I have been asked several times in the past few months IF I work. Now I understand it seems to the outside viewer that we are on permanent vacation and one of the first things they wonder is HOW we can afford it, but they are actually asking me this question THROUGH my website. I wonder how exactly they think it runs?
It made me realize that people love reading and following blogs but very few know exactly what it takes to make it successful. There are a lot, and I mean millions, of travel related blogs out there. Some are simply to keep their friends and family abreast of what they are doing, some are purely for profit, and most, like mine, are sort of a mix of both.
I started this blog to let people know what we are doing and to motivate people to know that this lifestyle is possible. I also wanted to share the knowledge that I have gained over the past decade to help people plan vacations. When I started it was a whirlwind of designing the blog, putting it together, adding and subtracting things we liked and didn’t like, and trying to learn the ins and outs of the travel blogging world.
After the first 6 months of researching, learning, reading, and connecting on social media sites I finally felt like I understood how it all works. At that point, as the blog gained a following, we decided to monetize it. We realized that we could still maintain a useful blog while at the same time making a little extra money.
I spend most of my time on day-to-day things like writing, social media, and emails. And, of course, the actual traveling bit so I have something to write about.
Research
Many hours are spent on research for travel. Where to head to next, trying to find the cheapest flights, searching for the best place to stay within our budget, things to do while we are there, etc. This is all part of blogging, as what we do we blog about!
If I were asked what the toughest part of constant travel was or what the toughest component to blogging is, I would answer research to both questions. I have a love hate relationship with it but at the end of the day it is a true necessity! I don't plan a lot as I think that hinders travel in a sense, but with 3 children and a limited budget we need to have a general idea of what we are doing!
Weekly time spent: On average 5-7 hours! (this varies depending on what we are doing)
Actual articles
Of course the main piece of work that goes into blogging is writing. If you want your blog to gain readers you will need good content that people can relate to and you should be posting several times a week. With 3 kids and constant moving I only post 1-2 times per week, but it should be slightly more in my opinion. I'm working on it..
Each post also takes more than just the time to write, which varies depending on the topic, at least for me. I always include photos, so there is the choosing and editing of each photo in order to give my readers the best I can. Then there is the tagging, editing, labelling, posting, sharing, etc. It is not uncommon for one article to take several hours spread out over multiple days.
Weekly time spent: On average 12 hours a week!
The money making bit
Making money is really my tertiary concern, but once we figured it out and started to make some it was certainly a welcome benefit. To make money I spent several hours a week emailing, contacting clients, drafting up posts, placing ads, and general organizational tasks to keep it all in order.
We also realized that we are helping advertise for free when we visit someplace and then blog about it. So I now contact a venue before we go, like Universal Studios in Singapore, and request tickets in exchange for online exposure. This also takes quite a bit of time as I need to draft up formal pitches explaining how and what I will offer and how exactly our visit can benefit them. Then I have to write, edit and add images to the post after we visit. But these “freebies” have been an unexpected benefit of writing about our adventures.
Weekly time spent: On average 8 hours a week!
Getting and keeping social followers
Social media is the bane of my travel blogging existence...there I said it! A huge part of gaining and keeping readers is of course through honest content, but after that it is social media engagement. Some will argue and rail against the entire thing but in my experience it matters!
Facebook and Twitter are where I have networked with fellow bloggers and learned so much. On top of that, the constant changes to Facebook and need to update and “post” keep me busy multiple times per day. To keep followers you need to keep active to hold their attention. It is more time consuming than you may think.
Weekly time spent: On average 8-12 hours per week!
There are many more little things that go into running a travel blog. I am not complaining at all, I love writing, taking pictures, sharing our adventures, inspiring others to step outside their comfort zones, and most of all traveling, but there is a lot of work to it. I make my own schedule and even though I typically spend 25-40 hours a week on the blog it is my choice to make and my timeframe to follow. I wouldn’t have it any other way…most days!
For those of you out there thinking of becoming a travel blogger, I say go for it! But keep in mind all the time that goes into it, you really need to love traveling and writing to make it work!
 |
| Sometimes travel blogging is this peaceful......but not usually....it IS work! |
I started this blog to let people know what we are doing and to motivate people to know that this lifestyle is possible. I also wanted to share the knowledge that I have gained over the past decade to help people plan vacations. When I started it was a whirlwind of designing the blog, putting it together, adding and subtracting things we liked and didn’t like, and trying to learn the ins and outs of the travel blogging world.
