Travel blogging can be a great hobby. In addition to travelling the world, you will be able to make money from the blog. Before you start travel blogging, you need to take note of a few things, and we will discuss them in this article.
Important Things to Know as a Travel Blogger
Protect Your Network
When travelling, you may need to connect to public Wi-Fi services. Such connections can be highly insecure, and that is why you need to learn how to protect your network. One thing you should do is to use IT security programs. These will monitor the traffic going to your website and devices, and any malicious users will be prevented from accessing your network. It is also worth noting that IT security programs can be extremely effective in protecting networks from virus attacks.
Another benefit of using an IT security program is that you will be able to stop spyware from accessing your files. These programs can easily steal your data and control your computer. You should consider getting integrated security programs as these will be easier to update and keep track of.
Learn the Local Languages
As a travel blogger, you are likely to visit many countries that don’t speak English. To get around the places, you will have to learn some useful phrases in the local language. While some countries may have a large number of English speakers, you will usually come off as impolite if you initiate conversations in English. Learning local languages can also help with casual dating in the places you will visit. Since it might be impractical to become fluent in new languages in short periods, you should consider using translator apps.
Create a Website and Social Media Accounts
You will also need to create a website for your travel blog, and this should have a unique domain name. If you want to make money from the site, you should avoid going for free hosting services. In addition to your website, you have to create social media accounts. This way, you will be able to showcase pictures and videos from your trips, and this can create interest in the blog. When you build your following on social media, you can poll your viewers for your next travel destination.
Diversify Your Income Sources
As you start, you may not be able to make good money with your travel blog. For this reason, you need to raise money from other sources. One of the best ways of making money while travelling is to write articles for other websites. If you’ve stayed long enough in a specific place, you can also work as a tour guide. To do this, you can connect with tourists on social media. Lots of people will be more willing to pay for your services if you can show them that you understand the local culture adequately. You can also make use of your skills as you travel. For example, if you are able to develop websites or applications, you can market these services online.
Conclusion
Before you start travel blogging, you should take note of a few things. First, you need to protect your network as this will prevent the loss of your essential data. You should also learn some useful phrases in the local language. To grow your following, you should create accounts on all major social media sites. Finally, you should diversify your income sources.
I haven’t used this site much since I started it in 2014, mostly as all my business comes through Don’t Stop Living these days. But this site should be more me and less you. I will be doing a bit more on it over the next year or so and I have had a new JB logo designed, thanks to Ilona Skladzien Bournemouth logo expert.
New logo for JB by Ilona Skladzien
You can employ Ilona to do logos for your business by contacting her company My Logo I.
Jonny Blair world traveller and business backpacker logo
You might have seen my social media updates on my main site, Twitter and Facebook about this release of my first ever travel blog, so here it is in a post on here to explain a bit more. As I head to my 100th country this month, I wanted to get my first ever travel blog released to get it out of the way. The book is 24 years old. The book was written by me back in 1991 on my first ever journey away from Northern Ireland without my parents as I embarked on a school trip to the Netherlands.
My First Ever Travel Blog from 1991
The book is a short 26 page account of that first journey, containing the original text from my first ever hand written travel blog, photos from the original book and my reflections now as an adult, 24 years on. The book was written in April and May 1991 when I was just 11 years old. At the time it was written into an old school notebook and has now been published digitally for the first time in March 2015, when I’m now 34 years old.
The reason for the release of this, my first ever travel blog, is because I wanted to do things in order, so I’m releasing my first ever travel blog first and later there will be the bigger and better book that has been a long time coming. This is just a mini taster. Anyone interested in buying it, I have it on sale for $5.99 through e-junkie.com and amazon.com.
I hope you enjoy this ahead of the 100 country journey book which will be released later in the year.
About the Product:
My First Ever Travel Blog is Jonny Blair’s first ever travel diary, dating back to a school trip to the Netherlands in 1991 when Jonny was just 11 years old. It is a short eBook with text lifted directly from the hand written diary that Jonny made back in 1991 when he left Northern Ireland without his parents or family for the first time.
