April 5, 2023

Endless Inspiration: 15 Travel Blog Topics to Overcome Writer’s Block

By Paul William

April 5, 2023


Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links which means I receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through them.

The blinking cursor of dread…. we’ve all been there.

As a new travel blogger, coming up with fresh content ideas can be a daunting task.

But that all changes today!

In this blog post, we’ll explore 15 travel blog categories that will not only help you bust through writer’s block but also offer a diverse range of topics to keep your readers engaged.

From sharing your personal travel experiences to providing valuable tips and resources, these categories are perfect for sparking your creativity and fueling your passion for travel writing.

1. Places You’ve Been:

Mauna Kea Observatory on the Island of Hawaii

You’re a travel blogger right? Then maybe you should talk about travel!

Tell the world about your epic adventures, hidden gems, and memorable experiences from the destinations you’ve visited.

For example, I recently returned from my trip to Hawaii and wrote a post about my time on the Big Island of Hawaii. I wrote all about the different towns, national parks, and volcanos we visited and shared photos I took.

This is your chance to recommend locations and activities you think your readers would enjoy too. And be sure to show off your photography skills!

2. Gear You’ve Used:

Tried out some cool travel gear, gadgets, or accessories? Share your honest reviews and recommendations to help other travelers gear up for their next trip.

And as a bonus, you can sprinkle in affiliate links, so if readers are inspired to buy, you get a cut of the purchase at no additional cost to them.

As an example: I recently struggled to figure out how to hook up dual-monitors to my new MacBook Air due to lack of resources online.

Then, after I finally cracked the case, I put my learnings into a post describing the process to help others, and it already earns a few dollars per month!

NOTE: It’s important to maintain an honest and ethical relationship with your readers, which is why I recommend you only write this type of posts for products you’ve actually used and believed in. It can be pretty obvious when someone’s just mass producing affiliate content for the money.

But as long as you’re honest and have real experience, this is a good category of posts to have on your site.

3. Travel Hacks and Flight Booking:

airplane in the sky flying toward you

Money is the limiting factor for most people’s travel dreams.

Help by showing off your deal-finding skills by sharing tips and tricks for snagging the best prices on flights, accommodations, and transportation.

For example, after my recent west coast trip I also wrote posts about how I booked an Open Jaw flight, and a few different flight alert services I use to keep track of fare deals.

As the world opens back up, people are itching to travel, and there’s always going to be budget conscious fliers in need of guidance, especially with new transportation options becoming available all the time.

4. Accommodations:

Whether you stay at quirky hostels, luxurious hotels, camping or glamping sites, share your experiences and offer advice on finding the perfect stay for your readers trip.

You might be surprised by how few reviews are available for some of off-the-beaten path locations.

In case you’re curious, the picture above was taken on my current trip at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in Hilo, Hawaii.

5. Food and Culinary Experiences:

Sonoran Hotdog with toppings, hotdog wrapped in bacon
Have you learned about the magic that is Sonoran hotdogs?

Tantalize your readers’ taste buds with mouthwatering tales of local cuisine, street food, and unforgettable dining experiences.

This is an area where you can really niche down and talk about the top Michelin star restaurants, or the best gluten-free shops, or the top gelato you found in a certain city.

No matter what food you’re into, you can bet thousands of other travelers are as well!

Just be sure to take some pictures, since people really eat with their eyes!

6. Local Attractions and Activities:

Busan, South Korea night street with signs
Busan, South Korea at night

One of the best topics to write about as a travel blogger is covering must-see sights, off-the-beaten-path treasures, and exciting activities for every type of traveler.

You can even niche down to a more narrow focus, e.g. “The best things to do in Busan for shopping addicts” or “The best whale watching tours for seniors in Alaska”.

The more specific your article is, the more people will appreciate it, since it’s geared just to them and their very specific question.

This can be another good category to sprinkle in some affiliate deals that you believe in, like tours, museum passes, etc. If someone is searching for activities in a certain location, the usually means they are going there and open to ideas.

7. Travel Itineraries:

A plane flying through different world landmarks. Decorative for travel

Help your readers avoid the dreaded “what should I do next?” conundrum by providing curated itineraries for various interests, durations, and budgets.

There are many Google queries for topics like “Best 7 day Los Angeles Itinerary” or “What to do for 5 days in Miami”. If you went on a trip of a specific length, be sure to call that out and provide a day by day breakdown that others can use for inspiration.

PRO TIP: I’ve seen many other bloggers write this content, then repurpose it as a lead magnet to get email subscribers for their blogs.

They basically take the content from one of their “Best things to do in X location!” articles, reformat it all to fit on a printable PDF document or some other sort of guide.

An example of an email lead magnet that trades a subscribers email address for free content

Then they put an email capture form on their site and say something like: “Sign up for my email list and I’ll send you this free exclusive travel plan with all the best stuff do to in Berlin on a budget!”.

It works, because everyone loves something for free.

8. Transportation:

highway interchange - decorative to represent the subtopic of transportation

Offer valuable insights on navigating different modes of transportation and share your tips for getting around like a pro (or at least not getting lost!).

If you have personal experience navigating a city by train, bus, taxi, or car, motorcycle, or bicycle, those are all valid topics to write about.

