Last year, Google rolled out something called “the helpful-content update” (HCU). It felt that too many websites were over-optimized for search and not run by real people providing real answers based on firsthand experience.

Instead, there were too many SEO farms pumping out bad content for search and ad revenue. Hence, the desire to put “helpful content” (such as online forums like Reddit) at the top of the search results. After all, who better to have firsthand experience than a person posting about something on a forum? (Or so the logic went.)

If you’ve used Google since last October, you’ve likely noticed this change.

I think it sucks. I mean, I don’t care about a forum thread from 2013. I don’t want to search for answers through years of comments and replies, many of which are very out of date. I think this HCU has made Google results far, far worse. I recently tried to find a gym in Munich and rather than just list gyms in Munich, I got Reddit threads that were very outdated.

While I think Google will eventually roll back some of these changes (they tend to roll back some changes after seeing how people react) because too many users are complaining about the quality of the results. Still, I think this is the first nail in the coffin for blogs, especially single-destination websites that don’t have a “clear expert” behind them. (These blogs were among the hardest hit in the update.)

We bloggers have always lived and died by the algorithm. Whether social media or search, we are at the mercy of these companies. But these recent Google changes were some of the most extreme I’ve seen in the sixteen years I’ve been working online. Our search traffic is down 50% — and I feel like I’ve gotten off easy compared to people who have had their websites go to zero.

Many bloggers have just stopped blogging and are now looking for “real” jobs. Only a few seem to have gotten anything from the new changes, most notably Rick Steves, who, because he has a forum, has actually seen his traffic go up.

For the last couple of years, I’ve begun thinking that the Age of Blogging was nearing a close. Google has been making changes that pushes real content down in search results thanks to its ads, embedded widgets, and partnership spam at the top of the search results. People are instead moving toward social platforms to find information; for example, TikTok’s search is really good.

And, as I mentioned in another post, while AI might not be ready for prime time yet, it’s coming along. Right now, it’s just spitting out terrible generic lists and content. I don’t think that creators have to worry about AI at all at the moment.

The biggest issue for creators is search.

Blogs were like the second iteration of the Internet after web forums and Geocities sites and, now, most users are shifting to short form video. While I don’t think blogs will go away completely, I don’t think they will be the source of information for people they once were. Google’s changes are only confirming this for me because if Google is looking at the future and saying “let’s downgrade this content” then one of the only visibility tools left for blogs is gone.

I think that if you’re a blogger, you need to figure out how to not only be a blogger really quick. That means you can still keep your blog, but you’re going to need to diversify not only how you reach people but how you make money.

What else can you do? Podcast? Video? Social media? Run events? Start a forum? (Forums are painful and hard to run though. I wouldn’t do it. I ran one for a bit and I’m glad we stopped.)

To thrive in this new era, you’re going to need to be even more of a brand and personality on social media. You’re not going to be able to have an anonymous destination website. You’re not going to be able to just rely on affiliate and ad revenue.

Even if Google reverses some of the changes, the writing is on the wall.

I think these shifts will see a lot of the older bloggers (i.e., those that have been doing this for 10+ years) shifting to other things. For example, my friend Matt from Expert Vagabond is now doing 360° video. Bloggers will continue blogging and updating as long as the revenue is there. But as traffic fades, I think a lot of OG bloggers will slowly update less and less as they either pivot to something else or just enter a new phase of life as the Age of Blogs comes to a close. (That’s just my theory at least.)

I don’t really know what that means for Google. If people produce less content because they know it won’t matter as it won’t get seen on search, what search results will Google have to show? What posts will their AI scrape (steal)?

I think people will still produce travel stories and tips, but they will scale back as they focus on other types of content and endeavors. Blogs will just be one (smaller) piece of the puzzle.

In the future, I think people will still reference blogs from creators and personalities they know and branded search will be bigger. After all, why comb through a bunch of garbage forum threads when you can just go to that blogger/creator’s website and see if they have information?

Or maybe you’ll start using Bing and DuckDuckGo more. (We’ve actually seen about a 40% jump in traffic from Bing recently.)

In the end, I don’t think blogs will disappear. They will be around the same way guidebooks will be around. Useful, still used, but not as popular as they used to be.

The post AI, Search, and the Travel Creator appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

TravelCon is back! In 2022, after five years (through a pandemic), I ended TravelCon. However, my friends at FinCon offered to run it (thus reducing my workload) so we brought it back! If you’re media or PR in the travel industry, this is the best industry event for you to attend!

TravelCon is a three-day travel media event that focuses on helping you improve your craft, learn new business skills, network with your peers, and connect you with all the awesome brands and tourism boards that attend!

This year, TravelCon will be May 15-17th in Portland, Oregon and will feature pre- and post-event trips; meet-ups; dinner parties; and in-depth, actionable talks. The goal is to help travel creators go pro by turning their passion into a profession and then scale their online business.

At TravelCon, you can:

• Improve your craft in the four major areas of travel: video, photography, writing, and blogging
• Learn what’s hot, what works, and what doesn’t in the industry
• Keep current on the best practices in digital travel publishing
• Learn about new products and services in the industry
• Meet destinations and travel brands
• Learn from experts outside the travel industry
• Make connections with other travel lovers
• Have a ton of fun!!!

What can you expect this year?

TravelCon is the business event for travel creators. The TravelCon sessions this year are going to focus on two things: going pro and scaling.

“Go Pro” sessions will empower part-time creators to go full-time with topics such as:

• Expanding your reach using advanced SEO, ads, & email marketing.
• Discovering creator tools and services to streamline your workflow.
• Diversifying how you monetize your content, including affiliate marketing and collaborations.
• Building effective partnerships with CVBs, DMOs, travel boards, travel brands, and local agencies.

“Scale” sessions are for full-time creators who are ready to scale their brand, reach, content, and profit, with topics such as:

• Equipping your brand with the right team members, tools, and services.
• Diversifying your revenue streams, including product development, courses, or membership communities.
• Maintaining balance to avoiding burnout as a full-time creator and digital nomad.
• Leveraging AI & other emerging tech for content creation & business growth.

Networking Opportunities

Connecting brands and creators is at the core of our event. We provide lots of opportunities to “find your people” and do business in a way that feels natural and organic.

• Expo – Featuring Travel Boards, Brands, CVBs, DMOs, creator service providers, and more — many with specially-curated offers, partnerships, and products to discuss with attendees. Over 40 brands and DMOs are attending this year!
• 1:1 Meetings – Schedule one-on-one meetings with brands, sponsors, and travel boards using our event software. All attendees can participate!
• Meetups – Find your people in meetups tailored to your platform or niches. Our goal is to connect you with as many creators as possible!
• Creator Conversations – These are a hybrid between a session and mini masterminds led by creators and focused on topics that are more niche than general. They provide an opportunity to connect with other like-minded travel creators and to learn from each other.
• Evening Events – Who doesn’t love letting loose with your travel friends? Have fun at the Welcome Reception, Dinner Clubs, Late Night Meetups, and more.

Speakers

Like in previous years, we’re going to have a lot of incredible speakers. You can see a full list on the website, but some confirmed speakers are:

• Me!
• Jeff Jenkins, Chubby Diaries
• Raime Iacofano, Raimee’s Travel
• Rand Fishkin, SEO guru
• Preethi Chandrasekhar, The Eager Traveler
• Jessica Serna, My Curly Adventures
• Katherine Fan, Badass freelance writer
• Kemoy Martin, Travel & lifestyle creator
• Kristin and Siya, Hopscotch the Globe
• Rachel Rudwell, Rachel Roams

Come join me for the best travel show out there. Of course, I’m biased because I started it, but I made this the kind of event that I’d want to attend. One that focuses on business, networking, and improving your skills while having a good time doing it.

Tickets are $499 and you can purchase them here.

It’s going to be a blast! I hope to see you there!

The post TravelCon is Back! Come Join Us! appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

Today is a big day. It marks fifteen years running this website. I posted my first blog entry in early April 2008, after spending over a month bugging friends I met in Vietnam for help with coding. Back then, in the days before WordPress, you had to hand-code everything, and I spent a lot of time figuring out how to move images around, design graphics, create links, and format the site.

I started this blog as a way to get freelance writing gigs so I could afford to keep traveling. I just wanted to put off going corporate for as long as possible. I never thought I’d have a career in travel, but I guess after fifteen years doing so, this counts as a career. I’ve created books, courses, and tours, spoken at conferences, and am quoted in the media. So, I guess I’m kind of an expert in travel? That feels weird to say.

Being a public figure is surreal to me, because, in so many ways, I’m still just a guy who wants to keep traveling. There’s so much of the world I want to see. Sure, I love the business of running a website. It’s a mental challenge I find fascinating. But, to me, it’s still just a way to satisfy my travel addiction and avoid having to work in an office (though, now that I have a team, it’s a more complicated way to avoid the office!).

In the last fifteen years, I’ve seen the internet and travel content creation change dramatically. Digital nomads are no longer weird, and making money online isn’t odd.

“You quit your job? Are you crazy?” isn’t something a lot of people say these days. There’s a lot of positive encouragement for this thing that was once considered so crazy that there must have been something wrong with you if you wanted to do it.

As people are prone to do during milestones like this, I wanted to share some lessons I’ve learned as a grizzled old internet person (because people refer to me as “an OG digital creator” as if I’m 90!).

1. Most people succeed because of luck

Someone’s video goes viral, and suddenly their bakery in Australia has more orders than they know what to do with.

Some people get that lucky interview that opens the door to fame.

Some people just meet that one right person at a conference.

Of course, skill is needed to maintain that success, but a lot of times, luck and timing play a bigger role than people would like to admit. That’s not something you can control. Would I be where I am if I hadn’t started early with a focus on SEO? Probably not. I just happened to start at the right time. That’s not something I controlled. I got lucky.

2. Throw a lot of spaghetti against the wall

I’ve had a lot of failed ideas — from apps to T-shirts to a conference to a hostel. Some of those ventures stuck for a while; others were immediate failures. Some came back years later (we do tours again!). I’m constantly trying new things and then discarding what doesn’t work. But all those things that didn’t work helped us do other things that did work.

3. No one reads blogs for personal updates anymore

Back in the day, blogs were where you told stories and gave life updates. People had RSS feeds and left comments. Now, that happens mostly via email and social media. Yeah, some people will click over to your stories, and blogs are still useful for sharing service-based content, but the way people used to consume personal updates is dead. It probably won’t come back either. The kind of engagement blog comments used to generate is now found on social media.

4. Therefore, you have to be on social media

You can’t be against social media. You have to be on it. I don’t believe you can run a personality-based website without using social media nowadays. You don’t need to be on every platform — join those that make you most comfortable — but you have to be on some. As I said, all social engagement happens there now. It’s where you connect and maintain a relationship with your readers. Your blog is just where you send them when they have questions.

