My Message To New Travel Bloggers & Those Curious About The Lifestyle

If there is anything that is clear in this wild world, it is that there are more creative ways to make a living thanks to the internet and social media. People now have blogs across the board that involve living in a van, flying drones and traveling, LGBTQ+ travel and living… you get it. There are instagram pages and whole websites for just about everything. So why has blogging become so popular?

Aside from the fact that we use the internet to communicate, amplify our unique voices, and stay connected with love ones, I think that blogging oftentimes portrays who we want to be (yet fails to paint a complete picture of who we are) and let’s us create our own visionary world. I personally use my blog to share information that I think will inch the world closer to behaving in an ethical and sustainable way, even though most of the world is not quite there yet.

We all have different reasons for sharing our lives, ponderings, and experiences through the internet. If you’re curious about how travel bloggers live their lives or are a new travel blogger yourself, here are a few things that you need to know.

1. Many Travel Bloggers Don’t Travel Full Time

When you creep through the perfectly polished rows on a travel blogger’s Instagram it often looks like they have gone around the world and back, twice, in one week. In the past month I have posted pictures from Finland, Yosemite National Park, Colorado, North Carolina, California and Germany. Have I been to all these places? You bet. But was it in the last month? No way. 

People often think that travel bloggers are constantly globetrotting (which is the case for a small amount of people) but many of us have a home base that we use to regroup, keep our things, and check in with family. Many younger travel bloggers still have a home base with their parents or family members but live out of a backpack often. Doing this frees up their income by a significant amount, making travel more affordable. 

2. Travel Bloggers Look Like They Live Perfect Lives, But That Isn’t The Case

When this picture was taken of me at Horseshoe Bend, I was depressed. Like, super depressed. I was really good at keeping it from the people that I was traveling with though, (thank you language barrier) and it honestly felt wrong to feel so horrible in such a wonderful place. It happens though, and that’s OK. Traveling doesn’t guarantee happiness, it just enhances it when you are in a good mental and emotional place.

Social media is just highlights of a life. It’s not the in-between, daily experience. So people think that their lives are supposed to be full of highlights like that and that if they don’t have them that somehow they’re missing something and it’s their fault.

Alexandra Paul on the Unruly Podcast

It is easy to mindlessly scroll through social media these days and assume that everyone is living a life that is better than yours, and that you’re one of the few people who are really missing out. (This is something that I discussed with Alexandra Paul on our Unruly Podcast episode.)

The truth is that all have struggles that come into our lives, whether we’re hiking through the Smokies with full backpacks and sore feet, sitting on a beach abroad catching some rays, or at home with our untamed children. Travel bloggers will face health, relationship, social, systemic, and financial problems like anyone else. It’s dangerous to assume that someone is living the perfect life through the lens of social media, as you will often hand over the present moment in exchange for worry, FOMO, and doubt.

3. Some Travel Bloggers Travel Frugally, While Others Spend A Lot

Let me let you in on a secret: I don’t have a lot of money. 

When I was just 19 years old (and financially broke) I decided to bike across the USA with only $300 to my name, working for food, cash, and accommodation as I went. (Spoiler alert: the $300 I set out with all went to repairing my bike after I crashed it head-first into a tree while uncontrollably flying down a hill on the Blue Ridge Parkway, so I was essentially moneyless on the trip.) 

After realizing how much life-changing travel could be done on such a small budget, I felt inspired to create an online space where I could share what I was experiencing, while meeting incredible strangers that I would quickly turn into friends, on an extremely (like, extremely) small budget. Fast forward and I’ve now been to 34 states in the US, 20 national parks, and over 20 countries, often traveling solo. I’ve gone across the US and back a handful of times starting with $300 or less.

Budget travel often gets looked down on for being uncomfortable and some sort of epic sacrifice. But for me, budget travel has been my most devoted teacher and seems to be where I make the best memories and most genuine connections. I’ve even written a whole guide that teaches people how to do some serious budget travel, if you’re open to that sort of thing.

But budget travel isn’t for everyone, and many people prefer luxury travel. There are systemic issues that can keep luxury travel out of reach for many folks, but it seems to make for a smoother travel experience for those who can afford it. Unless a travel blogger discloses with you how much money they’re spending on travel, it can be really hard to tell. Don’t be afraid to dive into budget travel and forage your own path!

4. Some Travel Bloggers Make Bank Off Of Their Blog, While Other Bloggers Make Nothing

It’s more and more common these days to see people making money off of their blogs and social media, and travel bloggers are no exception. They use ads, affiliate links, speaking gigs, and brand partnerships to make money. There’s a myth that if you run a social media account with under 10K followers it’s impossible to make money, but that’s not true. You don’t have to have the world’s largest following to start making money off of your blog (but it sure would help!).

It’s also important to note some travel bloggers don’t try to make money off of their blogs – they just have them for the joy of having them. Others work tirelessly to monetize their content.

For most making money off of travel content, their travel blog or social media is not their primary source of income. Many people (like myself!) work remote jobs while they travel to have a steady income and continuously fuel travel and new adventures. Zip Recruiter says: “While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $228,000 and as low as $13,500, the majority of Travel Blogger salaries currently range between $36,500 (25th percentile) to $118,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $185,000 annually across the United States,” and goes on to say that “As of Dec 30, 2022, the average annual pay for a Travel Blogger in the United States is $87,060 a year.”

I’ve become close with quite a few travel bloggers over the years, and hardly any of them are making this much money (or anything close to it). So when you read those numbers, don’t be intimidated. Keep in mind that your worth isn’t tied to your income, and it takes time to build up a steady income from your blog or social media.