Complaining. It seems to be the latest fashion. Every. Single. Article I find about travel blogging seems to be an attempt to convince the world they shouldn’t be jealous, because ‘being a travel blogger isn’t always fun, it’s a lot of hard work, too‘… A 10 point list of reasons why it’s soooo hard and horrible.
Or a list full of crap about how to become a ‘successful’ travel blogger in 4 clicks, which I wrote about before, check it out here.
Hell some of them make it sound like it’s the worst job in the world!
Like imagine this conversation:
You: ‘Do you want to be a travel blogger or a sewers cleaner?’ (I googled ‘worst job in the world’)
They – before you’ve even pronounced the last word of your sentence: ‘A sewers cleaner, definitely!!’
Before I go on, let me remind you that travel blogging ISN’T my job. I don’t rely on my blog to pay my bills, support my travels or get freebies. Now I hear you thinking “Who the hell are you to talk about travel blogging as a job then?!?”, and I get where you’re comming from. But I lead a business on a daily basis AND have a blog besides it, so I DO know a thing or 2 about working hard to achieve your goals and about not having the easiest job in the world… I also aim to always, no matter where I go, focus on the people and their living situation first and to have a positive impact on it.
And those 2 reasons are exactly why I think you should hear me out…
I have to say, I think there’s quite a few honest articles about the subject, that sum up the real side of being a travel blogger without complaining or asking for pitty, and I’m obviously not judging any of those. But there’s also many others… full of whining and spoiled-little-daddy’s-girl arguments on why life’s so hard… And those… well they just drive me nuts… I don’t know, are we supposed to cry and feel sorry for those people? Did somebody FORCE them to become a travel blogger against their will? Where they live, are there NO other jobs in the whole world?
So please allow me to call bullshit…
… and to do some complaining of my own – ’cause as I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’m a fashionable girl! And funny, too! :p Here’s my list – a 10 point one, obviously! – of all the most common reasons I’ve heard people use to ‘prove’ why travel blogging is such a difficult job. And what I think about them, of course!
1. There’s more to travel blogging than just traveling and writing about it #OhNoIActuallyHaveToDoSomethingBeforeIGetPaid
Let me tell you something shocking. There’s more to most people’s jobs than driving to work and sending a weekly report of what they did to their boss, too… Trying to make money of it and calling it a JOB kinda automatically implies that at some point you’re gonna have to WORK… I’ve only been blogging for 7 months but I kinda understood by now that getting your blog out there doesn’t just happen all by itself. And I can’t help but ask myself:
“Who would be so naïve as to think it would?!?”
Why would anyone believe that just writing 6 mediocre articles a month would be enough? Why would anyone think you can make a living working 13 minutes a day Monday to Thursday and that the simple fact of creating a Snapchat profile will automatically make you famous? That thousands of people who’ve never even heard of your blog would suddenly click through to page 479 of their google search just to check out YOUR article about ‘the 10 best hostels in the world’ or ’10 tips for packing 60 liters of luggage into a 30 liters backpack’ rather than the 4785 before (let’s stay positive and imagine you’re not the last article on that 479th page…)?
And is the fact that none of the above is actually true enough of a reason to conclude travel blogging is a difficult job?!?
So no, I don’t feel sorry that after writing your articles you still have to spend time sharing them on social media…
#IfIDon’tSnapchatItRightAwayPeopleAreNeverGonnaBelieve ItActuallyHappenedHellIMightNotEvenBelieveItMyself
2. You could get hurt #TravelBloggingIsGonnaGetMeKilled
Obviously, ‘normal people’ never get hurt while traveling and this EXCLUSIVELY happens to travel bloggers… That’s why every time we cut our finger and there’s like 1 drop of blood coming out of it, we HAVE to Instagram/Tweet/Snapchat it so that people realize what a dangerous and horrible life we’re living!
Look, this is me on a recent trip to Italy, it was so horrible I didn’t even manage to take a sharp picture!!! WARNING: graphic images!!!
3. It’s not always easy, it’s a constant competition and things don’t always go as planned #SuchADifficultLifeBoohoo
Because in other people’s lives, things ALWAYS go as planned… I don’t wanna sound lazy, but what else do you want me to say to this?!?