5. You have to learn to make some video content

I hate video. I love words. But video is the wave of the future, and you have to learn to produce it. I’ve already started doing more video and plan to do even more. If your blog has a face (you), that face has to be making video. It’s how young people consume media, and, if you want your message heard by them, you have to do it.

6. It’s important to always reinvent yourself

Change is the only constant in life — and the internet changes at lightning speed. If you don’t constantly reinvent yourself, you are going to get left behind really fast. I know tons of online creators who never moved off their dying social media platform or changed their business model and is puttering along, grinding it out but never really growing. They didn’t adopt new strategies or get on new platforms. They didn’t follow their audience. And, as a result, while they make a living, it’s just a stressful grind of diminishing returns.

You have to be willing to change direction often if you want to succeed online.

7. Some strategies are timeless

Even though everything changes, some things remain the same. You should always have your own website, email is still king, and quality content versus gimmicky trends and memes (on any platform) is still the best way to grow. The tried-and-true marketing strategies to get people to follow you, buy your stuff, or sign up for something haven’t changed (because people don’t change), so following the advice of a bunch of “boring” marketers is still the best way to succeed.

8. Don’t go all in on one platform

Remember Vine? What happened to all those creators who went all in there? Always spread yourself around, because platforms change — and they don’t care about you. Algorithms change, growth slows, and platforms alter direction. So don’t put all your effort into just one platform. Be in multiple places, but also: always direct people back to your website and email list, because, no matter what happens to social media, those are always going to be the two things you own and control.

9. Hire a team

You will never grow if you don’t have a team. There are only so many hours in a day. You just can’t do it all. And your time should be spent on growth and creation, not formatting images. Hiring staff to help with admin work, content updates, email, and anything in between will skyrocket your growth. It’s impossible otherwise.

10. Think of yourself as a pizza shop

If you want to be a successful business, you have to behave like, for example, the brick-and-mortar pizza shop down the street. You have to think about expenses, P&L reports, taxes, marketing, sales, etc. You have to come up with boring marketing plans. You need employees. Otherwise, you’re just playing business, not actually running one.

I know tons of creators who say they “run a business” but when asked for specifics they don’t even know the basics.

11. Never stop learning

Go to conferences, read books, and listen to podcasts. The top people in any field read — constantly.

And they go to events where they learn from their peers.

And they go to niche events, where they learn from experts in other fields.

The greatest disappointment in the travel industry for me is that few creators are really focusing on improving their skills (I say this as someone who ran a professional development conference). But the ones that do? They crush it — and they stay on top! The rest putter along.

12. Learn to let go

We used to gross $500,000 a year just from our blogging courses. Then sales dropped. I spent a lot of money trying to get them back up, but the market had changed. Suddenly, everyone online had a course on blogging and was throwing massive sums into ads. Customers wanted more videos and weekly calls. We tried to adapt, but in the end, what the course market became wasn’t what really interested me. Now, we make about $50,000 a year instead. You have to be willing to let things go if something isn’t working.

13. Don’t try to work and travel at the same time

It’s impossible to work and travel at the same time. You just can’t do it. Your work suffers, your travels suffer, and your mental health suffers. If you want to be a digital nomad, don’t move fast. Move slow, stay in places longer, have dedicated work days, and find good coworking spaces. Don’t run from café to café and destination to destination or else you will always feel like you are only treading water, never like you are moving forward.

14. You MUST network outside your industry

You must network outside your industry if you want to succeed. In your own industry, people know you and there are overlapping audiences. You can only grow so much. But going to events outside your industry? Those are more impactful because you can be that other industry’s expert. I go to finance, business, and social media conferences so I can meet people and be their travel guy. Do they need quotes or an interview? I’m there. Going to non-travel events has done more for my website’s growth than any travel event I’ve ever been to.

15. It’s OK to quit

It’s hard to admit failure. I know a lot of travel creators — and creators in general — that keep working online because they feel they can never go back to an office job, despite the fact they are barely surviving. Sometimes things don’t work out — it’s OK to quit and let go. Use the skills you have to work for someone else and get a regular paycheck. We idolize working for ourselves in the online space so much that we forget that it’s OK to just get paid to do a job and clock in and out. Don’t let pride get in the way of admitting that something didn’t work. Life is too short to be constantly stressed and anxious for years. Let go.

Last year, I quit blogging on a regular basis. I just felt like I’d said all I could say about travel. This year, I’m going to continue that trend and semi-retire. I want to write more books, travel for fun (not for work), and continue to focus on my health and fitness. Last year, I gave up a lot of personal time when travel restarted post-COVID — events, tours, and conferences. It took up most of my free time. In fact, last year was the first year since I started traveling and I didn’t go to one new place.

But no more.

I plan to continue to hand off the day-to-day operations of this website to my team. (Letting go is the hardest part of all of this!) I plan to attend my last travel conference this year.

I’ll continue to blog when I feel the urge, but I want to update my book How to Travel the World on $50 a Day, write a new book, focus on bringing travel to people via video, and maybe do something completely new. I’m not sure really.

The last fifteen years have been a wild journey. But it’s time to do other things. I’m not sure what, but it’s time to expand and see what’s out there!

The post 15 Lessons from 15 Years of Blogging appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

Digital nomadism, remote work, location independence — whatever you want to call it, it’s hot right now. COVID has changed what “the office” means and people around the world are waking up to something those of us who have long worked online, especially in the digital creator space, learned ages ago: working from anywhere is pretty damn awesome.

Back in 2007, author Tim Ferriss wrote a book called The 4-Hour Work Week. It kicked off a mini-revolution from which digital nomadism was born. The concept of limiting your work hours, setting up your business to generate passive income (make money while you sleep!), and remote work was timed perfectly for the growth of blogging, ad-based websites, and online marketing. (Heck, I started out running AdSense websites.)

Untold numbers of people left home and became “location independent,” making their way around the world and settling into digital nomad hubs like Bangkok while they worked on making money online.

That was the community I was a part of (shout-out to the original Bangkok crew of Mark Weins, Sean Ogle, and Jodi Ettenberg). I remember working from my laptop in my apartment in Bangkok, the cafés of Chiang Mai, the hostels of Europe, and the beaches of Bali.

Back then, being a digital nomad was considered something weird.

“You do what?” “You make money how?” “Is that a real job?”

To the broader society, the whole thing didn’t really make sense. The fact you could make a living doing something online from your laptop was too outside the norm. A real job had an office you went to every day. Everything we were doing just sounded like we were rationalizing our Peter Pan syndrome as we avoided “the real world.”

It wasn’t until the growth of Instagram and influencers that people really stopped asking me about how I made a living. Suddenly, it was, “Oh, yeah, you can make money and work anywhere.”

I’ve watched digital nomadism change a lot since I first started blogging back in 2008, and I’m glad it is finally having its global moment.

But a lot of people think it’s all rainbows and unicorns. While there are many awesome parts of this lifestyle, I want to throw a dose of reality on your enthusiasm.

Yes, you can work anywhere. Yes, it’s great to make your own schedule. Yes, it’s way better than sitting in an office all day.

But that freedom comes with a dark side most people don’t talk about. Yes, it is a life where you can make your own schedule — but there’s no separation between work and play, and you’re always trying to juggle both, thus often failing at both. You never really clock out like you do at an office.

Sure, you’re in Paris and want to go out and explore, but the work still needs to get done, so you might take emails at 10pm and meetings at 7am. With no separation between work time and play time, they both bleed into one another to make you feel more busy because you never, ever turn off. It’s a life that can destroy your mental health without the carefully maintaining the work/play separation the traditional office provided. This is why so many people burn out. Because you never have proper downtime — and your mind needs downtime. The Internet will take everything if you aren’t careful.

It is a lesson I learned the hard way.

And you’ll always be looking for good Wi-Fi. In every hotel, hostel, or café you visit, you’ll wonder, “How’s the Wi-Fi?” That small beach town might be paradise, but when the Wi-Fi sucks and you can’t take that important Zoom meeting, you’ll feel anything but happy. Suddenly, working from the beach won’t seem so great.

(Trust me, you don’t want to be spending your time finding good Wi-Fi. Spend more money on nicer places with better connectivity. In the long term, the price is worth the increased productivity and peace of mind.)

But the biggest downside to being a digital nomad? It can be very lonely.

If you get a few long-termers to talk candidly, they’ll eventually admit that all the months and years on the road are actually pretty lonely. Yes, you do meet a lot of people: someone is always coming or going, there are expats all around, and that friend you met in Medellín is finally going to be at the same spot as you are so you’re happy you’ll know at least one person.

But digital nomads are, by definition, a transient crowd. No one really puts down roots because they are just somewhere until they decide to move on. They are on their own journey. Maybe they stay, maybe they go. Who knows? As such, that often makes them subconsciously keep their distance from others, because why get close to someone when you know that you and everyone else is going to leave anyways?

So, you make friends, and some of them might even become true life-long friends. But most are friends of the moment, connections you have that will die when you move on.

Digital nomads don’t develop the strong social bonds you get when you’re in one place for a long time — and when you know your friends are going to be there for a long time too. It is often why expats primarily hang out with each other. Not only do fellow expats know what you’re feeling but locals don’t want to put in the time to get to know someone who they know is leaving. (Yes, there are exceptions to this “rule,” but just think about how you would react if someone you met was like, “I’m only here for two months!” Would you put as much effort as if that person had said they lived there?)

But humans aren’t meant to be loners. We’re social animals. And, as you get older and the years wear on, the romance of the nomadic life you saw on Instagram fades. Trees only grow when they have roots — and life of a digital nomad is not exactly one of stability.

That’s the hardest part about the whole endeavor and why you see so many people burn out on the nomadic life and settle in one location. After a while, you just get tired of being alone. That hundredth beautiful waterfall is just less beautiful when you have no one to share it with.

So, my advice to all the new digital nomads out there: Live the life you see on Instagram. Buy into that hype. Go out there, roam, have fun! Because it is a lot of fun. Especially in the beginning. I mean, I had amazing experiences. I can’t recommend it enough. It may not be all rainbows and unicorns, but, for a while, it is mostly that.

However, the second that glamour fades (and it will), settle down. Don’t push yourself — that will lead to anxiety if you do. You will be tempted to keep going, because everyone on IG is happy so may be tempted to think the problem is you and if you can just keep going it will get better — but trust me, they are lonely too.

Settle down, go home, or just stay put until you’re ready.

Whatever you do, though, know that it’s not a personal failure. It’s simply that the romance of digital nomadism is a fake ideal created by social media.

People eventually crave stability, clear schedules, deep friendships, and romantic partners. So, when those desires hit, slow your travels down, settle into one place, and create your own 9-to-5.

That’s the real beauty of being a digital nomad. You get to take your desk anywhere and create your ideal life. It’s not about roaming the world, it’s about having flexibility and time.

