When it comes to living a meaningful life, we all want to make sure that we’re keeping up with the Joneses. However, it’s important to remember that buying more stuff is not what we should be focusing on. Rather, you’ll want to keep up with your friends who are able to experience great things. And as you may know, many great experiences involve travel.
If you need more context, there’s also the film Keeping up With the Joneses to provide you with inspiration. The lead character, played by Jon Hamm, is a spy who poses as a travel writer. The interesting twist in the movie involves his desire to actually become a travel blogger. Spies can make big money, but so can travel writers. Some of the top travel bloggers make six figures a year. It’s not easy to make a career out of travel blogging, but it is possible. And here are a few ways you can do it.
1. Travel for free
You’ll first want to make sure that you can travel for free. The best way to make this work is through credit card signup bonuses while working your regular Monday to Friday job. If you have good credit, it’s possible to sign up for both an airline and a hotel credit card to take care of your first trip. Once you’ve spent enough money to earn the bonus, you’ll want to start looking for an exotic place to visit. This could be somewhere as common as Mexico or as exciting as Mongolia. The choice is yours.
You can also sign up for credit cards that offer cashback. A few bonuses could add up to a travel war chest of $1,000 or more, which will help you pay for a flight and a few nights of lodging. The possibilities are endless when you have an imagination and a bucket list of travel destinations. Regardless of which card or cards you decide to go with, you’ll want to make sure that at least one of them offers flight compensation if your trip is delayed or canceled.
2. Set up a blog
Another great way to help you achieve your goal is to set up a self-hosted blog. There are many options to do so through certain well-known companies that actually own your blog. With a self-hosted blog, you own the site and the content on it. Hence, this is the best option for most people who are looking to make money. This way, you don’t have to worry about some major tech companies deciding to lock down your site.
Moreover, you’ll need to choose a domain name that people can remember. Then, you’ll want to choose a cost-effective hosting plan. Many great companies will allow you to host your blog for $10 a month or less. The best options will also allow you to set up your site with just a few clicks.
3. Buy a good camera
Most travel bloggers who are able to draw in readers do so using great photos from the destinations they visit. If you’re looking to capture great moments, you’ll want a quality camera. Grainy pictures won’t draw in any viewers. On the other hand, clear images do. Once you have a camera that will do the job, you’ll want to take lots of pictures. Digital storage is cheap, and you can always review your pictures and remove those that don’t fit the bill.
4. Post on social media
Once you’ve set up your blog and bought a high-quality camera, you’ll want to set up social media accounts with the major players. Many successful travel bloggers draw in visitors to their sites thanks to their social media shares. Every time you take a great set of photos, you’ll want to post them for public consumption. That way, your content will attract viewers.
5. Reach out to brands
Many times, brands will reach out to travel bloggers who start gaining a following. However, you don’t necessarily have to wait for them. If you use a specific item that brings you value on your travels, try reaching out to the company that produces it to see if you can start a partnership? Sponsored posts can bring in hundreds of dollars each from your travel blogging. You can also post affiliate links that direct your readers to helpful items or great places to visit while they’re traveling. Any sales that you make can go toward helping you travel even more.
It will take time to build up a following. Moreover, you’ll likely see little income in the early months of your travel blogging. However, by employing a good strategy and building up your following, you could join the ranks of successful travel bloggers. And if you don’t want to start from scratch, you can also consider buying an existing blog. There are several sites that can help you do that.
Featured image via Mesut Kaya on Unsplash
