First things first. To answer the question, “What the HECK is TBS?” is actually just a little bit complicated, because TBS (Travel Blog Success) encompasses SO much. It’s a course, first and foremost, but also a super-helpful private Facebook group, a sense of community with the travel blogosphere, participation in mastermind groups, job board for travel and blogging gigs… and beyond.
I’ve been getting a lot of emails from readers lately (thanks guys!) specifically asking about whether I’d recommend TBS (Travel Blog Success) for them.
If you’re looking to start a travel blog, or to make a break into travel journalism for other blogs, the answer is without a doubt, YES!
In September 2015, my freelance writing and blog fully financially supported me for the first time. How did I do it? I can say, without a doubt: Travel Blog Success.
Travel Blog Success Review:
How to Start a Travel Blog
(or improve one you already have!)
I had been working on my blog for about a year – off and on, writing short posts with a lot of blurry tablet photography – when I realized how much I love writing.
I decided to get serious in March 2015.
STEP ONE:
I resigned from my remote work position, and began to take freelance writing jobs, and to work on my travel blog as a part time hobby.
STEP TWO:
I moved my blog from free WordPress-based hosting to the amazingly awesome Siteground, who even performed the migration for me for FREE (and at a running cost of less than $4 per month)! Later, I heard about so many bloggers who struggled with tech stuff when they decided to move from a free site to their own domain (especially those with GoDaddy, more reasons not to use them here), but I didn’t have any headache, as the guys at Siteground have the best, most helpful and hands-on customer service and take care of all the behind-the-scenes hassle so I can concentrate on creating.
STEP THREE:
After that, based on the reviews and recommendations of my favorite travel bloggers (including Alex in Wanderland and Adventurous Kate), my next step was purchasing Travel Blog Success.
The Travel Blog Success course isn’t free, but it is affordable (under $300) and an investment in yourself and in your blogging. For me, it has paid off times a thousand. (I found it so valuable, I went back to buy Blogger to Bylines to help with my freelancing career)
Easy to complete in less than a month, but available for a lifetime even after completion, Travel Blog Success was fun, and organized in bite-sized, actionable tidbits of advice.
The step-by-step, simple and engaging instructions to set up or improve your existing blog started at basics (determining your purpose, audience, and niche) and moved into more advanced topics (monetization, social media, headline writing).
The Travel Blog Success advice about headlines, formatting, and writing were some of the most crucial for me – and I made immediate (and easy to implement) changes to my style. I learned how to grow my blog, how to monetize and pitch for press trips and free stays, but most importantly, how to provide better content for my readers.
For many, though, the most valuable aspect of the Travel Blog Success course might not even be the coursework itself (and that’s tough to top!), but rather the Travel Blog Success facebook group.
In the private Travel Blog Success group, almost a thousand bloggers gather to ask questions, share advice, stay up on industry news, give/receive blog critiques, and make connections. I love being able to read the extremely relevant answers, advice, and tips from more experience bloggers like David Lee of GoBackpacking, Adventurous Kate, and Alex in Wanderland.
As you are making your way through the Travel Blog Success course, you have instant access to the Facebook group, to ask any questions you may have, or for clarification. After the course is finished, you’re a Travel Blog Success Facebook group member for life (if you like!). Guest posting opportunities pop up daily, a great way to grow your readership!
If you are looking to expand your readership (and also your wallet), another useful section in the course is the Travel Blog Success Opportunity Board. At any given time, there are at least 10 paid (and some unpaid) positions posted. I have gained two longterm, paid freelancing positions (one as a VA, and one paid writing) that earn money to my bank account and exposure for my blog at the same time through Travel Blog Success’s Opportunity Board – so for me, Travel Blog Success has already directly paid for itself.
Right now, I’m also participating in a TBS Mastermind Group, where 5 of us bloggers meet on Google chat once a week for about an hour. We bounce ideas off each other, share what has been working and what hasn’t, and just support each other in a more personal way. Based on advice I gained in the Mastermind Group, I’ve improved my Pinterest to more than triple my traffic coming from that source.
What are you waiting for? Go check out Travel Blog Success today!
Affiliate links are just ONE of the many monetization strategies you will learn about on Travel Blog Success. When you recommend brands that you have used and trust to your readers, you can earn a small percentage of income when readers purchase through your affiliate links – at no extra cost to your readers. While the links above are affiliate links, as always, the opinions are my own and I wholeheartedly recommend Travel Blog Success!
If you want to go above and beyond, Travel Blog Success has several other programs, including the following:
A guide for brand partnerships (next on my list to buy):
A Facebook marketing course (which could also be incredibly useful for NON-blog businesses):
A guide for Freelance Writing (which I have also purchased):
and one for Videography:
Have you ever taken a course you’d wholeheartedly recommend?
A short vacation in Thailand turned into a life abroad with a canceled ticket home. Nearly a decade later and after living in Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro, Puebla, and Puerto Vallarta, Steph is on to her next adventure and living back in beautiful, cosmopolitan Mexico City. She is living, traveling, and working (both as an expat therapist and an international health insurance representative) around the world to find the beautiful, inspirational, and interesting while sharing it with you!
