When I came back to the Philippines after 6 months of continuous backpacking across Asia last 2009, the first thing that I could ever think of was to go back on the road as soon as I can. Employment was never an option because it would just impede me from travelling. I scoured the internet looking for ways on how to earn online. Until one day, I stumbled upon travel bloggers who are monetizing their blogs.
A Brief History
I started reading tens and hundreds of travel blogs from various authors. I also read hundreds more of blogs from different niche. I voraciously consumed information that I didn’t have any single idea of (during that time). I tried to understand HTML Code, SEO, Online Marketing, Social Media and other stuff. It was intensely tiring and I could not wrap my head around the idea of earning money thru blogging. But my gut feels tell me that this thing could kick me back to travelling.
After all the days and nights spent reading, I finally have decided, in the morning of October 25, 2009 to launch my own travel blog. The main reason for the premature launch…? I wouldn’t learn blogging if I didn’t actually do it. I learn by doing and I learn by experiencing stuff. I easily get bored reading and wouldn’t last an hour looking at the same sh*t.
So I started writing my past experiences on my backpacking trip, I taught myself some basic SEO and basic HTML codes and applied it to my blog. I also bought my own domain last November 7, 2009. I did intensive backlinking on my first three months until my blog reached PR 3 on its 3rd month. I applied for various advertisement options such as Adsense and I also applied to different travel related companies as an affiliate marketer. It was a crazy… really crazy.
I was getting impatient as months go by. I kept on asking myself where the f*ck was the earning that every blogger has been preaching about. There’s only a few cents on my Adsense account and it’s not even enough to buy me anything.
Turning Point
I was getting frustrated but not defeated. I got a job and started working again. I have not given up yet on monetizing my blog but I was running short of cash already. I figured that I could easily recoup my financial loss thru a job and continue blogging on the side. And so I did.
Aside from the basic things that Google taught me about blogging, I also leverage what I know I’m good at. I applied Lean Principles on my blog. The best thing that happened to me in my corporate life is Six Sigma and it’s now my guiding principles in my sites. I took out everything in my blog that doesn’t have the following things: (1) value to me, (2) value to you as my readers and (3) value to advertisers. I continuously reviewed my blog and often update it. Continuous improvement has been my sole concern for my blog and for myself.
Having done all the improvements, advertisers started to appear on my email inbox on my seventh month of blogging. I left my job last September 2010 and armed with my last pay, I pursued fulltime blogging.
Flash Forward
I’ve been blogging now for 1 year and 9 months, turning two this coming October 25. I couldn’t help but smile because I trusted my gut feel and my gut feel is right. My blog indeed put me back on the road.
Travel Blogging Tips I Want to Share
1. It’s not Easy but it’s Doable: I worked days and nights putting this blog up and it didn’t earn me until my seventh month. I’ve read in some forums that a lot of blogs aren’t earning still even after a few years. Don’t give up yet and keep on writing high quality and helpful contents and apply new marketing strategies on your blog.
2. Play with your Strength and Strengthen your Weaknesses: Blogging is a great online platform. Leverage with what you know you’re good at and apply it to your blog or online business.
3. Travel: If you have a travel blog (and intend to monetize it) then you should really travel so you could provide new articles about places and stuff to your readers.
4. Continuous Improvement: Continuous improvement is the key because the internet is an ever changing world. Keep yourself updated with trends. Keep on studying and learning from the PROs like Copyblogger and Problogger. Always remember that what you know now may be utterly useless tomorrow, so keep on learning.
5. Focus on Collaboration not Competition: Even if it seems that your blog is really competing against other blogs of similar niche, the best chance of survival is still with collaborating with other bloggers.
6. Relationship is the Key: Build a strong relationship with the top bloggers around your niche. Learn from them but implement your own style and strategy.
7. Stand Out: Ask yourself, out of the hundreds of thousands of travel blogs out there, why will someone read you? What do you offer that others don’t?
I hope that these tips will help you with the start up of your travel blog.
Related Reading:
Anyone can Monetize a Blog – How Much You’ll Make is a Different Story
good read. i’ve learned so much from this post than the ones i read in the previous week. though i never really intend to monetize my blog in the first place, your post encourages me to do so… i mean, why not? an extra income wouldn’t hurt, right? would help fund future travels as well. good luck to you and looking forward to reading more travel adventures
that’s right… you dont have to if you dont want to… but if you want to, you could make it possible… thanks for the warm wishes too…
Thank you for the inspiration Plif. I felt the same before but now as I see how more cents are being added to my earnings, I’m becoming more excited.
Its really true that we will not earn in just a snap of our fingers, we really need to work hard for it before we can get the harvest.
Mabuhay ka Plif!
right darwin… it really entails “hardwork” and working hard on something you own is priceless.. you see it as it grows, you nurture it and make sure that it has all the best things it could ever have… not to mention that the possibilities are endless too
thanks for the advice!i hope i can be better in writing also..this post of yours serves as an inspiration.
you’re welcome june
keep on writing, the only way to master a skill is to do it repeatedly…
This is inspiring! I’ve been blogging for 1.5 years but haven’t earned a cent yet! I may have to email you for some advice
To be fair, I wasn’t interested in going pro until only a few months ago – I have a job that involves traveling around the world anyway. But it would be nice to be completely location independent!
thanks for the kind words roy… that’s one of my goals as well, to be location independent
and to sustain if for quite some time… until i get sick and tired of it and lock myself up in one place… lol
Thanks you Flip for a very valuable post. I’ll keep those 3 guiding principles every time we evaluate Sole Sisters. I love how well-structured and well-written this post is. I’m sure a lot of bloggers will find it useful.
