To make things more fun this year, I’ve asked a number of other travel bloggers to get into the spirit with me, and come up with even more suggestions that we all wanted to share with you.

We decided to focus on our best holiday gift suggestions for travelers, and each of us has used our expertise to produce lists specific to different types of travelers – adventure travelers, budget travelers, luxury travelers, sports travelers, green travelers, guy travelers, women travelers, and of course, travel writers!

Travel Gift Categories
Holiday Gifts for the Adventure Traveler
Holiday Gifts for the Guy Traveler
Holiday Gifts for Women Travelers
Holiday Gifts for the Sports Traveler
Holiday Gifts for the Budget Traveler
Holiday Gifts for the Green Traveler
Holiday Gifts for the Luxury Traveler

We encourage you to visit the websites of each of the participating travel blogs for our great gift ideas – you’re sure to find a few ideas that will be perfect for the traveler on your gift list!

For those of you with Travel Writers on your holiday shopping list, I thought I’d help you out with some suggestions for gifts that they are sure to be super-excited to receive!

Travel Gift Ideas for Travel Writers

Stocking Stuffers: (under $30)

1. A few extra SDHC (SD High Capacity) memory cards for all those precious travel photos and video – with memory cards so inexpensive these days, a smart travel writer doesn’t reuse cards, she stores them for permanent retention.

2. A Moleskin Pocket Notebook – for those times when only handwritten notes will do (or a lack of electricity makes it your only option!)

3. A Pocket Digital Voice Recorder – be prepared for an impromptu interview and never miss another sound bite!

4. Best American Travel Writing 2009 – find inspiration and motivation from the masters of this craft we call travel writing.

Mid-Priced: (under $200)

5. Membership in the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association – the benefits are many, making it a super value for a small cost.

6. Flip UltraHD or MinoHD Video camcorder – every travel writer needs to be recording video too these days to keep up with the multi-media demands of tech-savvy travelers.

7. A decent microphone – to capture those travel podcast recordings like a pro.

8. The WikiReader Pocket Wikipedia – having the world’s best reference tool (Wikipedia) right in your pocket will make you the most popular travel writer (okay, geek) in any crowd!

Splurge:

9. A Kindle – so you can take all your favorite travel writing books with you, because reading is as important as writing.

10 A Netbook, like the Acer AspireOne or the Samsung NC10 – lightweight enough to toss in a backpack, powerful enough to handle all your travel writing needs.

11. Give the Gift of Adventure with BedandBreakfast.com Getaway Gift Cards – because the reason we’re travel writers is that we love to travel, right?

In the spirit of early compliance with the new FTC rules concerning disclosure by bloggers of content that is in any way remunerated, the above links do earn a small amount of money if you click on them and make a purchase. Not much, maybe enough for a cup of coffee or a beer, but every little bit helps keep this site going and helps us continue to provide you with great information, so we deeply appreciate your support!

~Trisha

Do you have some suggestions for travel gift ideas? Share your thoughts!

Last week we briefly summarized how Suzy can use Article Syndication to build credibility, become perceived as an expert in her travel niche, and increase inbound links to her site as her articles get reprinted across other sites.

This week we’re discussing how important it is for Suzy to begin building an email subscriber list.

Suzy asked me — as many other beginning travel bloggers do — why she needs an email subscriber list. It’s a good question.

Why build a subscriber list?

You could consider the point that there are a fair number of who prefer an email, for the simple reason that they don’t have (or want to use) an RSS Feed reader, and have neither the time nor the ability to remember to check your blog every day to see if you’ve posted new content, so getting an email from you when you have new content is a convenience for them.

However, while that’s nice for your readers, it does nothing for you. So there is a much more important, and still simple, answer. Which is….

Because the money is in the list.

Oooh I can hear a collective gasp from the crowd…..Yes, that’s a blunt statement, and a lot of writers I speak to are intially, well, almost offended when I suggest such a thing. But remember that Suzy’s goal is to earn a living from her website, so that she can have the freedom to write what she wants instead of whatever paying freelance jobs come her way.

If you write about traveling with pets, then it’s a good bet that the people who read your blog are pet owners, and as such would likely be very interested in reading about pet-related products. They’ll want to read reviews about them. They’ll want to know your opinion of them. They’ll want to know where they can buy them cheaply.

They’ll also be interested in knowing that a product they like is on sale, or better yet, finding out about an exclusive discount or a giveaway that you’ve negotiated with a pet product manufacturer. In addition to your blog posts, this is the type of great stuff that you can send to your subscribers – links to where they can find great deals on products that you know they are interested in.

