How to Design a Beautiful Travel Journal on Blogger without Paying for a Theme - A Student's Guide

Read this article to learn how to set up a free travel journal on Blogger and ways to make it aesthetically pleasing without paying extra for a theme. This guide covers how to make it SEO optimised and earn through your travelling passion while studying. 

Who wouldn't like to break the monotony of their student lives with restricted budgets? Especially if they can make a living out of their hobbies. If you are a student and an avid traveller, you can share your experiences digitally to show your online presence. 

What can be a better idea of visually documenting and time-stamping them than a traveller’s journal? However, in this digitised age, travel journaling can be best presented online. It does not remain confined to one person; it is shared with the world. But a student with a limited budget may not invest in paid themes offered on WordPress or Squarespace, etc. This article explains how to start and design an

aesthetic travel journal on Blogger for free. Let’s get started!

What You Will Learn in This Article? 

• Setting up a paid travel journal blogging account for students is difficult; they learn how to make it free.
• You understand the simple travel journal blog setup process along with information about free resources for visuals and icons.
• You figure out different ways to make the travel stories aesthetic.
• If you want to monetise your hobby, this article discusses several ways to do so. 

Why Start a Travel Journal on Blogger?

One of the pivotal benefits of Blogger is its free access. For a student facing financial challenges or debt, travel journaling does not seem like a hassle. It's not only free and easy on the pocket, but also easy to set up and Google-integrated. 

More importantly, Blogger can deliver massive reach for your online travel journal, with 35.7M visits in just a month, according to SEMrush. Cherry on top, it offers a lot of customisation scope, so you don’t have to depend on paid, premium themes. 

A digital travel journal brings numerous benefits; it's not just a scrapbook of memories. If you find it hard to get started or keep your writing consistent, a trustworthy essay writing service, such as The Academic Papers UK, can help. Their experts create content that is clear, engaging, and well-structured so your travel journal connects with readers.

An add-on would be to pick a niche that attracts a relevant viewership to your blog. It can be a solo travel journal, a budget travel journal, or a couples travel journal. You can engage with like-minded readers and build a portfolio with strong storytelling skills. Blogger.com comes as a fresh breeze with its free account setup proving to be a beneficial blogging platform for students. Pick a catchy name, a visually enticing travel journal template, and start writing your blog.

Some other benefits of travel journaling are given below: 

• Removes Writer’s Block
• Increase Visibility
• Offers Creative Outlet
• Preserve Memories
• Global Outreach
• Prospect of Monetisation
• Recognition and Popularity

How Should You Plan Your Travel Journal Design? 

To design a visually appealing travel blog that captures a viewer/reader’s attention, there are certain steps to follow. We will discuss them below, so you have an organised roadmap before you. 

1. Pick the Right Niche

As discussed earlier, you need to pick a niche and that will decide your target audience and bring in the relevant traffic to your blog. Your curated visuals should reflect the narrative you want to construct for your specific audience. 

According to Forbes, 68 per cent of Gen Z and millennials constantly look for unique inspirations for travel and outdoor activities. There is an increasing demand for new concepts in travel blogging. 

However, you need to follow certain steps in your market research and pick the right niche for you.

Source: mize.tech

Some of the most popular and in-demand niches for student travel journals are listed below:

• Budget Travel - It's a highly relevant niche to student bloggers due to the budget restraints they face. Studies suggest 82% Gen Z prioritise travelling but on a budget. 
• Solo Travel - It's particularly suitable for female students who want to travel alone and create unique experiences. 
• Food and Culinary travel - Blogs that are based on diverse cuisines attract people from local areas who love to experience new foods. 
• Sustainable and Eco-travel - Blogging driven by social causes like sustainability or wildlife conservation makes an impact beyond the mere travel niche. 
• Travel Journal on Fashion and Lifestyle - Not only is it popular amongst women, but men have a growing interest in knowing what to wear in different climates.

2. Be Specific with Theme

Your chosen travel journal theme and style shouldn’t just reflect your personal style but also resonate with your readers. You might be a foodie or an art lover, exploring and sharing the art and cuisines of different cultures. So whether you are going to be photo-heavy or a minimalist, it all depends on what you choose to showcase. 

