How to start a Travel Blog as a Travel Agent

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I know that there are a lot of “how to start a travel blog” tutorials out there. However, I noticed that there’s virtually nothing about how to start a travel blog as a Travel Agent.

I see Travel Agents complaining, regularly, that any perks of being in travel are now given to bloggers instead of Travel Agents. It’s kind of funny to me because these Travel Agents would rather complain than simply adapt. You can be a Travel Blogger and a Travel Agent. I’m proof of that!

If you’re NOT a Travel Agent and came over from my making money from home post, that’s okay! This post will help anyone start a travel blog or any kind of blog.

Who am I?

Before you listen to my advice, let me tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Amy. I’m a Travel Agent who primarily books Hawaii honeymoons and vacations. I’m also a Travel Blogger.

Travel Blogging allows me to reach far more people than I could ever reach as “just” a Travel Agent. My background is in Photography and Pinterest Consulting, both of which have provided a lot of valuable knowledge toward Travel Blogging.

So, how to start a Travel Blog as a Travel Agent

First, if you’re with a host agency and they offer a “website,” run away. These websites tend to be extremely limited. Sure, you’ll have a website, but you likely won’t be able to customize it much.

Worse, you likely won’t be able to optimize it for search. This may not always be the case, but I’ve seen a lot of really terrible Travel Agent websites, so just be mindful of that.

Being a Travel Blogger and being a Travel Agent with a blog are two different things. If you are mindlessly blogging with no idea about SEO or driving clients to your site, you’re wasting your time.

How to choose a domain name

When trying to figure out how to choose a domain name, simple is better. Avoid hyphens, numbers, and too many words. What is your specialty? You also want to make sure you aren’t using any names that aren’t allowed, such as Disney.

Yes, some blogs and Travel Agents due to use “Disney” in their name, but you aren’t supposed to. It’s better to be safe than sorry, in my opinion.

how to start a travel blog as a travel agent | disney minnie ears

If you aren’t sure what to use, can’t find anything unique, or just don’t know what else to do, you can use your name. This is what I decided to do. 🙂 You could also do something like amyfillingertravel or amyfillingertravelagent if it isn’t too long.

Where to purchase a domain name

I recommend purchasing your domain name through the same company that you are buying hosting, solely for the ease of keeping track. I use Siteground and recommend it. You’ll see a lot of Travel Bloggers recommending BlueHost.

I’ll tell you a secret. BlueHost pays higher commissions, and that is why people recommend it. I have personally used it and did not have a positive experience. Personally, I do not recommend BlueHost and think it’s a shame that others do just to make money.

I use Siteground and have for years, which is why I recommend it. I’ve never had a single issue, and any questions have been answered very quickly.

How to create your new website

I recommend that you create your website through WordPress. You’ll make want to make sure to use WordPress.com and not WordPress.org. You’re also going to need hosting, which I recommend earlier, through Siteground. It’s very affordable to get started, and they have excellent customer service if you need any help.

Installing WordPress

I created a video that will walk you through the exact steps of installing WordPress with Siteground.

Creating Content

What is your specialty? What do you want to share? Maybe you’ll share some of your own travel experience and travel tips. You might also share ideas for locations you specialize in. It’s your blog, so the sky is the limit.

Installing Ads

When you start a brand new blog, your first option for ads is Google Adsense. Although you likely won’t make much, it will get your audience used to seeing ads and help you get an idea of how ads work.

Once you hit 10,000 page views per month, you’ll want to apply to Monumetric. I was with Monumetric for a few months, and they are much better than Google Adsense. Once you’ve reached 25,000 sessions per month, you’ll want to move on to my current ad company, Mediavine.

Mediavine is fantastic, and I’ll never use another ad company again! If you’re not over 25,000 sessions per month yet, Google Adsense and especially Monumetric are great at networks to use on the way there.

Affiliate Marketing

If you have no idea what affiliate marketing is, that’s okay. Affiliate marketing is recommending a product or service and then making a small commission off of that product or service. Travel is an excellent industry for affiliate marketing.

The most important thing is to always be genuine in your affiliate marketing. I recommend taking the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course to learn more. I took this course, and it was a game-changer for my blog!