{"id":11516,"date":"2023-04-03T14:01:39","date_gmt":"2023-04-03T14:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/03\/15-lessons-from-15-years-of-blogging\/"},"modified":"2023-04-03T14:01:39","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T14:01:39","slug":"15-lessons-from-15-years-of-blogging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/03\/15-lessons-from-15-years-of-blogging\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Lessons from 15 Years of Blogging"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Posted<\/strong>: 4\/2\/23 | April 2nd, 2023<\/p>\n

Today is a big day. It marks fifteen years running this website. I posted my first blog entry in early April 2008, after spending over a month bugging friends I met in Vietnam<\/a> for help with coding. Back then, in the days before WordPress, you had to hand-code everything, and I spent a lot of time figuring out how to move images around, design graphics, create links, and format the site. <\/p>\n

I started this blog as a way to get freelance writing gigs so I could afford to keep traveling. I just wanted to put off going corporate for as long as possible. I never thought I\u2019d have a career<\/em> in travel, but I guess after fifteen years doing so, this counts as a career. I\u2019ve created books<\/a>, courses<\/a>, and tours<\/a>, spoken at conferences, and am quoted in the media. So, I guess I\u2019m kind of an expert in travel? That feels weird to say.<\/p>\n

Being a public figure is surreal to me, because, in so many ways, I\u2019m still just a guy who wants to keep traveling. There\u2019s so much of the world I want to see. Sure, I love the business of running a website. It\u2019s a mental challenge I find fascinating. But, to me, it\u2019s still just a way to satisfy my travel addiction<\/a> and avoid having to work in an office (though, now that I have a team<\/a>, it\u2019s a more complicated way to avoid the office!). <\/p>\n

In the last fifteen years, I\u2019ve seen the internet and travel content creation change dramatically. Digital nomads are no longer weird, and making money online isn\u2019t odd. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou quit your job? Are you crazy?\u201d isn\u2019t something a lot of people say these days. There\u2019s a lot of positive encouragement for this thing that was once considered so crazy that there must have been something wrong with you if you wanted to do it. <\/p>\n

As people are prone to do during milestones like this, I wanted to share some lessons I\u2019ve learned as a grizzled old internet person (because people refer to me as \u201can OG digital creator\u201d as if I\u2019m 90!). <\/p>\n

1. Most people succeed because of luck<\/h3>\n

\"Nomadic

Some people get that lucky interview that opens the door to fame. <\/p>\n

Some people just meet that one right person at a conference. <\/p>\n

Of course, skill is needed to maintain that success, but a lot of times, luck and timing play a bigger role than people would like to admit. That\u2019s not something you can control. Would I be where I am if I hadn\u2019t started early with a focus on SEO? Probably not. I just happened to start at the right time. That\u2019s not something I controlled. I got lucky. <\/p>\n

2. Throw a lot of spaghetti against the wall<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve had a lot of failed ideas \u2014 from apps to T-shirts to a conference to a hostel. Some of those ventures stuck for a while; others were immediate failures. Some came back years later (we do tours again!<\/a>). I\u2019m constantly trying new things and then discarding what doesn\u2019t work. But all those things that didn\u2019t work helped us do other things that did work. <\/p>\n

3. No one reads blogs for personal updates anymore<\/h3>\n

\"Matt

4. Therefore, you have to be on social media<\/h3>\n

You can\u2019t be against social media. You have to be on it. I don\u2019t believe you can run a personality-based website without using social media nowadays. You don\u2019t need to be on every platform \u2014 join those that make you most comfortable \u2014 but you have to be on some. As I said, all social engagement happens there now. It\u2019s where you connect and maintain a relationship with your readers. Your blog is just where you send them when they have questions. <\/p>\n

5. You have to learn to make some video content<\/h3>\n

I hate video. I love words. But video is the wave of the future, and you have to learn to produce it. I\u2019ve already started doing more video and plan to do even more. If your blog has a face (you), that face has to be making video. It\u2019s how young people consume media, and, if you want your message heard by them, you have to do it. <\/p>\n

6. It\u2019s important to always reinvent yourself<\/h3>\n

\"Matt

You have to be willing to change direction often if you want to succeed online. <\/p>\n

7. Some strategies are timeless<\/h3>\n

Even though everything changes, some things remain the same. You should always have your own website, email is still king, and quality content versus gimmicky trends and memes (on any platform) is still the best way to grow. The tried-and-true marketing strategies to get people to follow you, buy your stuff, or sign up for something haven\u2019t changed (because people don\u2019t change), so following the advice of a bunch of \u201cboring\u201d marketers is still the best way to succeed. <\/p>\n

