“Quit your job and travel the world.” Anyone with this quote in their Facebook and Instagram bio seems like they’re “living the dream life” — your dream life.
Their social media feed is filled with beautiful shots from their globetrotting experiences. They’ve been to places you could only visit in your dreams. They see more of the world in a year than most people do in a lifetime. Following them somehow makes you question your reality — like the way you live your life and how contented you’ll be if you turn things around, quit your job, and be a nomad.
What most people don’t know is, traveling around the world is never free. It’s either they’re already rich AF to be a jet setter or they’re working for it. In most cases, they’re the latter ones: the travel bloggers, vloggers, or influencers who are being paid to travel and create content out of it.
Sounds like an interesting lifestyle, eh? But before you quit your day job and travel the world and become a full-time travel blogger, here are 5 things you should know.
1. Travel bloggers are professionals, not mere tourists
In reality, there’s no such thing as “traveling the world, unemployed”, sipping free cocktails in a hotel in Carlow Ireland they didn’t work hard for — traveling the world IS the job. It becomes a profession the moment you get income from it.
Bloggers and influencers are professionals who travel for work, and they can agree that this so-called nomad lifestyle has its set of tradeoffs that aren’t always visible on camera.
Whether you’re a freelance travel blogger working for a company or a full-time blogger who earns from monetizing your travel blog, you know you don’t get to travel for free. Your lifestyle comes with a mode of payment that sometimes doesn’t involve cash — like your time, writing expertise, expensive vlogging equipment and killer filmmaking skills, and physical and mental energy.
You’re required to produce creative content. And not just any content — it should be informative, unique, and of course, shareworthy and marketable.
2. No fixed salary: You might earn more…or less
Unlike with a regular 9-5 desk job where you’ll expect to have a fixed stream of income every month, traveling for work (like travel blogging) means your income will vary from month to month. In most cases, your income will depend on you and how good you are in your craft, You may also have the privilege of setting your own prices for the projects you do.
You can earn from banner advertising, affiliate marketing, product placement and partnerships, sponsored posts, and content creation (video, photography, or article).
3. No fixed schedule: Are you flexible enough?
If predictability and pre-planning trip details aren’t in your book, then being a travel blogger will work for you. The nomad lifestyle calls for someone who’s flexible, dynamic, and spontaneous. There will be times when you’ll find out you’re traveling to client campaigns from a few weeks to a few days in advance.
The major downside is you might find it difficult to schedule the rest of your life: like attending family gatherings, bachelorette parties, and even date nights.
4. You’re not always in control
Sure, travel bloggers aren’t boxed in a cubicle for 8 hours, 5 days a week. You can work from a cafe or hotel accommodation, at your own time and pace. It’s like your own business and people say “you are your own boss” but this isn’t always true: there will always be someone or something you’re creating content for.
While they’re not physically watching from behind, these “bosses” define your content quality, frequency, and schedule: your audience, your partners or sponsors, social media giants, and the likes.
5. It may ruin your love for travel
Traveling with an intention to blog and create content feels way different than traveling for genuine leisure. They say “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” but the truth is, your passion can fade away the moment you get paid for it.
The first priority of a travel blogger is creating consistently good content, then personal enjoyment comes second. The longer and meatier your articles or videos are, the better. It needs to be top-quality, so it can compete with other full-time influencers. It needs to have variety too, so that means you need to visit several places.
The pressure of creating engaging content out of it for your target audience and clients can truly take away from the travel experience. After spending a few hours filming and taking photos, it’s natural for your wanderlust to fade away.
Travel blogging is a rewarding experience, only if you know how to manage the tradeoffs and make the most out of it.
Author Bio: Carmina Natividad is a passionate travel blogger who loves street photography, food trips, and writing articles about travel, food, and lifestyle. To know more about hotels and travel blogs, you may visit Woodford Dolmen Hotel Carlow.
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