1. These are image-centric layouts that focus on photos and videos to captivate readers' attention.
2. Most of the youth, including students, heavily use mobile devices, hence pick a responsive and mobile-friendly theme.
3. Create a simple theme that allows visitors to easily find the content they are looking for, using clear menus.
4. Choose a theme that aligns with your future goals, especially if you plan to sell products or tours.

3. Aesthetics are a Game-Changer

Your aesthetic can be bohemian, ethereal or vintage, reflecting your personal taste. However, one element that can either make or break your design is the colour palette. You should strictly adhere to colour psychology and be willing to experiment with new colours every month. 

Some popular aesthetics amongst young bloggers are:

• Vintage
• Ethereal
• Minimalist
• Candycore

Doodling and adding visual diaries are also deemed cathartic and therapeutic. Many notable figures like Da Vinci and Einstein kept visual diaries. You don’t have to be an artist; you can either paint or write your feelings off, all up to your choice. However, give equal importance to choosing the right fonts and writing styles. 

How to Set Up Your Travel Journal on Blogger for Free 

Setting up a travel journal on Blogger is an easy, streamlined process, given that it's Google-owned and free.

Here is a step-by-step guide to setting up your travel journal account: 

• Sign in with your Google account to set up your Blogger account
• Click the New Blog button on the dashboard, which is often placed on the left side downwards. 
• Choose a blog address, which is an easy process even for beginners.
• The next step would be deciding on a theme; you don’t need to fuss about it at the start. Pick any, and you can customise later.
• Click save, and your blog is ready to launch.
• Enter the layout section, where you can add gadgets in the sidebar or footer, as per your preferences.
• In the same section, you can add a profile section, social media icons or popular posts for display. 

Essential On-Page SEO Tips for Your Travel Journal Posts 

Let's be honest, when one is putting so much effort into designing and making a visually appealing travel journal. They do end up expecting some monetised gain. It only occurs if your reach is expanding and you manage to attract traffic to your travel journal. 

If you really look forward to earning some monetary benefits from your passion for travel, it requires some discipline. It means you start generating the right content for the right readership. Make your digital travel journal SEO optimised to match users’ search intent. 

Here are a few important points you need to consider in achieving it. If you are busy with your classwork, get services from the experts at Nestors Global. They have a team of SEO experts who know how to create an account and rank your travel journal on the Google. 

Efficacy of Blogs for SEO

When you start publishing content through effective blogging on your travel diary which is both valuable and reflects your expertise, you emerge as a thought-leader in your targeted niche. Establishing your authority in the domain is the first step. 

Remember, not every blog post has to be in a promotional tone. You can mainly discuss travel tips, discuss popular destinations or write detailed guides for certain travel itineraries. 

Build Authority

One of the easiest ways to establish authority for your online travel journal is link building. Add both credible links to external sites and internal links to your own popular posts. It will enhance the visibility of your travel journal. 

Examples of internal and external links are given in the table: 

Optimise Old Posts

The relevance and competitiveness of keywords keep shifting, and search engines update their algorithm from time to time. A previously popular post might be invisible now. Keep revisiting old content and update it with current SEO trends. 

While optimising old posts, do recheck if all the links are still working, or if any updates in the information can be made. Search for new keywords that might be more relevant to the changing times, travel protocols, or latest Google updates. 

Use the Right Keywords

Make sure you add the right keywords to your blog if you want to rank for certain terms. Do add a blend of primary and secondary keywords that can improve the ranking and visibility of your site. Avoid keyword stuffing that can kill the natural feel of the content. 

Your ultimate goal should be choosing a keyword with high search volumes and less competition. It can be easy to find unless dealing with highly saturated travel blogging niches. Some buyer-intent keywords are ways to secure affiliate income opportunities. 

Make Your Photos a SEO Win

It's an age of visuals, so the image SEO is as important as the text itself. Do add the ALT text, though, as search engines can’t read the image but use the ALT text to know what it contains. 

