How to monetize your passion for travel?

Every new journey is a new experience and emotion. A person returns from a trip very different and after a while feels a strong need to experience these emotions again. Visiting many countries, scattered around the world, people gain invaluable experience which can be monetized. In this article, we will consider demanded niches that will help you combine your hobby with an income.

Developing a travel blog

Instagram is the most popular travel blog format, as 83% of travelers are inspired by visual content when planning a trip. This social network has become a source of interesting information and inspiration, so it's easy to find the target audience here by creating quality visual and textual content. 

As with all other topics, a unique presentation and specialization are important. Focus on one thing and become an expert in it. For example, communication with locals, cuisine, budget holidays, hitchhiking, mentality, etc. 

To be an in-demand travel blogger, you need to find your style, which will allow you to stand out, make you a memorable author and a prominent artist on your page. 

Your blog must be more useful than a country guide. Put Geo tag when you find a delicious cafe, a vintage store, a private gallery, a beautiful location, etc. This will increase the number of saves and subscriptions - people will come back to your blog to ask for details.

An important component of success is a personal approach. The author’s personality must be visible in the Instagram travel profile. Allow your followers to discover new places through the lens of your perception and dilute travel photos with insights. This will help you win the love of your readers. 

Study the needs of users to meet their needs as much as possible, communicate with your audience, find out their tastes and preferences. It's effective to conduct small surveys and ask what your readers are interested in as travelers, for example, when preparing for their next trip.

When balancing usefulness and interest, remember that Instagram users have limited attention. Try to provide a summary of the information and pack the usefulness into concentrated material.

Successful travel blogging requires not only photo and video quality, location competence, and creative packaging, but also marketing competence. It is important to learn how to set up targeted advertising, buy real Instagram followers, collaborate with bloggers, do mutual PR, etc. When you form a community of loyal users, you can offer people your knowledge in the form of e-books, online courses, etc. In addition to digital products, you can use referral programs. By mentioning a particular product on your social media profile, you can show people where to buy it and get a commission on each sale. Over time, the Instagram account will become a valuable asset that will generate a stable income.

Travel photographer as a profession

Travel continues to attract a huge number of photographers, but the tremendous competition requires a quality portfolio, a willingness to work on a variety of projects, and active social media profiles.

Finding the right market for your talents is key. Different brands in the travel industry always look for fresh content and new creators. That's why you can find interesting opportunities, whether it's a commercial photo shoot for publications or brands, or personal ones.

A lot of orders get those photographers, who actively develop their profiles on social networks.  Channels in the digital space are extremely important because a photographer's profile allows clients to understand whether or not it suits. To get stable orders, it is needed to invest in advertising, regularly buy Instagram followers, post reviews, etc. It is important not just to be present in the online space, but to achieve interaction with the audience. So, broadcast not only your work but also share the behind-the-scenes footage as well as show the preparatory stage or how you assemble the equipment before the trip. 

It is important to purchase the optimal travel photography equipment. It must be reliable, versatile, and adaptable which will allow you to create high-resolution photos and videos, cope in low light conditions. Such equipment is also compact and mobile enough to travel in comfort.

Travel photographers need to adapt quickly right on location. There are a number of sub-genres, from landscape and wildlife photography to portraits and other types of photography. Most successful travel photographers use video format in their work. In the digital age, video has become more in demand for marketing purposes, online publications, and many other customers. Things have become more dynamic these days, so it's important to move with the trends and be able to develop new skills.  

Organization of author's tours

Author's tours are a new and fast gaining popularity trend in the travel industry. The demand for them is very high as they are made by experts who in practice know all the subtleties of travel in a particular region, personally accompany the group, and are responsible for the trip's success. Moreover, the personal experience and charisma of the tour organizer create a unique style for each trip. 

For organizers, this is a great opportunity to build their business. First of all, it is work with people, so you have to be able to interact with them, be quite communicative, have a positive attitude and be 100% involved.

You should decide on the place where you take the tour, it should be a popular tourist destination: ski resort, sea coast, lake, convenient for you geographically.

Work out a program, depending on the theme of the tour you'll be doing. If it's a yoga tour - include a yoga practice in the morning and outdoor meditation in the evening, and plan excursions in the afternoon, showing the sights of the tourist site.

To assemble a tour, you need to place ads on paid and free advertising media and start launching advertising campaigns 2 months before the start of the tour. This business requires a lot of energy, but it is very interesting and exciting.

To sum up, travel is one of the most promising niches where there is great demand, so it is worth mastering this vertical and increasing income here. Earning money while traveling will allow you to travel longer, spend the magical time that makes a person truly happy, learn about the world and yourself.