By Land and SeaI cannot believe I started my blog, By Land and Sea, one year ago this month! This time last year, I had no clue what I was doing… I was mostly trying a little of this and that, crossing my fingers, and waiting to see what happened! Well, it’s a year later and in some ways I still feel like I have no clue what I’m doing and am trying a little of this and that, waiting to see what happens!
Although some of these things may seem silly, here’s a list of tidbits I’ve learned in my first year of travel blogging, in no certain order.
- Social media is my friend!
- Speaking of social media, people will follow and unfollow like it’s going out of style. Get used to it, and only worry about the ones that stick around.
- Nothing happens overnight, including monetization.
- I can blog about things that have happened in the past, it doesn’t need to be real time.
- People love pictures!
- Some things work, some things fail, but keep trying to figure out what works for you.
- Blogging is serious business! It takes tons of time and effort.
- Although consistency is key, it’s ok to take a break sometimes.
- I am not Fodor’s or Lonely Planet. Not every post has to be a travel guide.
- There are tons of resources out there, it’s just a matter of finding them.
- It’s better to focus on a few things at a time than to tackle everything at once.
- There are websites out there that will steal your photos and sell them. Boo!
- It’s perfectly acceptable to make updates, changes, and improvements to your site, photos and writing style as you go!
- While not everyone will support you or like your work, there are many wonderful, helpful people out there. It’s important to find them and stick with them!
- Just like in school, attention grabbing headlines and powerful closing paragraphs are the hardest parts.
- Although I have good intentions of things I’m going to do, life happens. Scheduling things in advance when possible is a life saver.
- There is always something more to learn!!
Let’s face it, technology moves fast and there is a lot to keep up with. I feel like in the last year I have learned a ton, but I still know that I have so much to learn. However, I proudly consider myself a life-long learner, so I’m really ok with knowing there will always be something new out there. When I first started my blog, it took me seven months to move from the idea of wanting to start a blog to actually doing it. A lot of that was due to not knowing what to do and “paralysis by analysis”. I wanted it to be perfect right away, but boy was I off on that expectation! I can see how far I’ve come with my blog in the last year, and I’m really excited to see how much further it will go in the future as I continue to learn and grow as a travel blogger.
Many thanks to everyone who has subscribed and supported me and my blogging efforts during this first year, and for many more years to come! I appreciate every like, comment, and share that I receive! I was also thrilled to be nominated for both a Liebster Award and a Versatile Blogger Award in my first year. Thank you so much to my nominators for recognizing my efforts with my blog! I’ll be honest, there were a few times in my first year that I thought about throwing in the towel. But, all of these things added up and kept me going through the times I lost my blogging mojo. Thank you!!
Followers can also look for exciting updates to my site in the coming months, some of which have already started, as well as more travel tales! Have a topic you’d like to hear more about in the next year? Our travels generally focus on:
- Affordable luxury travel
- Balancing travel with full-time jobs
- Sustainable tourism
- Tips, experiences, inspirations, and more
Comment below and let me know what interests you! Or, did one of my little tidbits in this post provide you some blogging insight or really speak to you?! I’d love to hear about that too! Again, thanks for all the support in my first year. Looking forward to many more!
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Nice post! I definitely relate to the “paralysis by analysis” struggle. We want it to be perfect and fully formed, but I’ve found learn as you go to be a better way to approach.
Aren’t the things we get hung up on funny?! Learn as you go is definitely the best approach! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!!
Congratulations! We hit our year anniversary about a month ago, and it really is something to be proud of! 🙂 Loving your blog and can’t wait to see what happens in the next 12 months for you guys. Cheers!
Thank you and congrats on your anniversary too!! Enjoying your blog as well and am excited that you joined our group and for your future ventures!!
Aw, you’re very kind! 🙂 Looking forward to growing our community of travelers together with the rest of our awesome travel peeps. 😀
Congrats on making it to a year 🙂 Some great info, I need to start working on scheduling more as sometimes I get to busy and don’t post for ages haha.
Jess | Enjoy the Adventure
I’ve found scheduling things to be really helpful; I’m just too scattered otherwise!!! Thanks for spending some time on my site!
I love the fact that you often talk about different places to visit and things to do at each place you visit! Good job!
Aw, thank you!
Great post ! It is good to see how your blog has grown and that you keep learning. I think Sustainable tourism is an interesting topic.
Thanks! Studying sustainable tourism has been really eye-opening, and I’m just three classes in!
Congratulations! I can’t wait to see what you do in the next year. 🙂
I have been blogging for almost two years, and can identify with every single thing you said.