4. You’ll get haters #OhNoNotEverybodyLovesMe #LifeIsNotFair
Well I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get haters on this article, too… And I’m not even getting paid to write it! I also got a hater a few weeks ago at work, when a client didn’t understand why I wouldn’t exchange something they’d bought in november 2014 and that had been used… I won’t describe the scene that followed but I think it’s safe to say he wasn’t happy… I obviously cried all night about it… Yeah, life’s a bitch…
This will probably ruin my image forever but well… #I’mJustGonnaShakeShakeShakeShakeShakeShake
5. You won’t get any presents and you have to build your whole career yourself #AllByyyyyyMyyyyyyseeeeeellllfffff
Because other people just put on some nice clothes, comb their hair, go to a job interview without having any skills and get the most prestigious job just because they smiled nicely. They then do nothing – except driving to work and sending that weekly report of what they did to their boss – for a whole year and BAM, a promotion! … Yeah, maybe not…
6. You’ll be staring at your computer screen at least 8 hours a day #OhNoAComputerHowScary
Do you think that where other people work (yes WORK, it’s YOU who wants to call it a job, remember!!) it’s still the 80’s and everybody uses pen and paper or what?!?!
7. People will think you’re a prostitute #HowDoYouAffordToTravelSoMuchYouMustBeSellingYourBodyOrSomething
I THINK you’re allowed to tell that kind of people to just go f*ck themselves, not care about them and go on with your live…
8. You have to post a picture of yourself screwing up the view on Instagram at least twice a day #LuckilyIThinkI’mThePrettiestGirlInTheWorld
Which obviously means you have to look glamourous at all times!! I mean can you imagine how much extra weight that curling iron and all that make-up make in a backpack?!? And all that extra time you’ll need getting ready?!? And you already had NO time left!!!
OR you could also just not care and present a more realistic side of travel? Oh no what am I saying, I must be drunk again or something, you couldn’t possibly do THAT, could you?!?
9. It’s soooo hard to make any actual money from it #I’dKindaHopedItWouldJustFallOutOfTheSky
I don’t wanna get all “I told you so” on you but I could have told you that from the start… It takes a little bit more than a couple of top 10 lists and some pretty Instagram shots to make money from something, no matter what it is… And while I admire EVERY effort to succeed and wish EVERY SINGLE PERSON who tries all the best, I also think it’s time to go back to reality…
10. There’s so much pressure and you have to be REALLY creative all the time. #9PointListsJustAren’tGoodEnough
When you don’t actually have 10 interesting and relevant points about the topic you’re writing about, you have to invent some crap to fill up your 10-point list. Because well if you stopped at 9 points, everybody would think you’d failed, right? Like, just imagine all the pressure!!!
Here’s some good ones I found on the net, all of which – again – ONLY and EXCLUSIVELY happen to travel bloggers…
- Your boyfriend will get sad every time you leave
- Your mum will get sad every time you leave
- Your dad will get sad every time you leave
- Your dog will get sad every time you leave
- In the end, YOU might get sad every time you leave
- …
d
It might not sound like it from this article, but I’m not here to judge. I rarely write about blogging, for the simple reason that I prefer writing about travel experiences and that I write for all travelers, not just for bloggers. But I had to write about this, because it makes me genuinly sad to read comments like the ones above. And I can’t help but thinking…
Maybe it’s time to realize how insulting and insensitive those comments and articles actually are…
Yes I can imagine you get weird questions, stares and other judgmental comments when you tell people you get some form of ‘free’ travel in exchange for publicity or an article and yes I know how long it actually takes to write those articles. I also understand it isn’t always easy to constantly have to justify yourself for it. But is that an excuse to go and write articles full of situations that pretty much EVERY human being from any ‘developped’ country has to deal with EVERY day and use them as ‘proof’ for why your life is actually so much harder than everyone else’s?!? And I’m not even talking about the millions of people from less ‘developped’ countries – probably the countries you’re traveling to – who experience things that are 5000 times worse than that! Every. Single. Day. Of their lives… While you’re sitting there writing articles about what a difficult life you have seeing you can’t go to the beach because you have to work on your blog…
And I ask myself more and more often: have we become completely blazé about traveling? Don’t we realize all the privileges we get to even be able to travel like we do? To get the chance to simply TRY and make a living out of this? Do we really think it’s so unjust to actually have to WORK for our money? Have we gone blind for what’s happening in this world we’re so desperate to discover? Have we forgotten that even today children still die due to a lack of clean water? Water!!! Do we choose to ignore that others are working in life threatening conditions from an extremely young age in order to ensure the survival of their family?
