Being a travel blogger is not just a job, it’s a calling. Some may even call it a blessing. As much as being in this profession can be great, travel blogging is not without its problems. The great stories and photo shoots don’t just come out of nowhere, after all. Not to mention the fierce competition. So, here is a list of problems that travel bloggers should not wait to address:
1. Working Overtime
Writing for a travel blog is not all fun and games like it sounds. Most travel bloggers put in over 60 hours per week for their blogs. Some work on weekends too. If you own your blog, you have to be the one promoting it too. That means doing SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, and so on all by yourself. The hours can quickly fly by. Despite what most people think, travel bloggers don’t spend 20 minutes a day writing a post and spend the rest of the day lounging on the beach. Serious writers know how hard it is to manage time and organize all the things that need to be done.
2. Missing Favorite TV Shows
There are plenty of plus sides to international travel and downsides too. One of the biggest cons of being a travel blogger is missing TV back home. Because of confusing and largely unnecessary international copyright laws, streaming services like Netflix have geographical restrictions. If you loved streaming Game of Thrones in the U.S., it wouldn’t be available in Thailand, even if you are using the same account. Some bloggers are flabbergasted by this issue, but it does have an easy fix: VPNs! Subscribe to a VPN or a SmartDNS service to bypass geographical restriction and country-specific censors to enjoy your favorite shows anywhere in the world.
3. Having Too May Social Media Accounts
Modern bloggers often have to juggle close to a dozen social media accounts. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and the list goes on. It’s a common saying that bloggers must use as many social media channels to market as much as possible. Unless you are running a blog with your staff, this is nearly impossible. There is no easy fix for this. However, bloggers strapped for time can estimate which social media platform works best with their target audience. Professional marketers restrict advertising to the channels with the highest return on investment (ROI). Likewise, social media platforms should be limited to the ones where readers are most likely to engage with you.
4. Endless Photographing
Some travel bloggers suffer from an OCD-like need to photograph everything when they are at a destination. Photos are what brings traffic to most travel blogs. But this habit can get out of control and prevent the blogger from enjoying a destination. Is there a solution? Some travel bloggers prefer to visit a place without the camera first, then go back with the camera.
5. Photo Storage
Photo files are big. This is why so many travel bloggers end up with multiple external hard drives and flash drives to store files. It’s easy for travel photos to stack up. Some bloggers keep all the pictures, even the bad ones. Photo storage is expensive. It’s smart to slim down which photos to keep. Or, you will have to get a cloud storage account with considerable data storage.
6. Getting Obsessed with the Latest #travelbloggerdestination
If one blogger goes to Maldives and tags the pictures with #travelbloggerdestination, then everyone else wants to go there too. This usually results in an oversaturation of travel posts about Maldives on the blogosphere and social media. Too much supply stunts the demand. So, try not to be a follower, and be the leader.
7. Difficulty Enjoying Non-Blogging Trips
Sometimes travel bloggers have to go on normal vacations too. Like the regular family vacation to Florida, where it doesn’t end with taking thousands of pictures and spending hours blogging about it and posting about it on social media. Some experienced travel bloggers are so used to the routine; they have difficulty letting go of their cameras and laptops on non-blogging vacations. Chill, people. Learn to relax and enjoy yourselves.
How many of the above problems have you faced as a travel blogger?
Related articles:
7 Steps to Becoming a Professional Travel Blogger
10 Tips for Being a Travel Blogger on a Budget