Welcome! It is really exciting to write this first post in what I hope will become a dynamic community of travel bloggers, ready to help each other succeed. Many of you may already know me as the author of Todd’s Wanderings. If you know me from there you might be asking yourself, what the heck are you doing creating another website? Don’t you have enough to do with blogging, writing 3 books, and working full time for the United Nations?
While the danger of pulling myself in too many directions is certainly real, there is an even greater danger of just going in the wrong direction in general. Like many of you, I have heard (well, read) all the hype how we can earn money for traveling by blogging. How it’s possible to create a location independent lifestyle, travel the world and get paid to do it. Sounds nice right? Who wouldn’t get caught up in this dream. It pulls at all the right emotional hooks, freedom, travel, escaping the 9-5 grind, becoming rich doing something we love. The question is, is it true? Is blogging, and more specifically travel blogging, a viable way to earn enough money to survive and support our travels?
What we are all about
The Travel Blog Challenge was created to answer this very question. It was created to shed some light and transparency on the travel blogging and lifestyle design worlds (yup, lifestyle designers are welcome too!). The Travel Blog Challenge was also created to help prejudge the answer, a place to gather together, network, to help each other out and succeed in an ethical way. That’s right, no spammers here, just a way to help travel bloggers develop sustainable online incomes.
1000-1000 Travel Blog Challenge
One of the main tools here on the TBC is the 1000-1000 Challenge. The aim of the Challenge (beside being the source of the blog’s name) is to give everyone a goal to reach, as well as to help us create a standard in determining travel blogging success. This is how we’ll be able to answer if travel blogging really is viable, and how to go about it.
I’m not going to lie, this is not easy and will take a significant commitment, and a lot of time. But if you’re willing to put in the effort then we’re willing to help you. I’ll also be in it with you. To sign up for the challenge visit the link above, but to see where it all started visit this post. I was amazed at the number of bloggers who thought it was a great idea, asked for my advice on building a successful blog, and were just stumbling around with no clear goal. In response I decided to expand the challenge to something greater than just my own personal goal.
Articles and Advice on Building a Successful Travel Blog
Besides tapping into our competitive spirits, TBC is also dedicated to furthering the Travel Blog world and finding the best ways to succeed. There is a lot written on the web about how to build a successful blog, from the nuts and bolts of web design, to finding an audience, to monetizing to the dreaded SEO. There is also a wealth of information floating around in other industries, such as marketing, public relations and tour companies. The TBC is dedicated to sharing the most useful advice on all of these topics and how they can help us all.
Knowing that we all have creative advice and hard earned experience to share, TBC is open to guest bloggers. So if you have useful tips or advice on anything related to increasing readership, monetizing, SEO, nuts and bolts, or cool things I haven’t heard about yet, check out how to write for Travel Blog Challenge.
TBC Network
One of the ultimate goals of the Travel Blog Challenge is to create a Network of successful travel bloggers that we can leverage to increase all of our online incomes. I’ve been nothing but impressed with the willingness of the travel blog community to help each other out. We’ll approach advertisers and spread the wealth throughout the group. You won’t have to wait until you complete the 1000-1000 Challenge to become a member. After all, the purpose of the TBC is to prove we can succeed, and to help you succeed. But you will have to commit to being a part of the group and helping others out. So to become a full blown member you have to do four things:
1) Start the 1000-1000 Challenge (click here to get started)
2) Register in the Forums and participate for 3 months (yes, I’ll be able to tell)
3) Have an average visitor rate of 0ver 200/day for the past 2 month (as judged by Google Analytics)
4) Promote the heck out of your fellow travel bloggers
Once you have all four contact me and you’ll be added to the TBC Network List (yay, more promotion), and you’ll be able to write a Member Post to introduce yourself and your blog. This way we’ll ensure that Members are committed, and potential advertisers can be assured of our quality.
Commitment to Honesty and Transparency
Unfortunately, it’s very easy to trick people on the internet. The TBC is my answer to this trickery. We are not trying to employ emotional hooks, and promises of instant wealth with no work. What we are promising is complete honesty regarding what it takes to succeed as a travel blogger, if its even possible. I will be using Todd’s Wanderings as a case study and will share what has worked, what has failed, and where I stand with earnings and visitors. Anyone else who wants to do the same is free to post as well once they are a Member (although guest posting is welcome anytime).
I know, I know, this is a very ambitious plan for a new website. That’s OK, slow and steady is fine with me. and the site will evolve slowly as I add content, functions, and our membership grows. I have been blogging for the past 4 years and while I’ve learned that quality takes time, I’ve also learned that great things can happen quickly. If we succeed I have even more plans include: a space to promote travel and writing competitions, a jobs board to connect bloggers with those who need content and companies looking for reviews.
Excited? I am. I’d love to hear what you think below in the comments.
*I would love for you to provide as much feedback, advice and even criticism as you can muster. This is a community site and it depends on its members to be successful, whether this if with guest posts or interaction in the forums, promoting each others sites, or suggesting new ways to grow. Leave your ideas below in the comments, or better yet get involved and help out. This is your site too.
About Todd Wassel
I think the motivation behind this site is fantastic, Todd! I've found the travel blogging community to be extremely supportive and helpful, especially lately as I've been trying to build my own following and dip my toes into the waters of monetization and advertising. This has come along at a perfect time for me, and I'm excited to see where it goes!