Just don’t unmoor yourself too completely on the journey. Life is a storm, and if you just blow in the wind rather than finding a safe harbor, eventually you’ll crash into the shore.

The post The Downside to Life as a Digital Nomad appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

With so many people working remotely these days, my inbox is flooded with one question:

What’s the best place to work from as a digital nomad?

Now that more and more bosses are okay with you working from anywhere (as long as you have reliable Wi-Fi and are online during normal business hours), people are picking up and moving. Why stick around high-priced areas when you can escape to more affordable locales around the world?

Here at Nomadic Matt, our entire team is fully remote. I have team members across the US, as well as in Sweden and Australia. And most of them spend at least a few weeks working on the road. We are nomads, after all.

If you now have the freedom to work anywhere, you’re probably wondering what the best cities for digital nomads are. To help you pick the ideal destination, I thought I would list my favorites, as well as five things you should consider before picking a place.

5 Things to Consider When Picking a Destination

When evaluating a place to live and work from, there are numerous factors that will determine if it is right for you. After over 15 years of being a digital nomad, I know what matters — and what doesn’t. Here are the five most important things you’ll want to consider:

1. Wi-Fi connectivity
If you’re working online, reliable Wi-Fi is vital. You don’t want to be wasting your day trying to find Wi-Fi. I always check the reviews of the places I stay for comments specifically about the Wi-Fi. When in doubt, email the Airbnb host/hostel/hotel directly and ask them about their internet speeds — because nothing is more frustrating than slow Wi-Fi — no Wi-Fi is better than slow Wi-Fi if you ask me!

Moreover, Google the destinations you are thinking about. If they have a lot of coworking spaces, they usually also have reliable Wi-Fi.

2. Cost of living
If you’re going to be staying somewhere for months at a time, you need to make sure the cost of living fits your budget. While I’m sure working in a cool city like Reykjavik would be amazing, Iceland’s high cost of living would likely consume a hefty chunk of your earnings. Accommodation, food, and transportation are going to be your largest expenses as a traveler and digital nomad, so you need to make sure the destinations you stay in long-term are affordable in those respects.

3. Community
Traveling the world solo is an amazing experience…but it can also get lonely. If you’re going to be spending months somewhere, finding a community is a must. Use Facebook groups, platforms like Meetup.com, and coworking spaces to connect with like-minded people. Having a community will deepen your experience and help you better adjust to life in your new home. You’ll also get to network with other creators and remote workers, and learn insider tips and advice from locals and travelers alike, which should also help you get out from behind the laptop now and then.

4. Activities
All work and no play is a recipe for burnout (trust me, I’ve learned that lesson the hard way). You didn’t travel halfway around the world just to spend every day looking at your laptop, so make sure you get out there and actually enjoy the place you’re staying in. That means you’ll want to pick a base that has lots to see and do. Museums, nature trails, extreme sports, nightclubs — whatever you’re interested in, make sure your destination has plenty of that on offer. That will help you develop a better (and healthier) work/life balance.

5. Transportation hub
Working from the beaches of some remote tropical island sounds relaxing…but if you have to buy an expensive flight each and every time you want to travel or go home to visit family, you’re going to break the bank sooner rather than later.
 

The Best Cities for Digital Nomads

Ok, so now that that is out of the way, what are some awesome places to be a digital nomad in? While everyone is going to have their ideal place from which to work remotely, there are a handful of top digital nomad destinations that remote workers tend to flock to, since they check all of the above requirements. Here are ten of the best:

1. Oaxaca, Mexico

I loved my time in Oaxaca. So does pretty much everyone else who spends time in this pretty city of colorful buildings, scenic rooftop restaurants and bars, plentiful street art, and historic colonial churches.

While not as popular as Tulum or Playa Del Carmen for digital nomads, I think Oaxaca outshines them. It’s safe, has a world-class mezcal scene, and boasts plenty of opportunities for day trips and weekend getaways. Many remote workers come here, and there are a few coworking spaces as well as lots of activities that will help you meet people. Plus, it’s very affordable and has direct connections throughout the region (and to the US).

READ MORE:

• Oaxaca Travel Guide
• The Best Hostels in Oaxaca
• The 15 Best Things to Do in Oaxaca
• The Best Hotels in Oaxaca

2. Medellín, Colombia

Medellín is a hip, tech-forward city with excellent public transportation that offers incredible value for long-term travelers and digital nomads. It’s one of the “go-to” spots for remote workers these days and the most popular hub in South America (especially if you love to party).

There is a well-established community of expats and digital nomads (it’s super easy to meet people here) as well as lots of coworking spaces, fast Wi-Fi, friendly locals, delicious food, and a plethora of events to keep you busy. There’s also just a really good all-around energy. I felt like optimism and excitement were in the air, with a palpable sense of possibility here. I spent close to a total of three weeks in Medellín and really loved my time in the city.

READ MORE:

• 14 Things to Do in Medellín (And One Thing Not To Do!)
• Where to Stay in Medellín: The Best Neighborhoods for Your Visit
• The Best Hostels in Medellín

3. Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is one of my favorite cities in the world. While many people don’t love it on their first visit (I certainly didn’t), once you peel back some of the layers, you’ll find a lively (though chaotic) metropolis where anything is possible. A huge city of 10 million inhabitants, you could spend months here and you’d still only scratch the surface.

With its cheap cost of living, huge expat community, incredible food and nightlife scenes, great weather, and robust transportation links to other parts of the region and the world, Bangkok checks all the boxes. I absolutely loved my time living there.

READ MORE:

• The 22 Best Things to Do in Bangkok
• The Best Hostels in Bangkok
• Where to Stay in Bangkok: The Best Neighborhoods for Your Visit
• Is Bangkok Safe to Visit?

4. Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon is a city I fell in love with from day one. Having become popular over the last few years as one of the warmest and cheapest destinations in Western Europe, Lisbon is one of the best cities for digital nomads who want to stay in Europe during the winter but don’t want to embrace the continent’s colder climates.

It’s a beautiful, colorful city where you’ll find marvelous food, music, dance, lots of co-working spaces, and tons of creatives and entrepreneurs. And, while it’s gotten more expensive in recent years, it’s still one of the more affordable capital cities in Europe.

READ MORE:

• Lisbon Travel Guide
• The Best Hostels in Lisbon
• Where to Stay in Lisbon: The Best Neighborhoods for Your Visit
• The Best Walking Tours in Lisbon

5. Berlin, Germany

For years, Berlin has been one of Europe’s top digital nomad destinations, as the country has a freelancer visa that easily allows self-employed people to live there. The entire city has an “anything-goes” spirit thanks to the plethora of students, artists, writers, and creatives here. It’s a diverse city with a ton of things to see and do.

Providing easy access to the rest of Europe, it’s a great choice for those looking to bounce around the continent but who also want to stay in a safe destination. Multicultural Berlin has it all: efficient transportation, rambunctious nightlife, deep history, great art, and fast and affordable Wi-Fi. If you’re looking for a big city to be a digital nomad in, this is the best one in Europe. (It’s one of my favorite cities on the continent!)

READ MORE:

• The 18 Best Things to Do in Berlin
• Where to Stay in Berlin: The Best Neighborhoods for Your Visit
• The Best Hostels in Berlin
• The Best Walking Tours in Berlin

6. Santiago, Chile

As one of the safest cities in South America, Santiago is an excellent choice for remote workers looking to extend their stay on the continent. Surrounded by towering, snow-capped mountains, it’s perfect for those who enjoy urban living but want the option of heading out into nature.

I found the people awesome, the food incredible, and the scenery mind-blowing. You’ll also find fast internet, plenty of coworking spaces, a legendary nightlife, great restaurants, tasty locally-produced wine, and a generally high quality of life. The country has really put an effort on attracting entrepreneurs over the years and it definitely shows!

READ MORE:

• How to Spend 24 Hours in Santiago
• Chile Travel Guide
• Is Chile Safe to Visit?

7. Mexico City, Mexico

I was late to the party with visiting Mexico City, but when I finally visited, I fell in love with the city. Known to locals as CDMX, this metropolis is another popular hub for nomads in the country. Considered “the New York City of Mexico,” it balances quality of life with affordability.

I just love this city. There’s so much to do here, tons of museums, art galleries, food markets, and one of the best food scenes in the world. You’ll find a robust expat and digital nomad scene, lots of networking events, coworking spaces, and connections to anywhere in the world.

READ MORE:

• Mexico City Travel Guide
• The 20 Best Things to Do in Mexico City
• Where to Stay in Mexico City: The Best Neighborhoods for Your Visit
• The 5 Best Hostels in Mexico City

8. Austin, USA

Every year, more and more companies are moving their headquarters to Austin. Austin is full of startups and there is a huge tech and entrepreneur scene here. This is one of the best cities in the US to meet other remote workers, online creatives, digital nomads, and people doing interesting things. For the better part of a decade, I was one of them (I lived here on and off for eight years before moving back to NYC)!

There’s a plethora of events and coworking spaces here, easy access to the outdoors, and a top-notch food scene. It’s a city that has a lot happening, and is probably the number one spot to live in the US if you’re an online creative.

READ MORE:

• The 16 Best Things to Do in Austin
• Where to Stay in Austin: The Best Neighborhoods for Your Visit
• The Best Hotels in Austin

9. Tbilisi, Georgia

From the moment I arrived in Tbilisi, I loved the city. I felt at home immediately. It just has this young, fresh vibe as it evolves into a progressive, hip city. The wine is plentiful and delicious (Georgia was one of the first countries ever to make wine) and the historic district is beautiful, all cobblestone streets and stunning buildings with ornate balconies. There are also spacious parks, eclectic artist spaces, funky cafés, and modern and sometimes futuristic architecture.

Plus, Tbilisi has a low cost of living, English is widely spoken, there are plenty of coworking spaces, and the Wi-Fi is fast and reliable. And as one of the newer up-and-coming digital nomad hubs, there’s a growing expat community here as well. Plus, Georgians are incredible and awesome people. All in all, it’s a great place to live.

READ MORE:

• Georgia Travel Guide
• My 15 Favorite Things to See and Do in Georgia

10. Chiang Mai, Thailand

Thailand was the country in which I quit my job to travel the world, and I’m not the only one. Originally a backpacker hub, Chiang Mai has evolved into the biggest remote-worker hub in the country (it has even surpassed Bangkok, though I like Bangkok better). The northern Thai city is also a hub for travelers of all sorts looking to go trekking in the jungle or visit the nearby elephant sanctuaries. The surrounding landscapes are absolutely stunning and there are tons of beautiful temples in the city too.

While it’s not as cheap (or as quiet) as it used to be, it’s still very affordable and has everything you need to enjoy a thriving work/life balance. The street food is plentiful and delicious (I think it has one of the best food scenes in the country), the Wi-Fi is fast, and the digital nomad community is huge and welcoming.

