Hey fellow travel/expat bloggers! Today I’m here to share a little inspiration to help get you out of a serious case of writer’s block. Trust me, you’re not the only blogger to fall into the ‘I don’t know what to write about’ rut. It happens to every single one of us and it sucks! First of all, I highly recommend not writing anything if you don’t have anything to say instead of forcing yourself to write a ‘meh’ post just to get your weekly credential in. However, sometimes we really want to write, we just have no friggin’ clue what to write about.
A friend of mine just asked me the other day how I figure out topics for my blog, and 9 times out of 10 it’s you, my readers, who inspire me. I read every single comment and TRY to answer every single email, and I often get asked the same thing multiple times. That’s how I know I should blog about a certain topic, because if a few people reach out to ask me about something, there must be a lot more who are genuinely interested as well?
Anyway.
Here are 15 writing prompts for you to use on the topic of travel/expat life.
1. Introduction Post. Tell us a little bit about yourself! It may seem redundant, especially if readers have browsed your about page, but it’s always good to introduce yourself, who you are, what your travel story is to new readers! If you’ve noticed a recent spike in blog numbers, this would be an opportune time to do a short intro post and maybe open up the comments section for a little Q & A!
2. Travel Budgets/Living Expenses. Reality check: blog readers are nosey. Everyone is curious how so-and-so got to travel to _____, and if you feel like opening up yourself a little bit to share budgets and living expenses where you are currently situated, you most likely will get a good response! I’ve been wanting to write about our travel budgets for SO LONG, but have yet to find time to actually sit down and crunch the numbers over our last trips around New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Hawaii, and the Philippines. Soon and very soon.
3. What advice would you give a first-time traveler? Do you remember the first time you traveled, or the first time you lived abroad? What were the fears, concerns, and questions you had before hand? What are some things you WISH someone would have told you?
LIAL posts for reference: What 1,095 Days of Travel Has Taught Me, Five Things You Should Do Before You Start Traveling, Tips on Moving Abroad
4. Instagram. There are so many fun posts you could write because of Instagram! Share what you’ve been up to lately on Insta (you probably update your Instagram account more than your blog), write about your favorite accounts, or maybe even share your top tips on growing your numbers. Instagram is purely visual, and it makes for some pretty posts!
5. Awkward + Awesome. I love living overseas. There are so many crazy stories we have to share with each other (for a good laugh) and with others as long as we live! It’s also fun to have an outlet and a way to share those stories with your blog readers. A really good way to do this is by writing an Awkward and Awesome post! The Daybook used to do this and I loved reading them! If you decide to start writing these posts, please leave your link in the comments so I can read them!
6. Your Camera Bag. Yet again on the nosey thing. I love learning what people capture their travels with. Maybe it’s the photographer in me, but every-time I look and read blogs that have pretty pictures, I can’t help but wonder what equipment they use. Is it just me?
What’s in my camera bag? Glad you asked.
7. Weirdest food you’ve ever eaten. I’m not super adventurous in the food aspect of travel. I usually order things I can somewhat recognize and won’t potentially get a crazy sickness over. That being said, I have eaten a few strange things. This might be a post for another day, but I was once offered raw cuddle fish cut straight off the fish moments after it was taken out of the ocean. Since we were living in an Asian culture where refusing food would have been deemed an outright insult, I obliged, but will never eat it again (if I can help it).
What about you? A person doesn’t have to be living outside the US to experience weird foods. There are PLENTY of strange things offered for consumption in the 50 States. Have you eaten something super weird? Write about it. I enjoy learning which bloggers are ultra-adventurous/gross in the food department.
8. Backpack vs. Suitcase. Are you a backpacker or do you like the freedom of a roomy suitcase? There are pros and cons to both, and each side of the argument passionately things they do things best. Let’s stir up the pot a bit and learn why you pack the way you do!
9. Favorite Travel Apps. We’re talking mobile-only here, but what are your favorite travel apps? There is a vast amount of apps in the travel market, and sometimes it’s nice to learn what others use for booking airfare, subway routes, restaurant locations, and even on-the-go photo-editing!
10. Foreign lingo. Have you spent some time abroad and know a little foreign language? Show off your skills with a post about key phrases for where you live or have lived. If you’re wanting to go a little universal, maybe write a post on” 15+ ways to say hello around the world” or something similar!
11. Travel Guides. I only recommend writing travel guides for a specific city or country if you have lived there for a long enough amount of time you are absolutely sure everything you have written on your guide is the very best of the best. I understand locations change in the blink of an eye, and a guide written a year ago may not be relevant today, but seriously, if you visit a place for 3 days, you most likely don’t know the ‘ins and outs’ of it (honest truth). I would much rather read a guide from someone who has lived in a specific city for 1+ years than from someone who dropped by on a quick vacation.
So with that said, if you have the knowledge and experience on a particular location, please share it with the world! You never know who could be traveling through the area, and your guide might be helpful! You don’t have to live outside the U.S. to do this!
12. Tutorials. As a blogger you probably have strengths in certain areas, and by sharing your knowledge of those areas, you can help other bloggers learn and grow! Are you good at SEO? Design? Photography? Social Media? Posts about these topics are always popular and well-searched, because bloggers know by mastering the art of these key topics can set their blog above the rest.
13. Life Lately/Day in the Life. In all the hype about writing posts relevant to travel, we sometimes forget to personalize our blog. It’s easy to fall into the trap of sounding like an online magazine or some sort of travel advice robot. Break things up a bit by sharing your life with readers. You don’t have to get down and dirty, but make it personal…if you’re comfortable, be sure to share your struggles as well as your achievements! As an avid blog reader, I want to know how I can relate to you as a person trying to stay afloat in this crazy fast-paced life. If that makes sense?
14. Bucket List. We all have them: top travel destination bucket lists, country-specific bucket lists, achievement bucket lists…why not share your goals with your readers? It’s also fun to have a list you can actively visit and cross off the things you’ve done.
15. What Does Travel Mean to You? Why do you travel? Why do you choose to live outside your comfort zone as an expat abroad? How has travel changed you (for the good or for the worse)? Here’s what travel means to me.
Feeling inspired? Leave the blog posts you’ve written on this topic below in the comments. I would love to read them!