Get Paid to Travel the World: Why It Doesn’t Work
Last Updated on Aug 27, 2019
Somehow, I’ve stuck to this website and social channels for a bit more than 3 years now. I’ve improved my photography, made my writing better, and recently even got into filming some videos. For 1,5 years I’ve been making a semi-normal salary just from blogging. Which in my definition made me a professional travel blogger – underlining the word professional, not full-time.
What does being a full-time blogger really mean? These days anyone with access to the internet can create a simple WordPress site, throw a few photos together and say ‘I’m a full-time blogger now’. Which doesn’t mean that they’re making a full-time salary, or they actually know what professional travel blogging is all about?
If you asked me 4 years ago what did I actually do, I was going to tell you that I had no idea. Because while I was writing some articles and traveling, but it wasn’t what professional blogging was all about. Here’s why.
Do You Want to Get Paid to Travel the World?
Of course you do! I mean, who wouldn’t want to get paid to travel the world and travel for a living?
I’m not going to sell you travel blogging as a dream and ideal job. While being a full-time travel blogger has its perks, it’s not as easy as many bloggers make it seem.
You’ve probably seen many articles about a couple that makes six figures by posting on Instagram, or courses that will show you how to get paid to travel the world. I wish making money as an influencer was as simple as ‘just posting on Instagram’ like the media loves to portray.
I don’t mean that you can’t do the same thing and travel the world as an influencer (= Instagram personality). I’m no better than you, or others. In fact, I’ll happily say that there are many photographers, videographers and writers that are far better than me, have better tools and professional equipment.
BUT… a decent amount of them quit blogging full-time, as traveling vs traveling as a blogger is a totally different thing. It’s surely not for everyone.
Sidenote: I don’t want you to think that you need the most expensive equipment to get good content. What matters most is creativity, good editing skills and setting your shots right. Sometimes you can get a better final result when shooting with your iPhone than someone with a giant DSLR camera.
Instead of reading about skills and equipment, you probably want to know how much I get paid for blogging? I explained some of it in my other article about how I make money blogging.
While I make 6 figures from blogging it doesn’t mean everyone who blogs makes as much money too. The travel niche is not the easiest in terms of making money – that said, if you’re a food or fashion blogger, you can make money easier, but again – never overnight.
Anyone who’s stuck in an office, watching someone else’s Instagram feed full of colorful shots chilling on the beach and doing cool stuff, would probably want this job. Bloggers are being paid to go travel somewhere, take photos and write about it.
Traveling For a Living – Is It Possible?
Absolutely not. At least not in a sense like most people imagine it. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but unlike you read in many catchy articles, I wouldn’t say that I’m being paid to just travel. I’m also not a fan of telling people they could quit their jobs to travel and get paid for it by becoming a blogger in just a few months. I find it a ridiculous scam.
‘Wait, what? Don’t you get paid 4 digit numbers per day and get free stuff to explore the world?’
I do, but it doesn’t mean that I’m being paid to travel. At least not when you’re doing it professionally. (Sidenote: There’s a huge difference between being on a highly paid project and free to attend press trips for journalists.)
Tourism boards, companies, hotels etc., pay you to come and do your job. But they won’t pay you to just to go on vacation to hang out with friends and do whatever the hell you want, whenever the hell you want.
You need to often spend hours getting this one shot, run around like a headless chicken to collect the best content, or you get stressed when you need X amount of photos and the weather doesn’t cooperate.
Traveling For a Living vs Traveling as a Professional Travel Blogger
I’d traveled for 7 years before the blog started. I backpacked my way around South America, I visited historical sites in Europe and the natural wonders of Asia. On my travels, I listened to knowledgeable guides, partied at hostels, spent days on the beach and did everything you are probably doing on your own holidays.
I was deciding when and where I want to eat, sleep, drink, and whether to take a photo or not. Now, as a working blogger, I can’t just travel that way.
In order to get good photos, I need specific conditions. Early mornings or blue hour evenings, great looking clouds, clean new outfits that match the surroundings.
For videos, I often need to repeat the same scene over and over again if something goes wrong or if someone walks into my shot. I don’t just snap a quick photo and sit at the pool sipping on Margaritas. I wish!
If I travel alone, I need time to set everything up with my tripod and remote shutter, often spending 30 minutes to an hour for just ONE photo. On top of editing it later, backing up my footage and other not-so-fun things.
Professional Travel Blogging
On my last year’s trip to Europe when covering a tour to Loire Valley castles I literally had to skip lunch and ditch the tour guide, in order to get my photos as the place was packed. And my guide was telling really interesting stories especially since I’m very into castles and history.
Before each shot, I had to wait for people to pass through, and set stuff up. Others attending the tour walked around, took some photos, learned stories and enjoyed their time at the cafe. I did not.
I’ll give you another example. When I was recently invited to Italy I had to attend a photoshoot. For 2 days I saw nothing but one spa and one side of a ski slope, as each scene and shots had to be repeated many times. For me, this is work and not being paid to travel. In the evening instead of enjoying drinks and beautiful views, I had to answer emails, edit photos (that often take 15 minutes per photo), and prepare my gear for the next day. Does it seem more like work or a holiday to you…?