READ MORE:

• Chiang Mai Travel Guide
• The Best Hostels in Chiang Mai
• Southeast Asia Itineraries: From 3 Weeks to 2 Months

The pandemic sped up the transition to remote work and encouraged more people than ever to embrace the digital nomad life. That transition is only going to continue to grow — even after the COVID pandemic has ended — as more and more people are seeking a lifestyle and career that gives them the freedom they deserve.

The post The 10 Best Cities to Be a Digital Nomad appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, including the links for HostGator and Bluehost. At no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase using these links. If you have any questions about the companies or my status as an affiliate, please don’t hesitate to email me.

Whether as a hobby or profession, starting a travel blog is pretty easy. You can set it up in under 30 minutes. It’s a lot easier than when I started my blog in 2008. Back then, I didn’t know the first thing about making a website. Luckily, on my adventures around the world, I met Matt and Kat, a British couple who also happened to be web designers.

When I came home and decided I wanted to start this travel blog, they agreed to help me set it up and teach me HTML. I hand-coded the website and used a funky tool called Dreamweaver to build it. It was painfully slow and I wasn’t very good at it. (And my original website was really ugly!)

Luckily, you no longer have to build websites that way!

Creating a website has gotten a lot easier and simpler thanks to WordPress, an out-of-the-box platform designed to make sites easier for those not technically savvy (like myself). It powers over 40% of the internet and is the best platform to start a blog on. It’s super flexible and can do whatever you want it to do — from a simple journal to complex blogs and e-commerce websites.

In our blogging course, we’ve had thousands of students start a website on WordPress without any technical skills. They got them up and running — and you can too!

While I’ve talked about how to succeed as a travel blog in the past, today, I want to give a quick tutorial on how to create a travel blog from scratch in seven easy steps.
 

 

Step 1: Pick Your Domain Name

The first thing you need to do is pick a domain name (i.e., your website name). When doing so, there are no hard and fast rules. There’s no such thing as a “wrong domain name,” but there are a couple of rules I like to live by:

Make a name that can last – If you pick “JohnsAsiaAdeventure.com” and then you leave Asia, the domain name won’t make sense anymore. Make sure you pick a name that isn’t so focused that if you decide to shift gears, you can keep the same domain name.

Don’t date your blog – Don’t pick something related to your age either. “Twenty-Something Travel” becomes really irrelevant when you get older, which actually happened to a blogger I know. Pick a name that can be used no matter your age!

Avoid certain words – Avoid words like “nomad,” “vagabond,” “wanderlust,” and “adventure.” They have been done to death, and they will make you seem like you’re copying people, not being original.

Pick a name that describes what you do as much as possible – I was a nomad, so “Nomadic Matt” was the best pick for me. If you’re into luxury, put words in your domain name that convey that. You want people to see the name and go, “I get what that website is about.”

Keep it short – Use 3-4 words maximum. You want the name that rolls off the tongue. Even Ramit Sethi from “I Will Teach You to Be Rich” abbreviates his site to “I Will Teach” or “IWT.” The shorter, the better.

Keep it simple – I’m not a fan of using jargon or slang in your domain name, as I think that makes things confusing for people who don’t know it. The last thing you want is someone saying, “What does that mean?” or being confused. If someone has to think hard about the meaning, then you’ve already lost them. So don’t try to be clever!
 

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 (the little computer in the sky that’s going to power your website). There are a lot of basic hosting companies out there — and most of them are pretty terrible.

However, the two biggest and best for beginners are HostGator and Bluehost. I would go with one of those two.

While they are owned by the same parent company, I lean toward HostGator, as I find its call center customer service quicker and friendlier, and HostGator is prone to fewer outages (no one wants their website to go down!).

Here’s a walk-through of how to set up your host with HostGator (it won’t take long):

First, head over to the website’s sign-up page and click “Get Started” to start your signup process.

Next, choose your plan (I suggest the hatchling plan):

Enter your desired domain name at the top of the page. Make sure before you sign up that the domain you want is available, so as to avoid issues with your signup process.

Enter your desired domain name at the top of the page. Make sure before you sign up that the domain you want is available, so as to avoid issues with your signup process.

The system will then prompt you to take out “domain privacy protection,” which we recommend you do. (Why? This will hide your address and contact details from appearing online when someone queries your domain name, and it will keep spammers from calling you to sell their sketchy web services. It’s really annoying — and once your name and phone number are out there, they’re out there forever. Nip it in the bud by hiding them from the beginning.)

If you already have a domain name but need hosting, simply select “I already own this domain” from the tab at the top. Then, enter your domain name and continue to the next step.

Now it’s time to pick your billing cycle. Make sure you have selected the right hosting plan from the drop-down list and then select the billing cycle you are prepared to pay. The longer you lock in for, the cheaper initial pricing will be.

After that, enter your billing information. Fill out your billing information and preferred payment type (credit card or PayPal.)

When that’s done, it’s time to review your order. Review your order details and make sure everything is correct. Then once all is ok complete the checkout/payment process.

Once your order has been received, you’ll be redirected to the HostGator billing portal. You will also be sent an email with a link to log in to your hosting account. Remember you’ll have set your account login details at signup, so enter those if you are prompted to log in to your account.

It will look similar to the example below:

For those of you with an existing domain or a domain purchased from a third-party site like GoDaddy, take note of the nameservers listed on your hosting account email. You will need to add those to your domain where you purchased it, to link your domain and hosting together. Please refer to the support documents from where you bought your domain for exact instructions on how to update your nameservers.

That’s it! All that takes about five minutes from start to finish!

Again, you can click here to go to HostGator to set it up.
 

Step 3: How to Install WordPress

After you’ve registered your domain name and chosen your hosting package, the next thing you’ll want to do is install WordPress. (WordPress is what will actually run the website. The host is simply the computer your site sits on.)

WordPress is an open-source, free web publishing application, content management system (CMS), and blogging tool built by a community of developers and contributors to make it easy for people to blog!

Log in to your hosting control panel using the link provided to you by email when you purchased your hosting from HostGator. Or go to their website directly and select Sign In and Portal from the top right of the page.

Once logged into your account, from the Dashboard area click “Websites” on the left hand menu.

This page will list your website and a “Settings” button to click to begin configuring it. If your dashboard shows no sites listed yet click the “Add site” to the top right of the page first.

Within your site settings we now need to install WordPress so you can start your blogging journey. To do that click “CMS Installer” under the Quick Links box on the page.

Then click on the install button within the “WordPress” box. The WordPress setup box should be the the top left option within the installer tool. if not you may need to search for it.

Step 3: Select your domain name
On the setup page make sure your domain is selected in the URL field, this should be set by default.

Enter the name of your blog in the setting box to the left as highlighted in the below image.

In the admin account area on the right make sure the admin username is hard to guess, do not leave it as “admin”, add your email address, and set a password you’ll use to log in to your WordPress website.

Leave all other options as default. Then click the “Install” button at the bottom of the page.

Step 4: Save your login details
Once the installation process has finished, you will be given the URL to go to so you can log in to your WordPress site. Take note of the URL as it will be how you log in to your website from now on. For reference, the login URL will always be your domain name followed by /wp-admin/ as per the below example:

https://nomadicmattdev.com/wp-admin/

Step 4: Setting Up Your Website

After you’ve installed WordPress, go to domainname.com/wp-admin and use the username and password you created to log in. You’ll see a screen like this after you log in:

Here’s a little overview of the menu on the left side of the screen:

• Dashboard – The dashboard is the first thing you see when you log in to WordPress, and it’s the main administrative area for your blog.
• Home – This will take you back to the main dashboard view.
• Updates – This area will tell you if WordPress, your plugins, or your theme need to be updated.
• Posts – You can view all your blog posts here, as well as set up new ones and add categories and tags.
• Media – Here’s where you can view your media library and add new media content, like photos and videos.
• Pages – Pages are the individual landing pages on your website (like your About page, Contact page, Resources page, etc.). You can add new pages here as well as review and edit existing ones.
• Comments – Comments on your blog posts go here. You may want to check the spam folder periodically to make sure you’re not missing real comments.
• Appearance – This section lets you entirely customize your site’s appearance.
• Plugins – Review, install, and update your plugins here.
• Users – If there’s more than one person accessing your blog, you can create accounts and give them certain privileges here.
• Tools – This section has certain tools to aid you with management tasks.
• Settings – You can adjust all your site’s settings here, including things like your blog title and the size of thumbnails being used.

Plugins are a great way to add additional functionality to a WordPress-powered site. And with almost 60,000 listed in the WordPress Repository and many more premium options available from developers, there are endless possibilities as to what you can do with your site. (I’ll list some examples below.)

To get started, click on “Plugins” and then “Add New” when logged into your WordPress dashboard. Here you can search for plugins that you want and install them via a one-click install that automatically installs them to your WordPress platform.

Alternatively, you have the option to upload a plugin you have purchased or downloaded from a third-party site. To do this, see the “Step 3” arrow in the picture above. All you have to do is click “upload plugin” and you’ll be asked to upload the ZIP file of the plugin that you downloaded from the third-party website.

Once you have uploaded a plugin (or searched for one, as I’ve shown in the image below) you can install it.

After clicking the “Install Now” option, the button will change to say “Activate.” This allows you to enable the plugin on your site and makes it ready to be configured and used.

If you can think of a feature you’d like to have on your site, I can almost guarantee there is a plugin for it, but here are the essential ones for your travel blog:

Akismet – Just like getting junk mail in your mailbox, your website will get spammers looking to leave junk comments on your site. Akismet seeks to reduce the amount of this by automatically filtering it for you.

Yoast SEO – The best SEO plugin out there. This combines the ability to create meta tags and descriptions for your posts, optimize your titles, create a sitemap for search engines to read, customize how your posts appear across social media, and do a whole lot more.

UpdraftPlus – You can never back up your site too much. The WordPress database holds every word you’ve ever written, and if your blog has started to make you a few dollars, you would be nuts not to keep regular backups. UpdraftPlus does it perfectly.

Hubbub Lite – This lets you put social media buttons on your blog posts. Vital for sharing!

ShortPixel – The ShortPixel plugin is a WordPress plugin that will automatically optimize your images as you upload them to your blog. By optimizing your images for the web, you are ensuring that their file sizes are as small as possible, which improves your website loading speed, making it easier for people on slow internet connections to browse your site.

Cache Enabler – This plugin works by creating static saved copies of your site’s posts and pages. Think of it as having to handwrite an article and then using the photocopier to create hundreds of more copies effortlessly. This caching plugin does that for WordPress, so it only has to generate the page once using all your theme, plugins, and WordPress code. This, in turn, cuts down on the amount of work your hosting server has to do and makes loading your web pages much, much faster.
 

Step 5: 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. A visually unappealing website will turn off readers and reduce the number of return visits you get.

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

Luckily, there are lots of out-of-the-box options for you where you can download a predesigned theme, upload it to your website, switch it on, change some settings, and presto! A new look for your website!

