How to Start a Travel Blog

Updated: 8/31/2018 | August 31st, 2018

Whether as a hobby or profession, starting a travel blog is pretty easy. You can set it up in under 30 minutes. It’s gotten a lot easier than when I started my blog in 2008 when I didn’t know the first thing about making a website. Luckily, on my adventures around the world, I met Matt and Kat, a British couple who also happened to be web designers. When I came home and decided I wanted to start this travel blog, they agreed to help me set it up and teach me HTML. Back then, I hand-coded the website and used a funky tool called Dreamweaver to build it. It was painfully slow, and I wasn’t very good at it. (And my original website was really ugly!)

Luckily, you no longer have to build websites that way. They have gotten a lot easier and simpler thanks to WordPress, a simple out-of-the-box platform designed to make sites easier for those not technically savvy (like myself). It powers over 25% of the internet and is the best platform to start a blog on. It’s super flexible and can do whatever you want it to do — from a simple journal to a complex e-commerce website.

In our blogging course, we’ve had thousands of students start a website on WordPress without any technical skills. They got them up and running — and you can too!

A few months back, I talked about the ways you could succeed with a travel blog, but today, I want to give a quick tutorial on how to create a travel blog from scratch in seven easy steps.

• Step 1: Picking a Name
• Step 2: Signing Up for a Host
• Step 3: Installing WordPress
• Step 4: Setting Up Your Website
• Step 5: Installing Your Theme
• Step 6: Creating Your Main Pages
• Step 7: Joining Our Blogging Course

Step 1: Pick your name

The first thing you need to do is pick a domain name (i.e., your website name). When doing so, there are no hard and fast rules. There’s no such thing as a “wrong domain name,” but there are a couple of rules I like to live by:

• Make a name that can last – If you pick “JohnsAsiaAdeventure.com” and then you leave Asia, the domain name won’t make sense anymore. Make sure you pick a name that isn’t so focused that if you decide to shift gears, you can keep the same domain name.
• Don’t date your blog – Don’t pick something related to your age either. “Twenty-Something Travel” becomes really irrelevant when you get older, which actually happened to a blogger I know. Pick a name that can be used no matter your age!
• Try to avoid certain words like “nomad,” “vagabond,” “wanderlust,” and “adventure.” They have been done to death, and they will make you seem like you’re copying people, not being original.
• Pick a name that describes what you do as much as possible – I was a nomad, so “Nomadic Matt” was the best pick for me. If you’re into luxury, put words in your domain name that convey that. You want people to see the name and go “I get what that website is about.”
• Keep it short – Use 3-4 words maximum. You want the name that rolls off the tongue. Even Ramit Sethi from “I Will Teach You to Be Rich” abbreviates his site to “I Will Teach” or “IWT.” The shorter, the better.
• Keep it simple – I’m not a fan of using jargon or slang in your domain name, as I think that makes things confusing for people who don’t know it. The last thing you want is someone saying, “What does that mean?” or being confused. If someone has to think hard about the meaning, then you’ve already lost them. So don’t try to be clever!

Step 2: Sign up for a host

After you’ve picked out your domain name, you’ll need to register it online and buy hosting (the little computer in the sky that’s going to power your website). There are a lot of basic hosting companies out there — and most of them are pretty terrible. However, the two biggest and best are HostGator and Bluehost. I would go with one of those two.

However, though they are owned by the same parent company, I lean toward HostGator, as I find its call center customer service quicker and friendlier, and HostGator is prone to fewer outages (no one wants their website to go down!). I’ve been using it since I’ve started; I still run my email through it. It’s also really improved its service recently and now offers free SSL certificates (that’s the thing that tells users your website is secure).

Here’s a walk-through of how to set up your host with HostGator (it won’t take long):

First, head over to the website’s sign-up page and get hosting for only $2.78 per month. That’s over 60% off the normal price!

Enter the domain name you picked and then choose the Hatchling Plan. This is the most basic plan, but it’s perfect for new blogs:

I wouldn’t recommend spending more money until you get a lot of traffic and decide you’re going to do this long-term! Additionally, the longer you buy your hosting for, the cheaper it is. If you select three years of hosting, your domain will only cost $127 USD, so I think you should do that. It’s a steal, cheaper than most other hosting packages. You don’t have to pick three years, but the marginal cost of adding additional years is small, and it means you don’t have to worry about renewing for a long time!

That’s it! All that takes about five minutes from start to finish!

Again, you can click here to go to HostGator to set it up.

Step 3: How to Install WordPress

After you’ve registered your domain name and chosen your hosting package, the next thing you’ll want to do is install WordPress. (WordPress is what will actually run the website. The host is simply the computer your site sits on.) WordPress is an open-source and free Web publishing application, content management system (CMS) and blogging tool built by a community of developers and contributors to make it easy for people to blog!