And I’m not saying we’re not allowed to enjoy anything anymore because some people are less lucky, but maybe it’s time we stopped just thinking about ourselves… Stop thinking about everything we “deserve” to have and start realizing and accepting everything ISN’T always easy. We of all people, we who’ve “seen the world”, should realize this better than anyone else, shouldn’t we?!?
Maybe it’s time we stopped complaining and start realizing how damn lucky we are…
And maybe, just maybe, we could even start focussing our TRAVEL blogs a little bit more on the beauty of traveling again…
Omg thank god for you and seeing the humour in everything. I died laughing at this article because it’s so true. Completely on point. Keep doing what you’re doing girl!
Aaaaauuuuwh Taylor! That’s such a nice comment 🙂 Thanks so much and don’t worry, I won’t change a thing!!!
OMG I LOVE THIS! I was dying of laughter the whole time and it is so true. Anything worth doing is worth doing well and working hard for…and course it isn’t going to come easy! The pros far outweigh the cons in my book. Thank you for writing this!
Thanks Sally! 🙂 I totally agree, I wouldn’t even want it too be super easy, it’s so much more rewarding if you have to do some effort to reach certain goals!!
Very funny. Very true. Quit whining and appreciate what you have I think. Travel blogging can be hard but ANY job can be hard. Just ask the Duchess of Cambridge who has to deal with snarky press coverage about her heat-swollen feet just because she married into a job.
Yeah I wouldn’t want to be her, haha, if I go somewhere exotic I’d rather wear shorts and sandals 🙂 Thanks for your comment!! 🙂
Haha Liesbeth, you’re awesome. I feel ya, so tired of seeing these posts (especially when they are pretty damn successful travel bloggers) whining about how hard it is. Any job is stressful and difficult, we get it. I just think is funny that they love to project this paradox of “look at me! my life is so awesome and if you buy my e-book you can do it too in 10 easy steps” and then two posts down the road it’s “It’s so hard being me, I hate that people assume I must be a prostitute, people laugh at me and my selfie stick and I have to lug my lap top to the beach, wah”. Personally, my actual day job vs. being a travel blogger… My day job is far more stressful across the board (except financially) than travel blogging, like way more. So I have little sympathy! and then add on top, like you said that traveling really is a privilege, I just hope they can see that they are experiencing something not everyone has the unique opportunity to.
If I’m awesome, than we’re the same hahaha!! 🙂 It is TOTALLY true!! You can’t wanna make money of fake ‘see how easy it is’ posts and 2 days later post ‘look how hard it is and please have pitty’… I mean how do you want people to still take you seriously?? And YES, as I already wrote, we of all people who’ve seen so many horrible things about other people’s lives, I don’t get how some of us still DARE to complain!!!! Thanks for your comment!!! 🙂
I couldn’t agree more!!! Hahaha.
Hehe thanks Ayn! 🙂
Haha, thanks for the article, had a good laugh here! Having a travel blog just as a hobby, I’ve had the same feelings so many times when reading different travel blogs.. So many times I’ve just wanted to comment #ItWasYourOwnChoiceSoStopWhining
I can only say AMEN to that! 🙂
Sometimes I feel would it be not nice just to wander, travel and not be pressurized by the need to write and publish. There is a way to much time we spend on the internet promoting, branding ourselves on twitter, Instagram and yaba daba doos! What kind of a travel version have we become? This bubble is going to burst. Sooner the better.
Yep I agree, we’re spending more time photographing and instagramming/snapchatting/tweeting/… the moment than actually enjoying it… And I guess it all comes down to a choice: do we want to make money WHILE traveling or work hard first and travel after… Every choice has its pros and cons but I do think we have to assume the consequences of our choices… You can’t just travel freely, enjoy 100% of your time and expect money to just come falling out of the sky, can you? 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
Ha ha this is so funny! I just put a “how I see the world while travelling 9-5” style post up and now I’m going back to check that it doesn’t come across as whiney!!!!!
Hahaha I’m sure it doesn’t 🙂 I love honesty, correction I LOOOOOVE honesty, but all that whining does just drive me nuts 🙂
I definitely see your arguments. Right after you got it right. I’ve only started blogging in December and see how much post-posting work I have to do to get a post out there. But I chose to want to blog so is comes with the choice!
Totally, it is a loooooot of work but it’s our choice so I think we just have to deal with it! 🙂
Some great points well made here. Travel blogging is certainly not the worst job in the world.
I’ve been “hobby” travel blogging for nearly 4 years and there is certainly not enough money in it for me to go full time, nor would I want to. Let’s face it the space is completely overcrowded so smaller slices of the pie.
