It is easier to write a blog post on the places you have travelled to, than on something that may demand more creativity with the selection of subject and choice of words. Although I have not been regular with such posts, I did invest some good time in this pandemic to prepare a list of few interesting topics that I would love to cover on my travel blog.
You can either take inspiration from this illustrative list or may come up with your own tweak to these subjects, creating engaging content for you travel blog or YouTube channel, particularly, in these pandemic times when you cannot head out of the house.
01
My First Ever Trip
This would definitely be an interesting topic to explore, going down the memory lane, finding pictures from your old album taken from film camera with stories and anecdotes woven around those beautiful memories of the trip. Sometimes, a blurry and faded photograph may mean much more than a picture-perfect one.
1st image from The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) (Image Courtesy – Michael Nozik, Karen Tenkhoff, Edgard Tenembaum). 2nd image, from Cinema Paradiso (Image Courtesy: Miramax Films). 3rd image from Roman Holiday (1953) (Image Courtesy: Paramount Pictures)
03
My Travel Bucket List for <India>
India is so rich and diverse in culture, tradition, history, food and geographical forms that one cannot say they have seen it all. It always surprises you. And even if you may have seen it once, there are many places that makes you come back again. So, what are you waiting for? Create a bucket list of your travel plans in India and tell the world why you would love to visit these places. You can read what I posted earlier this year, ‘My Travel Wish List for India‘ for a reference. Needless to say, if you live in a different country, the same idea still holds true.
05
Ten Fascinating Facts about <Place>
Although this post may sound easier to you, the real challenge would be to hand-pick and curate only most interesting facts that many would not have heard of. For instance, have you heard of Pheasant Island that switches countries every six months; or border passing through hotel’s bed in Europe? Delve deeper and you would find many such astonishing facts on internet from the comfort of your room.
07
Five Most Interesting People I Met On A Trip
This would be a little different from your casual selfies with the locals at a touristy location. Think about at least 2-5 interesting people you met on a trip, whom you still remember or may be in touch with. Take a pause to recollect what (small or big) impact they had in your life; whether you learnt anything from them, or how kind they were to go those extra miles to help you. It is probably a good time to remember them and write a few lines on them as a gesture of gratitude. You might even be able to support them in getting more customers or bolster their cause, by spreading few good words about them. A portrait shot you may have taken of them earlier, can make this post even more compelling to read.
09
Five Biggest Mistakes I made as a Travel Photographer/ Blogger
We all learn from our mistakes, sometimes the hard way, losing something in this trade off. You can save others from making the same mistakes you did as a travel photographer or blogger. In a world where many are trying to put their best image forward, it would be a great act of humility and modesty to share your mistakes and give a humane touch to your content by admitting failures and mistakes.
11
My Favourite Quotes on Travel
This will require lot of patience and efforts to handpick only select quotes and dialogues from books or movies, that you are able to resonate with, the most. A run-of-the-mill collection of quotes (copied from internet) may be counter productive and may not have any value proposition for the reader. You should be able to explain, how you can relate to such quotes and probably even share a short story that fits well in the context. I had created one earlier, however, on photography, titled, ‘My Most Favourite Quotes on Photography for Inspiration‘ which you can read to get some idea.
Hope you liked this post. Watch out for my next post in this series (Part II) where I would be sharing many more interesting ideas for creating travel content right from your home in these pandemic times, to keep your readers engaged and tempted for more, as always.
I am sure, you may also have some great content ideas for travel blog. Why don’t you let us know in the comments and also tell us what you are writing on your travel blog these days?
02
Cities I have lived In
I believe, every city has a story to tell, no matter how big or small. You can make it a single post with snippets of stories from the cities you have lived in, sharing your haunts and insider knowledge of hidden gems and underrated food joints. It can also be multiple posts in a series with each post dedicated to one city that you have lived in. I have written blog posts on Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bangalore where I lived considerably longer for my career earlier. You can read them for inspiration and share your own tête-à-tête with the city you have lived in so far.
04
My Most Favourite Hotels/Homestays
I am sure you must have done a thorough research before finalising that one hotel, resort or homestay that you thought would be the best to go for, given your budget. Some of them may have even exceeded your expectations in terms of overall experience, people you met there and culinary delight. Consider making a list of at least five to eight such hotels, resorts or homestays that you absolutely loved and share what you actually liked (and also did not like) about them. Apart from being informative, a well curated descriptive post may also result in your content being featured on their social media handles. I got lucky when my post on Naldehra was featured by Club Mahindra on its social media handles many times this year. My only piece of suggestion is, be genuinely honest and keep this post away from any kind of paid promotions or collaborations.
06
My Most Favourite Travel Photographers/ Bloggers
This list should be totally a personal one, as there is no dearth of such lists on the internet to find top notch travel photographers and bloggers in the world. The list must be complemented by a brief description of why you love their work and how you relate to their content. If you want to make this post more versatile and relatable, consider including even the directors or filmmakers whose work or travel documentaries you absolutely love. Keep the list as short and crisp as possible and do not forget to include their social media handles.
08
Art Inspired Travel Photography
This may sound Greek to you, if you are not a connoisseur of art and probably new to the world of art movement. But wait, you need not be one. All you need to understand is few key elements/styles of some of the great art movements like minimalism, expressionism, pop art, to name a few, and select the right images from your archive that depicts key characteristics of these art movements. Minimalism would be the easiest one to start with. Let me share an example of minimalism inspired travel photography to get you going.
10
My Favourite Books/ Movies on Travel
This is self-explanatory and does not need any further description. If you have not read such books (or watched such movies), make it a point to read (or watch) them first during this lockdown and then write a crisp review of your top five books or movies from the longer list. I recently started reading the book The Art or Travel by Alain de Botton and a travel guide on India by Lonely Planet. You can also consider watching movies like, The Revenant (2015) to appreciate beautiful wide angle shots of landscape covered in this movie.
12
Painting Ideas from a Travel Photographer
Have you ever romanticized over your (travel) photograph in JPEG being turned into a real painting on a canvas? If not, there is no harm in giving it a try. You can do it by creating a post that says, ‘Painting Ideas from a Travel Photographer‘ and then insert a gallery of your select photographs that are relatively simple to be replicated as paintings. You need to think more as an artist than a photographer here. And if you come to know of someone picking your photograph as a reference to make a painting, request them to share a snap shot of the finished painting and update this post with the picture of that painting. Sounds quirky? If yes, then you must give it a try.
Creative Genes 
No. 7 is quite interesting . We meet so many people, but overtime forget about them. This would be a good way to remember them. Great writing, as always.
Thank you, Sushil! I do know at least three such people from my earlier trips who have now become a friend. One of them was even kind enough to welcome us at their home for Holi celebrations, offering amazing seafood and festive sweets, and letting us feel at home as family members. I will never be able to forget them. Will definitely write a post on this soon.