Hey Amanda, thanks! I'm really excited about the sight and the possibilities. It has been really rewarding just on day 1 for there to be so much interest
I hope we can help you build up your own blog along the way.
Great one Todd! This is awesome. I want to join this community!
Thanks Claire, I'm looking forward to having you in the community! The power of this site will be in gather together selfless travelers to help each other out!. You can get started by signing up for the e-mail updates and the 1000-1000 challenge!
Fantastic idea! It's so hard to reach the 1000-1000 milestone without the support of the community. This should really speed things up for everyone involved and if it doesn't we can't at least analyse what works and what doesn't.
Great job on this, Todd! I'm looking forward to reading and learning from you and the others who will be involved. What a great thing you're doing. Kudos to you and everyone else!
Todd what a great idea, I'm signing up right now!
Thanks Everyone! It is really exciting to get such a large and positive response on Day 1. Just makes more all the more excited to work with everything on Completing the 1000-1000 Challenge. @Andrea, of course we will make it! The only things it will take are time and dedication. With those two things we can analyze our way right to the top.
This is pretty awesome. New to this travel blogging thing and not even finished with my site, but once I'm over 200 visitors/day I'm signing up!
Hi April, you don't have to wait until 200 visitors/day to start the challenge and get on your way to the TBC network. it better to start now so that when you have 200/day you already have the number of months committed and are ready to join in. Hopefully we can help you get to 200 in no time at all. My advice is to start posting in the forum, get you name known and then can help out
Not sure how I missed your reply, but decided to join in prior to the 200/day mark. Will be there in no time! Thanks again!!
AbsoluteADT recently posted..What Another Travel Challenge
Todd! Thanks for thinking in create this web! You rock!
I like the concept…a new way of using community to help community. I'm in for sure!
Welcome Isabel and Gillian!
Todd – I'm a goal-oriented person, so I think this is a worthwhile effort. I'd love to join and see where it goes.
Great Chris, welcome! Go ahead and introduce yourself over in the forums.
Congrats on the new site Todd. Great idea.
Thanks Nancie! I hope you`ll join in and share your experience!
Signing up!
Thumbs up!
I am a relatively new blogger, so I am really looking forward to explorying TBC & Todd’s Wanderings for advice on growing my readership. One of my major issues is FOCUS. I have been writing all sorts of things in my blog since I began, but I have found that travel writing and highlighting my favorite places in New York is the content I am most passionate to produce. I feel really great that I have found a niche and am starting 2011 with a new vision for MANICinTheCity.com. I have just started a series on Barcelona – you can read my latest post on Sagrada Familia <–here. I am looking forward to your feedback, so please read, comment & follow @MANICinTheCity on Twitter. I look forward to connecting with a lot of you and building a great travel blogging community together!!!
Hi Todd,
What a great concept. I am a little confused on what we do if we don’t have 200 unique visitors a day yet. Do we still sign up?
Cheers:)
Audrey recently posted..South Africa Has Exceptional Backpacking Accommodation
Hi Audrey, welcome! It seems that I need to clear up the TBC Network vs the 1000-1000 Challenge
In short, YES you can sign up right now no matter what your visitor number are. The TBC is an experiment with just your situation in mind. Please go ahead ahead and join the forums, start the 1000-1000 challenge, and if you like sign up for e-mail updates.
The 200 unique visitors a day is part of the requirement for becoming a full TBC Network Member. So you can start all the other things (actually you have to get on track to be Member), and when you have participated actively in the community for 3 months AND have 200 visits a day (it might take longer than 3 months though) then you just let me now you are added to the list of full TBC Network Members.
The idea around the network is that we will have a base quality control and can market ourselves to advertisers as a group. There will be a list here linking to your site, and I think we will create a private forum section just for members where I will let you know of advertising offers as they come in, or anything else we want to discuss.
This is just the base idea and I’m hoping that we develop organically based on member needs and help. I hope this answers your questions. Shoot me an e-mail if you need anything else.
I am throwing my hat into the ring. My goal for 2011 is to get my blog on the map and this challenge looks like the way to do it. Let’s do this!!!
We would like to get on board – I will go through the 4 steps and we’ll be in contact. Look forward to working with you all!
Anthony recently posted..VOTE FOR US! 3rd Annual Trippy Awards!
I’m in! Fab idea Todd, thanks for the kick up the arse!
http://brinkofsomethingelse.com/2011/03/the-1000-1000-travel-blog-challenge-cos-this-year-wont-be-busy-enough/
Camden Luxford recently posted..The 1000-1000 Travel Blog Challenge- ‘Cos this year won’t be busy enough
Wooohooo, welcome to the Challenge Camden. Feel free to head over to the Forum and introduce yourself if you haven’t already.
Awesome, sign me up! I love this idea of using our collective power for good instead of evil
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Great inspiration and motivation behind this. You really know what you’re doing and you’re showing just how much this community helps one another. Since I’ve been active in blogging about my travels, I’ve experienced nothing but helpful tips and advice from fellow bloggers. I look forward to participating!
Fidel recently posted..Delicious Travel Cuisine- Japanese Yakiniku
I’m in, Todd. Thanks for thinking of this.
Marcia
InsideJourneys recently posted..Weekly Photo Challenge- Water
Todd – what an absolutely brilliant idea, and one that I could really do with getting stuck into! Consider me sold
Anthony recently posted..May Financial Report
Pretty much the best thing I have seen in a long time. Signing up pronto.