Five years ago, I was working full-time as a copy editor at a small, family-owned newspaper in northwest Ohio. I worked weird hours and spent a lot of time making rectangles in InDesign and filling them with teeny tiny newsprint. I didn't *hate* this job by any means (I mean, I liked the people I worked with, and it was kinda fun to know what was going to be “in the news” the night before it was printed). But I also knew that it wasn't what I wanted to do until retirement.
Somewhere along the way, I decided I needed a hobby. A way to fill my downtime at home (and, let's be honest, at work too). So I started a travel blog.
For the first 5 months, I stumbled around and didn't really write much. I wasn't good at the whole blogging thing. But then, in July 2010, I decided to buy a domain name and really put effort into making my travel blog a blog that people would actually want to read.
And somehow (I'm still trying to figure out how), it worked.
In the past year alone, more than 860,000 people have visited my site. THAT'S INCREDIBLE! I'm still amazed each and every time I look at my site stats that so many people care enough about what I'm doing to come here and read about it.
So thank you for that. Truly.
Since that fateful day in July 2010, a lot in my life has changed. I quit my job. I got my master's degree. I tried the whole “digital nomad” thing and figured out that it was an awful fit for me. I came back to Ohio and moved in with a guy. I started freelancing a lot, and then got a part-time job at a social media startup.
These days, I do my best to balance working from home with traveling (and, you know, having relationships and being a cat mom). It isn't always easy – and I certainly don't always succeed – but I'm definitely at a point now where I can look at things and go, “Yeah, I could keep doing this for the rest of my life.”
Last year, I shared some of my best adventures in my four-year blogiversary post (and you can now find a very similar timeline on my About Me page). But this year, I want to share with you some of the things I've learned from being a travel blogger for half a decade.
5 Lessons From 5 Years of Travel Blogging
1. Do whatever the hell you want – just own it
When I first started out as a travel blogger, I literally had no clue what I was doing. I knew how to write, but I was clueless when it came to website management and social media and SEO and everything else. I didn't even know it was possible to make money from a travel blog, or that eventually I would be able to approach tourism boards about working with them on media trips.
I was a newb, and I often felt like it.
I would frequently turn to fellow travel bloggers with questions. I joined Facebook groups and went to conferences and read everything that everybody else had to say about travel and blogging.
But there came a point when I realized that you can't listen to everyone – and sometimes what works for one person just isn't going to work for you.
The longer I've been blogging, the more I have realized that everyone starts at square one, but that eventually you reach a point where you have to stop listening to all the other voices, follow your gut, and do whatever the hell you want.
If you want to only travel in Europe or just write about travel hookups or decide not to have a niche at all (even though everyone will tell you how important they are), do it. Do whatever feels right for you, because that's how your voice will become its strongest and most authentic. Just be bold and confident and OWN whatever it is you decide to do.
For the most part, the travel blogging community is incredibly helpful and supportive. But you will always have people trying to tell you what the “right” way to do something is, or people judging you if you travel or write differently than they do. Screw 'em. Do what you want, own what you do, and I promise your blog will be better for it.
2. Don't expect everyone to love you or what you write
No matter how awesome you think you are (and c'mon, we all think we're awesome, right?), there will be people out there who disagree with you, find you annoying, or who are just plain mean and have way too much free time on their hands. Internet trolls are real, and you'll definitely meet your fair share as a blogger.
Putting yourself out there fully on social media takes some courage, and will require you to develop a thicker skin. Because, no matter who you are or how you look, there are going to be trolls out there who will try to bring you down (just ask my friend Liz).
You'll have people call you fat in your Facebook photos. Have people call you a spoiled rich white girl on your blog posts. Have people tell you that that 2,000-word post that took you a week to write is shit.
Anybody who puts anything out into the public sphere has to be thick-skinned to some extent. But, for bloggers, I think this is even more important. You're *always* publishing your opinions, and you're publishing them often and purposefully promoting them all across the Internet.
I'm not saying that the trolling or ignorant comments are warranted. But as a blogger you just kind of have to get used to them, and learn how to brush them off. (Because you're awesome, remember?)
