How much do travel bloggers get paid?
Comments 50

I’ve been blogging about travel for almost five years now and haven’t really even tried to make my blog profitable. It would be nice, but I am torn between what minimal profit I think I could make and how ads and sponsors would change the tone and tenor of the blog. I suppose there is also a degree of ignorance as to how to make money. If I could blog full time and feed my family, I would though. The biggest obstacle, I think, is balancing between the job that feeds the family and also allows me to travel, being present with the family, having adventures worth blogging about and also making a reasonably well put together blog. I’ll keep going as long as it is fun and interesting regardless of profit, but profit sure would be nice.

Eric Gaden
http://www.adventurenickel.com

Eric, thanks for the thoughtful reply. It’s scary taking the plunge from a secure job to being self-employed. Kudos to you for putting your family first. 🙂 I’m going to outline the steps I took in future blog posts.

This was such an interesting read – I never realised how lucrative the travel blogging market was, although given the competition it must take quite a few years to reach that point. It’s so awesome that you’ve been able to do so though!

Tessa / Bramble & Thorn

Yes, it takes years for most travel bloggers to make money, but nevermind the competition — there’s plenty of opportunity for the travel blogger market to expand.

I am definitely interested in the topic but I feel like I’m thinking about it in a different way. I want to do something I am passionate about. Something that will keep me interested and keep me learning. I love travel and how it forces you outside your comfort zone and makes you grow as a person. I also studied Media & PR is college and would love to make something of that. Currently I don’t have a job since we just moved to Europe, but my husband does have a full-time position. So, I spend my time learning about this travel blogging world and thinking of what I could write about that people might be interested in, while at the same time, simply sharing our experiences. So much goes into blogging that I had no idea about until I really started focusing on it that it takes so much time! So, I’m still learning and maybe one day it might make me a little bit.

http://www.awanderlustforlife.com

Hi Jessica. Yes, passion is key because the business of blogging is tedious and there are times I’ve wanted to give up. My love of travel, writing, and photography keeps me going. Your media background should help quite a bit — half of blogging is promoting your content.

Wow, I’ve honestly always wondered the answer to that question, and HOW you all are able to travel/blog/make an income all the time. It’s an area my photographer husband is super interested in, but neither of us have time/funds to travel much and run a popular blog, like those listed above. Sure, I blog about our small trips around Peru, but am a nobody blog basically, so there’s no way I could get sponsorships or income for my small blog. I feel bad saying this, but sometimes travel bloggers make me jealous with the amazing places they travel to! They also make me really happy though, because I can live vicariously through photos and stories and see places I may never get to see in real life 🙂

Hi Mere. Travel bloggers make me jealous sometimes and I’m one of them! Travel blogging is like any business — what you put in is what you get out. It does take a huge investment of time and money, as I think any travel blogger would admit. The great thing is that you can start small and develop your writing and photography skills as you go. Keep at it!

Thanks for sharing. It looks easy to start a travel blog, but being able to make enough money to live on each month is tough. Plus there are so many people trying to start travel blogs nowadays that it’s difficult to get your name out there and noticed.

Hi Eden. Yes, I would say the market is pretty saturated with bloggers, but I think there’s still room for unique travel bloggers. The key is finding your voice and your niche, then finding like-minded readers to connect with.

Interesting article, thank you, I’d never expect to be a big earner but it would be nice if my little hobby could fund itself and maybe cover a conference every now and then. Will watch out for your future articles.

Hi Toni. You’re welcome. Having your travel blog cover your travel expenses means it’s profitable. That’s a good goal.

Very interesting to read your story and about earning for traveling. It is a dream of mine too and I hope one day I can do this, just like you and the others 🙂

XX

http://www.floortjeloves.com

http://www.facebook.com/floortjeloves

I’ll be adding posts about the steps I took (and the mistakes to avoid) to make travel blogging my career. Thanks for reading, Floortje!

Interesting to see the numbers 😉 Thanks for sharing this.

You’re welcome. Thanks for reading.

I love your blog! I am just getting into blogging since I started traveling last year. Hope to do more of it. I would love to make a little profit but I am not expecting big numbers since I am very new to this. Please add more posts about how to make a blog successful! Thank you ♥

Theyoungandthewandering.weebly.com

Thank you, Hilda! I will have a new post on Friday about finding your niche in travel blogging. Stay tuned!

Thanks for this incredibly informative post and congratulations on all of the hard work you put into your blog to make it so successful! I look forward to hearing more about all that you did to make blogging your full-time job, since that’s my ultimate goal – someday!
Jessica
http://www.thebellevoyage.com

Hi Jessica. First of all, I love your blog design. I’m following you now. I’m going to read your posts about packing! Yes, stay tuned to this space as I have a lot more to write about the steps to turn your blog into a full-time job.

Thank you so much! I’ve really enjoyed your blog as well. I’m following you too, so I look forward to keeping in touch and trading travel tips!

I think one of the key things about travel blogging, or blogging in general, is not to go in it with the intention of making money. I started my blog just as a personal escape and a way to reflect on the amazing trips I’ve had. I’m also a huge music fan, so my blog focuses on that as well. Its a fun hobby! And of course, everyone’s dream is to get paid for doing their hobby! I would love to make some money off of my travel blog, but honestly right now I’m just loving looking through old pictures to find which ones to post, and revisiting my memories and journal entries!

This was so interesting though! Can’t wait to read about how one can make a profit from doing something like this! I would LOVE that! And I would love to continue to do this long-term.

That’s true. Some people blog as a hobby and that’s fine too. Either way, you’ve got to have a passion for it to keep going. I secretly love reading my old blog posts too!