Talk about the schedules, the available parking, which option makes more sense, the road quality, tolls, gas prices, and what you wish you would have known before going.

You can even point readers to other helpful travel planning sites like Google Flights or Rome2Rio, and teach them how to use those tools themselves.

This is a very broad category with a lot of possibilities.

9. Travel Tips and Resources:

a travel guide showing tourists local attractions

Share your hard-earned wisdom on topics like packing, travel insurance, and budgeting to help your readers travel smarter and stress-free.

Packing lists are an easy affiliate income play, as you can include Amazon links in your post, and then when people click and buy, you could get a paid if you’re signed for their Amazon Associates program.

You could also talk about travel insurance and other financial topics related to travel, but be warned that these topics are usually hyper-competitive as many other websites are locking for the top Google results so they can get the larger affiliate fees from referring readers to high-ticket insurance.

If you’re just starting out, you might want to consider writing on a less competitive topic like some of the one’s we’ve already talked about above.

10. Seasonal Travel:

Ariel view of Camden Maine in the fall
The harbor of Camden, Maine in the fall, when the New England leaves change color.

Enlighten your audience with the best destinations and events for each season, from sun-soaked beach escapes to magical winter wonderlands.

Here are two examples of possible season-related topics:

“Visiting Maine in the Fall to Watch the Colors Change”

“Hawaii in December: Is It Warm Enough to Swim?”

11. Responsible and Sustainable Travel:

Google flights example showing emissions differential between flights.

Empower your readers to make a positive impact by sharing eco-friendly practices and tips for supporting local communities while traveling.

You could talk about how to find flight itineraries with lower emissions, or more general sustainability topics and how to travel in a low-impact way.

12. Travel Photography and Videography:

Tokyo crossing
A photo I took on my trip to Tokyo. This was at Shibuya Crossing which is the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing. Sometimes, up to 3,000 people cross at the same time! If you click the “trip to Tokyo” link you can see more of my photos from Japan and what camera I used.

Sharing your personal photos and videos gives readers a front-row seat to your adventures.

In addition to your own photos, you can also share photography tips, or talk about what gear you used, like your camera, tripod, editing software, and accessories.

Adding personal images to your blog really does help you stand out and build more credibility than a site that uses all stock photos.

Your own photos are proof that you actually visited a location, and have something useful to share, rather than regurgitated web content that all sounds the same.

And don’t forget, that once you have the photos you can also post them on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Reddit and other social networks to help build more awareness for your blog and grow your following.

13. Travel Stories and Reflections:

A large sculpture of an eye in dallas

Don’t be afraid to get personal with your readers by sharing your heartfelt travel stories, lessons learned, and those “I can’t believe this is happening” moments.

People with travel aspirations are generally more open-minded than the average person, so your vulnerability should be rewarded as people start to see how genuine you are and they’ll begin to trust you for sharing.

To be clear, writing an entire blog about your own personal feelings and musings is a horrible idea, as it will likely not rank well in Google and you’ll get no traffic.

But if you sprinkle these posts in once in a while, or have a large social media following who’s already looking to engage with you deeper, you should consider writing these more candid/personal posts on occasion.

14. Solo/Family/Couple Travel:

two young tourists traveling together

Offer tailored advice and inspiration for different travel styles, from solo wanderers to lovebirds on a romantic getaway or families who travel together.

Each form of travel comes with its own requirements and interests. A couple in their 20’s is going to be different than a family with 9 kids.

I’d encourage you to base these posts on your own experience, and share what your circumstances were and the fun things you did that other people with a similar demographic might enjoy.

15. Budget/Luxury/Adventure Travel:

a street in Mexico City

Cater to various travel preferences, whether your readers are penny-pinching backpackers, luxury-loving jet-setters, or thrill-seeking adventurers.

By having empathy and putting yourself in your readers shoes, you can anticipate when their frustrations, hesitations, questions, dreams, and aspirations might be.

Whatever their objective is – whether saving money or the ultimate indulgences – you can help them get their with a blog post specifically about their level of travel.

RELATED POST: Crafting the Perfect Blog Post Title: 11 Proven Formulas for a Killer Headline

Writers Block Vanquished!

Now you have a treasure trove of 15 travel blog categories to help you break through writer’s block and keep your content fresh and diverse.

By exploring these categories, you can come up with a never-ending list of ideas that will engage your readers and help you grow your audience. After that all you need is a winning post title to catch attention.

Remember, the key to successful travel blogging is to be authentic, passionate, and consistently provide valuable information and inspiration.

So, get out there, explore the world, and let your experiences fuel your creativity as you share your adventures with the world. Happy blogging!

Summary: Travel Blog Post Ideas

  1. Places You’ve Been
  2. Gear You’ve Used
  3. Travel Hacks and Flight Booking
  4. Accommodations
  5. Food and Culinary Experiences
  6. Local Attractions and Activities
  7. Travel Itineraries
  8. Transportation
  9. Travel Tips and Resources
  10. Seasonal Travel
  11. Responsible and Sustainable Travel
  12. Travel Photography and Videography
  13. Travel Stories and Reflections
  14. Solo/Family/Couple Travel
  15. Budget/Luxury/Adventure Travel
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