 years. Love the photos you took and shared…that iceberg! WOW! Here’s looking forward to another 5 years of blogging and your travels!
So cute kids you got guys.
Congratz Traveling Canucks,
Interesting journey you shared.
Thanks Tilly.
So after 5 years I finally discovered your site! These photos look amazing! Just followed you on Twitter. Looking forward to connect!
Thanks MightyTravels. We’ll make sure we are following you back.
Hi. I have to congratulation on your 5 years of blogging. I can see you have put a lot into this blog. It is great,all from pics and usefull informations. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Judy
I really enjoy reading your blog. I also wish to travel so much with my family and as you say maybe I just have to ask to get it 🙂
This is a great collection of insights! And congrats on the 5 years of travel blogging 😉 Every point you have made hits the sweet spot, and I would say that new travelers can learn a lot from these.
Thanks Marcello! Appreciate the comment
Congrats on the anniversary. Hope one day soon me and my family can travel like your family. Life is adventure 🙂
A very insightful article crammed full of useful information for us newbies. I quickly discovered that if you don’t ask, you don’t get and like you say, most will reject you but someone might just say yes. I’ve had a couple of articles published recently using this strategy, increasing traffic to my site and giving me that extra boost of motivation! Thanks again!
Congrats Adam and thank you!
Very well written post, guys 🙂
We loved this: “We are lucky to have been born and raised in the free world. We are lucky to have supportive parents, family and friends. We are lucky that we received a good education, that we can read and write. We are lucky to have a passport and are privileged to be able to travel.”
You are right. We all are lucky. Some are luckier than the others. It’s a matter of perspective. We travel on Indian passports which makes travelling to western countries a BIG challenge for us, so in that regard, you are luckier than us. BUT, we at least get to travel, we were raised in a middle class family in India and our parents made sure we got a good education. Some people don’t even get that. So in that regard, we are luckier than many people.
That said, it’s not just luck that makes our respective travel blogs tick. Like you said, it’s a lot of effort, and some people fail to see that side.
Hats off to you guys for travelling with kids – you guys are an inspiration.
Cheers
Thanks very much Vid.
This is great advice, especially about the numbers. I’ve been going about 5 months and the numbers are improving all the time, but then I always want more, so it’s easier not to worry about it!
I just checked out your blog. Great writing and pictures. We’ll be sure to follow along.
Number 2 reminds me that a good writer writes to express, not to impress. It’s easy to get side-tracked though, what with the competition and the SEO requirement. But your blog is proof that it’s not the be-all and end-all of writing. You also have to be genuine.
Thanks for the note Monnette. I like your quote “a good writer writes to express, not to impress”. I may use that one 🙂
I Have just found your amazing weblog and appreciate the guidance for beginner journey weblog writers like me. Thanks for sharing.
Welcome Sally! We are so glad you found us! 🙂
These are all so true for me, especially 2 and 5. When I started my travel blog, I barely knew the hard labor, the long hours in front of the computer trying to learn how to monetize, editing photos, making the website look a lot more better, write something that I would like to read myself etc. This is an insightful post to those who wants to start a travel blog, or currently struggling at it now..
Thanks for stopping by Carm. We are glad that you found value in this post.
Really useful info. Especially number 10. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Mach, we’re glad you found the post useful
This blog has already reached 5 years? I wish I could have read it sooner. Learned a few things here about traveling to different location. Please continue the journey!
Thanks Jasmine. Glad you enjoy our blog.
Agree with so much of this. After 6 years and 1,500+ of travel blogging (with a new focus on offbeat destination and life as a long-term expat), it’s clearer than ever that blogging is the platform to forward dreams (and not necessarily a money-maker)… I’ve actually been scared away from doing video after experimenting with it a bit… I’m still playing around with it, but you know how it is to have your toes in many ponds. In any case, keep up the great work!
Thanks Chris. We also find video very tough. It takes a lot of patience. Thanks for stopping by.
Those are excellent points! I particularly like the one about inspiring vs bragging. It is something I am constantly careful with. Keep up the good work and the great travels! From a fellow Canadian, globe-trotter and blogger. 🙂
It’s something we struggle with! Glad you could stop by.
Great article, thanks so much for sharing. All good points for bloggers – old and new! 🙂
Glad you found value in the post. Thanks for stopping by!
