How to Start a Travel Blog

Starting a travel blog can be a great way to build and establish your brand, reach travelers looking for helpful destination tips, and have fun doing something you love. The most important consideration is creating a clear, distinct voice and vision to show travelers that your blog is worth reading and returning to.

Below, we’ll walk through the key steps to build your blog, create a steady stream of engaging travel content, grow your audience, earn money from it, and more. 

The benefits of starting a travel blog

There are many reasons to start a travel blog. At the forefront, it’s a vehicle for your passion—an opportunity to explore what you love and see the world more often. With a blog, you’ll get to share that with other people and form a likeminded community.

Starting a travel blog can also help build your brand and voice and show the world your distinct perspective, which may lead to new job or collaboration opportunities. If your blog stands out and gets a lot of traffic, you may unlock monetization or sponsorship opportunities.

Start a travel blog in 8 steps 

In addition to the places you’ll be featuring, you’re the star of your travel blog. To create a blog that’s unique and engaging, capturing your perspective, voice, and ideal reader in your blog content and design will be key.

1. Find your niche

Selecting a distinctive niche will help you stand out in a sea of travel bloggers, keep your stories focused, and allow you to perfect your voice and specialty.

Consider what types of stories resonate most with you and feel authentic. Equally important, think about the audience you’d like to attract. If your long-term goal is to get brands to sponsor your blog, start making a list of travel brands and brainstorm which niches resonate with them.

Below is a comprehensive list of popular travel blogger niches to get you started: 

• Region specific

• Urban focus

• Food 

• Under-the-radar spots

• Luxury

• Vegetarian/vegan friendly

• Globetrotter

• Family friendly

• Traveling solo

• LGBTQ+ friendly

• BIPOC friendly

• Religious 

• Trend focused

• Budget focused

• Arts

• Tourism with an edge

• Senior focused

• Adventure

• Great outdoors /camping 

2. Decide which types of content to share

Travel content types are nearly limitless within any niche. Posting a variety of content can help you identify what you enjoy creating and what your readers are most interested in. Here are a few potential format ideas to get your gears turning.

• How to: These are great for SEO because travelers constantly search for their answers. Consider what questions are on your mind as a traveler, like “How to eat in Paris for under $20 a day.” If you‘re blanking on a specific how-to idea, try a quick “how to travel” search to find trending travel search terms. 

• Top 10: People love listicles. They’re easy to digest, are highly shareable on social media, and can be created for nearly every topic or theme. A top 10 can also solidify your authority on a niche or location and entice readers to return for more.

• Travel guide: From food to museums to undiscovered gems or photo walks, a travel guide can demonstrate deep expertise in a specific location or type of attraction. 

• Making friends: Share tips on the best spots, apps, and strategies for meeting new people anywhere. You could tailor this to solo travelers, groups, or specific locations.

3. Choose a name 

Choosing a great name can be one of the most challenging parts of starting a blog, even for the most seasoned writers. Now that you have your niche and audience, use these steps to pick a name that matches your voice and readers and is distinctly you. 

• Brainstorm words that relate to your niche. Start with words that feel personal, then go wide and general. Many bloggers use their own name or something else unique to them.

• Check out other travel blogs covering similar niches. What words and names stand out? How can you make them your own? 

• Share your ideas with friends or colleagues you trust. See what resonates or ask for brainstorming help.  

• Check if your blog name is already in use. This is key to building a unique identity and social presence and avoiding confusion from your readers.

Read our guide to coming up with a brand name

4. Get a domain and web host for your travel blog

Once you select a unique name, it’s time to set up a domain, the custom URL readers will use to land on your blog. We recommend using something identical to your blog name and using a domain search tool to make sure your name isn’t already taken.

Setting up a web host ensures your website is publicly accessible and searchable. Without it, no one will be able to see your great content. If you use a website builder, like Squarespace, website hosting is usually included in your plan.

Learn how to find and register a domain name

5. Choose your travel blogging platform

Selecting the right platform for creating and updating your blog will help you hit the ground running. These days, there are so many options to choose from, often at low to no cost, each offering design templates, layouts, fonts, color palettes, images, and more to fit your ideal look and feel. 

Here are some essential things to think about and help guide your decision:

• What’s most important to you? Many bloggers want design flexibility and adaptability—so they can easily redesign at any time. For most travel bloggers, especially those just starting out, budget and ease of use are the top priorities. 

• What are your top goals? If you want to show your authority, knowledge and sophistication, pick a platform with design tools that help show you off. If making money from your blog is a big priority, look for a platform with monetization tools. Looking to build a smart SEO strategy? Choose a platform with SEO performance optimization and analysis options. 

Squarespace’s platform tracks your site’s traffic, showing you which content is performing best, what’s holding readers' attention, and what they aren’t finishing to help you optimize new content over time. 

See Squarespace blog features

6. Customize your travel blog

Once you have your name, URL, and platform, it’s time to start customizing your blog to help it stand out and add value for your readers. Remember, it’s all about creating the best user experience to keep them reading. What’s great about most blogs is that you can change any of these details anytime.

