Category Archives: Naming Strategies

How to Find a Travel Blog Name When All the Good Names are Gone

It’s getting harder and harder to find a really good name for a new travel blog. With thousands of great blogs in existence and hundreds more being started every day, the chances of finding a catchily clever travel-related name is getting slimmer everyday, especially if you’re not very witty, or particularly creative when it comes to blog naming.

No doubt you’ve already spent hours trying to think of an originally cool name, only to find that the list of bright ideas you had are really not that good once you’ve slept on them (or when the alcohol wears off!).

So what should you do?

First of all, avoid using your intuition and common sense. Choosing a quality name seems easy but it’s not. Some people can just come up with an awesome name on their own, but you’re probably not one of them if you’re reading this.

Start by acknowledging that the process is a lot trickier than you initially anticipated and put your analytical mind to work in learning about naming techniques and figuring out what type of name you want.

One of the best ways to do this is to go through a massive list of good blog names that are as related to your blog’s focus as possible. Ideally, it should be packed full of names with different naming styles in order for you to see the various ways great names can be constructed.

What Kind of Name Do You Want?

Some blog names are boringly simple but they’re effective in attracting the right audience and letting them know what’s on offer.

Some get people’s attention because they are funny, using clever word play and puns to make their impact, while others are quirky and a little bit weird, making potential visitors stop to take notice of them, appealing to the inquisitive nature of the human mind.

There is no correct method to name a blog. Ultimately, the name must be memorable and meaningful, and the style choosen to achieve this should be inline with the blogger’s character and voice, as well as the focus of the content.

All the Good Names are Not Gone

For any niche, there are a handful of extremely obvious names that naturally stand out as being obvious choices for a blog’s name. Yes, they will all be in use already. Either as a blog’s name, a product’s name, or a company’s name.

If that’s as far as your imagination stretches, then you’ll be joining the thousands of other bloggers before you who have been sulking and whinging that anything they can think of has already been taken by someone else.

Get creative! You don’t want one of those names anyway. It may seem like a good idea and the top choice for your blog’s name, but it’s not going to be very unique, and it won’t make you stand out among all the other bloggers who are competing for your audience’s attention.

Yes, those names may be really catchy, or clever, or just seemingly perfect. But they won’t be exceptionally special, and they won’t be intricately tied to the fabric of who you are, or what your blog is about.

Once you realise there are much more than a handful of ways to create an outstanding blog name, you’ll open your eyes to lots of amazing possibilities. Instead of racking your head to think of something that’s quite common, you’ll be empowered to come up with a brand name that’s uniquely yours.

Start by getting ideas about what’s possible and browse through these 100 examples of awesome names that other established travel bloggers have used to turn their sites into a success.

Does Jo Fitzsimons from IndianaJo Really Need to be from Indiana?

On top of being cool, catchy and clever, a really good blog name should be as authentically meaningful as possible. But how far do you need to go in juggling the trade-ff between witty wordplay and having to justify every word used in a name?

One of the best articles on starting a new travel blog is written by Jo Fitzsimons who shares 10 tips that every new blogger should read (even if you’re not an aspiring travel blogger).

But what’s better than the useful advice she shares in that post is the name of her blog – IndianaJo.com – it’s simply brilliant.

Indiana Jo(nes)

It’s the epitome of cool-catchy-clever, not only because it adapts the name of a popular character to perfectly fit her own name, but also because Indy was (and is) the ultimate globe trotting adventurer.

Anyone who has watched any of the Indiana Jones movies will love this name. It just doesn’t get any better if you’re trying to create a name that’s memorable, relevant and full of meaning for a travel blog.

Good Names Don’t Need to be Perfect

The naming trainspotters among you may be wondering if Jo is actually from Indiana as well. For some reason, when something is already gobstoppingly great, we somehow expect it to be totally perfect.

Unfortunately, she’s not. And in all fairness, she doesn’t need to be. It doesn’t take any shine off the awesomeness of the name at all. It would have just made it even better if she was.

The Right Name for the Right Audience

Okay, but all this is assuming that the blog’s visitors and intended readers know about our hero from the Raiders of the Lost Ark movie (and/or the sequels that followed).

For the Generation Z’s and late Y’s who may not even know who Harrison Ford is, this name is not going to have it’s desired impact. They’re just not going to get it. In which case, they’ll probably expect Jo to be from Indiana, instead of London (which is where she’s from).

This highlights the importance of knowing your audience. Something that resonates with one demographic may not mean much to another.

In order to come up with a truly memorable name, you need to identify who you’re trying to reach, and know what they might think is creative or cool.

Full of Meaning and Relevance

Now consider this – would IndianaJo still be a good name if the underlying blog wasn’t a travel (or adventure) related blog? What if it was a food blog, or a mommy blog?

Most people would agree that it would still be a quality name if the blogger is called Jo and she’s from Indiana, where the ‘Indiana’ part of the blog’s name would then take its relevance from the place rather than the fictional character’s first name.