After you’ve paid, you’ll get an email telling your login details. After you click the link in the email and log in, you’ll see this screen. Click “Get Started with WordPress Today”:

You’ll be taken to this screen below. In the dropdown menu, select your domain name and hit “Next”:

Enter your user information. Under the blog title, enter the name of your blog. Create a strong username and then hit install.

Then presto! It’s done!

After your WordPress is installed, a screen will display the username you chose and a password generated for you. (You can change the password later.)

Now your website is up and running.

Step 4: Setting up your website

After you’ve installed WordPress, go to domainname.com/wp-admin and use the username and password you created to log in. You’ll see a screen like this after you log in:

Here’s a little overview of the menu on the left side of the screen:

• Dashboard – The dashboard is the first thing you see when you log in to WordPress, and it’s the main administrative area for your blog.
• Home – This will take you back to the main dashboard view.
• Updates – This area will tell you if WordPress, your plugins, or your theme need to be updated.
• Jetpack – Jetpack is a plugin that allows you to add a spell-checker, contact forms, extra widgets, etc.
• Posts – You can view all your blog posts here, as well as set up new ones and add categories and tags.
• Media – Here’s where you can view your media library and add new media content, like photos and videos.
• Pages – Pages are the individual landing pages on your website (like your About page, Contact page, Resources page, etc.). You can add new pages here as well as review and edit existing ones.
• Comments – Comments on your blog posts go here. You may want to check the spam folder periodically to make sure you’re not missing real comments.
• WPForms – WordPress’s contact-form plugin.
• Marketplace – Here you can create an online marketplace.
• Appearance – This section lets you entirely customize your site’s appearance.
• Plugins – Review, install, and update your plugins here.
• Users – If there’s more than one person accessing your blog, you can create accounts and give them certain privileges here.
• Tools – This section has certain tools to aid you with management tasks.
• Settings – You can adjust all your site’s settings here, including things like your blog title and the size of thumbnails being used.
• Insights – Insights provides traffic and user stats about those visiting your website. (Google Analytics is a better choice, though.)

Plugins are a great way to add additional functionality to a WordPress-powered site. And with over 56,000 (at last check) listed in the WordPress Repository and many more premium options available from developers, there are endless possibilities as to what you can do with your site. (I’ll list some examples below.)

Note: Jetpack, Mojo Marketplace, Insights, and WP Forms are pre-installed plugins.

From the main screen, click Plugins –> Add New on the left-hand column:

Now it’s time for you to install your own.

If you can think of a feature you’d like to have on your site, I can almost guarantee there is a plugin for it, but here are the essential ones for your travel blog:

• Akismet – Just like getting junk mail in your mailbox, your website will get spammers looking to leave junk comments on your site. Akismet seeks to reduce the amount of this by automatically filtering it for you. This plugin comes installed with WordPress, and all you need do is activate it and sign up for an account at akismet.com.
• Yoast SEO – The best SEO plugin out there. This combines the ability to create metatags and descriptions for your posts, optimize your titles, create a sitemap for search engines to read, customize how your posts appear across social media, and a whole lot more. It’s simple and easy to use and comes with foolproof instructions.
• Relevanssi  – While WordPress does a lot of things well, what it fails at is adding search functionality to your site. Relevanssi seeks to fix this and give your readers the most accurate results when searching your site.
• Google Analytics for WordPress – Adding analytic tracking to your website is an important way to find out who your readers are, where they are coming from, and what your most popular content is. When you sign up for Google Analytics, the site asks you to place a snippet of code into your website. For most people, that can be difficult, which is why there’s Google Analytics for WordPress. This adds a lovely graphical interface to your site where you can click a couple of buttons and set up your tracking without any hassle.
• Sumo – Free tools to help you grow your site, including the best social sharing plugin on the web. Use this! It comes with great analytics and testing features.
• Jetpack – Jetpack (pre-installed) is aimed at supercharging your website with a host of features from WordPress’s free hosting platform, giving you the best of both worlds. With this plugin, you can add a spell-checker, contact forms, extra widgets, and a whole slew of more features, all with just one plugin.
• W3 Total Cache – This plugin works by creating saved copies of your site, saving WordPress from having to generate them for every new visitor. This, in turn, cuts down on the amount of work your hosting server has to do and makes loading your website much faster.

Step 5: Install your theme

One of the most important things a blog needs besides good content is a good design. People decide in seconds whether or not they trust your website and choose to stay. A visually unappealing website will turn off readers and reduce the number of return visits you get.

So to accomplish a good design, you will need an amazing WordPress theme (i.e., design templates and files).

Luckily, there are lots of out-of-the-box options for you where you can download a predesigned theme, upload it to your website, switch it on, change some settings, and presto! A new look for your website!

