Top 10 Free Blogging Platforms That Offer Customization and Flexibility

Are you a travel blogger looking for the best free blogging platform to share your adventures and experiences? No need to search any longer, as we’ve gathered a list of the 10 best free blogging platforms that allow you to start your travel blogging journey easier. All these free blogging platforms for travel bloggers let you take advantage of an attractive and user-friendly blog site without the need for any technical expertise. Whether you’re planning to use a travel agency WordPress theme or want to customize your blog’s design from scratch, these platforms offer the flexibility and customization options you need to create a unique and engaging travel blog.

Starting a blog may seem daunting, but with the right platform, you can easily build your blog and start publishing blog posts that rank highly on search engines. These platforms offer a range of customization options, drag-and-drop website builders, and customer support to help you build your blog and grow your online presence.

Whether you seek a custom domain, social media integration, or the capacity to upload images and videos, these blogging systems have you covered.

Several free blogging platforms, such as WordPress, Blogger, and Wix, have themes you can change and easy-to-use interfaces that can help you make interesting content and grow your audience. When choosing the platform that will best meet your needs and goals, it is important to think about what those are.

Also, with open-source platforms like WordPress, you can add free themes and plugins to improve the features and functionality of your blog.

Many of these best free travel blog platforms also offer premium plans with additional features and support, but their free plans are really straightforward and provide all the tools necessary to get started.

Each of these platforms has its own learning curve, but they all have easy-to-use website builders and customization options to help you make a website that fits your style and brand. So, choose the best travel blog platform for your needs and start telling the world about your adventures!  Without further delay, let’s look at the Top 10 Free Blogging Platforms That Offer Customization and Flexibility for Travel Bloggers right away.

What We Search For When Evaluating the Best Free Travel blog platforms?

Choosing the best blogging platform is important, as each platform has its own set of features and functionality. But how to find out the best Free Blogging Platform for Travel bloggers?

To ensure that your content is highlighted in the best way possible, there are several things to consider before choosing a platform which are:

• User-Friendly and Customizable:

A good travel website builder should have a number of beautiful themes that show off your travel photos in high resolution which is user-friendly and customizable.

• Mobile Friendly:

A mobile-responsive design means that your website should be easy to use on any phone, tablet, or desktop computer.

• Best travel blog platforms that are free:

Many websites have paid plans, but the best ones don’t have any tricks or hidden costs that catch you by surprise. You can also use the free plan and share your travel content in the free travel blog platforms.

• Easy to use:

You don’t want to waste your time learning how to code. You don’t need to know how to code to make changes to your website using drag-and-drop tools.

• Fast:

You don’t want to deal with a slow, buggy website that causes you to be frustrated all the time. Hence, go for a website that has a good response time.

• Flexibility:

Blogging platforms vary greatly in their features and capabilities, so it’s important to find one that can adapt to your needs.  You’ll need the flexibility to make adjustments and additions to your blogs as it expands and attracts more readers. Choose a blogging platform that gives you the freedom to make changes as your blog starts to develop.

• Choose a blogging platform based on readability 

To help visitors find content, make your blog easy to read and navigate. This engages them and boosts your website’s search engine ranking, giving you an edge over competitors. To maximize readability, choose a blogging platform with a simple interface and clear navigation.

In the end, a good travel website should help you share your travel experiences and stories in a way that looks great and is easy to use, without any hidden costs or technical headaches. Therefore, it is important to choose the best free travel blog platforms that provide excellent customer service and has a user-friendly interface to ensure a hassle-free experience. With the best travel blog platform, you can showcase your adventures and inspires others to explore the world.

List of Top 10 Free Blogging Platforms

Building a website can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t know how to do it. Thanks to website builders, anyone can start a travel blog website quickly and easily. But because there are so many options, it can be hard to choose the best travel blog platform for your needs and level of skill. Don’t worry we have got you covered with the best free travel blog platforms where you can easily start your travel blog and attract your audiences.

We’ll walk you through various blogging platforms in this guide so you can choose one wisely and start your blog. Whether you’re just starting out or have been writing for years, we’ll guide you through the maze of Free Blogging platforms for Travel bloggers to find the one that’s right for you.

So, the following are some of the best free travel blog platforms that every travel blogger should know:

1. WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a very popular free blogging platform that millions of bloggers around the world use. It’s easy to see why it’s so popular: it has a simple interface, a wide range of themes and plugins, and strong customization tools.

The free plan from WordPress.com gives you 3GB of storage space, basic design customization, and a subdomain. But you’ll have to pay for a paid plan if you want to get rid of ads, use custom domains, or use more advanced features.