I’d also like to think that I’m one of the few, and by that I do mean a small few people who don’t sell do follow links. After all it is what Google have been telling us for years not to do yet so many people still do it. Why do they do it? Simple really because it is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make an income from the blog. Nothing to do with finding a voice or staying true to the readers.
I’m thankful that I have a day job and it is what pays the bills. I am thankful that I have a blog as it is a form of expression and a release to share my experiences and knowledge.
Keep up the great work, I enjoyed reading your article.
It definitely isn’t the worst job in the world 🙂 And I don’t care if people do it for fun or try to make their job out of it, but just know that it’s your own choice and assume the consequences! Every decision comes with consequences, right?
And the whole do follow link think, I don’t get it either! I think many ‘small’ bloggers don’t even know what they’re doing and just see a way to make some money… I’m also very thankful that I have something else that helps me pay the bills and indeed, I see the blog more as a way to write down my stories and express myself, that way it stays a hobby and rather relaxing 🙂 Thanks so much for reading and your thoughtful comment!
Haha loved this! This is why people think all bloggers are entitled. Also, I’d MUCH rather read about actual travel experiences vs reading someone whining about how much time they spend on pinterest.
Yep, I mean WHO in the world fins that interesting anyway? 🙂 Thanks for your comment dear!! 🙂
LOL!! It’s true, every job is hard work, and travel writing has perks my old one certainly didn’t. But I will say that I did get paid for the work I used to do — as an analyst for a law firm, my boss never once told me I’d get paid in exposure. It’s a bizarre industry, but it’s a fascinating one to be part of (so very little complaining from me most of the time). 🙂
Hahaha yeah I agree on that one, the part where companies assume it’s normal you would do things for free for them is actually something I’d never seen before in any other job 🙂 Like what do those people think, that at night you can go eat out in a nice restaurant and pay with your exposure card? I don’t think so, haha! 🙂
This is a great post!!! So funny and so true! Especially #8. I’d actually just like to see the scenery, please. LOL Everything worthwhile takes a lot of work. If bloggers want to succeed, they have to put in the time, and be happy they are able to travel and enjoy things other people can only dream about.
I say amen to that! 🙂 Thanks for reading and for your comment!
Glad I’m not the only one who wants to hear more posts about travel stories rather than complainy posts about the difficulties of life as a travel blogger. This post made me laugh out loud! Especially #9…Did you seriously think you were going to make a living by putting up an ad on your sidebar and posting twice a month?
Haha SOME people clearly do… 🙂 And totally agree on the stories, we are supposed to be travel bloggers after all, aren’t we? 🙂
Hehehe, I am still laughing about this! It makes my giggle anytime someone complains about having to do their job – duh, that is what you get paid for! Like you, travel is my hobby, and I am happy for it. No complaints here!
Job or hobby, I don’t care how other people see it, but just accept that it was YOUR choice and deal with the consequences! No matter what the decision, there will ALWAYS be a less pleasant side to it, I just wish people would stop whining about it and be a bit more positive 🙂 And like you, I’m pretty happy with how things are right now 🙂
Loved the article and I couldn’t agree more. Obviously at first it seems like it’s so easy, but it’s definitely not and I don’t mind. Easy isn’t fun anyways and if it was easy we weren’t going to be so pleased when everything finally works out after our hard work.
I couldn’t have said it better, it’s so much more rewarding if you have to put some effort into something and see it works out afterwards!
You are apsolutely right, and I can say for myself “I am lucky” because I do this. I love what I do, I know it’s hard and cometition is big, but I still enjoy. It is so much better to be travel blogger than cleaner (hahahah). Greetings from Croatia!
Haha I can believe that! 🙂 Greetings back from Belgium!!
I am so glad you wrote this! I see sooo many negative posts from travel bloggers about how “hard” travel blogging is and I just don’t agree. Yes, it is a lot of work, but so is any job worth pursuing. I am tired of people being so negative!! Haha.
I totally feel what you’re saying Claire! 🙂 Let’s be a bit more positive, what’s all that complaining gonna change anyway? Right, nothing! 🙂
I completely disagree with this article and I’m not even a travel blogger. I don’t understand why people who don’t want to be a professional travel blogger always have a nasty attitudes towards the ones who do.
