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Hi, I'm Somto!
I left the 9-5 grind in late 2017 to pursue my dream of location freedom. Along the way, I've taken over 20 blogging courses, worked with 5 coaches, and learned more than I ever thought possible about making money online. In the end, I achieved my dream and I want to help other adventure seekers do the same. Because, oh, it is so worth it!
Choose Your Journey
1. Start a travel blog (the right way)
The first step is to start your travel blog with the right foundation. That means choosing the best niche, web host, Wordpress theme, content strategy, and more. Tip: you don't have to get thousands of Instagram followers to succeed as a travel blogger. In fact, it's a bad strategy. Find out why.
2. Grow your traffic (with Pinterest)
You don't need to be a Google SEO whiz to drive traffic to your blog. Get on Pinterest! Pinterest is a visual search engine that's less competitive than Google so it's perfect for bloggers, new and advanced. How do you get started? They're several components to Pinterest, but I break them all down in layman's terms. The good news is that Pinterest isn't anywhere as hard as increasing your domain authority.
3. Earn passive income (with affiliate marketing)
The only thing I love more than affiliate marketing is an all-inclusive vacay in the tropics! Seriously, this is the best way to make money on autopilot, so you have more time for friends, travel, and all the things you love. But affiliate marketing's not as easy as putting links on your blog. Otherwise, everyone would be doing it, right? Take my free 5-day bootcamp to get started with affiliate marketing, without overwhelm.
Recommended travel blogging tools
These are the some of the top tools that I've used grow my blog into a business: Siteground (web host), The Business of Travel Blogging (course), and Studiopress Themes. For the complete list, check out my blogging resources page.
Siteground is the #1 web host, according to bloggers and online entrepreneurs. I switched from Bluehost and couldn't be happier.
The Business of Travel Blogging is the only course you need to set up a travel blog (the right way). It's taught by six-figure blogger, Nomadic Matt.
Studiopress themes with the Genesis Framework are the most secure, customizable, and reliable themes in the market.
Something to think about...
When I first got serious about travel blogging, I had two options:
a) Do research online, read tons of blog posts, listen to the gurus, and try to piece it all together by myself.
That's what I did at first. Sure, I saved money, but I got lots of conflicting information and didn't have a roadmap to succeed. As a result, I wasted months chasing Instagram followers instead of building my email list. I spent hours everyday sharing content on Facebook threads instead of using Pinterest and Google SEO. Following this route, without a doubt, put me on the fast lane to failure.
b) Invest money in courses, coaching, and services to learn and implement proven strategies to grow my blog.
Understandly, this was intimidating at first because I had issues with fear and self-doubt. What if it didn't work out? That's to be expected when you start an online business. So if you feel that way, it's a good sign: you're pushing yourself! But don't let fear and self-worth issues cloud your judgement. Spend that cash - one small investment at a time. It will pay off. Once I started investing in myself and in my business, things took off. I wish I had done it sooner!