Ah, WordPress plugins…

… at first they seem like the answer to all life’s problems.

Update files? There’s a plugin…

Block spam? There’s a plugin…

SEO? Yep, there’s a plugin for that, too.

But as any seasoned blogger knows: plugins slow down your website. They can break the next time WordPress updates… or worse, leave open holes for malicious hackers to exploit.

For these reasons, use as few plugins as necessary.

Sure, you’ll require additional plugins depending on your travel blog. But the following are ones I recommend everyone install:

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WordPress works well “out the box.” 

Let’s face it… WordPress solves a lot of problems for travel bloggers.

But sometimes the sheer volume of plugins - almost 20,000 at time of writing - creates more hassle than it saves.

You should also be aware that adding lots of plugins can ultimately slow down your site’s load time.

Bummer.

So it pays to choose wisely.

Therefore, here are 15 WordPress plugins to (almost) instantly improve your travel blog:

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I’ll be perfectly honest…

… Gmail makes me want to slam my head against a concrete wall.

Or chew sharded glass. Or write for Lonely Planet.

Anything but deal with what must be the least intuitive email service ever.

But - as much as it pains me to admit it - once you get the hang of it, Gmail is incredibly useful and allows you to get more done in less time.

Especially when it comes to outreach.

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Blogging is good. Blogging is great.

But blogging can steal hours (and day/weeks/months) without actually doing anything.

Use the right tools to save time and get more done (so you can travel more!).

Just don’t get stuck chasing productivity tools.

At some point you actually have to do work.

Under the “Tools” menu are a list of all the tools I use, why I use them and (most importantly) why you should use them, too.

They are designed to help you get more done, which frees up time to focus on the fun parts of travel blogging… exploring new places and cultures.