I often get comments on my videos that people “Wish they had my job.” But I think most people don’t realize how much work there is behind a travel Youtuber, and how little money it earns. So Chris are you saying it’s not possible to earn a living being a travel Youtuber? No… that’s not what I’m saying. There are definitely full time travel Youtubers out there… but it’s hard. And in this video I’ll share 17 reasons why it’s hard.
00:00 – Being a Travel Youtuber is hard!
02:37 – 1 – Youtube Ads really don’t pay that much
And it’s really dynamic. December might be a great month.. January not so much. COVID-19 really made the bottom drop out of the advertising revenue.
04:11 – 2 – The most interesting destinations make the least amount of money
For 2 reasons: 1 — less viewers… 2 — less ad money for the keywords
06:12 – 3 – End up making decisions about what kind of videos to make, and where to go based upon which ones earn more
At this point you aren’t going where it’s fun, or where you really want to.. But to where will get the most views.
08:40 – 4 – Need to balance actually enjoying travel and making videos. Really easy to burn out with too much filming or over aggressive goals. Planning is key.
11:10 – 5 – Editing travel videos takes a long time
15:15 – 6 – And trying to edit while traveling is hard. Need a powerful computer, and hotel internet is awful.
And the time you are taking editing, then you aren’t seeing/enjoying the destination.
I shoot more video than I can ever edit
Most travel Youtubers travel, then edit at home.
21:06 – 7 – Traveling is expensive
Which is why you see lots of travel youtubers in cheaper destinations, Southeast Asia. India
Or backpacking
24:52 – 8 – Traveling with camera gear is a pain
Camera, batteries, lenses, microphones, tripods
Need to charge it all every night… offload SD cards. I’ve been standing on trains offloading my SD cards.
28:25 – 9 – Real Money on Youtube is in sponsorships
but tourism boards typically don’t “sponsor” Youtubers
They offer FAM trips instead. Free travel, which is awesome. But it doesnt pay bills
38:24 – 10 – Sponsorships take time to talk with the sponsor
But time spent talking to companies takes time away from actually making videos
90% of inquiries don’t lead to anything.
45:42 – 11 – Travel Affiliate programs don’t like social media
==General Things that make Youtube Hard==
48:17 – 12. Having a Youtube channel is a ton of work
There’s a ton behind the scenes that most people don’t see
50:30 – 13. When you’re starting up, you need to be a master of many trades
Videographer
On Camera Personality (or voiceover)
Editter
Graphic Artist (Thumbnails)
Creative writer (descriptions, script)
Musician
Travel Agent
Project Manager (schedules)
Negotiator (to talk to sponsors)
Accountant to balance your budget
57:05 – 14. Dedicated
Being successful on any Youtube channel requires regularity
58:45 – 15. Be ready for zero views in the beginning.. Even with lots of work.
59:36 – 16. Thick Skin for Trolls
1:02:05 – 17. No Benefits
401K, Insurance, etc, etc
1:11:07 – Questions & Answer Time!
✅ You might enjoy watching some of these other videos:
✔️ What it’s like to be a Full-Time Youtuber with Sam from “Sam & Audrey”:
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