And when they make a purchase, you earn some revenue for that. It’s called Affiliate income.

So the more people you can send an email to tell them “hey I have this great exclusive deal for you“, the more likely you are to make money from that.

I’ve heard from writers and bloggers who say “but I don’t like to push products or try to sell things”. I understand that, but lets not forget that you’re also providing your readers with an important benefit. Without you and your exclusive deal, or even a sale or discount you found that they might not have, they’d wind up paying more for that product that they want.

I know that if there’s something I want, and someone I know tells me they have a 30% off savings if I buy it through them, you can be darn sure I’m going to buy it through them and save myself a chunk of change.

Building an Opt-In Mailing List

The first step is to add an email signup form if you don’t already have one. If you’re using WordPress, you can do this as simply as cutting and pasting some code into a text Widget for your sidebar.

Options for setting up a sign-in form include:

• Plugins (assuming that you use WordPress, I listed a few below) that do email list management and newsletter mailing,
  • Pros: Most are free or very cheap, some have double-opt-in for your protection;
  • Cons: Less flexibility and sophistication than online options, also they use your mailserver, and keeping a mailserver from getting blacklisted for suspected spamming can be a tricky thing. It’s rare but it can happen;
• Online email list managment services, such as MailChimp, AWeber, and Constant Contact (the three best in our opinion)
  • Pros: Guaranteed mail delivery (no spam blacklisting issues), lots of sending flexibility, auto-responders and follow-up messages, click tracking, tech support, and many HTML newsletter templates to choose from;
  • Cons: They aren’t free, although MailChimp does have a free level if you have 500 or fewer subscribers. After 500, it’s priced the same as AWeber and Constant Contact;
• Feedburner (owned by Google) does have a free email list management feature
  • Pros: It’s free and simple to implement, does have click tracking;
  • Lacks some flexibility in scheduling (emails go out every time you publish a blog post), and also lacks some of the sophistication and features of paid services.

So which option should you use? It depends on a couple of factors – budget and how frequently you typically publish to your travel blog. We’re all inundated with email these days, and even email we want to receive can seem overwhelming if it comes too frequently. Unless you’re sending out such great, valuable deals or information that people really want on a daily basis, you’ll get a lot of unsubscribes if you email folks more frequently than once per week.

So If you have NO budget at all, and only publish to your travel blog once a week or less, choose between Feedburner (free) and MailChimp (free until you get over 500 subscribers).

If you have no budget, but publish more frequently than once a week, try a WordPress Plugin like Subscribe2 or Newsletter (but be aware that they offer little to no tech support), OR go with MailChimp.

AWeber (which we use), Constant Contact both cost about $20 per month for 0 to 500 subscribers, and once you reach your 501st subscriber, they and MailChimp will all run you about the same price, which is $30 per month.

Another important point to consider is that if at any point you decide to change your email list management tool of choice, it’s very likely that your subscribers will have to re-opt in to your list, at which point you may lose some of them.

In my humble opinion, MailChimp is the best option, since it’s a service that starts out free, giving you some time to get your travel blog earning some advertising revenue before you need to start paying for it, and it can grow with you as your subscriber list grows.

The bottom line is that a subscriber list benefits both your subscribers (by providing them with great information and links to products and deals that you, the expert, find for them) and you by providing you with the opportunity to earn some income.

Stay tuned! Next week we’ll cover some methods that Suzy will employ to build her email subscriber list and keep unsubscribes low.

~Trisha

Do you use an email list manager? Share your experience!

This is especially so if you’ve self-published your own travel guides, such as I have.

Self-publishing is, after all, a do-it-yourself project, and marketing is but one step in the process, albeit, perhaps, the most important one.

I personally think my guidebooks are the greatest thing since sliced bread, but others can’t share this opinion if they don’t know about my books. If I want to sell my books, then I’ve got to let people know they’re out there.

That’s where marketing comes in.

Things I do to market my Cheryl’s Guides:

• Email signature. My email signature contains links to my books. Most of my friends forward emails without deleting contact information, including signatures, so I can potentially reach thousands of people just through my emails being forwarded.
• Website. My website is crucial to my marketing efforts, as my signatures also refer readers to it. My main website is about travel in China, and I have a page in there about my guidebooks. When I expand my guidebooks to non-China topics, then I’ll create a separate website for all my guides. My guidebook page links to GuideGecko where my books are on sale. I post any positive reader feedback I get both on my website and the GuideGecko site for potential buyers to read.
• Blog. My blog is about travel in China, and I talk about my books there, again linking them to GuideGecko. I post comments on other blogs if I can add something meaningful to the discussion, and use a signature. I also write guest blogs if the opportunity arises. As writers we like to be paid for our work, but if all I’m offered is a link to my books, I’ll do it on the chance the blog post may result in some sales.
• Forums (aka Message boards). Forums are a good place to really promote my guides. I answer questions about China that people have, but only if I can give them a knowledgeable answer. My signature has a link to my website. I devote most of my time to answering questions on the Lonely Planet’s message board for China as independent travelers are my target audience. I occasionally post on Frommer’s, but rarely on Fodor’s, as those readers are into high-end luxury travel with private guides. They would have little interest in taking public transportation to an attraction, so they’re not a high marketing priority for me. I occasionally look at other message boards to see if they should be added to those I check regularly.
• Reviews. Good reviews can help book sales a lot. Ask for them! For example, Suite101 and Examiner writers are among those always looking for things to write about in their specialty area. Research who those writers are and then ask if they’ll review your book. This is not a time to be shy! If the writers agree to review my books, I email them a .PDF copy and a request to link to where my books are on sale. I use positive reviews on my website and blog to promote my books.
• Social media. I have mixed opinions about whether this works, but other self-published authors say it does, so I’m giving Twitter a try.
• News releases. As a former reporter, I’ve worked for many newspapers.  I send out news releases to them when a new book comes out. I’ve gotten book sales this way. I also send a news release to my college alumni magazine.
• Travel-Writers-Exchange.com. This website offers good, basic information on how to promote yourself as a travel writer and guidebook author. Read and learn from the articles here. I have.

These are the main things I do to market my books. There are more things I could be doing, and perhaps one of these days I will.

My philosophy on marketing my travel guides is to do anything that’s legal to get my name before the public, and I think I’ve just touched the surface of what can be done.

~Cheryl

What methods do you use to market yourself? Share your advice!

It’s easy to get extremely overwhelmed when it comes down to the actual process of preparing and planning out your trip, but it’s also important to keep the process in perspective, outline your goals for what you just “have” to finish before you depart, and work backwards from there.

Some of the top hurdles to overcome in the planning process include: handling your material possessions, travel insurance and vaccines, finances on the road, and planning the route.

Material Possessions: Eliminate the “Stuff” in Your Life

Purging personal possessions is one of the toughest obstacles you may encounter because let’s face it, Western society likes “stuff.” Clothes, books, knickknacks, electronics – these are all of the easy purges. That’s not to say that you necessarily want to get rid of them, but storage fees can be pricey and leaving on a RTW journey is the perfect opportunity to streamline your life.
 
You’ll want to start the purging process early and sometimes it helps to call in a friend or family member to help you assess those possessions that are really worth keeping. Two key possessions that take a lot of consideration are the car and the house. While I normally advocate traveling with as few possessions back home as possible, the current economy has made selling a non-prospect for many travelers, especially those planning a year or less on the road.

If you choose to keep your house you have several options: rent it out, hire a house-sitter, or close down the house. All three of these will mean taking time out of your travels to field phone calls from back home, handle paperwork, and deal with any house-related issues. Talk to family members and close friends about the roles they might be willing to play in helping you manage renters, safely close down and monitor the property, or see if they’re willing to house-sit for a reasonable fee (an ideal option if you have pets).

Health: Pick an insurance plan and choose your vaccines

You’ve got your yard sale piles formed, you’re purging like a champ, and now it’s time to make an appointment with your local travel clinic. Travel vaccines can be pricey but shop around and find out what your general practitioner can handle instead of the clinic. Although your GP is a great choice for getting some shots covered on your current health insurance, travel clinics are up-to-date on all of the latest information from the CDC.

Do your own research at the CDC Web site and write out a full list of your planned destinations – if you’re winging it and only have a rough plan, list each region and they’ll help you decide which vaccines maximize your safety.

Getting vaccines before you leave and filling recommended prescriptions are great ways to ensure that you are as healthy as possible on the road, but just these precautions do not preclude the need for good travel insurance. Even if you have insurance in your home country you must purchase travel insurance.

I’m not even going to say that you need to, it’s a must. Make sure that your travel insurance provider includes these essentials: med-evac back to your home country, repatriation of your remains (you’re not going to die, but if you do this is an important one for your family), and coverage for any of your planned adventure activities. It’s also great to have theft coverage on your electronics and money if your luggage is lost by an airline, but really it’s the first three that are the most important travel insurance considerations.

Finances: Choose the cards and prep your taxes

Two of the most important considerations in the finance stage of planning your RTW trip are choosing your credit cards and prepping your taxes. Find out current foreign withdrawal and transaction fees for all of your current cards; most major credit cards charge between 1% and 3% so if you don’t like what you hear, shop around.