Some best practices for Image SEO:

• Unique and Original Images: Try to use your own photos as Google rank authentic work faster. 
• Image Format: Use the right format for the images. If it's a photograph, then JPEG is ideal. If it's a graphic, then PNG works well. 
• Use Captions: To increase user engagement with your visuals. Do add context to them by integrating keywords.
• Use HTML Tags: Add proper HTML tags for images so search engines can identify and index them. 
• Use Correct Image Sizing: The dimensions of the image depend upon various factors as given below:

                                                           Source: travelpayouts.com

Offer a Top-notch User Experience

Many people fail to offer a user-friendly experience even after keyword integration, backlinking and topical authority. Their sites are a mess, whether with cluttered content, poor design or messy visuals. It will only increase the bounce rate as users keep leaving the site quickly. 

Since most of the readers rely on the mobile version, an enhanced mobile user experience ensures faster rankings. Some of these factors need to be considered for mobile UX. 

• Web Responsiveness
• Easy Web Navigation
• Content Readability
• Local Keywords
• No Annoying Pop-ups or Ads
• Blog Testing Across Devices

Craft a Compelling Snippet for the Blogger Post 

If you want others to find your travel journal blog using relevant terms, meta descriptions help drive click-throughs on search engines. Even though it doesn’t directly impact the ranking algorithm, but indirectly helps Google determine if you are a valuable result, hence helping you rank better. 

More importantly, aim for feature snippets. It can considerably increase your visibility since Google doesn’t pick the most highly ranked articles for it, but the most relevant content. It will offer immense credibility to your travel content. 

Free Resources to Enhance the Experience at Your Travel Journal 

Here are some free resources you can use for visuals and functionality in your travel journal.

Websites for Free Stock Images

Sites like Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay offer a diverse collection of images, videos, illustrations and vector graphics of high resolution. Canva, on the other hand, is a tool offering access to a library of free photos and design elements.

Resources for Free Icons

For a traveller’s blog, icons are must-haves. Flaticon, Icons8, and The Noun Project offer a massive database of free icons with powerful functionality. 

How to Monetise Your Travel Journal?

Your personalised travel journal can bring you money while you live your best life by employing some of these ideas:

• Affiliate Marketing: It's kind of digital matchmaking when you like a product or service so much that you want to recommend it to others. Let's say you recommend a restaurant or a guesthouse, and each time your readers click through the link, the money multiplies for you. 
• Website Ads: It's not advisable, though, unless you have almost 10k sessions in a month. However, with increased traffic, you can even make $10k a month easily. However, avoid it if you don’t have the required traffic.
• Sponsored Content: Sponsored content or blog posts are one of the most viable earning methods through documenting your travel experiences. These paid collaborations can be through hotels, services, or even a destination offering incentives for promotional content. 

Conclusion

As a student, setting up a travel journal account for your passion and making money out of your hobbies seems like a dream life. This guide discussed in length how students can start blogging for free with the right set of aesthetics, themes and SEO best practices.

Many students face difficulties balancing academics with personal passions like travel or writing. Writing tasks and deadlines can take up most of your time and leave little room for creativity. This is where UK-based essay writing services can be a viable option. These services free up your time. Also, with the help of these services, you can reduce academic stress. Further, you can focus on documenting your travel experiences and building a compelling travel journal by availing these services.

Frequently Asked Questions About Travel Journal

What is the best travel journal for beginners?

There is no single recipe or formula to determine the best travel journal, as it varies according to preferences. However, some  great recommendations are as follows:

• Nomadic Matt - a great option for making budget-friendly plans. 
• Legal Nomads/A Little Adrift - Good for unique and fun perspectives. 
• The Blonde Abroad - Well-suited for solo female travel experiences. 
• Expert Vagabond - If you are an adventure or photography lover, this one is for you. 

How do I create a travel journal?

There are certain steps to be followed if you want to start travel journaling:

• Define Your Niche: Decide on your blog's specific focus, such as adventure travel, luxury travel, or budget travel.
• Select a Platform: Choose a blogging platform. WordPress is a popular but paid option. On the contrary, Google Blogger is free.
• Write high-quality Posts: Start writing your blog posts with a focus on high-quality, engaging content that provides value to your readers.
• Use Great Visuals: Include high-quality photos and videos to make your blog more engaging.

You can monetise it later once you start getting enough reach for your content.

How to Write a Good Travel Journal?

There’s not a one uniform way to do it. It depends on what makes you feel good. You can jot a few notes after every travel plan or write during a long train ride. You can simply include doodles, tickets, overheard quotes or anything that sparks a memory. And if you want, you could record voice memos or add short videos.