Written by a Contributor
If you are planning on setting out as a travel blogger, you will have to make sure that you are not spending more than you earn. With every single business model, you will have to get a monetization option involved, so you can earn from reviews, referral, ads, or other sources.
Travel can be expensive, so you have to save money on every trip, or travel for free if you can. There are also some companies that will pay you for a sponsored post or review, so you can at least recover some of your expenses and still enjoy what you do for a living, Below you will find a few tips on how to save money on seeing the world and earn more of your blog.
Travel During the Monsoon
In case you are planning on covering distant lands in Asia or Africa, you will have to make sure that you get the best prices on accommodation and plane tickets. If you want to know when the monsoon season starts and ends in the country of your choice, you will have to check weather portals and blogs.
There are some local sites and resources as well that will help you make the most out of your budget, and still see the attractions you always wanted to visit. In case you are traveling to India, you will see a huge difference in accommodation and package prices, and till stay relatively dry by taking the train or even getting a cheap private transfer.
Make the Most Out of Your Youth Cards
If you are under 26, you are likely to get a few benefits when you travel. If you would like to explore Europe, for example, you can get a youth travel bus or train card that will give you unlimited journeys off peak times, so you can see more for less. Youth cards will also give you a discount on accommodation, attractions, and even on flights.
Students traveling in groups can also take advantage of large group discounts that help them spread the cost of their journeys. In case you don’t mind staying in a budget room, you can also join an international youth hostel club and get unbelievably cheap rates at top destinations.
Share the Cost with Friends
Traveling alone can be fun, but taking your friends or finding companions for your travel makes it cheaper and more enjoyable. If you don’t want to pay the single person supplement at hotels or share the responsibilities, such as driving and planning the route, you can invite people to go with you.
Alternatively, if you know of someone looking for an extra person traveling in a minivan, you can pay a small share and join them, take advantage of their expertise, and make new friends during the journey.
Get Discounts for Reviews
In case you have already built a huge follower base and blog audience, chances are that hotel chains and travel agents will be happy to give you a discount in exchange for a review or a long blog post covering their offers.
You will, however, need to be careful with which companies and hotels to approach, and get used to the answer “no”. Not all hotel owners and bread and breakfast managers will be open to this new form of marketing approach, and you will have little or no chance of convincing them.
Stay polite and move on to the next prospect. After all, you know how many people would read your posts and the value of the publicity you would create for the brand.
Off the Beaten Path
It might also be a good idea to stay out of the tourist trap and seek a remote location just outside of the city. You will not only get a cheaper price on your room, but also see more of the real world, instead of facing the scenes the country’ tourism office wants you to see.
Your audience will be more interested in insider trips than information they can read elsewhere. Rent an apartment and compare the prices at https://www.rumah.com/tanah/disewa before you choose your location. When visiting Paris, for example, you will be able to stay outside of the big city and take the train every day, which will cost you much less than a boutique hotel in the center.
Stay with Friends
In case you have friends and relatives living, studying, or working abroad, you will be able to swap your home with them. Get invited and invite them back whenever they visit your city. You will get insider tips on getting around, even transport and transfer to and from the airport and a free sightseeing tour.
If you are seeking a destination to review next on your blog, you should look at the map and find out where your friends and family members are. Chances are that you can travel on a budget off season, and find plenty of places to discover nearby you can write about.
Stay Flexible
Of course, you will have to be flexible to get the best prices on your plane tickets and your accommodation. Thanks to the latest development of information technology, you will now be able to search for the whole month and get some great deals on plane tickets.
You might not get the direct flights all the time, but saving money on the tickets might mean that you can make it a round trip and cover more than one citiy during your travels. More cities will mean more blog posts and audience engagement.
Stay Professional
Whenever you discuss your travel options with agents and private companies, you will have to stay professional. Make it clear that you are a reputable blogger with loads of followers and huge audience, so you will be treated differently.
If you have a travel review badge from online sites, or can turn up in a TripAdvisor coat, you will get noticed more and chances are that you will benefit from a few perks and free upgrades. You need to communicate the purpose of your trip, and tell the hosts that you are looking to review the hotel, so you will get the best treatment possible without having to pay the premium price.
Build Your Reputation
To become a successful blogger, you will have to work on your blog profile and professional reputation. If you can automate your marketing and engage with your audience, you will get noticed by people in the travel industry. Even if they don’t know you, showing off your statistics and reports will open some doors for you for collaboration.
There are some companies that pay you to review a certain hotel, but you will have to get the right tone and an acceptable quality and size of audience. Make sure that you focus on building your reputation as a blogger and reviewer before you ask for discounts and payments for reviews.
Get Hosted By Locals
If you are good at languages and communication, you might even get invited by locals keen to show off their town or city for people who can spread the world. You will need to stay in a residential area and make sure that you are open to new connections and conversations.
If you are staying in a small town, go to eat in a local restaurant, visit a gym or swimming pool, ask questions, and you are more than likely to end up with an invitation you can choose to accept or decline, based on your judgment. As a bonus, you will also get a free tour of the location.
Take Advantage of House Swaps
When you don’t have the money to pay for a hotel, you can also look for house swap apps that will allow you to exchange your home for a few weeks with someone visiting your town or city. This will be a trust-based contract, but you might even benefit from the use of the host’s car or parking pass, so you can explore the place as a local.
If you are happy with other people staying at your flat or house, you can reduce your accommodation costs to zero.
House Sit
Housesitting is another popular budget travel method, and you will be able to stay for free, even get paid to stay at the location. There’s nothing cheaper than free. Make sure that you choose the location carefully and provide adequate references.
After all, it is important that you show that you can be trusted, as we are talking about people’s homes they most probably worked for all their lives. House sitting is a perfect way of cutting your travel budget and exploring the real life in the city, not only the tourist hubs.
Building your career and business as a travel blogger is not something you can achieve in a few weeks. Travel is not cheap, otherwise you would never be home, right? Use the above creative ways to explore the world on a budget and maximize your earnings from your reviews and posts.
0
