Travel blog names: best practices

In this article we will talk about travel blog name ideas but, first of all, you need to decide the purpose of your blog. Are you blogging to have a travel journal of your adventures and to keep your family and friends updated? Or do you wanna share your expert knowledge in some particular niche? (Maybe traveling as a vegan, with a pet, as a person with diabetes or somebody who is afraid to fly?) Or are you aiming to turn your blog into a commercial project and make money from it in the future? What is your blog gonna be about? We hope that our ideas will help you to choose your niche and target audience as well as to come up with a blog name.

Table of Contents:

Using your name or a part of your name

Mention a location (geographical or general)

Use your nationality/origin for your travel blog name

Use your occupation/hobby/lifestyle/niche

Travel blog name ideas inspired by foreign languages

Something easy to remember (and to write!)

Don’t forget about SEO

Stories about choosing travel names

**What to avoid when choosing a blog name?**

Examples of brilliant travel names

Using your own full name as your future travel blog name:

• You can make your name to become recognizable over the web and it is gonna be unique.

• It is not suitable if multiple people are gonna work on the blog. It is professional but not very catchy.

• Also if you don’t see yourself blogging in a long term perspective and might eventually give up the blog. If it has a more general name, you can easily resell it.

Examples: Susan Velez, Katie Aune

Using just a part of your name

• Basically, you can use any word you like such as adventurous, broke, traveling, backpacking etc. and use your name along with it.

• The blog is more personal.

• Again, if you have a goal to sell it in the future or invite other authors, it might be more difficult.

• Be careful! The words such as nomadic, adventurous etc. are very popular already. You might not wanna call the blog Adventurous Inna or Nomadic Jim because these names won’t be unique.

Examples: Nomadic Matt, Hey Nadine, Todd's Wanderings, Anna Everywhere, I Am Ella, Explore With Erin, Adventurous Kate, Bren On The Road

Travel name ideas with a geographical or general location:

• You will seem like an expert for a particular destination.

• But do you wanna be tied up to a certain place? Are you sure you are not gonna move away? Or start writing about other places as well?

Examples: My Adventures in Munich, Bathing in the Ocean, India Travellers, Blogging from Paradise, Notes from Spain, Monkeys & Mountains

Use your nationality/origin for your travel names:

While your country of residence can change, your origin won’t so it’s a good idea.

Examples: A Brit & A Southerner, Aussie Mum in New Zealand, Two Scots Abroad, Adventures of a Jersey Girl

The foreign language inspired travel name ideas:

Bon appétit – great for a food blog.

Navigatio – Latin for Voyage.

Around the Orbis – Orbis is Latin for World

Use your occupation/hobby/lifestyle/niche if you have one:

Food Blog: Bacon is Magic, Our Tasty Travels, Spaghetti Traveller, The Gastro Gnome

Budget travel blog: Budget Traveller, Big World Small Pockets, Broke Backpacker, Club Thrifty

More: Happy Hotelier, The Flying Vegan, Backpacking Housewife, Hippie In Heels

Embrace Your Niche

Iris from Mind of a Hitchhiker 

If there’s something weirdly specific about your travels that you’re also absolutely comfortable with writing about, put it in your blog name! 

A very niche keyword can help you build authority and find your audience. While very nebulous travel names such as “TravelPerson.net” or “AdventurousIndividual.com” sound like your travel blog won’t be categorized, it also won’t help people remember you, your brand, or what the hell you write about.

There are specific topics that help readers narrow down whether the travel blog content matches their query. This can be activity-based (e.g. hitchhiking, digital nomad, cycling, vegan food, van life, kayaking, urban exploring, medical tourism, early retirement) or experience-based (e.g. woman of color, full-time job, wheelchair, childfree, transgender, kids, hijabi, immunosuppressed, boomer).

Both activities and lived experiences may define your blog, so if you’re not comfortable by letting your blog topics define you, go for something generic. It’s usually easier to write about activities that are external to you as a person than to write about your experiences ‘as a person who experiences X’. Ask yourself: do you want your travel blog to be about you as a person?

And if you’re thinking that putting something very specific in your blog name will limit your possibilities to write, that’s just something imagined. SEO wise, it’s easier to use that distinct keyword in your blog name, become an authority in that subject, followed by an expansion in other topics of enthusiasm. 

An example: My blog is mainly about hitchhiking. When I started my inflatable kayak journey down the Danube river, I was afraid my Google overlords would be mad and punish me. They didn’t dislike that and now see me as an expert in both hitchhiking and paddling.

Something easy to remember (and to write!)

By Melissa from Nomad Life 101

Good names for travelers should be catchy, short, but more importantly, easy to remember. These are the core ideas for blogger outreach mentioned in this complete guide. Imagine that you’re traveling and you mention your blog name to a fellow traveler. If this potential reader can’t remember your blog name because it’s - perhaps too weird, too creative, unusually spelled - you could lose a reader.

It happens - bloggers try to be creative, and then they get a complicated name or something hard to remember. They might think that the pun is amazing, that the brand is better, but if it’s not easy to remember, you could lose traffic.

That said - it should be easily pronounceable too. If you get a fancy long word, there’s a high chance people will misspell it. Again, this could result in a traffic loss.

My first website’s name was destroyed in many ways - it seemed easy: A Broken Backpack. I saw it renamed as:

• Broken Backpack

• Broken Bagpack (ha!)

• A Broken Bagpak

Other blog name ideas would be with numbers to replace a word - again, that’s too much creativity and it is harder to remember.

If your blog name is Good to Go - Don’t make it Good 2 Go. An easy, short and catchy name is going to help.

Using Google’s Recommended Phrases

By Daniel James of Layer Culture

One great tip to consider when choosing a blog name is to first define the style of travel you are going to be embarking on, or have a good idea of the country or you will be exploring. You can do this using a search engine by looking at the various keywords and search phrases that Google, or Bing, says that other people are searching for. You can usually find these search terms at the bottom of the page under ‘related searches’. I like to mix a search phrase or term with a verb or adjective.

For example, when l started my travel blog 'Layer Culture' I knew it was going to be related to cultural travel through me doing immersion-style travel. That was my reasoning for making sure the word ‘culture' was included. The word 'layer' I used to describe the action of discovering the different areas of culture I’d be exploring, which in my case was made up of people, places, and objects. This tip will help you with the travel blog ideas and ensure you are choosing a name/word that people are actually searching for as well as pertain to the type of travel or country that you wish to write about.

Keep in mind different versions of English

By Carol Guttery of Wayfaring Views

When choosing a blog name, think carefully about how the words will work in different versions of English. American, British, Canadian, Irish, Australian and Singaporean English all have different slang and ways of spelling travel-related words. The last thing that you want is for your potential audience to be continually tripped up by a word that looks to them like a typo.

These distinctions are important because, unless you are deliberately targeting one geography, a global travel blog will attract a global English-speaking audience. I’m an American and so is 70% of my audience, but that other 30% represents a significant minority of my traffic and I don’t want to alienate them (because those UK readers are totally lovin’ my article on unusual Berlin attractions).

The most obvious linguistic trap is the difference between “traveling” (American English) and “travelling” (British/Canadian English). You may very well be a tap dancer who travels, but are you the www.travellingtapdancer.com OR are you the www.travelingtapdancer.com?

Hopefully, when someone googles “traveling tap dancer”, your site would pop up regardless of the spelling, but do you want to take that risk? I would argue that you should avoid the use of “traveling/travelling” entirely. Perhaps “Tapdancertravel” or “TapTravels” or “Traveldancer” would be sufficient to telegraph your dance-oriented travel brand without the inadvertent typos. 