You can get:

• Free themes – Free themes are plentiful and for budding new bloggers looking to make their mark online. They seem like a great option, as they allow you to keep costs low. There are many great free themes online, but most of them are not amazing. If you plan on blogging for a long time, this might become a problem as your website grows. However, if you just need a simple design to blog for your friends and family, then go the free route. You can find some good free themes at wordpress.org.
• Premium themes – The next step up from a free theme is a premium theme. Premium themes are paid themes that offer a bit more uniqueness, flexibility, and functionality. These cost $25 USD and up, depending on the developer and features.

I suggest getting a premium theme. Yes, it’s another cost — but here is why you should do it:

• With a premium theme, you almost always get customer support from the developers. If you get in trouble, they are there for you. You don’t get that with a free theme.
• With a premium theme, there are more controls and instructions so they are easier to change. Free themes don’t have that.
• Premium themes tend to be a lot prettier.
• Premium themes are faster and more SEO friendly.

The two best companies for premium themes are WooCommerce and StudioPress. My favorite is StudioPress as it is more SEO friendly, a bit sleeker, and cooler. WooCommerce is great for photographers and more “fun” personal blogs.

To install your theme, simply go to the left-hand column, click Appearance –> Themes –> Upload.

Whatever theme you picked will come as a .ZIP file for you to easily upload. From there, you just activate it, and it’s turned on! All themes come with a manual and help file so you can customize your design to your specific needs.

(If you want a custom logo, two sites to find freelancers are Upwork and 99designs.)

Step 6: Create your main pages

After you’ve uploaded your theme, you’re going to want to make a few basic pages on your website in addition to the blog posts. The difference between a page and a post is that a page is a static piece of content that lives separate from the blog. A post is a blog post that gets “buried” as you write more and more. For example, this post is a blog post. When I update again, another blog post will get put on top of it, and it will be pushed down in the archives, making it harder to find. But a page, like my About page, lives on the top of the website, right near the main URL, and does NOT get buried. It’s a lot easier to find.

To create these pages, go again to your left sidebar and click Pages —> Add New. (For blog posts, use Posts –> Add New.)

I recommend creating four basic pages to start:

• About page – This where you tell people about yourself and your history, what your blog is about, and why it will help them. This is one of the most important pages on your website, so make it personable!
• Contact page – People need a way to reach you! Be sure to be very clear on what emails you will and won’t respond to, so people don’t send you spam.
• Privacy page – This is a standard user agreement page informing readers what the applicable laws on your site are, that you use cookies, etc. etc. You can find out-of-the-box examples throughout the internet.
• Copyright page – This is a standard page letting people know you own this work and not to steal it. You can find out-of-the-box examples of these, too, throughout the internet.

(If you look in my footer, under the “About” section, you can see examples of all four of these pages!)

Step 7: Join our blogging course! (optional)

If you’re looking for more in-depth advice, I have a very detailed and robust blogging course that uses my ten years of blogging knowledge to help you start, grow, and monetize your website. It gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how I run this website and features detailed analytics, tricks, tips, and secrets about what I do. You’ll learn everything I know about creating a successful blog.

I will help you come up with your domain name, sign up for hosting, create engaging content, go viral, network with bloggers, get media attention, master SEO, create products, grow a newsletter, and make money. I will give you the tools for success — and then show you how to use those tools!

Plus, you’ll get over 12 hours of expert interviews, edited feedback on your writing, monthly webinars and Q&As with me (ask me anything!), tech support and help setting up your blog, and a community of bloggers to help you succeed right out of the gate.

I’ll be there every step of the way. I’ll be your personal mentor.

If you’re interested, click here to learn more and get started!

***

That’s it! You’ve set up your basic website. Sure, there are social media buttons to add, blogs to write, images to upload, and things to tweak but all that comes later. Once you do the steps above, you have the framework needed to create and share your story with the world! To recap on how to start a travel blog:

• Step 1: Pick a Name
• Step 2: Sign Up for Hosting
• Step 3: Install WordPress
• Step 4: Set Up Your Website
• Step 5: Install Your Theme
• Step 6: Creat Your Main Pages
• Step 7: Join Our Blogging Course (Optional!)

By following these steps, you can start your travel blog and your stories and tips with the world! (That’s where the real fun begins!)

 

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, including the links for HostGator and Bluehost. At no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase using these links. If you have any questions about the companies or my status as an affiliate, please don’t hesitate to email me.

The post How to Start a Travel Blog appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

August 31, 2018 at 04:03PM

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by IHholiday Travel trip

This Non-Nomadic Life (Part Duex)

Posted: 8/30/2018 | August 30th, 2018

Years ago, when I tried to slow down and travel less, I wrote a post on my new “non-nomadic” life.

It didn’t stick — and I was quickly back on the road.

It was a pattern that lasted for years.

I’d come home, proclaim to my friends was I’m going to settle down for real this time only to leave again a few months later.

