How Kristin Addis Empowers Women Through Solo Travel

Kristin Addis, the creative force behind Be My Travel Muse, has turned her passion for solo female travel into one of the world’s leading travel blogs. Starting as a personal diary, her blog evolved into a comprehensive guide, offering a blend of practical advice, inspiring stories, and unique insights into the world of travel.

In this interview, Kristin shares her journey from a finance professional to a travel blogging sensation, her strategies for content and community building, and the evolution of her blog with the onset of new life experiences, like motherhood. Join us as we delve into the life of a woman who’s not just traversing the globe but also reshaping the way we perceive travel blogging.

Inspiration and Beginnings

SBS – What inspired you to start Be My Travel Muse and how did you take the initial steps in creating your blog?

Kristin – I had always wanted to write. It was something I enjoyed all throughout childhood, and would creatively write for fun. In college, it was always my strong suit. I went into finance following university, and it just never felt like a fit, so after four years of working in a cubicle, I quit to give my dream a chance. I started the blog as a way to share my travels and hopefully build a new business for myself. I studied other travel blogs for a couple of months before launching mine, went to a conference (TBEX), and met up with fellow bloggers when I was traveling as well. Networking has always been a helpful part of my growth.

Target Audience

SBS – How did you identify and cater to your target audience, especially focusing on solo female travelers?

Kristin – I wouldn’t say I was targeting solo female travelers, at least not at first. My audience sort of found me since I wrote in a diary format and was a woman traveling alone. I realized there was a place for my story and experience and my brand was, and still is, basically whatever I’m doing. That’s how parenthoodadventures.com launched last year as my new venture as a traveling mom. 

Content Strategy

SBS – Can you describe your content strategy and how you decide on topics for your blog posts?

Kristin – My content strategy is similar to my niche in that I just write about what I’m doing. So whatever destination we’re covering, it’s usually somewhere I’ve just traveled through (or one of my amazing writers has). I don’t try to make it too complicated or manufacture anything. If you write from a place of authenticity, your audience finds you.

Engagement and Community Building

SBS – What strategies do you use to engage with your audience and build a community around your blog?

Kristin – I’ve always approached social media in a very open way. I’m honest about my struggles and my wins. I’m honest about when things are hard or when they’re going well. I find that we relate to each other best from that place, and I try to treat things like a two-way conversation even though it’s mostly me posting about my experiences. But I always answer my DMs, and I try to encourage people to reach out or ask questions.

Monetization

SBS – How do you monetize your blog, and what advice would you give to bloggers looking to generate revenue?

Kristin – My blog is monetized in many ways, including ads, affiliates, destination and product collaborations, and BMTM branded tours. I recommend diversification as much as possible because the way I’ve made my money throughout the years has really shifted, and being open to changing it up is always important.

Challenges in Blogging

SBS – What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your blogging journey and how have you overcome them?

Kristin – Some of the biggest challenges have been the constantly shifting landscape. I started in 2012, and the way that we get traffic, monetize, and the social media platforms that are dominant are completely different from back then. Everything has changed, and there’s no way to know what’s really to come. That’s the biggest challenge — constantly being ready for things to change completely, and being ready to let go of what worked and was easy in the past.

SEO and Traffic Growth

SBS – How do you optimize your content for search engines, and what tactics have helped you grow your blog’s traffic?

Kristin – In terms of SEO, I think we’re seeing the importance of writing about our real, lived experiences, particularly with the latest helpful content update. I’m glad to see that Google is prioritizing firsthand experiences rather than regurgitated lists that anyone could have researched without any real nuance or personal experience.

Social Media Integration

SBS – How do you integrate social media with your blog, and which platforms have been most effective for you?

Kristin – Social media and my blog really operate as separate platforms, and that goes for YouTube as well. There is some overlap, but the audiences are often completely different, and I always tell new bloggers not to think of social media as a big driver of traffic, because it generally isn’t. It’s its own thing. Right now, I’m most focused on Instagram, since that’s where I find the most interaction and enjoyment. As a new mom, it’s easy to post a quick story on there.

Travel Experiences

SBS – Can you share a particularly memorable travel experience that deeply impacted your blog’s content or direction?

Kristin – One of the most important travel experiences for me was when I visited a farm in South Africa. The woman who ran the farm encouraged me to go into the rock labyrinth on her property with a question, and by the middle, maybe I’d have the answer. At that moment, I decided to switch from a straight diary format to something that would be more practical and helpful. This was in early 2015, and it made a huge difference.

Safety Tips for Solo Female Travelers

SBS – What are your top safety tips for solo female travelers, based on your experiences?

Kristin – My top safety tip for solo female travelers is to pay attention to your surroundings. So often I see people buried in their phones, and it’s gotten worse and worse over the past decade I’ve been traveling. Put it down, take the headphones out, and pay attention.

Balancing Travel and Blogging

SBS – How do you balance your time between traveling and managing your blog?

Kristin – My work-life balance has improved a lot in recent years. I used to work 80-hour weeks, and I’ve stopped doing that. I focused more on what’s actually bringing in money, cut the things that take a lot of time but don’t produce as much, and doubled down on the things that do. I hired more people and removed myself as a bottleneck where necessary, and it’s helped a lot.

Future Plans

SBS – What future plans do you have for Be My Travel Muse? Any upcoming projects or expansions?

Kristin – My big future plans are to keep growing ParenthoodAdventures.com. I started it last January, and it’s grown to over 40k page views per month now, which is so exciting. I’m thrilled that the things I’ve learned over the years could be put into practice to create a new brand that could grow and be successful, and for now, continuing to scale the two blogs are my main focus.

Advice for Aspiring Travel Bloggers

SBS – Finally, what advice would you give to someone who is just starting out as a travel blogger?

Kristin – My biggest piece of advice would be to differentiate yourself as much as possible, and write about what you’re an expert in. Generalist blogs aren’t as successful these days, and thoroughly researching the niche for my new site before going all in on it was entirely necessary to make it successful.