RESOURCES
Are you done with the course but want to keep learning?
I really recommend to continue learning and improving so you can grow your business and other skillsets along with your website! Nomadic Matt has one of the largest travel blogs in the WORLD. He offers courses that I simply don’t have the knowledge to create. There are several experts in each course to direct you and help coach you through the process. These are a few courses that he offers and I recommend:
Do you have website questions but can't get the full course just yet?
BEST WEBSITE HOSTING
Hosting is basically the storage of your website on the internet. You will HAVE to have hosting of some kind and Bluehost is my absolute, personal favorite. It is cheaper than most options and has the best customer service of any company I have worked with. You can call their customer service line and be talking to a real person within a couple minutes. I have called with a variety of questions from hosting all the way to web design and they always help me with no problem. They also make it very easy to connect to WordPress with a one click install. I cannot recommend them enough!
HostGator is the next hosting company I would recommend. They run a lot of promotions making their hosting super freakin’ cheap. They also have great customer service but I personally have Bluehost. So I don’t know quite as much about HostGator. That said, I have heard nothing but positive things and feel just as comfortable recommending them as well. I definitely think you should check out the promotions to see if you can save on your hosting.
MY FAVORITE PLUGINS
Elementor is hands- down the reason my website looks the way it does. While my theme (mentioned below) is the skeleton, Elementor is everything else. It allows you to very easily customize any page or post to look however you want. I speak on this plugin heavily throughout the course because I couldn’t live without it! I do recommend getting the pro version because it offers so many features that the free one does not. But you can start with whatever you’d like and upgrade when needed! The paid version is $49 and I honestly think it is worth every dollar.
MailChimp (free) is the website & plugin that I use for all my emails and newsletters. You can connect your account to the plugin to make sure all the people who sign up for your newsletter are properly added to the email list. You can go into the website to actually create the emails.
SumoMe (free) is mostly used for tracking your growth, email related tools, and other features. I only really use it for adding my social icons along the side of every post. When the reader scrolls down, the social icons stay in place always remaining on the page. It has options for you to do this on desktop and mobile and is super helpful to converting people over to your socials.
RECOMMENDED THEME
GeneratePress has been the only theme that allows me creative freedom and total flexibility. I have tried a few before it and I never really liked how limiting they were. This theme works so well with Elementor which was my original reason for getting it. The two combined allow you to literally create any post or page you want with no limitations. Like Elementor, you can start with the free version of the theme and upgrade. But I personally do think it’s better to just invest in the pro version so you can start to learn everything at once. Making changes down the line like upgrading can sometimes change certain features that you don’t want to. So if you just start with the pro version, you don’t have to worry about messing anything up down the line.
MY EQUIPMENT
If you’re wanting to upgrade some of your equipment, these are some of my favorite pieces that are staples for my content. I only have the basics and nothing too fancy but these will definitely last you a long time without needing another upgrade for years.
My Camera: Nikon D5600
I swear by Nikon as a traveler because they are insanely durable. They take beautiful photos, are way more budget- friendly than competitors, and will last you forever. This camera has the flip screen so if you are solo like me, you can see what is in frame when taking tripod photos.
My Camera with Basic Bundle: Nikon D5600 with Multiple Lenses & Accessories
My FAVORITE Lens: Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 Art DC HSM Lens for Nikon
Budget- Friendly & Perfect Tripod: 72 in. Elite Series
Memory Cards: Standard 32 GB Memory Card
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
I have an entire website packed with information about van builds, remote jobs, & living on the road. Check out my website here.
In addition to my website, I host a podcast called “My Solo Road” where I share all about my life in the van, with my dogs, and making money. Check out my podcast here or search “My Solo Road” wherever you get your other podcasts!