So, just as Jo Fitzsimons doesn’t need to be from the state of Indiana, the hypothetical Jo (who is from Indiana) doesn’t need to blog about travel for the name to hold its appeal.

What’s the point to note? You don’t have to cover absolutely all the angles when you’re trying to find an ideal name for your blog. The perfect name can never be completely perfect, so don’t set the bar too high for yourself.

13 Travel Blogs with Creatively Clever Names

It’s easy to waste an hour or two trying to come up with a unique name for your new travel blog and end up with nothing to show for it.

One of the best ways to get inspiration when naming a blog is to check out other creative and cleverly constructed names to get ideas.

To save you the time and hassle of wading through hundreds of blogs, here are some of the most noteworthy names used by prominent travel bloggers.

Meandering Musings – One of the more sophisticated names for a travel blog, especially if the blogger is wandering in a random fashion. This name rolls off the tongue nicely, with a soft and inviting feel about it. You can never go wrong with a good alliteration.
Sandier Pastures – An interesting combination of words that makes you stop and think. You normally associate pastures with being green rather than sandy, but this is obviously referring to a destination that’s on the beach or in the middle of a desert.
Twenty Something Travel – Not particularly witty or quirky name, but it is clever in carving a clear niche for itself to appeal to all the twenty somethings who are traveling. And there are certainly a lot of them, with new ones emerging every year.
Travelogged – A nice blend of travel and logged to form a great brand that’s perfect for a travel blog. Whether it’s from the angle of having ‘logged’ travel stories, incidents or facts, or from the abbreviation of ‘blogged’, this name just works.
There and Back – Travel blogs with names that do not contain ‘travel’ related words are cool. This one uses a common phrase that’s simple and relevant, but some people may feel it’s a little bland.
Reason to Wander – This is one of the wittier ways to use the word ‘wander’ and it’s a great adaptation of the phrase ‘reason to wonder’, which is an awesome name on its own. One of the best names of all travel blogs.
Write Away – Although this may be used for a blog on any topic, it is particularly suitable for a travel blogger. Of course, it’s a play on the phrase ‘Right Away’, but other than the twist on 2 words that sound similar but have different spellings and meanings, it doesn’t have any deeper wit incorporated.
Travel the Write Way – Another play on the words right and write. It’s clever, but the problem with these sort of names is that they don’t instantly pass the radio test and need to be explained or at least require some clarification with regards to the unusual spelling.
Write to Travel – This is probably the best of the 3 right & write names, as it is a great fit to describe a blogger who is writing to make money to travel. A good bit of word play that’s not too pretentious and achieves its objective nicely.
Go Galavanting – ‘Galavanting’ is a great word that’s ideal for a travel blog’s name. Pairing it up with ‘Go’ gives the name a nice alliterative bounce and makes it more brandable and highly memorable.
Go, See, Write – Simple and no frills, tapping on the ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ naming methodology that’s paved the way for a host of similar styled names. You can adapt this and use any other words that are more suited to your travels.
Married with Luggage – You either like this or you don’t, but there’s no denying it’s a nice adaptation of ‘married with kids’ that produces a memorable name for a travel blog, even though it’s not a perfect fit.
An Englishman in Dubai – On the surface, it appears like a descriptive name that’s adaptable to travelers of all nationalities in any country, but people who know Sting’s song ‘An Englishman in New York’ will appreciate where the idea for the name came from.

This list is by no means exhaustive, so please feel free to share really cool travel blog names that you’ve come across in the comments section below.

Want some more ideas to inspire your blog’s name? Here are 5 Good Travel Blog Names and 7 Great Examples of Top Travel Blog Names.

Descriptive vs Unique Names for Travel Blogs

There are two main ways to name a blog. You can use a common phrase with descriptive words, or create a name that is unique and ‘one of its kind’.

There are pros and cons to each method. Descriptive names are great in getting to the point by letting users know what the blog is about. But they can easily be confused with other blogs using a confusingly similar name.

Unique names that are well constructed are ideal, as they can be catchy and more memorable if they resonate with their audience. However, it’s not easy to come up with a good name that’s unique, and many bloggers who go for this option end up with a terrible name.

To give you a better idea of how these two naming strategies compare and their impact, let’s take a look at 3 names of real travel blogs.

The first one has a descriptive name, the second has a semi-descriptive name and the third is a creative name that’s unique.

1. Travels with Children

No prizes for any ingenuity here, but as with most descriptive names, it does what it’s supposed to do, which is to let people know what the blog is about.

‘Travels with Toddlers’, ‘Traveling with Teenagers’ and ‘Travels with Seniors’ are similar names that work in a similar way.

2. Traveling Mamas

Although this is descriptive as well, it is a bit more unique and sounds quite cool as a blog written by mothers who are out to inspire parents to travel with their children.