It is hard. Just because it seems like a dream job doesn’t mean it’s not hard. It’s hard competing with other bloggers, it’s tough keeping readers interested, and it’s tough replying to posts and emails all day, everyday. It’s hard because you never get a day off. You’re always writing, editing, preparing tourism pitches, traveling, packing. You’re on the road a lot and you miss out on things happening back home. It can isolate you from friends and family because even if you’re not 4,00 miles away you skip all the barbecues and baby showers because you’ve got work to do.
It can be dangerous. Especially for the solo female travel bloggers. Going to foreign countries you are not familiar with is scary. There’s always a chance of kidnappings, rape, robberies, paris-style terrorist attacks, disease outbreaks and natural disasters. That’s why the U.S has travel warnings. Things can and do happen.
I know this is supposed to be a funny “ha ha” type of post, but it’s not true and I don’t like that it makes light of the stressful and potentially dangerous job that is professional travel blogging. Also I don’t like that you call it easy just because it can be fun and rewarding. That’s like ignoring all the paparazzi, stalkers, tabloid rumors, auditions, expectations to be thin and sexy, 14 hour filming days that an actress has to deal with and instead telling her she has an easy job because all she does is repeat lines.
Hello Kendra, first of all thank you for reading and for taking the time to leave such a thorough comment. I obviously respect your opinion but please allow me to clarify myself on a few things that might have been understood wrongly.
I don’t pretend travel blogging is easy. I KNOW it’s hard work. All I’m saying is that first of all it’s a CHOICE and secondly it isn’t any harder than the jobs most other people have to do daily as well. And it’s definitely not harder than what people from less developped countries have to deal with…
And while all your arguments are true (yes you can get hurt, yes you have to work hard, etc…), they’re – in my opinion – simply NOT only related to travel blogging. EVERY job can be hard work, EVERY job has pressure and risks… One of my employees lost a finger one day while doing his job… I’m not sure he’d agree that travel blogging is the most risky job in the world… Also, every traveler could get hurt. Every traveler is away from home for a long time, NOT just the ones who blog about it.
So all I’m saying is people shouldn’t just collect a bunch of arguments that are valid for thousands or millions of people and use them to explain why ONLY their job, travel blogging, would be so much harder than any other job or any other lifestyle. It’s a job and you’re trying to make money out of it, so obviously you’re gonna have to work for it. We all have the choice to do it or not. And every choice has consequences, there is no such thing as the perfect job or the perfect life. I think we just have to start dealing with that, stop complaining all the time, be a little bit more positive and start focussing our TRAVEL blogs on travelling again.
Again, thanks for your comment and have a great day!
Kendra, I think you missed the point of the article. This article does not say travel blogging is easy . All it says is that when people have chosen to make it a profession why there is a need to complain . Because it is just like any other job . Every job has it’s own challenges . And it is no different for travel blogging . That is just the choice and consequences . If it is the passion which drives it then you would be able to be less whiny about the troubles . If you are just looking for money making then it could feel more stressful too.i guess that is what is wrong with many travel bloggers as they lose the balance for financial gain
Kendra, I think you missed the point of the article. This article does not say travel blogging is easy . All it says is that when people have chosen to make it a profession why there is a need to complain . Because it is just like any other job . Every job has it’s own challenges . And it is no different for travel blogging . That is just the choice and consequences . If it is the passion which drives it then you would be able to be less whiny about the troubles . If you are just looking for money making then it could feel more stressful too.i guess that is what is wrong with many travel bloggers as they lose the balance for financial gain
Hi,
Just a quick word to say that I really enjoyed your article. The last few days I have spent a lot of time reading in depth travel blogs as I am thinking of doing one just for fun, and it is really funny as all your thoughts resonated in me before I even read it!
Indeed travelling can be hard and blogging too but these activities as you say, are not the hardest things to do in our world! I also totally agree with you that having to dress up and pose in every pic to promote your travelling is sad and personally as a traveller it is not what I expect or want to see.
Thanks for sharing.
I do really enjoy your articles for the brutal honesty . You don’t seem to make any effort in your writing to pull the crowd but the naturality does it for you . Compared to many famous travel bloggers who proclaim to be honest I like your writings for the simple fact of thinking different from the rest . Look at this article -all you do is highlighting the simple fact that you need to work before you get paid …it’s done in so natural way that I could not control my smile …. Looking forward to more articles from u ( can you post more articles 🙂 )
Thank you so much Rose, it’s really a pleasure to read your comment 🙂 I’m doing this for fun and I’m definitely having a lot of it while writing my articles! I’ll keep those articles comming, I promise!! 🙂
Gosh I love your humor! You just gained a brand new follower 😀
Yaaaay awesome, thanks Adrienn! 🙂
“Who would be so naïve as to think it would?!?”