If you’re carrying a bank card with a Visa logo on it then consider a MasterCard credit card. Not all places accept both cards and it is really imperative actually that you have both of these on you.  

Taxes are inevitable and it’s best to face the issue head-on if you’re going to be on the road when the tax deadline comes around. Consider filing for an extension if you’ll be back not long after the tax deadline; otherwise, gather all of your tax documents into one location and talk to your tax accountant about how best to get all of the documents and forms in on time.

Planning the Route: Book as you go and take recommendations

Slow down and don’t over plan; while I acknowledge that there are people who only feel comfortable traveling if they have all of their time and activities plotted out, RTW travel is different. You have the time to figure it out along the way.

As you’re plotting your route and dreaming about all of the places you’d love to visit, remember that each of these countries is not a “notch on the belt.” When you’re considering your route look into estimated costs for each country; spending additional time in the cheaper countries allows you the freedom and breathing room to indulge in a lot more local activities. My RTW trip budget is a good starting place for researching country costs and will give you a rough expectation for daily budgets.

Your flights are a serious consideration; buying a series of one-way flights versus the RTW ticket takes research. The costs often work out very closely if not in favor of the RTW ticket, but you do lose some spontaneity if you book your entire route in advance. All of the major RTW ticketing companies offer free consultations and one-way ticket prices can be researched at the major online booking services.

A few last considerations for planning your RTW trip:

• Pack lightly! They sell more toiletries and clothes in every place you’re visiting.
• Bring at least 8 passport sized photos and several photocopies of your passport.
• Make a list of your must-visit sites in each country and leave the rest up to whimsy.

My parting thoughts: go slowly and absorb the stories and culture, you’re likely going to visit a lot of temples and ancient sites all over the world but it’s the people you meet along the way who you’ll most remember!

~Shannon

Have you traveled around the world? Share your tips!

Last week we briefly summarized how Suzy is using Social Media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Stumbleupon, and YouTube, to broaden her reach and increase the number of site visitors to her new travel blog.

This week we’re discussing how Suzy can use Article Syndication (also called Article Marketing) to accomplish two important goals:

• Increase the number of inbound links via article syndication;
• Establish credibility as an expert in her travel niche;

Article Syndication is simply taking an article that you’ve written that contains timeless, authoritative content, intended to be useful or valuable to a reader, and submitting it to one or more article submission sites or directories, such as EzineArticles.com or GoArticles.com. Article Submission sites serve as a resource for websites that are looking for articles specific topics.

Websites that are looking for content on your topic can choose to reprint your article. The websites that reprint your article are required to keep your “author resources” (byline, bio, and link to your website) intact. The effect is the same as newspaper syndication – you benefit from the increased exposure by having your article reprinted across [potentially] many other websites, and you’ll get inbound links from those sites back to your travel blog.

Many of the top Article Submission sites are free to submit your articles to, but most have some fairly strict rules for acceptance, so you’ll want to read their submission guidelines first.

Suzy has never submitted any of her articles to an article submission site before, but she realizes that she has a lot of knowledge and experience within her travel niche, and that there are others who could benefit from the information that she could share.

What types of articles work best for article syndication?

Most article submission sites do not accept articles that are reviews or marketing pieces for places or products, nor about events or other time/date based topics that would be obsolete quickly.

The most popular articles are advisory – how-to’s, tips and tricks, insider secrets, and lists. While a list of top destination spas would not likely get accepted (a spa on the list could be out of business when the article gets reprinted) but a list of most popular spa treatments and their benefits would be a hit.

To be really popular, an article should educate and inform the reader from an expert point of view.

Think of the questions that people could ask you about your travel niche, and how you could structure an article that would answer that question. It isn’t necessary to write an article that answers all questions (save that for an eBook, which we’ll cover in Week 13), in fact, shorter articles tend to be more popular because many people have little time or a too-short attention span for long articles. A good length to aim for in an article you want to syndicate is roughly 400 to 600 words.

Tips for an effective article marketing strategy

• Before you ever submit your first article, be sure your Author Biography, which will go in your Author Resources section, is as good as it can be;
• Remember to follow the article submission site’s guidelines to ensure article acceptance;
• If you’re submitting something that you also wrote for your own or another travel blog, modify it by at least 20% to avoid any duplicate content issues;
• Pick several article submission sites, modifying your article for each, and gauge how each works for you;
• Just like with your travel blog, regular article submissions will keep your content fresh and build credibility – the more articles you submit (on your travel niche topic), the more of an expert you are perceived to be;
• Set a goal to submit an article at least once per month, weekly if you have a lot of knowledge to share – if you can’t be frequent in your schedule at least be consistent;
• Quality counts for much more than quantity – long articles aren’t necessary, but good ones are!

