It happened all at once as the news of the pandemic stunned the world, and the unprecedented impact trickled down through each level of society. The economy stopped in its tracks after a decade-long economic growth streak. The outlook for the future became grey as uncertainties set into many people's lives.
It is unlike anything that came before: a worldwide halt on the global economy that relied so heavily on growth and continuous consumption of information and goods. Countries are closed off, people are under lockdown to curb the spread of this pandemic, and 90% of businesses, big and small, have all ground to a halt.
The travel industry was the first to go as people stopped moving around. Small businesses like guesthouses and restaurants, which relied on tourism, ran out of money, and many had to close down.
Not even big companies are immune to this impact. The airlines and cruise ship companies laid off their workforce as the unemployment rate skyrocketed, and the tourism industry crashed onto itself like a dying star.
One of the groups of people that went down with this sinking ship, the travel industry, is the travel bloggers (including me). We are a group of content creators who create travel guides, often for free, and heavily rely on advertisements, sponsorships, and people's goodwill to stay afloat.
The media had already covered the fates of many big companies in the travel industry, like airlines and travel agencies, but what about the little guys like us?
Well, no one knows what is happening to the travel blog industry better than travel bloggers themselves, so I decided to write this article to explain what is actually happening to this travel blog during a pandemic and what the future outlook is like for all of us.
When Sh*t Hit The Fan
This is me when I am thinking about the COVID-19 situation 🤣
The first week of January 2020 was the best week this blog had ever seen in terms of traffic and revenue. I was riding the holiday high of the ongoing affiliate revenue, advertisement spending, and people planning their trips for the upcoming summer.
By the third week of January 2020, the news of infections and deaths was starting to be reported by the media around the world but with little to no impact on what was happening in the travel industry. People were still traveling, brushing the news off as a one-time thing.
BucketListly Blog's traffic and revenue growth slowed down a bit, but it was expected as the holiday season winded down and the advertisement budget from advertisers was being reviewed for the new quarter. This type of slow growth happens every year during this time, so I was not worried.
By February 2020, the coronavirus now had a name: COVID-19, a name that will continue to haunt me even today. During the second week of February, Europe reported its first death in France, and a week later, Italy started to see a major surge in cases as officials locked down some towns in the northern part of the country.
The overall traffic impact for BucketListly Blog during the COVID-19 from January to March
At this point, BucketListly Blog's revenue had slowed down a bit as many European companies were gauging the impact of the virus and had started to slow down their marketing spending. However, the traffic into BucketListly Blog was still gaining from the usual recovery of the January slump, as expected, just like last year.
In the third and fourth weeks of February 2020, the traffic started to taper down a bit, possibly due to Europeans realizing the reality of the pandemic. Since most of my audience is from the US, the impact in February could almost be brushed off as temporary. Little did I know what was to come after February.
At the beginning of March 2020, the US reported the first coronavirus death and announced travel restrictions to Italy and South Korea, as the number of global infections rose to 87,000.
The search traffic impact for BucketListly Blog during the COVID-19 from January to March
At this time, I started to notice a difference in terms of traffic. The usual Monday spike as everyone started off their week was nowhere to be seen in the first week of March 2020. As the week continued, the numbers drifted from the usual trajectory, and when the second week of March arrived, that was when sh*t hit the fan.
By the second week of March 2020, the US started to block visitors from Europe and declared a national emergency, while in Europe, France imposed a nationwide lockdown and the EU barred most travelers from outside the bloc from entering.
For BucketListly Blog, the second week of March was one of the worst weeks ever, with the traffic down by almost 50%. The traffic arriving from Google search, which often constitutes 80% of my audience acquisition, also decreased by the same amount.
The revenue impact on BucketListly Blog during the COVID-19 from January to March
The revenue, which was slowing down in February, hit a shockingly new low in March with a 50% slash on advertisement revenue, an almost 100% drop on booking revenue as the booking cancellations started rolling in, and a 50% decrease in affiliate revenue.
From my assumption, March was when most companies and the general public started to realize the true impact of the pandemic. The uncertainty changed the purchasing habits of consumers as they stopped buying luxury items, including going on expensive trips abroad. This then led to travel companies halting all marketing campaigns, resulting in a sharp drop in advertisement revenue for BucketListly Blog.
March was so disheartening that by the end of the month, I realized that I didn't even care to look at my analytics dashboard anymore as it had become too depressing to do so. The downward spiral was in full force by the end of March with no sign of recovery.
My travel blog traffic and revenue were obliterated in less than a week, and my future travel plans were all canceled. Heck, I would even say that 2020 is officially canceled for me. Even if the Coronavirus subsided, it would take some time for the blog and the economy as a whole to revive themselves from this economic downturn.
