Blogging, How to make money online, Make Money Blogging

How to make money online with a travel blog

(This post is a guest contribution by Mr Ryan Biddulph. Read more about him in the author bio below the post.) How...

(This post is a guest contribution by Mr Ryan Biddulph. Read more about him in the author bio below the post.)

How to Make Money Online with a Travel Blog

This post may confuse you.

You may want to know the latest and greatest techniques to monetise your travel blog.

Maybe you want to know the best way to make money online with a travel blog.

I hate to take the wind out of your sails, but you need a reality check.

This is a good thing. Because over my nearly nine years long blogging career I have seen thousands of travel bloggers bite the blogging big one, trashing their blog and travel dreams in the process because they never cracked the travel blogging code.

I found it so frustrating to observe that I even created a blog and brand specifically geared to assist travel bloggers on their journey.

I know your pain. I struggled similarly. For years. But I had to own my failures to change course. I had to see where I mucked things up in order to become successful.

One of my chief errors: believing that some tool, technique or income stream would be the answer, the key, the *ultimate* money maker for my blog and my career.

Boy, was I wrong?

You, Mr. or Mrs Travel Blogger, are the money maker. You render useful service through your free blog posts, videos and podcasts. You use tools like self-hosted WordPress blogs and various income streams through which to deliver valuable help and through which you receive money.

Too many struggling travel bloggers look to the tools aka income streams when trying to make money online instead of at themselves, which is like believing a hammer can actually drive a nail into a wall without your assistance.

The tool user – you – not the tool, gets the job done.

With this idea in mind let’s discuss how you can set the foundation to earn income through your travel blog.

1: Tie Your Reason Why to Fun and Freedom

This is far and away the most important tip to follow. If you have a poor or weak driver, you will struggle to make money with your travel blog.

Most bloggers pick lame drivers: money, fame, or maybe you just want to cover the bills for the next six months. These low energy motivators bring low energy, failing results.

Tie your reason for blogging to something fun and freeing.

I love blogging. I love travelling. By creating “Blogging From Paradise” I decided to follow my two greatest passions. The alleged work that I do is really play. On top of that, the work is the reward. All else – money, traffic, internet fame – is extra, or icing on the cake.

This is the exact attitude you want to adopt to really earn that sweet coin through your travel blog.

2: Solve Specific Problems Via Posts

Money makers are problem solvers.

You may cover a wide range of travel-themed topics via your blog, but at the end of the day, you want to solve a specific problem for your readers to position yourself to earn money.

People will pay you to coach them, to write their content or to buy your products or services if you solve their problems via your free content and premium content.

Write blog posts. Film videos. Record podcasts.

Whether you are creating a guide to see a major city or delving into how to survive a long haul flight create a valuable, in-depth resource with each blog post to position yourself for a lucrative travel blogging career.

3: Guest Post on Travel Blogs

Guest posting is one secret of my blogging success.

Last week I was published on both Positively Positive and Lifehack. The 3.5 million Facebook fans of these collective communities were introduced to me, my blog, my 126 eBooks, my four courses and my Blogging From Paradise brand.

Guest posting leverages your presence quickly.

Some tips:

● Build friendships with top bloggers by promoting them and by commenting on their blogs

● Write 1000 words daily in a Word document just for practice; trash the document after you hit your 1K

● Many blogging buddies will invite you to post but if you do pitch your blogging friends, stress the benefits of accepting your guest post for their audience.

● Make sure your guest post fits the tone and voice of the blog.Guest posting builds your friend network and exposes your blog to a large volume of targeted readers. Both awesome factors for making money through your travel blog.

4: Comment on Top Travel Blogs

Can you get paid for sharing your opinion online?

No; I am not talking about paid surveys.

I am talking about blog commenting.

You can get paid – indirectly – for sharing your opinion through blog comments if you post an in-depth, personalised, valuable comment on top travel blogs persistently.

I have landed consulting clients, course customers, eBook and audio book customers and freelance writing clients who found me through my blog comments.

In less direct fashion, the traffic you drive through comments and friendships you establish build your travel blogging exposure dramatically, laying the foundation for a profitable blogging campaign.

5: Diversify Your Income Streams

I thought of creating Blogging From Paradise after speaking to a travel blogger in Kathmandu, Nepal.

She had some success over the years but saw her income evaporate overnight. Why? She depended solely on sponsored post and advertising revenue to make money through her blog. As many travel bloggers do.

This is a mistake because both ad and sponsored post money are spotty until you attract a huge, loyal following.

Open multiple streams of income through a wide array of products and services.

Some ideas:

● Blog consulting/coaching

● Freelance writing

● Create online courses

● Write and self-publish eBooks

● Self-publish audio books

● Earn by paid tweeting

● Various consulting streams

● Affiliate marketing

I earn income through each stream above. I also make money through sponsored posts and ad revenue, but the bulk of my profits flow through rendering services and selling useful products versus waiting around for someone to pay me for the right to post something on my blog.

Conclusion

I hope you didn’t skip ahead to tip #5. If so, you are missing the point.

Figure out why you are travel blogging. Do you want to be free to see the world? Good. Do you want to make loads of money and get comped at 5-star hotels? Bad. Get rid of those greedy or fearful, outcomes-based drivers. Focus on fun, freeing drivers.

Solve specific problems via your blog posts. Profits lie in problems solved. This idea may seem confusing, but the free content you share through your blog is the real money maker. Income streams are channels through which you render premium services and receive money.

