When David Lee asked us to review Travel Blog Success, we didn’t know what to do with it. Having never done such a course, we had nothing to compare it with! Turning it over to one of our new interns seemed the perfect solution. Scott has been researching travel blogging for months and, as you can see, knows his way around these courses.

You are finding the courage to finally jump in and buy a course on blogging, but which one is right for you? In the last year I have been in the same boat and have purchased two fairly high-profile courses that will help me on my way to becoming a travel blogger.

The first course I took was Yaro and Gideon’s “Become a Blogger”. It wasn’t a travel course, which is all right since not everything I plan on writing will be travel-centric. The first month was a little slow, however. There were times when I thought that the course was geared for those that only had a marginal understanding of electricity, but by the end it brings them up to be serious bloggers. In my opinion this course is for people new to computers.

Another course I enrolled in was MatadorU. This course was much more of a travel writing course. As you completed each section another would be unlocked for you. The self-set speed was nice, especially considering that on the other course you were locked into waiting for the email to be sent to you. There were sections on other topics but, in hindsight, this course was geared towards writers and improving your writing skills. A great class at a much higher price.

Why I like Travel Blog Success

It’s very well rounded. It’s not overly simplistic and it’s not too concentrated on one topic either. With this you can start from scratch to get your blog started or you can improve one you already have. It’s for people that are comfortable with computers.

I love being able to receive the whole course upfront if you purchase the Premium Membership, it allows people to go at their own pace and skip the parts that they may already know. Plus there’s advice in the blog that I am going to be able to start using today.

There are interviews from travel heavy-hitters like Craig Martin from the IndieTravelPodcast coming up in March as well as one with Mike Richard form Vagabondish available now.

Get the most out of it

As a new member don’t be afraid to ask questions in the forums. That is where you’ll get advice from Dave and other experts directly. Feel free to introduce yourself and let the rest of us know what your plans are. When I laid out my plan to my family I felt the need to lead in with “first, I’m not crazy or going through a mid-life crisis”, you won’t need that intro in the forums.

Possible improvements

The one thing I think that could be improved on would be that some of the ‘take actions’ need to be more direct. For example you need your own domain to be taken seriously, don’t just look — go get one. Get a theme, whether it’s paid or custom, just get one. If this is your first blog, get a Woo theme, they have great support in their forums. But these are pretty minor suggestions rather than complaints.

Recommendation

The feeling that I am left with after reviewing everything is — this is an awesome course. Right now, Travel Blog Success has the best bang for your buck. The Premium Membership is the best deal in my opinion: it’s the best value, both compared to other courses out there right now as well as for the information provided. I don’t really like those ‘buy it now’ type pitches, but I wouldn’t wait too long, because this course is simply underpriced right now.

Disclaimer: Dave gave me free access to Travel Blog Success to review and Indie Travel Podcast will receive a small commission if you purchase.