It became sort of a running joke between my friends and me.

(And I think here too, with all my “no, for real!” blog posts.)

But, after many false starts, I finally became truly non-nomadic last year.

This year, I’ve only spent a combined two and half months on the road. While that’s a lot by “real world” standards, it’s not a lot for a guy who spent a decade moving every few days/weeks/months and named his blog after his being a nomad.

I don’t even have another trip planned until October — and, right now, it’s only 50/50 that it will happen.

This is the least I’ve ever traveled since I went on the road in 2006.

My friends had grown accustomed to me popping in and out of their lives. Now they are getting used to the weirdness of having me around. It’s been nice to get texts asking what I’m doing and if I’m free again.

And you know what?

I love my non-nomadic life.

I think settling down has stuck this time around because I’m ready to finally do so. As I said in a blog post earlier this year, I finally became OK with the fact that life changes, situations change, and your desires change.

Moving on doesn’t mean abandoning who you were.

I kept traveling as a way to hold on to the past. I couldn’t let go of the image I had in my head of life on the road and all it symbolized: freedom, adventure, meeting new people, and a lack of responsibilities.

It was all very fun — and I didn’t want to grow up. I had made a life around traveling and, in a case of irony, I couldn’t leave my comfort zone.

To me, doing so would negate all the hard work I had done. It would be admitting defeat. It would be like death.

But trees don’t grow because they blow in the wind; they grow because they have roots.

And accepting that if I really wanted to lead the life I wanted — one of routine and presence — that I would need roots was a huge shift in my mindset.

I love my routine: the daily writing, working on this website, sleeping in my own bed, cooking breakfast, going to the gym, seeing friends regularly, dating, and just being in one place and not tired all the time.

Don’t get me wrong: I love travel and still want to see countless places around the world. I roam the guidebook aisle in my bookstore, dreaming of where I might go next. I search flight deals each day. I imagine myself in far-off tropical lands and picture the people I’d meet there.

Yet I’m OK with “going tomorrow.”

After so many years on the road, these last few months at home have taught me that my nomadic ways are truly over.

As I sip tea at a café where the barista knows what I want when I walk in the door, I’m perfectly content where I am.

I’ve seen a lot of the world.

I’ve had incredible experiences.

But, right now, it’s time to just enjoy the simplicity and pleasure that comes with staying in one place for more than a few days.

The rest of the world can wait a bit longer.

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines. Start with Momondo.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates. (Here’s the proof.)

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never ever go on a trip without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. You should too.

Need Some Gear?
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use!

The post This Non-Nomadic Life (Part Duex) appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

August 30, 2018 at 01:47AM

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by IHholiday Travel trip

Top Signs You Are a Travel Addict

Updated: 8/29/2018 | August 29th, 2018

The travel bug. Chances are if you’re on this website, you’ve got it (or will soon). If you’re always dreaming of far-flung adventures, pining for a change of scenery, or incessantly adding things to your Bucket List then I have some news for you: you are a travel addict.

And there is no cure.

Once you are infected with the travel bug, it never leaves your system. It only gets worse. You’re going to be hooked for life!

But that’s ok because you’re not alone! I have the bug – and everything I do revolves around travel. Travel is always on my mind, and I’m constantly planning my next trip. Sound familiar?

In case you’re worried you might be infected with the travel bug, here are some signs you might be a travel addict too:

You start all your stories with “When I was in…..”

You’re always asking friends to go on trips.

You’ve watched everything related to travel on Netflix.

Anthony Bourdain will always be your spirit animal. (RIP)

You’ve also seen every episode of No Reservations and Parts Unknown.

You read guidebooks for fun.

You plan trips you will never take.

Google Flights is your homepage.

You’ve signed up for every flight deal newsletter in the world.

You always ask people “Where are you from?” even when you can tell by their accent.

You wear flip-flops in the shower.

You take toilet paper everywhere you go out of habit.

Google Translate and XE Currency Converter are two of your most-used apps.

You have more than one currency in your wallet (just in case).

You keep a packed suitcase handy.

You have a travel playlist on your iPod.

You speak in airport codes, not city names.

You have more SIM cards than you can count.

You can tell where people have been by the cheesy logos and sayings on their shirts. (Same Same = Thailand, Yellow Star = Vietnam)

You have elite flyer status on multiple airlines.

You attend travel conferences multiple times a year.

You don’t have paintings on the wall — you have maps.

If you haven’t been anywhere in a few months, you get the shakes.

You can breeze through airport security with your eyes closed.

You spend two hours each day reading travel blogs and travel websites.

You subscribe to multiple travel magazines.

No matter how often you travel, your bucket list is always getting longer, not shorter.

When you think of prices, you value things in terms of how many days in your next destination it costs. “That TV is 10 days in Paris! Let’s get this one — it’s only 5 days!”

You don’t do cash back. You do points.

You have a collection of luggage tags that have been gifted by friends and family over the holiday.

You pretend you are a travel writer.

When people ask you about your hobbies, all your answers contain the word “travel.”

Some people cry when they leave home. You cry when you have to go back.

When people ask you your profession, you say vagabond.

You filled your first passport before the first year was over.

You have trips planned for next decade – just for fun.

You keep your used guidebooks in your bookcase as a badge of honor.

You have a map tattooed somewhere on your body.

You plan your next trip while on a current trip.

People you haven’t spoken to since kindergarten randomly message you on Facebook asking you for advice about their upcoming trip.

You write a travel addict post.

Book Your Next Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight to your dream destination by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines. Start with Momondo.

Book Your Accommodation
To book a hostel for your next trip, use Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates. (Here’s the proof.)

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never ever go on a trip without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. You should too.

Need Some Gear?
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use!

Want More Information?
Be sure to visit our robust collection of free destination guides  for even more planning tips!

 

Want to meet other travel addicts? Come join our awesome travel Facebook group, The Nomadic Network! It’s an online community where you can meet other travelers, share tips, and get advice. Check it out today!

The post Top Signs You Are a Travel Addict appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

August 29, 2018 at 03:45PM

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by IHholiday Travel trip

10 Common Questions about Solo Female Travel

Updated: 8/27/2018 | August 27th, 2018

Kristin Addis from Be My Travel Muse writes a guest column featuring tips and advice on solo female travel. It’s an important topic I can’t adequately cover, so I brought in an expert to share her advice for other solo female travelers!

There are a lot of unknowns before you travel solo for the first time, like whether it’s going to be safe, how to find others to hang with, and how to choose where to go.

While solo traveling is an amazing chance to be the architect of your own adventure, to see the world on your terms, and to get to know yourself, it can be scary, exhilarating, and bemusing all at the same time.

As someone who has been traveling and blogging about it for the last four years, I’ve seen all sorts of questions from first-time travelers. Many of them are the same questions I had when I first started.

Today, I’m going to answer the 10 most common questions female travelers have so as to help alleviate your anxiety and inspire you to get on the road quicker!

Solo Female Travel Question #1: What is the one thing you know now that you wish you knew before you started?
I wish I knew back then that I didn’t have to stress so much about meeting people.

It’s normal to be afraid of being alone, but the reality is that when traveling, it’s possible to meet more amazing people than you could’ve ever imagined. Travelers are incredibly friendly people.

Even if you’re socially awkward, it’ll work out.

There are so many other solo travelers out there that you tend to find each other. It’s as easy as sitting in the common room of a guesthouse and asking the person to your right where they’re from ,or joining activities that allow socializing, like a walking tour. As more and more women travel solo, it is now easier than ever to meet girls who are just like you – fearless, adventurous, and also on their own.

One thing I really appreciate about traveling is how much less shy it has made me. I used to find it hard to talk to people I didn’t know, and now I’m a lot more confident. That has been a huge benefit of solo traveling.

Solo Female Travel Question #2: Have you ever canceled a trip because you felt a place had become too dangerous?
The best thing to do is to make the choice on depending on the severity of the situation. It’s hard when all you see in the media are images of destruction, but remember, this is how they sell their stories.

If you feel like it would be stupid to put yourself in harm’s way, then don’t go. But if it seems like an isolated incident, ask yourself if one bad story should scare you off. There are many places that are perfect for solo female travelers that are safer than the media makes them out to be.

Solo Female Travel Question #3: What are some of your strategies for deflecting unwanted attention as a female on the road alone?
The most effective strategy for deflecting unwanted attention abroad is to learn about the modesty requirements and the meaning of gestures before you visit that country.

In Nepal, Indonesia, and Malaysia, for example, it is important for women to wear things that cover their knees and shoulders. That’s true in many countries and covering up is often a sign of showing respect.

It’s also important to avoid getting too intoxicated or going out alone after dark in certain areas — which goes for both sexes — and always remain respectful, but demand respect as well.

Solo Female Travel Question #4: As someone who is planning her first solo long-term travels, what is the most important bit of advice you could give?
Be as prepared as possible. That doesn’t mean planning out every little thing that happens during your trip, but rather being financially secure, having things like healthcare, visas, and a strategy for earning on the road all in mind before going, and reading up on customs and scams first.

It’s all about doing everything you can to tie up loose ends at home before you go, so that you can be present when you are on your trip.

Solo Female Travel Question #5: Do you know of any networks where women can find female traveling buddies?
You might be surprised by what already exists in your personal network. Put up a Facebook post to see if your friends know anyone in new places you’re traveling to. Even if your friends aren’t the type to travel, you might be surprised by who knows whom and where.

