Ten years ago, the idea of being a travel blogger was the furthest thing from my mind. If you’d told me this would be my life, I would have laughed! Yet, here I am, a decade into an incredible journey that started with a simple desire to keep family and friends updated on our travels.
What began as a small travel blog to document our family’s around-the-world trip has blossomed into something far beyond our initial expectations. This unexpected path has transformed not only my life but also the lives of my husband, Tim, and our children, Tyler and Kara.
If you’re curious about starting your own travel blog or simply want to hear our story of building one of the internet’s successful Travel Blogs, grab your favorite drink and settle in. This is the story of Earth Trekkers.
The Genesis of Earth Trekkers: More Than Just a Travel Blog
The concept for Earth Trekkers sparked in early 2014. We were in the throes of planning a year-long adventure around the globe. Our house was on the market, an exciting itinerary was forming, and our minds were filled with visions of distant lands.
It was during this exciting period that we launched our travel blog. Initially, the aim was modest: to keep our loved ones informed about our travels and create a digital scrapbook of our experiences. We hoped Earth Trekkers might evolve into something more after our trip concluded, but we couldn’t have predicted the incredible journey ahead.
The first crucial step was choosing a name that would resonate and represent our brand as we ventured into the world of travel blogs.
Finding the Perfect Name for Our Travel Blog
Choosing a name for a travel blog is no small feat. It needs to be catchy, memorable, relevant to travel, and, crucially, unique. Your blog name becomes your brand identity, a part of who you are online, so it’s a decision that deserves careful consideration.
Tim and I spent over a week brainstorming potential names for our website. Hindsight is 20/20, and looking back, some of our initial ideas were truly awful – “Waffles and Wine” comes to mind! I personally liked “Chasing Elephants,” but the domain name came with a hefty $2500 price tag, immediately taking it out of the running.
Eventually, we narrowed our choices down to two: Earth Trekkers and 4gortw (an acronym for “4 go around the world”). While “4gortw” was short and punchy, it required constant explanation for those unfamiliar with the “rtw” abbreviation. Plus, it felt limiting, tied specifically to our round-the-world trip, and less relevant for the long-term vision of our travel blog.
Selecting the perfect name is a crucial first step when launching your travel blog and building your brand identity.
“Earth Trekkers” emerged as the clear winner. It was broad enough to encompass all types of travel, resonated with our adventurous spirit, and had a nice ring to it. Little did we know how perfectly it would suit our journey into the world of travel blogs.
Diving into the Deep End: Life as a New Travel Blogger
With zero prior experience in website design, blogging, or writing for a public audience, we launched Earth Trekkers on February 1, 2014. The learning curve was steep, and the reality of running a travel blog quickly set in.
The sheer amount of work involved was immediately apparent. Designing the website and establishing a user-friendly flow took days, not hours as I naively imagined. I also drastically underestimated the time commitment of writing blog posts. I initially thought an hour or two would suffice. I was incredibly wrong. Crafting a single post often took hours, and even now, I sometimes spend days perfecting just one piece of content. The daunting question loomed: How would I manage this alongside traveling and homeschooling Tyler and Kara?
In the months leading up to our big trip, I diligently wrote about our past travels to populate the website with initial content. Some of these early posts, like our hikes to Trolltunga and Kjeragbolten in Norway, are still live on the blog and have become surprisingly popular over time.
Kjeragbolten Hike in Norway
Our First Brush with “Fame” and the Realities of Travel Blogs
Just a week before embarking on our around-the-world adventure, we received an unexpected call: an interview request from the Baltimore Sun. Tim and I envisioned a small article tucked away on page two or three of the travel section. However, the day before our departure, we were stunned and thrilled to find ourselves on the entire front page of the Baltimore Sun’s travel section! It was an incredible surprise that completely blew our minds.
This feature article had an immediate and significant impact, driving a massive surge of traffic to our fledgling travel blog. We jumped from a modest 25-75 daily views to a staggering 1000 views in a single day! While these numbers might seem small now, back then, it felt monumental. Along with the website traffic came an outpouring of well wishes from new followers, not just locally in Maryland, but from across the United States and beyond.
Suddenly, Earth Trekkers was experiencing its first taste of “fame.” We were ecstatic, but also a little apprehensive.
Sitting in JFK airport, awaiting our first flight, a wave of stress washed over me. Suddenly, a large audience was watching us. There was a newfound pressure not only to share our experiences but to share them well, and to not fail with so many eyes on us.
