Wordpress.observer editorial team
Wordpress.observer editorial team

How to become a travel blogger using WordPress (6 easy steps)?

How to become a travel blogger using WordPress (6 easy steps)?

In this article, we will cover six steps how to become a travel blogger:

  1. Choose a name for your blog and register a domain.
  2. Choose a reliable hosting.
  3. Create a list of ideas for potential articles.
  4. Choose a blogging platform.
  5. Find the perfect theme.
  6. Customize any plugins you may need.

These days, you can easily create a blog about any topic that you like. However, there are a few subjects that are as interesting as travel. Almost everyone loves to travel, watch glamorous photos and read about exotic places. However, learning how to become a travel blogger involves several key tasks (at least if you want to do it right).

We have something to tell you, and you are probably eager to find out how to become a travel blogger. So let’s do it!

Content

  • Step 1: Choose a name for your blog (and register a domain)
  • Step 2: choose a reliable hosting
  • Step 3. Create a list of ideas for potential articles
  • Step 4: Choose a Blogging Platform
  • Step 5: Find The Perfect WordPress Theme
  • Step 6. Configure any plugins you need.
  • Conclusion

Step 1: Choose a name for your blog (and register a domain)

The first thing a blog needs is a name, and yours is no exception. Buying a domain is a very personal process. However, there are a few tips that apply to many types of websites.

In particular:

  • Stick to shorter names whenever possible. Short names are easier to remember, faster to type, and they are more often heard.
  • Select a name with an existing .com domain. We will talk more about how to register a domain in a minute. For now, it’s enough to say that you should check any potential name to find out if there is a .com extension for it.
  • Choose a name that represents the content of your blog. In most cases, you need the name of your blog to represent the type of content you are about to publish. It should be as specific as possible. Budget Traveler is a clearer and more understandable name than John Doe’s Traveler Blog, for example (unless you are famous!).

You probably already have many good names, so write them to the list. Then check if .com domains are available to them. You can use other top-level domain (TLD) settings, but people still tend to trust .com sites more, so we recommend you a safer option.

After you decide on a name, your next step in learning how to become a travel blogger is to register a domain. Most hosting platforms (including Hostinger) allow you to do this easily:

You just need to enter the domain that you want to buy, and the controller will tell you if it is available.

No one has yet taken the “Budget Traveler”, as you can see below. You will need to come up with your own name. Since we are talking about becoming a travel blogger, we recommend that you stick to names that make people think about vacation and vacation, or about exotic places:

The next step is to add the domain that you want to your basket and pay for it. In most cases, a .com domain name will cost you about 10$. Once you purchase it, the domain belongs to you, but you must renew it every year in order to maintain ownership.

Most registrars or web hosts let you know in advance when you renew your domain renewal, so don’t worry about remembering it! Now that you have your domain name ready to go, it’s time to talk about hosting.

Step 2: choose a reliable hosting

After learning how to start a travel blog, many people get stuck trying to find the perfect web host. The good news is that web hosting is now so competitive that you can find a great provider, even if you have a limited budget.

The real dilemma is that there are a ton of hosting providers to choose from. Here is what you should keep in mind when trying to determine the best. Your hosting provider should offer:

  • Wide range of tariff plans. Ideally, your web host will provide you with affordable starting plans. In addition, it should offer many upgrade options as your travel blog grows.
  • Great performance and uptime. Your site should be available at all times, and it should load quickly. This means that you will want to choose among web hosts that provide excellent performance.
  • Functions that make life easier. These days, most top-notch web hosts will offer many features to make your life easier. We are talking about automatic backups, websites, user-friendly control panels, etc.

If you have friends who run their own websites, ask them which web host they use and whether they are happy with the services.

However, if you do not know where to start, we recommend that you check our entry-level hosting plans, which include free domain registration when purchasing an annual tariff plan.

Since you are learning how to become a travel blogger, there is no need to invest in an expensive hosting plan from the very beginning. The level of our shared hosting is more than capable of handling a decent amount of traffic. In addition, you can always switch to something more reliable, for example, to Cloud hosting, as soon as your travel blog becomes popular.

