The 5 things you’ll need to create an awesome travel blog<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Beyond your awesome writing and pictures, these are the 5 things you’ll need to build your travel blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Web hosting<\/strong> – this is the engine that will power your travel blog and make it available to visitors around the world. (We recommend SiteGround<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Domain name<\/strong> – your blog’s permanent address. For example, ours is
themeisle.com<\/code>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n- The free WordPress software<\/strong> – we highly recommend you use self-hosted WordPress<\/strong>, located at wordpress.org<\/strong>. This is different than WordPress.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A WordPress theme<\/strong> – once you install WordPress, your theme controls how your travel blog looks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- WordPress plugins<\/strong> – plugins help you add functionality to your site without requiring any technical knowledge. You’ll use them to add maps of where you’ve traveled, travel galleries, and more.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Once we show you how to get those basics set up, we’ll also share some tips for how you can create content on your blog, promote it, and maybe even get some extra money online from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t \t\n\t\t \t\tHow to start a \u2708\ufe0f travel #blog with #WordPress \ud83e\uddb6 step-by-step guide<\/a>\n\t\t \t<\/div>\n\t\t \t\n\t\t \tClick To Tweet \n\t\t \t\t<\/span>\n\t\t \t<\/a>\n\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nHow to start a travel blog: step-by-step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:1024\/h:706\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/nomadic-matt.jpg\")
One of the most popular travel blogs around: Nomadic Matt<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Here’s your step-by-step guide to start a travel blog:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Step 1: Pick a niche<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2: Select a domain name<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 3: Purchase WordPress hosting and install WordPress<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 4: Choose a travel blog theme<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 5: Install helpful plugins for travel blogs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 6: Create and add content<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 7: Build your blog\u2019s audience<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 8: How to make money from your travel blog<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nStep 1: Pick a niche<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There’s a wide choice of travel blog niches to pick from – specific country or area, backpacking, targeted audiences, luxury travel, traveling with kids or pets, and more. Your chances of building a high traffic blog improve if you keep your focus on a few specific areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go with the one<\/a> you’re most passionate about because you’re in this for the long haul!<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nStep 2: Select a domain name<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Your domain name should be simple and easy to remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using a brand name in the domain may not be an option for you when you’re just starting off. So, you should do the next best thing, select a name that you can build into a brand. Something that’s short, easy to recall, and maybe a bit quirky. Keyword-based names are good too, though you’ll find that most are already taken up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You could even use your own name if you’re going to maintain a highly personal style throughout your blog. Or, you can use part of your name in a brand – e.g. nomadicmatt.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have some general tips on how to choose a domain name<\/a>. And if you’re really stuck, you can try using a blog name generator<\/a> to come up with some ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nStep 3: Purchase WordPress hosting and install WordPress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Your hosting is important because it ensures your site loads quickly and is always available to your visitors. There are a ton of quality WordPress hosting services<\/a>, but a good starting point is SiteGround<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to always scoring well in our annual WordPress hosting survey, SiteGround:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Is affordable<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Gives you a setup wizard that installs WordPress for you<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Makes it easy purchase your domain name<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Has awesome support if you ever need help<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
You can choose the cheapest StartUp<\/strong> plan to get started. Then, you just need to follow the simple signup process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you sign up, SiteGround will configure your domain name and install WordPress for you…which means you officially have a working travel blog!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
Start a travel blog with SiteGround<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nStep 4: Choose a travel blog theme<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Your blog’s theme determines how it looks. Luckily, you’ll find a number of free and premium themes, many designed specifically for travel blogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you pick an existing travel blog theme, you’ll instantly get set up with a great-looking travel blog. You don’t have to go far to find some cool themes that are good for travel sites. Themeisle offers two such themes with travel-related starter designs – Neve<\/a> and Hestia<\/a>. To be honest though, designs optimized for blogging will also fit most websites.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"Hestia\"](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Hestia.png\")
\n\n\n\nFor example, the Neve theme offers some of the following features:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Over 100 pre-built designs<\/a>, including ones that are ideal for blogs and websites focused on travel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Compatibility with the Block Editor<\/a> and also with popular page builders like Elementor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Lightning fast performance – consistently ranking among the fastest WordPress themes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Clean code designed with SEO in mind.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Fully-responsive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
All these built-in features make it super simple to start a travel blog that will look great, and that will load quickly to keep your visitors and the search engines happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To install your chosen theme, visit your WordPress dashboard and click Appearance \u2192 Themes \u2192 Add New<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nStep 5: Install helpful plugins for travel blogs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
WordPress plugins help you add new functionality to your travel blog without requiring any technical knowledge on your part<\/strong>. They’re one of the things that makes WordPress so awesome. And pretty much every WordPress site makes good use of plugins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are some must-have plugins<\/a> for all<\/strong> sites, including travel blogs. The most commonly used plugins span several categories, most of which are featured below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ud83d\udc49 The following links will take you to dedicated articles about each topic:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- SEO plugins<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Caching plugins<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Social share button plugins<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Security plugins<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Contact form plugins<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Gutenberg block plugins<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Beyond those popular choices, you’ll also want some specific travel plugins. While this can vary depending on your focus area, here are some good ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- A good photo gallery plugin such as NextGEN Gallery to share your travel pictures in a gallery<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n
- Caching plugins<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Compatibility with the Block Editor<\/a> and also with popular page builders like Elementor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Over 100 pre-built designs<\/a>, including ones that are ideal for blogs and websites focused on travel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2: Select a domain name<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Domain name<\/strong> – your blog’s permanent address. For example, ours is