1.Myths Vs. Realities of Being a Travel Blogger Laurel Robbins LaurelRobbins.com Monkeys and Mountains | Adventure Travel Blog LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins

2. Myths & Realities of Being a Travel Blogger 4 Myths vs. Realities Still want to be a travel blogger? How to do it? LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 3. Myth #1: You Get Free Travel LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 4. Reality of Free Travel? . Yes, you can get your expenses paid, but. LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 5. Reality of Free Travel: Its Anything But Free Likely be held to a strict itinerary with frequently long days While you are on your free trip you will be: Constantly promoting the destination/activity on your social media accounts Editing photos Writing blog posts about the trip (usually happens after the trip) LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 6. LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins Reality of Free Travel Free travel is not a vacation, its an exchange of services 7. Myth #2: Running a Travel Blog is EasyAnyone Can Do It LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 8. Reality of Running a Travel Blog Yes, anyone can create a travel blog and call themselves a travel blogger, but LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 9. Reality of Running a Travel Blog To run a successful travel blog you need to have the following skills: Writing Photography and photo editing Social media know-how across multi-platforms Knowledge of WordPress Basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) knowledge Creative thinker Ability to pitch and sell yourself to DMOs/tour companies/hotels LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 10. Reality of Running a Travel Blog And time. Travel Blogging is very time consuming When youre starting out you should be posting at least 3- 4 times a week on your own blog and writing 1-2 guest posts a week for other popular blogs. In addition to writing the posts theres also the photography and promoting the posts via social media and SEO research required for each post. LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 11. LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins Reality #3: You Can Work From the Beach.But You Probably Wont 12. Myth #4: You Can Earn a Living From Travel Blogging LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 13. Reality of Making a Living From Travel Blogging Yes, but very few people do. If making money is your key objective, there are 5 billion easier ways to make it other than from travel blogging LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 14. Reality of Making a Living From Your Travel Blog Making Money Directly From Your Blog Corporate sponsorship Affiliate marketing (works best when site is very niche specific) Advertising But there is another way.the best way in my opinion LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 15. Realities of Earning a Living From Your Travel Blog The best way to make money from your travel blog? Use your blog as a platform to showcase your other related skills: Photography Writing Social media Graphic/web design SEO Paid speaking gigs Endless possibilities LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 16. Realities of Earning a Living From Your Travel Blog Why is using your blog as a platform to showcase your other skills the best way to earn money from your travel blog? Because in a sea of thousands of travel bloggers, it allows you to stand out, to become known for something, to be unique, to showcase your own style. LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 17. Case Studies: Laurel Robbins, Michael Turtle, Nienke Krook, Laurence Noah Write an e-book We each wrote a series of three books, published by Travel Bloggers United (TBU) LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 18. LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins Case Study: Laurence Noah, Finding the Universe Laurence Noah, along with two other bloggers, formed Lightmoves Creative, a photography collective focused on helping our clients create unique images for their campaigns Like everything, its a question of identifying your individual strengths, and packaging that in a way that fills a need in a professional and attractive way. Laurence Noah Image courtesy of: Laurence Noah 19. Case Study: Gillian Duffy, One Giant Step Gillian capitalized on her love of reading and created The Global Bookshelf, a website that sells travel books. She receives a commission every time she sells a book. LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 20. Case Study: Abhishek Behl Wild Navigator Abhishek uses his site as a platform for his consulting service in responsible tourism & wildlife conservation. In the coming weeks it will become a responsible travel operator. LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 21. Case Study: Laurel Robbins, Monkeys and Mountains I turned my strengths of Twitter know-how and social media time optimization into an online consulting and training company: LaurelRobbins.com which shows clients how to: Turn Conversations into Customers in Just 10 Minutes a Day LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 22. Getting Started: Quick Tips Define your niche. How will your site be different than all the others? Write engaging content that serves a purpose and include photos that take readers to the place youre describing. Choose a revenue generating model: Be patient, it takes time to earn money from travel blogging Dont be afraid to experiment Invest in your self: Writing, photography, social media, SEO. Connect with other travel bloggers, bloggers outside of traveling and industry. Ask lots of questions. Invest in building your following. Its a long, slow process but worth it. LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins 23. Thank you Happy Travels Questions? Laurel Robbins LaurelRobbins.com Monkeys and Mountains Twitter:@Laurel_Robbins LaurelRobbins.com MonkeysandMountains.com Twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins