What happens when a spontaneous travel tip turns into a viral TikTok video and thousands of new followers? And more importantly, how do you turn that attention into something that lasts?

In this episode of Travel Matters, TBEX CEO Rick Calvert talks with Terry Abromitis, better known as Traveling Terry, about building a travel content business that connects social media with a blog.

Terry shares how a chance encounter at TBEX Greece led to a video showing a fellow creator how to save €822 on a flight. The video went viral, helping her TikTok following grow from 58,000 to 125,000 in less than two months.

But Terry isn't interested in collecting followers just for the numbers. Drawing on her background as a teacher and digital entrepreneur, she's developing practical ways to guide TikTok viewers toward useful content on her website.

Key Takeaways

• Turn unexpected moments into content. Some of your best-performing videos might come from everyday conversations rather than carefully planned shoots.
• Make the next step easy. Every additional click between a social media post and your website risks losing potential readers.
• Give viewers a reason to visit your blog. Terry explains how a TikTok about five useful travel apps helped quadruple her website traffic.
• Prioritize publishing over perfection. A helpful video that gets posted can do more for your business than a cinematic masterpiece that never goes live.
• Use your platforms together. Social media and blogging can reinforce each other rather than compete for your attention.

Relevant Links

• Traveling Terry on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travelingterry
• Traveling Terry's website and social links: https://linktr.ee/travelingterry
• Gerald Gruenig on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@geraldgruenig
• TBEX: https://tbexcon.com
• Travel Matters Podcast: https://tbexcon.com/podcast/
• RadioGuru: https://radioguru.co.uk

Follow Travel Matters in your podcast app for a new conversation every Friday.

What if your biggest opportunity as a travel creator isn't another sponsorship, but turning your audience into your customers?

Chris Joondeph, the creator behind Authentic Traveling, has visited 170 countries and built an audience of millions by exploring places many travellers overlook or misunderstand. But his biggest business opportunity came when he started inviting followers to experience those destinations with him.

Today, his company, Authentic Tours, takes travellers to destinations including Nigeria, Ethiopia and Somalia. And despite his enormous social media following, Chris says his tours now generate more revenue than his content.

Palle Bo and Rick Calvert talk with Chris about building an audience through short-form video, turning trust into bookings, working with local partners and creating a business around something you genuinely love doing.

In this episode:

• How Chris turned a passion project into a full-time business.
• Why his first Nigeria tour changed everything.
• How content creation and group tours support each other.
• Building customer trust and encouraging repeat bookings.
• Why everyday experiences can produce extraordinary travel content.

Relevant links:

• Authentic Traveling: https://authentictraveling.co
• Chris on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authentic_traveling
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@authentictraveling
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authentic_traveling
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/authentictraveling.org
• Ethiopia and Somalia Group Tour: https://authentictraveling.co/ethiopia-somalia-group-tour/
• Extraordinary Travel Festival (October 22–25, Bangkok): https://extraordinarytravelfest.com (Use promo code Vagabond for $100 off.)
• Learn more about TBEX: https://tbexcon.com
• Find more Travel Matters episodes in your podcast app or on https://tbexcon.com/podcast/
• Podcast produced by RadioGuru: https://radioguru.co.uk

Follow Travel Matters in your podcast app for a new conversation every Friday.

Google traffic is down. AI is changing how people search. Strategies that worked for travel creators just a few years ago are suddenly far less reliable. So what do you do when the rules of the game keep changing?

In this episode, Palle Bo and Rick Calvert talk with Jarryd Salem, co-founder of NOMADasaurus, one of Australia's leading adventure travel and photography blogs.

Jarryd has worked deeply with SEO for years and was experimenting with AI tools long before ChatGPT became mainstream. His view is refreshingly optimistic: the travel creator industry isn't disappearing, but creators need to stop expecting the old playbook to keep working.

The conversation moves from the changing world of SEO and Google search to something even more important – building a creator business that doesn't depend on a single source of traffic or income. Jarryd calls it the "income octopus": multiple revenue streams that can keep the business moving even when one tentacle gets cut off.

In this episode:

• Why traditional SEO strategies aren't working like they used to
• How AI could help creators discover new opportunities rather than simply replace them
• Why storytelling and first-hand experience may become even more valuable
• How the "income octopus" can make a creator business more resilient
• Why passion and authenticity still matter in an increasingly automated world

Relevant links:

• NOMADasaurus: https://www.nomadasaurus.com
• Learn more about TBEX: https://tbexcon.com
• Find more Travel Matters episodes: https://tbexcon.com/podcast/
• Podcast produced by RadioGuru: https://radioguru.co.uk

Follow Travel Matters in your podcast app for a new conversation every Friday.