Finally, you are probably going to spend a lot of time between exotic locations. Therefore, it is important that you choose a web host with an excellent customer support service that works around the clock. Thus, they can help you deal with any problems on your site, no matter in what time zone you are currently traveling on a blog.

Step 3. Create a list of ideas for potential articles

At the moment, you have a domain name and web hosting for your traveler blog. Now, before you start working on building it, we recommend that you sit down and brainstorm several potential ideas. This way, you can feel more confident when you finish learning how to become a travel blogger.

One thing that often happens when someone starts a new blog is that people are often stuck in the “building” phase and never sit down to write. Others will post an article or two on their blogs, and then stop updating regularly. However, if you have a list of ideas that you want to publish, you are likely to work your way through the initial downturn.

In addition, this brainstorming process will also help you to decide which direction you want to blog. Do you want to focus on budget or luxury travel? Will you talk about specific regions of the world or give tips for digital nomads? You may already have an idea of ​​the corners you want to visit, but this process will help you refine your ideas.

As we talk about travel, here are a few questions to get creative inspiration:

  • What are the last trips you’ve been to and what made them special?
  • Is there anything you would like to know about the places you went to before you get there?
  • Do you have any upcoming trips, and if so, how do you plan them?
  • Can you share special tips on places to stay, how to make the most of your budget or similar knowledge?

Travel blog allows you to write about all the fun topics. This means you don’t have to look at the list when it comes to new ideas on the topic. It’s a good idea to have a common focus when deciding how to start a travel blog, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot move from a given direction from time to time.

For now, make a list of all the ideas that come to mind for blog posts that you could write. Then check out what other blogs are publishing in your niche and see if you can suggest a new twist on some topics or write more learned articles. When it comes to travel blogs, people expect you to know what you’re talking about. Therefore, experience and research will be your best allies.

At this stage, you do not need to express your ideas on topics, just a title or a few lines. Before we sit down and start writing, let’s continue talking about how to become a travel blogger.

Step 4: Choose a Blogging Platform

As you may know, there are many software options that allow you to create and manage blogs, even if you do not have experience in web development. This type of platform is called Content Management System (CMS), and you have many free software to choose from.

For example, Joomla! – This is a flexible CMS that allows you to publish new content, style your site using templates and even expand its functionality with add-ons.

With Joomla!, you can create a simple travel blog or add as many features as you want, all for free:

Drupal is another option that has a reputation for a scalable platform. This means that with its help you can engage in both small travel blogs and mass blogs with thousands of visitors. Your web hosting will play an important role in how much traffic you can handle.

With Drupal, you can create any type of website you want. In addition, it also supports themes and extensions. However, it’s a little difficult to deal with this platform if you don’t have at least basic experience in web development:

Finally, there is WordPress. This platform is mainly the queen of CMS, and it provides almost 30% of all websites. So it’s fair to say that this is a popular option. As for why people love WordPress, the platform is incredibly easy to learn, even if you’re still learning how to create a travel blog:

Besides ease of use, WordPress offers more customization options than almost any other CMS. You have thousands of free plugins and themes to choose from, for example, as well as many additional features.

If you are a regular reader, you know that we are big fans of WordPress. In fact, the Hostinger blog runs on WordPress, and this article was written using its editor. With the right combination of plugins and themes, you can provide your visitors with almost any experience you can think of.

If you want to run a simple travel blog, you can do it easily. However, using WordPress you can also allow visitors to travel around the site, check flight routes and much more (we will talk more about these features in the near future).

In the remainder of this tutorial, we are going to focus on choosing WordPress as your primary platform before starting your travel blog. If you want to make this choice, go ahead and configure it through your web hosting. If you do not know how to do this, consult the documentation of your hosting provider for help.

Step 5: Find The Perfect WordPress Theme

After you create your site in WordPress, the next thing you will want to do is choose a theme for your site. In case you don’t know, WordPress themes are templates that customize the look and layout of your website.

