How to Stay Present While Travel Blogging

Wondering how to enjoy a trip while still working on your travel blog? Check out these tips and tricks and you can easily manage both! 

Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links. If you purchase a linked item, I will make a commission, at no extra charge to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Originally published Oct., 2019. Updated Jan., 2020.

A travel blogger in her natural habitat

One question I am asked a lot - and, actually, one that I asked myself when I started doing this, is:

​"How do you stay present on a trip while travel blogging?"

And, to be honest, it's a fair question. When you take an activity (travel) that is normally for enjoyment, and focus your new-found career around it, is it still fun? Work isn't normally fun; is work more enjoyable when you chose it? What about when it's centered around something that is intrinsically fun?

For me, I've had to find a balance between blogging and enjoying my trips, so that, at the end of the trip, I have what I need information and photograph-wise, for months of content after the trip, while also ensuring that I have a good time while I'm there.

So how do I keep my travel blog running while I'm traveling, and how to I get the information I need without ruining my trip? Check out my approach:

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Preparing for your trip:
How to prep your blog 

We're going to have two sets of information to discuss. The first is about how to get your blog ready *before you leave.*

There are quick and easy things that you can do to keep your blog running in your absence, so that while you're away, you can focus on the travel itself and picking up the new blog content.

How to Stay Present While Travel Blogging:
​Before you go: Schedule, Schedule, Schedule

The #1 tip I have on preparing your blog for a trip is to schedule as much as possible before you go.

To my newbie bloggers, in "blogger speak," "schedule" means enter information into social media so that it is "published" at regular intervals down the road. Not all social media has to be uploaded in *real time* by the content creator (the blogger).

While you are on your trip, you should be focusing on getting new information that will fill blog posts and social media channels for months, and even years, to come. If you're all scheduled up ahead of time, this works out just fine.

Scheduling your blog's Pinterest pins

Pinterest is the key social media account that I schedule in advance, and I make sure it's nice and full before I head out on a trip.

​This can take a while, so definitely set aside some time to get it taken care of, well in advance of your trip. You don't want to stay up all night making pins before a big vacation!

If you use Tailwind, load up that Tailwind queue to be filled with content all the way through a couple days after you get back, so that you have time to recover from your trip without worrying about making pins. ​You can also do this manually on Pinterest, without a scheduler like Tailwind, but I find uploading pins manually on Pinterest to be *super hard and time consuming.* Maybe that's just me!

For more on how to use Pinterest as a travel blogger, check out the full post!

Scheduling other social media before a trip

If you wish, you can also schedule a few social media posts on your other channels. Focus on the channels where you have the most engagement and that bring in most of your traffic. You do not want to have to manage a bunch of notifications while you're traveling and you don't want to leave your followers wondering why you aren't responding to their engagement!!

Most importantly - TELL YOUR FOLLOWERS THAT YOU'RE TRAVELING on all social media channels where it makes sense. If that's Instagram, do a couple airport stories (more on stories, below). If it's Facebook or Twitter, a simple post will do! Your followers want you to have fun, and they know you're a travel blogger. This way, people aren't wondering what happened to you, in the same way you'd use an out of office message on work email!

Instagram

On Instagram, I like to post a few pictures from my trip in real time, as it's exciting to share your travels while they're happening (more on managing Instagram during your trip, below). So, I don't plan anything in advance.

​If you're going somewhere you're not sure you're going to be sharing in real time (or can't), you can always type up a few Instagram posts, save them as drafts, and then chose to publish or not public, as you wish! If you don't use them on this trip, you can use them when you get back!

Twitter

On Twitter, I just don't want to keep up with the responses while I'm traveling. I love my Twitter crew Travel Tribe and one week of checking in randomly isn't going to drive them away. So, I check my notifications occasionally and engage with my friends, but frankly I just don't worry too much about it! Can't do it all!!

Summary on planning social media in advance:

The takeaway? Before you go, make sure you have enough pins scheduled either manually or though Tailwind to fill your queue all they way through your trip and a bit beyond. Remember, pins take a little while to "sink in," so if you don't do this, you'll likely feel the slowed traffic *after* you return, which is very disheartening.

On other social media, tell your followers you're leaving, schedule a few posts, and engage occasionally, without letting it overwhelm you. Focus where you get the most *traffic* to your actual blog, so that you aren't sad upon your return. Other than that, just keep your head above water!

How to Stay Present While Travel Blogging:
Before you go: ​Cut yourself some slack

REMEMBER to your followers, your week does not need to look 100% the same as a "normal" week.

