Here's how much some of the industry's most successful travel bloggers are earning

We speak to four former journalists about why they made the switch to blogging

This month, we’ve focussed predominately on why I [Steph] have made blogging a central part of my travel writing career. But I’m certainly not the only one who’s chosen to head down this road. That’s why in this edition, we’re talking to former journalists turned bloggers about what encouraged them to take the leap and, most importantly, what impact it’s had on their careers.

As we’ll see, while I make most of my income through advertising revenue, affiliates and my own products and services, there are other ways to make a viable income from a blog, including brand partnerships and even running conferences tailored to helping other bloggers learn their trade. This is one of the characteristics of this field that has always most appealed to me: you’re in control of how you run your business and no two blogging strategies ever look the same.

So let’s find out how four other journalists established successful travel blogs — and how much they make from them.

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Brett Love, co-founder of Green Global Travel and Blue Ridge Mountains Travel Guide

How long have you been blogging? 

I started blogging in 2010 when Mary (my wife and business partner) and I launched our first website, Green Global Travel, which was one of the world's first blogs to focus on responsible travel and the conservation of nature, wildlife, and indigenous cultures. 

What was the initial reason you moved from travel journalism to travel blogging?

There were a few reasons. First, I'd been wanting to find a way to focus on ecotourism since the late '90s, when I learned about the concepts during press trips to Costa Rica, Alaska, and South Africa as the Mng Editor of a chain of college newspapers. Originally I thought I'd write a book, or maybe launch a magazine. But by 2010 blogging was emerging as an easy self-publishing option. 

Second, having freelanced from 1995 to 2010, I could see the changes in the industry coming a mile away. Print publications were disappearing, budgets were shrinking, competition increasing, and editors wanted quick, easy-to-read stories that didn't make people think too much. And none of my dozens of clients (mostly airline and luxury hotel magazines) were interested in my ecotourism pitches. 

Lastly, Mary got laid off in late 2009 from a company she'd managed for 10 years. The economy in the US at the time was terrible, and she wasn't finding jobs that paid her what she was worth. We had to decide, should she keep working in the corporate world, spending two hours a day in traffic and days filled with stress, for half what she'd made at her old job? Or should we become entrepreneurs, and gamble on ourselves? Honestly, starting a blog was the best decision we ever made!