Remember that just with print syndication, patience is key – it can take a while for an article to get reprinted by enough other websites for you to see any significant bump in traffic, but with regular article submissions, it will happen.

Stay tuned! Next week we’ll cover some techniques that Suzy will use to build her email subscriber list, which is a vital component of being able to monetize her travel blog.

~Trisha

What other ways do you attract visitors to your travel blog? Share your tips!

A number of travel bloggers wrote to me asking this burning question: Is it worth the time, effort, and expense to attend BlogWorld Expo?

The only answer I can give is “that depends”……I know that sounds like a cop-out, but really it does depend on what/how much you already know going in to it, and what you expect to get out of it.

BWE consists of three days of four educational sessions per day, in ten different but concurrently run tracks, lasting roughly an hour and 15 minutes each, along with keynote addresses and a break for lunch. So twice each morning and twice each afternoon you choose which session to attend from ten that are scheduled. The ten tracks were varied but primarily focused on a specific blogging niche, as well as social networking and blog monetization.

If you blog in a niche that was represented in the educational sessions (Mommy blogging, Sports blogging, Military blogging, Real Estate blogging, and Medical blogging), then you would have definitely found something of value in some of those sessions.

If you manage a non-profit, those sessions were highly valuable as well (in my spare time I serve as webmaster for a non-profit environmental group, so I attended those sessions).

If you’re new to using social media networks to connect with others and build an audience, then you would likely have gotten something of value from those social media sessions. However, if you’re already very experienced with social media, you might have been interested in some of the opinions of the panelists, but it’s unlikely that you would have learned anything new.

Sadly the travel bloggers track was skimpy, with just a few sessions presented only on the last day, and although the panelists in those sessions did a great job, there just wasn’t enough time to really do more than brush the surface of what is one of the fastest growing blog segments – travel blogging. My favorite session was “The Future of Travel Blogging – 2009 and Beyond” (see photo and panelists at right).

Although I was pleased to see that there was some information presented by PR folks on what criteria they use to choose travel bloggers for media trips, there was no formal discussion concerning the ongoing controversy over both the ethics of accepting free trips and the soon-to-be-in-effect FTC disclosure rules concerning any material compensation, which would include media trips. However, I did greatly enjoy chatting informally with the few other travel bloggers in attendance on those subjects and hearing their opinions.

I’m hoping that next year they’ll present many more sessions for the travel blog niche on all three days.

What I didn’t like about BlogWorld Expo:

• Adequate session descriptions were not available online for most of the sessions (and some of the session titles were confusing) – this makes it difficult to assess in advance which sessions you should attend, or even if you should attend the conference to begin with. It wasn’t until I’d checked in and picked up a show booklet that I found adequate session descriptions;
• Some of the panelists seemed less-than-fully qualified to be sitting on their panels;
• Many of the sessions were panel discussions, with panelist offering primarily opinions, in some cases advice, but little in the way of specific tools, resources, or definitive answers (although I heard that the audio/video sessions were much more informative);
• I liked that many of the sessions allowed for questions from the audience, but a strict 1 question per person rule should have been enforced. A number of people did not get to ask questions because the first few often asked several questions each. Those with multiple questions, or questions that require a long involved answer, should seek out the panelists during the break times;

What I DID like about BlogWorld Expo

• The opportunity to meet and speak with a lot of other bloggers;
• The opportunity to hang out with other travel bloggers whom I knew only through their blogs but whose writing I admired;
• The abiltiy to engage in discussions with people whose opinions both matched and differed from my own. I learned as much from these people as from any of the sessions;
• There really was a wide variety of sessions to choose from, covering a broad array of interests (everything from the aforementioned niche-specific sessions for Real Estate / Sports / Medical / Military / Mommy bloggers, to audio/video podcasting, tools for non-profits, and loads of social networking sessions) offering a little bit of something for everyone
• Plenty of exhibitors, including a terrific WordPress Genius Bar where I finally got a nagging WP problem solved;
• Plenty of extracurricular events for networking with others (official parties and tweet-ups);

A few suggestions for the BWE organizers (for next year)

