Travel on the road to big bucks

Banhisha Kundu

The virtual world promises a plethora of income-generating opportunities. Youngsters know this well and do not shy away from exploring new avenues. They are giving the usual nine-to-five jobs a miss for more exciting careers, travel blogging being one such option.

Write as you see 

Travelling and writing a blog can help you earn more than a lakh in a month and for many  youngsters the travel bug is not just to pack bags and head out, but to curate memorable holidays for others and earn a handsome amount in the end.  For 27-year-old Nitin Jai Singh Siwach, it is a lucrative career option as he  opted out of his three year job stint in a multinational company to turn into a travel blogger. He now earns a minimum of Rs 50,000 per trip along with its content development assignments. His Instagram handle by the name @oldschoolbastard, has around 16,000 ardent followers.

Meet the trendsetters 

Nitin, now an established travel blogger, loves his job. "Becoming a travel blogger was a well-thought-out decision," he adds. Vir, who co-owns Helmet Stories, says, "Ours is now more than an adventure touring company. We have another branch that creates content for travel and automotive space." Evidently, no specific qualification is needed to make a flourishing career in this field. What you need is a camera, a bike and one’s own money to visit a place. After that how one presents ones journey on social media gets one collaborators and followers. Thanking his stars, he adds, “Fortunately, we were in the right place at the right time. The internet and social media opened floodgates of opportunities for those who dared to design their own destiny.”

All that you must do

Initially, it is challenging to self-finance each and every trip and create content that people can like and relate to. One can explore the prospects of creating content for international magazines like Outlook Traveller, Autocar, Lonély Planet, GQ, Sideburn, Bike UK, Top Gear, Mans World, Evo, Jet Wings, CoulmnM, Travel and Living India, Fast Bikes India. A travel blogger or contributor can also create content for Royal Enfield, Triumph Motorcycles, Ducati and Hero. Vir says, "Earning money was never a priority. It just followed after I started chasing my dream. Even now, when our account books have a happy tale to tell, our motive is to travel to new places and gain experience." 

Being a full-time travel blogger, Nitin has responsibilities to create content for brands and agencies, who want to collaborate with him. “As a photographer and content writer, I click and write for third parties. Good work follows more work”, he says.

Strike off the challenges

The challenges and obstacles in this offbeat track are rather stacked higher than any other jobs. Travelling to new places usually comes along with uncertainty about routes, roads, area, weather and its people. "It's a gamble. You never know what will click with your readers. But, I enjoy adventure and travlling promises ample of that." says Nitin. 

Vir's 'Helmet Stories' provides exclusive guided motorcycle tours all over India along with premium accommodations and meals, designed to maximise riders' experience. To provide the best, he too has to experience everything and thats a challenge.

Tips for freshers

• Doing something you love is a great choice as a career. You will always be happy doing it.
• Before you take to travel blogging, make sure that you have travelled extensively. Arm-chair travel is not the right way to go about it. It becomes obvious after sometime. 
• Create original content. Even if a place has been written about a thousand times, you have to look for unusual tourist attractions. 
• If you are a tour guide as well, chalk out travel plans meticulously. You are responsible for the safety of people who pay you for the trip.