5 Negative Statements You Have To Get Over as a Travel Blogger

“You’re so lucky.”

Was it luck that I knew how to start, maintain and grow a blog or did I spend hours upon hours researching? Was it luck when after a full day of work at my day job I was sitting at Starbucks until it closed drafting blog posts? When I got a sponsored opportunity after researching the brand, negotiating a partnership and creating the content, after a plethora of other rejections I might add, was that luck too?

There is a lot that goes into travel blogging and most of the travel bloggers I know are busting their asses, day in and day out, to create their work. Labeling someone else’s success as ‘just lucky’ is simply a way to explain to yourself your own lack of ‘luck’. Am I grateful? Without a doubt. I’m grateful that my hard work is paying off.

“But that place is so dangerous.”

Even if you’re not a travel blogger, even if you just like to go on vacations, then you have probably heard this one before. Unfortunately, unless you go looking into a new destination or culture, you will probably only be exposed to the mainstream view which tends to share the negative news stories. This makes sense, because if you think about what we have needed to know over time, surely what is a threat to our safety is high on the list. You needed to know when there are ears and a tail poking out of the top of the long grass that it is most definitely time to run!

Turns out though that crime and danger is everywhere, just as much as kindness and generosity is and if you do a little research, utilize common sense and treat your host area with respect then it is more than likely that you will have a positive experience. After all, living a life in fear of different places, cultures or new experiences sounds like a horrible imprisonment.

“I saw that on Facebook” (but didn’t engage).

For a blogger, our engagement is everything. It’s what we bring to the negotiating table when working with businesses, because they are primarily concerned with how many likes, shares and comments you get. The catch is that it is so easy to buy followers and likes, so as it is, it’s hard for the honest bloggers out there to compete.

Blogs tend to be a passion project and you want to know that your friends in will be there to support you. So when your friends mention that they have seen your work but they haven’t been engaging, it can be frustrating. Sometimes my friends have seen my blog or social media posts and enjoyed my work without engaging, instead opting to tell me in person. I feel like responding ‘that’s great that you liked it, now can you Internet like it and maybe even put those comments in writing? I actually didn’t realize how important it was until I began blogging so I have been making an effort to support the blogs that I appreciate.

“I wish I could afford to travel that much.”

I’m not talking about people living in poverty who say this because that would garner a different response. The ironic thing about it is that most of the people I hear this from are in a very similar socio-economic situation to me and I’ll let you in on a little secret, I don’t have a gold toilet in my bathroom. Most of the bloggers I have talked to don’t either. Instead, they are making sacrifices in their everyday life to be able to afford to follow their love of travel and continue their travel blog.

None of us have enough money to buy everything we want, it’s a matter of prioritizing what we do have to get what we want most. For some, the priority is having a thriving social schedule filled with dinners out, coffee dates and trips to the movies. For others, always having nice furnishings in the house, a nice car in the garage and all the newest gadgets or clothes is the priority. Then there’s some of us who sacrifice all of that and focus that money on traveling. *writes this while eating frozen vegetables and sitting in an empty apartment*

“We think this is perfect for your readers” *unrelated product.*

Firstly, I understand my readers and why they come to my blog and your casino gambling app is not a perfect fit for them. Secondly, there’s already enough e-mails to go through without having to weed through extra promotional pitches that for whatever reason didn’t end up in the junk folder. And no, I don’t need four follow up e-mails. Save us both some time because I am busy working on all my ‘luck’.