SingleFlyer Turns 4!
On November 9, 2014, I registered the domain “singleflyer.com”. The points and miles world was still relatively new to me, but I was finding ways to travel more and more. I loved reading travel blogs to learn ways to travel smarter.
Before starting my own website, I knew I wanted to focus on two things:
- Traveling solo
- Remaining independent
I had experienced the freedom of solo travel and wanted to encourage others to try it out. It was scary at first, but once I took the risk, I loved it.
I also noticed a lot of blogs were focused on getting people to sign up for credit cards. I came to the conclusion that people that received payment for their travel writing could not remain unbiased. I didn’t want to go down that path.
So I played around with the name. I wanted solotravel.com but it was taken. Inspired by a benefit for lone riders at Disneyland (“single rider” lines that let you skip to the front so that rides aren’t going out with an empty seat), I decided on singleflyer.com
Four years later…
Most of my content isn’t targeted to solo travelers because, it turns out, a lot of travel is the same if you are alone or with others. However, I remain independent and do not participate in any credit card affiliate programs.
On occasion I have been an invited guest for media events, but never received compensation for posts. The only income generation from this website is in Google Ads and, for a time, referral links to sign up for car share programs that earned me some free drive time. These links were always the same that any member could use to refer another member to sign up.
My investment in keeping SingleFlyer going is not for monetary gain. I’ve probably spent more on the website than I have brought in.
I keep writing because it is fun for me and I enjoy being part of the travel community. I like having something to work on while I travel; especially when I am traveling solo. It is as much about me capturing my experience for my own benefit as it is about sharing it with others. But it is a lot of fun to know people are reading what I post.
Top Posts
My very first post was on how to finance travel through renting out your home on Airbnb. The next day I posed about the various Cirque shows in Vegas. I had read somewhere to write about what you know so that is where I started. My first hotel review was of the Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Salt Lake City which included all of one photo! My first flight review (more like some musings on a milage run) was a domestic flight on Alaska Airlines.
I started tracking activity on SingleFlyer with Google Analytics. Some of those early posts still have views only in the double digits (I’ll let you guess which ones). But it was fun to see some of my posts take off and rise in rank on Google. My most popular post of all time was written during my first few months of writing for SingleFlyer.
Here are the top posts (by page views) from the first 4 years of SingleFlyer:
- M life Explained (Las Vegas) – February 18, 2015
- Cheapoair Cancelation Fee – April 6, 2017 – By far the post with the most comments as well
- Car2Go vs Zipcar – March 12, 2015
- M life VIP Lounge (Las Vegas) – July 20, 2015
- M life Platinum Experience (Las Vegas) – January 24, 2016
- Citi Price Rewind Benefit – May 7, 2015
- Zipcar Commuter Plan for $199 a Month – May 19, 2017
- Alaska Airlines Mile Calculator – August 22, 2015
- Car2Go vs ReachNow vs Zipcar: Which Car Share is Right for You – May 30, 2017
- American Airlines 787 Main Cabin Extra LAX-AKL – August 15, 2016
Thank you for reading my humble blog. I look forward to the next four years and the adventure that awaits.
What would you like to see more of on SingleFlyer in the years to come?
Alan