Read also about Best Gear for Travel Bloggers

Don’t forget about using SEO

By Danni Lawson of Live in 10 Countries

One mistake to avoid when naming your blog, and one that I fell foul of myself, is to not research the indicators Moz uses to give out site spam scores. Even if you've done your homework on SEO, you might forget to check this one - but who wants to increase the chances that their travel names will be viewed as spam?

In particular, avoid putting a number in your blog name and URL such as 'Angie's 30 before 30 bucketlist' or 'Two travellers from Ohio' etc. Numbers are a problem to begin with because people forget the exact figure, or they wonder if it's written as a numeral or as a word - making your blog URL less memorable. That's never good! A series of numbers would be even worse - people remember words far easier.

On top of that, Moz counts a number within your site name as a spam signal, since many spam sites tend to have number based URLs. So it counts against you. Stick instead to putting numbers in your travel blog content, post titles and in listicles, where they can help to draw in readers - for example, to find out 25 top things to do in Hove!

Blog name purpose: Have fun and be recognizable

By Giulia of Travelling Sunglasses

The name of our travel blog, Travelling Sunglasses, came partially on purpose and partially by chance. 

Back in 2014, we decided to write about our travels in a blog, to share our stories and itineraries with friends. Darek loves photography and was looking for a way to take very recognizable pictures. We were thinking of a unique pose, or an item to wear… something to make us identifiable, and we started brainstorming travel blog ideas. In the same period, we were invited to a wedding where the dress code was Black and Yellow. Black dress and black suit were the easy part, so we started looking for yellow accessories like a tie, a belt, or a scarf. 

During our first trip together to Poland, we stumbled upon a cheap souvenir shop in Krakow. When we saw yellow sunglasses, we knew it: it was perfect for the wedding, and it was perfect for our blog! The Travelling Sunglasses were born.

Ever since then, we wear our yellow sunglasses in the key moments of our trips: when leaving from home, in front of the iconic buildings and attractions of a destination, or eating a traditional meal. When we don’t fit in the picture, we try to position the glasses next to the relevant item: a guidebook, a local dish, or a statue. 

It’s our way to make our travel pictures more unique and recognizable: easy and creative!

Choose a name that fits you as a person and your story

Jodie from Alajode sharing her story

It would be easy to assume you have to follow a certain formula that will help to come up with brilliant travel names. After all, many of the biggest travel blogs out there have one of several words in their name. Wanderlust, adventure and nomadic are words that crop up time and time again when you see some of the most popular blog names, but that doesn’t mean you need to include one of these common travel words.

In fact, you don’t need to mention travel at all! Some of the most memorable travel names don’t even sound like travel blogs. It’s the fact that they don’t contain any of these words that make them stand out. One of the best ways to name a travel blog and make it memorable is by incorporating something that has significance to you. By doing this, you’ll have an instant brand because the site will be deeply connected to you, the owner.

My own travel blog doesn’t have a typical name: Alajode. That name might not even sound like a travel blog at first, but it has a lot of meaning and tells the story of why my blog exists. The name “Alajode” is based on the French “à la mode”, meaning “in fashion”. The term “à la” can also translate to “in the style or manner of”, so “à la Jode” means “in the style of Jode”. Since my name is “Jodie”, it’s a cute little play on words! Moreso, it was my love of languages that sparked my love of travel, and French was the first language I ever learned and became fluent in.

Tracey of PackThePJs sharing her experience

When I first started a blog, 7 or so years ago now, I didn’t give a huge amount of thought to the implication of the name I chose. All I cared about was that it sounded cool, relevant, and looked good when designed as a logo! I didn’t factor in longevity (as it turned out the blog focus changed and the name became rather irrelevant), and when I joined social media my blog name was already taken on most of them, annoyingly; so, ultimately, I found myself needing to rebrand.

I wanted the social media extensions to match the blog name – to me it made it feel more like an all-encompassing brand that I could build travel blog content around. This time a LOT of thought went into choosing the new name. In fact – because we are a family travel blog – we drove all the way from the UK to the French Alps, thinking of names from the beginning to the end of the journey. We wanted a name that encompassed all that we do – and tried to look into the future to opportunities that might come along too.