• PLEASE put comprehensive session descriptions online early. I heard from a lot of people who decided not to go because they couldn’t find out what the sessions would be about – titles just don’t cut it;
• Please don’t schedule a keynote or panel session during lunch. Lunch on the first day was great, but very few people could hear (or see) the speakers during lunch. It’s unfair to either the speakers or the audience.
• For a conference of this size, you really need to bring in a greater selection of food vendors – the two choices offered were inadequately supplied and staffed, expensive, and just not great quality. I heard a lot of complaints, and a fair number of people left the convention center to go get food elsewhere;
• I’ll give kudos to for the abundant suppy of water, juice, and coffee, which got me through, but please ask Aramark to include non-diary and soy creamers for the coffee and tea – some of us just can’t handle (or digest) half-n-half;
• Consider holding the after-parties somewhere OTHER than loud, noisy nightclubs where conversations are impossible and drinks are expensive (we truly appreciated the free beer, but if you’re not a beer drinker, $10 to $13 for a different drink is too pricey);

Last piece of advice if you decide to go next year: I was very UNhappy staying at the Hilton Las Vegas Convention Center. Although they had a good room rate for BWE attendees, they do NOT offer free wi-fi (as the Courtyard Marriott does), and they are quite a fair hike from the conference, being on the opposite side of the convention center (sure you can ride the monorail, for an additional $10/day expense). The Renaissance is the closest, but the Courtyard offers the best deal.

~Trisha

Did you attend BlogWorld Expo? Please share your experience and advice!

Whether you’re planning to write a professional travel review for an offline or online publication, or you’re writing a consumer travel review to submit to one of the popular travel reviews sites, follow these simple steps:

Step 1 – Do your homework

Research your destination ahead of time. Have a general idea of the layout of the property or area you’ll be visiting. Be familiar with the history of your location. Contact the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) at least 3 weeks prior to your visit and ask them to send you a press kit including maps, brochures and a travel guide.

Step 2 - 
Take notes

Jot down meaningful experiences or descriptions that you might otherwise forget when you start writing. It might seem a little counter-intuitive to take notes during a relaxing vacation, but these notes will be very valuable when you sit down to start composing the review. Even if you just jot down a few key words, this will stimulate recall of details that are essential to an effective travel review.

What details should you look for at your accommodations?

• Check in: Greeting and welcome. Are your reservations and special requests in order? If the property is large, are you offered a map or a tour?
• Facilities.  Are they clean and well maintained?  Modern or outdated? Fitness room, pool area, bars, restaurants, common areas, sports facilities.
• Guest Room. Does the room match the description as you expected? What in-room amenities are offered?
• Check out: Was checkout a no hassle process? Were all your charges recorded accurately?

Step 3 – Arrange a tour

Prior to your visit, arrange a press tour of the property or destination when you arrive. If touring a hotel or other property, ask to see a variety of room types if the rooms are vacant.

Step 4 
- Take pictures

Not only do pictures enhance your review and provide rich content, reviewing the photos after the visit can help you recall details when you’re writing your review. If you’re posting your review to a consumer review site, upload photos and post them with your review.

Step 5 - 
Don’t delay

Write the review soon after your visit is complete – even if it’s just a draft to get your thoughts down. You can refine it later. Delaying your review writing will cause you to leave out details that will make the review more interesting and thorough.

Step 6 - Get it published


Submit your review to the appropriate outlets (newspaper, magazine, or online publication). If you’re submitting your review as a consumer, rather than as a professional travel writer, choose reputable sites that tend toward high quality content. TripAdvisor is very popular among consumers and tends to have content rich reviews. City Search and Yelp are a few others, but with less rich content.

Step 7 – Follow up

Once the review or article is published, let the business or CVB know you’ve published it. This is particularly important if the review is glowing or if you experienced problems during your visit. The property deserves to know if you’ve written a review, particularly a negative one, and may appreciate a conversation with you about the particulars. 
It can also be used as a tool by the property to improve their processes and business. A neutral and fair review is critical to both of these objectives. Resist the urge to be sarcastic, rude or overly critical.

One final tip: Write a review that will have mass appeal. Cover a wide a variety of travel categories within your review. My area of expertise is in writing spa reviews, but I when I write a travel article with a spa focus, I make sure to cover accommodations, dining, and non-spa activities to appeal to a wider audience.

~Michele

What are your tips for writing an effective travel review article? Share them here!

But I wanted to share this with all of you…..if you’re a freelance travel writer you know that it can be challenging to find paying opportunities, and sometimes even more challenging to get your work accepted and published.

Here’s a bit of good news! I found this in our Forum when I got online this morning:

http://www.travel-writers-exchange.com/Forum/topic/freelance-travel-blogging-opportunity

Oyster.com, a hotel review site, is looking to pay bloggers to contribute to a new venture called Oyster Locals. Be sure to read the entire forum post and get in touch with them if you’re interested.

