What Should Travel Bloggers Write about Right Now? | Self-Quarantine & COVID-19

I’ve worked in influencer marketing for the last few years. I run my own platform (here), and I also coach influencers and help brands set up sponsorships.

With spring travel canceled, and summer travel looking like it’s not going to happen, a lot of travel bloggers are FREAKING OUT about what to post. Or if they even SHOULD post right now.

You Should Be Posting Right Now

Now is not the time to go dark on your channels! You’ve worked really hard to get here, and you don’t want to lose that momentum. People aren’t traveling, but they are PLANNING future travel. I have 3 group chats with friends planning trips to Costa Rica, Greece/Croatia and New Orleans.

Travel Content Ideas During COVID-19 & Self-Quarantine

The key to creating content right now is POSITIONING, or how you present your resources.

I recommend that you be real and upfront about what’s going on — don’t pretend everyone is ready to buy a plane ticket right now. Here are some helpful phrases to use in your social promo and at the beginning of posts:

• I know we’re not going on a (trip to Greece/road trip/resort stay/etc) right now, but lots of folks are planning travel. I put together this post so you have the resources when you’re ready to book!
• Anyone else taking a break from the world by planning travel? I know I am! Here’s a (video/post/guide/etc) on (type of travel):
• I’m not sure when I’ll be at the airport next, but I know I won’t complain nearly as much about the hassles of travel! If you’re also in the mood to dream about a vacation, here’s a post on (topic):

The key here is to be real about where your readers are, while also giving them a resource!!

Build Your SEO

So, we can’t travel right now — which has really messed up content calendars. That said, you can (AND SHOULD) be creating affiliate content or “Top 10” guides.

We all love affiliate revenue, and now is a great time to write evergreen posts that will bring in affiliate $$$ for years to come. People may not buy as soon as you hit publish, but they will *eventually* need products. Take advantage of this lull by writing blog posts and creating content that will be searched in a few months!

The earlier you write an in-depth recommendation or review post, the better — Google SEO gives priority to high quality content that’s been live the longest. (It’s a bit more complicated than that, but you get me!)

Travel Blog Post Topic Ideas

Okay, I’ve convinced you to write — but you need some ideas to get to typing. Here’s over a dozen travel blog post ideas to write when you can’t travel:

1. Remote Museum Tour: A lot of museums have virtual tours — so why not go on one, and write a review? Eventually, you’ll be able to update this post with your IRL experience.
2. Travel Bucket List: Write a post on the top 10 or 5 places you want to visit. Include hotels you’d stay in and tour companies you’d want to use. This is a great way to get on the radar of travel companies for that sweet sweet sponsored travel.
3. Favorite Travel Backpack: A lot of people are going to hit the road when life resumes, and they’re gonna need GEAR. Write a review about your favorite everyday carry or travel backpack, making sure to use affiliate links. You can even take some packing or flat lay photos with your bag at home!*
4. Tips for Packing Toiletries: I really hate packing toiletries, and I feel like I waste a lot of product! Right a post with super specific toiletry or other packing tips to get visits from a long tail search!
5. Best Travel Tech: Get out those Amazon affiliates! Write a list of your favorite charging banks, camera, power adapters, headphones, etc, for travel!
6. Interview Other Travel Bloggers: You’re not the only one stuck for content! Take this time to build up links on other blogs, by trading blog post interviews with another blogger. (They link to your site and you link to theirs!)
7. Build a Perfect Itinerary: Remember your top places to visit from #2? Go a step further, and show where/how you do itinerary research. Where do you look first? What sites do you avoid?
8. Ask Your Readers: Another option is to pick a country, and gather up travel tips from your readers who have been there. You can send an email to your list asking for ideas, post to your IG story, etc! Your readers will love being quoted, and they’ll likely share the post.

*Need product to review? Drop me a line here!

Widen Your Topic Areas

The recent shut-down has shown why it’s important to have a few diverse niches as a blogger. Don’t be afraid to mix things up, and test sharing other content (ideas below) to engage with your audience. People read your blog for your experiences, so don’t box yourself in!

• Share recipes to baked good or meals you’ve tried (bonus points if you burned stuff or it came out weird!)
• Learn a dance and post to TikTok
• Introduce your pet, kiddos or spouse to your audience
• Share your tips for working remotely or working from home (or share your experience! Take folks on a tour!)
• Share a Self-Quarantine Update! How are you keeping busy? What’s going on?

That’s All, Folks!

Want more blogging ideas? You can hang with me on my blog here, or join me on Twitter for more blogging tips!