Thankfully, a LOT of people.
It’s the same in any industry. All competitors have similar overheads. It is those who work the smartest AND HARDEST who will prosper.
And when competitors think they can get something for nothing, it just makes it easier for those who put in the legwork.
I thought this was hilarious! Great list – yes there are definitely worse jobs than travel blogging! Turning it into an actual job can be a complicated journey however…
Oh I agree, I’m absolutely not saying it’s easy… just that ANY other job can be hard too and travel bloggers also have a lot of privileges and luck… 🙂
Love this! I definitely agree that we can’t expect it to be easy, it’s a job! It might just be a job that we like doing. Also I love the Instagram one haha. I’m guilty of putting mostly back-to-the-camera photos up there but I prefer them and often they are taken naturally! I struggled quite a lot initially with my blog and privilege because I felt guilty every time I wrote a post encouraging travel when I know how many people can’t.
Yeah I get you, but I’ve come to a point where I think we shouldn’t feel guilty. Yes we were born lucky but feeling guilty isn’t gonna help anybody either. So rather than waste my life feeling guilty or staying at home thinking ‘I’ll just stop traveling because some other people can’t travel either’ I try to turn it into something good. Travel in the most responsible way, try to have an impact on the local’s life – even if it’s tiny, it’s always better than nothing! And btw your IG photos never bothered me, as you say they’re natural and not like “oooh please look at me” 🙂 Thanks for your comment!!! 🙂
That was a fun read indeed! Before I decided to become a travel blogger I had (like many others out there) a 9-5 job…well more 8 to 10 pm fricking difficult job, but I didn’t leave to travel thinking it was easy.
I actually didn’t even want to become a professional travel blogger. Sometimes I just woke up and ask myself “how in hell did this happen?! I left my old life to travel the world (and I did it without writing about it for a long time) and now I’m sitting in front of my computer 12 hours per day?!” 😀
I think I post only 1 article “whining” about not even travel blogging but mostly about why long term travel is not like being on a permanent vacation.
So I guess this post, even if it’s very funny, is maybe a bit misleading in a way. Let me see if I can explain it better 🙂 (yeah I’m tired because I, erhmm, spent the whole day replying to emails!)
I think that maybe the bloggers who are complaining about how hard it is, are mostly referring to those people who DON’T blog and that naively think that all we do is sipping a cocktail on a beach, whilst THEY are sweating on REAL JOBS.
Now, not all the people who arent’ bloggers have this attitude, but 90% of my now ex friends (for a reason) thought that all I did was sitting in front of my computer for 3 hours per week and getting free trips around the world.
I’m not trashing your job or lifestyle so please respect mine! That’s why I’m so pissed off and occasionally complain that my job is bloody hard.
I’m not saying that is the hardest in the world. I left my corporate job for a reason, but I want some respect for what I do now, not jokes from people who think I’m wasting time on FB/Instagram all day.
Now I’m a bit more relaxed when these people make rude remarks about my JOB (because it is a JOB like any other).
One time before leaving for 1 year of travels, my BROTHER (I mean, not just another John Doe out there… My fricking Brother) asked me “why are you carrying your computer around?!” … And I was already blogging professionally for more than 2 years.
Now that pissed me off big time as, in fact, he was the one always complaining about his job being soooo hard because sometimes it gets boring and he doesn’t know what to do all day (bless him, help me out then, lazy ass, instead of judging!).
PS: After my little rant here, some of your points were quite hilarious! I’m so glad I don’t have Snapchat and probably never will 🙂
Hi Clelia!
Woow, such a long and thoughtful comment, awesome! 🙂
I totally understand what you mean and I agree it can be quite frustrating if you always get certain comments. I don’t blog full-time but I get my share of comments about “how can you travel so much”, “shouldn’t you start having kids instead” and stuff like that, and sometimes it drives me crazy, too 🙂 And I absolutely think we have the right to write about these subjects, too, and to reply!
So I was definitely not ‘attacking’ any of that! I do however think that when we reply to these comments, we should do it with REAL arguments. If we want to convince people and make them change their minds about travel blogging as a job, we have got to stop whining. If we only use arguments like the ones mentionned above, the other person is just going to think “what is she whining about, I go through that every day and at least she’s doing it wearing a bikini while she’s sipping from her coconut” (well we both know that’s not always true either but you get my point hehe :p)
So absolutely YES to explaining what it’s like – but please, no whining 🙂 And let’s not forget either how lucky we are compared to MANY other people in the world…
Thanks a lot for your comment, I love when people take the time to think about what I write and give me their opinion! Have an awesome day!!