The story details Jonny’s five day trip to the Netherlands, the first trip that set Jonny off on this mighty fine journey around the planet. In the book Jonny also reflects on his time in the Netherlands in 1991 and how that trip influenced his wanderlust and desire to go on a journey through over 100 countries. A journey which he currently documents on his travel blog “Don’t Stop Living”.
You can buy my latest e-Book book now, through Pay Pal on e-junkie. Here’s the link:
I have been asked a few times, “How can you afford to travel so much?” and “How much money can you earn as a ‘business backpacker’?” “100 countries – are you serious?” First of all – I don’t buy luxuries and I’m a cheapskate and a tight assed person. Yeah, I’ll buy my mates a round down the pub sometimes and treat my girlfriend and family every now and then, but that’s it. Aside from travel, my luxury gifts to myself are pints of Guinness, takeaway pizzas and tickets for football matches. I can travel cheaply without a problem. I spend LESS MONEY travelling than people who stay in the same place. I don’t pay bills, I don’t pay regular rent for flats, I don’t have a mortgage, I don’t have a car etc. I don’t own a TV. My most expensive item is my laptop and my largest item is my backpack. For me, money is spent on living my life to the full while I can – I spend the money I earn on football, travel, pubs, food and intertwine that with my girlfriend, my friends and my family. I owe my friends and family big time (where have I been the last 11 years?) and I know that – but for the last 2 years I’ve been building up to the freedom to live the life I want and ensure I see my mates and family more. To do that I need three things – time, mobility and money.
Jonny Blair – Business Backpacker crossing the border from Georgia into Armenia in 2013
I never really touch on how much I earn before, as it’s just not the done thing – it screams of business men discussing how much money they made on the stock exchange and I’m a football shirt and shorts guy with a pint of Guinness in my hand. I don’t do posh unless it’s a wedding or a big event.
As posh as it gets – glammed up for a wedding in Afula in 2013
When I go down the pub with my mates, only some of the conversation will be work and money related, the thing is, my online work – the travel stuff doesn’t actually feel like “work” for me – I enjoy it and I want to help others travel so it always just feels like what I should be doing with a beer or a tea in hand from any given hostel or hotel around the world. None of this stuff I promote or talk about is fake – I’m really out there travelling the world, earning money on the way and proving there is more to life than just work.
Does it really feel like working when I’m in a cool hostel having a beer?
But how much can a business backpacker earn? The answer – as much as you WANT to earn. Earning doesn’t mean money though – I have to stress this – EARNING can mean the following to me:
– earning food
– earning beers
– earning time
– earning mobility
– earning beds for the night
– earning tours
– earning transport
– earning money
– earning time (the HARDEST nut to crack, but I’m working on it)
But don’t take advantage of freebies – it’s not good for you, me, or the world. If I get a guided tour, a free transfer or free food or drink, I work hard to promote these guys and I respect and thank them at all times. I’m not a travel writer who just wants “freebies” (as you’ll see from my lists below I turned down a load of trips).
I won’t date back 15 odd years here as to how much I have earned in my various jobs on my working career, you can get an idea here: Jonny Blair’s Working Career. But I’ll give you a rundown of my earnings in the past 12 months, my first full year as a proper “business backpacker”. This is not an extensive or full list as I am sure I have left a few things off this list, but dream big my friends, we can all do it.
