The life of an Indian travel blogger looks glamorous from the outside. After all, I get to travel to exotic places and the bill is footed by someone else! I am immensely grateful for the opportunities too. But travel alone does not pays my bills and therein lies the rub.
There is another aspect of the travel blogging life and relates to making money or even getting those sponsored trips. A lot of my interactions with PR/Digital agencies are thoroughly professional. But that is not the topic for today.
When I am in a mood to laugh, I call them fun interactions. But when I am not in a mood to laugh, this is what an Indian travel blogger’s life looks like!
Recently I was talking to a young person who represented a portal. The conversation went like this-
Guy: “I can give you one way ticket to any destination in India!” I initially thought I heard it wrong!
Me: “One way you said?”
Guy: “Yes”
Me: “No, this won’t work as I need to get back home too!” After all I can not walk all the way back home after flying one way, right?
The actual conversation was a bit longer but what I quoted above was the crux of it.
Most of the digital agencies which contact me for paid assignments also have a particular pattern. It goes something like this-
PR Person: “We have this digital campaign … can you give me the blog post (or whatever else it is) by tomorrow?”
Me: “OK but when will you pay?”
PR Person: “We pay after 90 days!” And most will pay after 90 days and several reminders later! There are only a few exceptions (one actually) who pay on time and I value them a lot.
Then there are mails that invite me to participate in contests. One went like this-
“Dear Influencer, Great news! You have been invited to the Instagram contest…”
I don’t like contests at many levels. But the voting based ones top my hate list. Do a Google search for ‘buy FB votes’or for that matter on any other platform. I know it, the participants know it, the organizers know it, so who are we kidding? I do not like contests at another level too. I have so many people offering me the same thing (a trip, phone etc) without any contests, so why would I take part in one where whether I win or not is not even certain! But it is certain that the organizers will get free publicity!
There, after this rant I already feel better. I have often shown the glamorous aspects of my life as a travel blogger, I thought it was time to show a bit of the other side too!
Very aptly captured…. I wonder why people still don’t get that travel blogging is lots of hard work and involves time and money on behalf of blogger
We could do a rotating series on this Prasad ЁЯША
The story of our lives..
And people want to quit their jobs to follow their passion!
Well put Mridula Ji…… Life of a Indian travel blogger is humorous & frustrating at the same time… Depends on how we take it at that point in time… I have been asked by many newbie bloggers on how to make money by blogging…. And I tell them that’s one trick I really don’t know!!
I agree Sushmita, my decision to quit my job makes sense in every other way but monetarily!
Can so relate to it. And guess what, this we will pay you after 6 weeks…45 days… 90 days is where most of my deals don’t go through. And honestly, I have never felt bad about losing the ones who, once their job is done, ‘forget’ anything & everything about it!
And yes, quitting my job makes sense in every other way but monetarily!
Cheers,
Rajiv
Rajeev hopefully for us this too shall pass! ЁЯША
This too shall pass ЁЯЩВ
Hahaha.. I second you?? Glad that I did not quit my job for blogging ? getting money on time is such a pain ?
True that! ЁЯША
Mridula ji, Nice to read _()_
Thank you Rupam!
рднрд╛рд░рдд рдХреЗ рд▓рдЧрднрдЧ рд╕рднреА рдпрд╛рддреНрд░рд╛ рдмреНрд▓реЙрдЧ рд▓рд┐рдЦрдиреЗ рд╡рд╛рд▓реЗ рдПрдХ рд╣реА рдзреБрди рд╡рд╛рд▓реЗ рдирд┐рдХрд▓реЗрдВрдЧреЗред
рдмрд┐рд▓реНрдХреБрд▓ рд╕рд╣реА рдХрд╣рд╛ рдЖрдкрдиреЗ!
I did quit whatever I was doing and haven’t started making money from my blog. So I think my life as an Indian travel blogger is quite hard! ЁЯШЙ But hopefully one day I will know what you are talking about, from my own experience!
My best wishes are with you. Thank you for sharing such an honest view with me.
Thank you for your wishes.
” I thought it was time to show a bit of the other side too! ” – which means another interesting post!
Ha ha ЁЯША thank you, I should do this at least once a month!
Can related to that! The time most bloggers spend on the blog is no way proportional to the money we make from it… except for the few ones at the top of the chain.
For a while even if I forget money, offering one way ticket? Now who came up with that?
Interesting episodes-give us more of those :).
I will try Indu! I usually get into this mood after a series of incidents ЁЯША
I know, right? Sometimes I think clients feel it’s a sin to pay writers! ЁЯЩВ
I so agree, and it is a complete sin to pay on time!
True that! ЁЯЩВ
Such is life, or so I feel at least on some days!
why we live our life with other term of conditions great job keep rocking
Thank you!
The truth of all blogging these days. I have had similar experiences with lifestyle blogging too!
I am not surprised at all! Hopefully it will change.
Made me chuckle :p so true! One way ticket was hilarious! I sometimes am appalled to see how PR professionals don’t see through the bought followers or likes or votes!
Story of our lives when people think it’s all so glamorous! Tch tch!