I value tips #5 and #6 most of all. From what I’ve noticed, a lot of bloggers focus on the competition and even spew out negativity every now and then. We will never take part in that. We see how you also build great relationships with the blogging community and your travel network. We learned to do that by your example. It’s true, a blog cannot survive without a good community supporting it.
I’m also faced with the same dilemma you faced in 2009. What now, brown cow? But I’m amazed at the possibilities that blogging has presented us. Let’s move forward to the goal of location independence. You inspire me Flip!
wishing you all the best on this quest as well Lois… I’m sure that you’ll figure out what to do next Lois
trust your instincts 
*kilig*
this blog is to me
as how the azkals are to the philippines right now.
i am already semi-location independent and i intend to someday, somehow transition into a full-location independent lifestyle through blogging – travel-related or not. this is immediately bookmarked in my “inspiration and motivation” list.
thanks for the kind words eileen… cheers to being location independent and hopefully sustain it for quite some time before we jump into new interests
wishing you all the best on your quest too 
astig tips Plif! i agree with collaboration over competition. in my personal experience, i dont earn much from online blog ads but it’s more of the extra offers on giving talks and organizing group trips.
thanks for sharing some very useful links. already bookmarked it.
you’re welcome dong…
I started my blog 6 months ago, and just started to make a little money this past month — I know what you went through! Finding your niche is important, and I’m going to apply your “Lean Principle” to mine. It’s very easy to go plug-in and widget crazy, but if they aren’t adding value, they need to be turfed!!
thanks for dropping by raymond… im still in the process of minimizing widgets and other stuff in my blog
trying to make everything simpler and faster…
congrats on living ur dreams! im not much into travel but i enjoy reading ur posts and hope to travel on some of the places ur been…
thanks yuuki
Thanks for sharing your story. I remember trying to absorb everything I could (and get frustrated in some points) when I wanted to learn how to earn extra income online. Some may have worked and some may have not. The important thing is that we learn along the way. And when we do earn that first buck, it drives us to work even harder.
I need to find myself a good theme though. Hopefully when the money comes in, I’ll be able to purchase the Thesis theme na. With all the projects going on, I’m worried cause I have more tasks to do! haha.
hope to meet you one of these days flip so we can talk about our blogs and share tips.
go for it man…. thesis they say is the best wp template out there
its just so expensive but im sure its worth it…
so agree with #5.
one time, i needed to change my template. all the widgets had disappeared. aba, araw araw akong inuulan ng readers ko just to bring back my blog roll. hehe they refer to my site to see other travel blgos too =)
yup… some widgets are very effective and they are the ones that should be retained in our sites
Thanks for sharing Flip. Someday I might be able to monetize my blog, but as of the moment I haven’t been producing quality posts since I have been devoting not enough time to it. And I don’t think I have your faith and persistence. I still wonder how it feels to completely abandon everything and just do the things that you love. =)
Keep up the good work!
thanks
Your blog is always fun to read so an easy sell. It is fantastic that you can travel and keep up with your blog duties. I used to post twice a day but it is exhausting so now once a week. I should blog more to keep traffic up but it is like anything real work if you want to do it well. Keep up the great job and never stop exploring!! W.C.C.
thanks man…. im actually a slow traveller and have a lot of idle time on my hands and i dont have much to do that’s why i could update it every now and then hehe
congrats Flip. true enuff like what I said din, blogging is also about community. thanks for the very helpful tips and referrals you gave me. I’m getting excited. Basta bahala na si Batman. haha See you on the road!
haha good to feel that you’re excited again about some stuff!!! lets all keep on moving forward
Very inspiring piece Flip. I started blogging 6 months ago just to hone my writing skills developed in my school and college days and chose island vacations as my niche as it is closer to my heart. Like you, I started from scratch and got hooked at studying the blogs of seasoned bloggers, including yours of course, as well as tips from SEO professionals. Blog monetization was never in my agenda as I have a stable job. Nevertheless, the success stories of fellow bloggers made me think and ask myself: why not learn to earn while blogging? For now, I already learned to love blogging, though not yet earning a single cent from it, and look forward to go full time when given a chance. Thanks for sharing this.
lets all keep on learning more and maximizing what we have
Again excellent insight Flip, I so agree about collaboration. I’ve been blogging for only 5 months but learning that this is such an awesome community and people are willing to support each other. Also, you learn more about blogging best practices through networking.Keep up the great work!
Thanks Grace
Gandang mga tips nito…
Salamat po…:)
definitely a very informative and inspiring post. currently trying my hand at travel blogging. from what you said, it’s kinda daunting the task before me now. but i know i will regret if if i don’t try it. continue inspiring people, flip!
ill try paul… thanks for dropping by
Great title and article. I can definitely relate. Love the new format of your site by the way. All the best,
Leif
thanks bro
great tips! I think continuing to learn something new and keeping up with the trends is really important. Problogger is always the first thing I read in the morning!
These are some great tips and this post is an inspiration to other travel bloggers.
Hi Flip,
Thanks for sharing this story. As someone who is also on a long-term trip, I’ve wondered what I can do that’s enjoyable yet makes enough income to fund more travels. I’m relatively new to the idea of using my blog as an asset, so reading your journey helps.
Great article!
- Lily
Thanks Lily although this blogging environment is changing every now and then so I’m not sure how long it’ll stay profitable… so i suggest to build additional income streams…
Useful tips — and a realistic perspective, thanks.
Great post!
I’m in the process of monetizing my blog and this really gives me food for though
Some great advice..I’ll be back to read it again when I have a bit more time.
thanks for dropping by Nancie
great post. thanks for those wonderful advise. my blog is still new but I’m planning to monetize it as soon as possible to get some of my travel money back. consider me as your blog stalker from now on. Cheers to more travels!!
Nice article. Most of it applies to me too and hence I agree in totality. It took a while for the advertisers to appear.