Really good post. Congratulations on 5 years. I hope I can celebrate that in 4 years and 10 months. 🙂
You will! Thanks for stopping by
Very inspiring article, congrats!
Greetings from Barcelona!
Agree with you on the ‘you guys are lucky’ comment. I get the same living here in Bangkok, by friends back in the US and don’t understand it.
Anyone can do whatever they want, but sitting around deciding they can’t won’t ever make them be able to. Like you, I made sacrifices when I moved to Bangkok 11 years ago, but I don’t regret it for a second.
Bangkok would be a wonderful city to live in. We can’t wait to get back someday, and hopefully soon.
Hi guys,
Good article. We are starting our own travelling blog predominantly for family and friends as yourselves did and reading this has made the task a little less daunting (only a little though!!!!). The fact that it won’t be spot on first time and will evolve as you’ve written give some comfort in the process.
I think you are on the money too where it comes to inspiring writing dependant on the travel/life circumstance. With the both of us doing 14hr days at the 9 to 5er worth while content is hard to find at the end of the day.
Good to see you haven’t let the little tackers tie you down and you still travelling.
Peace
Thanks Matt and Sarah. Yes, the little guys make things a lot more tough, but it’s also very rewarding. After our 9-5 days, sometimes we just don’t have the energy to blog. But we’ve found that when we take a break for a couple days, we are refreshed again and have a lot of new ideas for stories.
Congratulations on your 5 years.Its true that Travel blogging alone does not make a lot money but your blog writing is inspiring.Good work on your blog traveling list.
Thanks Jeff! Glad you liked it.
As a long time traveller people always tell me how lucky I am, and I always say it is a choice and everybody can be as “lucky”as I am. If you love what you doing and like to write about it people see it as they do on your blog.Well done guys.
I loved this post so much I’ve saved it to my favourites. Travel blogging is long and hard and you’ve done well, but I love the way you are so down to earth with it. Some travel bloggers are way too braggy.
Really good post. Congratulations on 5 years. I hope I can celebrate that in 4 years and 10 months.very well-written post – thanks for sharing! The 20/80 split of your time really resonated with us. We also get the “you’re so lucky to go on these great trips!” comments. But months of emails, planning, etc. go into our extended trips, and then when visiting, there are interviews and hotel inspections to do, photoshopping and downloading images at night, etc.
This was such an amazing read! Your love of writing evinces itself clearly and your destinations shine. Thank you for sharing. Amybeth Hurst, Portland, ME
Great post. Very inspiring and gives a great insight into the actual life of a travel blogger.
Since my college times, I have been a backpacker. In my 12 years of travelling, I have toured over 40 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. I have always wanted to share my travelling experience with the world, but due to the scarcity of time and lack of proficiency in blogging I could not start blogging till now. However, after going through your travelling blog, I too have an urge to share my experience with the World. Hopefully after my South American tour next month, I will start a blog. I have pictures from all the places I have visited in the past preserved with me, so it should not be a major problem for me to start a blog. Let’s see how the things unfold for me, thanks a ton for sharing such a beautiful blog online.
I really like your comment about blogging being work. It really does take a commitment and you don’t always get the feedback you’d like to keep you going. Thanks for the inspiration. . .
You are very welcome Jennifer, glad you found some inspiration in this post. We’ve often found ourselves focusing on the wrong things (ie. what others think, how they perceive our blog, etc) but, at the end of the day, you’ve got to have fun writing a blog. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Thanks for stopping by!
5 years already? It has gone by fast. Congratulations!
Nice post Cam and Nicole. I really love the idea of it’s fun to write. That is really true. And the good thing about it is that we share and learn a lot from our own travel escapades.
A very well written post! I just started my travelling blog, about 1,5 month ago. I really appreciated reading what you learned during 5 years of blogging. Many good advices that I will bring with me and have in the back of my head, now in the beginning!
Thank you so much for sharing!
What a huge achievement – I’ve only been blogging a year or so and feel like I barely know anything but I could still relate to so much of what you were saying – I love blogging and it’s always really inspiring hearing how such successful blogs like your own began and hearing about your journey!
very nice and great blog for user Gujarat Tourism Packages The major wildlife magnet of the Gir is the Leopard and it is known for the largest home for the Leopards.
Sounds like you’ve had one heck of a journey that has taught you a lot. What do you recommend to those just starting to blog?
