The Journey

When I went online with my travel blog www.whyyouwander.com in June 2016, I was thrilled. I got into it totally understanding what it takes to make a Travel Blog successful. Time, Consistency & Quality.

With a demanding job in hand & too many things going on, I started my journey.

Though it was exciting to start with, I could not consistently write the posts, find the right photos for the post, tweet incessantly multiple times a day(includes sharing the same content multiple times), counting the number of Instagram followers, responding to multiple Instagram posts, blog posts & videos in the hope that they will reciprocate the feelings of a new Travel blogger and return my love, plan the next trip for making more content & so on.

(not to mention Facebook, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, bloglovin … )

I did not enjoy it & it did not take me a long time to realize it.

I had lost one thing. My love for writing – the way I want to write at the pace I want to write.

I did not publish since last November 2016.

The Questions

The fact is fact – I want my blog to be loved by others. But how far would I go for that?

Should I follow the tried and tested strategy by veterans or should I do it my own way?

Should I write the blog starting with “How to” or “Top 10 things”  to address SEO or should I make it more creative & real?

Should I be more personal or professional?

I read highly professional blogs as well as those ones which read more like teenager’s journal ( I started wearing jewelry now, How I decorated my new apartment, How I spend the days after my break up with my boyfriend and goes on … definitely not travel related, but readers love it as it is more personal)

Should I process the photos to make it look gorgeous or leave it natural?

I prefer genuine travel photos as they portray the real look & feel of the place to a reader. But I have hardly seen any professional travel blogs posting original pictures.

Should I focus more on photos & less on content as the photos will increase the page views?

I love this solo travel blog from Australia for its awesome pictures but does not like it for its shallow content. I think, in 5 minutes with the help of google search I can produce better content even if I have never visited the place once! Doesn’t the content really matter?

Should I find my ‘niche’ and write for that special group (luxury/backpackers/solo/part-time travelers)?

All I wanted to do was to write simple travel blogs – share the joy of traveling & utilize my experience to help others plan their travel. I would rather prefer creating more generic content and few articles which are more focussed on the certain group of travelers (And Yes, I have not changed Part Time Travel Blogger from my caption yet.)

Should I focus on generating money out of the blog?

I certainly like the idea of traveling around the world for free like many other bloggers. However chasing readers & subscribers to help me get more page views & advertising to generate money, maybe not. Instead, I see myself kicking off a startup for the amount of time I will have to trade off.

These were few of the questions that I thought over and over again. There are no right or wrong answers for any of these questions. And no single recipe for successful travel blogs.

For eg, I like different travel blogs for different reasons and I presume so will be for other readers.

www.ytravelblog.com & www.theplanetd.com for the maturity & experience

www.hecktictravels.com for the beauty of the language

www.lilistravelplans.com  & www.theeverywhereist.com for their authentic style and humour

www.worldofwanderlust.com for its professionalism, simplicity & the photography

https://www.neverendingfootsteps.com for the unique style of storytelling

This journey was important for me. The journey of not publishing blogs, but watching my blog, watching other’s blogs, travel blogging trends, understanding my goals & limitations, understanding what it takes to be a blogger…

And the answer.

Certain things I learn from other’s experiences & certain things I would like to experience by myself to take a conscious call. My journey helped me reemphasize the simple fact that I need to fall in love with the process for more creative content writing.

Now, when I come back to write I am more clear on my thoughts

And here is what you can expect from my blog in the coming days.

• I may not be consistent, but I will try to write more often
• I am not chasing the idea of being the Top 10 Travel Bloggers( or Top 100!), but I am going to write because I love to write about my travels
• I am not going to be 24/7 on social media & digital devices to support my blog. I am sure if it is good enough, it would pick up by itself one day!
• Moreover, I am going to be relaxed about the blog so that I can write better content!

Happy Traveling & Blogging!

Have you ever felt pressurized for creativity?