Every name that made a shortlist was run through a URL purchasing platform to check that it was available in both .co.uk and .com. We then checked Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram … and when we found a name where everything was available, we bought it, as that was our new name. After 11 hours of driving, over 660 miles, we became PackThePJs!

Using your name to make the blog more personal

Nicola Rae Of See Nic Wander sharing her story

Choosing a blog name is one of the hardest parts of starting a blog. If you're starting out and aren't sure which direction your blog will go in the future, it can be tempting to name your blog a vague combination of travel-related words and call it a day. 

For a long time, I tried to create a name using every combination of "voyager," "wanderlust," "adventure," and "traveler" I could find. But none of them felt authentically me. I knew my focus would be travel, but I also wanted my name to be memorable and stand out. 

That's when a friend of mine suggested using my name as a pun in my blog title. My full name is Nicola but sometimes friends call me Nic. After a bit of brainstorming, we used my nickname, "Nic," to create the blog name "See Nic Wander." By putting my own name into a travel word, I was able to combine my niche - travel - with a personal, lighthearted touch. There were other benefits of this custom name that I discovered later. 

When it came time to secure social media handles, I had no problem getting the name I wanted because of my unique spelling. When you google search my blog name, I'm the first result every time. I have friends with more generic blog names who don't show up until the second-page search results, which can be frustrating. If you want a travel name that's unique to you, you can use this trick too! The key is to figure out a list of words that your name or nickname sounds like. Write this list down and think about any phrases you know that include one of these words. Puns, song lyrics, quotes, and travel phrases all work great. 

Create a few travel blog ideas and share them with friends and family to get feedback. Chances are, there will be a clear favorite and you'll have found your new blog name. 

Rebranding experience

Shared by Ashley of Wild Hearted

There are a lot of things to think about when choosing your travel name - what your future goals are, SEO, how you want yourself to be perceived, spelling, and so on. When I first started my blog over six years ago, I actually thought about my name - or at least as much as my ADD impulsive brain could think about it before I excitedly chose one that I thought really defined me - "A Southern Gypsy." I'm from the southern United States [a place I love and am proud of] and I love to travel.

I was naive though. I had no idea that "Gypsy" was a derogatory term. I truly thought it was just a way to describe someone who loves to wander the world. About three years into blogging when I became aware, I started the thought process of rebranding but I was terrified. I knew rebranding was a painful process and I wasn't sure where to start or what to do. So, I thought about it for a while and finally made the leap a year ago and it was the best blogging decision I've ever made.

So, I urge you to consider your blog name for a while and don't forget to think about negative connotations, derogatory terms, and appropriating cultures. Some words I would personally suggest avoiding including gypsy, tribe, and spirit animal.

Tips on choosing a perfect travel blog name

• They say that due to high competition you should narrow your niche as much as possible. This can be a good idea if you already have a niche. But what if you are just a beginner with a passion for blogging that cannot look too far in the future in terms of content? Then choose a more general blog name and you will definitely find your own style later on.

• Try googling it. Analyze what does the search bring up, is there competition?

• Check if it is available in social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest.

• Look into the future, will this name suit you in 10 years?

What to avoid when choosing a blog name?

• It shouldn’t be too long and should look as a domain. While “Life is Like a Box of Chocolates” sounds nice, how about lifeislikeaboxofchocolates.com? Tool long and difficult to distinguish between all the words. Ideally, the blog name should consist of 1 or 2 words, maybe also a preposition.

• Avoid using dashes, other symbols or numbers in the domain name. It’s harder for people to remember such names and not good for SEO purposes. My personal opinion is that it looks bulky and not trendy.

• Avoid misspelling. Maybe there is a name that you like but it is already taken and you think about replacing one letter? Two Backpackers —> Two Backpackerz? It looks unprofessional and it indeed is because you would copy somebody’s name that’s already taken. Google won’t rank you for a misspelled word as well.

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