Well, it really depends on your goal for the blog. If it’s to make money, I would say put that on hold and focus on your writing and networking. Blogs don’t make money over night (well, most don’t), so it’s important that you set proper expectations for yourself and the blog. Have fun with it. Try new things. Stay focused and be consistent (lately our lack of consistency has been killing our traffic, but that’s because the blog has dropped down the priority list).
Congratulations for your five years, and I’m sure that there’s more to come from you guys. I like to read your blog and see all the beautiful places that you guys are traveling to.
First of all congratulations for the 5 years – I hope I will one day be able to state my five years as well 🙂 But even now, I have already found my self in numerous facts you stated and I guess one is certain – never give up! Keep up the good work! Happy traveling!
Thank you for sharing this information with others. Very useful indeed. I just signed up for your newsletter. Thanks and keep going!
travelling mean is like lots of fun. I like travelling more much and when you earn money by travelling it becomes more interesting.I would like to be travel Bloggr in future.
Thanks for sharing your experiences over the last 5-6 years! A great article that I know took a great deal of effort to write for the benefit of the rest of us. I definitely have learned a great deal over the last few years and still have much to learn in this blogging business thanks to people like you who take the time to share their knowledge and expertise in this field.
Safe travels!
Thanks for sharing Robert. I’m glad you found some value in the post. Blogging can be a crazy ride!
OMG we love this so much! Just read it together and laughed out loud at the comics, while nodding our head in agreement at just about everything! We don’t have five years of experience yet, but we totally resonate with each and every word of this post. Thanks for being such an inspirational traveling couple – you guys were some of the first we started following, and have definitely been models for the standard of travel blog we strive to have. Look forward to following along with all of your travels in the future!
Thanks for sharing Casey. We’re happy to hear that this little ‘ol blog has played a small role in your success. You guys are doing a great job!
I remember skimming through this post before we started traveling and thinking it was a wonderfully reflective article and it’s obvious that you guys put a lot of thought into it. Now that we’ve been traveling for almost half a year, I understand and appreciate this article on a whole new level. #1 and #5 especially.
#1 because it was such a struggle for me in the beginning. I was obsessed with how many views we had, how many likes we got and it was consuming me. After a while I realized just like you guys that those numbers are superficial. They are not an accurate reflection of how well we’re doing. Regardless of how many people read it, we know in our hearts when we’ve written a good post or made a meaningful connection.
#5 because it was something that surprised me the most about blogging (which considering I had read this post before, it shouldn’t have!). It has been much more work than I anticipated and at times we have struggled. On the worst day we want to ditch it altogether. But at the end of the day we want to keep it up for ourselves, for a record of all the once-in-a-lifetime experiences we’ve had. Plus we have learned a ton.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and it’s good for relative newbies like us to get some perspective from experienced travelers like you guys. 🙂
Thanks so much for your feedback Julie! I’m so glad you found the post helpful. Managing a blog is quite the journey, with many highs and lows. You will be so happy that you spent the time capturing your travel experiences, regardless of how the blog works out. Cheers!
The common consensus about Travel Blogging is that most won’t make it past one year.
At 5 years I would say you two have not only ‘made it’ but have well surpassed the masses.
Definitely something to be proud of!
I think you two have defined your own purpose as a travel blogger with that 5 long years. Because of that people will believe and agree with you more to wherever place you want to share to us readers.
Thank you for sharing these wonderful expedition and may you have more years of blogging around the world.
Cheers to you Cam and Nicole!
This is a great article. I have been following your blog for some time now…
Very insightful post. I think the things you mentioned don’t just apply to travel blogging but also to life in general.
My friend and I have a travel blog together and we too get a lot of comments like “you have such good life to be able to travel a lot, I envy you”, or when We’re traveling somewhere people would ask “so who’s the sponsor?” when we actually save up like crazy for a lot of our trips. we do get sponsored or paid trips but not many, and we always reveal it to our readers.
i agree with everything you say here. travel blogging is hard work, but because we love it, it’s also fun.
we quit our day job to try to make it our main source of income. within a year, we proved it’s impossible, at least for now. My friend is back to a regular job and I’m freelancing for something else. but we are still blogging and, of course, traveling as much as we can.
Thanks for sharing your insight after 5 years of travel blogging! It really goes a long way for new bloggers like me.
