Top UK Travel Blog March

Top UK travel blog for March 
Our top UK travel blog for March is On the Luce currently ranking at #13 in the Trips100 charts.  Lucy describes herself as a “part-time traveller and full-time travel obsessive.”  She shares her top travel tips and insightful stories to help her readers make the most of their precious travel time and enjoy a taste of luxury on a budget – in the UK, Europe and beyond.

Below I have asked Lucy to share her thoughts on travel blogging, describe some of the trips she is most looking forward to this year and provide a few tips to assist aspiring travel bloggers…

What inspired you to start blogging?
I’d always loved to write, but ended up spending way more time working on other people’s words as an editor and proofreader. So the blog was an outlet for me to share my love of travel and to do some writing for myself. I started off submitting articles to a site called Simonseeks, where you got commission if people booked things based on your recommendations. Then when that site closed down six years ago, a group of us all thought why not try setting up our own blogs, and we’re all still going now.

What was your first “proper” blog review?
The first company I worked with was Walks of Italy, when the blog was about nine months old. I was heading to Italy and saw they were doing work with bloggers, so I got in touch via Twitter and they offered us a private tour around Pompeii and Vesuvius. After that I did a couple of things with tourist boards but my first big partnership was with Celebrity Cruises who I’ve done a few trips with now, and managed to convert me from a boat phobic to a cruise fan!

What are your blogging and travel plans for 2017?
My travel plans include a rail trip around France and Italy (finally visiting the Cinque Terre which has been on my wishlist for years), a return to New York, and hopefully some Caribbean island-hopping later in the year. On the blog front I’m working on an e-book about rail travel and plan to get a bit more organised and have posts scheduled a month in advance (though that’s been on my ‘to do’ list for as long as I’ve had the blog!).

What is your favourite destination in the world?
Such a tough one to choose as it changes all the time. My favourite cities though are New York and Paris, both of which I keep going back to and always find something new and interesting to see. As for a favourite country, it would have to be New Zealand as it’s so diverse – you’ve got cool cities, amazing landscapes, stunning beaches and great food and wine.

Which other blogs do you love to read?
I’ve very much a part-time traveller these days so I like to read blogs like Alex in Wanderland, Legal Nomads and Never Ending Footsteps to relive my round-the-world trip days! There are also some great bloggers I’ve become friends with over the years like The Travelbunny, Travel with Kat and Weekend Candy, who’re always inspiring me with new travel ideas.

What tend to be the most popular posts on your blog?
Pinterest is by far the biggest driver of traffic to my site, and useful tips and guides people want to save for later do really well on there. Like my budget city guides or my UK weekend break itineraries. But the most popular post of all time is one I wrote with ideas for one-week European rail itineraries – two years on it’s still my most popular post every day, so I’m expanding it out into an ebook with lots more itineraries.

What tips do you have for newer bloggers who would love to set up a travel blog?
Go for it! Don’t get too bogged down in the technical side of setting up an elaborate theme for the site as chances are you’ll want to change it once you’ve been going for a while anyway. Concentrate on making your writing and photography as good as it can first. And take advantage of the fact that you won’t have too many people reading at the start to try out different things and learn what you really enjoy writing about as that enthusiasm will shine through to your readers.

What tips can you share for more established travel bloggers who would like to start pitching to travel brands?
I’m not sure I’m the best person to answer this as I don’t do a lot of pitching! Most of my partnerships have come from meeting people at conferences and events or getting chatting on social media. That way if you do want to pitch for something you’re not going in completely cold and the brand or PR has an idea of who you are. Also it’s a good idea to make a one- or two-page media kit and have it available to download on you site so people can easily find out about you if they like your site.

Do you have any questions for Lucy?  Feel free to pop them below in the comments section!