Hard life of travel bloggers
This article is for all non-travel bloggers which is most of you guys, my family, friends, many people on my facebook, my ex-school mates, my ex boyfriends and just the rest of you. In the following post you can find out more about how to earn money with a travel blog.
I want to make something clear in here. It is necessary, trust me!
When you look at my personal facebook or my crazy sexy fun traveler facebook fanpage , most of you just see all those thousands of photos where I am just showing off my bum each time at a different beach from around the world, or every month posting statuses ”hi from …” with a different town/country in them, or relaxing in a hammock wherever.
Yes, that is my life and it is true.
enjoying swimming pool in Totem Hotel Beach Resort in Costa Rica
I do visit all those places and I do so because I want to.
But you don’t know anything that is behind it all.
You don’t know what I have to do to be able to do all this.
Back home, in my home town Snina, the people just know I don’t live there because I travel. I have heard many stupid stories that people say, such as that my dad who is the owner of a pub Stupavska krcma back home is the person paying for all my trips.
To be honest I don’t care what people say about me back home. I learned to be resistant to all that bullshit (sorry for the expression!)
I do not care but it’s simply not fair at all.
Why?
Because I work my ass off online to earn money and keep traveling!
I won’t lie. I do wish it was my dad paying for my trips, it would be much easier for me and I could finally consider traveling as holidays, and not as work as I do now every day. It would be way easier …
It just hurts that people think I do nothing and just travel and get money from my parents.
Because that is so NOT true!
I won’t say they never pay for anything, but they only do when I am at home in Slovakia. Some food, road trips, or sauna here and there. However, hardly ever outside of my home country.
Actually, it is me who invites my mum on holidays or around Slovakia, to Italy or to all incusive holidays in Egypt.
It is me paying for all my trips outside Slovakia.
And for most of them in my home country, too.
This is the first thing I want you to understand when reading this article.
Now you are maybe asking where I get money for all my trips. And this is the second thing to make clear in here.
I do my best. Since March 2011, since I am officially unemployed (it was my own decision to quit cabin crew job), I have never worked manually. And I don’t think I will ever do again. That’s just not my thing.
But I do work.
I work online.
This is my work.
This website is my job.
Another 2 blogs We Travel Around the World and Fit when Traveling are my job, too.
And I make living doing other 7 secrets things.
working in an ice cream place in Cochabamba in Bolivia
Each time I meet new people when traveling and we get somehow to my travel blog, first they start making faces like ”What’s that?” … Then they ask me what I actually do for living.
Now I am the one with the faces ”I am telling you, the travel blog.”
Afterwards, they all say it is the best job ever even if they still do not understand it a bit! But I do agree.
Being a professional travel blogger is the best job in the world!
For me, travel blogging IS the best job in the world.
I am when and where I want to be, the biggest cliche, but so true! I have so much freedom.
I do what I want and when I want.
I decide when I work and for how long.
I am my own boss and that’s something to love, for sure!
But on the other hand, I am also the one who has to work.
Travel blogging is NOT easy.
Life of travel bloggers is anything but easy.
Sometimes I spend too much time on internet. Like now, I just sent 37 emails in the last 2 hours. And I have another 1,300 to reply to.
Yes, it takes a lot of time to build a website, a lot of time to build audience, a lot of time to write articles, a lot of time to deal with the photos and videos. And it takes time to get advertisers and sponsors. It all takes a huge amount of time. Way more than you could ever imagine!
Us, the travel bloggers, spend a lot of time online doing all these activities.
So if you think I am just here somewhere in the Caribbean lying at the beach and doing nothing, you are wrong. I may be at the beach, yes, for a couple of hours, but the end of the day when you all go partying or to bed, I am online working, answering emails, resizing photos and writing articles.
Yes, it is THE life that I chose… the life I want to live.
But it doesn’t mean I do nothing. If you ever happen to travel with me, then you know how much effort it all takes. So please don’t ask me when I am going to work again.