I’ll quote a bit from the Post:

Oyster Locals was developed to offer Oyster’s readers guidance on the attractions, highlights, and topics of interest in the communities outside the hotels it covers, even if Oyster’s main goal is professional hotel reviews. Currently, Oyster maintains extensive coverage of Hawaii , New York, Las Vegas, Miami, Aruba, Jamaica, and Dominican Republic Hotels. Many more locations will be added to the site in the months ahead, including Los Angeles and San Francisco in November of this year.

Blog posts on Oyster Locals are intended to work cooperatively with the content in Oyster Hotel Reviews and should be of some interest to travelers headed to a given destination. Example blog posts could include: “Eating vegan in NYC”; “Kayaking in Kauai”; “How I Survived 48 hours in South Beach with three kids”; “How to stay eco-friendly in the Dominican Republic.” Specifically, we are looking for destination experts who can demonstrate their knowledge and insights on a broad array of subjects.

There is indeed a very broad array of topics listed in the Post so be sure to check it out!

Good luck if you decide to go for it, and please let me know how it turns out – I’d love to hear from anyone about their experience with Oyster.com.

Okay, enough work, it’s back to the pool swim-up bar for me!

~Trisha

Last week we discussed how Suzy is building some inbound links to her travel blog, which in turn will increase the number of people who can find her site by following those links.

Some of those links will also boost her ranking with search engines, allowing more people to find her travel blog when the search for words related to her niche.

This week it’s all about Social Networking – Facebook, Twitter, Stumbleupon, LinkedIn, and so forth. Suzy is doing a great job communicating with others via these social networks and broadening her reach to get more site traffic.

There are a great many social networking sites out there, and more being created all the time. For the sake of maximizing results while still making effective use of her time, Suzy focuses on the Big Four (Facebook, Twitter, Stumbleupon, and YouTube). Although LinkedIn is also a good site to connect with other writers, editors, and publishers, it is really best for finding freelance travel writing opportunities but doesn’t generally result in any significant increase in site traffic.

If you’re online then you’re more than likely already aware of – and using – Social Networks, so in this blog post we’ll give a very brief overview for those unfamiliar with these tools, as well as a few tips for the best use of each. In future posts we’ll go much more in-depth on each of the big four social networks individually and give you some more advanced tips.

Right now what’s important to know is that if you’re not using the social networks, you need to be. There is no cost to set up accounts, so don’t delay – jump right in!

Facebook

Originally started as a way for students and alumnae to connect and communicate, Facebook has been commandeered by businesses large and small, as well as groups, associations, and organizations looking to spread their message to a wide audience.

Tips:

• To get the most bang for your buck, focus on posting:
  • Photos featuring other people – tag everyone in the photo who also has a Facebook account, which automatically puts those photos on their Wall for their friends to see;
  • Content designed to elicit comments – ask for comments if necessary as comments also automatically post to the Wall of the commentor and the Walls of their friends;
• Keep your personal Facebook Profile separate from your professional profile, or set up a Fan Page and direct people to become a Fan;
• Monitor any content or comments posted to your Wall for appropriateness – remember that Editors and Publishers may see your Wall;

Twitter

Twitter began life as a tool for people to broadcast messages to friends, typically about their social plans and whereabouts, but like Facebook it’s been appropriated – and is now dominated – by businesses and organizations.

Tips:

• There’s a difference between ‘personal’ and ‘personality’ – your personality should come through your tweets, but it isn’t necessary – or appropriate – to tweet about personal stuff;
• Along those lines, unless your niche and target audience is concerned with religion or politics, avoid tweeting about either – I quickly Unfollow anyone spouting overly-controversial personal beliefs or crudeness;
• Do pass on information that you think would be of value or interest to those following you;
• If you include links to information – and you should – be clear about where that link goes. Almost no one likes, or will click on, blind links;
• Do interact with those you follow and those who follow you – Twitter works best when it’s not just a one-way broadcast tool. People with whom you interact will be more likely to pass on (retweet) your messages, and recommend you to their followers;

For more Twitter and Facebook tips, see our post “Social Media Do’s and Don’ts”

Stumbleupon

Stumbleupon allows users to rate, review, and share websites and pages with each other. If you regularly share sites and pages that others find valuable, you’ll gain a good reputation and more subscribers, which leads to more people visiting your site, and in turn rating, review, and sharing your site with their subscribers.