3. Comparison really IS the thief of joy
Unlike some of my fellow travel bloggers out there, I'm not a full-time traveler. The digital nomad thing didn't work out for me, and I decided that having a home base and steady income was more important to me than traveling constantly.
So, sometimes, when I see what others are doing on social media and on their blogs, I get a major case of the FOMOs. I second-guess my decisions, scrutinize my blog, and suffer bouts of self-doubt over whether what I'm doing is cool enough to keep people interested.
And, though I'm not proud to admit it, this happens sometimes when I AM traveling, too. I'll wonder why I wasn't invited on that sweet press trip or to join that social media campaign, only to have to remind myself that I'm already in New Zealand or Norway or Vietnam or somewhere else really freaking cool.
When you do what I do, it's incredibly easy to start comparing yourself to others who are doing the same thing. And it's easy to lose sight of the fact that what you're already doing is AMAZING and that other people would kill to do it, too.
Comparison really IS the thief of joy, especially when you're a travel blogger. And why would you want to rob yourself of the joy of discovery just because you're comparing your own travels to someone else's? It's dumb.
I'm not saying it won't happen (I've definitely had to give myself a reality check a few times) – I'm just saying that you shouldn't let it make you jaded about what you're actually doing.
4. You'll travel differently than other people
Here's the thing about becoming a travel blogger: you have to learn to do a lot of random things that you probably never expected to have to learn how to do. Yes, there's the whole writing and running a website part. But you'll also find yourself learning things about photography and video editing and Instagramming and tweeting and optimizing your blog posts for Google.
All of this will change how you live your life – and change how you travel.
Now, when you're on the road, you'll be live tweeting and Snapchatting and taking the perfect Instagram snaps. You'll go to new destinations with blog post topics in mind. You'll take photos of things you never would have taken photos of before because you might need them for a post (like your food or the room you're sleeping in). You'll spend nights editing photos and answering emails instead of going out for drinks.
Basically, you'll start traveling like a blogger instead of just an ordinary holiday-maker.
This DOES make a difference. You'll have to remind yourself to put down your phone, take your camera away from your face, and actually SEE the places you're visiting.
And, if at some point you stop loving it or feel like you've lost the spark that you used to have for travel, then that's the point when it's time to reevaluate things. This type of travel definitely isn't for everyone!
5. Accept that you'll get out as much as you put in
One of my biggest pet peeves about travel bloggers is that we are, in general, a bunch of cheap asses. And ridiculously impatient.
New bloggers especially want everything (the social media followers, the pageviews, the free press trips) overnight – but they don't want to spend a cent to get there.
If only I had a dollar for every time I saw a post in a blogger Facebook group bemoaning the cost of web hosting or a site redesign or a new social media tool. And don't even get me STARTED on the travel bloggers who feel they are entitled to press trips and free travel simply because they started a travel blog last month.
If you just want to have a hobby blog and write occasionally about your vacations, that's absolutely FINE! I have nothing against that. But if you come into travel blogging (or decide after doing it for a few years) that you want to make money from it and work with travel brands/tourism boards, then you have to be prepared to start treating it like a business.
And treating something like a business means investing both time AND money in it.
You'll have to pay for that new theme and that social media tool and that pricey plugin that will keep your site from getting hacked. You'll have to shell out for better hosting and a new laptop and maybe some professional photos of yourself. And yes, you'll have to pay for (most of) your own travel, especially in the beginning.
And, even then, it may take YEARS before you have the social media followers and the pageviews and the press trips offers. Building an engaged audience isn't something that happens overnight – and trying to find cheap ways to get there faster won't help you stand out to anyone in the travel industry.
If you want to start out (and continue) on the right foot, then you have to invest in staying educated about what's happening in the blogging world. I've been at this blogging thing for 5 years now, and yet I'm STILL learning new things every single week.
Luckily there are plenty of resources and courses out there for those wanting to invest in them. (Check out my blogging courses here!)
A final thank you
Lastly, I just want to say thank you yet again (yes, YOU reading this post) for coming along with me on this 5-year journey, whether you've been reading since Day 1 or just stopped by for the first time today. If not for YOU, this blog wouldn't exist. And I would be very sad.
So thanks for helping me not be very sad.