I do work more than most of you with 9 to 5 jobs. There are days when I am in front of my laptop for even 16 hours. There are also days when I work ”outside” taking photos, notes, videos and getting information and then at night I need to write it all down.
But at the same time I enjoy life where and when I want to be.
working in my deluxe suite in Palma Royal hotel in Panama a week before
When I wrote this article in May 2012, I was in an all inclusive 5 star hotel on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica for the first time since I started blogging – finally proper holidays after a year and a half! Then going back to Europe for a couple of months :)
crazy sexy fun traveler
| #
Comment@ Krisabele N. Ricamonte:
That is so nice! Cheers!
Krisabele N. Ricamonte
| #
Just keep blogging, because there’s no point following the default 9-5 grind, if it does not make you happy.
crazy sexy fun traveler
| #
Comment@ Elena:
thanks, Elena! It is a lot of work!
Elena
| #
Agree with everything and thanks for writing this! Some people don’t realize the amount of hours that goes in to actually having a blog that brings you income.. almost agree with everything … can’t stand all inclusive hotels!
Bon Voyage!
el
crazy sexy fun traveler
| #
Comment@ Astrid:
I know Astrid, you are right! I was not happy in my previous job of stewardess so I am happy I realized that I have only 1 life and I want to be happy! So why to stay in the job you don’t like …
crazy sexy fun traveler
| #
Comment@ Broke:
Broke, and I love your comment! Sometimes comments from the readers are so important and make me realize that what I do, makes sense … and not only for me ;)
crazy sexy fun traveler
| #
Comment@ Lois:
Lois, it is so true! I sometimes feel like I have 2 jobs, not just one, one is the traveling itself and the second one writing the blog :D
crazy sexy fun traveler
| #
Comment@ Tom:
Yes, Tom, any blog requieres a looooooooooooooot of time! But it is so worth it ;)
Astrid
| #
Great read! Just because you’re not working 9-5 like everyone else doesn’t mean you’re not working at all. The term “work” can vary from person to person and it’s just more rewarding when you find a job that makes you really happy and fulfilled. :)
Broke
| #
Doing what I love and loving what I do- This fit on you. Love reading your blog, feel travelling my self. Keep it up.
Lois
| #
I can totally relate to this! It’s a full time job but so fulfilling!
Tom
| #
I started my blog more as a hobby but recently have tried to see if I can make it work for me too and I agree with you the hours you need to spend to maintain and work on the blog is huge much more than people think – still its a great lifestyle to achieve if you love travelling :)
crazy sexy fun traveler
| #
Comment@ Ramsy:
Thank u :) You will make it ;)
Ramsy
| #
Comment@ crazy sexy fun traveler:
Thank you for your reply. Don’t think it will be easy. But your blog is a great inspiration :) Love it!
Enjoy your travels.
Ramsy
crazy sexy fun traveler
| #
Comment@ Ramsy:
Ramsy, go for it! Good luck! Good you know from the beginning that it is not easy ;)
crazy sexy fun traveler
| #
Comment@ Micamyx|Senyorita:
Honeu, at least we, the bloggers, know exactly how it takes :) Hopefully see you soon, miss you!
Ramsy
| #
Nice article. Hope to someday pay my trips with a blog like yours as well.
As for now it’s just a leisure holiday, without any work (expect for my own hosting company that is).
Will be in Thailand in a week and planning to “test” write my travel blog and see if people like.
Thanks.
crazy sexy fun traveler
| #
Comment@ rose:
Rose, that is SO nice of you! Thank you so much :)
Micamyx|Senyorita
| #
*hugs*. I know how you feel and I also know how hard-working you are after traveling with you for a week. Some relatives and friends of mine also question this lifestyle that I embraced. Yes, I am having fun in my trips because it is my choice, but I also work hard for it. We’re just lucky because we took the risk to embrace this kind of lifestyle no matter how hard it is (discipline wah). I consider myself blessed but it isn’t easy! We’re just reaping the rewards of our own labor. See you soon love!
rose
| #
Never mind what other people are saying. We love your blog and we support you.