5 Lessons Learned From a Year of Blogging

I had the idea to start Will Drink For Travel in January of 2014 as a way to keep my family and friends abreast of my travels during my 2-month stay in Tanzania.  The more I researched, the more I realized this could be an actual “thing.”  I could start a blog about something I actually love…TRAVEL!  (Why did that take me 30 years?!)

I found a web designer (something I think all new bloggers should do), talked to blogger friends about the do’s & don’ts of blogging (shout out to Joi-Marie of The Fab Empire and Kim of Pish Posh Perfect for being my resident advisors) and off I went!  A year later…here we are and here are some of the things I’ve learned.

1. It’s hard work.

Research, consistency, time management, planning and so much more go into making a blog successful.  Before I started WDFT, I never really realized how much effort people put into making their blog visually appealing and most importantly, relevant.

When you start a blog, you’re basically building a brand from the ground up.  It’s not something you realize when you think, “Hey, I want to start a blog!”  Social media followings, content development, relevancy, and networking all matter if you want your travel blog to be more than just a place for your own thoughts and diary of your travels.

2. Your brain is always ON.

I’m always thinking about what my next move is.  How can I make my blog better?  How can I be more relevant?  What other bloggers are doing what I want to do?  I feel like I am always thinking about how to up the ante for WDFT.  I guess that happens when you care about your end product and want people to like the content you produce.

3. You actually have to enjoy blogging to keep up with it.

While I’ve only been blogging for a year, it’s taught me a lot about myself. Yesterday, I said to a friend how surprised I am that I’m still keeping up with it.  That’s the honest truth.  Usually, I have great ideas and will start something but not finish it for a variety of excuses reasons…I don’t have the time, it’s too hard or frankly, I’m too lazy to continue.

I have been surprisingly consistent in updating WDFT.  I’ve read several blogs that say you need to be consistent and come up with a weekly schedule for yourself and for your readers.  I haven’t yet mastered this but it’s on my list of things to accomplish for 2015.

4. You will be told NO.  And you have to get over it.

This one is the hardest to accept but my blog isn’t as established (yet) as some other travel blogs.  I can reach out to Tourism Authorities, hotels, restaurants, spirits or whomever, and they may tell me no.  And that’s OKAY.

I went to an event for DC Area Bloggers last week and my new blogger friend Jess of The Dining Traveler dropped a little nugget of wisdom. She’s been blogging for a few years and said that when she first started her site, she wanted to partner with a hotel and they denied her.  Years later, she’s recently worked with that same hotel and everything’s come full circle.  I have to remember that I am still new to travel blogging.  If I build it, they will come.

5. A plan and direction are important.

Once you get a blog up and running, you have to focus on building your content.  That sounds harder than one might think.  Posting twice a week for 52 weeks is 104 posts.  Coming up with 104 different posts sounds just as difficult as it is.

I may have slow weeks when I’m not traveling or can’t really think of fresh content.  I don’t believe in posting BS just to say something’s posted for the week.  But it’s absolutely necessary for me to think about what I want to accomplish with my blog and come up with a plan for the week, month and the year.  That’s the only way I will continue to have fresh and meaningful content that goes with the theme of my site.

Overall, it’s been a great year of blogging.  While it has been harder than I imagined, I’ve loved every second of it.  I’ve proved a lot to myself and have virtually started from the bottom (cue Drake).  I’ve been on the radio, featured in a few online magazines and the word about Will Drink For Travel continues to spread.  Cheers to one great year down, and many more to go!

Dear Travel Industry, Black People Travel Too…

A few weeks ago, I attended my first New York Times Travel Show. While the show lasts all weekend, I attended on Friday which is known as Industry Day.  It’s a chance for Travel Editors, Bloggers, Travel Agents and other travel professionals to meet with tourism representatives about the business side of travel.

Attending the conference was also a great chance to connect with fellow travel bloggers that I only knew through social media, as well as other tourism professionals from around the world.  I enjoyed the creative presentations of each country and hope to one day visit each one (seriously…call me!).  However, one thing that was overwhelmingly obvious was that there were way less people present that looked like me than not.

Of course, some island countries were present at the Travel Show and most were represented by people of color for obvious reasons.  However, many European countries were not (also for obvious reasons) and honestly, I did not receive the warmest of welcomes by some of them when I requested to learn more information about their destination.

I’m not going to name specific countries, but there was definitely more than one that gave me the cold shoulder.  I was a little taken back by how off-putting some representatives were.  But here’s the thing they need to realize: Black people travel to more places than just the Caribbean!  This is no diss against the Caribbean.  Believe me, the islands love me and I love them right back.  But my interests are diverse and my choice in vacation destinations reflect that.   According to research by the Mandala Research Firm:

1. 17% of African Americans take one or more international trips a year;
2. African Americans spend $48 billion on travel in the United States alone.

Did you read the stats above closely?  Black people spent $48 BILLION on travel in the United States alone!  That means that if we’re traveling in United States, we are also willing to travel to other places around the world.  Tourism Boards and traveling professionals should begin marketing to us because it’s far too big a market to neglect.

With @KimberlyNatasha at the New York Times Travel Show

I’m sure I could write an entire dissertation about the Diaspora and the downright disdain for people of color around the world.  It’s clear that not many Blacks travel to far off places often.  In fact, when I was in Istanbul, my friends and I were stared at and secretly photographed by people who had never seen Black people before. I don’t think they meant us any harm but maybe, just maybe, if people of color traveled to countries where we are not native, when natives do see us, it won’t be that big a shock to them.

But that begs me to ask…are people of color not going to these places because they’re not interested, or because we’re not being marketed to? I’d argue the latter.  Over the holidays when travel deals to Iceland and Abu Dhabi popped up, thousands of Black travelers – including tons of my friends – hopped on board.  Why? Because of availability, affordability and most importantly, curiosity and willingness to explore new places.

Whether you like it or not, Black Americans are traveling internationally more than ever.  Next time you meet another Blogger or Travel Agent of color interested in working with you at a travel show, via an email introduction or on the street, be a little more open in sharing information about your destination.  Our audiences are interested in visiting your country too…and let’s face it, the only color that really matters is green.