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If you’ve decided to take the plunge and start a blog — whether travel-oriented or not — one of the most important decisions you can make is what to name it. A great blog name could propel you to the top; a bad blog name could destroy you.
There’s much to consider when choosing a name for your travel blog.
Here are the most popular options for choosing a name:
Option 1: Your Real (or Professional) Name
Examples: Suzy Guese, Katie Aune, Lee Abbamonte
Pros: You own your name on the web and nobody can take it away from you. It gives you professional credibility, especially if you do freelance creative work in addition to your blog.
Cons: You may end up miserably editing everything you write because you don’t want to say anything remotely offensive to prospective employers that may Google you. You may get tired of travel blogging, or may not want to represent yourself foremost as a travel blogger.
Option 2: A Variation of Your First (or Last) Name
Examples: Travels of Adam, Flora the Explorer, Hecktic Travels
Pros: It’s a great balance between providing your name without revealing your entire identity.
Cons: No matter what, name-based sites sound like blogs, though this is changing with the rise of influencer marketing over the past few years. If you have a goal of eventually selling your blog or expanding to a multi-author blog, it will be much harder.
Option 3: A Location-Based Name
Examples: Adventures Around Asia, Aussie on the Road, Traveling Canucks
Pros: This gives you personality based on the location and/or allows you to be a knowledgeable representative for your area.
Cons: You might be mistaken for a destination-based site. And after you leave your destination, do you still want it to define you forever, even if you settle in another place? Furthermore, does that destination define you to begin with?
Option 4: An SEO-Friendly Travel Term
Examples: Go Backpacking, A Luxury Travel Blog, Travel Yourself
Pros: Lots of SEO traffic; lots of site value; potentially great for reselling down the road. It could also make you look like a well-established travel site.
Cons: Your name could be easily forgettable. It’s not as easy to be etched in someone’s mind.
Option 5: A Creative Travel Term
Examples: Wild Junket, Migrationology, Velvet Escape
Pros: It’s unique, yet undeniably about travel — nobody will be questioning what your blog is about.
Cons: Very few — this is a smart choice. Be careful to avoid a complicated name or becoming overly gimmicky, thinking you have to stick to the theme of the name.
Option 5: Something Outlandish
Examples: Bridges and Balloons, A Dangerous Business, Stop Having a Boring Life
Pros: Your blog name is memorable and creates an unforgettable image in the reader’s mind! You won’t have to compete with similarly named sites.
Cons: It’s not clear that your site is about travel. You might get sick of explaining the meaning of it over and over.
Once you’ve found a name you like, be sure to answer the following questions:
1. Is it available as a .com? It’s a lot easier for people to remember a .com than a .net, .co or .ca.
2. Is it simple? Concise? Easy to remember? Easy to spell and pronounce? Understandable to non-travel bloggers?
3. What does Googling it bring up now? Does someone else have a similarly named site? Does it bring up porn?
4. Is it available on social networking sites? Is it available on Instagram? On Twitter, Facebook, YouTube? It will always be easy for people to find you by keeping the same screenname on each site, so be sure it’s short enough as well.
5. Does it lock you in? Sure, if you’re teaching in Osaka for a year, “Jamie in Japan” might seem like a great blog name. But what if you decide to teach in Argentina next? Or, what if you decide not to teach anymore? That name isn’t going to grow with you.
Finally, picture yourself arriving at a luxury hotel in your dream exotic location. Flash a smile and say with confidence, “Hi, I’m [name] from [blog name].”
How does it feel? Does it make you feel good? Proud? Or awkward?
When the name is right, you’ll feel great about it.