Pete, Are You Alright?
This is me every time I look at my traffic and revenue dashboard haha! 🤣
Haha, with such a depressing picture painted above, you might be wondering how a travel blogger like me is doing with all this going on. I can't say about other travel bloggers, but for my situation, although not ideal, it is something I try not to stress about.
As you can see from my travel style, when I'm not traveling, I try my best to live my life modestly, possibly instilled by the teachings of my parents when I was little on how the 9th King of Thailand led a modest yet fruitful life.
I designed my life to have the least commitment possible to allow me the freedom of movement that makes this digital nomad lifestyle possible. I have no debt (and I'd like to keep it that way all my life if possible). The operational costs of BucketListly Blog and my other businesses are pretty low compared to traditional businesses. Since I am based in Bangkok, Thailand, which is one of the cheapest countries to live in, I am able to curb my living costs down to a minimum.
So, to answer your question, yes, I'm doing great all things considered. I keep myself busy most days as I continue to work on BucketListly Blog and my other ventures. I stopped looking at my traffic and revenue dashboard for the time being as it did nothing but depress the hell out of me.
The revenue I am earning right now is peanuts (over an 85% drop in my salary) compared to what I earned in January, but I am adaptable, and I can live cheaply only relying on my savings until all of this blows over. That said, I still look to the future with nothing but hope and what it holds for us all.
What The Future Holds for Travel Bloggers?
It's all fine everyone! Haha! 🤣
As the saying goes, "you adapt or you die", and from what I have learned about myself through experiencing so many different cultures around the world, I am nothing but adaptable.
Since people are no longer traveling, for the time being, I have decided to halt all my work on travel guides and refocus my energy on producing more inspirational content like this piece.
Even though people are no longer traveling, I'm pretty sure many are still dreaming about doing it after all of this blows over. And I am doubling down on producing such content that will allow you to escape from the brutal reality and be teleported somewhere where you are not bombarded with the negative news of the world.
The traffic seems to be recovering a little in late April as all of us are starting to get used to this new post-COVID-19 life, which is a good sign as it means that people still want to travel and will likely do so when this is all over, but maybe in a different way than they used to. Hopefully, in a more modest and backpacking way, which is right up my alley 😉.
I have also been spending more time reaching out to some of you directly through my newsletter and establishing a more direct conversation with fellow travelers. So, if you are not on the list, you can sign up for my newsletter here, and I promise I will keep fueling your wanderlust with a weekly email blast during this hard time.
I also take this opportunity to finally pursue many creative projects that I had always found an excuse to procrastinate on, like reworking my old travel videos (just completed a rework for my Colombia video), updating old content, and writing more long-form travel stories like this 15,000-word interactive article about my journey to the Everest Base Camp.
What the future holds is uncertain, especially after such a world-changing event like a pandemic. It is hard to say if and when people will start to travel again, and if they do, how much this experience will forever change the travel habits of people.
What I know is that the will for people to travel is still there, burning bright deep inside all of us, and I am now focusing on igniting that, regardless of whether it will make me any money in the long run.
The Silver Lining of the Pandemic
This will likely be me after the COVID-19 pandemic blows over, beaten up to a pulp, but hopefully more experienced at the end.
I know that this pandemic has affected all of us in varying degrees, some more than others, and I know that I am standing in an extremely privileged position to be writing about it. But to leave you on a positive note, if you have always been looking to learn a new skill or pursue a creative project that you have never had time to pursue before, this is the time to do so.
I mean, if not now, then when? There is no better time to finally crush your procrastination and pursue the creative projects you have always dreamt of doing than during this time. The world has finally given us the breathing room we all crave for.
You can no longer say that you are too busy anymore as the world has ground to a halt and the rat race has stopped on its track due to the pandemic. No one is progressing anywhere during this worldwide lockdown, and the competitive nature so instilled in all of us by the capitalist overlord is no longer there to pressure us.
This is the only time in life when you will ever get to actually have a quiet moment to yourself without influence from society. This is the only time that you can ask yourself what it is that you want to pursue in life and actually have the time to pursue it. And who knows, this new skill you acquire during this time might become your new income stream in the near future.
And so, if you are a fellow travel blogger or anyone who is currently suffering from the economic effects of this pandemic, instead of longing for the past that may or may not return, use this opportunity and carve yourself a new path for a hopeful future that has yet to come.
Further Reading for Inspiration
Looking for more articles to help inspire you to travel more? Here are a collection of articles you might like:
- Hiking to the Everest Base Camp is one of the most memorable epic moments of my life. Here's a long-read piece about my experiences hiking the Everest Base Camp: On My Way To Everest Base Camp.
- Ever wondered what it is like to travel the world on a third-world passport? Check out: Traveling The World On A Third World Passport.