What about when I get home from a trip? Unless I was an Instagrammer only posting photos and not providing my audience with useful information, I still need to research facts, write everything up, work on blog’s back-end, and do some administration work. My work doesn’t end with the trip, it pretty much starts there.
While you might see some fantastic colorful photos and stories, think twice if that’s something you want to do. Don’t you sometimes go for a fun lunch at the office? Or have some cool after work drinks with your colleagues? You can have fun while at work too, and so do I, but it doesn’t mean that my life is always a bed of roses.
I think that the life of a full-time traveler can also be lonely as the sad death of Anthony Bourdain showed the world. I’m a very social bee. When I used to work at the office I chatted with my colleagues all the time and was meeting friends after work too. As a blogger, I usually work from home.
I’m blessed now that my husband also works from home, but when I was living in London my friends were gone to work and I was stuck in the apartment all day by myself.
While I had the freedom to get up and leave whenever and travel whenever, if I did it all the time I’d have no money and no blog as a business.
Again, I’m only talking about professional travel bloggers making money from their blogs and things related to their blogs. Because there are many people out there who are technically full-time bloggers and live on the road, but their income doesn’t necessarily only come from their blog.
They could have other businesses, properties and income sources you might not know about. They’re making money through other means, and the blog is a side project.
So while it might look like someone is uploading some unedited photos directly from their phone to their social media, it doesn’t mean that this is the only way they make money, or that you can do the same as a full-time job.
If you still think that professional travel blogging is something for you and want to try your luck with blogging, learn how to start your travel blog.
What are your thoughts? Are you a blogger? Do you want to be a blogger? Ever thought of how to get paid to travel? How do you imagine or experience traveling as a blogger?
Great article, Anna!! I’ve had the pleasure of seeing, first-hand, how much time is involved in your work!! YIKES!! I think this honest assessment will help others.
Hi Anna. This is a great post. I thought that I too wanted to live life as a professional travel blogger. I’ve actually attempted it twice and found out it just wasn’t for me. The first time I left a high-paying contracting job with the Army to go live the life as a nomad. It turns out the universe had other plans for me because I got very sick and couldn’t go. I had even packed up almost my entire house.
Fast forward 3 years later from 2013 an my husband and I left our jobs again last summer to travel and blog. Well, we traveled around Mexico all summer and loved it. Just one problem, I missed teaching history and having a place to come back to. So we decided to downsize and find a place that we can afford to maintain while we travel, and I went back to teaching to save for a rainy day.
Now we are perfectly content to travel just during the summers. My salary as a teacher plus occasional freelancing more than covers this lifestyle. My point is (sorry if this was long) is that the lifestyle you describe above isn’t for everyone, and that’s ok. I still have my blog, but it’s no longer all-consuming. I love being able to travel and just enjoy it now.
This is a great article. I started a travel blog a month ago and, happily, there are some bloggers willing to be authentic like this post so that the rest of us know what we’re getting in to! The more I learn about the profession, the more my goals shift so that I can find a way to travel that works for me. Really appreciate this post and the honesty 🙂
Great article Anna…. indeed professional bloggee is not.an easy thing
Thank you for sharing this article, it’s a great reminder for anyone looking to get into blogging. My blog is newer but I have been contemplating and planning for a long time and I have done a ton of research. I know that it takes a lot of work but I know the alternative is to be stuck in a desk job. I’ll take the option of adventure even if it’s a lot of work I’ll know I am fully responsible for the success. Thank you!
-Rachel @ Backcountry Petite
Great article, Anna! I’m a travel blogger, but I really don’t want to be a full time travel blogger, otherwise, it will ruin all the travel experience for me. I’m an Instagram addict, but taking photos doesn’t take as much time, as producing videos, for example. I feel like when you’re invited by tourism boards constantly, you can’t really go and do whatever you want, you need to follow a strict schedule instead. For me traveling is about enjoing and relaxing, so I’d prefer to have my own company and blog just for fun and nice freebies (sometimes).
Yeah, group trips have strict schedule. Individual projects don’t do – that’s why I prefer these as you can get your schedule tailored to your preference 🙂
Another great article, it is true that quitting a job for traveling and earn money from blogging is not an easy so its a kind of scam , I am a blogger and i know how know how hard it is to earn from blogging and engage visitors. Thanks for sharing all the tips
Great post – I love that you are sharing the reality of being a professional blogger. This is a lot of the reason why I decided to blog about travel as a more of a hobby than trying to make it a profession. For the few times I’ve done paid/comped work, it was definitely worth it, but I’m glad its not every (or most) trips I take!
Hi Anna, i’ve followed your blog for a while now and you’ve done really well with it. I started my travel blog back in 2012 when I left my job to go on a trip around the world. I was blogging regularly back then, and just started to make some money from sponsored posts as I arrived back in the UK although it wasn’t enough to live off. I have found it hard since to find the time to actually blog and it is more of a hobby now and I just do it when I have chance. I do admire people that seem to be able to find the time to write blog posts whilst having a full time job! What is clear…building a successful blog that will sustain you financially doesn’t just happen overnight and takes time and effort!