Advantages

• Beginner-friendly.
• No need for technical setup and hosting
• Excellent value for money (There is also a free version.)
• Extremely simple to use.
• Free with a WordPress domain name.

Disadvantages:

• WordPress.com is the rightful owner of your blog.
• There are no customs or plugins allowed.
• There are no advertisements planned for this blog.
• Flexibility is limited.

Pricing:

• Free: Free with 3GB storage and a WordPress.com subdomain.  It has restricted functionality and WordPress.com advertisements.

• Personal:

The $4-per month Personal plan offers a personalized domain, 6GB of storage, and minimal design customization.  WordPress.com advertisements remain.

• Premium:

The Premium plan costs $8 per month and gives you 13GB of storage, access to premium themes, advanced customization options, and the ability to get rid of WordPress.com ads.

• Business – e-commerce:

The e-commerce plan costs $45 per month and has all the features of the Business plan plus the ability to accept payments and sell products on your site.

Recommended for:

Travel bloggers enjoy WordPress.com’s user-friendly design, numerous blogging functionality, and customization possibilities.

2. Wix

Wix is a popular website builder that also offers a Free Blogging Platform for Travel bloggers. It offers a drag-and-drop interface, a wide range of templates, and advanced customization options. You can use a custom domain, add social media integration, and access SEO tools. However, the free plan comes with Wix branding, limited storage, and ads on your blog.

Creating a blog with Wix is simple and quick. You may pick and choose from a plethora of pre-made best travel agency WordPress themes and handy extras, and you’ll always get helpful assistance from the product’s friendly staff.  The built-in search engine optimization (SEO) tools and statistics in its blogging platform can help you boost your site’s traffic and conversion rates. 

Wix also offers a secure hosting solution with an uptime guarantee of 99.98 percent.
Both Wix and Squarespace serve as platforms for blogs, but we favor Squarespace owing to its superior user interface, pre-made designs, and other features. 

Even now, Wix is an excellent option for bloggers who place a premium on portability and customization. But it’s important to know that the free plan has a few restrictions.  You’ll have to put the Wix logo on your site, and your blog will have ads. 

Also, the free plan only gives you a certain amount of storage space, so if you want to publish a lot of content, you may need to switch to a paid plan. 

Even with these restrictions, Wix can be a great choice for bloggers who want a platform that is easy to use and can be customized.

Advantages:

• Easy to customize
• Many third-party programs and layouts are accessible.
• Simple to set up regardless of your technical ability level.
• A good and easy-to-use website builder with drag-and-drop functionality
• It’s set up perfectly for search engines.

Disadvantages:

• Designs and templates are locked down and cannot be modified.
• Blog Editor isn’t as good as other paid programs.
• To remove ads and WIX branding from your blog, you must select a premium account.

Pricing:

• Free Plan:

Includes Wix ads, a Wix subdomain, and limited storage and bandwidth.

• Connect Domain:

Costs $4.50 per month and includes 500 mb storage and 1 GB bandwidth, as well as access to the Wix Ascend business and marketing tools.

• Combo Plan:

Costs $8.50 per month and includes a custom domain, additional storage and bandwidth, and the ability to remove Wix ads.

• Unlimited Plan:

Costs $12.50 per month and includes unlimited bandwidth, 10 GB storage, a professional logo, and access to Site Booster and Visitor Analytics apps.

• VIP Plan:

Costs $24.50 per month and includes priority support, VIP support, and even more storage and bandwidth.

Recommended for:

Wix is an ideal website-building platform for small business owners, freelancers, artists, bloggers, and those wanting to create an online store. It offers templates, integrations, and features to help users create professional-looking websites.

3. WordPress.Org

WordPress.Org is the most popular CMS system. It is easy to use and has a lot of features that can help you make a professional website. WordPress makes it easy to get your website up and running. You can add a custom domain and connect it to social media sites. 

You can easily add pictures and videos to your posts, and you can change the way your website looks with the help of website builders, plugins, and design templates. 

As an open-source platform, WordPress also gives you a lot of ways to change and grow your site.

Advantages:

• The largest blogging community in the world.
• Extensive online content and resources for education.
• Blogger-friendly platform.
• Easy to customize
• A wide variety of plug-ins developed by third parties are available.
• A number of different drag-and-drop page builders
• A low initial cost set-up
• Exceptional customer service
• Consistent updates
• Simple to discover free tutorials and useful material on YouTube, etc.

Disadvantages:

• The cost of plugins and extras, like design templates, speed optimization services, page builders, and others, can easily be more than you expected.
• A website with a lot of content (photos, videos, etc.) could become slow very quickly if the person who made it doesn’t have the right skills.
• Free WordPress editions will have WordPress-related ads.
• Beginners may have a bit of a learning curve.
• You cannot use a custom domain name with this platform unless you purchase a premium package.