- Here's why I always celebrate turning a year older with a hike: Climbing Kilimanjaro On My 33rd Birthday.
- Are you currently planning a trip around the world and looking for cheap countries to visit? Here are the 13 Cheapest Countries To Visit in the World.
- Traveling in Europe can be cheap, really cheap. These are the 12 Cheap European Countries to Visit.
- Looking for the most beautiful travel blogs to follow? Here are the 24 Most Beautiful Travel Blogs to Follow.
- For adventurers and backpackers out there, here are the 10 Best Adventure and Backpacking Blogs You Should Follow.
- I truly believe we need more Asian representatives in the English-speaking travel blogging industry, especially for blogs about Asia. Here are the Top 10 Kick-Ass Asian Travel Bloggers To Follow.
- Did you know that you can travel without leaving your couch? Here are the 8 Great Travel Books You Should Read.
- For the best travel videos to inspire you to travel even further, here are the 20 Most Creative Travel Videos of All Time.
- If you are looking for travel vloggers to follow on YouTube that aren't cringeworthy, check out: 10 Best Travel Vloggers to Follow On YouTube.
- The best way to improve your photography skills is to learn from the best. Here are the 10 Best Photography YouTube Channels to Follow.
- A photo is worth a thousand words. Here are the 25 Most Beautiful Travel Photos I Ever Took From Around The World.
- Looking for off-the-beaten-path destinations to visit this year? Check out: 8 Best Off-The-Beaten-Path Destination to Visit.
- Can't travel internationally for the time being? How about traveling in your own country? Here are the 7 Reasons Why You Should Travel in Your Own Country.
- To find the most inspirational travel quotes and captions to go with your photos on your Instagram, check out 34 Short and Unique Traveller Quotes for Instagram.
- We often hear bad stories about locals from travelers, but what about the other way around? Here are some of the Notorious Stories Of Terrible Backpackers.
- If you lost your bag while you were traveling, here is how to deal with the situation: My Bag Was Stolen In Germany.
- Have you ever felt that you do not belong in a place you are born in? Read this: Where Is Home? - My Quest In Search Of Where I Belong.
- People often preach about how important it is to live in the moment, but sometimes, that may not be such a good idea. Here is The Problem With Living In The Moment.
- Want to embark on your first solo trip but not sure where to go? As a long-time solo traveler, here are my favorite places based on real experiences: 10 Incredible Travel Destinations for Solo Travelers.
- Solo traveling is not for everyone, and even though I love it to death, it is not always flowers and sunshine for solo travelers. Here are the 10 Things I Hate Most When Traveling Solo.
- Travel friends come and go, but that may not be such a bad thing. Here is why you should embrace your travel friends: A Life Of Brief Encounters.
- Hiking is life. Here's why: One Year Of Incredible Discomfort - 10 Things I've Learned From Climbing Mountains.
- Here's why having no plan is the best plan: Magical Things Happen When You Have Nothing To Do - The Art Of Doing Nothing.
- Is life getting you down? Here's why you can't always blame life for everything: Life Doesn't Suck. We Just Suck At Living It.
- Want to know why I chose to travel alone? Read this: We Travel Alone, NOT To Be Alone.
- For a meaningful solo trip, you need to share it with someone. Here is why Happiness Is Only Real When Shared.
- Traveling is no longer for the rich. Here is why: "People Think I'm Rich".
- The Himalayan Mountain is one hell of a teacher. Here are the 7 Life Lessons The Himalayas Taught Me.
- Want to travel alone but scared that you might get bored out of your mind? Here is How To Enjoy Yourself And Have Fun While Traveling Alone.
- Want to start traveling solo as well? Here is What It's Like to Travel Alone.
- Here is a simple story on how I started traveling: F*ck It, I'll Do This Alone.
- For more inspiring articles like this, visit my Inspiration page.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
2 Comments
Thank you for writing such a thoughtful post and accurately describe the present feelings of travel bloggers. My blog is in no way on the same level as Bucketlisty but it's more of a midlife passion. My small travel blog bought me a sense of accomplishment more than an income, so for that, I am lucky. Seeing my views plummet and travel cease had me in tears more than a few times, but out of this feeling of "what do I do now" I was able to make some adjustments in content to keep my creative side going. I am looking forward to the day when we are able to explore again, but until then be safe my friend. Oh, and I started a brand new travel blog in a pandemic - After all its a great time to work out the kinks of a new site.
Thank you for the comment Kathy! I am doing the same. Despite the travel bounce back, it is still not at the same level as before and with the Omicron news and all the surges, I am still adapting to the post-covid world. I guess we will be doing this for awhile until we are in a more stable time for travel. Let's wish us luck for a brighter future! :)