Oh good, I’m so glad I’m not alone in my experiences! Have a great weekend!
Congratulations on making it to your 1 year anniversary! Was great reading your thoughts and definitely found myself agreeing with most of them. I have to remind myself that I can use things that happened in the past and to keep trying different things. I do enjoy your posts on sustainable tourism so keep them coming please!
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them! I’ve enjoyed taking portions of things I’m learning and turning them into relatable blog posts!
Congratulations for the anniversary. I have less than a year since I started my blog but I remember the joy when I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, I can relate to most of the things from this article. I am looking forward for your second year.
Congrats on your nomination too! It’s fun to get those little awards. Looking forward to all of our future blog swaps!
Congratulations! You have developed a great blog in just one year… well done. I love the list of tidbits you have learned and one of them was a reminder to me – put my name on my photos! I keep forgetting and this weeks blog was about street art and I think I have some nice photos (maybe even steal-worthy!)
Yes, and as you can see I’ve forgotten to do that on all the photos in my last few posts, even after I learned about the need to do it! Your street art pics were amazing! Such a cool thing to see!!
I can relate to every single item in your tidbit list! Blogging really does take a lot of time and effort but so worth it. 🙂 Cheers to more years of traveling and blogging!
Thanks and same to you Jen!
Congratulations on your first year! You have come a long way and have learned so much…but like you said there are always more things to learn. My #1 thing I try to do is schedule my posts across social media and try and stay on top of what needs to be done. Organization I feel is the key. I like feeling that I have learned something new about social media & blogging each day.
Keep up the good work and I’m looking forward to reading more of your blogs. Thanks for sharing your 1st year Tidbits 🙂
I’m so glad you told me about Hootsuite! It’s made scheduling on Twitter a breeze!!! Looking forward to the next year of learning together 🙂
Congrats on your 1 year mark. The struggle is real but the fun of it all even better! Always learning and adjusting. Happy future travels and many more posts!!
I know, right?!?! Thanks for all the support Lisa and same to you!
This is a lovely post and also comforting for new blogger like me, who is still trying to find my feet! I Well done on your first year anniversary – I really like your blog, as well as great content it is visably pleasing to the eye 🙂
Thanks so much for the great comment! It can be hard for new bloggers, but the great thing is that we can all help each other our too!
Congratulations on making it through your first year, they say that’s the hardest part and many people give up … thankfully you never! The world needs bloggers like you, caring, genuine people with big hearts and your are helping to fill the gap in sustainable tourism, we definitely need people like you! Your list is fab, I found myself nodding in agreement to many. I, for one, feel privileged to have “met” you and love your work … here’s to the next year and more things we can both learn together!
Oh Angie, you are so sweet! I truly appreciate your kind words. Thanks for your encouragement and friendship over the last 6 months. Looking forward to all the good stuff that’s to come!
I liked the bullet points you covered, and I believe most other travel bloggers feel the same. Many stuck out, but I particularly liked: ‘I can blog about things that have happened in the past, it doesn’t need to be real time.’ It took me a while to get my head around this when I travelled for 18 months straight. There was so much going on in those 18 months that it was impossible to blog about it in real time. Some of those stories are now past, but it doesn’t mean they won’t appear on the blog in the future. It’s always good to have a couple of backup posts.
For whatever reason, I really struggled with that point when I first started. There’s years and years of experiences we can all pull from. And yes, it’s good to have some backup posts for crunch time. Thanks for commenting!
Congratulations, and Happy Bloggerversary! You’re right – so much to learn, and it just keeps changing. My dad (a teacher and life-long learner, also) loves to say, “If you think you know all about something…you haven’t been paying attention.” Have to ask: Did someone actually steal and sell one of your photos? I know it’s happened to quite a few. Anyway, best wishes for many more years!
Thank you! Yes, that is so true – your dad sounds like a wise man. And yes, so far I’ve found about a half dozen of my pictures up for sale! Boo!!
Thanks for a great, genuine and honest post. We could also identified ourselves reading it. It is all about having a go and trying isn’t it? Congrats on your two awards! We also recently been nominated for the Liebster Award 🙂 Your article points out some really cool tips and facts about what you have learnt as a blogger. Thanks for sharing it with us! It is time consuming but passion is driving it isn’t it? 🙂
Keep up the great work!
Ps: Did it actually happened to you? (regarding the stolen pictures).
Patrick and Cecile from http://www.travel4lifeblog.com
Congrats on your Liebster Award – it’s a fun process to be part of! I appreciate your comments on my post and love having a community where we can all learn and grow together. And yes, so far I’ve found a handful of my pictures up for sale. 🙁