JD
Great article and really these lessons from your 5 years of travel blogging are helpful to others.
Thanks for sharing this post guys. Myself and my gf have been blogging for 6 years now but have only taken it seriously in the last 3 of those. I totally agree with all you guys have said, number 11 in particular.
We hear “you are so lucky to travel” all the time and yes, we are lucky in the ways that you’ve outlined, but blogging and travelling sure is hard work sometimes and we weren’t hand-picked and given this life on a plate – we worked hard to make it happen.
Here’s to the next 5 years! 🙂
This is the best article that I have ever read! I really admire both of you. Congrats for the 5 years of hard work, you have achieve a lot, you have grown so far and what made you are now is because of your experiences. I was inspired and motivated with your post. You never failed to impress me.Thank you.
agree with all your points. The video editing part is so true. Shooting is easy but managing time to edit and upload is tough task.
Best wishes
Of course you can share your story to all..
That is very helpful..
Great post! Wow, 5 years, eh? I was a travel writer for almost 10 years before throwing in the towel. I went back to school, got a masters degree, and now I’m right back in the travel writing biz with my new blog… How things change, but not really. 😉
It’s great to see this blog still going – congratulations!
Thanks for sharing your experiences over the last 5-6 years! your article is really great and That is very helpful..
I really like your telling us the experience in your journey. I used to love reading the travel blog but found this really inspired me a lot. Thanks
Your friend Anna has just steered me towards your blog, and I’m so glad that she did. My husband and I have travelled a lot over the last few years and have always considered doing a blog but I never really knew where to start. I always got caught up with numbers and making money. Thanks for reminding me about what is important – travel, and inspiring others to travel. Great job!
I operate my travel blog for friends and family. I dip my toe into the professional side with SEO etc because I want to learn and perhaps one day market that skill. Even so, just doing the basics takes a few hours every week. If I didn’t really enjoy the writing side there is no way I could keep doing it consistently.
I can’t imagine the work that must go into maintaining a full time professional site. Well done guys.
Pete
great post and helpfull tips
Thank you so much for sharing this! Along with thousands of others, I recently launched my travel blog (about a week ago). The main goal is simply to keep friends and family updated while I travel over the next year. I love to write, so I am hoping it is truly just an enjoyable outlet.
It is rare to come across a blog post with tips for travel blogging that points out a passion for writing as a key step. I am sure you guys don’t need me to tell you, but you are doing great. I am massively inspired by your stories and look forward to learning more from you!
Thank you so much 🙂
Jess
Well done, keep up the good work! 4 years of blogging here, 3 years on the road. The blogs do give us enough to live cheaply, but no frills!
I’m (fashionably?) late to the party in commenting here but wanted to say “thanks” all the same!
I’ve been a web publisher for 16 years now, and a travel blogger for six (my original travel blog in in Hebrew). I think you raised some awesome points there! It’s not easy and it should not be done purely for the money.
Great post – happy blogging! Hope you have more wonderful years of traveling!
You’ve raised a lot of interesting points here! I picked to read this post because I was interested to know the things you’ve learned. And it was a lot! Being a travel blogger isn’t really all that glamorous and you’ve perfectly stated what goes on behind the scenes.
Wow. Great article! Cheers to more wonderful years of traveling!
This is something every travel blogger should read. There is very much to learn from this. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
You are absolutely right at the point that we should always do other things as well to earn a sustainable income to cover living and travelling expenses. Freelance content writing is a great idea to start, at least for me.
Hearty congratulations on your 5th anniversary Cam and Nicole Wears! You both have done a great job as you have shared your experiences and lessons while travelling. The fourth point absolutely relates to everyone’s life (Life Lesson) and what you have described in the 10th point is perfectly true. Overall, very nice information you have given. Thank you so much!!!
Wow! Excited to find your awesome blog! I love your candidness in sharing your life and adventures.
Thanks for sharing personal your experience your great stories I was motivated with your Great post.
Congratulations Great job!
Ha ha. We certainly can relate to what people say and think about how “lucky’ we are to travel and write about it. There is really a ton of work involved in maintaining any website. With two small children, I can’t even imagine how much more challenging it would be. Well done!
Wow! That’s a milestone worth celebrating. If i may ask, how do you manage with the finances? You first save and travel or there is a possibility of earning while travelling? Am confused here.