Tips:

• Use http://su.pr/ to Stumble your own pages since Stumbleupon frowns upon that;
• If you like a page you’ve found, don’t just click on “I LIke It”, take a moment to write a brief review telling others why you like it. The goal is to provide value, which will get you more subscribers;
• Personalize your Stumbleupon user account so that others can get to know you a bit and help them find your website. Include a photo and a link to your travel blog;

YouTube

More than just a Video Sharing site, YouTube is a mechanism to draw more people to your website. Since you’re a travel writer, you should be making videos about your trips or your local area (if you’re a destination-based travel writer), embedding the YouTube video in your posts, and encouraging others to view, rate, and comment on those videos. Also encourage them to embed the video on their sites as well! The more comments and ratings your video gets, the more exposure it gets with YouTube, bringing you more site traffic.

Tips:

• Everytime you post a video to YouTube, cross post it to your Facebook account, and send out a Tweet to let your followers know about it;
• Take the time to personize your YouTube Channel (another word for your account) to create your “brand”, and be sure to ask people to rate and comment on your videos;
• Although humor may not always be appropriate for every video you do, when you can do a funny one, your chance at it going ‘viral’ increases dramatically – people love to share funny stuff!

For more video tips see our post “Top 5 Audio & Video Tips for Travel Bloggers“.

If you make the time to use these social networks, you’ll quickly see a signification return on investment in terms of more site traffic!

Stay tuned! Next week we’ll cover how Suzy is using Article Marketing to establish herself as an expert in her travel niche, boost her credibility, and also increase the traffic to her travel blog. And remember, in forthcoming posts we’ll go into more advanced techniques for using the social networks to your best advantage.

~Trisha

What other ways do you attract visitors to your travel blog? Share your tips!

If you’re writing for any publication other than your own travel blog, you’ll need to provide them with a Author Bio, which is ideally just a one to two paragraph promotional blurb about you, a much shorter version of your About page from your site.

Think of it this way – put everything you think is important for someone else to know about you (note the word ‘important’ – given the focus of your travel blog or travel niche, it may or may not be important for someone to know that you had a dog named Boo when you where a child) into your About Page. Strive for professionalism. NOW imagine that someone has told you to strike out all but 150 words. What you’re left with should be a good foundation for your Author Bio that you’ll use for other sites and publications.

You must drill down what’s most important about you in one or two clear and concise paragraphs. This can be intimidating to some travel writers. It’s important to remember that a travel writer’s Author Bio is a brand-building tool. When people visit your website, or one that you have written a guest article for, they’ll get a sense of who you are personally and professionally. Your Author Bio will summarize your entire travel writing career in a few lines.

Step-by-Step Author Bio Writing

• Create three Author Bios. Write a one sentence Bio, 100 word Bio, and 250 word Bio. Note: pay attention to the number of characters in addition to the number of words. Which version to submit is usually dictated by the publication’s editorial guidelines and how much space they devote to an Author Bio;
• Write in the third person. This may be tricky for a travel writer who is also a travel blogger because blogs are usually written in the first or second person. Here’s an example of an appropriate author bio: “Jane Doe is a travel writer specializing in the Italian travel market since 2002.” Inappropriate author bio: “I am a travel writer for Italian Travel Magazine.”
• Begin with your name. The first thing readers want to know is who you are. When you meet someone for the first time you usually say, “…Hello, my name is.” Keep this in mind when you write your Bio;
• State what your focus is in the first sentence. Don’t wait until the end to say that you’re a travel writer or what your travel niche is. Remember the inverted pyramid: put the most important details first! Most people on the internet rarely read past the first sentence;
• Mention your most important accomplishments. If you have impressive credentials, such as publication in well-known travel magazines, be sure to list them first – if not, use your educational credentials, such as a degree if it’s relevant;
• Contact information. People need to know how to reach you. Put your contact information in the last sentence. Use a professional email address, never a personal one;
• It’s OK to use humor, sometimes. Have a version of your Author Bio that incorporates something that is funny about yourself, but send this one ONLY if it’s appropriate for the publication;
• Always check other Author’s Bios for the publication you’re writing for – this will give you a sense for what the publication considers important and appropriate. It’s acceptable to ‘tailor’ your Bio to fit the needs of a publication, but do strive for consistency;
• Ask for feedback. Have a friend or family member read your Bio and ask for their feedback. Does it state who you are and what you do in a clear and concise manner?;
• Keep your Author Bio current. You’ll be moving forward in your career and your Author Bio should be kept up-to-date to reflect what you’re doing now.

Travel writers who are not comfortable with writing their Bio could consider hiring a marking or PR copywriter to help them. Hiring a writer who is skilled in writing promotional materials for others can save you time and frustration, and it can also result in a Bio that really shines. For a well written, professional Bio, make sure you give all of the details about your travel writing career. An Author Bio can be short and still say a lot about you!

~Rebecca

Is your Author Bio as good as it could be for you?