This article is a guestpost article by Helmi Santosa, a blogger with his blog entitled naftlo.id. Please stop by the blog yes!
Our experiences during this life may be very inspiring, even though the impact may not be as big as the leading figures. However, if it is not immortalized, it may no longer provide a meaning.
Mainstream Start
I love walking. Go deep into a destination that has never been visited before, then document it in a personal document archive.
Usually I always go with a friend of mine. Or, if we are not available, we will go separately.
Sometimes if we both happen to have time, like when we are on vacation, we will go with more friends, five to six people.
Until when the outings started to be scheduled/scheduled, an idea was born.
“I’m sure we’re traveling like this, there must be a way to make money. Yes, there must be a way!” I said to my friend, via WhatsApp chat.
My friend clearly agrees, but hasn’t responded with a definitive answer. Maybe because we didn’t know how to do it at that time, we were still thinking.
Finally, the idea settles. Hasn’t had a fresh scent yet.
Accidental. Suddenly. Never thought of it before. Yes, even though it sounds very mainstream, in fact, that’s how we started executing the idea into a new business. Starting a travel blog.
In fact, just starting the story is already boring, right? Ha ha ha …
Even so, for both of us, the principle was simple.
When we’re done visiting a place and taking pictures, usually the photos will only be stored in the gallery, henceforth it may almost never be opened at all.
That’s why we try to document it on the internet. To be precise, through a blog.
The most sickening phase
Everyone has their own ups and downs, and so did I, when we started our travel blog.
At that time, because we didn’t have enough money, the travel blog site that we wanted to start was originally created at localhost. There’s a reason why I don’t start it in the service hosted belongs to WordPress.
Long story short, some content in the form of articles was completed. Although the amount is not much, it is enough time and effort.
Previously I had also set the appearance of the site with the available themes. So, if the money is there, stay in-on line-right, then changed as necessary.
Damn, maybe it’s because I’m not lucky, the laptop I use is often in and out of the workshop, even though it’s still new.
So some important files, including the XAMPP folder, I have to back up again and again.
I myself also forgot how exactly it happened and what I was doing at that time.
What is clear, the times when my laptop was often serviced alone had made my determination to start a travel blog, slowly begin to fade. I’m bored. The situation is not entirely in my favor.
You think this is the sickening part? Unfortunately, no. The Kamvretmoment had just begun…
***
I’m back in my hands the laptop which, you may have guessed, has just come out of service.
When I want to open my site via localhosthow surprised I was when I found out that it couldn’t be opened, error.
Feelings of frustration began to come with certainty, creeping and spreading throughout the body. Count the obscenities you know, I might have said them then. Ha ha …
Trying to calm down, I tried googling, looking for a solution. Meet. I fiddled with the XAMPP until finally my site was accessible again, with most of the content missing! Only one left, the first content I created.
What power, I finally gave in. Trying to reflect and think again. This is definitely one of the worst experiences of my life.
Consistent with commitment is difficult, let alone committed to be consistent.
Find your own motivation.#mygoal #commitmentandconsistency
— Helmi Santosa (@helmisant) August 28, 2021
We learn a lot from experience
After a long time the determination to start a travel blog faded, slowly I began to realize something.
If you think about it, the writings that I made at that time could be said to be very bad.
The arrangement is not neat, irregular, inconsistent. Basically, messed up.
I smiled to myself. Hopefully this will be a turning point. Finally, after I had enough money, I immediately bought a hosting service and the domain.
Live on lineno need to go through localhost. I clean up quickly, even with limited resources. Make the site worth enjoying.
***
As for writing, when the days went flat while I was writing articles for the site, I tried a new breakthrough.
I took the initiative, which was to try, for the first time, to buy a novel.
In fact, I was never really interested in novels. I prefer books about the history of war or whatever, obviously, other than novels et al.
However, seeing the fact that the novel has loyal readers who are even willing to buy it in large quantities, a sense of wonder and curiosity arises within me, “There must be a reason why a novel can be so popular.”
I googled again, looked for novel recommendations, chose the appropriate criteria, then made a list. In short, my first novel fell on Tere Liye’s novel entitled MISS.
After a few days of reading the novel and then finishing, I found the answer.
Apparently, apart from the interesting story, the style of language used to write a novel also has a large portion to influence the readers to feel at home reading it for a long time.
Writing style, that’s the key. That’s what I need to fix when creating article content on the travel blog that I’m starting.
Difficult? Clear. Everything really needs to be done gradually and slowly, before eventually becoming a habit or even a skill.