Oh, I know you weren’t “attacking” anyone, the post is quite hilarious and I like humorous posts. I HAD to reply (and I haven’t commented on another blog since ages!) because it reminded me of all the sneaky comments I still get from my “friends”.
When I can, I use the best weapon in the world to make my point: I simply ask them if they can help me out on a project I’m working on, or just give me a hand for a few days.
One time I even hired my already ex-boyfriend as he thought it would be all travels for free, beaches and cocktails. He quit after not even 2 months saying “no, I can’t do THIS!” 😀
Oh Really??? Now you get it huh? As I always say: Showing is better than telling, let alone whining 😀
Hahaha totally agree 🙂
Hilarious! This had me laughing out loud, and I’m a ‘travel blogger’!
Quote marks used because I feel extremely lucky enough to be able to base myself in a country other than my birthplace, a country I love and feel privileged to discover more about every day.
And to be honest, if I can’t write X amount of blogposts a week, then ohh gaaaawd, shoot me now! Quality very much over quantity.
Thanks for keeping us grounded
This is hilarious. Appreciate your honesty.
Travel blogging is a profession.But it becomes surprising for everyone the amount of work you have to put through in making it a success!
Totally agree with you
Your writing style stands out ..looking forward to reading more of them 🙂
Rohini
I love your humorous view on travel, life and blogging Liesbeth. Not a hater here 😉
Woop woop that’s awesome, thanks Bas 🙂
OMG, I love everything about this post! As somebody who has an actual full time job and kids and a brand spanking new travel blog, I totally understand what “real” work is and love the humorous approach you’ve taken to this topic. Also, I love your closing remarks. When I spent a year in Iraq with the Army I remembered seeing children who literally had no shoes and lived in houses with no doors, windows or roofs. That’ll put your problems in perspective! Thanks for reminding me to count my blessings rather than complain!
Lili, this is fantastic! You can always be trusted to bring people back down to earth, so thank-you. I’m still in love with travel blogging, but I’m not sure you could call it my job yet… We’ll see how that goes if I ever get to that point. 🙂
Haha thank you so much 🙂 And indeed, we’ll see and in the mean time, let’s just have fun! 🙂
I love your honesty Lili! Thanks for the laugh! Being a travel blogger myself, I work hard and it gets hard. In saying that I don’t complain! I see these articles about how hard it is to be travel blogger and blah blah blah blah! All jobs are hard, all jobs require shit to get done! These bloggers should be thankful that they are probably writing their “How hard it is to be a travel blogger” while waiting for their flight to there next destination, where they are probably getting sponsored for all sorts! And I agree with #8. These travel bloggers that have a full face of make up and not a hair out of place, puh-leeeeeaaaaasssse girlfriend! Wouldn’t you rather spend more time exploring and creating better posts for your article then getting ready in the mirror for that perfect insta snap! Haha sorry, rant over! I’m just excited to have found someone on the same page as me! 🙂
Love this!! And sadly enough I’ve realized that number 7 has happened to me. I was actually quite shocked but yeah I did tell the person to fuck off, do better and go back to Feminism 101.
I think we need more humility, more being grateful and more being like ‘yeah for me, my life rocks!’.
Hahaha good on you girl 🙂 And yes I totally agree, we’re soooooo lucky and I think we probably take it all for granted a bit too often…
Hi there, yes this piece of writing is genuinely good and I have learned lot of things
from it on the topic of blogging. thanks.
The chances of actually making money with a travel blog are almost zero. And the few who do, have to write day and night. So yeah, if you’re chilling on a beach and putting a few posts, that ain’t gonna cut it.
Who believes bloggers in the first place? They’re all bribed to write star reviews or recommend products. Credibility: zero.
Keep rocking – TT
I totally agree. why whine? why not just enjoy the blogging with all the good and bad. I personally think blogging is a fun job especially if you have other job on the side. This is one funny article :))
This is so good! I’ve just started a travel blog – not for any reason other than I just like to talk about travel; I’m not expecting to make any money. So it pains me when I see full time travel bloggers that only seem to blog about blogging – come on guys, you must have some travelling to talk about!