Pricing:

WordPress.org is an open-source content management system that can be downloaded and installed on a web server.  So, WordPress.org itself doesn’t have any pricing plans.

• Web hosting:

You will need to pay for web hosting to store your WordPress website’s files and database.

• Pre-made themes:

Pre-made themes are a great option for those who want to save time and money on web design. However, it costs from $0 to $200 (a one-time charge).

• Domain name:

You will need to purchase a domain name for your website (e.g., www.example.com), which starts at $2.95 per month.

• Themes and plugins:

While WordPress.org itself is free, some themes and plugins may come with a cost of $0—$1,000 (an ongoing or one-time charge).

• Developer fees:

If you hire a developer to create or customize your WordPress site, you may need to pay their fees, which range from $0—$1,000 (a one-off cost).

Recommended for:

WordPress.org is a popular and flexible blogging platform that is used by almost half of all websites on the internet right now. 

Because of this, it’s a great option for both beginners and experts who want to make their own website or blog.

4. Blogger

Blogger.com is one of the oldest blogging platforms that is still used today. It is owned by Google.

It’s not as complicated as some other platforms, which makes it a great choice for people who may not be very tech-savvy. That’s the main reason it’s one of the Free Blogging Platform for Travel bloggers which can be used to post your regular content.

When you use Blogger.com, it’s easy for anyone with a Google account to set up a blog.

Blogger.com delivers on its promise of a free and user-friendly platform where bloggers can simply publish their views and ideas, even though it may not have as many design elements or themes as its rivals.

Advantages:

• Blogs may be created and published quickly and effortlessly, and coding is not required. 
• With Google’s dependable method, you have the extra benefit of dependability.
• Blogger is entirely free.
• Google services like analytics and AdSense are integrated.
• Excellent speed and Google indexing

Disadvantages:

• simple blogging tools and features
• There are a few third-party templates.
• limited customization and layout choices
• There are no plugins or other add-ons besides the Google features that are built in.
• The free edition does not get you access to a unique custom domain.
• If your blog doesn’t follow Google’s rules, Google could suspend it or even close your Blogger.com account. 
• As your blog grows, you cannot upgrade to new features.
• You receive low-quality templates with few design possibilities.

Pricing:

Google’s Blogger is a Free Blogging Platform for Travel bloggers, but users may pay for additional features. This could include buying a domain name, paying for web hosting if they self-host, or hiring a developer or designer to customize their blog beyond the platform’s basic functionality. Blogger is one of the best travel blog platforms for free but the costs depend on the user’s needs.

Recommended for:

Blogger is an easy-to-use platform for blogs.  Its dashboard and interface make it great for new bloggers who want to share their work online.

5. Ghost.org:

Ghost is a free and open-source blogging platform that focuses on speed, safety, and ease of use.  It has a clean, simple design, a built-in editor, and advanced options for personalization.

Ghost is perfect for bloggers who want to write in a distraction-free environment and have full control over their blog. 

But setting up and maintaining Ghost requires technical knowledge, and a third-party hosting provider must be used.

Advantages:

• Performance and durability
• A clean and simple user interface.
• Developed exclusively for blog writers,
• A one-stop shop, no setup required (the closed-source version)

Disadvantages:

• Insufficient personalization and adaptability
• More expensive than comparable products
• Choosing the (open-source version) involves a difficult installation process.

Pricing:

• Basic Plan:

This plan costs $11 per month, billed annually, and $9 per month, billed monthly, for a single user.  It includes email support, hosting on Ghost’s servers, a custom domain name, and standard built-in integrations.

• Creator Plan:

This plan costs $25/month if you pay for it once a year, or $31/month if you pay for it every month.  It has all the features of the Basic Plan and a few more, such as multiple staff users, content only for members, and integration with Zapier.

• Team Plan:

This plan costs $50/month if you pay for it once a year, or $63/month if you pay for it every month.  It has all the features of the Basic Plan and a few more, such as multiple staff users, content only for members, and integration with Zapier.

• Business Plan:

This plan costs $199/month if you pay for it yearly, or $249/month if you pay for it monthly. It can be used by as many people as you want.  It has everything in the Standard Plan and more, like custom integrations, priority support, and help with getting started.

Recommended for:

Ghost.org provides a simple and efficient way to create and publish content for bloggers, writers, and online publications.

6. Medium

Medium is a distinct Free Blogging Platform for Travel bloggers that distinguishes itself from the others on the list.  It’s a community for writers, bloggers, journalists, and experts to share their expertise while earning a commission based on readership. 