Divisi about the bought likes and all, it is a different game. I guess if the client is not well versed with social media PR can recommend anyone they want. I think they understand, they just choose to ignore it.
I dislike vote-based contests too, Mridula.
I like to take part in contests, but it’s tough to devote the time and effort for that high-quality post! Plus, my idea of quality doesn’t match the judges views ЁЯЩВ
You have rightly mentioned that there’s no certainty to win ЁЯЩВ
Anita I agree there can be contests that are better designed. May you keep winning ЁЯША
So sad! I never thought of this side of a travel blogger’s life. I was thinking of your hectic schedules and the tiredness you might have.
Why not make a bloggers’ association? I know that’s like tying the bell in cat’s neck. But, still?
Sindhu I think that will eventually happen but when is the question!
We need to form our own rules about terms and payments. And if all of us bloggers adhere to that we should be able to make a change. I know what you mean. I have people wanting free coverage all the time;. I wonder if they ask land owners for free offices too.
We are simply too many and at different stages in our blogging life cycle. But I too hope some sanity will prevail eventually!
Some funny conversation there for sure. Quitting your job to travel is a big decision and then comes the monetary aspect, it is indeed a tough life.
Yes Ruby, some days it feels like that.
We pay after 90 days!тАЭ And most will pay after 90 days and several reminders later! There are only a few exceptions (one actually) who pay on time and I value them a lot.:)
рдореБрдЭреЗ рдЕрднреА рдмрд╣реБрдд рд╕рдордп рдирд╣реАрдВ рд╣реБрдЖ рдмреНрд▓реЙрдЧ рд▓рд┐рдЦрддреЗ рд╣реБрдП рддреЛ рд╕рдордЭрдирд╛ рдореБрд╢реНрдХрд┐рд▓ рд╣реИ рдЗрд╕ рджреБрдирд┐рдпрд╛ рдХреЛ рдЕрднреА рд▓реЗрдХрд┐рди рдлрд┐рд░ рднреА рд▓рдЧрддрд╛ рд╣реИ рдХрд┐ рдмреНрд▓реЙрдЧ рд╕реЗ рдЬреАрд╡рди рддреЛ рдирд╣реАрдВ рдЪрд▓ рд╕рдХрддрд╛ , рд╣рд╛рдБ рдЖрдк рдлрд┐рд░ рднреА рднрд╛рдЧреНрдпрд╢рд╛рд▓реА рд╣реИрдВ рдХрд┐ рдЖрдкрдХреЛ рдЗрддрдирд╛ invite рдХрд┐рдпрд╛ рдЬрд╛рддрд╛ рд╣реИ !! рдЖрдк рдЬреИрд╕рд╛ рдореИрдВрдиреЗ рдкрд╣рд▓реЗ рдХрд╣рд╛ рдерд╛ – рдмреНрд▓реЙрдЧрд┐рдВрдЧ рдлреАрд▓реНрдб рдХреА рдорд╣рд╛рди рдкреНрд▓реЗрдпрд░ рд╣реИрдВ !!
Thank you Yogi! I hope eak din jivan bhi chala paaunge! Tab tak husband tou job karta hi hai, meine bhi 3 years ki salary save kar ke invest kar rakhi hai!
“I am in the final year of engineering, quiet good at studies (according to people). But who wants to be an engineer. That daily 9-6 job… naahh…I don’t want to live that boring life. I want to be an explorer, without telling anyone I’ll leave my home and will live my life the way I want”
-These were all my views before I read this post. But now I think I’ve to revise my decision again. Thank you for sharing ЁЯЩВ
I wored for 13 years before quitting my job and my husband still works! So yes I could afford to quit my job!
Mridilaji big thanks for sharing this experience. Post like this coming up from you is really helpful for every blogger. Before blogging I was into advertising. I used to do freelancing and delayed payment was a common problem.
Sandeepa thanks for letting me know that it is the same for freelancers in other fields. But we need to try and change it, at least in the ‘influencer’ domain! Otherwise what good we are as influencers?
Right. We are learning from our mistakes.
yess mam, I can see how it is tough in terms of monetary aspects as travel blogger.I also read few conversations on this on twitter also.
I have full time job and not getting paid for travel is good idea as of now may be
Getting paid is always a good idea, but yes with a job you don’t care much about it. I also took it as extra income when I was working full time. Delayed payments didn’t bother me much as my salary would come on time!
Nice post! I am a travel writer and not so much of a blogger. That seems very glamourous too… honestly almost all my travels have been self sponsored and what I make from writing about the place covers very little of the costs.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Chaitali!
I still remember that “tweet”. Didn’t know you wrote a post on the same ЁЯЩВ
A realistic depiction of travel blogging ballgame in India and I really hope it changes in the near future. The only reason I’m still working waiting for the same ЁЯЩВ
Me too, hanging in there with hope!
Thank you for sharing your bitter experiences. Everyone knows that travel bloggers are paid well but we never knew, you guys are not paid on time. After all you too would need money to share and write about new places.
I make much less than what I used to when I was working full time. And there are only so many paid assignments in the Indian market! But it is something I chose and I am working on it!