3. Wandermom

This is a cool made-up name that doesn’t automatically tell you she’s a travel blogger, but once you come across it under the travel category in a blog catalog, or see it in the search engine results from a travel-related search, it will instantly click that this is a travel blog written from a mother’s perspective.

In fact, this is a cleverly created name where the word ‘wander’ is shortened from ‘wandering’ (which is perfectly suited to travel) and it also sounds like ‘wonder’, where the phrase ‘wonder mom’ is adapted from ‘wonder woman’ and is often used to refer to how amazing mothers are and need to be when raising a child.

Are you a Creative Wordsmith?

Evidently, unique names are a lot cooler if you’re able to create one that hits the spot. It all depends whether you have the ability and are good with words.

Otherwise, a name like ‘Travels with Children’ also has its merits too, and may be a better choice compared to a poor quality name that’s unique. Remember, you’re writing a travel blog and after a good name, which doesn’t necessarily have to be unique. It just has to be good, or awesome.

8 Descriptive Travel Blog Naming Strategies

The use of simple descriptive words in a travel blog’s name is one of the most effective ways of letting people know what its all about. The name could focus on the content or some aspect of the blogger to establish a unique brand and identity.

Here are 8 good blog naming strategies that use descriptive words to create great travel blog names:

1. Destination + Traveler Type (ie Asia Adventurer)

Combine the countries or regions that your blog will cover together with the type of traveling experience you intend to write about. Call your blog something like ‘Asia Adventurer’ if you’ll be reviewing the top adventure based trips in Asia. Or, if you’re backpacking your way through Europe, you could simply call your blog ‘Europe Backpacker’, or ‘Europe Explorer’ if you prefer not to limit the scope of the blog to a backpacker’s perspective.

2. Price/Quality + Traveler Type (ie. Budget Backpacker)

If you’d rather not limit your blog to a particular country or region, you could combine your type of travel (adventure, family, backpacking etc) with a financial or budgetary angle (budget, affordable, luxury etc) to produce names such as ‘Budget Backpacker’, ‘Luxurious Getaways’ and ‘Value Vacations’.

3. Adjective + Accommodation (ie. Seductive Stays)

Instead of writing a general travel blog, you could choose to concentrate on one aspect of travel such as accommodation and select a name that fits the type of places you stay in, such as ‘Great Guesthouses’, ‘Remarkable Resorts’ and ‘Heavenly Hotels’. Or, if you don’t want to limit yourself to a certain class of accommodation, you could go with a more general name like ‘Seductive Stays’ or ‘Room Reviewer’.

4. Unique Angle + “Traveler” (ie Thirsty Traveler)

It’s normally a good idea to choose a niche within the extremely crowded travel blogosphere where you can establish yourself as a specialist and offer a unique angle on things.

For example, if you love to party and make it a point to visit the most happening bars in all the places you visit, you could write a blog that reviews the watering holes from different travel destinations. A name like ‘Bar Travels’ is short and to the point, but if you want to keep options open to cover all types of drinks, something like ‘Thirsty Traveler’ sounds good too. If food is your thing, ‘Hungry Traveler’ may be an obvious fit.

5. Location + Unique Angle (ie Australia Trekker)

A naming alternative that avoids using the word ‘travel’ or ‘traveler’ is to combine your unique angle with the place or places where you’re visiting. So, if you’re trekking across Australia, you could call your blog ‘Australia Trekker’ or ‘Trekking Australia’.

6. Unique Angle + Name (ie Frugal Frederick)

Another naming strategy is to blend your unique angle with your name and omit any travel related word. Hence, a blog about budget traveling may use the blogger’s name to form the brand, such as ‘Frugal Frederick’ or ‘Budgeting Ben’. Or, a blog on extreme (sports) holidays may be authored by and called ‘Extreme Eddie’ or ‘Eddie’s Escapades’.

If you don’t want to be confined to any specific niche, you can use a less limiting name like ‘Nomadic Nick’ or ‘Wandering Will’. This is a popular tactic used by a lot of travel bloggers.

7. “Travel” or “Traveling” + Name (ie Traveling Tim)

For those of you who don’t want the image of being a nomad and prefer to keep things simple, a classic way of naming your travel blog is to mix the word ‘travel’ or some derivation of it, together with your actual name, to produce blog names such as ‘Traveling Tom’, ‘Tim’s Travels’ or ‘Travel Tony’.

8. “My” + Location (ie My Mediterranean)

Some travel blogs cover one spot exclusively, as the blogger spends a significant amount of time getting to know the place in detail and shares their unique view of the city or country. A good method of naming such a blog is to simply use the word ‘my’ before the name of the place, like ‘My Paris’ or ‘My Alaska’.

By using one of the naming techniques above, you should be able to create a great name for your new travel blog. If you prefer, you can mix and combine the ideas discussed to develop a name that is perfectly tailored to suit your blog’s focus. Good luck and have fun.