Below are some of the most popular ways to customize your blog: 

• Fonts: Select a font that’s easy to read and has a look and feel that resonates with your name and niche. 

• Colors: Select a color scheme that resonates with your niche. These include background colors, font colors, and even subtler details like accent colors. What’s most important is consistency—it will help you look professional and build your authority. 

• Logos: While a logo won’t make or break your blog, it can help strengthen your brand identity. Depending on how savvy you are, create one yourself or hire a designer.
  Design for mobile: Today, approximately 60% of web traffic is mobile. Make sure your blog is mobile-friendly to give your readers the best user experience. Today, most platforms are mobile-friendly, but it’s worth testing your design on different screen sizes.

• Navigation: Use relevant categories to help readers navigate your blog. This includes the header and footer navigation on your site, but also any blog tags, sub-pages, and titles.

See some of our favorite blog website designs

7. Create your content

By now, you should have a good sense of what you want to say and how you want to say it. Now it’s time to start writing. Have at least three posts ready before you start publishing to help avoid dead air and keep you ahead of the content curve. Once you have your ideas in place, here are some helpful tips: 

• Try to make each post around 1,000-2,000 words. Create separate sections with photos, videos, or illustrations to break up the text and help with pacing. 

• Don’t forget SEO. Use targeted keywords to take advantage of what travelers might be searching for. Brainstorm a list based on your target audience and niche or use an SEO tool to help.

• Use alt text to make your posts accessible. Alt text for images help people with visual impairments, those who use assistive technology, or when an image doesn't load.

• Make a content calendar. This can help you plan and generate story ideas around popular events and holidays.

• Link to older stories throughout your posts. This will keep your readers exploring your blog and help build a clearer picture of your content and site for search engines.

8. Build your audience

A strong newsletter and social media strategy are two of the best ways to get new eyes on your blog. As you build a following, they’re both good ways to engage directly to build community and connection and use photos or summaries from your blogs to direct people back to your posts.

• Newsletters: Newsletters have been having a comeback for the past few years—they’re a dedicated, algorithm-free platform for marketing yourself to the world. You can start with your existing contacts and build your audience by creating a signup list directly through your blog.

• Social media: Social media will help you generate more engagement and awareness. Instagram is an easy place to start: Set up a profile, look at who your ideal followers are following, follow them, and take notes on what they’re posting. Don’t worry about creating social media content from scratch—you can easily repurpose material from your blog in short, snackable ways. We also recommend connecting your social accounts to your blog when you’re ready.

Cost considerations when starting a travel blog

Understanding the costs associated with a travel blog is an important step for setting realistic goals. These can range from operational costs to visual and design features that will take your blog to the next level. Here are some key considerations when budgeting for your blog:

• Blog operation: These upfront costs, critical to getting your blog up and running, include domain registration, web hosting, and any paid blog themes and templates.

• Travel expenses: Depending on your niche, these can add up, so plan accordingly. If you don’t have the budget to travel far and wide, focus on local stories to save on travel.

• Photo and video: Blogs perform best with strong visuals. If you can’t shoot them yourself, consider hiring local photographers, sourcing user-generated content (UGC), or licensing stock images.

• Design and editing tools: Editing software will make your photos pop and design tools can help you create standout graphics, even if you aren’t a graphic design pro. While sophisticated tools can be pricey, many low-cost or free tools are widely available.

How to earn money from a travel blog

Your travel blog can generate revenue if you publish consistently engaging content and have a growing audience. Here are a few things to help determine whether you’re ready to monetize: 

• Web traffic: Common guidance is to wait until you have at least 10,000 monthly pageviews before you can monetize your blog. However, the recent popularity of niche-specific micro influencers makes it easier for lower traffic blogs to cash in. 

• Niche, content, and brand voice: What makes your content worth sponsoring or paying for? Do people trust your recommendations and insights?

• Audience and readership: Who are your readers and what brands might want to reach them? Have any of your followers expressed an interest in premium content or a digital tip jar?

Types of monetization

There are a few common ways to earn money from a popular blog.

• Sponsorship and content marketing: These are individual articles published on behalf of a brand or full takeovers where a brand sponsors your entire blog. You create content to will entice your readers to consider the sponsoring brand. Three common sponsor types are food, travel, lifestyle, and camera brands.

• Premium content: These are gated posts that people have to pay or subscribe to read, or reports, studies, or ebooks that readers have to pay or offer an email address to download. You could also paywall video content or online courses.

• Display advertising: Banner ads can help generate revenue every time someone clicks. It’s easy to do by finding an online ads platform you trust. Just make sure ads don’t detract from the overall user experience.

• Affiliate marketing: Are there specific products you think your audience will love? You can earn a percentage of sales simply by adding a tracked affiliate link to the product on your blog. Every time a reader clicks and purchases, you get a commission. 

Ready to launch your travel blog?