How to Start a Travel Blog with WordPress

Wondering how to start a travel blog? Try WordPress – the hugely popular website builder and content management system.

It really couldn’t be simpler, and you’ll be able to share all those fantastic experiences with a wide audience in just a few simple steps.

Get all the knowledge you need on how to start a travel blog right here.

Read Other Blogs

Reading other blogs to get inspired is probably the best point to kick off from.

You’ll find out what’s been covered to death – so that you can figure out what to write yourself. If a place has been covered by pretty much all the other travel bloggers, you won’t do yourself any favors by adding a similar story to the pile.

It’ll also be much harder for you to stand out in search results if you’re covering very similar things to other people.

If you’re short of ideas on how to start a travel blog, regarding content, this should act as your guide.

Choose a Name and Find Yourself a Web Host

Now you’ve got a rough idea about what you want to write; it’s time to pick a name (the fun part) and a web host (the less exciting part).

When naming your site, make sure you’re not too similar to anybody else. Otherwise, you’ll be competing with them for attention. If they’re fairly well established, you’ll struggle.

Pick something that’s easy to remember and type, and original.

Finding a host is fairly easy, as there are many reliable choices out there.

Many hosts offer low-cost, mid-range and ‘business’ level hosting services. You should take into account the price and benefits of each, and weigh up what you’ll need.

It often makes sense to jump in with the low-cost option for now, and step up later to a business-level plan when you’re getting thousands of visitors a day!

You should make sure that your chosen host offers enough support for your needs. If you’re very technically adept, you might not be so worried. If you’re a first-timer, a helpline can be a life-saver! 

If you need help to figure out your web host options, our friends over at firstsiteguide.com have reviewed and scored several web hosts for you. Check out their list of web hosting reviews. SiteGround is one of my favorite web hosts, but there are several others worth checking out from that list.

Pick The Right Theme for Your Travel Blog

There are loads of fantastic and free WordPress themes out there, so it’s just a matter of choosing your preferred one.

For a travel blog, you probably want to check out slick designs. Try to choose one which has a focus on presenting pictures attractively and in high resolutions.

Once you’ve got a theme in place, you’ll have to start thinking about writing lots of content and upload your images. But before you get stuck into that, have you thought about plugins?

Plug In Your Plugins

The next step is to find plugins to make your life easier.

WordPress plugins do a wide range of things – from helping you boost your SEO ranking to backing up your site, optimizing content, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

They can save you loads of time and money. Though they’re not all free, there are plenty of free options. And even the paid-for plugins tend to be a good value for the money. They’re far cheaper than having something built specifically for you by a software house.

As someone likely to be posting photographs, you should probably check out plugins like Shortpixel. This is an image optimizer, meaning that it makes your images web-friendly by compressing the file size – so that they load faster.

Get Scribbling And Add Your Photos

With your hosting, website, and plugins in place, it’s time to get working on content.

Photos are relatively straightforward, and we’re sure you’ve got a right eye. So we probably don’t need to tell you what or how to shoot!

However, regarding writing, travel blogs can cover a huge range of topics, including:

• Historical monuments and stories
• Local traditions
• Food and drink abroad
• Eco-friendly tourism
• Promoting a good cause abroad
• Tips and tricks while traveling

This list is just here to start you out. We’re sure you’ll find lots more to talk about once you’re abroad. But if you’re a little stuck for inspiration…

How to Find Article Inspiration

It’s sometimes hard to find the right topic to cover, or hard to avoid repeating someone else’s experiences on your blog. There are, after all, a lot of travel blogs out there.

You need to stand out by finding unique angles and insight to share with your audience.

Beyond merely traveling, make sure you’re talking to the locals to find out all the area’s secrets and hidden treasures. Pick something that seems small, but interesting, and delve into its past.

Or, as a safe choice, simply do something that will produce great photos!

Be Social

As well as being social with the locals during trips, you should also be social on your blog.

To make it easy for people to share your content, install a social plugin to your WordPress site which lets them do this. It should feature at least the ‘big three’ of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but the more, the merrier.

Remember to interact with your social network, and maybe even start a conversation with other writers. You might end up meeting them on your travels, or also write together one day.

Still Stumped on How to Start a Travel Blog?

Starting out and still not quite sure how to start a travel blog? It’s not always easy to feel confident about your first post, but the more you do it, the better you’ll think about it.

In essence, the best advice is simply to start – and the rest will follow. Get more tips and advice on becoming a successful blogger on our blog.