What kind of guest posts are you looking for?

I am looking for well written, high quality travel guest posts of 500-600 words. Park Ride Fly USA provides off airport parking  mainly for the US business travel market, so I am looking for posts that are relevant to this audience. Posts that offer something different or a unique twist on an old topic will be given priority, as will posts from real travel bloggers (as opposed to reps from SEO firms). I generally publish 1 guest post a week, though I may occasionally publish more.

I have an idea; what should I do?

Here are some general guidelines:

1. Search the blog to make sure the topic has not been covered before (or at least not in the same way.)

2. Contact me with your post idea (sharon at parkrideflyusa dot com). We welcome posts from both new and experienced travel bloggers. You don’t need a resume or a long list of previous blogging credits to be considered.

3. If I like your idea, write it up and get it back to me ASAP, and I’ll see if I want to publish it. Please make sure it is error-free before you send it. If I don’t acknowledge it within a couple of days, send me a tweet (@parkrideflyusa) to check that I’ve received it.

4. Include a link to a suitable image to accompany the piece (Creative Commons or public domain, preferably).

5. Provide a two sentence bio with one link to your travel blog.

6. If your post is accepted and published, please reply to any comments on the post and feel free to promote it via social media (I will too).

7. I have final editorial control and may make small edits if I think they are needed. If I need to change anything major, I’ll discuss it with you first.

This is Part 2 of Seven Steps to Setting Up A Successful Travel Blog. If you missed it, here’s Part 1.

4. Keywords

Keywords are not the be-all and end-all of good content. In fact, over-emphasis on keywords can make your posts unreadable. However, using the right keywords will help people to find your posts. They are also a useful source of post ideas. Use a free online tools such as the Google Keyword Tool to find keywords that people are searching for in your niche and use these to help you generate content for your new blog. Use keywords in the title, first paragraph and near the end, and maybe a couple of times in the body, but make sure it’s useful and readable rather than getting hung up on keyword numbers.

5. Design

When you buy products in the supermarket, you’re attracted to the ones that are nicely packaged and appeal to the eye. It’s the same with a blog. Sure, you could keep the default theme, but why would you want your blog to look like thousands of others? There are hundreds of different themes for your blog, many of them free, which will give your blog a visual edge. If you’re stuck for ideas, think about the sites that you find most appealing in your niche and see what theme they are using. Many themes allow you to change colors and fonts so that you can achieve a completely different look. If you’re looking at your blog as a long term investment, you can also consider a premium or custom theme that will include exactly the functionality you need.

6. Sharing

When you set up your first blog, you know your friends and family, plus any contacts you’ve made online will visit it at least once. You need to make it easy for them to follow your updates and to share them with others. That means making email subscriptions available, having a prominent RSS feed button and including social sharing buttons with all your posts. Sometimes you will be able to do this with a plugin, while at other times you will need to edit some code. Whichever method you choose, buttons for Twitter and Facebook are a must, and you should also consider Google +1 or a catch all button service such as Add to Any.

7. Conversation

Blog conversation is a two-way street. Attract commenters to your blog by including CommentLuv (which links to commenters’ previous posts) or a Top Commentators plugin. And share the love by visiting blogs in your niche and leaving relevant, useful comments. The blog owner will check your blog out and you may make a new online relationship.

These seven steps will give your new travel blog the best chance of success? And if you’re already an experienced travel blogger, what other tips for success would you add?

(Photo: salendron)

1. Free Site or Self-Hosted?

It’s never been easier to start up a blog. With Blogger and WordPress.com, as well as other free blogging platforms, you can go to a free site and be up and running in a few minutes. I’ll come to the question of which platform to choose in a minute, but first, here’s why I think it’s best to go self hosted. Think about how you feel when you go to a major site and it doesn’t have its own domain name – instant credibility loss. Do you want that for your new travel blog? I didn’t think so. Spend the money it will take to get a domain name and hosting – it will be well worth it. The exception? If you’re not really committed to the idea, then a free site can make a good playground, but make the move to a self-hosted site once you’re sure that you will stick with it.

2. Which Platform?

Blogger, WordPress or TypePad – there are so many options out there that it’s difficult to know which one to choose. I’ve used all three and definitely have a WordPress bias. WordPress is available with most web hosts, is easy to customize via themes and plugins and since it’s one of the most popular blogging platforms, many people are already familiar with it. And if something should go wrong, you’ll be able to get plenty of help from the many experts out there. Of course, that also applies to the other platforms, but I’ve found WordPress the easiest blogging platform to use and millions of people agree with me.

