How To Start A Successful Travel Blog Without Traveling

Alot of people think you can't be a travel blogger without traveling the world. But what if I told you that's not true. In fact, you can create and operate a travel blog from the comfort of your home without ever having to travel anywhere and in this blog post I'll be showing you exactly how you can do it.

Travel bloggers need to be eager to explore, meet new people, see new places, and learn new things. This is how they are able to create engaging content.

If you want to become a travel blogger and start your own blog, you will have to take a couple of steps before you can get everything ready.

You won’t have much time to sit back, relax and enjoy yourself.

How To Run a Travel Blog Without Travelling.

Some people think you need a laptop or fancy camera inorder to start a travel blog. But the truth is that you don't need those things. Although they would be nice to have, a good phone and an app for writing your blog post (Google docs) is all you need. You can find great royalty free images online from sites like pexels and pixabay. If you prefer to create original images for your travel blog then you could take your own photos or use DIY editing tools like canva.

Inorder to create a travel blog without traveling, you'll need to do two things. One being to actually create the blog and other being to create content. The third would be to promote your blog but we've already written a blog post on 5 tricks to increase blog traffic. So make sure you read that blog post when you're done with this one.

Create a Professional looking Blog.

This is the first step you'll need to take. You can't be a travel blogger without a blog so creating a professional blog is essential. This is easy with sites like WordPress, Wix or Blogger. You'll also need both web hosting and a domain name. 

Step 1: Choose a domain name.

The first thing you need to do is pick a domain name (i.e., your website name). There’s no such thing as a “wrong domain name,” but they're a couple of rules to follow:

Pick a name that'll stand the test of time – Make sure you pick a name that isn’t so focused so in future, if you decide to change or expand your niche you'd be able to do so easily.

Your blog name should be unique and easy to remember. You want a name that just rolls off the tongue easily. You could even use your own name if you’re going to maintain a highly personal style throughout your blog. If you're having problems coming up with a good name for your blog then you can use free blog name generators like nameboy or domain wheel.

Don’t date your blog – Don’t pick something that's age related be it in your domain name or permalinks. This is another way to make your content evergreen.

Pick a name that describes what you do as much as possible – This is great for both people and search engines, As tells them what your website is about. Add in relevant keywords words in your domain name.

Google domains cost $12 dollars per year, but there are other alternatives like Domain.com, Namecheap or Godaddy. But if you don't have money for web hosting or a domain name then you can start your blog on Google's blogger for free.

Step 2: Sign up for a host.

After you’ve picked out your domain name, you’ll need to register it online and buy hosting. Web hosting is like rented land, this is where your website will be situated. Hosting your website means that it's online. There are a lot of basic hosting companies out there — and most of them aren't reliable so make research and choose recognised hosting providers.

Some of the popular hosting providers are Bluehost, Hostinger or Hostgator.

Step 3: Install your theme.

One of the most important things a blog needs besides good content is a good design. People decide in seconds whether or not they trust your website and choose to stay by just looking at your site's theme / layout. 

A visually unappealing website will turn off readers and reduce the number of return visits you get which will negatively affect your website in terms of SEO.

So to accomplish a good design, you will need an amazing WordPress theme (i.e., design templates and files).

Luckily there are a number of free and premium themes, many designed specifically for travel blogs. You can check;

Best free travel blog themes for WordPress.

How to Create Content for your Travel Blog Without Travelling.

One of the question on people's mind when you tell them you are a travel blogger who doesn't travel is

How do you then get content for your travel blog if you don't travel? Since you won't be traveling you'll need to approach travel blogging from a different angle.

Content is an often discussed subject in the blogging world and when you read opinions from different bloggers, you will see that almost all of them have different views. 

This is because creating content is a very delicate and personal thing and everyone has their own thought process. Even though you will eventually have your own way of doing this, there are certain rules to follow that you must cover.

Use Social Media.

Social media can be another great tool to drive traffic to your travel blog—especially channels like quora and pinterest.

You'll need to spend most of your time doing research about places, events and people in areas you want to blog about. People who are looking for travel content about a particular place are looking for accurate information about those places and answers to their questions. So in order to provide them with great content you'll need to do research. 

Luckily for you with social media apps like Instagram and YouTube you can find a lot of travel vloggers who have been to those locations. You can then combine all the information you've gathered into a concise blog post. 

This can be tedious and time consuming but it's the price you'll have to pay for not traveling. 

I'm not saying you should copy other people's work, Just use the information you get as a guide when writing your own blog post. You can also read other blogs as well.

Write about places you'd like to visit.

You can write a blog post about places you'd like to visit. Telling people why you would love to visit those places. This type of blog post is great because you don't need to travel anywhere. You'll only be suggesting cool places for people to visit.

Write about your current location.

Does your city have any interesting/unique museums? or maybe popular restaurants, then why not blog about those special places in your home town. 

Exploring your city really is the most valuable thing you can do to find content for your travel blog! Although you might not notice, content ideas are all around you. You just need to pay attention.

Write "how-to" blog posts.

These types of blog posts are great because they are different from traditional travel blogging. They add variation as well, blogging about simple things like how to pack light really works really well and it diverts attention from you to other things. It's great to not personalize your travel blog that much if you know you won't be traveling a lot.

Share other people's experiences.

Yes, you can share other people's experiences on your blog.

We've seen those types of videos on YouTube where they just retell other people's experiences from reddit or other forums. These types of posts are great because you don't have to brainstorm content. These forums are already a treasure trove of content and who knows some of the stories can inspire your next blog post. You could also write about things you've learnt from people you know as well.

Write about previous travels.

What I mean by this is that if you've been somewhere in the past then you could write about it.

Similar examples to this could involve blogging about your childhood travels, or even a day trip you went on a year ago that you never had the chance to write about. If you create a list of all the things you have done and think of unique ways to tell these stories, you’ll never run out of content to share!

Guest Post.

Guest posting is a great idea when you’re struggling to create content for your blog because you aren’t traveling. Not sure what guest blogging is? well it simply means finding other bloggers or freelance writers who will submit a post that is relevant in your niche to your blog. You post that blog and give all rights to the original owner.

New content and no work. It’s also a great way to connect with other bloggers and to expand both of your blogs! its like killing two birds with the same stone. Plus: They’ll probably share their blog post on social media, which results in more people finding you and potential new readers. Its a win, win!w

15 Travel Blog Content Ideas.

These travel blog post ideas are great for when you’re stuck at home and aren’t sure what to write about next on your travel blog!

1. Best restaurants in your town/city.

2. Tips for booking cheaper flights.

3. How to pack light.

4. Trending vacation outfits.

5. Best photo spots in your city.

6. Your favorite travel blogs/ bloggers.

7. 10 foods to try in _____.

8. How to travel with kids.

9. How to save money while traveling.

10. What not to do before a road trip.

11. Travel essentials.

12. Vacation on a budget.

13. Travel blogging mistakes and how to avoid them.

14. Best campsites in ______.

15. Hidden resorts in_______.