Yep, I agree. I am incredibly thankful the option exists to be able to create my own business online and earn an income. Sure it’s hard work and there are challenging moments/days/weeks… but I’d take it over an office job with set hours and limited pay/options any day. Perspective!
Not a travel blogger but I did run an online business powered by my blog while living in various parts of Central America for 2016. And yes, I had a minor injury or two… no, they were not shared on Instagram.
You are always so funny! I love your blog 🙂 While I would love to have some money fall from the sky, I realize that it will not happen and I also accept that I will not be willing to put enough effort or time into my travel blog to turn it into a money-making machine. It will remain my personal little hobby and a way I can look back in years to come – more of a diary than a job. Anyway, it sounds like being a professional travel blogger is SUCH a hard life.. 😀
What I hate most about the high quantity travel bloggers who are getting paid, is that they do end up just writing listicles. Like, come on guys. If you were really being creative on the job, 90% of your product wouldn’t be listicles!
Love this! I often wonder if the bloggers you’re referring to have ever met a social worker or a surgeon in their lives to know the true meaning of hard work. Thanks for the giggle and much respect for this post!
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Very funny, very true! I think it would be unreasonable to think that any job would just be problem free.
Hi, Thanks for sharing this Wonderful article with us. its really help me. Have a great day
Ik ben toevallig op je blog terecht gekomen en heb het ene artikel na het ander gelezen.
Oorspronkelijk wou ik ook gewoon mijn verhalen kwijt (nadruk op VERHALEN) maar na lid te worden van verschillende travel blogging facebook groups en daar al die oppervlakkige artikels te zien van “De 10 beste dingen te doen in…”, ben ik onbewust beginnen denken dat dit de beste manier is om bezoekers te krijgen en als gevolg begon ik dit ook te doen en stopte ik helemaal met verhalen schrijven.
Datgene dat me eerst zoveel voldoening gaf, was weg en ik gaf helemaal niks meer om mijn blog. Er was geen motivatie meer.
Echt dom van me als ik daaraan denk, nuja, ik was gewoon beïnvloed door succesvolle travel bloggers.
Door jouw blog te lezen heb ik echter ingezien dat je wél je eigen ding kan doen en dat mensen het wél lezen. Bedankt daarvoor. Door jou ga ik terug opnieuw beginnen en 100% mezelf zijn en de verhalen schrijven die ik altijd al kwijt wilde. 🙂
I cannot agree more!
Just started learning about travel blogs. great write up definitely will help me ..
thanks for sharing your thoughts and expertise here ..
I just started my travel blog, And after reading your blog I got a lot of help. You explained things us very well. thank you for the information that you gave us. i enjoyed your blog.
Thank You so much for all tips and tricks it will help many people and me too. keep up the good work. i love traveling and your tips help me for that.
Great article!
I guess it’s in human nature to focus more on the negative aspects than to be grateful for the life and opportunities you have. Every now and done tough love is necessary. 🙂
Would you like to share your insight about blogging for an expert roundup? If you’re interested, I’d send you the details. If you even have the time, I’d be more than happy to do an interview with you about travel blogging.
WP Klik is a growing WordPress blog with a mission to provide the latest news, tutorials and cutting-edge solutions that will help non-developers create and manage WordPress websites.
Hahaha. anything worth while is hard work. Travel blogging is an amazing way to see the world…. and learn some amazing skills as well.
Lili, what a great travel blog!
Sensible, fun stuff.
Aaauuuwh thank you Sheila
This had me cracking up and smiling the entire read. Thanks!
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It’s great post for travel bloggers. They can relate this info with them, and that’s you have got so many comment on this post. As I travel blogger I can verify your reasons. Thanks mate for this amazing info, really appreciate.
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Nice Post. Thanks for sharing.
That 4th point.. Yess I agree with that… No one really loves you when you are doing somthing that makes you happy…
I agree with ever point you made here.
Especially #4- I can agree, no one loves and no one likes you when you are doing something you love!
I’m glad that someone has finally been able to address this.
Nice Post. Thanks for sharing.
The information imparted was very useful, Thanks for sharing.
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great post.. thanks for sharing such a wonderful post.. really appreciate it.. Cheers
Good article! I agree that getting your blog out there doesn’t just happen all by itself.
Yes It takes lot of effort to create a blog with unique content and get attention and readership. It takes huge effort to conceive an idea, put it down on paper and then get it become popular.
Yes, it is really hard to get a blog to become popular. It takes stamina and patience.
That is a great article which gives a real insight on how to get your blog a success and reach a substantial readers. Thank you for your blog.
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