Unlike traditional blogs, Medium operates more like a social media platform, with users having a profile but not owning their domain or content rights.
Medium is more professional than other content-focused social media platforms like Tumblr, emphasizing long-form content that can be indexed by Google.

What truly distinguishes Medium are its built-in communities of readers who can browse various content categories and subscribe to your profile.

This encourages a personal connection between the writer and the reader, which is uncommon on regular blogs. Furthermore, Medium has a partner program that allows writers to be compensated for their work. 

This built-in monetization tool makes it an excellent side-hustle option, even if you have no monetization experience.  To attract readers and generate revenue, you can solely focus on creating unique and original blog content.

Advantages:

• It is a great way to keep people interested.
• It is simple to use and requires no prior knowledge of coding.
• Provides access to their established online community and readers.
• This platform has an easy-to-use design and navigation.
• Medium compensates its contributors based on the amount of readers they have.
• Allows you to concentrate solely on writing.

Disadvantages:

• If you stop updating your blog, you could lose readers.
• You do not own the domain name.
• Limited monetization options.
• When it comes to personalization and design, it has few options.
• You’re simply blogging on someone else’s platform 
• Very few customization options are available, and the available features are severely restricted.
• Medium is in charge of the audience. 
• There is a ban on promoting your own product.

Pricing:  

Medium is a platform that allows people to freely post their material.  But the website also has a partner program that allows writers to earn money from their posts based on readership. 

Writers must pay a $5 monthly fee to join this program, which gives them access to special features.

Moreover, Medium has a membership program called “Medium Membership,” which gives members access to exclusive content, ad-free browsing, and other benefits for a fee of $5 per month or $50 per year. It’s worth noting that while Medium is currently free to use, its pricing or features may change at any time. Therefore, it’s advisable to visit their website for the latest information.

Also, Medium has a membership program called “Medium Membership.” For $5/month or $50/year, members can get access to exclusive content, browse without seeing ads, and get other perks. 

Even though Medium is free to use right now, its prices or features could change at any time. So, if you want the most up-to-date information, it’s best to check out their website.

Recommended for:

Medium is an ideal platform for writers, bloggers, journalists, and experts who want to share their knowledge and earn money based on readership. The platform is also good for people who like to read long articles about different topics.

Side Note: If you are interested in creating a new word press travel blog then check out our guide on Steps to Create a WordPress Travel Blog In 2022.

7. Tumblr

The popular microblogging network Tumblr is currently owned by Automattic and hosts over 529 million blogs. 

Tumblr is different from other blogging sites because it works more like a social networking site where users can post multimedia and other content. 

Users can subscribe to other blogs, reblog, like posts, and leave comments on other blogs.
Like social networking sites, Tumblr users can add tags to their posts to help their followers find posts about topics that are important to them.  Users can even set up their posts to go out at a later time.

Advantages:

• Easy to use
• Tumblr supports a wide range of multimedia content, including images, videos, and GIFs.
• Tumblr allows users to interact with other bloggers, follow their blogs, and reblog their content.
• Tagging system
• Customization

Disadvantages:

• Limited audience
• Tumblr’s policies and guidelines can be restrictive, and users may have limited control over their content.
• Lack of monetization options
• Overwhelming amount of content
• Not ideal for long-form content

Pricing:  

Tumblr is a free blogging platform that doesn’t require any upfront payment. But, if you’d like to alter your blog’s visual presentation, you can do so by purchasing a unique theme.

Recommended for:

It’s open to anyone who wants to utilize Tumblr to share and discover original and interesting posts. In particular, it is well-liked by those who utilize visual or written media to express themselves creatively.

8. Weebly

Weebly is another website builder that offers a free blogging platform.  It has an intuitive user interface, several pre-made layouts, and some basic personalization settings.

A bespoke domain, including social networking, and search engine optimization tools are all available. If you want to manage your Weebly blog on the go, you can do it with the help of the platform’s mobile app. With the free plan, you’ll have to put up with Weebly’s logo, ad placement, and a storage cap.

 

Advantages

• Weebly has powerful features built in, such as inventory management, shipping that is built in, and more.
• The drag-and-drop builder makes it easy to set up your blog.
• The free package includes ad slots, subdomain names, and 500 Mb storage.
• It provides numerous customization choices for creating your ideal website.

Disadvantages

• The free Weebly plan has a lot of Weebly branding.
• A free plan does not allow you to utilize your own custom domain name.

Pricing:  

Weebly offers a range of pricing plans to suit different needs and budgets:

• Free Plan:

Weebly’s free plan includes basic features like a drag-and-drop website builder, customizable templates, and free hosting. However, it comes with limited storage and branding.