After the first 6 months of researching, learning, reading, and connecting on social media sites I finally felt like I understood how it all works. At that point, as the blog gained a following, we decided to monetize it. We realized that we could still maintain a useful blog while at the same time making a little extra money.
I spend most of my time on day-to-day things like writing, social media, and emails. And, of course, the actual traveling bit so I have something to write about.
Research
Many hours are spent on research for travel. Where to head to next, trying to find the cheapest flights, searching for the best place to stay within our budget, things to do while we are there, etc. This is all part of blogging, as what we do we blog about!
If I were asked what the toughest part of constant travel was or what the toughest component to blogging is, I would answer research to both questions. I have a love hate relationship with it but at the end of the day it is a true necessity! I don't plan a lot as I think that hinders travel in a sense, but with 3 children and a limited budget we need to have a general idea of what we are doing!
Weekly time spent: On average 5-7 hours! (this varies depending on what we are doing)
Actual articles
Of course the main piece of work that goes into blogging is writing. If you want your blog to gain readers you will need good content that people can relate to and you should be posting several times a week. With 3 kids and constant moving I only post 1-2 times per week, but it should be slightly more in my opinion. I'm working on it..
 |
| Taking and editing photos is another part of writing articles that takes a lot of time! |
Weekly time spent: On average 12 hours a week!
The money making bit
Making money is really my tertiary concern, but once we figured it out and started to make some it was certainly a welcome benefit. To make money I spent several hours a week emailing, contacting clients, drafting up posts, placing ads, and general organizational tasks to keep it all in order.
We also realized that we are helping advertise for free when we visit someplace and then blog about it. So I now contact a venue before we go, like Universal Studios in Singapore, and request tickets in exchange for online exposure. This also takes quite a bit of time as I need to draft up formal pitches explaining how and what I will offer and how exactly our visit can benefit them. Then I have to write, edit and add images to the post after we visit. But these “freebies” have been an unexpected benefit of writing about our adventures.
Weekly time spent: On average 8 hours a week!
Getting and keeping social followers
Social media is the bane of my travel blogging existence...there I said it! A huge part of gaining and keeping readers is of course through honest content, but after that it is social media engagement. Some will argue and rail against the entire thing but in my experience it matters!
Facebook and Twitter are where I have networked with fellow bloggers and learned so much. On top of that, the constant changes to Facebook and need to update and “post” keep me busy multiple times per day. To keep followers you need to keep active to hold their attention. It is more time consuming than you may think.
Weekly time spent: On average 8-12 hours per week!
There are many more little things that go into running a travel blog. I am not complaining at all, I love writing, taking pictures, sharing our adventures, inspiring others to step outside their comfort zones, and most of all traveling, but there is a lot of work to it. I make my own schedule and even though I typically spend 25-40 hours a week on the blog it is my choice to make and my timeframe to follow. I wouldn’t have it any other way…most days!
For those of you out there thinking of becoming a travel blogger, I say go for it! But keep in mind all the time that goes into it, you really need to love traveling and writing to make it work!
I started writing this article a few days ago not knowing I would be blessed with an immediate reminder of my love-hate relationship with Paypal.
The problems seem to arise when you try to get your money out or if your transactions exceed some arbitrary limit, or a host of other reasons. One of the worst things about Paypal besides its service and the fact that accounts can be blocked is how much it charges for foreign currency transfers. Obviously a huge problem when living in other countries. The bottom line is that you will pay up to 4% in fees. 4%, that is a lot over a year! View this comparison of Transferwise vs Paypal and see for yourself.
Of course these issues can be fixed somewhat by getting "Verified" which entails tying your Paypal account to your personal bank account with debit card information and/or credit card info, your social security number, and a DNA sample of your firstborn. Okay, I made the last one up.
But it's not too far off from what Paypal actually knows about your past. It's understandable for security purposes why a financial services company would need as much intimate bank information possible. Yet,the issue of privacy is of some concern.
First, I despise financial institutions. I think a strong case can be made that they are the root of all evil, literally.
The sad reality is that we still rely on them. For those of us who make our money online, Paypal is essential. It's simply a necessity for digital nomads like ourselves.