As we mentioned earlier, you have thousands of free options to choose from when you learn how to become a travel blogger. Many of them can be found in the official WordPress Theme Directory:

To customize a theme, you need to open the WordPress toolbar and go to the Appearance> Themes tab. Most WordPress installations include several default themes, as you can see below:

However, these topics are pretty simple, so you probably want to find other options. In fact, there are even travel topics you can use.

To start exploring your options, click the Add button, and then check what happens when searching for topics using the “travel” keyword:

There are many great options to choose from. However, you should not decide which topic to use based solely on appearance. If everything is correct, you will use the same theme for many years. So you need to be very picky.

Here are some tips to help you decide which WordPress travel themes are worth your while. By these criteria you can find the perfect theme:

  • Few positive reviews. Usually we like to see at least ten reviews with an average score of more than four (out of five) before we even consider using the topic.
  • Recent updates. You should never use a theme that has not been updated for more than a few months. It can be left behind and obsolete topics can lead to security issues on your blog.
  • Main documentation. Ideally, whatever topic you choose, you should look at least for some basic documentation. This will help you speed up your functions and understand how to use them.

Since we are talking about travel, in particular, you will also want to stick to the options that were built taking into account this niche.

If you find a beautiful theme that meets all of the above criteria, all you need to do is install it. If you are viewing themes in the control panel, you can simply hover over the one you want and select Install:

The installation process will take some time, and you will see a new button labeled Activate:

Select it, and the theme will be fully customized on your site! If you check your site on the front panel, it will now look completely different.

Of course, you can also customize your travel blog to suit your specific vision. How you do it (and what options are available) will depend on the topic you choose. A good place to start, however, is with the WordPress Customizer.

Before moving on, keep in mind that when deciding how to start a travel blog, you don’t have to stick with free themes. There are many premium options, and they sometimes include many more features than their free counterparts.

WordPress travel themes are a very popular niche, so you have a choice. Two reliable options to help you get started are Trendy Travel and Travel Tour, although we recommend that you do your own research and find the best topic for your needs on ThemeForest 

Step 6. Configure any plugins you need.

There is only one step left in learning how to become a travel blogger. Before you can start working on your first article, you will want to configure any plugins that you think you might need. WordPress plugins are simple extensions that add new features to the platform.

In many cases, your site will already have several plugins as soon as you configure WordPress. You can check them by going to the Plugin tab in the control panel:

Adding new plugins works the same way as with themes. There are thousands of options to choose from in the WordPress Plugin Directory, so we recommend that you spend at least some time to see what is there:

Let’s quickly look at a few types of WordPress plugins that you can find. For example, WP Travel Engine allows you to create travel packages, order them and even process payments:

So, for example, let’s say you are writing about a recent trip. You can put together a package that shows where you left off and show them on your website so your readers can share their experiences.

Another reliable option would be Travelpayouts, which will allow you to monetize your travel blog using the affiliate system:

With this plugin you can help your visitors find cheap flights and hotels. If they make a reservation, you will even receive a commission from these services.

There are also many plugins that are not travel related, but they will still help you manage your blog more efficiently. For example, if you want to plan content in advance, you can use the Editorial Calendar plugin to visually see all your upcoming messages and events:

We could go ahead and discuss potential plugins, but let’s get back to talking about how to start a travel blog. If you have several plugins, you need to install them. To do this, you can simply use the Plugin tab> Add New.

This will allow you to find plugins available in the WordPress repository. In addition, you can install them without leaving the control panel. All you have to do is click on the Install Now button next to any plugin that you want to install:

Then wait until this button is converted to the Activate button, and click it again. Now your plugin will be ready to work.

When you are happy with your choice of plugins, you can continue to work and post your first post. Your WordPress Travel Blog is now fully operational!

Conclusion

Starting a successful advertising blog and getting companies to pay for your trips is a dream worth pursuing. However, there is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes when you learn how to become a travel blogger. For example, you must select a name for your blog, register a domain, find a website, and select a platform. All this needs to be done before you start writing, so you better start working right away.

Do you have any questions about how to become a travel blogger and how to start a travel blog using WordPress? Let’s talk about them in the comments section below!

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