Alternative Income Sources For Travel Bloggers

“You will thrive on the other side. COVID-19 is going to end.” Take heart, be courageous and keep striving! Don’t ever think of quitting travel blogging. Remember, you poured your heart and soul into it. It’s funny how this pandemic has disrupted our travel plans, possible collaborations and dream projects. Now as we sit at home and wait for this virus to disappear, let’s think of new ways to upgrade ourselves, acquire new skillset, look out for alternative income opportunities and make the most out of this lull.

While travel is not on anybody’s radar right now and travel industry is going through a steep recession, IT IS going to bounce back once Coronavirus is out of the picture. Think of it as a ‘recess’ for the travel industry. It’s our time to reevaluate our work, goals, and strategies. If you look at it in the larger picture, people are never going to stop traveling. Therefore, travel blogs are always going to be needed.

We should continue to create content on our blogs, social media and various other platforms. However, it’s time we get more innovative and relevant with our content.    

A travel blogger can make money through various means, such as brand collaborations, social media campaigns, blogging campaigns, collaborations with hospitality brands and tourism boards, product reviews, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, display advertising, freelance writing, travel consultancy, etc. However, now you need to look beyond your niche and explore alternative income options as well.

So how do you make money apart from your travel blog?   

Well, before we begin, I’d like you to know that I have not written this post because I am an expert when it comes to telling people how to make money online. This blog post is based on my comprehensive research on the topic and I wanted to share it with all the travel bloggers out there.

So here you go!

Alternative Income Sources For Travel Bloggers

Cultivate your writing into an e-book/book, write on something that you feel strongly about and is relevant.

Don’t write about travel for a while. We will get back to travel when things are normal. For now, write about something that only YOU can write about, or only a few can write about. It could be anything apart from travel – technology, art, climate, mental health, vegan recipes, or just about anything that you think is relevant.

Publishing your own book isn’t a dream anymore. There are platforms like Create Space, where you can upload your manuscript and get it published without a publisher. Besides, you can also sell your book on Amazon.com.

I published my first eBook on Amazon KDP and it was easier than I thought!

Edit manuscripts. Apply for a ‘work from home’ editorial job.

There are various editorial jobs available on the web. You can look for a job – full time or part time, which doesn’t require you to go to an office. So, you save your commute time and have flexibility to work according to your own comfort and schedule.

While editing may not be your forte, you can learn the ropes over the period of time with some training and practice.

Make videos, start your YouTube channel if you haven’t done that yet.

This is no brainer! If you are good in front of the camera, make use of it. Even if you are not that great, still do it! As long as you have something interesting to say, the imperfections don’t matter. In fact, the rawness in a video has its own appeal.

To begin with, find your niche – a definite idea and work on it. A good video doesn’t need to go viral, it needs to have an engaged audience. So, launch your YouTube channel now and start working towards making it a monetary source for yourself.

Start your own podcast!

If you have a good voice and a great idea, why not have your own podcast? Just like your blog, you need to have a niche – a strong message to share with your listeners. But before you get into podcasting, make sure you have researched about the technicalities involved, because it isn’t so easy as it sounds. You need to have your mini podcast studio at home – a microphone, laptop and an audio editing software.

As your audience begins to grow, you can make money with sponsorships and advertising.   

Become a web designer. Reach out to your non-techie friends and offer to design their websites.

Perhaps web designing is one of the most lucrative skills to have in today’s age. If you are a techie, it’s time to brush up your coding and designing skills and help others build their websites. Not everybody is tech savvy and likes to take efforts into the nitty-gritty of working behind a site. So, if you have what it takes to become a web designer, you are highly in demand! Even if you manage to gain a few clients, you can build good rapport with them and continue to update their websites, which would help you earn extra revenue.

Become a graphic designer.  

Are you good with Photoshop and Illustrator? Have you dabbled in logo designing? Perhaps you can try graphic designing. You can start with creating your profile at 99Designs and you will have the opportunity to showcase your designing skills to possible clients. If your work is selected, you can bag a project and begin making money.

Sell your SEO services.

Now when everyone is on the internet searching for something or the other, you can use your SEO skills to your advantage. If you know the knack of ranking high on search engines, offer your SEO services to those to who do not have the skills.

Be it your travel blogger friends or the brands at large, everybody needs good SEO for their websites.

Manage social media accounts for brands.

Are you passionate about social media? Do you have an impressive following and an even better engagement on at least one of the channels? You can manage social media accounts for various brands and it can prove to be quite a profitable deal for you. Any new business in the current age would need social media as the medium to reach out to their customers. All you need to do is look out for the right kind of brands who understand the power of digital marketing and have the budget to invest in social media.

You can also hone your social media skills by enrolling in one of the educational courses on Hootsuite Academy.

Become a consultant.

Do you have an area of expertise? Offer your consultancy services online. There’s this website called Clarity.fm where you can set up your profile and showcase your expertise in a particular subject. You can be an expert in various fields, such as technology, digital marketing, email marketing, branding, social media, copywriting, product & design, and so on.

You can set your own flat rate – anything between $2 to $16 per minute. You need to explore options, research and think about it. Perhaps you can even consider brushing up your skills in the area that you already have substantial knowledge, and then apply for a job of a consultant.     

Take up teaching online.

Teaching is such a fulfilling job, and if you get to pursue it from within the comforts of your home, there’s nothing like it. If you have even a little experience in teaching, you can apply to be an online tutor through one of the many websites, such as MyPrivateTutor.com, Tutor.com, Udemy.com, and tutorhub.com to name a few.

While teaching may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s certainly a stable way to generate income for yourself.

Become a virtual assistant.

Virtual assistants are high in demand these days! If you have been a digital content creator for a while now, you can be a great asset to a lot of different industries. A virtual assistant has to do a variety of stuff like managing social media and emails, content creation, graphic designing, bookkeeping, data entry, scheduling meetings, issuing invoices, etc.

However, you should highlight your niche in your resume to be able to secure a VA job.

Sell your creations on Etsy.

Are you the creative sort, the one who’s always weaving something beautiful that could amaze others? Well, you can sell your art on Etsy.com and make some money.

You have a chance to present your creations to a large audience on Etsy. And, if you are able to sell your products, you can launch your independent eCommerce store as well.

Invest your time and energy into webinars.

Do you have an idea that you want to talk about and possibly create a product/service around it? You should do webinars. Begin with brainstorming a lot of ideas – what should you educate people about, what’s your top strength and learn how to make money with webinars.

As a travel blogger and a social media influencer, you already have an audience, who you can steer towards what you have to say. GoToWebinar is one of the best webinar platforms where you can register and get started.

Besides looking for alternative income sources, you should also invest time in the following:

• Upgrade your skill set: It’s time to take a step forward in your own niche. Enroll in online courses. There are many free courses available on the web, which you can pursue according to your pace and comfort.
• Network: Get in front of the people who might want to collaborate with you in the future. Find the right places to network – LinkedIn.
• Read the right stuff: Gaining some sort of knowledge every day makes a significant difference in the long run. It enhances your content, too. The more you know, the better you create. Read all sorts of content – digital marketing, business strategies, SEO and anything that could enrich you as a digital business individual.

I hope you found this post valuable. If you have more suggestions and tips in regards to making money as a digital nomad, please do share below in the comments.

Enjoyed this post? Subscribe to receive ‘new posts’ straight in your inbox!