8. Don\u2019t go all in on one platform<\/h3>\n

Remember Vine? What happened to all those creators who went all in there? Always spread yourself around, because platforms change \u2014 and they don\u2019t care about you. Algorithms change, growth slows, and platforms alter direction. So don\u2019t put all your effort into just one platform. Be in multiple places, but also: always direct people back to your website and email list, because, no matter what happens to social media, those are always going to be the two things you own and control. <\/p>\n

9. Hire a team<\/h3>\n

\"Nomadic

10. Think of yourself as a pizza shop<\/h3>\n

If you want to be a successful business, you have to behave like, for example, the brick-and-mortar pizza shop down the street. You have to think about expenses, P&L reports, taxes, marketing, sales, etc. You have to come up with boring marketing plans. You need employees. Otherwise, you\u2019re just playing business, not actually running one. <\/p>\n

I know tons of creators who say they \u201crun a business\u201d but when asked for specifics they don\u2019t even know the basics. <\/p>\n

11. Never stop learning<\/h3>\n

Go to conferences, read books, and listen to podcasts. The top people in any field read \u2014 constantly. <\/p>\n

And they go to events where they learn from their peers. <\/p>\n

And they go to niche events, where they learn from experts in other fields. <\/p>\n

The greatest disappointment in the travel industry for me is that few creators are really focusing on improving their skills (I say this as someone who ran a professional development conference). But the ones that do? They crush it \u2014 and they stay on top! The rest putter along.<\/p>\n

12. Learn to let go<\/h3>\n

\"Matt

13. Don\u2019t try to work and travel at the same time<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s impossible to work and travel at the same time. You just can\u2019t do it. Your work suffers, your travels suffer, and your mental health suffers. If you want to be a digital nomad, don\u2019t move fast. Move slow, stay in places longer, have dedicated work days, and find good coworking spaces. Don\u2019t run from caf\u00e9 to caf\u00e9 and destination to destination or else you will always feel like you are only treading water, never like you are moving forward.<\/p>\n

14. You MUST network outside your industry<\/h3>\n

\"Nomadic

15. It\u2019s OK to quit<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s hard to admit failure. I know a lot of travel creators \u2014 and creators in general \u2014 that keep working online because they feel they can never go back to an office job, despite the fact they are barely surviving. Sometimes things don\u2019t work out \u2014 it\u2019s OK to quit and let go. Use the skills you have to work for someone else and get a regular paycheck. We idolize working for ourselves in the online space so much that we forget that it\u2019s OK to just get paid to do a job and clock in and out. Don\u2019t let pride get in the way of admitting that something didn\u2019t work. Life is too short to be constantly stressed and anxious for years. Let go. <\/p>\n

***<\/center><\/p>\n

Last year, I quit blogging on a regular basis<\/a>. I just felt like I\u2019d said all I could say about travel. This year, I\u2019m going to continue that trend and semi-retire. I want to write more books, travel for fun (not for work), and continue to focus on my health and fitness. Last year, I gave up a lot of personal time when travel restarted post-COVID \u2014 events, tours, and conferences. It took up most of my free time. In fact, last year was the first year since I started traveling and I didn\u2019t go to one new place. <\/p>\n

But no more. <\/p>\n

After this month, I won\u2019t be going on any more full TNN tours<\/a> (though I will still pop in from time to time). I plan to continue to hand off the day-to-day operations of this website to my team. (Letting go is the hardest part of all of this!) I plan to attend my last travel conference this year. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ll continue to blog when I feel the urge, but I want to update my book How to Travel the World on $50 a Day<\/a><\/em>, write a new book, focus on bringing travel to people via video, and maybe do something completely new. I\u2019m not sure really. <\/p>\n

The last fifteen years have been a wild journey. But it\u2019s time to do other things. I\u2019m not sure what, but it\u2019s time to expand and see what\u2019s out there!<\/p>\n

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Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks<\/h4>\n

Book Your Flight<\/strong>
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner<\/a>. It\u2019s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned. <\/p>\n

Book Your Accommodation<\/strong>
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld<\/a>. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com<\/a> as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels. <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Forget Travel Insurance<\/strong>
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It\u2019s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I\u2019ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:<\/p>\n

Want to travel for free?<\/strong>
Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation. They are what keep me traveling so much for so little. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites<\/a> to get started and see the latest best deals.<\/p>\n

Ready to Book Your Trip?<\/strong>
Check out my resource page<\/a> for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can\u2019t go wrong using them on your trip.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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