Paypal, in theory, is easy to use. Just sign up and put in an email address to use as your payment address. and transfer money to people by simply entering their email address and your done. It allows us to easily process borderless payments in any currency. It's brilliant!
The sad reality is that we still rely on them. For those of us who make our money online, Paypal is essential. It's simply a necessity for digital nomads like ourselves.
Paypal, in theory, is easy to use. Just sign up and put in an email address to use as your payment address. and transfer money to people by simply entering their email address and your done. It allows us to easily process borderless payments in any currency. It's brilliant!
The problems seem to arise when you try to get your money out or if your transactions exceed some arbitrary limit, or a host of other reasons. One of the worst things about Paypal besides its service and the fact that accounts can be blocked is how much it charges for foreign currency transfers. Obviously a huge problem when living in other countries. The bottom line is that you will pay up to 4% in fees. 4%, that is a lot over a year! View this comparison of Transferwise vs Paypal and see for yourself.
Of course these issues can be fixed somewhat by getting "Verified" which entails tying your Paypal account to your personal bank account with debit card information and/or credit card info, your social security number, and a DNA sample of your firstborn. Okay, I made the last one up.
But it's not too far off from what Paypal actually knows about your past. It's understandable for security purposes why a financial services company would need as much intimate bank information possible. Yet,the issue of privacy is of some concern.
I mean they knew stuff about us from 20 years ago. When they gave me a multiple choice test to verify who I was over the phone, I failed.
What can I say, besides having a bad memory, I was a bit shocked that they even knew my rental addresses in California from 17 years ago or the names of random LLCs I set up when I bought and sold real estate nearly a decade ago. I was actually sweating during the exam like a witness on the stand. So, I failed, and promptly asked to speak to a supervisor.
As a side note, everyone I have dealt with on the phone at Paypal has been extremely courteous and professional and managed to restore my account, temporarily anyways.
"The constant freezing of my account to preempt fraud is really freaking annoying," I tell the supervisor. "How about I just notify you if I suspect suspicious activity? That would be enough fraud protection for me if that can get this account working smoothly?" I ask.
They told me it was probably because we log in from different IP addresses during our travels or when we log in from a different computer, and not from suspicious transfers or limit requirements.
"Great!", I said. "Just set it to not recognize different IP addresses as fraud, and I will be the first to notify you if anything appears out of the ordinary."
Nope, not gonna do it.
"You have to be located inside your home at the address registered to your account for us to give you that option," she told me gently sensing my disappointment knowing that I was calling from Cambodia.
I'm thinking, ohh that's right, you still haven't you verified who I am yet even though I had to say my account information and the secret code you gave me one number at a time to a freaking computer for ten minutes just for the privilege to speak to a human.
So the supervisor asks me another series of multiple choice questions with yet more older-than-a-decade random addresses and LLCs probably linked to my social security number that they likely ran through some government database without my permission.
But this time, calm and prepared, I aced the test. My account was once again restored in all its previous glory and I swiftly withdrew my current balance to my small-town savings bank account.
Ultimately, we love and require Paypal's services, so we must comply. But it doesn't mean I can't complain about their privacy policies and God complex to limit access to our funds.
The quotes above are to the best of my recollection, but Paypal assured me they have the recording stored along with the rest of my entire financial history -- and the DNA of my firstborn;).
 |
| Get FREE SEO Ebook HERE |
One of the last things most bloggers learn is search engine optimization (SEO). It's seems intimidating and complicated to beginners. But there truly isn't much mystery to it and it's vital for any ambitious blogger to learn if you have hopes of sustained traffic and income.
Our travel blog is still relatively young, just shy of one year old. Yet, thanks to our loyal readers and some super targeted SEO, we are already the fifth ranked "family travel blog" on Google.
We are also lucky enough to rank high for other very desirable search terms. This doesn't happen by accident especially with a new blog. There are many techniques to improve your travel blog's ranking on search engines.
There's a great e-book that teaches everything new bloggers need to know about SEO for blogs. I highly recommend these techniques since we used them at this travel blog with amazing results -- and it's FREE!
SEO For Bloggers is a concise 20-page guide that includes the following sections:
- What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
- What are Keywords?