You can get:

• Free themes – Free themes are plentiful and for budding new bloggers looking to make their mark online. They seem like a great option, as they allow you to keep costs low. There are many great free themes online, but most of them are not amazing. If you plan on blogging for a long time, this might become a problem as your website grows. However, if you just need a simple design to blog for your friends and family, then go the free route. You can find some good free themes at wordpress.org.
• Premium themes – The next step up from a free theme is a premium theme. Premium themes are paid themes that offer a bit more uniqueness, flexibility, and functionality. These cost $25 USD and up, depending on the developer and features.

I suggest getting a premium theme. Yes, it’s another cost — but here is why you should do it:

• With a premium theme, you almost always get customer support from the developers. If you get in trouble, they are there for you. You don’t get that with a free theme.
• With a premium theme, there are more controls and instructions so they are easier to change. Free themes don’t have that.
• Premium themes tend to be a lot prettier.
• Premium themes are faster and more SEO friendly.

To install your theme, simply go to the left-hand column, click Appearance –> Themes –> Upload.

Whatever theme you picked will come as a .ZIP file for you to easily upload. From there, you just activate it, and it’s turned on! All themes come with a manual and help file so you can customize your design to your specific needs.

(If you want a custom logo or need to hire any designers, two sites to find freelancers are Upwork and 99designs.)
 

Step 6: Create Your Main Pages

After you’ve uploaded your theme, you’re going to want to make a few basic pages on your website in addition to the blog posts. The difference between a page and a post is that a page is a static piece of content that lives separate from the blog. A post is a blog post that gets “buried” as you write more and more. For example, this post is a blog post. When I update again, another blog post will get put on top of it, and it will be pushed down in the archives, making it harder to find.

But a page, like my About page, lives on the top of the website, right near the main URL, and does NOT get buried. It’s a lot easier to find.

To create these pages, go again to your left sidebar and click Pages —> Add New. (For blog posts, use Posts –> Add New.)

I recommend creating four basic pages to start:

About page – This where you tell people about yourself and your history, what your blog is about, and why it will help them. This is one of the most important pages on your website, so make it personable!

Contact page – People need a way to reach you! Be sure to be very clear on what emails you will and won’t respond to, so people don’t send you spam.

Privacy page – This is a standard user agreement page informing readers what the applicable laws on your site are, that you use cookies, etc. etc. You can find out-of-the-box examples throughout the internet.

Copyright page – This is a standard page letting people know you own this work and not to steal it. You can find out-of-the-box examples of these, too, throughout the internet.

(If you look in my footer, under the “About Us” section, you can see examples of all four of these pages!)
 

Step 7: Join Our Blogging Program! (Optional)

If you’re looking for more in-depth advice, I have a very detailed and robust blogging class that uses my 14 years of blogging knowledge to help you start, grow, and monetize your website. It gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how I run this website and features detailed analytics, tricks, tips, and secrets about what I do.

You’ll learn everything I know about creating a successful blog from creating engaging content, going viral, networking with bloggers, getting media attention, mastering SEO, creating products, growing a newsletter, and making money.

If you’re interested, click here to learn more and get started!
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Starting a blog can be an intimidating process. I struggled a ton when I first started blogging and had a lot of questions — but no one to ask them to. Since I continue to get questions about blogging emailed to me every week, I thought I’d share some of the answers here (we cover all of this in the course I mentioned above too).

How much does it cost to start a blog?
You can start a travel blog for just a few dollars per month. Hosting costs less than $5 USD per month, which is the only expense you absolutely need. In a perfect world, you’d also purchase a premium theme, which can cost around $100-150 USD, but that’s about all you need at the start. Everything else can wait!

Can I blog if I have a full-time job?
You definitely don’t need to be a full-time traveler to be successful. I started my blog as a hobby while working as a teacher — and so did tons of other bloggers who are now successful. Starting a blog is like starting a business. It won’t make money overnight, so keeping your day job is a smart move. Lots of part-time bloggers are successful!

Do I need a laptop or fancy camera to start a blog?
You definitely need a laptop and, while a camera is helpful, a big fancy camera is not 100% necessary. A simple phone camera or point-and-shoot camera will suffice. I only travel with my iPhone and that works well!

Is it too late to start a blog?
Definitely not! Think of blogs like restaurants. Is it too late to start a restaurant? Of course not! Yes, there are already a TON of restaurants out there, but there’s always room for a new, awesome restaurant.

The same goes for blogging. There are TONS of blogs out there, but most of them are average. There is ALWAYS room for new, awesome content!

Can you actually make money blogging?
Definitely! This is not a get-rich-quick industry though. Most bloggers don’t make any money for their first year, however, there are thousands of travel bloggers out there making everything from a few bucks per month to full-time incomes. If you put in the work, learn the right skills, and stay consistent, it’s 100% possible to make a living in this industry.

Do I need a lot of technical skills to get started?
There are some minor technical skills you need, but otherwise, that’s it. I had zero technical skills when I started, which is why I wanted to include a comprehensive tech unit in my course as the tech stuff is the most tedious. But you don’t need to be a computer whiz to get started. You just need to learn the basics.

How much money can you make as a blogger?
There are travel bloggers bringing in over 1 million dollars a year from their website so the sky is the limit! But, realistically, the majority of full-time bloggers make between 50,000–00,000 a year.

That’s it! You’ve set up your basic website. Sure, there are social media buttons to add, blogs to write, images to upload, and things to tweak but all that comes later. Once you do the steps above, you have the framework needed to create and share your story with the world! To recap on how to start a travel blog:

• Step 1: Pick a Name
• Step 2: Sign Up for Hosting
• Step 3: Install WordPress
• Step 4: Set Up Your Website
• Step 5: Install Your Theme
• Step 6: Create Your Main Pages
• Step 7: Join Our Blogging Course (Optional!)

By following these steps, you can start your travel blog and your stories and tips with the world! (That’s where the real fun begins!) Don’t let the tech scare you. I didn’t know anything when I started. I was totally clueless and had to teach myself how to do this. If I can do this, you can start a blog too! I believe in you! (Email me if you want more encouragement.)

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, including the links for HostGator and Bluehost. At no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase using these links. If you have any questions about the companies or my status as an affiliate, please don’t hesitate to email me.

The post How to Start a Travel Blog appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

I’ve been working online since 2008. Back when I started, “digital nomading” didn’t even have a name. The whole concept of remote work has changed a lot since I started. These days, there’s more options, better Wi-Fi, and accommodation that makes it easy to work online.

From bustling cafés in Paris and laid-back co-working hubs in Medellín to airport lounges and beach joints with dodgy Wi-Fi, I’ve worked pretty much everywhere over the past 15 years.

Being able to work from anywhere in the world is an amazing gift. It has opened all kinds of doors I never even knew existed before I started traveling.

However, it isn’t all fun and games. It’s still work.

While I have the flexibility to make my own hours, I still have to put in those hours. Sometimes that can be challenging. Between finding places with fast Wi-Fi, meeting people and networking, balancing work and travel days, being a digital nomad can be tricky if you’re not prepared.

It’s not easy to do, because if you both work and travel, one of those things tends to suffer — especially if you’re not staying in a destination long-term. The faster you move around, the harder it is to balance work and play. In the past, this even led me to have panic attacks.

Most people I know who work remotely have had struggles finding their own personal balance. It takes time and knowing yourself.

As post-pandemic life continues to reshape how we work, and as remote work becomes both more feasible and popular, I thought I’d share a few tips to help new remote workers and digital nomads adjust to working abroad. These tips have helped me find the perfect balance and they can probably help you.
 

1. Have Work Lined Up Before You Go

Contrary to popular belief, you shouldn’t just quit your job and then dive into life as a digital nomad. While it might be tempting to throw caution to the wind and jump into this new and exciting experience, it’s a much smarter plan to start before you leave home.

Most businesses take several months to start making money (and blogs can take years). Unless you have a ton of savings to live off of, I wouldn’t suggest you start your new digital nomad job while abroad. Do so at home first. Build your client list, so that by the time you leave, you’re already making some money. That way, you won’t be stressed out trying to launch a business and travel the world at the same time.
 

2. Set a Clear Divide Between Work & Travel

Balance is one of the hardest things about working remotely abroad. In a new country, it’s easy to spend too much time traveling and having fun and not enough time working. New foods, new attractions, new people — all of that can tempt you into spending a bit too much time off the clock.

To make sure you get your work done, set clear boundaries for when you work and when you go exploring. The best digital nomads have strict calendars to ensure they get everything done. Maybe you dedicate entire days to one or the other; maybe you divide up each day. Whatever strategy you choose, stick to it. This ensures you get your work done while also getting to experience the destination.

Live by your calendar and you’ll find yourself a lot less stressed because you’ll know that there’s time for everything – because you planned it that way!
 

3. Travel Slow

The best way to balance your work and travel — and get to know destinations in incredible detail — is to go slowly. Don’t head to a new city every other day. Don’t move cities even every week. Consider spending weeks (if not months) in one place.

That way, you’ll have plenty of time to build productive habits and routines while getting an in-depth experience of the destination you’re in. You’ll be able to play tourist, network, attend events, and get a feel for life there more than the standard tourist does. I can’t recommend this enough. Quality over quantity!
 

4. Check the Wi-Fi

When you work online, fast Wi-Fi is vital. Before you choose your destination(s), take a look at the Wi-Fi situation. Is it easily accessible? Is it fast? Can you get a SIM card for reliable data?

Every country varies, and even regions within countries vary, so be sure to do some research before you go. This is especially important for anyone working with video or photography who has to upload large files.

To find out more about the Wi-Fi speeds in different countries, use nomadlist.com. It’s a great resource for digital nomads that will give you an up-to-date look at the Wi-Fi situation where you’re going (among many other factors).

Moreover, before you rent an Airbnb or long-term stay, ask the owners to send you a screenshot of their Wi-Fi speed. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find good Wi-Fi in countries and I can tell you nothing kills your productivity than spending the day finding good Wi-Fi when you could have it at your place from the start!

Additionally, make sure you always have mobile data just in case the Wi-Fi sucks/goes out temporarily. Here’s a list of the best eSIMs for travelers to help you stay connected.
 

5. Connect with Locals & Expats

One of the best things about travel is the people you meet. As a digital nomad, you’ll get to embed yourself into a community for longer periods of time than a tourist would. You’ll be able to network, attend events, co-work with people, and meet travelers and locals alike.

So, make sure you get out of your shell and connect with other people regularly. Not only will it be fun but the networking opportunities can help your business. Meetup.com and Couchsurfing are two easy places to start.

Additionally, stop by a nearby co-working space. It likely has regular events worth checking out. Coworker.com is a good resource for finding such spaces.
 

6. Get a VPN

As a digital nomad, you’ll be connecting to Wi-Fi networks in all kinds of places. Banking, personal messages, email — they can all be accessed if you aren’t careful. Make sure your information is protected by using a reliable virtual private network (VPN), which masks your online signature so your data can’t be stolen.

