Want to chat with a professional, full-time travel blogger? Wish you could pick the brain of someone who built a multi-six-figure earning travel blog read by several million people annually in under 3 years?
In case it wasn’t clear, I’m referring to myself here. Hi, I’m Lia! In 2016 I started a travel blog for fun, to share our adventures on our year-long honeymoon.
Actually, we have to rewind a bit. Somewhere around 2014, I had the idea to create a travel blog called Practical Wanderlust. I purchased the domain and hosting, installed WordPress, annnnd … promptly broke the entire site.
Practical Wanderlust sat vacant, as a sad, white screen, for 2 years. I had no idea how to fix it, so eventually, I let the domain expire. The dream was over.
But then, in 2016, I tried again. This time, I created my blog on Blogspot (because I couldn’t be bothered to figure out WordPress). The entire thing looked like a mid-2000’s era trainwreck, and I used it mainly as a personal journal.
This doesn’t really sound like a story that ends in wild success, does it?
But I managed to hit a few milestones…
- In 2017, I earned $22k from my travel blog (here’s how)
- In 2018, I earned $100k from my travel blog
- In 2019, I stopped telling people how much I earned from my travel blog because it got kind of awkward, so I just started saying “multi-6 figures” instead *ahem*
- In 2020 & 2021, when the travel industry fell off a cliff, Practical Wanderlust continued earning multi-6 figures. Most importantly, I did not have to cut hours or pay rates for anyone on my team.
Today, Practical Wanderlust reaches millions of readers each year and is supported by a growing team of 10.
My expertise has been featured in Forbes, the Washington Post, Lonely Planet, Entrepreneur, and Travel & Leisure (see more). I’ve worked with brands like Norwegian Airlines, REI, Booking.com, Travelocity, and the Nepal Tourism Board (see more). I am regularly invited to speak at conferences all over the world, am the co-founder of 2 blogs, a non-profit, and a podcast, and best of all, I get paid to travel!
So, what’s my secret? How did I go from crappy Blogspot blog to running one of the most successful travel blogs in the world?
I wish I had a short answer for you, like “a lot of hustle” or “literally just sheer dumb luck,” but the answer is actually long and convoluted. It involves a lot of smart moves and missteps along the way. I made a lot of mistakes, and I learned from them. I also made a lot of lucky guesses, and learned from those, too. I learned as I went, and I’m continuing to figure things out as I go.
What will your path look like?
“Blogging is Oversaturated” – Everyone
A lot of people told me when I started my travel blog that the market was way too oversaturated. That few, if any, new bloggers would ever make any money from it.
And although they weren’t wrong, that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to earn a living in an oversaturated field where most of your competitors are earning nothing at all.
In fact, if you’ve made it longer than a year or have ever earned ANYTHING from your blog, you’re already in the upper echelons of success when it comes to blogging.
If you see a future where you’re a professional, full-time content creator or travel blogger, you probably have run into a lot of the same issues I did when I was first starting out. Like, that nobody knows what the f*ck they’re doing and everything is incredibly confusing. Yup. Been there.
The best way to take a shortcut to having some semblance of knowing WTF is going on is to ask somebody who’s already figured out the things you’re still figuring out. It can cut years off your growth time and increase your income potential tenfold.
And that’s where I come in.
So, what kinds of things can we talk about during a Coaching Session? Literally anything, honestly. If you want to just like, cry at me, you can (note: I am not in any way trained in counseling or therapy. But I am a really good listener).
Have some questions you’d like answered? Want brutally honest feedback (I promise I’ll deliver criticism as kindly as I can)? Just need somebody to tell you that you’re on the right path? Whatever you need, I’m here for ya.
Here are a few suggestions of the things I’m really good at:
- Monetization, especially passive income
- Financial planning & goal setting
- Blog traffic & social growth
- Hiring & managing a team
- Work/life balance
- Preparing social marketing campaigns
- Mindset coaching
- Preparing pitches & partnering with brands
- Email marketing
- Time management
Oh, there is one more thing you should know: my time isn’t cheap. And I do ask that you pay for it upfront.
Time – both yours and mine – is an incredibly precious commodity, as is expertise. And if I had coffee & a brain pick with everyone who asked me, I’d just be a pile of melty brain goo and cappuccino foam on a cafe floor somewhere, which isn’t super helpful to anyone.
I am also an introvert, which means I guard my time and energy carefully. Coaching isn’t my primary focus, and blogging about blogging is not a significant part of my business model (it’s like, maybe 1% of our gross annual revenue, if that). It’s really important for me to make sure that my socio-emotional energy is reserved for my team. And my husband and friends, of course.
Also, I personally refuse to work over 40 hours a week (because what is the point of working for yourself if not working less?) and I have a lot goin’ on, so my available time is pretty limited. That said, I have set aside a few hours per week for coaching.
Think of purchasing an hour of coaching with me as an investment in your future earning potential. I encourage you to take that investment as seriously as I do – after all, I don’t want to waste my time giving advice to someone that isn’t ready to hear it or implement it.
If your budget is tight, I recommend you read through a few of the posts I’ve published about blogging and see if any of your questions are answered!
If you’re ready, you can book an hour of my time at the link below.
Can’t wait to talk to you!