For those considering leading the life of a digital nomad, starting a travel blog is a good idea. The fun side is that the blog can help chronicle the adventures one experiences around the world. Meanwhile, its practical purpose is the ability to monetize content. To do this, it is not necessary to have a lot of funds in hand. Those on a budget can easily build a travel blog with various tools and resources.
Pick a niche for the blog
When thinking about how to start a travel blog, the first step is to define the niche or central theme of the blog. Travel blogging is a broad category; to stand out from the crowd, one needs to narrow down their focus area. This means picking up a specific type of travel. Some of the travel blog niche ideas for budget travelers include family travel, solo travel, adventure travel, foodie travel, eco-travel, and so on.
Picking up a suitable niche can make the content creation process easier and also help to attract the right target audience. Also, make sure to read other blogs in the same niche. This can be useful to identify the topics that are common across these blogs and determine whether there is any information gap that one can fill with their blog.
Choose an affordable or free blogging platform
One of the best tools for travel bloggers on a budget is a free blogging platform. There are many paid blogging platforms that offer a lot of features and functionalities. But for those on a tight budget, low-cost or free alternatives can work well too. These platforms have substantial features and themes that can be used to create a blog with decent aesthetics.
Some of the popular free blogging platforms include WordPress.com, Blogger, and Medium. Most of these free platforms also have their paid versions. Over time, as the blog grows, one can move to these paid versions and get access to additional customizations and tools.
Get a domain name
Travel blogging for beginners entails using free domain names provided by all the blogging platforms that are available for no cost. In such situations, the domain names would usually read like this – travelblog.wordpress.com. While this can save some money, it does not have enough credibility or professionalism, especially if one wants their blog to grow. So, it is often recommended to have a custom domain name like travelblog.com. Having such a custom domain name does not cost a lot. There are many low-cost blog hosting options for travel bloggers.
In fact, several hosting providers frequently roll out bundle deals and discounts, making the registration of domain names quite affordable. While picking a domain name, make sure that it is catchy, short, and easily associated with the niche. Domain registrars like GoDaddy and Namecheap can be used to search for potential domain names.
Create high-quality content
A budget travel blog tip that most affordable travel blogging guides recommend is making high-quality content. This is because content is what drives the travel blog. It must resonate with the audience and keep them engaged. This can be done by creating genuine and authentic blog posts where one shares their honest reviews, personal stories, and real experiences. This can help build trust with the readers. Along with this, creating guides, travel tips, budgeting ideas, and itineraries can also keep audiences coming back to the blog repeatedly.
Budget travel blogs must also focus on content related to free and affordable travel experiences that travelers with limited funds can participate in. This can be about local hiking trails, cultural festivals, or street food adventures. Make sure to pay attention to storytelling since travel is mainly about discovering new experiences and having new adventures. Creating excellent content does not have to be expensive. Using free tools and affordable tools like Lightroom Mobile or Canva, one can post good-quality edited photos to their blog to make it more engaging. Finally, ensure to post consistently to keep up the quality of the blog.
Keep the target audience engaged
While creating good-quality content is important, it is equally essential to keep the target audience of the blog consistently engaged. To be successful, the blog needs to have a loyal following. Engagement can be maintained by responding to readers’ comments, asking for feedback, and answering their queries.
Email newsletters are also a great way to stay connected with followers and keep them updated about whatever is the latest going on in the blog. The goal must be to create a community and form connections with followers and increase the number of repeat visitors to the blog. Asking for feedback and creating a community can foster a deeper connection and increase repeat visitors.
Monetize the blog
Monetizing a budget travel blog may seem challenging. But when done at the right time, it can bring some really good results. Most travel blog beginners commit the mistake of focusing on monetizing their content right away. But it should not be the immediate priority. In fact, it is wiser to wait around for some time and create quality content that brings in substantial traffic and engagement. Once this happens, one can start to get into various ways that will generate income from the blog.
Some ways to monetize a travel blog include affiliate marketing with travel industry brands and doing sponsored posts and reviews for travel brands and services. One can also choose to develop and sell their personalized travel-related products and merchandise.