Cover image via Flickr
Whether you write a published blog for others to read or keep a travel journal for your own reference, it’s a great idea to document your traveling experience. Some people even use videos to capture the best moments. But whatever method you choose, all travelers have an interesting story to tell.
Not convinced? Here are six great reasons why you should start documenting your travel experience today.
1. You’ll always have a record
This reason is mainly for selfish purposes. As is often described, even the most amazing things can blur together and become forgettable. But if you document your journey, you’ll always have a record of the memories you associate with places.
Plus, it’s an easy thing to start doing. For example, you can set up a travel blog in 10 minutes. Writing a blog is also mentioned as one of the 20 best tips before long-term travel, so certainly worth investing your time into.
2. Your friends and family can keep up-to-date
If you’re being realistic, you won’t call home as often as you could when traveling. But if you’re posting or sharing updates online, it’s easy for your loved ones to find out what you’re up to themselves.
3. You’re practicing valuable skills
Keeping up a blog or personal journal takes quite a bit of effort. But the rewards are worth it. Writing doesn’t come naturally to everyone and mastering a conversational style is even harder – but, with all that practice, you’ll be a pro in no time.
And then there’s photography. Over time, you’ll get better at taking a great photo too. To master the challenging art, take a look at these 12 tips for travel photography. Not to spoil it, but the last one is practice makes perfect – so be patient.
You might have to develop thick skin, though. Most people are nice and friendly, but people can be quite harsh online.
4. You could make money
First things first, you’re probably not going to make a fortune. But think of it as an additional incentive. Travel bloggers make money by things like partnering with brands, launching their own products, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, speaking, and freelance content creation.
To do so, you need to have the foundations in place. These include:
- Your brand and messaging
- Solid content
- List of email subscribers
- Functional and professional website
- Tools and resources
- Social media communities
- Your USP (unique selling proposition)
- Network of contacts
- Media kit
- Testimonials
Source: Y Travel Blog
As a digital nomad, I have always been very honest on how I makes my money – check out how I made money in August.
6. You create useful references for others
Think about it – before you travelled, you probably read countless blogs and posts on different places. They offer honest and trustworthy accounts of countries, accommodation, restaurants and so on. People can learn from the experiences of other travelers and avoid similar mistakes.
7. You learn to appreciate more
Not only will reflecting on the details help you remember your journey better, but you’ll also gain an appreciation of how lucky you are to be traveling to these great places.
What’s more, hearing the feedback from others is likely to inspire you to travel more – and that’s no bad thing.
This is a collaborative post.