10 Common Travel Blogging Mistakes (and How To Avoid Them)

Due to the pandemic, traveling overseas isn’t nearly as easy as it used to be. And while it was glamorous at times, travel blogging was already a lot of hard work. Now it’s much harder.

If you’re looking to start up a travel blog or improve your existing one, now that the world is waking up again, this article will help you avoid some of the most common mistakes.

1. Being too generic

Do you know how many travel bloggers there are in the world? The answer is: everyone with a smartphone and an Instagram account is technically a travel blogger.

That’s great for the destinations hoping to advertise their experiences and resorts, but it means the serious travel blogger needs a unique selling point (USP) to stand out. So, ask yourself: what can I do better than 50% of everyone else? Find your niche and double down on it.

For example, you don’t have to take great pictures of cool houses, but if your USP is capturing a unique angle on iconic buildings, then your followers will tune in specifically to see that.

2. Not using SEO

Travel blogging used to be called “journaling.” But the internet transformed it into so much more.

As such, a good travel blogger should understand how to use search engine optimization (SEO) to put their writing in front of as large an audience as possible.

But keep in mind that it’s a balance. By writing too much for Google’s algorithms, your writing can sound robotic. Yet, by only writing for a human audience, your visitor traffic won’t be as high as it could be. So, while you should learn the basics of SEO, don’t go too crazy with it!

3. Too much social media

Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Tik Tok — these social media sites offer an incredible array of ways to deliver content to your followers. But focusing on it too much comes with a risk.

The risk is that, over time, your blogging begins to look like a camera is always there. Every action you take appears to be calculated to get the most clicks or likes. Nothing feels organic, and the audience will soon notice.

If your blogging becomes too scripted, you will lose the most important currency any writer has with their audience: trust. So, keep a camera handy when you’re out and about, but don’t let Instagram dictate your travel experience.

4. No writing habit

Martial artist Bruce Lee was once asked by an acolyte, “How do I punch faster?” Lee’s response was perfect: “Punch faster.” The philosophy is the same…