3. Finding a Niche

Travel is a crowded niche, so you will want to identify an area that makes you stand out from the crowd. What are you bringing to the table that’s different from what’s already out there? Is there something in your background, experience or current life that gives you a competitive edge – or just makes you interesting? And what are you passionate about? Is there something that inspires you enough so that you will be able to keep blogging about it for years? If you can’t answer these questions, think about whether having a travel blog is the right move for you. If you’ve ever read a blog post and thought, I’d do this differently and I’ve got tons of ideas, then maybe you’re onto a good thing.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of Seven Steps to Setting Up A Successful Travel Blog. (Photo: salendron)

• A great way to start your travel blog is to make a commitment to write regularly. This means that if you start writing two or three times a week then keep the same schedule. Your readers will expect that from you so commit to your writing once you select the frequency. Remember, this is your way of staying connected with your readers.
• Most of your audience will be reading your blog as a form of entertainment.  It’s important that your writing be fun, informative, and positive. Most of your readers will not appreciate any tones of negativity especially if this is time that they’ve taken to read something that supposedly is meant to be enjoyable and entertaining.
• When writing your blog posts try to write them as you would normally speak. Do not try to sound sophisticated or intellectual because it just won’t be authentic, unless of course you do speak in that manner. Just be yourself because readers will be turned off by your writing if they don’t feel that it’s the real you. They want you to share your experiences and the best way that you can convey those experiences is by using your own words.
• Keep your blog posts short and interesting with articles that are related to your traveling experience. If you write long posts on your blog more than likely your readers will be turned off by this. If the subject demands a long post then divided into two or three different posts.  Also keep your post on subject without going off on a tangent.
• Write some humor or human interest stories regarding your travels, this always makes for an interesting read. Too much detailed information that the reader can get from an encyclopedia is not what you’re travel blog reader is looking for. Remember this is a form of entertainment and information for your reader so keep them informed, keep it fun, and make it short.
• Another thing is to encourage your readers to participate in your blog and encourage them to participate. This way you can also see which of your articles has been a success. You can use that information to provide your readers with more of what they’re looking for. So, making it an interactive blogging experience is beneficial not only for your readers but also for you.
• While writing on your travel blog it can also be useful to expand your audience by interacting on social networks. This way people can relate to you on a personal level and they can decide to follow you on your travel blog. It is important to be consistent at these sites as well. Be sure to have your updates and tweets all related to your travels.

The previous tips are a good way to begin and maintain a travel blog that will be fun, intriguing, and successful. It is important to always keep your readers in mind, be consistent, have fun, be yourself, and enjoy your travels.

Tom is a keen walking enthusiast who works for Catalan Adventures – a company specialising in Walking holidays in Europe.

Next, Fox News takes you on a tour of Universal Orlando, including this description: “The Universal resort as a whole treads a line between playful and boisterous, decidedly louder than Disney, but with some unique eye poppers. ”

NomadCouch got a relaunch in February, including a statement of four core principles. Location independence was conspicuously absent. Here’s why:  “almost every online business is a location independent business in their own way. If you run a business that has it’s main presence online (meaning, it’s not a brick & mortar kind of business) – it is, ultimately: a location independent business.”

Love, love, love the photos in Hole In the Donut’s  Handbook for Travelers to Pokhara, Nepal. The reason for this post? “Having spent three months in Nepal in late 2010, much of the time in Pokhara, I came to know the town quite well and wanted to share with other Nepal-bound travelers my tips for everything from the best hotels and restaurants, to the not-to-be missed sights, right down to the best place to get a haircut.”

There are more great photos in Cumi and Kiki’s 5 more Brilliant Colors of Travel in a guest post by Kathryn Frengs. And even more in Matador Travel’s Photo Essay: Amazing Libraries Around the World. Libraries are among my favorite places, so this was a must read and must see for me.

Daily Finance takes a look at travel apps and delays, giving some useful tips on cutting down on the chances of waiting around in airports. And finally, Go Backpacking looks at the Top 10 Travel Safety Items for Women, with some unusual suggestions: “whether you’re married or not, you should travel with a plain fake wedding band. It’s said that women are less likely to be harassed if it appears that they’re married, as it usually implies that there is a man nearby. It also allows you to easily make the excuse that you need to leave somewhere because your husband is waiting or around the corner.”