As we head into year 6, I want to know what you want to get from my blog! What would you like to see more (or less) of?
Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Dangerous Business Travel Blog. She has traveled to more than 60 countries on 6 continents from her home base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and thoughtful travel through the US, Europe, and rest of the world. Amanda only shares tips based on her personal experiences and places she's actually traveled!
As you continue with your quality work, trolls with negative comments will just appear to be ridiculous. (And those who complain of you being “fat” in photos are equal parts jealous and stupid.)
Cheers!
Aww thanks Eric! Trolls will be trolls, but thankfully I have way more nice readers than nasty ones!
Hi Amanda!
I’m very happy to have seen this post. I think that the anecdotes and advice you offer is incredibly helpful because at the very least it is so different from the ones that other accomplished bloggers offer. I’m not saying what they’re saying is bad at all, but I am glad to see a new perspective, such as not traveling full time, or not having a niche is okay.
I started a travel blog for fun, but I do of course have hopes to at least get to the point where I have the ability to try a full time nomadic life. It may or may not be for me, so it’s good to come across someone who’s not all praise about it. I currently have a full time job to save money so it’s difficult to completely follow the typical advice like to churn out posts or have a very specific niche to stand out.
What if I’m just hilarious? Can that be my niche? Sorry, that’s just my narcissism speaking. 🙂
Anyway, quality blog. I am excited to explore more of your stuff.
–Ivana
Haha, being hilarious can totally be your “thing!” (Check out Sally over at Unbrave Girl – humor and snark is definitely her thing!)
There’s no “right” way to travel blog, or travel for that matter – you just have to find what works best for you!
Many congratulations on the 5th Amanda – I love the ‘real-ness’ infused in your voice! Keep it going, here’s to a smashing 6th year ahead!
Thanks so much, Arti!
I cannot even begin to tell you how thrilled I was to read this post! I kept reading and thinking, wow, you couldn’t be more in my head! I started blogging last year, but I only started taking it to the next level since January. Being a newbie in the blogging world, sometimes it can be discouraging when you don’t see immediate success. It was refreshing to read your post and see that you too started where I am now! Also, the travel blogs I read are all written by nomads, people who have left home and are living abroad, moving from place to place…not something I want to do myself. I too want a home base and a steady income. Again, your post made me feel great knowing that I CAN still one day have travel blog success without having to quit my day job and moving abroad. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post – you just gave me the encouragement and push that I needed to keep pressing forward with my blog to hopefully one day make it successful. You also reassured me that my wants to have a home base, a steady income, while travelling in between IS a possibility. Again, THANK YOU for the inspiration 🙂
Thank YOU Amanda! The coolest thing about travel blogging is that you really CAN make it work, no matter what your lifestyle is like. I don’t travel constantly, but if you just glanced at my blog you might never know that! I’m so glad this post gave you some inspiration! 🙂
This is a really great post! Thanks for taking the time to write it! I’ve been one to get a bit caught up in comparing, but am working on that. It’s nice to see that I’m not alone in it 🙂
Nope, you’re definitely not alone, Amber! We all go through it to some extent!
I love reading your blog. Thanks so much for share you beutiful experiences, beautiful pics.
Aww, thanks so much, Monica! 🙂
Great advice, Amanda! Thanks for this post. 🙂
Thanks for reading, Karisa!
Happy blogiversary, Amanda! Thanks for sharing these lessons–as a newbie blogger I’m always on the lookout for insider tips from the pros 🙂
Also, I just wanted to say that your blog is one of the very first travel blogs I ever started reading consistently, and now years later and working on my own blog, I STILL read every single one of your posts. As a part-time traveler, your blog gives me encouragement to follow my dreams more than any other blog I follow. You’re extremely inspiring and I hope you know that! Keep doing what you do!
Thank you so much for those kind words, Kelly! Looking at your stats is one thing, but actually hearing from people who have been reading my blog for a while and who are still inspired by it – that’s awesome and makes me feel so good!
Yes, I’m also one of your regular readers. 🙂 It’s incredible to see someone come so far! So, congrats! I agree with all that you mentioned here. I can relate to it completely, especially the part where you mentioned that travel bloggers need to be thick-skinned. People make unreasonable comments because they have no other business!