In fact, they *know* you're traveling and they'd rather know about your trip than have you have a bad time, or have bad content being pushed out. Remember "back in the day" on TV when "live" shows would prerecord holiday episodes and keep trying to pretend it was some specific day and keep getting the days and references wrong? The viewers weren't fooled! Don't do that. 

Bon voyage! Now let's talk about travel blogging on your trip!

How to Stay Present While Travel Blogging:
​How to manage Instagram while traveling

So we talked a bit about Instagram already. Definitely tell your followers that you're traveling with a couple quick stories in the airport/leaving just as a heads up. I like to post occasionally on Instagram during a trip, including stories, because I'm excited, but how do I keep it from overwhelming my vacation?

My big tip: upload stories in batches. Take pictures throughout the day as you normally would, which can be used in your stories. But wait until evening/waiting in a line, some downtime, and edit/upload the stories all at once. Your followers won't mind, and this way you aren't driving your travel companions bonkers by constantly playing on your phone tracking down the perfect dancing "brunch" GIF.

Additionally, while I do like posting on Instagram during a trip, be conservative with the grid posts. You're going to want those to share later and they take more time to post and engage with comments, likes, etc. One per day at the absolute most.

How to Stay Present While Travel Blogging:
​Taking photos naturally, not letting them get in the way

The good news about taking photos for your blog is that taking pictures of what you're seeing on vacation is a 100% normal activity. I definitely take *way* more pictures now than I did before I had the blog, but it usually doesn't impede my trip very much.

The difference is taking pictures with me in them, which obviously requires the assistance of my long-suffering husband. We've gotten into a good pattern - I don't ask too often, and we don't take a huge quantity (and I'm fortunate that he does a great job). But definitely ask your companions sparingly to take pictures - make sure you get them in the spots you really want them. Be sure to take advantage of anywhere that's empty/not crowded. Those are prime/less awkward picture-taking spots for you and your photographer!

Don't let the trip become all about pictures.

How to Stay Present While Travel Blogging:
​Making notes as an activity

This is a tip that my husband and I are *super* proud of. No matter how good your memory is, you're going to need to jot down quite a lot of information about what you've seen and done, in order to write your blog posts later.

First of all, remember that you can look up historical information, etc., on the internet after you get home, so really just jot down the essentials: names, difficult to find locations, tips you think you might forget, and a basic outline of the day to jog your memory down the line.

But when should you make these lists? You don't want to be standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, making a list on your phone about waiting times at the Opera Garnier.

​So, if you take one piece of advice from this post, I hope it's this one: jot down a good, thorough summary of your day when you're grabbing dinner/drinks at the end of the day- that's what we do! I just have a little note on my phone and we update it together . It's a fun way to remember and relive the day, and it enhances our trip, rather than interfering with it. We actually used to do this before I even started the blog - but it's become much more of an event now with Pints, Pounds, & Pate! <3

Additionally, this means that I don't actually take time out to *write* full posts while I'm away. It takes a long time, and I've found that I need a bit of time to think about where I've been before I feel I can sum it up in a post, or decide what does and doesn't warrant a full post.

Image from an actual note-taking session!

How to Stay Present While Travel Blogging:
​Blogging at the right times

Of course, in order to do most of the things that I've discussed, you need to be on your phone, "blogging." When should you cram this into an already packed schedule?

For me, since I'm doing the absolute bare minimum while I'm out, I really try to do it while my fellow travelers are doing other things, while taking a break in the afternoon, on busses and trains, and before falling asleep at night. If you're in Europe, you've also got all morning before the US even wakes up/if you post something at night your time, it's still during the day back in the States!

How to Stay Present While Travel Blogging:
​A note on sponsored events/trips/pieces

And finally, a quick note on the real work of the blog - when you are being paid/have received free items in exchange for creating content that needs to be created on your trip.

Well, that really is the work aspect, eh?

But, that doesn't mean it can't be fun! The whole point of promoting travel is to promote that it will be enjoyable - and that's what your business partner wants as well. So don't let it stress you out! Get real, honest pictures and information - and you can still enjoy your time. You can likely employ many of the social media management tactics we discussed (Instagram stories in batches, etc.), depending on the specific deal that you've negotiated with whoever is paying you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks so much for reading! If you're still considering starting a travel blog, check out Why I Write a Travel Blog (and why you should, too), and if you need tips on blogging, What New Travel Bloggers Need to Know.

Drop your thoughts and questions in the comments below, and bon voyage! xx Don't forget to subscribe for more helpful posts!

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