INCOMINGS – WHAT I HAVE EARNED:
1. Actual Money I have earned (April 2013 – April 2014):
This has taken hard work by the way, but it shows what is possible:
– Teaching English in Hong Kong (kindergartens and primary schools) – $19, 350 USD
– Advertising, sponsorship and affiliate marketing on my flagship travel site Don’t Stop Living – $10,978 USD
– Working on Travel Itineraries and Travel Guides – $850 USD
– Advertising, sponsorship and affiliate marketing on my network of travel, adventure and lifestyle sites – $1,260 USD
– Travel writing for other sites and doing online reviews – $150 USD
– Miscellaneous Travel Earnings (selling photos, charging for copyright issues, online travel expert) – $120 USD
Total money earned in 12 months April 2013 – April 2014 – $32, 708 USD
2. Complimentary and Discounted trips I have earned (up to the end of April 2014):
This has been done in the best interests of the tour companies and myself – we have worked together on these projects and I don’t feel rude asking for complimentary tours – I work hard to ensure these companies are promoted, I personally recommend them all.
– Complimentary 5 day Safari in Tanzania with Shadows of Africa
– Complimentary 2 day hike and camping experience in Wadi Rum, Jordan with Rumstars
– Complimentary 5 day tours of Israel and Palestine with Tourist Israel and Abraham Tours
– Discounted tour of North Korea with Young Pioneer Tours
– Discounted tour to Atauro Island in East Timor courtesy of Compass Divers
– Discounted tour to Khor Virap, Noravank and Tatev in Armenia courtesy of Penthouse Hostel
– Discounted tour of Amsterdam Arena courtesy of Durty Nelly’s Irish Pub
* this list is not complete – there are definitely a few tours I have missed out/left out
** a number of these included food and drink as well
3. Complimentary and Discounted Hotels and Hostels I have earned (up until the end of April 2014):
These are just a few examples:
– Discounted night in a 5 star hotel in China
– Discounted nights in a hostel in the Netherlands
– Discounted nights in a hostel in Istanbul, Turkey
– Discounted nights in a hostel in Tbilisi, Georgia
– Discounted nights in a hostel in Yerevan, Armenia
– Discounted nights in a hostel in Dili, East Timor
– Discounted homestay in Stepanakert, Nagorno Karabakh
– Complimentary stay at Abraham Hostel in Jerusalem, Israel
– Complimentary stay at hotels in Ankara and Adana, Turkey
– Complimentary stay in tents in Wadi Rum desert, Jordan
– Early (8am) check ins and late check outs (4pm) at no extra charge for hotels in Bangkok, Thailand
– Late check out in a hostel in Chongqing, China
– Late check out in a hostel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
* this list is not complete – there are a lot more places I have missed out/left out
** a number of these included food and drink as well
4. Complimentary and discounted travel I have earned (up until the end of April 2014):
– Complimentary airport transfer in Kinabalu, Malaysia
– Complimentary transport during my entire time in Tanzania
– Complimentary transfer from Mesr to Khoor in Iran
– Discounted transfer in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh
– Complimentary transport within most parts of Israel and Palestine
* this list is not complete – there are a few trips I have missed out/left out
** a number of these included food and drink as well
5. Offers I turned down due to being too busy, wrong geographical location or not being as interested:
– Complimentary 2 week tour of Kerala, India
– Complimentary tour of Paris, France (for 2 people)
– Complimentary tour of Berlin, Germany
– Discounted nights at a hotel in Wadi Musa, Jordan
– Complimentary nights in a hotel in Portugal
* this list is not complete – there are definitely a few offers I have missed out/left out
OUTGOINGS – WHAT I HAVE SPENT
Just because I have earned $32, 708 USD as a Business Backpacker in one year doesn’t mean I’m suddenly rich and could buy a house. I’m not – I’m a cheap backpacker who budgets every single day. I’ve spent almost all of that money on travel as I’m constantly on the move! But I also have staff working for me now, and I have to pay some money to get these projects off the ground, so here are some of my outgoings (I don’t have exact figures but this is a rough guide)
1. Money I have spent
Travel (Flights, buses, trains, tours, general travel, hotels, hostels, campsites, food, drink, souvenirs etc.) – $22,000 USD
Paying my staff that I outsource my jobs to – $1,100 USD
Paying companies for things (i.e. web domains, hosting servers, graphics, apps etc.) – $400 USD
2. Time I have spent
Your guess is as good as mine. I work every day in some capacity – it is rare for me to go a day without at least checking my websites, my emails, my Twitter and my Facebook. Ask my girlfriend – as we backpacked incessantly through Iran last year, we’re on the back of a camel and I’m thinking – need to check my emails. Through my girlfriend’s passion, I hope to take more time off in future.
