Great Escape Publishing

Posted February 14th, 2013 by Paula Pant & filed under Travel Blogging.

George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.”

Shaw clearly wasn’t a blogger.

Travel bloggers are lucky enough to both “do” and “teach.” They follow their passions, visiting far-flung locations all around the globe. Then they write about their adventures, earning money from their blogs.

But is it possible to entirely fund worldwide travel through a blog? Derek Earl Baron, the owner of the Wandering Earl blog, says yes.

Even the most intrepid adventurer pauses when he hears Derek’s story…

On Christmas Day, 1999, Derek flew to Bangkok, Thailand, for a three-month journey with only $1,500 to his name. Thirteen years and 83 countries later, he is still traveling around the world. His blog is so successful that he gives his own guided tours now. Yet it wasn’t always this way.

Derek started out financing his wandering by working odd jobs overseas. He taught English in Thailand and India, worked as a substitute teacher in Boston, and served on several cruise ships. At first, he used the money he saved from these jobs to travel.

Everything changed in December 2008 when he published his first ebook based on his travel experiences. He started marketing the book online. And that gave him enough money to start traveling again without having to search for part-time work.

Knowing this was probably just the tip of the iceberg, Derek launched the Wandering Earl blog in December 2009. His ebook readers became his blog’s first followers. And he quickly gained new readers by promoting and marketing his blog on other websites.

The more his blog grew, the more money he earned from book sales and affiliate marketing. All the while, he continued to travel to places like Central America, Australia, and the Middle East.

By April 2011, his online income had more than doubled to over $2,500 per month. Derek no longer needed to finance his travels by working odd jobs. Instead, traveling and writing became his full-time life.

Derek won’t disclose what he earned in 2012, but it’s safe to assume that he’s making much more. Why? His blog became so popular that he decided to launch his own guided tour of India. Using his blog, he promoted a 19-day tour that sold out almost instantly.

Seizing upon that popularity, he announced that he’d offer a Mexico tour in 2013, with 10 spots available. It sold out within a week.

Now he’s expanded to three additional tours this year: Istanbul, Romania/Moldova, and India again.

These days, Derek is living the dream: writing and planning tours as he continues his never-ending journey around the globe, funded entirely through his blog.