Blog Talk: How to Travel for Free
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January 14, 2021
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to travel. I watched all my friends go off and study abroad while my broke ass stayed in the US hoping that one day I’d be able to see the world. Finally, thanks to this blog, I have been able to visit 5 countries in the past year alone. Incorporating travel into my blog is the best move I’ve made in years. And since I’m in Europe right now, I figured this would be the perfect time to talk about how I got here and how to travel for free.
How to Travel for Free
I first got the idea when I went to LA a few years ago. My friend Lauren and I were heading out west for a blogger conference and figured we could probably get a free hotel room in exchange for a blog post or two. After all, with our traffic and social media numbers combined, it would totally be a good deal for any hotel. Turns out the W agreed and we got a room for a few nights. Which is my first tip:
How to Travel for Free: Work with a hotel or Airbnb host in exchange for blog/social posts
Airbnb hosts also love professional photos as part of the deal if they don’t already have them. It’s important to start reaching out about 8 weeks ahead of your trip to secure a good place to stay. Start with emailing your top picks and work your way down your list. Most hotels have a press contact. Worst case, you’ll get a media rate at a hotel, which is roughly 50% of the usual rate – still a great deal! Protip: create a special creative direction guide similar to a media kit, but specific to your destination. Include inspiration photos and coverage plans. This will give a hotel a glimpse of your work and show them that you’re serious about working together.
The biggest expense for your travel blogging trip will be your flight. I’ve personally never heard of someone working with an airline for comped travel, but it’s not unheard of for the hotel to pay for your airfare if they’re running a specific campaign and reach out to you directly. Regardless, what’s worked best for me is to
Join an airline rewards program
I prefer Delta. Every time I have to fly for work, whether I purchase the ticket with my own money or not, I fly Delta. I get the miles when I fly and then I get double miles when I use my Delta American Express card. After just a few trips and a few months of spending, I had enough miles to qualify as a silver elite SkyMiles member (free upgrades, priority boarding, etc.). This year I’m going for the gold! Oh and be sure to check out The Flight Deal to keep up on any good deals. This is how I always plan my trips.
Write off expenses
Since it’s tax season, this is on my mind now more than ever (even though I’m like constantly thinking about taxes, ugh). When you go on a trip for your blog and you earn money from said blog, then all related expenses can be included when tax time comes around. Obvi consult a pro to be sure with your specific financial situation, but it’s similar to a trip you would go on if you worked for another company. Meals can be counted–especially if it’s part of the deal with the hotel or you’re meeting with a photographer–transportation (including airfare), gas, etc.
This is the process that has worked for me in the past and it’s turned into some amazing trips. After I get home from Barcelona and Nice, I think it will be time to start planning my next trip. Any suggestions?
Do you have any travel blogging tips?
Italy photos by Johnny Cheng.
March 15, 2016 @ 8:36 am
This is awesome! I’ve been wanting to incorporate some travel into my blog. I need to get a Delta AmEx!!!
March 15, 2016 @ 10:17 am
This is a super helpful post! Thanks for sharing. As a general rule, do you usually initiate the contact with hotels, or do hotels usually contact you first? I would love to do this!
xoxo
Caylie
https://soulpaletteblog.wordpress.com/
March 15, 2016 @ 10:57 am
Good ideas! I would have never thought of that!
March 15, 2016 @ 1:40 pm
I loved this post! I’ve been learning to cut down my expenses as a blogger as well and now with Air BnB, you can find some really great ways to cut down on costs. Too bad airlines haven’t hopped on board the blogger train right? I say your next destination is Toronto! xo Nic Mora
http://givememora.com
March 15, 2016 @ 4:47 pm
This is awesome!!! I knew that you could make money doing this, but nobody has ever shared their tips for it that I’m aware of. Thank you for sharing! It’s my dream to do this one day!
March 15, 2016 @ 6:00 pm
I so need to be bolder and more aggressive with my hotel pitching.
March 17, 2016 @ 5:04 pm
Same here, I am way too nervous about rejection. =/
March 19, 2016 @ 10:48 am
Don’t be!!! I’ve had tons of people say no to me. Who cares? Eventually someone will say yes!
March 15, 2016 @ 9:57 pm
Wow, these tips are soooo helpful! Thanks for sharing, Megan! And I hope you’re having a lovely time in Europe! 🙂
March 15, 2016 @ 10:56 pm
These photos are gorgeous and I love the idea of a media / press kit tailored to the location!
xx Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes
March 16, 2016 @ 10:17 am
Love these tips! I never even thought about pitching to hotels!
Love,
http://www.thestyleventure.com
March 16, 2016 @ 1:53 pm
For those non-bloggers who are passionate about travel, find a job where you get to travel! I work in biomedical research and the doctors I work for spend 50% of their time on the road going to conferences. You can earn miles on the company’s dime and use them on traveling for leisure.
March 17, 2016 @ 6:27 pm
I haven’t personally tried it yet but the international house and pet sitters web site has caught my eye ! When my BF or hubby by then lol retires we are hoping to try it for a long term stay in Europe !
March 18, 2016 @ 4:23 pm
These are great tips. I’ve been thinking about trying to incorporate more travel onto my site and this just motivated me! Can’t wait to read about your latest trip!
Taffeta & Tulips
March 20, 2016 @ 5:21 pm
Finally! A blog post on some truly unique travel tips, especially for those active in blogging and/or social media, thanks!
March 21, 2016 @ 1:39 pm
Thank you so much for sharing this. My goal this year is to travel more as a lifestyle blogger.
May 5, 2016 @ 6:31 pm
Just curious how is a reader to ever trust anything written in someone’s blog if the blogger is compensated. It’s not like blogged would write about the horrible hotel when it was provided for free
May 8, 2016 @ 12:57 am
I disagree. I would absolutely write about a hotel being bad if it was. It doesn’t matter if it was free or not. I’m staying in a horrible hotel right now and plan to post about it. I’m not someone who lies, so I would never be dishonest in a blog post.
July 10, 2016 @ 12:34 am
This post is major Goals all around! Thank you thank you for sharing!!
xoxo, Candice
http://www.candicenikeia.com
December 23, 2016 @ 3:34 pm
Love this!
I would for sure check out Travel Advisor. Great tips and basically tells you everything you need..
Good luck!!
XO
December 8, 2017 @ 1:59 am
I’m new to your blog and aspire to start my own blog within a month. I love all your suggestions!
December 12, 2017 @ 12:00 pm
Omg yay!! Thank you so much for reading! Best of luck and if you ever need help feel free to email me! 🙂 <3
January 12, 2018 @ 3:39 pm
Do you plan on writing on how you do a special creative direction guide for those of us that do not know where to start? Pretty please haha