Picking a niche was the biggest task I faced in my first 3 months of joining WA!
The technical keyword searches, getting a domain set up & developing your first site seemed pretty easy with the step-by-step guides available on the WA training. A lot of perseverance will get you quite with the technical aspects.
But having to USE MY OWN BRAIN to come up with an idea all of my own seemed impossible. People just can't teach you how to do that. It really isn't a one fits all process.
I went through all the scenarios and had all the thoughts that most new members seems to have: What will I sell? How can I help people? Will I get bored with writing? Will I run out of ideas?
I followed the training and looked through Amazon's product lists, which is just about the only way to actually give any universal guidance on where to start with picking a niche. But nothing jumped out at me.
So, a couple of months in and I've picked my first niche, set up my first website and since then I've come up with a couple more idea. Each new niche idea came to me when I was writing content for my first website.
That's when I realised that my obsession with focusing on a product in my first couple of weeks really stalled my natural thinking. Essentially you have to write A LOT about your niche so it really is easier if you already think about things within that niche.
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I think backpacking is a perfect niche! You could write general blogs about:
1. A guide to backpacking in specific areas (as you suggested)
2. How to make friends when backpacking
3. Backpacking safety
4. Things to see in areas you've suggested
You can then think about promoting things like:
1. Travel to that area (train/plane tickets)
2. Bookings to the best/most friendly hostels
3. Insurance
4. Attraction tickets
I would say that as long as there's some relevance to your niche then go ahead and write about it.
I have mental block all the time when trying to think of new things to write about. I find this happens when I'm really trying too hard. Just take a step back and carry on with your day and the ideas will come back to you in no time.
That's why I suggest an interest based niche rather than product because if you're already thinking about it your ideas will come more frequently and naturally.