This was one of the earliest and most important lessons we learned about life as travel bloggers. We openly document our journeys, sharing where we’re going and what we’re doing. If things go wrong, whether due to our mistakes or unforeseen circumstances, our audience will know. This creates a unique pressure to travel responsibly, to make the most of every experience, and to avoid major mishaps. As travel bloggers, there’s an unspoken expectation that we know what we’re doing, right? Well, as we soon discovered, that’s not always the reality!
Balancing Blogging and Travel: Documenting Our Round-the-World Trip
For 13 incredible months, we journeyed around the world, exploring 35 countries across 5 continents. It was a life-altering experience that continues to shape our perspectives. As Tyler and Kara grow older, Tim and I feel incredibly privileged to have shared such a formative adventure with them during their childhood. While visiting new places was amazing, the family bonding and shared memories are what we cherish most deeply.
Earth Trekkers Family Travel
During this time, I fully embraced the role of a travel blogger. The more we traveled, the more our writing and photography improved. We steadily gained new followers and even received features in publications like Terp Alumni magazine, National Geographic, Matador Network, and Voice of America. These early successes were incredibly encouraging and validated our efforts in creating valuable content for our travel blog.
However, I made a significant mistake during this period: neglecting the power of social media. I simply didn’t grasp its importance. Perhaps it was my age (40 at the time), feeling disconnected from the younger generation of bloggers who seemed to effortlessly navigate platforms like Twitter and Snapchat. I regularly posted on Facebook, but that was the extent of our social media strategy. We had a Twitter account that remained unused, and we did absolutely nothing with Pinterest or Instagram (which, ironically, launched just seven months into our round-the-world trip!).
Knowing what I know now about building successful travel blogs, I would have prioritized social media from the very beginning. It’s an indispensable tool for building brand awareness, attracting new followers, and driving traffic back to your website. Ignoring it for so long was a missed opportunity for growth in the early days of Earth Trekkers.
Returning Home and Navigating the “Real World” After a Life-Changing Trip
Our round-the-world trip concluded in the summer of 2015. We were ready to return home, but also forever changed. We had maintained a relentless pace of travel, leaving us utterly exhausted but incredibly fulfilled. It was an experience that was undeniably worth every ounce of energy.
Before our grand adventure, Tim and I hadn’t planned to simply return to our old lives in our hometown. We felt liberated and considered relocating to places like Colorado, California, or even New Zealand. However, the trip had unexpectedly revealed the deep value of our lives in Maryland, surrounded by family and friends. Sometimes, it takes leaving home to truly appreciate what home means.
So, perhaps predictably, we moved back to our hometown. And it has been wonderful.
At that stage in our lives, it was paramount that Tyler and Kara experience the full spectrum of high school life – friendships, sports, academics, dances, parties, and the inevitable teenage relationships.
To provide them with this experience, we put our long-term, extensive travel plans on hold, though the dream of another grand adventure around the world is always simmering in the background.
Hot Air Balloons in Cappadocia
Life After the Adventure: Re-entering Routine and Finding a New Path
Once we were home, Tim, Tyler, and Kara seamlessly reintegrated into conventional life. Tim returned to his career in the aerospace industry, refreshed and energized after a year away. Tyler and Kara resumed public school without missing a beat.
But I felt lost. For over a year, I had poured my heart and soul into Earth Trekkers, writing multiple times a week about our travels. Now, our travels were over.
How do you continue writing about travel when you’re no longer traveling?
I was determined to keep Earth Trekkers going, but I was unsure of the direction it should take.
In the interim, I returned to my profession as a Physician Assistant, working in the operating room of a local hospital several days a week. For 15 years prior to our trip, I had worked in orthopedics and sports medicine. Being a PA is a fulfilling career, and I enjoy working in the OR, but my true aspiration was to evolve Earth Trekkers into something larger than just a repository of our personal travel experiences. I wanted to build one of the go-to travel blogs online.
Family Adventure Travel Bloggers
2016: A Pivotal Year – Making Earth Trekkers Bigger and Better
2016 became a year of experimentation. I gave myself a year to dedicate serious effort to Earth Trekkers, to see if I could transform our small blog into something significantly larger. If, by the end of the year, there was no substantial progress, I was prepared to shut down Earth Trekkers.
I worked tirelessly, unsure if Earth Trekkers would ever reach the level of success I envisioned. At this point, making money wasn’t even the primary goal.
I fully embraced social media, started writing more informative “how-to” travel guides, and redesigned the website to improve user experience and SEO.
I was astounded by the sheer amount of time required to run a website effectively. It’s far more than just spending a few hours writing posts a couple of times a week. It encompasses social media engagement, responding to emails and comments, updating older posts, planning future content, and troubleshooting technical issues. And as website traffic grew, so did the volume of emails and comments requiring attention.
