Anuradha Goyal is an IT professional who started blogging 12 years back and is now a full time travel blogger / writer. Since all my work is online, digital marketing is my lifeline.
How did you decide to become a travel blogger? Was it a thoughtful choice?
Anuradha: I was just experimenting with blogging. I have always been a traveler, but when blogging happened, I started writing about my travels on IndiTales and over time it became an identity.
What are the categories one can blog about as a travel blogger? What areas do you focus on?
Anuradha: You can define your own niche in travel blogging. Some people talk about solo travelling, others about family travel. Some talk about backpacking while others about luxury travel. Some talk about women travel while others about wellness travel. Some review hotels, while others review products for travel. Most of us do a combination of all above. I write a lot abut history, culture, art, nature trails and birding is contributed by my better half.
Photographs impact travel blogs to a great extent. In your opinion, what are the elements that go into presenting a photograph?
Anuradha: Photographs should either tell the story or complement the story. Sometimes they fill the gaps in the story.
How do you keep yourself updated on the latest trends about travel blogging? Which are the top sites and travel blogs you visit every day?
Anuradha: I read a lot on the web. More than travel blogs, I read general interest blogs. I am subscribed to many aggregators who send selected stories in my inbox everyday.
Please share the list of your favorite blogging tools along with their purpose, which you use regularly.
Anuradha: My blog is hosted on WordPress – so that is my biggest tool.
- Other than this I use basic tools for photo editing and video editing.
- I sometimes use Canva for designing posts.
- I use Mailchimp to send mailers to my subscribers.
If you were to list top 5 reasons for your success as a blogger, what would those be?
Anuradha:
- Persistence
- Passion for travelling
- Adapting with the times
- Disciplined approach to blogging
- Reading
Please share top mistakes you’ve learnt from your journey as a travel blogger.
Anuradha: Joined social media too late – and it is very difficult to build followership if you are late.
Is it possible to make a career in travel blogging? Please share 3-5 tips about travel blogging for aspiring travel bloggers.
Anuradha:
- Now, it is possible to have travel blogging as a career.
- Do it, if you really enjoy doing it, otherwise it is like any other job, you will get bored of it.
- You need to be an entrepreneur to run your blog commercially.
In your view, which are the most important skills one should have or acquire for success in travel blogging?
Anuradha: Have passion for travel and for sharing your travel stories.
What are your future plans? How do you plan to leverage your existing success as a Travel Blogger?
Anuradha: I want to start making an impact on tourism economy of India. I want the blog become a source of information and inspiration for future generations. Just made a small beginning when I started a series on Inspiring Travellers and a series on careers in Travel & Tourism.
What do you think travel blogging will look like in 5 years? Will it still be around?
Anuradha: Yes, it would very much be around. Some amount of consolidation would take place and hopefully PR agencies will learn to separate the chaff from the grain by that time.
Would you like to share a few words about the work we are doing at Digital Vidya in educating students, professionals and entrepreneurs about Digital Marketing?
Anuradha:
I think you are preparing students for the future, a future that they can potentially create.
Wish to know how digital marketing is impacting travel industry? Explore the opportunities via the ultimate guide to digital marketing for travel industry.