Thanks for the feature here, you just made a small typo. My last name is Iovino (not Lovino).
Speaking of blogging…It’s hard but not impossible to make money and live off a travel blog. Deliver your best content and promote your stuff like crazy. It took me exactly one year to make a full time income, now after 2 years I live well from my blog earning pretty much what you stated above (good research, hehe). I’m making most through sponsorshops, affiliates and banner advertising. I’m working a lot to maintain my blog, hope in the future I can work less and travel more. Cheers from Chiang Mai!
PS: Love your blog design! Not many blogs out there that are well done such as yours!

Hi Sab! Thanks for weighing in on the subject and the kind words about my design.

Thank you for this post, I am shocked to see a travel blogger can make six figures/year!
Contrarily to what most people say and advocate, I created my blog with the clear intention of turning blogging into a full-time job. Right now, I am struggling to keep the balance between a full-time job and blogging, but I want to continue until I know the blog is ready for the “next level”. Will get there some day, hopefully!

Thanks for your comment. I didn’t quit my job right away either. It was definitely a struggle to work and blog FT, so I saved as much as I could and once I saw the blogging potential, I jumped ship. It takes careful planning, for sure, so I will be posting more about the steps I took.

I guess my struggle is to pinpoint exactly when to jump ship.
Looking forward to your next posts 🙂
Happy travels!

I’m there right now! This post is inpiring! Next year I will leave my 9-5 job and blog full time. I’m so excitend but scared at the same time

Sara, that is exciting. No risk, no reward, right?

That’s so true! And I always wanted to follow my dreams and fight for them! So here we go!

It’s interesting to hear that a rather remote place like Guam can draw so much attention and a site about it can generate substantial income!

I think the key was that there was no English guide to Guam (there were Japanese websites). I saw the opportunity and filled the niche with TheGuamGuide.com, which is multi-language.

That’s insane. I mean, good kind of insane! Well done all!

I’ve been “blogging” for 3mths & nowhere near the traffic I want to be, before I even consider any advertising/sponsorships. Any further tips would be great…even if I can make an equivalent to part-time income out of blogging would be rewarding enough.

Hi Ailene. Yes, website traffic is important, but don’t forget to count social media followers and engagement (likes, comments, shares). Those are part of your total reach.

I knew ytravelblog was popular. I didn’t know it was that popular. Building a buzz around travel blog is hard especially if you lack marketing skills and new to blogging world. I have recently started blogging my travel tales at my blog. And i have miles to go before i monetize it. Thanks for sharing these stats.

Abi, what you said is sobering and true. I have a marketing/journalism background. It can still be done if you don’t — you’ll just need to hire someone to help you. Elance.com is a good place to start.

Something I’ve wondered about often. 🙂 Thanks for this post! Great to see full-time travel bloggers doing so well, and more power to them all!

I wondered too which is why I did the research about other bloggers. Glad it was helpful to you.

Awesome!! Thank you for posting. It’s nice to know that every single travel blogger started with zero followers, zero posts, zero $. This post is super inspiring. It’s all what you make and create!
I’m curious to see how much bloggers like adventurous kate and the blonde abroad make? Any ideas? xx

Hi. Yes, we all pretty much start from zero. Travel blogging is a huge investment of time and money and you never know if it’s really going to pay off.

Great article, my little two cents here is similar to that of Sab’s, my travel blog certainly doesnt have anywhere near the traffic I would like it to nor what others have but I am successfully funding my trips and travel, as its still in its early stages the key for me to earn a living is to work with companies and offer them a unique product through my photography, I am a motorsport photography as well, specifically I photograph the World Rally Championship, what I have done is successfully incorporate my travels for the WRC with other travel in between, right now I am typing this in the Alps of Poland documenting my 18 days through Poland between rallies, I contact rental companies, various accommodation, photography gear companies and tourism boards and anyone else who might be interested and produce content for them based on where I am going, so far its working perfectly, I think a lot of people expect everything to be thrown at them and for companies to contact them left right and centre, I have learned that doesnt happen, you either chase or you miss out, I have a 3 week trip to Iceland in Nov/Dec this year and pretty much the entire trip is funded by companies who want content and similar to the expert vagabond I am also an ambassador for a number of companies which helps a great deal.

Hi Michael. Thanks for your comment. I did the same thing for Iceland — contacted every tour company, tourism bureau, hotel, and campervan rental to get most of my travel expenses paid for. It’s usually up to the blogger to reach out to companies, like you said.

Brooke Saward bought an apartment in Berlin for 2 months and only lived there for 10 days during that lease because it didnt feel like home. She never liked it so please update this with correct facts.

Thanks for the update.

It most certainly is a “romantic” line of “work.” I’ve really enjoyed perusing your posts and reading your travel articles. The combination of interesting travel, quality content (advice, guides, etc.), and beautiful photography on Global Girl Travels is exactly what I’ve been wanting to create of my own for so long. I haven’t delved into it just yet, but I hope to soon. Thank you for doing what you do, Jessica!

Thank you for sharing this. I write my travel blog as a hobby and it probably remain that way. The whole traffic driving thing is very stressful. Suffice to say that it is way harder than my day job. I can’t quite see myself working as a full time blogger though. I think pro bloggers are very brave souls who require no sleep *LOL*

True comment! There are definitely non-creative aspects of blogging that I don’t enjoy. I’ve had to learn to turn it off and get some sleep but that’s hard when you first get started.

Jessica, this is such a motivation! My plans & efforts are still at a very very nascent stage, but I am in it passionately. Articles like yours keep new ones like me highly motivated. Am sure it will require a lot of efforts, skills and perseverance, but where is it not.

Thanks again and I wish you and all the travelers the very best for their endeavors. One day am sure I will be able to give up my full time job and go traveling full time.

Cheers!
Nilav

Awesome article. thanks for sharing
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