Photos That Sum Up Travel Blogging Just A Little Too Perfectly

UPDATED FEB 2020. Let’s do a little behind the scenes today. I’m welcoming you inside KSB HQ for a look at some photos that sum up travel blogging just a little too perfectly. Spoiler alert: it’s not all glamorous Instagram pics. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a travel blogger, then here’s an inside look for you. If you are a travel blogger yourself, I think you’ll find yourself nodding along to these. Either way, I hope it gives you a laugh today. And, if you want to start your own blog, travel or otherwise, I’ve added the link to my guide on setting one up at the end.

Photos That Sum Up Travel Blogging Just A Little Too Perfectly

Your office is everywhere

Plane rides, train trips, waiting in line anywhere.

When you’re always on the go, everything is a makeshift office.

And, whether you’re whipping out your laptop, working on your phone, or jotting down some notes in a book – there’s always work to catch up on.

I wrote this post on a drive from France to Italy

You’re practically married to your charging cords

The ABC’s of travel blogging = Always Be Charging.

Your electronics running out of battery is literal death so half of the time on the road is spent charging something.

You know how to make the most of any time you get with a power outlet.

You know rejection emails all too well

Rejection goes hand in hand with travel blogging and, unfortunately, some businesses only look at the number of Instagram followers instead of finding a good brand fit or checking the quality of the numbers.

If you’re a travel blogger, you’ve probably got an inbox full of these – especially if you’re one of the few who doesn’t buy followers or engage in comment pods/reciprocation threads.

More of what it’s like to be a travel blogger

Quick break to let you know if you want a closer look at what it’s like to be a travel blogger, pick up a copy of my latest book “Your Vacation, My Office.” It profiles people who work in the travel industry around the world.

If you want a different travel perspective and peek inside some incredible offices, you’ll love it.

You get a lot of these too

You get DM’s about all the Instagram scams from joining comment pods to bots that get you more likes.

They get tempting, especially when the rejection emails start flowing in, but you’re used to hitting that delete button.

Don’t forget these

I feel like every travel blogger has a story about the creepy slash weird DM’s they’ve gotten.

We can pay you in exposure

It’s crazy how many businesses come to you for advertising but don’t have an advertising budget.

Let me get this straight.

You can pay the website hosting, template design, internet, and even yourself but you can’t pay the writer to create the actual content for your site?

Last I checked my landlord doesn’t accept exposure as a form of payment

You’re used to cold food and/or coffee

Let’s face it, you know you’ve not touched your drink because you’re waiting for the food to come out so you can get the perfect snap of everything together.

Better to drink a cold coffee than post a photo of a half-drunken coffee right?

You see the world… through a lens

When you’re travel blogging it’s your job to document everything so that you can give your readers a virtual look at the destination.

It means you end up spending most of the time looking through a lens or screen.

What is sleep?

On the road travel blogging = team no sleep.

Up for the sunrise shots in the morning, gathering content all day, then backing it all up and catching up on work into the night.

On the road is average 16 hour work days while everyone tells you ‘you’re always on holidays’.

Tripod collection is bae

Unless you have an Instagram husband to follow you around and get photos of you everywhere you go, you’re a whizz with a tripod or selfie stick.

And, you’re a badass who can get the shot on your own.

My collection of Instagram husbands

You are used to laughing at literally nothing

Getting that happy, candid gram pic usually means laughing at literally nothing.

Even more so, you’re used to doing it with an audience of puzzled faces gazing on.

Hashtag worth it for the gram.

Quiet time is sacred

In between trips, quiet time is cherished.

Routines, quiet activities, being a homebody.

Anything to balance the on-the-go, overstimulating nature of the travel blogging life is deeply appreciated.

Your life is basically just trying to figure out algorithms

There’s one for just about everything from social media platforms, to Google, to advertising, and they’re pretty much always changing.

One month it’s using hashtags. The next month your content is punished for using too many hashtags.

One month it’s to post consistently. Then the next month you’re punished for posting at the same time.

This means half your time is spent chasing your tail to figure out the new best practices for each update.

This is one of the photos that sum up travel blogging all too well

People can really make your day/week/month

You put so much money, work, and heart into setting up the trips, getting the content, writing the posts, creating the videos so when people engage with it by leaving comments, starting conversations, or sharing the work it’s LITERALLY THE BEST FEELING EVER!

Real talk about travel blogging

All jokes aside though, travel blogging is a rollercoaster with a lot of twists and turns.

Some days it’s a lot of work, some days the work is fun, some days you make some money, some days are zero dollar days, some days it’s incredibly lonely, some days you feel incredibly loved & supported by your Internet friends, some days you know what you’re doing, and some days you’re winging it.

I’m coming up on my 4th anniversary of KSB, and I am so grateful to have started it in the Starbucks all those years ago.

I don’t think I ever want to get off this rollercoaster and thank you for reading my posts.

Other posts you might enjoy

• Embarrassing Blogging Mistakes – My 8 Biggest Fails As A Travel Blogger

• How To Start A Successful Blog And Get Your Side Hustle Started

• Working With Passion & The 7 Common Side Effects You Experience

If you liked this post, return the favor by sharing it or following me on Instagram!