I should enjoy the moment and forget about emails and business.
During the past 12 months, I have also travelled extensively
While i have earned and spent money on the move and worked hard along the way, I have also managed to travel to these places in the last 14 months, yes it’s all real, no fakes here:
ARMENIA – Garni, Geghard, Goght, Goris, Haghpat, Khor Virap, Nora Vank, Sanahin, Tatev, Yerevan AZERBAIJAN – Balaken, Baku, James Bond Oil Fields, Lake Masazir, Mud Volcanoes, Qobustan, Quba, Seki, Xinaliq, Zaqatala BRUNEI DARUSSALAM – Bandar Seri Begawan, Muara, Serasa CHINA – Baisha, Beijing, Changsha, Chongqing, Dandong, Dansha, Guilin, Hangzhou, Jianlong Waterfalls, Jiangling, Jianshui, Jin Ji Cun, Jingdezhen, Kunming, Little Likeng, Luoping, Nanchang, Sanqingshan, Shanghai, Shangrao, Shenzhen, Shilin, Suzhou, Wangkou, Wuyuan, Yuanyang, Yushan, Xiaoqi, Xingjie, Yangshuo, Zhuhai EAST TIMOR – Atauro Island, Cape Fatucama, Dili ENGLAND – Birmingham, Bournemouth, Dartford, Liverpool, London, Portsmouth ETHIOPIA – Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Harar GEORGIA – Batumi, Davit Gareja, Gergeti, Gori, Kazbegi, Lagodekhi, (Sadaklo), Sighnaghi, Tbilisi, Uplistsikhe HONG KONG – Aberdeen, Central, Kowloon Tong, Kwun Tong, Lam Tin, Lantau Island, Lo Wu, Ma Wan, Mong Kok, Shek Kip Mei, Sheung Shui, Stanley, Tai Po, Tsing Yi, Tsuen Wan, Yuen Long, Wan Chai, Yau Ma Tei, Yao Tong IRAN – Alamut Valley, Bandar e Golmankhaneh, Bayaziye, Bazargan, Chak Chak, Esfahan, Gazor Khan, Kaluts, Kandovan, Kerman, Khalate Talkh, Kharanaq, Khoor, Lake Orumiye, Maku, Marvdasht, Mashhad, Mahan, Mesr, Nasqh-e Rostam, Orumiye, Persepolis, Qazvin, Rayen, Shahr-e Kord, Shiraz, Tabriz, Tehran, Yaseh Chah, Yazd, Zarad Band
IRAQ – Ainkawa, Amadiya, Dohuk, Erbil, (Kirkuk), (Mosul), Qadash, Sulav, Sulimaniyeh
ISRAEL – Afula, Akko, Caesarea, Dead Sea, Eilat, Ein Gedi, Haifa, Isyfia, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Masada, Mizra, Tel Aviv, Tiger Caves JORDAN – Amman, Aqaba, Irbid, Petra, Wadi Musa, Wadi Rum (KENYA – Mombasa Airport) MALAYSIA – Kota Kinabalu, Labuan, Mount Kinabalu, Sapi Island MYANMAR – Amarapura, Bagan, Inwa, Mandalay, Sagaing, Yangon
NAGORNO KARABAKH – Agdam, Askeran, Gandzasar, Stepanakert, Vank
NETHERLANDS – Amsterdam
NORTHERN IRELAND – Bangor, Belfast, Newtownards NORTH KOREA – DMZ, Kaesong, Panmunjom, Pyongyang PALESTINE – Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Ramallah PHILIPPINES – Balicasag Island, Bohol Island, Cebu City, Panglao Island, Virgin Island QATAR – Doha SINGAPORE – Changi Airport (Stopover) SRI LANKA – Adam’s Peak, Colombo, Dambulla, Dellhousie, Galle, Haputale, Kandy, Kurenegala, Mirissa, Negombo, Pinnewela, Sigiriya, Tissamaharama, Yala National Park TANZANIA – Arusha, Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Rabat Maasai Village, Serengeti National Park
THAILAND – Bangkok
TURKEY – Adana, Ankara, Cappadocia, Dogubayazit, Goreme, Gurbulak, Istanbul, Kayseri, Sumela, Trabzon, Urgup
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Dubai
So how much can a Business Backpacker earn?
As much as you want to earn as long as you WORK HARD.
A good resource is Tim Ferriss’s book the 4 Hour Work Week – why work for 40 years and then do all the things you want? When you can do them NOW when you’re fit and able. I recommend his book highly!
I say it again, work hard please – my travel stories on my main travel site Don’t Stop Living take time, effort, research, commitment and real life experience. I am not a fake and I am not a wannabe. My travel blog is in the top 10 in the world in my opinion, I believe in it and I’m confident in it – this doesn’t come from arrogance – it comes from reading the other travel blogs out there and knowing mine is up there with them.
I live my dreams and I hope you can all live yours.
Don’t Stop Living,
Jonny Blair
Business Backpacker, Travel Writer, Global Nomad, Travel Expert, Barman.
Travel Writer at Don’t Stop Living
Editor in Chief of Backpacking in China
Travel Writer and Owner of several other niche websites
I have had articles placed in over 100 newspapers down the years through my PR experience. Newspapers I have got myself and my brands featured in include: the Sunday Times, the Belfast Telegraph, the Ards Chronicle, the Dorset Echo. My latest newspaper article was a colour page feature in the Ards Chronicle in Northern Ireland.
One of my recent media features in my local newspaper in Newtownards, Northern Ireland.
My name is Jonny Blair and I am a business backpacker. While I still travel the world on a tight backpacking budget, I work for myself online these days as well as with a load of other travel sites and apps. While my niche is in budget backpacking, I have also written about football, music, lifestyle design, luxury backpacking (flashpacking) and digital nomadery. I currently live in Poland and am known locally as the Northern Irishman in Poland.
Jonny Blair – The Business Backpacker
Through becoming a business backpacker I have been able to finance my travels entirely through my online projects, working for myself and other companies online as I travel the world.
My stories have featured on over 200 different websites in the last 5 years. I work online for myself and a number of travel and media companies as a business backpacker and professional travel blogger and writer.
In order to be a business backpacker you need to work hard, budget well, travel the world and the most important thing – internet access. I need to be constantly online these days as I travel the world.
If any of you reading are interested in how backpacking can become a business, please get in touch with me through my Contacts page.
I have a keen interest in music and have written on a wide range of British rock platforms since 1997. I also used to manage a rock band. Here are the best of my music articles and stories:
Music Articles
1997 – Terrible Beauty
1997 – Milan When I Was Kitten
1998 – 1999 – Regular contributor to REPEAT fanzine
2005 – 2006 – Manager of Rock Band “the Waves”, doing PR for the band including appearances in local music fanzines, magazines and gig fliers.
2007 – Contribution to an article on Ash on BBC Radio Ulster
2014 – My articles on watching Oasis live in the 1990s in Ireland appear on the music section of Irish Website.
This is a list of my entire online media appearances for sites other than those I own. I have featured on over 130 different websites in the last 5 years. I work online for myself and a number of travel and media companies as a business backpacker and professional travel blogger and writer.
Jonny Blair – the Business Backpacker working online in China.
2nd – Appeared on the Love Affair Travel Website with a link to my latest travel interview from Yerevan in Armenia (this also appeared on iTunes and as an online Podcast)
19th – Featured in the Bournemouth University Alumni Magazine online PDF (also appeared in print), talking about backpacking, travelling and working: Jonny Blair in Bournemouth University Magazine
