How to start a travel blog (+ tips for reaching out to brands)

Thinking of starting a travel blog? Then look no further as I have pulled together my top tips from over the years.

Travel blogging is a journal that the whole world can read and it is the main reason behind me setting up my own travel blog. I set up Sophie’s Suitcase for both my friends and family to read whilst I was on my travels backpacking around South East Asia back in 2012.

Nowadays everyone is writing about their travels and what better way to record your own stories and tips than by starting your own blog. 

Being able to travel around the world is something that not everyone gets the chance to do. It’s an experience that can be life-changing in many ways and you get to experience wonders and landscapes that are likely to change your view on life forever.

So if you’re looking at doing it on a regular basis and enjoy writing, then here’s how to create an online blog to fund your travelling.

1. Decide on a Blog Name

You also want to consider your blog name because it’s important that it’s catchy and memorable. However, there’s also a risk of creating a name that is too complicated or not something you can easily spell out.

Other things when setting up a business online like a blog would be to get a physical address from physicaladdress.com. This can be handy for establishing yourself professionally.

2. Pick a Design for your website

The most important thing when doing anything in life is to not rush. If you rush, then mistakes get made and it can end up devaluing the work that you do. It’s important to spend time on the creation of your blog when it’s something that you’re doing from scratch.

Think about the design that you want and the layout needed. There are some that spend thousands on web designs and others will use pre-made templates that can be used by hundreds of others who wish to purchase that same design.

3. Post Consistently

Consistency is key but that also goes hand in hand with quality. You want to be posting a certain amount of content each week or month and when it comes to posting, make sure you post at the same time or day.

That way, you’re building up a following that will know as and when you’re likely to post. That means they’ll be waiting on you for the next post you create and that type of following can be really influential.

Quality is also key and it’s something that you shouldn’t skimp on when it comes to your content.

4. Build A Loyal Following

Building a loyal following is important because there are a lot of opportunities that can come from having a following that does what you recommend or tell them to. It can be handy to have a community of followers that do a lot of the promotion for you when it comes to advertising your brand and showcasing your recent posts.

5. Start Reaching Out To Brands

Once you’re ready and you’ve started to build that following, it’s time to start reaching out to brands and companies. Don’t wait for them to come to you because nothing ever really lands in your lap unless you’ve made it happen.

Think about cold pitching to brands you’re interested in collaborating with and structure your emails or messages to offer something to that brand in return for what you’re asking. 

Before you start make sure you check out their social reach, traffic data, visual appeal of their blog, non-controversial content, niche topics, etc. Also remember when working with bloggers that a lot of brands work with an average of 20 travel bloggers per campaign so that they can maintain a variety of strong relationships for ongoing mentions and engagement.

Make sure you are unique in the way you use your relationship with bloggers in order to engage your end user. Instead of having them post a photo of them wearing the cool shirt you sent them, create ways for the bloggers to incorporate your product into their journey or a specific day of travel.

By introducing the product or brand as an addition to the article, the brand will flow in line with the blogger and their audience and in turn creates more engagement. It also doesn’t seem too pushy then and forced.

A campaign cycle can be lengthy because there are a few logistical components to working with travel bloggers. The time between pitching and earning a post can be long and also keep in mind travel bloggers plan ahead a lot.

They may plan a trip six months in advance and therefore you placing your product or brand may need time and attention. But fortunately when these posts are scored they are so worth it!

Types of Brands Working with Travel Bloggers

Tourist boards: It may be obvious but more than ever tourist boards are reaching out to bloggers – for them, it is an easy way to host bloggers in return for coverage on their blog about their country, why people should travel there and curation of beautiful images across social media.

Hotels and Booking agents: The way destination locations are working with travel bloggers is advancing quickly. Some hotels even offer discounts and free rooms to influencers with large followings in exchange for social media and blog posts!

Experiences: Every travel blogger loves an experience so offer them a personal tour of Rome, or tickets to a great festival in Europe. Look at their upcoming trip and if it fits your brand offer them a complimentary ‘experience’ because if it’s great they’ll talk about it and maybe even blog about it.

Fashion: Fashion brands have jumped on the travel bloggers bandwagon and the most popular strategy is to send bloggers clothing or accessories specific for a blogger’s upcoming trip.  This strategy leads to authentic and visual content from admired influencers.

Restaurants/Cafes: Restaurants, which have a countrywide location, have teamed up with travel bloggers to highlight new food and strategies. From gluten-free menus to image revamping—connecting with travel bloggers has helped restaurant chains get their message across to many people. After all, who doesn’t go out to eat?

Brands for people on a budget: One of the more popular niches within the travel blogging genre is travelling on a budget. Therefore, sending items to these bloggers is a great way for brands that appeal to budget-savvy consumers to spread their message.

Tech brands: A growing sector appealing to travel bloggers is tech, as more and more technology appears aimed at the traveller and journeys of all types. You can place your brand or product as an integrated technology into their “on the go” way of living.

Creating an online blog has many benefits, especially when being able to fund your travel opportunities right now and further down the line.

If you on a bigger trip exploring more of Europe check out my guides to France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom.

My Travel Tips and Recommendations

Flights

To book flights, I always use flight search engine Skyscanner, I regularly use the Everywhere tool to find the cheapest places to travel. It’s how I get to travel so much all around the world. I find it the easiest way to compare flight prices across airlines and get the best deals. 

Accommodation

For accommodation, I usually book most of my hotels or hostels through Booking.com. I love using this platform as it provides me with some amazing deals for accommodation all around the world. Or if you prefer, I also recommend using Airbnb. If you haven’t signed up with Airbnb already, you can use this link to get £25 off your first visit!

Travel Insurance

Picking travel insurance that covers you in all eventualities is an essential part of planning a trip for every single person. If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel. You never know what’s around the corner. 

You can also find me on social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Did you know I also vlog my trips? Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel so you get alerted when all my travel videos go live… CHECK THEM OUT HERE

Thank you for reading and as always happy adventuring! If you have any questions about the destination please leave these in the comments below.

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please share it for me with all your friends and family!

Sophie X