• Personal Plan:

Weebly’s Personal plan costs $10 per month (annually) and includes a free custom domain, unlimited storage, and the ability to remove Weebly branding.

• Professional Plan:

Weebly’s Professional plan costs $12 per month (when billed annually) and includes advanced features like site search, password protection, and video backgrounds.

Recommended for:

Weebly is a great choice for photographers, writers, designers, and web developers who want to show off their work on a blog with a visual focus.

9. Strikingly

Strikingly is a free blogging platform that includes a website builder.  Its mobile-responsive design, customization capabilities, and wide range of themes make it ideal for bloggers who want to establish a modern, professional-looking blog without having to learn to code. 

Advantages

• Free plan
• User-friendly interface:
• Strikingly templates are mobile-responsive, ensuring that your website looks great on all devices.
• Strikingly lets you make your website stand out by giving you a variety of templates, design options, and ways to change the layout.
• Strikingly has e-commerce features that let users set up an online store and sell things online.

Disadvantages

• Strikingly has some options for customization, but it may not be flexible enough for advanced users who want to make very unique websites.
• Strikingly has limited integration options with third-party apps and services, making it difficult for users to integrate their website with other tools they use

Pricing:  

• Free Plan:

This plan is completely free and provides minimal capabilities for developing a basic website or blog.  It comes with 5 GB of monthly bandwidth, 500 MB of storage, and strikingly branding.

• Limited Plan:

The Limited Plan costs $8 per month (billed annually) and has extra features like a custom domain, more storage (10 GB), and the ability to set up a simple online store.

• Pro Plan:

The Pro Plan costs $16 per month (billed annually) and has all of the same features as the Limited Plan plus advanced analytics, unlimited bandwidth, and more storage space (up to 100 GB).  The Pro Plan also lets you add password protection to pages and make a website with more than one page

• VIP Plan:

The VIP Plan costs $49 per month (billed annually) and has all of the same features as the Pro Plan plus advanced analytics, unlimited bandwidth, and more storage space.

Recommended for:

Strikingly is suitable for bloggers and website owners who want a user-friendly platform with basic features and limited customization options.

10. Squarespace

Squarespace is the most popular closed-source blogging platform. In recent years, it has gotten a lot of attention because it is easy to use and has unique design features. 

With a closed-source blogging platform like Squarespace, the technical parts of running a blog site are taken care of for you, so you can focus on the creative parts. 

Squarespace has become very popular among photographers and other artists who want to make an online portfolio. This is because the blogging platform offers high-quality photo and video layouts without slowing down the speed of your blog site.

Advantages

• Mobile friendly
• Add-on for the email system
• You can choose from more than 140 different blog and website themes and layouts.
• Excellent Search Engine Optimization Tools
• Tools for outside branding like Unfold and Video Creator
• great user-friendly page builder
• Addition of a store or online shop
• It eliminates all the hassles and technological worries associated with maintaining a blog.
• Great community and educational resources.

Disadvantages

• Low adaptability
• Recurring monthly payment
• The restrictions of a closed-source platform exist.

Pricing:  

• Personal plan:

This plan costs $16 per month (or $144 per year with annual billing) which includes Mobile optimized websites, Templates to fit every need, and free custom domain

• Business plan:

This plan costs $26 per month (or $216 per year with annual billing) which includes Mobile optimized websites, Templates to fit every need, a free custom domain, advanced website analytics, and fully integrated e-commerce

• Basic Commerce plan:

This plan costs $30 per month (or $312 per year with annual billing) which includes the same features as the business plan with added two features like Checkout on your domain and Powerful merchandising.

• Advanced Commerce plan:

This plan costs $46 per month (or $480 per year with annual billing) which includes some added features from the basic commerce plan.

Recommended for:

For people and companies looking for a user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing closed-source platform with distinctive design elements, Squarespace is a fantastic choice.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, these are the top 10 free blogging platforms that offer customization and flexibility to bloggers. Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to choose the one that suits your needs and preferences. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced blogger, you can start a blog for free and showcase your creativity to the world. By using these best free travel blog platforms, you can focus on creating quality content and building a community, without worrying about technical details or costs.

There are many free best travel blog platforms available to assist you to get started if you are interested in keeping a travel journal and sharing your experiences with others. For those who want to take their travel website to the next level, WP Travel offers some of the best WordPress travel plugins on the market. Our plugins are designed to improve the performance and functionality of your website, ensuring that your travel content is showcased in the best possible way. Check out our plugin collection today and best of luck with your travel blogging journey!