Still Living
Do you enjoy talking about travel but find it difficult to sum up your thoughts in 1,500+ words? Then, this is for you.
If you googled local itineraries today, you’d need a lifetime to comb through each search result on the internet. But you should know, before travel blogging things used to be veerrryyyy different.
In fact, travellers and tourists had to make do with word of mouth or bulky guide books such as Lonely Planet to have an idea about unique destinations. And it wasn’t until January 1994, when Jeff Greenwald posted a travel report on the world wide web that travel blogging became a thing.
Fast forward to twenty six years and four months later, internet users have welcomed a myriad of new ways to feed the wanderlust of people around the world.
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Let’s get started on five trendy alternatives to travel blogging.
1. Go Social.
Tell me, who exactly isn’t on social media these days?
According to the Search Engine Journal, Pinterest accounts for 291 million monthly users; Twitter, 321 million; Instagram, 1 billion and Facebook records a bulk of social media activity with 2.38 billion active monthly users!
This is the new big thing.
Since the early 2000s, social networks have transformed from a selfie database to a canvas for content creators all over the world, travellers included.
Depending on your preferred platform, photos, videos, GIFs, graphics, text and audio are some of the best ways to send the travel bug across.
Personally, I use my Instagram for short videos. On Facebook, I share a lot of text and links and currently, Twitter is just a combination of random thoughts, travel quotes and again, links.
You should always connect with people who share similar interests with you. That’s what makes social media more fun.
2. Become A Contributor On Google Maps.
Beyond using Google Maps to find your way around, there’s a truckload of reviews on places of interest and guess what? All that information is often contributed by everyday voyagers like you and I.
I can’t oversell, I’ve been a contributor on Google Maps for maybe over a year now and during this time, I’ve gotten a number of perks including a pair of socks and an all-expenses-paid trip to attend Connect Live 2020 at Google’s Bay Campus in California but oh well… Covid happened.
What I particularly like about Google Maps is variety, you can choose from adding new locations, uploading photos, writing reviews, making corrections and so much more.
Your camera becomes your best friend on this web mapping service, and the more photos you get online, the higher your level and chances of earning perks directly from Google LLC.
3. Start A YouTube Channel.
Another fabulous package from Google’s arsenal, YouTube boasts of being the second biggest search engine after… you guessed right!
On YouTube, you can upload original content as long as they’re appropriate for community members. So, whether it’s a vlog, short film, animated series, or just whatever your impeccable mind can dream of. It probably works on here.
For your channel to become a success, you need to stick to a schedule, design attractive thumbnails and use tags correctly. Also, make videos that help viewers in someway and though I know it’s not easy, always act natural in front of the camera.
I’ve come across a gazillion YouTube videos that have wowed me to the moon. And right now, my favourite Travel and Lifestyle YouTubers include Tayo Aina, Drew Brinski, The Fisayo, Hannah Ajala and Sassy Funke.
Share yours with me in the comments.
4. Start A Podcast.
A couple of months ago, I launched a podcast series – The Ericotrips Podcast on Anchor and it’s been one of the best things to ever happen to me.
According to How Stuff Works, Podcasting was developed in 2004 by former MTV video jockey Adam Curry and software developer Dave Winer. Since Curry wrote a program called iPodder, an ample number of podcast hosting services like Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Podbean, BuzzSprout, Libsyn and SoundCloud have seen the light of day.
For me, I think Anchor is one of the best platforms out there because you can record, edit and add background music directly on the app. Also, this service automatically shares your episodes to other podcast sites. So, you never have to stress doing transfers manually.
Although you can choose to record audio sessions on your phone, experts often recommend using a good microphone.
Most popular travel podcasts to listen to include Zero to Travel Podcast, Women Who Travel, The Offbeat Life, Armchair Explorer, Chronicles Abroad, This Week In Travel Podcast, The Skift Podcast and Parklandia.
In this episode, I interview Amarachi Ekekwe, founder of travelwithapen.
Take a listen!
5. Join A Forum.
Many think Reddit is a social media channel but I’ll like to differ on this. I believe ‘the front page of the internet’ could as well be the number-one forum in the entire world.
For starters, Reddit is one of top twenty most visited sites according to Alexa rankings and that equals a record 330 million active monthly users.
The best thing about this platform is there’s a subreddit or community which covers every single topic you can think of finding on the internet.
So how exactly do you contribute on forums?
On the cyberspace, they’re forums dedicated to specific discussions about games, movies or travel and if you’re on one of those, it’s pretty straight forward from the moment you sign up.
However, if you’re interested in a broader spectrum like Reddit or Nairaland (an online community created by Seun Osewa in March 2005) instead, you’ll need to join communities that cover travel related topics.
After joining, ensure you read and follow the community guidelines and then you can begin posting. It’s that easy.
Conclusion
Remember now, you do not need to become an expert travel blogger before helping people realise their travel dreams. Here’s why.
You could…
1. Go Social.
2. Become A Contributor On Google Maps.
3. Start A YouTube Channel.
4. Start A Podcast.
5. Join A Forum.
So tell me because I need to hear from you, which of these alternatives have come in handy for you?
Let’s get talking in the comments.
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ERICOTRIPS 
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