Running a successful travel blog, and doing it well, is a full-time job.
In 2016, after dedicating nearly 40 hours a week, our total earnings from the blog were a mere $150. I would often wake up in the middle of the night, consumed by panic, questioning my choices. Was this all a giant waste of time? With college expenses looming and retirement savings to consider, was I making a terrible decision?
It was a significant risk, and I carried a persistent unease throughout most of 2016. I felt irresponsible for investing so much time into a travel blog that wasn’t generating income.
But then, we would receive an email or comment expressing appreciation for our blog, or how we had helped someone plan their perfect trip. These moments brought tears of joy, validating that perhaps I was indeed doing something meaningful and valuable for people.
So, I persevered.
Adventure Travel Blogger Lifestyle
2017: A Turning Point – Growth and Monetization
In 2017, things shifted dramatically for Earth Trekkers. Our website traffic experienced explosive growth. This surge in visitors allowed us to partner with Mediavine to place advertisements on our website, finally enabling us to generate income.
Do we love the idea of ads on our website? Not particularly. But they are essential to cover the operational costs of running a high-traffic website and acknowledge the 18 months of unpaid, intensive work that led us to this point.
Our primary motivation for running Earth Trekkers has never been to amass a fortune. I’ve always been driven by experiences, not financial gain.
And that’s what we want to share with our readers: the best life experiences possible.
Our overarching goal is to help you travel smarter, discover incredible destinations, and create your own unforgettable memories. We aim to be a helpful resource within the landscape of travel blogs.
2018: Further Evolution – Quitting My Job and Website Optimization
2018 brought two major changes. I resigned from my position as a Physician Assistant to fully dedicate myself to Earth Trekkers, and we transitioned to Performance Foundry as our new, more robust web hosting provider.
For nearly 20 years, I had worked as a Physician Assistant, initially in sports medicine and orthopedics, and later as a surgical PA. Upon returning from our round-the-world trip, I had taken a part-time position in a local hospital’s operating room.
In May 2018, I made the difficult but exhilarating decision to leave my PA job to commit all my time to Earth Trekkers. It was a tough choice, leaving a profession I had known for so long. While being a travel blogger is a dream job, I also valued the professional fulfillment of being a PA. Moreover, being a PA served as a positive example for Tyler and Kara as they considered their own future career paths.
Now, I work full-time on Earth Trekkers, and I genuinely love every minute of it. It still amazes me that I’ve transitioned from a long career in medicine to writing a travel blog.
Physician Assistant to Travel Blogger
2019: One of Our Best Years – Traffic Skyrockets
The significant changes we implemented in 2018, coupled with extensive travel both domestically and internationally, set the stage for explosive website traffic growth.
In January 2016, Earth Trekkers was receiving 23,000 monthly page views. Our traffic steadily increased year after year, reaching just over 400,000 monthly page views by early 2018. March 2019 marked our first month surpassing 1 million page views – an incredible milestone.
All the hard work and dedication invested in the website were truly paying off. With this level of traffic, Earth Trekkers had become one of the most popular travel blogs on the internet.
2020: A Challenging Year – Navigating a Global Pandemic
We had ambitious plans and high expectations for 2020. In January, we were exceeding 2 million monthly page views! Not only was the website thriving, but we also had exciting travel itineraries planned for the year.
Then, news of a novel virus began to emerge. In March, we watched in disbelief as this virus claimed lives globally. Countries went into lockdown, flights were grounded, and the travel industry ground to a halt.
It was a depressing and frightening time on many levels.
Like countless other travelers, we scrambled to cancel our travel plans and secure refunds for flights and accommodations. The constant news cycle of rising death tolls and a rapidly spreading virus overshadowed everything else. Those weeks in March and early April were surreal and unsettling.
With COVID-19 cases surging in the United States, it became clear that 2020 would be a year of domestic travel.
Once case numbers began to decline in the US, our focus shifted to traveling safely while creating content that would be valuable in the coming years. With vaccine development timelines estimated at 18 months, it seemed likely that 2021 would also be a year where many US citizens (our primary readership) would be primarily traveling within the United States.
For us, 2020 became the year of US national parks. We could hike, embark on road trips, and minimize contact with others. It was a fantastic way to travel and we managed to explore quite extensively. We visited 17 national parks in 2020, providing us with ample new content to launch a dedicated section on our website for US National Parks.
Despite the challenges, Earth Trekkers weathered 2020 relatively well. Website traffic took a significant hit in March but rebounded nicely during the summer months as Americans embarked on road trips and visited national parks. However, overall website views were down in 2020 compared to 2019.