Specifically for women, there are now awesome online forums specifically created for solo female travelers, such as BMTM Solo Female Traveler Connect, where women can share their travel plans, ask questions, and connect with each other in their travels. It’s comforting to have a sense of belonging and meet like-minded women that you can deeply connect with, especially if you are new to solo female travel! You can also join regional Facebook groups like Chiang Mai digital nomads and Backpacking Africa where the locals and expat communities can provide more (and often better) recommendations in the area.

There are new apps as well, like Wandermate and Tourlina, that are designed to connect solo female travelers, but I have not personally tried any, so I cannot comment on how good they are (or aren’t).

Solo Female Travel Question #36: How do you deal with loneliness?
Loneliness gets to me about as often as it used to get to me before I started traveling.

I think it comes down to remembering that life is still life and there are up days and there are down days. It can’t all just be perfect all the time, and traveling won’t change the nature of being alive. It’s a great chance to get to love time spent with yourself, and that’s a benefit of solo traveling at times.

Solo Female Travel Question #7: Have you found it difficult to talk to locals?
Talking to locals is one of the safest things you can do because they are the ones that know about the area and can tell you where to visit and what to stay away from. Bonus: I almost always get really good info about where to eat or where to go next when talking to a local person. It’s the best!

Couchsurfing, talking to the owners of your guesthouse, or hanging out in the places were locals hang out and eat — and especially showing an interest in their culture — are all great ways to meet and chat with local people.

Solo Female Travel Question #8: Do you notice female inequality when you travel solo? Do you get the same treatment and opportunities as male travelers?
There is definitely inequality in the world for females, but the good news is that we are also living in one of the most progressive times to date, so I think it’s an exciting and important time to travel.

There’s also a lot of benefit to being a solo female traveler. The locals tend to really look after us solo travelers and often take us under their wing.

A lot of amazing things can happen when you’re solo because you’re free to be completely open to serendipity. And while I’m sure this happens for guys as well, I can say with certainty that traveling solo as a female opens up doors that wouldn’t open when with a group or in a duo. So many times there will be room for just one on a motorbike, or a plus one at an event, and you never know what exciting things that might lead to.

Solo Female travel Question #9: Is there a specific age (or age group) that you would recommend for traveling solo?
Not at all! People of all ages and of all walks of life travel, and there is no magic number for when you should travel solo. You should just do it when you have the opportunity and the desire to.

If you are an open, curious, and friendly person, your age doesn’t matter.

Solo Female Travel Question #10: Do you ever think to yourself, “Shit, what am I doing? Shouldn’t I be back home now and own an apartment or house or something?”
Every now and then I have a little existential crisis, but I totally had that back when I did have an apartment and a 9-5 job. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that I’m always going to pause and question things every now and then. Perhaps that’s just part of being human.

I think the way it’s traditionally done right now is backwards. Staying in one place when I’m young and fit and then traveling the world after I retire and can’t do as many crazy things just looks like the reverse of what it should be. I’m just happy I found a way to get around that.

So no, I don’t stress about not having a settled life, because I just wanted to have freedom and to be able to choose whatever is suitable when it’s the right time.

**** What will your experiences be when you decide to travel on your own? You might say the same thing as I do, or you might have a different opinion entirely, but you almost certainly will not know until you go.

But I put my money on this: before long, you’ll find that the same things are true about solo travel: that it isn’t too lonely, and it won’t seem so daunting and scary as it all did at the beginning. It’s all about just taking that first step and embracing the adventure.

Conquering Mountains: The Guide to Solo Female Travel

For a complete A-to-Z guide on solo female travel, check out Kristin’s new book, Conquering Mountains. Besides discussing many of the practical tips of preparing and planning your trip, the book addresses the fears, safety, and emotional concerns women have about traveling alone. It features over 20 interviews with other female travel writers and travelers. Click here to learn more about the book and start reading it today!

Kristin Addis is a solo female travel expert who inspires women to travel the world in an authentic and adventurous way. A former investment banker who sold all of her belongings and left California in 2012, Kristin has solo traveled the world for over four years, covering every continent (except for Antarctica, but it’s on her list). There’s almost nothing she won’t try and almost nowhere she won’t explore. You can find more of her musings at Be My Travel Muse or on Instagram and Facebook.

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines. Start with Momondo.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates. (Here’s the proof.)

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never ever go on a trip without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. You should too.

Need Some Gear?
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use!

 

The post 10 Common Questions about Solo Female Travel appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

August 27, 2018 at 03:00PM

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8 Myths About Solo Female Travel Debunked

Updated: 8/26/2018 | August 26th, 2018

Kristin Addis from Be My Travel Muse writes our regular column on solo female travel. It’s an important topic I can’t adequately cover, so I brought in an expert to share her advice for other women travelers to help cover the topics important and specific to them! She’s amazing and knowledgable. This month, we are starting the year off with some of the common myths people have about solo female travel!