Hey Anna,
interesting insights of your blogging business. Thanks a lot.
You are totally right, most people will think that travel bloggers are just doing endless vacation and getting paid for it. It is the same with people watching sports (just playing some soccer for 90minutes and making millions).
Just a few know how much work you need to put into something, especially in arts (For me arts include writing, photographing and everything else creative). Additionally in blogging you need to learn about webhosting, wordpress and all the technical stuff, too.
I started my blog just a few month ago and know I realize how much work it really is. Especially while doing it besides my normal day job.
But even when it is a lot of work and i get stucked in all the technical details I really enjoy it. Because it is something total different from my job.
Do i need to monetize my blog? No I don’t. But why shouldn’t I try?
Would it be nice if some money is flowing? Yes it would.
Living just from a professional travel blog? I guess this will be a dream in the far away future and a very long journey.
A journey which contains a lot of learning, creativity and a lovely scene and which is totally worth it.
@Borris I 100% relate to your comment here! I started blogging about 6 months ago more for a personal recollection of my memories and where I’ve been so that family and friends can follow. Just a month ago I decided I wanted to become a full-time digital nomad and I’m striving to achieve being able to travel full time while making money through travel blogging. I’ve definitely spent considerable time learning the technical stuff and now I’m educating myself on social media marketing strategies. It is TOUGH to build followers and keep up the engagement.
@Anna I know myself to be someone who jumps between commitments and I really value you sharing this genuine post. I don’t know whether to focus on following my digital nomad goal 100% or apply for a part time job and do this on the side. I have so many bog posts and zero followers so I feel like it’ll be 10 years before I make any success monetising!
Instagram @thefrugaltraveller
Blog – thefrugaltraveller.com
Get it girl! I love how real you are in this. Seriously if one more travel blogger’s ‘Get Rich Using My Methods By Paying Me Lots Of Money For My Secrets Which Probably Aren’t Really Secrets’ Course in gonna lose my mind haha. Have fun in Aruba!
Great and inspiring! Thank you!!!! ????
That’s absolutely true, solo self-photography and videography are just so hard! And yep there’s a ton of work behind a single blog post or Youtube video people don’t even imagine.
ha you summed it up perfectly! on a side note I think I have a permanent hunch now from the constant laptop/ phone work. and yea… it can get pretty lonely working from home! when i had an office job I thought working from home would be *the dream*. goes to show you how much I knew!
Good day Anna,
Thanks for writing details on how it is like to be a travel blogger.
We really appreciate your effort for getting best photos and videos.
Its really inspiring for us.
Great read, Anna! Very useful information – especially for those (me!) trying to start their digital nomad life!
Keep up the great work!
Mick
Hello Anna! Great post, and thank you for sharing. I recently started my own travel blog but with a different spin. I know that quitting my job and travelling full-time is out of the question for me. So my blog focuses on the average person who gets only a few weeks off each year, and how I maximize my vacation.
If you’re interested please check out my blog theaveragetourist.com 🙂
I’m really enjoying your posts and will continue to read!
I love this story. So motivated !!
Sometimes I feel so bored with blogging because I dont get more traffic . But when I read this post . I’m on fire again..
Thank you 🙂
Traveling is quite fun, isn’t it?
Great article! A few really essential information everyone should consider before choosing this path. All best!
Anna, i loved this post. Thank you for giving so much info.
Finally, someone who is 100% straight about travel bloggers and clearly distinguishes the difference between travelling for a living (being on the road) and travelling as a professional travel blogger. The first one isn’t simply for everyone it needs sacrifices and patience.
Thanks for sharing this post, Anna!
Hugs from Greece!
Hey Anna,
Great post about how to get paid as a travel blogger. The point you make about earning huge amount of money through travel blogging resonates well, because it details that bloggers can earn profit in their travels through advertisement, photography, content writing, and even public speaking.
Hi Anna! I appreciate you showing the not-so-glamorous side of travel blogging! When I think of travel bloggers, I mostly think of someone on a beach using a dictaphone with one hand, an iced tea in the other, but it’s obviously not like that! I don’t have much experience with blogging but I do have experience with freelance writing and earning income while traveling! There is a work-from-anywhere opportunity for those with a writing background and a college degree, and its perfect to earn while traveling. The company is called Ultius, Inc. and I have been writing with them for about 3 years now. I am a mom and when my child was a bit younger I went through divorce. This meant I needed to find a whole different way to make my schedule fit in everything including earning income. I found this company and started writing freelance with them. Since I work remote, I can write with them when and if I travel, too. I just need an internet connection. I can work on the projects that suit my wheelhouse, there is no pressure to write on topics that I do not know, and I earn about $10 per page. Since my background and degrees are in writing, I can usually write two to three pages per hour which means the compensation for my time is very, very good!
My cousin graduated college this year and has over 50k in student loan debt. That’s when I realized that college might not be my best option when all I really want to do is explore the world. I don’t want to be paying off student loans for 20 years and I think this planet is too big and too extraordinary to stay in one place. Right now, I’m 17 and a junior in high school, but I’m determined to find a way to travel once I graduate. Blogging and doing travel photography would be my dream, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to just get out there haha