We held onto hope that with the promise of vaccines, 2021 would mark the beginning of a return to normalcy.
Mount Rainier National Park Hiking
2021: Another Unusual Year – Domestic Travel Continues
Our 2020 prediction proved accurate: for many Americans, 2021 remained a year of domestic travel. Our focus on national parks paid off, and website traffic approached pre-pandemic levels during the summer months.
More significant news arrived in May 2021: Tim also resigned from his job to work full-time on Earth Trekkers. He took over numerous projects that had been piling up on my plate, and we feel incredibly fortunate to be able to build this travel blog together.
Throughout the summer and fall, website traffic remained strong (averaging between 1 million and 1.7 million page views per month), but the Delta and Omicron variants introduced new uncertainties, making many travelers hesitant to make firm travel plans. This hesitancy was reflected in website traffic patterns.
We continued our focus on domestic travel in 2021, remaining within the United States. We went hiking in Sedona and spent seven weeks exploring Alaska and Hawaii during the summer.
In the fall, Tyler started college, and Kara began her college application process.
Tim and I discussed traveling to Europe in the fall, but climate change considerations heavily influenced our decision-making. When we take long-haul flights (like from Maryland to Alaska or internationally), we aim to spend several weeks at the destination to offset the carbon footprint of the flight. Leaving Kara alone at home for an extended period wasn’t feasible, so our fall trips were limited to shorter excursions to national parks closer to home.
Denali National Park Family Photo
2022: Travel Rebounds – International Adventures Return
2022 marked a significant rebound for travel, not just for us, but globally. International travel surged, and we took our first trip to Europe in over two years.
In 2022, we embarked on two major trips: a six-week hiking adventure in Europe, exploring the Dolomites in Italy and Chamonix, France, including hiking the Walker’s Haute Route, and a subsequent long road trip through Italy.
The Walker’s Haute Route is a challenging two-week trek from Chamonix, France, to Zermatt, Switzerland, traversing the French and Swiss Alps from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn. It was an extraordinary and unforgettable experience.
In the fall, Kara started college, officially making Tim and me empty nesters. As soon as Kara was settled on campus, Tim and I embarked on a five-week road trip through Italy, significantly expanding our Italy travel content to over 100 articles about Italy on our website.
As more people resumed traveling, website traffic continued to climb. In 2022, we averaged 1.2 million visitors per month, with over 2 million monthly website views.
Tre Cime di Lavaredo Hike in Dolomites
2023: Our Best Year Yet – Record-Breaking Growth
2023 was an exceptional year for Earth Trekkers, achieving new milestones on multiple fronts.
Tyler spent a semester abroad in Sydney, Australia from February to May. He chose Sydney because of his fond memories of our time in Australia during our round-the-world trip, and his desire to surf. While in Australia, Tyler earned his scuba diving certification, went skydiving, and traveled to Bali, New Zealand, and Cairns, where a multi-day scuba diving tour of the Great Barrier Reef was a major highlight.
Tim and I capitalized on Tyler’s location, first spending five weeks road-tripping through New Zealand, a country we had fallen in love with during our earlier travels. We then joined Tyler in Sydney for a week, exploring the South Australia wine regions together.
In mid-May, the three of us flew home, stopping in Samoa and National Park of American Samoa en route.
Kara is thriving at SCAD, majoring in User Experience (UX). We frequently visit Kara in Savannah for long weekends. In the summer, she embarked on her first solo road trip, exploring New England with a friend.
In the fall, responding to numerous reader requests, Tim and I undertook a five-week road trip through mainland Portugal. Portugal had been on our travel list for 2020, but pandemic-related disruptions intervened. In 2023, we finally made it to Portugal, and it exceeded all expectations.
From a website perspective, 2023 was a record-breaking year for Earth Trekkers. We averaged 1.5 million visitors per month, with over 2.5 million monthly website views, solidifying our position among top-tier travel blogs.
Where We Are Today: A Decade of Travel Blogging
We are incredibly fortunate to be where we are today. The ability to travel and share our experiences through Earth Trekkers is a privilege we deeply appreciate.
Now that Tyler and Kara are older and pursuing their own adventures, their unique voices and perspectives are increasingly contributing to the blog.
We traveled extensively last year and are currently focused on catching up with publishing a backlog of articles. Surprisingly, we don’t have extensive travel plans for 2024, which feels rather refreshing. I genuinely enjoy the process of writing about our travels and look forward to a few quieter months at home to focus on content creation.
But rest assured, we will still be planning trips! 2024 is a significant year for us. It marks the 10-year anniversary of launching Earth Trekkers and embarking on our round-the-world trip. This year will be filled with nostalgia as we reflect on that transformative year and the incredible journey it set in motion. Additionally, 2024 is my 50th birthday, and I’m planning something epic to celebrate – details are still in the works!