Internet trolls are the worst. But once you remind yourself that they are just sad, unhappy people with nothing better to do with their time, it’s a lot easier to brush their comments off!
This was exactly the post I needed to read tonight, especially your 1st and 3rd point. I’m a British Literature major with a Spanish minor, and I’ve topped it off with an insane case of wanderlust. My desires for travel and blogging don’t fit into a nice little niche, and although I try to keep my posts anchored, sometimes I just have to say “what the hell” and go with my gut. Then I second guess myself when I look at popular travel blogs. Heck, I’ve “only” traveled across almost all 50 states. I’ve “only” spent a month in Costa Rica living on the beach with locals and immersing myself in Spanish. Somehow I find myself thinking that it isn’t enough. I’m not jumping from one country to the next or spending a full semester in England or Spain. Sometimes it’s disheartening, but then I start to realize that I’ve done awesome things, too. Not everyone has lived in Costa Rica. Not everyone has visited Mexico seven times. Not everyone has taken a 32 day road trip that extended as far north as the Yukon Territory. Those are my stories, and I have every right to share them with the world. Thank you so much for such an encouraging post, and congratulations on the five years! It’s quite inspiring.
Thanks so much for your great comment, Sierra! It’s so important to step back when you start to compare yourself to others and be reminded of how much you’ve already seen and done! Don’t even let anyone make you feel bad about your unique journey. Good luck with the blog!
Keep doing what you are doing Amanda, I love reading your blog. I have been blogging on and off for three years and you are so right that you need to do what feels right for you and own it. I feel like I have figured out what I like and what I don’t like now and what I want my blog to look like and if other people don’t like it, then they don’t have to read it. How boring would it be if everyone did the same thing
OMG if every blogger did the same thing, that would be awful! I follow a handful of blogs regularly, and one thing that they all have in common is that they’re all DIFFERENT! I like strong voices and writers who aren’t afraid to tell it like it is!
I love reading your blog. I have been doing mine for 4 years now and its more of a hobby for now but I would love for it be more. I don’t really have the funds right now to make it more but I am trying and I like reading all the advice other bloggers give, you as well. So any advice you can give on improving is so helpful. Oh as one newspaper girl to another: In the second graf under the thank you so much photo you have easily when I think you meant easy. HEHE!
My advice is of course based on my own experience only, but I’m happy to share what I’ve learned with others!
(And thanks for catching that typo!!)
Congratulations on 5 years!
Thanks so much, Leigh!
Hey Amanda!
Lots of really great insight in this post and as always I love your honesty.
How time flies when your having fun! I think I’ve been following along with most of your journey at least for the last few years and I’ve seen the changes in you and the confidence that you’ve gained. It has been inspiring to me (as I have mentioned before), a blogger of less than 2 years.
Point number 5 really resonates with me. I get this terrible feeling in my gut when I read the comments of newby bloggers talking about how they are entitled to “this” and should be getting “that” for free. I met up with a fellow blogger recently who has been at it for just a few months. One of the first things they asked me was how do I get freebies. When I responded that I’ve barely had any “freebies” (their term not mine) they were shocked. I went on to explain that I didn’t feel I could provide enough value to brands so I hadn’t pursued many opportunities just yet and to this their eyes glazed over in boredom.
Most things in life an not free, you have to really work for reward.
And to answer your question at the end of the post, I always love your photos so keep them coming!
All the best another successful year!
I actually had to count the years on my fingers twice because I couldn’t believe it’s really been five years! Time definitely flies.
I so appreciate you following along for so long, Jen! And for the kind words. 🙂
As for the new bloggers who feel that they’re entitled to everything… ugh. I like to believe that it will come back to them in the end.
I started my first travel blog right about the same time as you started yours – I remember reading yours and thinking it was really cool (esp as you’d been to New Zealand and I didn’t know of any bloggers who had) and all these years on I still read your blog and think its (and you) really cool. You bring an authenticity that isn’t present on many other blogs – and that’s what keeps me returning. Thank you for this post – it’s exactly what budding bloggers like me need to read. All the best for year six!!!!!! 🙂
Aww thanks for sticking around for all these years, Pippa! 🙂