Melo Villareal
You’ve decided to join the ranks of the elite by setting forth to earn your certification as a travel blogger. The certification process to become a travel blogger is a long and arduous road, but the truth is that there is no certifying body for travel bloggers, though that may not always be the case.
Gael Hilotin of ThePinaySolobackpacker.com in Angkor Wat Cambodia
If you want to become a certified travel blogger, there are really just three things you have to do:
- Travel
- Write
- Have a Blog
Now let’s have a look at each of the requirements.
Joel Aldor of JoelAldor.com in Nagcarlan Laguna Underground Cemetery
First you have to travel. Some people would argue with this, but the fact is that no matter how great a writer you are, it is impossible to write about what you have never experienced in a way that will draw readers to you.
Estan Cabigas of Langyaw.com in Batanes
Sure, you can buy travel books and create imaginary stories about travel, but without the experience of actually meeting new people, seeing new things, and moving from one place to another, it is doubtful whether you will be able to create a blog that is compelling to readers. To give you a more helpful example, I have posted the photos and URL’s of some of the Philippines most popular travel bloggers.
James Betia of Journeying James in Guimaras
In terms of travel, you also have to make sure that you know what kind of travel you are going to write about to. The travel niche is huge. You can write about business travel, international adventures, budget travel, Europe, or even create a blog about one specific area and everything there is to do there.
Valerie Teves of Weekend Haven
If you want to be a travel blogger, you need to have focus and be sure not to post your carpentry, makeup and witchcraft articles with your travel related ones.
Edcel Suyo of Soloflighted.com in DMIA
Second, you need to be able to write. I must confess, Im not really a good writer but keeping your spelling, grammar & punctuation right will save your ass. This might sound obvious, but the truth is that the internet is littered with websites of people who wanted to blog about travel but didn’t realize that writing is a key component. Just creating a site called John’s Travel Blog doesn’t make you a travel blogger, even if your name is John.
Gaye Emami of PinayTravelJunkie.com
Your site needs to be populated by content about the travels of John. Now, assuming you are John, you need to find a way to make your written adventures compelling and interesting to readers.
Ron Cruz and Monette of Fliptravels.com
Simply writing “I went to China with my father” isn’t going to win you any readers whereas taking the time to craft something like “It was hard to convince my father to allow me to accompany him to the furthest reaches of the world” might just keep your readers coming back for more.
Marky Ramone Go of Nomadicexperiences.blogspot.com
The third major requirement is that in order to become a certified travel blogger, you need to have a blog. Blogs are easy to come by these days. You can get free blogs through wordpress, blogger, and tons of travel portals such as WorldNomads.com, BootsnAll, or TravelBlog.org.
The benefit of going with established travel portals is that you have a built in audience waiting for you. Of course, if you plan to go big time, you will probably want to buy your own domain name, host your own blog, and have complete editorial control over your content and site.
