How Melissa Grew a Solo Travel Blog Into a Full-Time Business

This is an interview with Melissa Byron of A Solo Woman Traveling.

Hey, Melissa. Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.

Hey Lidiya, I’m the founder of a solo female-focused blog and an all-female group tour operator. I work on both simultaneously, creating articles that help women feel more comfortable traveling alone.

In tandem, I am curating one-of-a-kind small group experiences for women who are either just not ready to travel alone or just don’t want to do any of the planning that goes into these multi-city itineraries.

When and why did you start your blog?

I started A Solo Woman Traveling in 2019 after almost a decade of traveling alone.

I really had no idea how a blog really worked, just knew that I wanted to share the great restaurants I would stumble upon and share my take on the destinations I was going to alone. 

The name actually started as A Single Woman Traveling, which is still the URL, but I changed the company name after it was getting more associated with “single” vs “solo”. 

How important is it to stick to one niche in business?

For my business, staying true to my niche has always been key, and honestly, it’s what I’m most passionate about.

I focus on solo female travel and everything that comes from that perspective. I don’t create content for couples or families because those aren’t experiences I can speak to authentically.

My goal has always been to share from real experience, not to chase trends or jump on what’s click-worthy. I’ve found that staying true to my niche builds a much more genuine connection with my audience.

How long did it take you to make your first money online?

I’m sure I got a random tour affiliate payment within the first year, but it took 3 years to make anything consistent. And even then, it was very little. 

This is why I would never suggest someone just quit a full time before they are consistently making a solid income. 

How did your first year in business go? 

My first year was rough. I spent a lot more on my blog than I made, and I was genuinely surprised by how many hidden costs there were.

I even wrote a post about it because I wanted people to see the reality behind the glossy travel content.

Looking back, it was mostly on me. I was naïve about how blogging and online business actually work, and I didn’t really treat it like a business until about three years in. 

Once I started getting serious about strategy, SEO, and building offers for my audience, that’s when things shifted. The first couple of years were more learning than earning.

How has your content creation process changed over the years?

My content process has evolved a lot over the years. I still write based on my own travel experiences and focus on the things I wish I had known before I went. I also share the hotels, restaurants, and experiences that truly stood out to me.

What has changed is my approach.

I no longer spend hours researching what others are writing about or obsessing over SEO keywords. That approach used to keep me stuck in my head, second-guessing everything, and it made it hard to actually write.

Once I let that go and focused on creating from experience, my content became much more genuine and enjoyable to produce.

Also read: 11 Travel Bloggers Share How They Grew Their Blog Traffic and Income

How much traffic does your blog get now?

It goes up and down with the seasons. In its high, its gotten to over 100,000 and then dips down from there. 

Google is my top traffic source for the blog, but referrals and repeat travelers are my top sources for the group tours. 

What’s your current content strategy like? 

I’m still trying to find a way to create a solid content schedule for blogging and social media.

I set a goal to write one post a week. While with social media, it’s more sporadic. 

How have you grown your email list?

Over the years it has grown from quizzes and CTA in my blog posts.

I also have a private Facebook group that has really helped me grow my authentic readership. 

What social media platform has worked best for growing your audience? 

My Facebook Group has been the best and most authentic place to grow my audience. It’s where real conversations and connections happen.

Instagram, on the other hand, feels more fickle. I’ve had posts go viral, but it doesn’t always translate to genuine engagement.

You might get a burst of likes and followers, but then you never hear from them again, which can feel like a waste of time. 

What are your top tips for growing your reach on it?

The best way to grow your reach is to be your truest self. Authenticity is what attracts real, engaged followers. It’s a long game of consistently sharing what you’re passionate about and trusting that the right people will find it.

When I first started, I was so frustrated with how long it took. It really tested my commitment to the process. But once I stopped trying to force it and focused on sharing from a genuine place, everything started to come together.

What are your different income streams?

Between my tours and my blog, I now earn a full-time income.

The tours are the main driver, making up about 60% of my total revenue.

Affiliate partnerships account for around 15%, display ads on my site bring in another 15%, my course on how to create tours makes up about 10%, and digital products like planners and templates make up the remaining 5%.

What type of content brings you the most affiliate sales? 

My best-performing affiliate content tends to be solo travel destination guides where I’m answering the exact questions travelers are searching for and sharing my personal recommendations.

Anything that’s driven by clear search intent performs the best. Interestingly, itinerary-style posts bring in the least affiliate sales, even though they often get good traffic. 

What are your current paid offerings?

My main paid offering is “How to Create and Sell Group Tours for Travel Creators.” It’s designed for creators with a niche audience who want to travel with their community.

The course covers all the major pain points I experienced when I first started. I share exactly what I did wrong, what I did right, and how to do it better from the beginning.

I created it to give people a clear place to start and to guide them through everything they need to consider when launching their own tours. 

How did you survive Google’s Helpful Content Update (HCU)?

To be honest, I did not survive the Helpful Content Update at first. Like many others, my site took a big hit. I realized a lot of my content had lost its originality and authenticity in my effort to “do SEO right,” which looked very different before the update.

I turned things around by rewriting old posts and creating new ones that felt more like me, sharing my real experiences, opinions, and perspective. That shift brought the heart back into my content and slowly started to rebuild my traffic.

Tell us about your customer’s journey.

People usually find me in a few different ways.

Most often, they come across one of my blog posts and notice that I also offer women-only tours.

Others reach out when they are planning a trip to a destination I’ve written about and want expert advice or travel planning help.

From there, they either fill out my contact form or book a call to talk more about one of my tours or how I can help them plan their trip.

What strategies have worked well for selling solo travel tours?

What has worked best for selling my solo travel tours is creating a lot of content around the destinations I host trips in. People want to travel with someone who knows the place inside and out, so positioning yourself as the expert is key.

When I share passionately about why I love Greece and talk about the hidden beaches, local tavernas, and special experiences I’ve discovered, people naturally want to join me.

Authentic excitement and genuine expertise sell better than any ad ever could. 

What are some big challenges you had to overcome with that new revenue stream?

Travel and people can both be unpredictable, so you really have to be able to roll with the punches.

During my first two tours, I faced challenges with weather and unexpected activity cancellations that forced me to adapt quickly.

Each experience taught me something new, and now I always build in flexible backup plans so everything still runs smoothly no matter what happens.

Do you use AI in any way?

I use AI as a tool for organization and clarity. It’s great for sparking ideas and helping me get my thoughts flowing.

That said, I always cross-check everything it suggests. For me, AI is most helpful when I’m trying to condense my ideas or make sure I’m communicating my point clearly. It helps me refine my message, but the voice and direction always come from me.

Also read: How I Use ChatGPT as an Assistant in My Blogging Business

How do you see the future of blogging?

It is hard to say exactly where blogging is headed, but I think creating authentic content will always matter. What is changing is how we approach it.

Relying solely on being a blogger is getting harder. I believe the future belongs to those who show up as a brand, someone who stands for something, shares genuine experiences, and positions themselves as an expert.

That kind of presence will always have a place, no matter how the landscape evolves.

What’s next for you and A Solo Woman Traveling?

I’m focused on community building and spending more time living in the moment rather than stressing about what’s next.

I’m committed to doing my best and staying open to change when it feels like it’s time to pivot or move in a new direction.

At the heart of my business is creating meaningful experiences and building lifelong connections, and that’s what continues to guide me forward.