The Truth About Travel Blogging
Why I write this newsletter and how to piss me off -- or make me smile
Let’s start with Alma Karlin, perhaps the world’s first travel blogger.
She was a solo female traveler in the 1920s, with no money and a passport from a country that almost no one recognized. Starting from her hometown of Celje in present-day Slovenia, Alma hit the road with her trusty typewriter. She paid for her journey around the globe by selling articles to German-language newspapers.
She might also have been the first to discover that travel writing can be a thankless job. Shunned during and after the Second World War, she died penniless in the tiny hilltop home she shared with her only close friend.
Please allow me to dedicate this edition of the FREE monthly travel newsletter to the spirit of Alma Karlin. Before we get to this month’s FREE travel tips, I have a few things I’d like to get off my chest.
I write a travel blog and this newsletter because it’s fun, not for profit. It makes my day when someone has a better trip because of something I wrote. Or it brings business to the friendly folks who invite me to write about their hotel, restaurant or tourist attraction.
That said, some people can really piss me off.
People who don’t do ANY research
If you’re old enough to have traveled in the pre-internet days, you remember planning a trip by reading guide books, clipping newspaper articles and sending letters via postage stamp or calling overseas on a landline to make a reservation. Or visiting a travel agency to stock up on brochures and paper maps.
These days, an unlimited amount of travel information is at your fingertips. Everything you need to know about your dream destination is only a click away: reservations, reviews and so many videos that you feel like you’ve already been on the trip before you leave home.
But lately, I’ve been seeing messages like this on a popular internet travel forum:
Hi, I’m visiting (name of country) next month for five days. Please tell me where to stay, top things to see and where to eat. Thanks in advance!
Seriously? As much as I would like to help this person, I can’t.
I have no idea what they like. Cities or countryside? Historic landmarks or trendy hotspots? Nature or civilization? Budget or luxury? Or luxury on a budget. Rental car or public transport? Please narrow it down a little. At least type the name of your destination into a search engine and see what comes up!
People who don’t read the post
Let’s say you’ve done a basic search. There’s a good chance that some hardworking blogger like me has already taken the trip and written about it.
For example: Planning a Trip to Slovenia
The #1 tip in this post is: Don’t come to Slovenia in August, if you are flexible on your travel dates. You will find out why if you actually read the post. However, I still get messages like this:
Love your blog! I’m coming to Slovenia in August…
The same person will go on to be surprised that everything is expensive or already booked in August. Please. Read the post. Then ask me anything and I’ll try to help.
People who don’t like or share a helpful post
I don’t charge anything for my travel posts. I’m an old-school journalist who can’t be bought. I only ask tourism providers for an experience I can write about in a way that lets other travelers know what to expect and how to book it.
For example, this bicycle tour of Slovenia’s gorgeous karst region with SloActive.
Kind of like a press tour, but for one person. In return, I will spend several full working days to generate a complete package of text, photos and possibly a video.
I’ll also attract a decent amount of eyeballs by sharing on my blog, newsletter and social media. It is not my job, however, to manage their social media. It always surprises me when someone goes out of their way to help me gather information and pictures but then fails to take the easy step of SHARING the post!
Sharing is caring, but there’s more to it than that. Every time another website links to my blog, it bumps my post higher in Google search — maybe even to the first page of results. More happy readers for me, more customers for them, better trips for you. Win-win!
OK, end of rant. Now let’s talk about the people at the other end of the spectrum, the ones who remind me why I do this and make me smile. Like you, I hope.
FREE things you can do to support your favorite travel blog
Click on the affiliated ads and links: If you’re going to read Trip Advisor reviews to plan your trip, go to the website by clicking on the Trip Advisor banner or any of the hotel links on the blog. It means I will get a SMALL referral fee at no cost to you. These micro-payments mean that I almost break even, instead of losing money.
My blog partners with Trip Advisor, Auto Europe, CheapOAir and GoOpti because I have personally used all of these services and highly recommend them.
SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube Channel: If you watch YouTube videos — and who doesn’t — you are used to seeing ads at the top of every video. Unfortunately, my Terry Anzur YouTube channel gets ZERO revenue from the ads, unless I can make it to 1,000 subscribers. Just commenting or hitting the thumbs-up like button isn’t enough, unfortunately. As I write this, I need about 700 more people to mash the big button that says subscribe. Easy-peasy, right?
This month’s FREE or VOLUNTEER travel stuff
Volunteer at the Paris Olympics
Organizers of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics are accepting applications for volunteers. You have until May 3 of this year to go to this link and apply. They need 45,000 people! You’ll be notified in the fall of 2023 if you’re chosen.
You must be 18 years old and free for a minimum of 10 days between the opening of the Olympic village and the end of the Olympics or Paralympics. Volunteers greet people at various venues, answer questions and maybe even help out with sport-specific chores like picking up tennis balls. Volunteers get a uniform, free use of public transportation and a meal voucher on the days that they work.
A few things to keep in mind: this is NOT the same thing as being a spectator. To watch your favorite sport from the stands, you need to buy a ticket to the event. Also, the Olympics does NOT provide any volunteers’ accommodations in Paris, so you’re on your own when it comes to finding a place to stay.
You can apply from anywhere in the world, as long as you speak English or French and have the right to travel to France. Americans can stay for up to 90 days without a visa. More info in this article from Euronews.
Free Trip to Finland
Finland usually ranks pretty high on the list of world’s happiest countries, if you believe in that sort of thing. I know I’d be pretty happy to be one of the 10 people who will win a free four-day trip in June to discover their inner Finn.
Go to this link and apply by April 2 for Finland’s Master Class in Happiness.
Slovenian Union of America National Convention
If you found my blog because you have ancestry in the country of Slovenia, you might want to attend the national convention of Slovenian-Americans in Pueblo, Colorado, June 15-17. I’ll be there along with my son, Andrew Anzur Clement, to answer questions about claiming a Slovenian passport and visiting or living in Slovenia.
Thanks again for subscribing to the newsletter and reading this far! See you in April. And if you haven’t checked out the blog yet, click here to read more on Strangers in the Living Room to plan your trip.
Great info! Awesome to hear about the volunteers needed in Paris in 2024 for the Olympics. Keep smiling 😊