Your partner thinks it would be selfish of you to travel without him/her. Your parents are worried for your safety. Your friends want to go with you but they are all busy working on their careers. The mainstream media tells you the world is a scary place for women. The little voice in your head whispers worries about loneliness to you. Does any of this sound familiar?

Just like you, I had a lot of misconceptions about traveling alone before I went overseas. I thought it might be dangerous, lonely, too much work, or make people think that I didn’t have any friends.

Plus, who wants to see all these amazing places completely alone? It sounded like a non-option, at least at first.

Then I realized nobody had the time to go with me, and I couldn’t wait any longer. I just had to go, or else I might never go.

So I went alone and found out that all of my assumptions about traveling solo were dead wrong. I wasn’t lonely, I didn’t end up kidnapped, and, in a lot of ways, it was actually way better to travel by myself. The freedom it afforded me, the way it grew my confidence, and all of the new friends I made were huge benefits that wouldn’t have happened it I went with a group of friends.

So for everyone who thinks that solo travel is lonely, dangerous, or boring, I am here to debunk a few common solo female travel myths to help give you the courage to get over your fears and go on an epic solo adventure

Myth #1: Solo traveling means being lonely often.

The scariest thing about traveling by yourself is the thought that you might be alone for your entire vacation, right? Who wants to travel to the other side of the world only to have to be by herself while looking at the majestic red sunrise over Angkor Wat?

I was really worried about this before I started traveling solo. Thankfully, I came to find that I made more friends in one week on the road than I had in a whole year back at home.

The best thing about traveling solo is that you’re not the only one doing it. More and more women are considering the concept of solo traveling to be realistic these days, and I couldn’t believe how it’s encouraging to see so many other solo female travelers out there traveling by themselves! Thanks to the power of social media, you can easily join online communities that are created specifically for solo female travelers, where you can gain and give support, share your travel plans, and connect with other like-minded solo female travelers. I also find that it’s easy to talk to and meet other travelers – they’re friendly people! I rarely felt alone during my years of traveling thanks to this.

Myth #2: Solo traveling is only for those who are single.

Before I started traveling and meeting people with all kinds of different stories and backgrounds, I figured that if you’re traveling by yourself, it must be because you don’t have a significant other. People who have commitments like a family or partner don’t just go traveling on their own. It must mean there’s a problem in the relationship or that they’re escaping their commitments, right?

Wrong. I came to learn that plenty of people who are in relationships travel alone, and for all kinds of reasons.

It could just be that they have different interests, something many relationship experts say is totally healthy. Maybe their partner can’t get time off from work, or maybe both parties made a conscious decision to do some soul-searching on a solo adventure, even just for a portion of the trip, and meet back up again.

Many solo travelers are single, but there are many more who are in relationships too. Just because you’re not single doesn’t mean you can’t have an awesome trip by yourself.

Myth #3: You must be extraordinarily brave to travel on your own.

A lot of my friends thought I was ultra brave and independent because I was going to travel alone. The honest truth is that I was incredibly scared and overwhelmed with the idea of traveling solo until I finally just got on the plane and went. To fear what you don’t know is just to be human. It’s in our nature.

Despite being terrified, I went anyway. Later I laughed at how scared I had been, after I realized that getting around, meeting new people, and finding things to eat was all way easier than I had ever thought it could be.

You don’t have to be sure of everything and incredibly courageous to go traveling on your own. Those things may come as a nice benefit of traveling solo, but they don’t have to be prerequisites. The hardest part is getting on the plane. After that, it’s surprisingly easy to get around language barriers, figure out timetables, and have an adventure. Plenty of locals speak at least some English, and Google Maps, translation apps, and cellphone connectivity have all made traveling so much easier than it used to be.

Myth #4: You can’t be an introvert.

I used to quietly watch the TV in bars or wear my headphones in public places so that I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone. I used to feel pretty paralyzed in a room with someone with a strong personality. Basically, I was kind of awkward.

But an incredible benefit of traveling by myself is that it has made me outgoing. Even if you have trouble starting a conversation, in a hostel common room, chances are really good that eventually someone will reach out to you and bring you into a conversation. I recall that in the Philippines, a girl tapped me and asked where I’m from, and after chatting for a while, we became friends and hung out all week.

You will probably also find that after a few times approaching new people — which will be incredibly nerve-racking at first — they will be so much more open than you feared that it will be an encouraging surprise. It’s so easy to start a conversation by simply asking somebody where they’re from or where they just came from. I know those are cliché, but they also work, and before you know it, you have something to talk about.

It’s easy to build up confidence around travelers — they’re just really friendly people!

Myth #5: It’s dangerous to travel solo, especially as a woman.