- How to Research Keywords
- How to Use Keywords in Your Blog
- 12 Tips to Write Killer Blog Titles
- Targeting Keywords in Backlinks
- Dos and Don’ts After Google’s Recent Update
- Stay Relevant
- Advanced SEO Techniques for Pros
Get your FREE SEO For Bloggers Ebook here.
Everyone wants to know how we pay for this independent nomadic lifestyle, so I felt compelled to write this post as part of a group writing project to help others discover how they can realize their dreams.
We are commonly referred to as "digital nomads". Digital nomadism is a relatively new concept where people, like us, use the Internet to make an income that permits us to live a bohemian lifestyle. We are also known as mobile bohemians (mobos) or location independent professionals (LIP).
Digital nomads typically make money online as freelance writers and bloggers, photographers or artists, web developers, software geeks, affiliate marketers, graphic artists, and many other types of Web commuters and entrepreneurs. Digital nomads usually can work anywhere as long as they have a computer and Internet access.
In our case, we make our living by blogging. We write about things we're passionate about and post them to free blogs that we maintain, which means we have no boss to answer to, no set schedule, and generally no rules to follow.
But that does not mean we get to slack off or be lazy. Okay, maybe we get more free time than the average worker bee, but we still must be disciplined to earn enough money to live on and to travel the world. Granted, we've also adjusted ourselves to live quite simply in order to be able to afford a nomadic lifestyle (See our breakdown of our nomadic travel expenses).
The fantastic thing about blogging is that literally anyone can do it, from anywhere in the world. All of the tools and resources are available for free. All you need is passion for your niche, a laptop, internet, and some know-how. However, just because it's free and easy to set up and anyone can do it, doesn't mean success will happen overnight.
Well before this hobby family travel blog, we spent many long hours working on other blogs; learning about techniques to write good content, to get traffic and search engine recognition, and ultimately how to make money from blogging. It took about three years to get to where we are today.
In hindsight, it would have been much easier if we got a good book about blogging instead of learning through trial and error. We could have significantly sped up our plans to live as digital nomads if the knowledge was spoon fed to us. (See this link for the best book about blogging)
But now that we have the knowledge to make money with free blogs, it's fairly easy to set up new ones and make them successful. The key is finding a niche that you will enjoy writing about whether it's your travel adventures, your hobby, your professional expertise, or any topic that offers valuable or entertaining content to your audience.
And that's also perhaps the most rewarding part of blogging for a living, getting paid to rant about things we're passionate about, from travel to even something like dogs. It's certainly much more fulfilling than working some random job, for somebody else, just to pay the bills.
If you're like everyone else we meet, you probably want to know precisely 'how do you blog for money?'
Well there's no quick answer for that, but the basic ways to monetize a blog are with ads that pay you when a reader clicks on it, ads that lead to a product that the reader buys and you get a commission, advertisers that rent space on your blog, by writing sponsored posts or reviews, or by hosting a store of some kind.
All of those ways to make money are fairly easy to set up and manage but, first, you must get some traffic to your blog by building a following. This will primarily come from producing enjoyable content that you share far and wide, but there are also some proven techniques to improve your blog's search engine optimization (SEO) and traffic.
Successful blogging is as simple as following a formula. Although nearly any blog has the potential to make some money, if you want a full time income, you'll have to treat your blogs like a business and put in the time to build it up.
Even if you don't have plans to make a full-time living from blogging, you should start one just to learn a new skill and to have your own webpage where you aggregate your interests -- a sort of homebase for your internet activity.
For us, we couldn't be more grateful to have discovered this path to provide our independent lifestyle. Blogging allows us to work in our underwear, any time of day or night, on a beach in Costa Rica or on a secluded island in Malaysia. We recommend blogging to anyone seeking freedom from the rat race.
And remember that if you’re travelling & working some countries require you to have certain documents to work, America has their social security, the UK has National insurance cards & India requires you to get a Pan Card from www.pan-card.org.in/.
To see how some other traveling families make it work financially check out the families below:
Gabi Klaf at The Nomadic Family http://thenomadicfamily.com/2012/06/you-would-die-if-you-knew-just-how-rich-we-are
Molly From South America Living http://www.southamericaliving.com/nine-years-living-abroad-how-weve-funded-our-travels-6/
Molly From South America Living http://www.southamericaliving.com/nine-years-living-abroad-how-weve-funded-our-travels-6/
To follow our adventures like us on facebook!