Just like you’d secure your valuables in a hostel locker or hotel safe, you also need to secure your online data while abroad. A VPN like Surfshark can help you do just that. It’s a must for keeping your information safe and secure while you travel.
 

7. Invest in Noise-Canceling Headphones

If you’re one to get easily distracted (or if you have a lot of meetings you need to attend), invest in a good pair of noise-canceling headphones like the wireless Bose QC 35 II, which are great for working in busy environments (such as co-working spaces) as well as on buses or planes, where there is ambient noise from the vehicle itself. If you like peace and quiet when you work, these are a worthwhile investment — especially if you’re going to be working in all kinds of unconventional places!
 

8. Get Travel Insurance

I never leave home without travel insurance. I’ve had too many mishaps — not to mention the hundreds of injuries and inconveniences I’ve heard about over the years from readers. From lost luggage to delayed flights to petty theft, travel insurance ensures that you’re made whole after things go sideways (and if you’re on the road for a long time, things will eventually go sideways).

I strongly recommend SafetyWing. Its plans are designed specifically for digital nomads and long-term travelers and feature super affordable monthly rates (with deductibles), making them one of the cheapest options out there. The customer service is top-notch and their plans cover all the basics. If you’re a digital nomad just getting started, this is the company I would recommend.

You can read my SafetyWing review here if you want to learn more.
 

9. Check the Time

If you have a job that requires meetings with other people, make sure to keep time differences in mind. You don’t want to be waking up at 4am for a conference call or have emails flooding in right when you’re about to log off for the day.

That’s not to say you can’t travel to far-flung destinations, but you’ll need to communicate the time difference to your team and/or clients. Let them know where you are and when they can expect a reply. That way, you won’t feel pressured to wake up at random hours for emails or calls. You can use Time Zone Converter for that.
 

10. Bring a Water Bottle

Tap water in much of the world isn’t safe to drink. Sure, maybe it won’t kill you, but it can wreak havoc on your digestion for days or weeks or months on end. While bottled water is an affordable alternative, it’s incredibly wasteful. Destinations all around the world are struggling with pollution from single-use plastic, much of which ends up in the ocean.

Be a responsible traveler and get yourself a reusable bottle with a built-in filter. LifeStraw makes ones that remove 99.9% of bacteria and parasites, keeping you safe as you travel the world. Another great option is SteriPen, which uses UV light to get the same result. Either way, bring a reusable bottle so you can safely drink water while avoiding single-use plastic.
 

11. Don’t Forget to Log Off

When I first started out, I definitely had problems with this. When you’re your own boss, it’s all too easy to constantly be working: checking your email here and there, planning projects, working from bed when you should be sleeping (or out sightseeing!). While starting a new business entails a lot of work, always make sure you set boundaries. Email can wait. Projects can wait. Follow your work schedule. Don’t fall into the trap of overworking.

The Internet never stops and it will take all you give it. Don’t let it control you. Because it’s very easy for those “few hours of work” to turn into an entire day in a cafe.

The whole point of working abroad is to experience life in a new country. Don’t waste the opportunity.

Life as a digital nomad is incredibly liberating. While it takes a lot of hard work and organizational skills, it also provides incredible flexibility and opportunities.

However, it’s still a job, and that means you need to be smart about how you go about things. By following these simple tips, you’ll be able to start your career as a digital nomad on the right foot and avoid the most common pitfalls.
 

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The post 11 Tips for Mastering Life as a Digital Nomad appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

To me, the crux of all online endeavors is good writing. With so many blogs out there, if you can’t write engaging stories, you’ll never get anywhere! So today, I want to introduce one of my favorite travel writers, David Farley, who is going to share his writing tips for fellow bloggers and writers out there!

I always thought that once I started writing for glossy travel magazines, I could relax a bit because I’d “made it.”

Nope!

Then I thought that once I began penning pieces for the New York Times and became a freelance writer, I could say I was successful.

Not. At. All.

OK, maybe when I had a book out, published by a major publishing house, things would get a bit easier for me. I wish!

Writers, in some ways, are a sorry lot. Rarely do they ever look at something and say “perfect!” Maybe for a moment — but give a writer a day and he or she will come back to that same article and find dozens of mistakes. Writing is a craft you never perfect.

We’re always striving to be better. Creatives tend to be perfectionists. Writing requires you to keep learning and improving.

But that’s good because that drive makes writers improve their work. And only through practice and effort do we end up with the Hemingways, Brysons, Gilberts, and Kings of the world.

If you’re a travel blogger, you probably started off not as a writer with a journalism background but as a traveler looking to share your experience. You probably didn’t have any formal training or someone to peer over your shoulder and give you advice.

So today I wanted to share some tips to help you improve your travel writing or blogging. Because the world always needs good writers — and good writing helps get your story heard more!

These tips, if followed, will better your writing and make a huge difference in the reach of your writing!
 

1. Read

This is number one. because whenever a budding writer asks me how they can improve, it’s my first piece of advice. Read good writing. Absorb it. Let it sink into your soul. When I was first starting out, I was sick one weekend, so I spent three days lying in bed reading every page of that year’s Best American Travel Writing anthology. After I finished, I opened up my laptop and started writing for the first time in days. What came out surprised me: it was the highest-quality writing I’d done to date. And it was all because I was absorbed in good writing and it filtered through me back onto the page in my own writing.

(Matt says: Here’s a collection of some of my favorite travel books that can inspire you.)
 

2. Do it for love

Maya Angelou wrote, “You can only become truly accomplished at something you love.” Don’t get into travel writing for the money — after all, that would be totally unrealistic. And please don’t gravitate to the genre because you want free trips and hotel rooms. “Instead,” Ms. Angelou added, “do [it] so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” Or, in other words, strive to become such a good writer that the editors of all the publications you have been dreaming to write for can’t ignore you anymore.
 

3. Don’t be attached to linear writing

You need not compose a piece from beginning to middle to end. Sometimes that’s not the ideal structure of the story. Sure, maybe you’ve already figured that out. But if not, it’s OK to just get a few scenes and paragraphs of exposition down “on paper.” Then you can step back and take a look at the bigger picture and rearrange what you have, figuring out the best way to tell the story.
 

4. Tap into your own sense of motivation and drive

The students of mine at New York University who have been most successful were not always the most talented in the class. But they were the most driven. They’d read enough quality writing and thought about it — understanding what made it so wonderful — that there was just something about writing that they got. They weren’t born with that understanding, but ambition drove them to seek out better writing and then to think about it, to analyze what made it good (or not so good).

Drive also inspires future successful writers to go out on a limb, to render themselves vulnerable, by reaching out to more accomplished writers to ask for advice, or by introducing themselves to editors at events or conferences. Don’t be shy! Standing in the corner quietly won’t get you as far as putting your hand out to introduce yourself will.
 

5. Try to figure out what gets your mind and writing flowing

Let me explain: I can sit down at my laptop and stare at a blank Word document for hours, not sure how to start a story or what to write about. Then I’ll respond to an email from a friend who wants to know about the trip I’m trying to write about. I’ll write a long email with cool and interesting anecdotes about my experience and include some analysis of the place and culture. And then I’ll realize: I can just cut and paste this right into the empty Word doc I’ve been staring at for the last three hours!

Several of my published articles have blocks of texts that were originally written as parts of emails to friends. The “email trick” might not work for everyone, but there is inevitably some trick for the rest of you — be it talking to a friend or free-associating in your journal.
 

6. Understand all aspects of storytelling

There are two types of travel writing: commercial and personal essay (or memoir). In commercial travel writing, you should make the various parts of the story an intrinsic aspect of your knowledge: from ways to write a lede to the nut graph, scenes, exposition, and conclusions. For memoir and personal essays, know what narrative arc means like the back of your typing hands. It helps to get an intuitive understanding of these things by paying attention to writing — to reading like a writer — as you read nonfiction (and travel) articles.
 

7. Don’t stress if your first draft is shit

Ernest Hemingway said, “The first draft of anything is shit.” And he wasn’t kidding. I find this true when I’m writing a personal essay or travel memoir. I write and I write and I write, and I’m not exactly sure what I’m putting down on paper.

What’s the point of this? I ask myself.

Why am I even doing this?

But here is where patience comes in: eventually, the clouds part, the proverbial sunbeam from the heavens shines down on our computer monitors, and we see the point of it all: we finally figure out what it is we’re writing and how to best tell that story. It just happens like magic sometimes.

And not all at once: sometimes it’s bit by bit, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. But as I mentioned, patience is key, because we never know when that divine magic is going to be activated. But sit around long enough and it will happen, I promise you. (Just be cautious when taking Hemingway’s other writing advice: “Write drunk, edit sober.”)
 

8. Write what you know

“Start telling the stories that only you can tell,” said writer Neil Gaiman, “because there’ll always be better writers than you and there’ll always be smarter writers than you. There will always be people who are much better at doing this or doing that — but you are the only you.”
 

9. When you’re finished with a draft, read it out loud

Preferably, print it out and read it out loud. This will allow you to better hear how the piece sounds, and unacceptable segues and clunky sentences or turns of phrases will jump out at you in a more obvious way.

For longer stories or books, it can also be good to print out your story and line edit it the old fashioned way. This way you see the story on paper and as a reader. You can pick up a lot more mistakes and errors when you do this.
 

10. Always get another set of eyes on your writing

While all writers make mistakes, it’s harder to spot them without an editor. Editors are very important, but they don’t necessarily have to be someone with formal training. While hiring a copyeditor is always great, getting a friend to read your blog or story can be just as good. You don’t always see the forest through the trees and having another set of eyes is ultra-important to the writing process.

Matt says: I like having someone who doesn’t know about travel read my drafts. I have a friend who doesn’t travel much who reads my blog posts because she helps me make sure I include the important details I might have skipped. When you’re an expert on something, you often fill in the blanks in your mind. You go from A to C automatically; step B becomes subconscious. Getting someone who doesn’t know the steps will help ensure you include explain everything in your post and don’t leave your readers going, “Huh?”
 

11. Learn to self-edit

This is where many people go wrong. They write, they read it over, they post. And then feel embarrassed as they say, “Oh, man, I can’t believe I missed that typo.” You don’t need to be a master editor, but if you follow a few principles, it will go a long way: First, write something and let it sit for a few days before editing.

After your first round of edits, repeat the process. Get another set of eyes on it. Print out a checklist of grammar rules to go through as you edit.

As you review your work, say to yourself, “Did I do this? Did I do that?” If you follow a cheat sheet, you’ll catch most of your mistakes and end up with a much better final product!
 

12. Improve your endings

The two most important parts of any article or blog post are the beginning and the end. Endings matter more than you think. They are the last thing people remember about your story. This is where you can really hit home your point and leave the reader captivated. An average story can be saved by a solid ending. Spend some time working on a conclusion that connects the dots and leads to some sort of resolution.