You’ve seen the movie, Taken, right? The one where Liam Neeson’s daughter gets kidnapped in Europe and he kicks major butt and rescues her? Or what about Brokedown Palace, where Claire Danes gets thrown in Thai jail when a handsome stranger plants drugs on her? This is our image of girls traveling the world (thanks, Hollywood!). It’s no surprises that time and again, women are told that they should never travel solo!

First of all, neither of the protagonists in those movies actually was traveling solo. Maybe if they had been, they would have paused and listened to their voices of reason and stayed out of trouble.

Staying safe on the road is all about trusting your intuition, behaving abroad like you would at home. Would you get super drunk alone at a bar at home? Would you walk around alone at night? Talk to the locals at your guesthouse about what you should watch out for, and practice common sense. What kept you alive at home and keeps you alive on the road, too.

For more check out this post all about solo female travel safety.

And take a look at these blogs for inspiration and proof women can travel alone:

• Young Adventuress
• Alex in Wanderland
• Me! Be My Travel Muse

Every day millions of women travel the world alone. It’s safe and doable, and you won’t end up in a ditch!

Myth #6: You will constantly get unwanted attention.

It happened from car windows when I was walking home from school at age 14, it happened when I was getting into my car at a random gas station in the middle of nowhere in Nevada, and it happens when I walk down the streets of New York City. Sometimes a boyfriend was only a few steps away — it didn’t matter. Catcalls happen abroad and at home. They’re annoying, yes, but don’t let them keep you from having the awesome solo trip you deserve.

The best way to deal with that kind of attention is to make sure you understand the modesty requirements in the countries that you visit and dress accordingly. Some women suggest wearing a wedding band, but I find that being very confident, looking people in the eye, and being respectfully assertive are all good ways to stand my ground as well.

While simply being a female does open you up for catcalls and unwanted advances in some parts of the world, in many cases, though, it’s quite the opposite, and I’m treated with respect and kindness, particularly because I’m a woman traveling on her own.

Myth #7: It’s way more work because you have to do everything yourself.

If you travel on your own, you will be making all of the decisions.

This is also the biggest benefit of traveling solo. It means that you don’t have to plan ahead if you don’t want to, and have more serendipitous fun, the novelty of which we are hardwired to crave. You don’t have to worry about whether the other person is having fun or not, or stress about doing everything for two or more people.

In fact, the more I travel solo, the more I find that planning a trip for one is often much easier than planning for a group. I get to do only exactly what I want to do, see places that others may not be interested in, and even have a “day off” in my travels without the guilt!

The benefit of complete freedom while traveling solo absolutely outweighed the extra legwork that I had to do. I also found it easy to just ask a friend which restaurant or activity they liked, or the person working at the hostel counter. It’s not that hard.

Myth #8: Traveling solo is a huge, life-changing decision.

A lot of people sell off everything they have and take off to the other side of the world with a one-way ticket in hand (I’m talking about myself here), but that doesn’t mean that everyone who travels solo has turned her life upside down in order to do it.

It can be as simple as a weekend trip alone to another city, a two-week jaunt to a warm and tropical place you’ve never been, or a monthlong solo backpacking trip in Europe between semesters. It doesn’t have to be a huge deal, and you could come right back to life as you know it before, with a few new adventures and a bit more confidence.

**** It turned out that, contrary to what everyone (including me) thought, solo traveling wasn’t dangerous, boring, or lonely at all. It actually was one of the most social activities I’ve ever tried.

I ended up finding that, instead of solo traveling being a disadvantage in any way, it was actually advantageous to be free when I traveled. It endeared me more to locals, and I got to have unique experiences because I could say yes to everything, and that’s something that only solo travelers can say. It’s a big benefit to be able to go where you want when you want, without having to answer to anyone else. There must be a reason why it keeps growing in popularity year after year, right?

If traveling is about the benefits, the time spent in a new reality, and a departure from your normal, everyday life, then to traveling solo is to put those benefits on steroids. Give it a try, and you too may find that your misconceptions about it are all wrong.

Kristin Addis is a solo female travel expert who inspires women to travel the world in an authentic and adventurous way. A former investment banker who sold all of her belongings and left California in 2012, Kristin has solo traveled the world for over four years, covering every continent (except for Antarctica, but it’s on her list). There’s almost nothing she won’t try and almost nowhere she won’t explore. You can find more of her musings at Be My Travel Muse or on Instagram and Facebook.

Conquering Mountains: The ultimate Guide to Solo Female Travel

For a complete A-to-Z guide on solo female travel, check out Kristin’s new book, Conquering Mountains. Besides discussing many of the practical tips of preparing and planning your trip, the book addresses the fears, safety, and emotional concerns women have about traveling alone. It features over 20 interviews with other female travel writers and travelers. Click here to learn more about the book and start reading it today!

The post 8 Myths About Solo Female Travel Debunked appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

August 26, 2018 at 03:29PM

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