What if someone asked you the same question- what is your travel blogging niche? Do you have an answer? I have to admit I was pretty stumped when this question was put to me! But since then I have been thinking.
I started this blog just to talk about my own trips. There was no expectation whatsoever from the blog. I wonder if it was a good thing or a bad thing? I started blogging in June 2005 and if you told anyone that you had a blog then the usual question was, who reads it?
But coming back to the blogging niche bit, the trouble with me is I just love to travel, be it by rail, road, air or water. I love trekking but I love beaches too. And I enjoy everything in between. I have obviously traveled more in India but if I get an opportunity I love to explore a new country or revisit the one I have already been to. So where does that leave me? Quite without a niche!
I can only say I don’t like crowded places and I like it more outdoors. It is not that I can’t spend half a day inside a museum but after that I will love to walk around for the rest of the day. But after having said all this I am still quite without a niche.
In the end I could think of only one place to park myself- the average traveler category, the one who has a full time job, a child and a husband and all that goes with it! I am happy if I can get out once a month though sometimes I cannot. And it still leaves me with enough material to blog daily till I go out again!
What do you think? What is your travel blogging/blogging niche? Do you think it is important?
well too much to think of niche n all! I guess its all abt u enjoying the writing n I as a reader looking fwd to ur nxt post. Dono abt the former, but I bet there are enuf readers around the world who will vouch for the latter
Just like you would have a health niche, science niche, gardening niche. At the same time, there is a niche within a niche. For example, you could talk about travels in India, travels in Europe, America and so on.
I write about travelling to India on my blog here
http://www.shalusharma.com
Its all about travelling to India, travel tips for India, places to visit in India hence the niche is India.
Now you write about your experiences, post photos and other things so your blog so your niche is “your experience on your travels”. Correct me if I am wrong.
By the way how did your meet up go with Maeiellen?
C’mon, you are no average traveller :). By being a blogger, you see more than most average traveler. The question you pose is good and I almost want to get to some niche travel writing, but the problem is I like seeing variety in what I see, so there is no real niche for me in the travel blog world.
No it is not impotant! As long as one clicks and writes like Mridula 🙂
That seriously is a tough question. When i read your thoughts, it struck me that I too dont have a travel blogging niche. I love travelling everywhere. There is no place on planet earth that I do not wish to visit. Can you call that niche? But all travellers are like that. They love all kinds of destinations.
http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in
Usually, it’s more about the traveller than the journey.
‘Travel blogging’ is ‘niche’ by itself, isn’t it?
But then again if we’re talking about a niche within travel blogging, I think it doesn’t have to be just about destinations. It could be how you blog/what you blog about: travelogues, travel news, plain travel info, travel photography…
hmm.. well, travel itself is a niche, isnt it? But i guess you enjoy trekking more than anything else, so maybe you could call yourself a ‘trekking blogger;? but wouldnt that be too much? It is so much nicer to simply go wherever our feet take us! and the pleasure is doubled by remembering the journey and writing about it! when i started out, i thought of writing only about the places i visited. ‘a wandering mind’ was the first thing that came to my mind, but maybe i shdnt have given that name to my blog…it seems to have developed a mind of its own, which wanders off all the time.. from events to kids stuff to book reviews… so no niche at all 😀 but its still fun!
Wouldn’t having a niche defeat the very purpose of blogging? After all we do like to express ourselves. And that I suppose cannot be compartmentalised. I enjoy travelling with you, so keep blogging!
I love that shot!
I guess you have a travel blog and I have more of a nature one?
Mridula,
Travel blogging is a niche in itself, albeit a very broad niche. Then there are RTW travel blogs, Asia blogs, Backpacking blogs, Budget blogs, etc.
My niche is India. I don’t write about anything but India. The niche is that I am white and a foreigner who keeps returning to the country. You however are competing with a long list of other Indian bloggers.
Looking at the first 3 pages of your site, without reading one word of text, the majority of your photos are of nature scenes or some sort of adventure. Bingo…there is your niche.
I want to type to read, click pictures to see and share it also the niche of travel blogging.
Thanks Meena, I think it is you!
Shalu thanks for sharing your thoughts. The meeting with Mariellen was fantastic.
Richa I am in the same boat!
Amit thank you 😀 You are kind!
Niranjan now that is a thought!
Shovon I didn’t understand that one properly or was that a hint that I am talking too much about myself these days?
dNambiar thanks for your views.
Anu 😀 it is a good name and it is good that you let it wander! Look at mine, Travel Tales from India! I wonder why was I thinking that I would never go abroad?
Ilakshee that is another valid perspective!
Lady Fi that is spot on!
Thanks Chirs! Your identification is much valued!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Tushar!
i enjoyed ur post .nice post
r u in indiblogger meet i think we miss to meet there
Thanks Santosh. No, I could not make it to this Sunday’s meet.
I read your blogs and find the travels and pictures posted by you interesting. My travel niche is spiritual and finding things which hardly anyone knows about from the spiritual perspective while I travel with my disciples. The connect with mythology and spiritual. Knowing the truth about the places and connecting with the myths! God bless. Keep on travelling and writing.
Suresh are you the same Suresh from Indiblogger? Else if you have a blog then do give the link. And thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Yes, of course. My blogs are mythistical.blogspot.com which you read. The same. Thanks.
Well there are some things which any travel enthusiast enjoys more in doing and writing about it. For me its nature and history which brings best out of me as a travel writer.
Thanks for sharing your niche Manish.
Being just a year old in the blogging business I have noted that it does help if you have a fixed direction. Some people talk mostly about backpacking, others about luxury resorts etc. I for one cannot pin down any one thing because I like variety and hope so do my readers. So I cover everything from events to talking about photographs, to weekend trips to international ones (sorry it seems i’m promoting myself). My point being unless you have an ulterior motive, ie you are a travel site etc., feel free to write about anything your heart desires.
Thanks Raghav. To me it never sounded like you are promoting yourself! Just one year old? Impressive. And thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Nice thought provoking post. I agree that it is difficult to find a niche, if you basically started writing about your own travels. Guess that’s what most “travelogue” writers do.
Think finding the blogging niche is more about finding a traveling niche. I realised that I like to travel the lesser known destinations and love photographing the landscapes, flora and fauna… perhaps that’s a niche .. don’t know..
I have been blogging since about the same time as you (2005) and to date haven’t found a niche.
Vishius many thanks for sharing your ideas. 😀
As a couple of other people have pointed out, isn’t travel blogging a niche itself? But perhaps, in these days of super-specialisation, it is important to have a niche within a niche. Like spiritual travels, or rural travel, or weekend getaways…
I started my blog “My Favourite Things” with the intention of writing only about my travels. But it has developed into one that reflects my multiple interests in travel, books, photography, music. But ultimately it is a blog that reflects my passion and what I want to write and share.
Thanks Sudha. As long as you are happy that is all that matters in the end I guess?
Hey Mridula,
These days its important to understand your travel niche,and that’s what I got after visiting several events for last 2-3 months.Ok people say you travel but then everyone does these days,and its difficult to make people understand that I write as I travel on my whim.A question that itself is a struggle.
I am a travel blogger from last 9 months,and I sometimes cover events as well but then I do feel that the events dilute the thesis or the subject of your blog.Getting a free travel is next to impossible(do you know of how to?? ;)),but getting a sponsored event invite is easy but then that dilutes the blog theme.Still finding ways on how to..You started in 2005,way way senior than me,suggest some ways I can travel for free 🙂
I am not sure what do you mean by free travel? Maybe we should chat via email? 😀