All stories need an ending. Think of your favorite stories – and your least favorite ones. The ones with the great endings are probably the ones you remember the most.
 

13. Aim for progress, not perfection

All too often, I hear from students that they don’t want to hit publish on a post or submit a piece because it’s not perfect. They want to keep tinkering, keep editing. While you definitely want to make sure your work is the best it can be, at the end of the day, perfection is the enemy of progress. If you keep waiting for every single word to be perfect you’ll be editing forever.

When it comes to blog posts, learn to accept good enough. Hit publish when it’s good enough.

Don’t wait for perfection because it rarely comes. Accept your best, and move on. Otherwise, you’ll be tinkering and editing until the cows come home and you’ll never get anywhere.

Writing is a craft. It takes time. It takes practice. Aim for progress, not perfection.

Writing is an art form. It takes a lot of practice. When you’re a blogger out on your own, it can be harder to improve your work, because you don’t have an experienced voice giving you tips and advice and pushing you to be better. If you don’t take it upon yourself to be better, you never will be. However, even if you aren’t blessed to work under an editor, these 13 tips can help you improve your writing today and become a much better blogger, writing stories people want to read!

David Farley has been writing about travel, food, and culture for over twenty years. His work has appeared in AFAR magazine, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Condé Nast Traveler, among other publications. He has lived in Prague, Paris, Rome, and now New York City. He is the author of An Irreverent Curiosity and was a host for National Geographic.

The post 13 Ways to Improve Your Travel Writing appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

When I started in the travel industry, one writer came up often in conversation: David Farley. He was a rock-star writer who taught at NYU and Columbia, wrote for AFAR, National Geographic, the New York Times, and many other publications. I always wondered who this guy was. He was almost mythical. He was never at any events.

But, one day, he turned up and, over the years, we became good friends. His writing tips and advice have helped me immensely, and his impressive résumé and keen sense of story are why I partnered with him on when we launched a writing course years ago (now closed).

Unlike me, David is a more traditional magazine/freelance/newspaper writer. He’s not a blogger. And. today I thought interview David about his life as a travel writer.

Nomadic Matt: Tell everyone about yourself!
David Farley: A few interesting facts about me: My weight at birth was 8 lbs., 6 oz. I grew up in the Los Angeles suburbs. I was in a rock band in high school; we played late-night gigs at Hollywood clubs, and we weren’t very good. I travel a lot, but I have no interest in counting the number of countries I’ve been to.

I’ve lived in San Francisco, Paris, Prague, Berlin, and Rome, but I currently live in New York City.

How did you get into travel writing?
The usual way: by accident. I was in graduate school and my girlfriend at the time, a writer, proofread one of my 40-page research papers — I think it was on the exciting topic of the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s — and afterward she said, “You know, don’t take this the wrong way, but your writing was better than I expected.”

She encouraged me to write stuff other than boring history papers. I heeded her call.

One of the first stories that got published was about a pig killing I attended in a village on the Czech-Austrian border. After that, enough of the stories got published, mostly in travel publications, that by default I became a “travel writer.”

I ended up breaking into Condé Nast Traveler, working my way all the way up to the features section, as well as the New York Times. Eventually, I wrote a book that Penguin published. Then I expanded my field of interest to food and now I often combine food and travel.

Having done this for about two decades, one thing I’ve learned is that the “expectations of success” is really just a myth in our minds. I always thought, for example, that once I write for the New York Times I’ll have “made it.” Then it happened and didn’t really feel like I had done so.

Maybe when I write a feature for a big travel magazine? Nope.

Maybe a book published by one of the biggest publishing houses in the world? Not really.

The point is: just keep striving in the direction of success and forget about various plateaus you want to get to. I think it’s a much healthier way to go.

Do you have any favorite experiences/destinations that you’ve been able to write about?
I’d long been wanting to go to Hanoi to investigate, report on, and write about the origins of pho. I finally convinced the New York Times to let me do it in February. It was amazing and delicious.

But then, as we all know, the pandemic decided to swirl its way around the world, and, as a result, most travel stories—including this one—are rotting away on editors’ hard drives for the time being.

I’ve been really lucky to convince editors to let me delve deep into some things that I’m fascinated with and/or love such as spending two weeks hanging out with the guys who cremate bodies on the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi to see what I could learn about life and death.

I got to spend a month volunteering in a refugee camp in Greece and write a dispatch about it.

I went cycling across southern Bosnia with four great friends following a bike trail that was carved out of an erstwhile train track.

I got drunk on vodka with old Ukrainian ladies in their homes in the Exclusion Zone in Chernobyl.

And I hiked across a swath of Kenya with my uncle, sister, and brother and law for a good cause: we raised thousands of dollars for an AIDS orphanage there and also got to spend a few days with the children.

I could go on and on — which is precisely what makes this a rewarding profession.

What are some of the biggest illusions people have about travel writing?
That you can peel off a feature story for a travel magazine just like that [snaps fingers]. It takes so much work for each story to get to the type of experiences we end up writing about — a lot of phone calls and emails to set up interviews and to get your foot in the door some places.

When a magazine is paying you to go to a place so you can come back with an interesting story, you have to do a lot of behind-the-scenes work to ensure that you’re going to have a good story. It rarely just happens on its own.

Travel stories are essentially a fake or altered reality, filtered through the writer and based on how much reporting she or he did on the spot, as well as her or his past experiences and knowledge about life and the world.

How has the industry changed in recent years? Is it still possible for new writers to break into the industry?
Very much. In the last few years, we’ve seen an industry-wide push to be more inclusive of female and BIPOC writers, which is a great thing. The publishing industry – magazines, newspapers, books – is always ready to accept great, new writers.

The key is that you, as a writer, need to learn how the industry works first.

So, how do people even go about breaking into the industry?
In the decade or so I taught travel writing at NYU and Columbia University, the students of mine that went on to write for the New York Times, National Geographic, and other publications were not necessarily the most talented in the class; they were the most driven. They really wanted it.

And that made all the difference.

What that means is they put enough energy into this endeavor to learn how the game is played: how to write a pitch, how to find an editor’s email address, how to improve your writing, learning the nuts and bolts of writing, and expertly knowing the market that’s out there for travel articles (i.e. learning the types of stories that various publications publish).

It seems there are fewer paying publications these days and it’s harder to find work. How does that affect new writers? What can new writers do to stand out?
I realize this is a hard one, but living abroad is really helpful. You end up with so much material for personal essays and you gain a knowledge of the region that allows you to become something of an authority on the area. It gives you a leg up on other people who are pitching stories about that place.

That said, you don’t have to go far to write about travel. You can write about the place where you live.

After all, people travel there, right? You can write everything from magazine and newspaper travel section pieces to personal essays, all about where you’re currently residing.

How do you think COVID-19 will affect the industry?
There’s no doubt that the pandemic has put a hold on travel writing a bit. People are still writing about travel but it’s mostly been pandemic-related stories. That said, no one knows what the future holds. Which in a perverse way–not just about the travel writing industry but in the bigger picture as well–makes life and reality kind of interesting too.

And while many people are losing their jobs and magazines are folding, I have a feeling the industry will bounce back. It just might not be over night. Which is why it’s a perfect time to build up those writing chops. You can also shift your focus for the time being to writing about local places and about other niches (food, tech, lifestyle) based on your expertise and interest.

What can new writers do now to improve their writing?
Read. A lot. And don’t just read, but read like a writer.

Deconstruct the piece in your mind as you’re reading.

Pay attention to how the writer has structured her or his piece, how they opened it and concluded it and so on. Also, read books on good writing.

This really helped me a lot when I was first starting out.

For most of us, talking to strangers is not easy. Plus, our moms told us not to do so. But the best travel stories are those that are most reported. So the more we talk to people, the more likely other opportunities arise and the more material you have to work with. It makes the writing of the story so much easier.

Sometimes you’ll be right in the middle of a situation and think: this would make a great opening to my story. My good friend Spud Hilton, former travel editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, says that the dirty secret to good travel writing is that bad experiences make the best stories. This is true, but please don’t put yourself in a bad situation just for your writing. You can write a great piece without having to get your wallet stolen or losing your passport.

What books do you suggest new travel writers read?
There are a few books out there on how to be a travel writer, but they’re all embarrassingly abysmal. For me, I write William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well” and James B. Stewart’s “Follow the Story” when I was first starting out and they were very helpful.

For a memoir or personal essay, Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird” is excellent.

For great travel books, it depends on what your interests are. For history-laden travel, anything by Tony Perrottet and David Grann are incredible; for humor, David Sedaris, A.A. Gill, Bill Bryson, and J. Maarten Troost; for just straight-up great writing, Joan Didion, Susan Orlean, and Jan Morris.

I highly recommend reading your way through the series of annual Best American Travel Writing anthologies.

Where do you find inspiration for your articles? What motivates you?
I get my motivation and inspiration from unlikely sources. I think about the creative masters and wonder how I can tap into their genius.

What did Austrian painter Egon Schiele see when he looked at a subject and then the canvas?

How did Prince put out an album a year from 1981 to 1989, each one a masterpiece and each one cutting-edge and like nothing anyone else at the time was doing?

Is there a way to apply this creativity to travel writing?

I’m not saying I’m on par with these geniuses — far from it — but if I could somehow even slightly be inspired by their creativity, I’d be better off for it.

More specifically for the articles that I end up writing, a lot of it just falls into my lap. The key, though, is recognizing it’s a story. A friend will casually mention some weird facts about a place in the world and it’s our job to take that fact and ask yourself: is there a story there?

What’s the most difficult part about being a travel writer? 
The rejection. You really have to get used to it and just accept that it’s part of your life. It’s really easy to take it seriously and let it get you down. I know — I have done this.

You just have to brush it off and move on, get back on that literary bike, and keep trying until someone finally says yes. Be tenacious.

Writing is a craft. You don’t have to be born with a natural talent for it. You just need a strong desire to become better at it. And, by taking writing classes, reading books about it, talking to people about it, etc. you will become a better writer.

If you could go back in time and tell young David one thing about writing, what would it be? 
I would have taken more classes to both keep learning — one should never stop learning about writing — and to force myself to write when perhaps I didn’t want to.

I think we can all learn from each other, and so putting yourself in that kind of instructive environment is helpful. I took one writing class — a nonfiction writing course at UC Berkeley — and it was super helpful.

For more from David, check out his book, An Irreverent Curiosity or visit his blog, Trip Out.

The post The Life of a Travel Writer with David Farley appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

I generally don’t write articles about how to be successful at blogging because this is a consumer travel website — not a blogging website. But I’ve seen a lot of articles giving travel blogging tips over the years and many of those articles offer a lot of just plain ole’ bad advice.