Network like a champion to increase your visibility, to make friends, to serve large, targeted audiences and to boost your travel blogging cash flow. I prefer guest posting and blog commenting as a rich, robust, 1-2 punch to leverage your presence and to make friends. It gets easier to make money when you appear to be all over the place.

As for the actual income streams, you do establish, make sure to diversify these channels. Toss in a few active and passive streams to maximise your blogging profits. Do not rely solely on sponsored post and advertising revenue like many struggling, failing bloggers. Offer something useful for your readers. Get paid to solve their problems. Increase your online cash flow.

Your Turn

What tips can you add to this list?

 


Author Bio

Ryan Biddulph is a world renowned travel blogger who has been featured on the sites like Richard Branson’s Virgin Blog,Forbes,NeilPatelDotCom,ProBlogger and BloggingTipsCotCom. He is also the author of a good variety of e-books mostly for bloggers which can be purchased from the Amazon.You can reach him via his blog Blogging From Paradise.


 

© 2017 Digitaldimensions4u.com The content is copyrighted to Reji Stephenson and may not be reproduced on other websites.

Published by Team Digital Dimensions
Team Digital Dimensions is a team of writers under the editorial team lead by Reji Stephenson Profile

22 Replies to “How to make money online with a travel blog”

  1. Hi Ryan,

    Thanks a lot for writing such a wonderful post explaining your experience in making money from a travel blog. It is a great privilege that you find time to share some valuable tips for my readers. Also, glad to note that you created one hundred and twenty six very useful e-books for anyone to purchase from the Amazon. Yes, I totally agree with the fact that providing as much as problem-solving products to the blog readers will help any one make money from their blog.

    Once again thanks Ryan for the wonderful share.

    Have a great time blogging and travelling around the globe.

    Cheers

    Reji Stephenson

  2. Hi Ryan and Reji,
    It is indeed a great joy to see our mutual friend Ryan on your space. 🙂
    Hey Ryan, thanks for sharing this amazing write-up on making money online.
    Indeed a well-portrayed one for the people who would like to travel and start a travel blog.
    Thanks for sharing your blogging journey experience.
    I fully agree with the point #4 Yes, our value added constructive comments can do wonders. I have published a post in this regard under the title The Power of Blog Comments. Here is the link: http://www.pvariel.com/the-power-of-blog-comments/ Yes, our comments can develop new engagement along with traffic.
    Ryan recently did a wonderful guest post on #Philipscom on How to build a relationship with our readers. This is yet another important point to make note to get our blogging journey go smoothly: Check out that post in this link: http://www.pvariel.com/build-strong-bonds-readers/
    Thanks for sharing the concluding point, an important point to note n this #5: Diversify Your Income Streams This is indeed a great point to note. Let us not put all our egg in one basket. Thanks Ryan for sharing these valuable tips to the newbies as well as to the pros!!

    May you both have a great and blessed weekend
    Best
    ~ Phil

    1. Hi Brother Phil,

      Thanks for the visit and the long value added comment as you always to in any blog. It was intersting for me to go through the links you mentioned in the comment. I totally agree with all the points mentioned by Ryan in the post. Looking forward to see more works from you and Ryan in the future too.
      Keep sharing your valuable thoughts and ideas in the form of blog posts.
      Have great time blogging.
      Best regards
      Reji Stephenson

    1. Hi Dhruv,

      Thanks for visiting and commenting. Happy to note that you liked the blog. Hoping to see you again. Have a great time blogging.

      Best regards

      Reji Stephenson

    1. Hi Mohammed,

      Thanks for the visit and the comment. Hoping to see you again. Have a great time blogging.

      Best regards

      Reji Stephenson

  3. Hi Ryan,

    You always rock with your wonderful tips for making money with the blogs. Guest post will work like a charm and yes, it is the best way to network with the co-bloggers and experts. I always follow your tips and yes, it is good to get income through the multiple sources like consulting, writing, the e-book publishing and so on. Good to see you DD4U, keep doing your amazing work.

    Nirmala Santhakumar

    1. Hi Nirmala,

      Thanks for the visit and the comment. Hoping to see your insights again in this blog. Have a great time blogging.

      Best regards

      Reji Stephenson

  4. Hey Ryan,
    This is an amazing article on travel blogging. There are many travel bloggers across every continent, but hardly anyone takes out the time to enrich budding bloggers about how this kind of blogging is to be done. The methods you are encouraging to incorporate are truly effective in generating more web traffic and will be of immense help to all those bloggers who want to share their travel experiences.
    Debarati Roy

  5. Hey, Ryan and Reji.
    Ryan Great article. loved the way you write and define every piece of information. Please do provide more articles.
    Reji thnx for introducing such a great writer and travel blogger.
    It will definitely help me a lot for improving myself.
    Thank you again
    keep up the good work
    Deepanshu

  6. Hi Ryan and Reji,

    Thanks for sharing this very informative and useful article explaining how to make money from a travel blog. Keep it up.

    Muhemmed Haider

    1. Hi Jay,

      Thanks for the visit and the comment. Hoping to see you again.

      Reji Stephenson

  7. Thanks a lot for this post!! I don’t know if I have what it takes to drop what I have right now and start up a travel blog, but if I could I totally would. I’ll be sure to use this in the future for when I decide it’s time for me to take this route!

    1. Hi Patrick,

      Thanks for the visit and the comment.

      Cheers

      Reji Stephenson

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