You, my dear travel agency blog writer, are the authority on all things travel. Have you forgotten how awesome and knowledgeable you are?
When you are deep into the day to day of running a business, it’s easy to forget that you are an authority on what you do. Running a travel agency is no different. And while you probably know that a travel agency blog is a good idea, you may feel stuck for travel blog ideas.
Inspiration to the rescue! Or maybe, simplicity to the rescue. Or maybe both. See, there are a lot of people who don’t know anything about traveling (have you been through an airport security line recently?). Or maybe they don’t know anything about venturing to a new location.
In other cases, seasoned travelers may be looking for new destinations or new thoughts on an old favorite location. As a travel agent, you have the knowledge and insight that people want.
But maybe you’ve lost your way, run aground for travel blog ideas, or have just forgotten how awesome you are.
Fortunately, there is inspiration all over the internet for travel blog ideas. Your favorite travel agency blog is one good source of inspiration, but you can also look to travel blogs themselves for ideas.
Your experience in the travel business is full of travel blog ideas, too. In fact, a good travel agency blog has an almost endless supply of possibilities.
Here are 10 travel blogs and travel agency blogs full of ideas, inspiration, and a dash of beauty.
At BuzzFarmers, we help fellow businesses by researching industry trends and then relaying our findings. This helps us, too, because we use this data in our daily work of blogging for businesses. Below, I’ve assembled 10 travel blog ideas that will bolster your web presence starting today and turn traffic via search and social into customers paying cold hard cash.
I’ve also found examples to illustrate the ideas in action. They come from other travel agencies and blogs. In red, you’ll find keyword phrases that we hand-picked as low-hanging fruit. Target these keywords and you could have a good chance of ranking on them in search!
1. Focus on a destination
Title: The Best Italian Cities to Visit in Southern Italy
Suggested Call to Action: “Are you traveling to Italy, but want to keep away from the big tourist destinations? Head south. We’ll show you the best Italian cities to visit, and get you there in style.”
You could then write a post for every major city to which your company sends tours. Here, The Quirky Traveller offers up some great ideas for Italian destinations outside of Rome and Venice, therefore catching your eye with something a little out of the ordinary. Depending on your focus, a post like this could even be broken into several travel blog ideas, with a blog post for each one of these cities – which means even more potential to reach your customers.
2. Get off the beaten path
Title: Travel off the Beaten Path on Your Next Vacation
Suggested Call to Action: “Make your next vacation memorable. Travel off the beaten path and discover a whole new you. We can help you make it happen.”
While few can resist a tropical beach, Budget Travel encourages their readers to get out and explore a destination. There’s more to travel than hitting the hot spots. It’s also about discovery. This approach reaches the traveler who wants to explore and do something a little different. When your blog post hits their eyes, they’ll be calling you to schedule that getaway.
3. Think of thematic blog ideas
Title: Amazing Places in the World to Visit in the Next 10 Years
Call to Action: “You’re ready for a vacation, but don’t know where to go? We go to the most amazing places in the world to visit, and you can join us. Just pack your bags, drop us a line, and we’ll be in touch.”
If there’s a travel agency blog that knows what it means to get muddy shoes and wine stains on your last clean shirt, it’s Sonia Jones Travel. The theme of this travel agency blog is first-hand stories, travel advice, and, of course, an experienced travel agent who will help you plan your trip. And with vivid descriptions from her trips, I’m sure her readers are more than ready to book a vacation.
4. Hone in on family vacations
Title: Family Friendly Vacations Your Kids Will Never Forget
Call to Action: “One of the best gifts you can give your children is great memories. Family-friendly vacations are a fun way to share those future memories. Let us know how we can help you find the perfect vacation.”
Let’s Take the Kids Travel Agency is, as you can imagine, a travel agency that specializes in arranging vacations for families with kids. Family vacations are big business, too, with some estimates for the average vacation coming in at $1,600. But as you know, four plane tickets and five nights in a hotel could easily hit $2,000 before any activities are planned. If you can help families save some of that money, you’ll have a new best friend. Oh, and money in the bank.
5. Consider the budget minded traveler
Title: Cheap Ways to Travel: Because the World is Calling
Call to Action: “Vacations are expensive, but they don’t have to be. We’ll give you some cheap ways to travel, whether you are going around the world, or around the mountain. Call us to save big on your next journey.”