Reflecting on Our Journey: What Did We Do “Wrong”?
Building a successful travel blog requires considerable time, effort, and a touch of good fortune.
Interestingly, I haven’t followed many of the conventional “rules” often prescribed for creating successful travel blogs, yet things have somehow worked out remarkably well for Earth Trekkers.
I never took an online blogging course. I’ve never attended a travel blogging conference. We’ve never participated in a paid trip with a tourism board. And, as mentioned earlier, I initially ignored the importance of social media for nearly two years.
We don’t travel full-time. Tim worked full-time outside of Earth Trekkers until mid-2021. In many ways, we’ve done everything “wrong” according to typical blogging advice.
Yet, against the odds, we now operate one of the highest-traffic travel blogs on the internet.
Unlocking Success: What Did We Do “Right”?
We are, without a doubt, workaholics. Tim and I are quite homebodies when we’re not traveling. Every spare moment is dedicated to Earth Trekkers. Evenings are spent working on the website rather than going out or watching TV. One of the primary reasons for Earth Trekkers’ success is our consistent, daily dedication to the website.
I strive to create high-quality, informative content, enhanced with vibrant and inspiring photographs.
My goal is to consistently publish valuable content that keeps readers coming back for more. We aspire to be a gold standard in the travel blogging industry, a trusted resource within the vast landscape of travel blogs.
We meticulously plan and fully fund all of our travels, a practice that distinguishes us from many other travel bloggers. This approach allows us to genuinely understand the trip planning process from a traveler’s perspective – the expenses, the time commitment, and the decision-making. We share our firsthand experiences and insights to streamline your travel planning and help you choose the best destinations.
Furthermore, by funding our own travels, our opinions remain unbiased and authentic. Since we don’t accept free or discounted trips, we have no hesitation in sharing our honest perspectives, both positive and negative. We don’t seek special treatment when we travel (we often don’t even disclose that we are travel bloggers) to ensure we gather accurate information and provide genuine recommendations to our readers.
We also maintain a strict policy of not accepting guest posts or writing about destinations we haven’t personally visited. Everything on Earth Trekkers is written from our direct experience. This ensures that when readers have questions, we can provide informed and helpful answers. Many of our readers are “repeat customers” who trust our content, and maintaining that trust is paramount.
Finally, we donate 5% of our earnings to charities focused on environmental conservation. We believe in the importance of protecting our oceans, endangered species, and wildlife, and actively supporting efforts to combat climate change.
Family Adventure in New Zealand
Spotlight on Tim: The Unsung Hero of Earth Trekkers
You primarily hear from me, as I write the blog posts, newsletters, and manage social media. I am the main voice of Earth Trekkers, but none of this would be possible without Tim. For years, while working full-time, Tim shouldered our household bills and travel expenses, enabling me to dedicate significant time to building the website.
However, if you’ve ever emailed us, you know that Tim is the one who responds. It’s a role he genuinely enjoys.
Since transitioning to full-time work on Earth Trekkers, Tim’s primary focus has been trip planning, email correspondence, contributing to blog posts, and managing numerous behind-the-scenes projects.
Tim Rivenbark – Co-founder of Earth Trekkers
Tim is the indispensable “man behind the curtain,” and Earth Trekkers would undoubtedly falter without his contributions. While he doesn’t receive the same public recognition as I do, his role is equally vital to the operation and success of Earth Trekkers.
Feel free to say hello to Tim via email or in the comment section below. It would definitely bring a smile to his face! 🙂
The Future of Earth Trekkers: New Horizons
We have entered a new chapter in our lives. Tyler and Kara are now in college – college!
I am incredibly excited about their futures and the paths they will forge. While I miss having them at home, it only deepens my gratitude for all the shared experiences we’ve had as a family.
Tim and I are now “empty nesters,” with more flexibility to travel outside of school holidays. Tyler and Kara are embarking on their own travel adventures and contributing their experiences to Earth Trekkers, adding fresh perspectives to our content.
A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Readers
Earth Trekkers would not exist without you, our readers. Your visits to our website are what fuel our passion and keep us motivated.
Every comment we receive on a blog post and every email in our inbox feels like a small gift. Tim and I genuinely enjoy connecting with you, offering travel advice, and helping you plan your own adventures. Please never hesitate to reach out.
So, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
Happy travels!
Do you dream of becoming a travel blogger? Are you interested in learning more about the realities of travel blogging? Share your questions or simply say hello in the comments below!
You can also connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter!
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