Have you ever fantasized about jettisoning your day job? Dispensing with the daily commute and the irritation of office politics to concentrate on something you really love to talk about, whether it’s cooking, travel or your children? That’s the tantalizing possibility that life as a blogger holds: the chance to delve into the topics that make your heart go pitter-patter, set your own working hours, and maybe even make some money.

Weblogs (blogs for short)—once regarded as the ultimate in navel-gazing—have gone mainstream, and some bloggers are cashing in. In the 2011 State of the Blogosphere report produced by Technorati (an Internet search engine dedicated to blogs, which has a comprehensive index of who and what is most popular in the blogosphere), about 18 percent of bloggers surveyed characterize themselves as “professional bloggers” who either “use blogging as a way to supplement their income, or consider it their full-time job.”

Here’s how four female bloggers from across the country have parlayed their passions into new careers, free travel or even thriving businesses with real revenue streams.