Enjoy! If there are travel posts you have particularly enjoyed, then feel free to share them in the comments.

From AlmostFearless comes 8 Common Myths about Flying With Kids.  Christine says:

This year, I’ve flown with my son from the time he was 4 months old and we’ve covered 22,885 miles, 3 continents, 5 countries, 14 flights and 15 cities. I’ve seen the abject horror cross the faces of other passengers when I board and I’ve also flown in other countries where people are so kid-friendly I felt a little guilty as other people rushed in to help.

Not only does Christine dispel the myths, but she also presents four solutions for those who are concerned about flying with kids.

Gary from Everything Everywhere gives sound advice on Being Productive and Working While Traveling. He says:

I’ve come to realize the hard way that I need to change how I’m doing things. Traveling is one thing. Constantly moving and trying to run small business is quite another. Most of the productivity tips I read really don’t apply to my special set of circumstances.

John at JetSetCitizen interviews Ram Dev (Travel on $500 per month, Interview with Digital Nomad Raam Dev) about traveling on a low budget. Here’s how he got started:

The bankruptcy encouraged me to get rid of unnecessary possessions and simplify my life. I began looking more seriously at what it would cost to fulfill my lifelong dream and start traveling the world. I discovered that I didn’t need very much if I went to a third world country and lived simply. In my research, I found other bloggers who were traveling and living in many places on $250-$500 a month.

Chris of Nomad4Ever presents 12 Tips How to score Cheap Flight Tickets with AirAsia.  He points out that:

Currently Air Asia is serving over 400 daily flights with an almost flawless incident record since its inception. Prices start as low as 0$ plus fees and service charges and with a little bit of preparation literally ‘now everyone can fly’ for budget rates.

I love the tips and will be bookmarking this to use the next time I travel in that region.

Travel vs career: does it have to be all or nothing? is a recent post on Lonely Planet.  Author Jane Ormond says:

It’s a tough balance to strike – travel vs ‘real’ life.  Is there a way to have it all or is that just a pipe dream? Does it really have to be all or nothing? And does it get harder to break away from work the more established (and older) you get?

The discussion after the post shows that this is still a hot topic. What do you think?

Well, that’s this month’s round up. Feel free to share posts you thought were noteworthy in the comments.

Telegraph Travel Writing Competition

Called Just Back, the weekly competition offers writers the chance to win £200 in the currency of their choice. Just submit an entry of up to 500 words to justback@telegraph.co.uk (UK residents; see full T&C)

Solas Awards

An annual competition for which submissions are open all year round, the Solas Awards have a submission length of 750 words. Entry fees apply. (US residents; see full T&C). Closing date for this year’s competition is September 21, 2010.

52 Perfect Days Travel Writing Contest

Submit up to 1,000 words on an experience in a National Monument, National Seashore or Historic Parks in the United State or Canada. The prize for the 52 Perfect Days Travel Writing Contest is a trip to Hawaii. (US, Canada, Mexico residents; see full T&C). Closing date: October 31, 2010.

Gran Tourismo Monthly Travel Blogging Competition

Starting this month and running all year, Gran Tourismo has a monthly travel blogging competition on different themes. You need 500 words of “evocative travel writing”. There are three prizes on offer. (T&C) Closing date for this month: March 28,2010.

Holiday Velvet

Holiday Velvet is offering a weekend in Barcelona for writers of an original short travel story (bloggers welcome too). It’s open to everyone except professional travel writers. (See the T&C for a definition). Closing date: September 10,2010.

Do you know of any travel writing and travel blogging competitions? Let us know in the comments, please.

Preservation Foundation

Preservation Foundation runs a number of contests for unpublished writers, including a travel non fiction contest, with a prize of $100. Stories must be between 1,500 and 5,000 in length.

Annual Contests to Watch

The following contests are currently closed, but usually run annually.

• The Sliced Bread Magazine Travel Writing Contest. Offers $300 in prize money. (T&C)
• Wanderlust and Lipstick has run a travel writing contest for two years.
• The Guardian in the UK runs a summer travel writing competition. (See also this link.)

Photo: WarzauWynn