Looking for Inspiration on Dead Roads
The feeling of boredom came again. I started to feel bored writing stories and reviews about a destination.
Because I feel no longer productive, I try to find inspiration. Looking for interesting travel-themed sites.
For a moment, I remembered a name that I didn’t even know at that time. I only found it in one of the videos How come?. her name SearchRI. Maybe most of you already know.
I typed the name on Google, and found the site.
I entered. This is interesting. Stories posted on the site SearchRI this turned out to be the work of the contributors.
They register, then write their stories there.
Curious, I was interested in trying it out.
Again, long story short, one of my travel stories was successfully published there. It is a story about my experience doing bike packeror riding a motorbike.
Alone, for a whole week, early fasting yesterday. From Jogja – Temanggung – Tegal – Temanggung – Gresik – Suramadu – Jogja (going home).
I admit, from the activity of writing the travel story (not reviewing it), it created a special motivation for me.
Maybe previously the content that I have created so far is too descriptive, not interesting.
In fact, from an experience or a simple moment, an interesting story can be made, the important thing is to remain consistent with the original purpose of creating the content.
An effective learning. I returned to clean up; change my writing to be more narrative.
Starting from the Experienced Experience
A few months after starting the blog, the moments stuck it came back. This time it’s more about feelings “Ah, how come the blog is like this, huh?”.
Again, I have to find a solution. I also tried blog walking, browse to the leading travel blog sites that have been around for a long time. Just read whatever I find interesting.
There are about five or six travel blogs that I visit. At first, I only read ordinary travel stories, then after a while I was also interested in reading tips or guides to become a travel blogger and so on.
There is one article that I like the most, besides because what is written there is really appropriate and I have experienced it myself. The article contains guide to create a travel blog.
I totally agree with the points mentioned there, some of them:
- About the principle of writing, which is merely to pour knowledge or experience. Basically, to share.
- Start with the closest. Yes, I too, when I wanted to create material for my blog content, only started by visiting the nearest tourist destinations. Only then if I happen to have time to visit further afield, will I do so. The important thing is that there is a will to start, it doesn’t have to be from far away places.
- We don’t know where our writing will take us. Most importantly, write it down first. It doesn’t matter whether anyone reads it or not, because in due time, our writings will be read by the right people and at the right time. Sustenance can come from anywhere.
Then, there is also an article about basic SEO guide for travel bloggers. At first I was just fad when I opened the article.
And after thoroughly reading the contents, I’m grateful, it turns out that so far I’ve done most of the guidelines suggested in the article. So I’m not too wrong way, hahaha.
I dare say it’s a great and different guide because, yes, as far as I’m concerned, that’s the easiest basic SEO tips to do.
Different, also because the content of the guide will be very different from what you find on sites on the first page of Google when you type in “basic SEO tips” (for example), which are usually less or even ineffective.
Yes, admit it or not, we will always learn a lot from experience. Likewise, our instinct for survive it usually appears when we don’t have anything.
Building a new one is more difficult than continuing an existing one
When I realized that what I was doing had not yet fully achieved the desired results, apart from it requiring patience, as a beginner, I definitely needed help.
Help from experienced people.
I don’t want to just stop when I’ve come this far. It’s like we’ve traveled a long way to where we want, but instead stop and sit on the side of the road.
I’m back looking for a way out. The solution for the blog that I’m starting. Go back to Google, I typed “travel blog creator collaboration” and then there appeared, at the very top, the site IPAGuides this.
The link leads to the page collabs. I immediately contacted the person concerned, the blog owner, Ms. Velysia Zhang.
Are you curious how this story ends?
This story ends right when you guys finished reading this, just as I started writing this long article.
Because, from several short conversations via email, I agree with Mbak Velysia’s advice: write guest post. Until finally this long article, the article “mode”. Ha ha ha …
Closing
Forget about the story of my experience starting a travel blog. Actually, what I most want to convey and share is about how much we are willing and willing to share through writing.
Yes, about how we write life stories.
I don’t know, but still believe (and also pray) that a struggle will give a commensurate result, even though to this day we have not yet seen the results.
To those of you who may also be fighting for something, the message from me is only one: persistent.
Hopefully one day that perseverance will give unexpected results and hopefully this article can provide benefits, even if it is not much.
Finally, again, re-quoting from SearchRI,
“If not written down, even the most dramatic travel stories will eventually be lost to the ages.”
Create by ipadguides in category of Travel Accomodation