As someone who has been blogging – very successfully – for over fifteen years, I want to share my advice on what has worked for me to counterbalance what I see is bad strategy by others.

Travel blogging is a crowded field — and it gets more crowded by the day. After all, the idea of “getting paid to travel the world” seems like an amazing thing to try to do. You get to visit wonderful places around the world on someone else’s dime!

It’s a dream job, right?

Well, first, running a successful travel blog — or any blog in any industry — is hard work and time-consuming. Putting posts up is not going to result in money falling like rain (though judging by some of the people I’ve seen on paid trips, it can at least amount to a drizzle). You have to work for it.

Blogging takes persistence. It takes consistency.

Unless you hit the Internet “viral” lottery, you should expect to plug away for a least a year before you start to see income coming in. Usually longer.

Building a blog is like building any other business: success takes time, patience, and dedication.

Think of travel blogging like the restaurant business. Just because there are a lot of restaurants doesn’t mean that they are all good or that you shouldn’t open one of your own! Instead, people who open a restaurant or desire to be a world-class chef look around and say, “I can do this better.”

That’s the mindset you should have about your travel blog.

Take a look around and go, “I can do this better!”

Here are nine things you can do to succeed in travel blogging (or any blogging field, really). Doing them will make you far more successful than most of the bloggers out there. The stuff below is what I do to grow this website.

 

1. Read a Lot of Books

I am always shocked at how few travel bloggers read. Very few read any marketing, strategy, business, or self-development books. Running a blog is like running a business, and if you don’t go to “school” and constantly learn, you’re going to fall behind. Every successful person I know is a voracious reader. They constantly try to improve their skills and knowledge.

You must always be a student. You must always learn. After all, why reinvent the wheel?

Read what experts have to say, learn what works, and apply the travel blogging tips you pick up to your blog. If someone has been there and done that, why try to learn that through trial and constant error? Read the best way to do it… and then do it!

I read a lot besides travel books. I consume books on marketing, management, writing, history, and biographies. Even if you only get one idea from the book, that book was worth it. I read at least one book a week and am often reading multiple books at a time. Travel, history, business, fiction — I read it all.

If you only do one thing from this list, make it this one.

Some of my must-reads are:

• Influence, by Robert B. Cialdini
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey
• What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, by Marshall Goldsmith
• The Psychology of Persuasion, by Kevin Hogan
• Start With Why, by Simon Sinek
• On Writing, by Stephen King
• Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing, by Don George
• Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert

For more book suggestions, here is my complete list of must-read books for bloggers!
 

2. Be Like Apple — Think Different

Whatever you are going to write about, try to present that subject in a way that hasn’t been done before.

If everyone is sharing sponsored content, don’t.

If everyone is writing text, make a video.

If everyone is serious, be funny.

If everyone has complex designs, go simple and visual.

If everyone is doing one-off blog posts, create a story through a series of posts that keep people coming back for more.

Always innovate — do something different and unique.

One thing we do here that makes us different is that we put a level of detail into our posts that no one else does. We make our posts the ultimate guides on destinations. We add photos, charts, and maps when we can. We add video. Contact information. We want you to come here over and over again because our resources are the best.

Many bloggers just provide a light dusting of information. We go deep.Whatever you decide to do, do it well and be unique.
 

3. Invest in Your Blog

For a long time, I avoided spending any money on this website. I bootstrapped everything and viewed every expense negatively. “That designer would be nice but I can’t afford it. I’ll just create a crappier design myself.”

But I soon realized money spent wisely is an investment.

Now I pay for designers, SEO auditors, conferences, video and audio editors, copy editors, and much more. This allows me to improve the reader experience, develop useful products, work on other projects, and free up time to write. I focus on my core competencies and hire the rest out.

It’s easy to say, “Oh, that conference is too much. I don’t want to spend that much.” But if that conference results in one strong business connection that leads to new sales or a guest posting opportunity, then the conference is worth it. (See below for some good conferences to attend.)

Businesses invest in themselves. You need to do the same.

It can be easy for me to say now, but even when you just start a travel blog, spending a little bit of money can go a long way. I didn’t start out hiring lots of people. I hired one person, then another, then another. Even if you spend a few hundred dollars on a snazzier logo, that can go a long way to improving your readers’ experience.
 

4. Be Niche

Back when I started blogging in 2008, it was easy to maintain a general budget travel website. You could cover a wide range of travel topics and face little competition. There was only a handful of bloggers. Now, there are too many long-established blogs and websites to do that. (And you’d also be way behind in Google search results.)

I recommend being as narrow and focused on your topic(s) as possible. Whether it’s RV travel, hiking and camping adventures, vegan travel, or focusing on a specific city or country, the power of search lets everyone define their niche and still be able to reach millions of potential readers. In fact, being niche now is better than trying to be a more general resource site like mine.

Moreover, focusing lets you become an expert. You can be the person to whom readers always turn for information on this subject or that destination, which allows you to cultivate a bigger presence online.

Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Go narrow. Go deep.
 

5. Create Products

Businesses sell something — and so should you. Whether it’s a course, a book, t-shirts, tours, other people’s products via affiliate marketing, or by creating a Patreon, give your audience an opportunity to support your website.

Offering products for sale allows you to be independent from sponsors and brand deals and not compete with other travel bloggers for spots on press trips (see below). It allows you to scale your website and your revenue. Many products offer value to your readers by going more in-depth and in detail than a blog post usually allows.

There are very few travel bloggers that produce products. Most of the time, travel bloggers end up making money by creating sponsored content and getting paid to go on trips. That’s cool if that is something you want to do, but that is time-consuming and requires you to be constantly working (and it’s soul-sucking). You never have time to relax or do something for yourself. It’s not a hamster wheel you want to be tied to. It’s not sustainable.

Products allow you to create something once and earn revenue while sleeping, sightseeing, or getting a suntan on a beach! They give you ownership of your income and a chance for your readers to buy something from you and give back!

Trust me. Your readers want to support you. You just need to give them a way to do so.
 

6. Don’t Only Do Press Trips or Sponsored Content

Why do people still buy guidebooks? Because they want an independent opinion on destinations. If everything you write is sponsored by someone, you’ll hit a limit to your number of readers.

Sure, some people won’t care and will follow your adventures no matter what, but a larger majority of people will feel that you can’t relate to their experience and will seek to find information elsewhere.

Consumers want relatable and independent travel content because they want to learn that they can make it happen too. If you’re in fashion, you can showcase all the makeup you want because a reader can look at that and think, “Yeah, I can do that too! To the mall I go!”

But when you’re talking travel, people can’t look at your free, multi-thousand-dollar trip to the Maldives and say, “Yeah, that’s realistic for me too! To Expedia I go!”

Think about it. When you see someone having a $10,000 holiday, how do you feel? Do you think “Wow! That’s pretty!” or “Wow! I can do that too! I’m going to book that!?”

Sponsored trips and one-off brand deals will help you travel and provide eye candy for your readers but it won’t create the expertise and relatable experiences that will have them coming back to you over and over for concrete advice or product purchases.

I’ve yet to see a pure travel blog get huge by only taking sponsored trips (though there are a number of fashion/travel hybrid blogs that are gigantic). The most successful bloggers in many niches avoid one-off partnerships and sponsored content because it dilutes their authenticity. (On the other hand, long-term partnerships are wonderful as they can bring value and unique deals to your readers.)

Avoid too many one-off trips paid by someone else, write about relatable experiences, and grow larger!

(And when you create products, you don’t need the money from these trips! Win-win!)
 

7. Network Outside of Travel

Networking with other travel bloggers can help you become better known in the industry (which is a good thing), but by reaching outside of the industry, you can be the travel person everyone else turns to for quotes, interviews, and advice.

And that is going to pay more dividends than just sticking to travel conferences. Yes, attend industry events (you’d be stupid not to!) but don’t attend only industry events.

Find where your expertise overlaps with other industries and meet the successful leaders in those industries. Then you can find people who know nothing about travel and be their travel expert on their websites. It’s how I’ve connected with so many finance, entrepreneurship, and tech experts. Here are some good conferences to attend:

• SxSW (Tech)
• FinCon (Finance)
• VidCon (Video/YouTube)
• Craft and Commerce (Entrepreneurship)

8. Stop Talking About Yourself

While running a blog means you are going to say “I” a lot more than in magazine or newspaper writing, that doesn’t mean you should write only about yourself. If your blog is solely a journal or trip down memory lane, write about anything you want. But if you’re looking to run a professional blog that creates a sustainable income, remember that it’s not all about you.

It is — and always will be — about the people reading your website.

Whether that is by providing practical advice, telling them a good story, or making them laugh, remember that it’s all about how you can be of service to them.

If you are going to write about yourself, do so sparingly or relate it to the bigger picture of travel on the road. Don’t write about your new shoes, what food you ate, your thoughts on whatever, or the mundane details about your life. Few people really care about that. We read writers because they connect with us on an emotional level, tell good stories, and allow us to visualize ourselves in the places they talk about it.

Far too many travel blogs are a glorified personal diary but the most successful ones tell stories of places and better their reader’s travel experience!
 

9. Be Persistent

Rome wasn’t built in a day — and your blog won’t build itself overnight either. Maintain realistic expectations about your blog. Don’t expect anything but hard work for the first couple of years. Don’t rush. Build something that will last. The light is always at the end of the tunnel, but too many people give up right before the end.

Go back to my early posts from 2008 — they are horrible. I mean, really god-awful. There is a big difference between the content I produced then and the content I produce now. Sucking — at first — is part of the journey. You aren’t going to be great out of the gate.

And a lot of bloggers, expecting instant fame and success, give up. I have tons of people go “Hey, can I get a refund on my course? I just don’t have the time right now. I’ll come back to it later.”

They never do.

I see it all the time. The reason most bloggers fail is not because they have bad content but because they give up. They don’t want to put in the time to succeed. Part of success is just outlasting everyone else.

Be patient. Put in the time. And you’ll reach your goals!

If you want to start a travel blog, know that it is a time-consuming process. Writing about your trip to Paris is only a small part of the story. Successful blogs focus on content and are customer-centric and reader-centric. It’s easy to reach small or mid-tier status but if you want to stand out, focus on reader-centric content, being niche, creating products, and sticking to best practices.

If you follow these nine travel blogging tips, I promise you’ll find success in the travel blogging industry. These are my nine guiding principles and they’ve served me well over the last decade!

The Business of Blogging Masterclass

If you’re looking for more help and insight into creating a travel blog, check out my online masterclass. It’s the course I wish I had when I started blogging.

This masterclass will show you how to:

• Get your website up and running
• Develop a strategy
• Build your brand
• Master the behind-the-scenes tech stuff
• Network
• Rank highly in search engines through quality SEO
• Crush it on social media
• Grow your email list
• Make money blogging
• And a lot more!

If that sounds like something you’re interested in you can learn more at superstarblogging.com!

The post How to Become a Successful Travel Blogger appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.