In the world of solopreneurship, travel blogging once offered the dream lifestyle — freedom, flexibility, and passive income from anywhere in the world. But when Google’s AI changes took hold in 2023 and 2024, that dream became much harder to maintain.

Corritta Lewis, the creator behind It’s a Family Thing, knows this story firsthand. For years, her family travel blog provided thousands of dollars in monthly income. But today, due to shifts in how Google ranks and presents information, her blog earns just a fraction of what it once did.

A Travel Blogger’s Journey Begins With a Layoff

Corritta didn’t set out to be a travel blogger. Like many solopreneurs, her path began with an unexpected job loss.

“Honestly, it was thrust upon me,” she said. “I had the idea to start a travel blog but never did anything with it until I got laid off during the pandemic.”

At the time, her family was stranded in Colorado with travel plans canceled. With a young child, no income, and a growing archive of travel experiences, Corritta decided to finally hit publish.

“We had all these pictures, we had our experience. Our son is one now. What if we write about the travels we’ve done since he was a baby?” she shared.

That leap of faith launched what would soon become a high-traffic family travel blog with passive income potential.

Building a $5K–$7K Monthly Blog

In the early days, the blog made pennies. But with consistent effort and an obsession with SEO, traffic and earnings steadily climbed.

“I was obsessed. All I was doing was writing,” said Corritta. “My posts were ranking number one, number two, but I wasn’t making money at first. Then it finally picked up.”

The blog’s revenue came primarily from Amazon affiliate links and display ads.

At its peak, the blog generated between $1,200 and $1,500 per month from ads alone, and $3,000–$5,000 from affiliate income.

“We were making a significant amount from just those two things,” she shared. “And at that time, we were living in Portugal, and I wasn’t even touching the blog.”

Then Came Google AI

By late 2023, Corritta’s business model faced a major threat: Google’s AI-generated search summaries.

“When you Google something, you’ll see the top result. It’s really Google’s AI where it’s pulled a bunch of information from different sources,” she explained. “As the source, we aren’t really getting any money from that or getting paid from that.”

Her organic traffic tanked, and so did the revenue. What was once a $7,000-per-month blog now brings in roughly $1,000.

“A lot of people have transitioned to Pinterest or YouTube or podcasts to supplement their income,” shared Corritta. “We’re still trying to decide if we’re going to pivot because we don’t have a huge social media presence.”

Pivoting to a Consulting Business

Thankfully, Corritta didn’t put all her financial eggs in one basket. With a background in HR systems, she had been exploring consulting work on the side, and it took off just when she needed it most.

“Instead of working as an employee, I’ve transitioned to consulting,” she said. “And it’s worked out so much better than I thought it would.”

Today, her consulting income far exceeds what the blog brings in. While she hasn’t abandoned It’s a Family Thing, the blog is now a passion project rather than a full-time focus.

“I haven’t written any new content for a while,” she admitted. “We have so much that we haven’t published over the years. I have articles that have been in draft mode for maybe three years.”

Still, her love for writing and for sharing their family’s adventures hasn’t faded.

Advice for Aspiring Travel Bloggers

If you’re thinking about starting a travel blog, Corritta encourages you to think carefully about your platform.

“I’d definitely say pivot,” she advised. “The audiences have changed. Most people just skim—it’s a skim culture now. Just hit the bullet points.”

Instead, she recommends focusing on video, audio, or short-form content for better reach and monetization.

“Digital video—even audio—is really the way to go,” she said.

Lessons Learned Along the Way

Looking back, Corritta wishes she’d acted faster—and valued her work more.

“I waited too long and missed my opportunity to make it last longer,” she said. “And then not asking for the right price—I think that’s a huge one.”

Despite 15 years of experience in her professional field, she initially struggled with pricing and impostor syndrome.

“It’s really fighting internally. It’s not external,” shared Corritta. “I think that’s the biggest thing. Conquering the things you say to yourself.”

The FIRE Path and Future Plans

While blogging income may have slowed, Corritta’s long-term financial goals are still well within reach. She and her wife are pursuing financial independence with a target retirement age of 45.

“My goal is to be retired within the next nine years,” she said. “We are about 80% towards our FIRE number.”

The couple’s strategy leans heavily on investing, especially in retirement and brokerage accounts, making them strong candidates for Coast FIRE, a milestone where your savings can grow without new contributions.

“I made the smart decision to start investing when I was around 20, 22,” shared Corritta. “Even though we don’t own a home, we have a significant net worth in stocks and in our retirement.”

If you’re unfamiliar with Coast FIRE or want to understand why it might be better than traditional FIRE, it’s worth exploring, especially for solopreneurs who want flexibility now, not just later.

World Schooling, Family Life, and What’s Next

One of the biggest benefits of solopreneurship for Corritta is the freedom to travel with her son and educate him through experience.

“He’s been to school in Costa Rica, Portugal, and Mexico,” she shared. “This year was actually his first time being in school in the U.S., and it’s been a huge reverse culture shock for him.”

He’s also pushing the family to get back into content creation.

“He really wants to be out there,” said Corritta. “He’s been begging. So I might relent and let him do it.”

As the family heads to Asia this year—with Antarctica on the radar for the future—they’re inching closer to visiting all seven continents and checking that off their bucket list.

Follow the Full Interview on YouTube

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Had you considered becoming a travel blogger? Have the Google AI search changes affected you?

Please let us know in the comments below.