Not everyone wants, or can afford a luxury vacation. Cheap Tickets, long known as a place to find good deals on air travel, has a blog based on how to travel on the cheap. If you use your travel agency blog to write about ways to save money while vacationing, you’ll not only attract search traffic from people who are planning to vacation, but you’ll have a chance to schmooze them with good content before you offer your vacation-booking services.
6. Teach through “how to” posts
Title: Bumped from a Flight? Here’s How To Make the Most of Your Time
Call to Action: “No matter how much planning you do, sometimes things just don’t go right. Did you get bumped from a flight, or locked out of your hotel? Try to make the most of it. Call us for ideas on how you can plan for the unplanned.”
A post on travel blog ideas wouldn’t be complete without suggesting some “how to” posts. Your travel agency blog is just the place for this type of advice, too. How to pack for a hiking trip, how to rent a car in San Francisco, how to avoid sunburn in Costa Rica…I could go on.
Columbus Travel has regular posts on how to handle unexpected situations. Although they aren’t titled as “how to” posts, they do offer blog visitors helpful advice for when they get bumped from a flight, how to plan for their first cruise, and how to eat well in San Francisco. You can do this, too. There are so many possibilities for “how to” blog posts that you could work into your travel agency blog. And do you know what happens when your clients read all your wonderful posts? They come to you when they are ready for a vacation. Maybe they’ll even book right away.
7. Tailor to a specific audience
Title: Brazil Vacation Packages for the Winter Weary
Call to Action: “Here in North America, it’s the dead of winter. Trade in those grey skies and fierce winds with these Brazil vacation packages. Remember, summer is just a short trip south. Call us today.”
Down Under Answers targets independent travelers interested in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific with advice and personalized travel packages. Their blog highlights staff picks, hotel spotlights, and beautiful locations. In the process, they’ve positioned themselves as the go-to source for people interested in vacationing in the South Pacific. The trick here is to decide who your audience is, and then make sure you write directly to them. They will thank you with their wallet.
8. Create lists and lists of lists
Title: Packing Light for Travel: The 10 Things You Can Go Without
Call to Action: “You’re ready to go, but you can’t get your suitcase closed. Do you really need everything in that bag? Probably not. Packing light for travel is all about figuring out what you really need, so give us a call. While you unpack some of the extras, we’ll make sure your itinerary is in order.”
Lists are always a good way to go. They are easy to write, easy to read, and usually offer very useable information. JoyRide Travel, Inc has some great travel blog ideas based on lists. “10 Tips for a Kid-Friendly Summer Cruise” and “6 Benefits of a Staycation” are both fabulous travel blog ideas, and good inspiration for a travel agency blog. And once readers see how much you care about their travel experience, they will call you first when they need to book that vacation.
9. Go niche
Title: My First Disney Trip: What Our Clients Have to Say
Call to Action: “Can’t you just hear the excitement in your child’s voice when he or she says to a friend, “It’s my first Disney trip!” Disney is magic, and you want to make sure you pack in all the fun. We can help you find the best deals and even make dinner reservations for you. Call us to find out more.”
This could be a series of posts or a weekly feature. In the case of Travel with the Magic it’s not just a series of posts, but their entire blog. Their specialty is clearly on Disney vacations. That’s no small niche! But Travel with the Magic offers everything from itinerary planning to dinner reservations and even discount monitoring. Anyone who has thought about a Disney vacation knows how overwhelming it can get. This is exactly why people are willing to pay someone knowledgeable to handle the details for them. If your travel agency blog hones in on one specialty, you’ll be seen as the expert they need!
10. Write about yourself
Title: Life as a Travel Agent can be Funny Sometimes
Call to Action: “Life as a travel agent never fails to be interesting. But what I’m most interested in is helping you plan your next vacation. You deserve it.”
I know this may sound like bragging, but you are an expert, remember? Don’t think you’re an expert? Fine, just fake it until you make it.
The Travel Lady’s Blog is a great example of letting your personality shine through. The blend of travel agency blog and personal blog is a voice of, well, I don’t know if it’s reason or just calling out the obvious, but I love her quirky humor. While this might be a risque approach for most travel agencies, adding some personality is not such a bad idea. In fact, smaller travel agencies that might not be able to compete with advertising dollars can compete with a sense of humor.
Are you still at a loss for travel blog ideas? Get in touch. We have lots of ideas, and we know how to use them to help you make money.
Do you run a travel agency blog? What kind of stories do you write? Let us know in the comments.
This post was originally published in 2015 and has been updated.
