In 2018, Mike and I decided to start traveling full-time.

At that point, I had already spent a few years bouncing around: teaching English in Thailand, backpacking through Europe on a budget, and living out of a campervan in New Zealand. So going full-time wasn’t a huge stretch.

What made it possible was teaching English online with VIPKID (they’re hiring again, by the way). I was pulling in around $2,500–$3,000/month, which was enough to fund our life in places like Southeast Asia and cheaper parts of Europe.

But teaching 40+ hours a week while in some of the most stunning places in the entire world...? I knew I wanted more freedom. Less scheduling. More flexibility.

So I leaned into the thing I had quietly been building all along: my travel blog.

At first, I was writing into the void and hoping someone, somewhere, would read it. It didn't go well.

But eventually, I figured out what actually works. I learned what to focus on, how to stop wasting time on the wrong things, and how to actually make blogging profitable.

Like REALLY profitable.

By 2020, my blog became our full-time income, and I officially quit teaching online.

So if you’re in that “side hustle” phase, wondering if blogging could ever be your full-time thing, here are a few of the biggest lessons that helped me get there:

1) Treat Your Blog Like a Business, Not a Journal

This was another massive shift that changed everything.

If your blog’s purpose is just to share personal stories, that’s fine. But if you want to make money from it, it needs to also do one of two things:

✅ Provide information​
✅ Entertain

If your blog provides information:

That info should be something people are already searching for on platforms like Pinterest, Google, Reddit, etc.

That’s where SEO comes in.

Quick note: Most people associate SEO with Google, but you can optimize your content for any search engine.

To do this, find the topics that people are searching for and asking questions about in your niche. Then write your posts around those questions.

It's that simple.

If your blog is meant to entertain:

Look at the travel news world.

What are the top travel publications doing to hook readers? What topics are they covering? What angles are they using? Then figure out how you can put your own spin on those same ideas.

If you are creating content to entertain, make sure you:

• Start strong. Skip slow or long intros or vague storytelling.
• Use headlines that create curiosity. Think news-style headlines that make people want to click.

Use platforms like Flipboard, Facebook, Newsbreak, and Threads to promote these kinds of posts.

2) Don’t Wait to Start Your Email List

In 2021, we were spending a few weeks in Chamonix, France, and I was listening to one of Russell Brunson’s books while walking through the mountains. He said something that stuck with me:

That was an insane realization.

Your blog will go through ups and downs. Traffic fluctuates. Algorithms change overnight.

But if you have an engaged email list, you'll always have an audience. You'll always have a direct line to people who cared enough to give you their email address.

Here’s how email lists make you money:

• Send readers to blog posts → earn through ads
• Share affiliate links → earn commissions
• Work with sponsors → earn brand deals
• Launch your own offers → think travel guides ebooks, travel-related physical products, photographs, itinerary planning services, trip consultations, etc.

If you haven’t taken email marketing seriously before, now’s the time.

You don’t need to figure everything out overnight. Just start learning it. Add it to your weekly growth goals.

It's one of the best safety nets; basically business insurance for your blog.

3) Monetize Smarter, Not Harder

Most bloggers don’t have a traffic problem. They have a monetization strategy problem.

Whether you're getting 1,000 people a month or 1,000,000, you should be making income from your blog (if that's one of your goals, of course).

You just need to find the opportunities.

Here are a few ways to maximize income from traffic you already have:

→ Add affiliate call-outs higher in your post.

Don’t bury your recommendations 800 words down.

Most readers won’t scroll that far. Place your top affiliate link or product box right after the intro or table of contents.

→ Treat every post like a mini funnel.

Each post should have a clear goal or goals: sign up for your email list, click on an affiliate link, download a guide, etc.

If it’s just ending without a call-to-action anywhere in the post… you’re leaving money on the table.

→ Use your sidebar strategically.

Use your sidebar to feature your highest RPM blog posts, your newsletter freebie, or your travel planning services.

Eventually, ads could take up some of your side bar and earn you $$$, too.

It’s prime real estate. Use it wisely.

→ Optimize older posts.

Head into your top 10 traffic-driving blog posts and ask yourself:

• Are there affiliate links? If not, add some.
  ​
• Can I add a relevant freebie? Use it to grow your email list.
  ​
• Would a brand want to sponsor this post? If there’s a natural brand fit, pitch. It's worth a shot.
  ​
• Can I plug one of my own services or products? Mention your itinerary planning, digital downloads, or 1:1 consults where it makes sense.

🚨 How To Monetize Your Blog Like a Funnel (Without TONS of Traffic)

🚨 How To Turn Your Blogging Skills Into Income, No Matter What the Economy Looks Like

Talk to you soon,

Laura

P.S. Here are my top recommended blogging resources.
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