How to Monetize a Travel Blog: Trekking to Profits

Starting a travel blog is just the beginning. Once you've got the hang of posting about your adventures, it's time to make some money from it. Trust me, figuring out how to earn from your travel tales can be as thrilling as your actual travels!

Whether you're new to the blogosphere or a well-traveled influencer, there are plenty of ways to turn your passion into profit. Let's dive into these methods!

1. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is the best monetization method for travel bloggers because it hits the sweet spot between time investment and earning potential.

Affiliate marketing is a form of advertising where a publisher (the site owner) links to a product in their content and earns a commission from the advertiser (the affiliate program) if readers click on that link and make a purchase.

Also, since you can add links to your existing content, it’s the perfect method for beginners. You’ve already written content, so you’ve already done the hard part.

How to Start Affiliate Marketing for Travel Bloggers

Hey there! If you're diving into travel blogging, promoting affiliate products can be a super smart way to earn some cash. Here’s a quick rundown of some top picks:

• Travel Gear: Think backpacks, suitcases, and travel gadgets. These are essentials for travelers, so recommendations are usually super welcome.
• Accommodation Booking Sites: Services like Booking.com or Airbnb. You get a commission when someone books through your link.
• Travel Insurance: Essential for any trip. Promoting insurance can earn you a steady affiliate income, as it’s a repeated need for frequent travelers.
• Tour Packages: Specialized tours or adventure activities can be lucrative. These are often high-ticket items, so the commission can be pretty decent.
• Language Learning Tools: Apps like Rosetta Stone or Duolingo. Super useful for travelers heading to places where a different language is spoken.
• Photography Equipment: Cameras, lenses, and accessories. Perfect for those wanting to capture their travel moments professionally.

Once you’ve identified which products will solve problems for your readers, you need to sign up for their affiliate programs.

You should start by joining the Amazon Associates affiliate program.

Most physical products in the travel niche will be available on Amazon, and the conversion rate on Amazon is insane.

Yes, Amazon’s commission rates are rough, and they only offer a 24-hour cookie duration, but the conversion rate makes up for it. Plus, you’re nearly guaranteed to get accepted into their program.

For products that aren’t available on Amazon, just Google “[Product] affiliate program,” and you’ll find their program’s signup page.

To save you some time, here are a few of the best affiliate networks for travel bloggers:

1. Rei Co-op

   

   Commission Rate: 5% Per Sale

   Cookie Duration: 30 Days

   REI has been sharing its passion for the outdoors since 1938. It has massive brand recognition on its side and offers a wide variety of products.

2. Booking.com

   

   Commission Rate: 25% - 40% Per Sale

   Cookie Duration: N/A

   First started in 1996, Booking.com is one of the largest eCommerce travel companies in the world. As an affiliate member, you can make up to 40% commission.

3. Travel Insurance Master

   

   Commission Rate: 15% or $5 - $55 Per Sale

   Cookie Duration: 1 Year

   Travel Insurance Master is an easy way to find your recommended travel insurance plan from multiple leading providers all in one place!

Once you’ve been approved for the product’s affiliate program, the program will give you your affiliate link, and you can start inserting it into your content.

How To Monetize A Travel Blog With Affiliate Marketing

To add your link to your content, go to your post editor, highlight the relevant text, and insert the link.

Here are a few best practices for adding affiliate links to your WordPress blog:

• Add links where it’s helpful. Adding too many links to your blog posts is just like adding too many ads; it’s annoying. Add links to product titles, images, CTA buttons, and the first time you mention a product. That’s plenty.
• Disclose your links. Every blog post with affiliate links should have a disclaimer at the beginning, and every CTA or product image should also.
• Use direct sales language. When you are writing your call to action, be direct. It’s not rude to say, “Check the price” or “Buy this product today.” Being too passive makes you look unconfident.

Or, take it a step further by creating product displays.

You Can Double Your Affiliate Sales With Lasso Displays

You can create displays manually using the post editor to add links to images and buttons.

However, it can be time-consuming to create these displays and keep them updated if you’re doing it all by hand.

Luckily, monetizing your blog with affiliate links is simplified when you’re using a tool like Lasso.

Lasso makes it super easy to add links and product displays to your posts. You can add product displays to posts right from the post editor; no coding is required. It’s as simple as clicking your mouse three times.

You can also automatically import product info from retailers like Amazon. Just paste the link into the Lasso dashboard, and Lasso will populate the display with the product title, image, and price.

With all of this, remember to follow the guidelines in the affiliate program’s terms and conditions. Amazon, in particular, is pretty stringent.

But everything Lasso does is compliant with Amazon Associates’ TOS, so you never have to worry about being booted from the program.

That’s just scratching the surface of what Lasso can do to help you monetize your travel blog. If you’re ready to start making a serious affiliate income from your travel site, sign up for Lasso today.

Affiliate Marketing Pros and Cons for Travel Bloggers

Affiliate marketing offers a lucrative opportunity for travel bloggers to earn income by promoting travel-related products, services, or bookings directly through their blog. By integrating affiliate links into your content, you earn a commission each time a reader makes a purchase or a booking through these links. This can be especially profitable during peak travel seasons or when recommending hot destinations and must-have travel gear.

However, managing affiliate marketing requires careful consideration to maintain credibility and trust with your audience. It's crucial to promote products or services that you genuinely recommend and that align with your reader’s travel interests. Overdoing promotions or featuring irrelevant products can turn readers away, potentially harming your blog’s reputation and reader loyalty.

Another advantage is the ease of tracking and analytics that comes with most affiliate programs. These tools allow you to see which products are performing best on your blog and adjust your strategies accordingly. This data can be invaluable in optimizing your content and promotional tactics to increase revenue.

On the downside, affiliate marketing in the travel sector can be highly competitive, with many bloggers vying for the same audience and affiliate opportunities. This competition necessitates a unique and appealing approach to content creation to stand out and capture the interest of both new and returning visitors.

2. Display Ads

The second best way to monetize your travel blog is with display ads. Ads are the internet's favorite monetization method, but they have severe drawbacks.

How to Monetize a Travel Blog With Display Ads

Monetizing a travel blog with display ads couldn’t be easier.

First, choose an ad network to join. Networks have traffic requirements, so here are the best ad networks to join based on your site’s page views:

• 100,000+ Visitors per month - Raptive
• 50,000+ Sessions per month - Mediavine
• < 50,000+ Visitors per month - Ezoic

Once you’re accepted to an ad network, follow their instructions to integrate their ads into your site. They will have documentation for every type of content management service (WordPress, Joomla, Ghost, etc.).

If your chosen ad network has a dedicated accounts manager, they will guide you through getting their ads on your site.

And… that’s it. Let the ads run and wait for your deposits to hit your account.

Display Ad Pros And Cons For Travel Bloggers

Display ads can be a significant revenue source for travel bloggers. They generate passive income as you earn money each time a visitor clicks on an ad. This model, known as pay-per-click (PPC), is especially beneficial if your blog attracts a large volume of traffic. Moreover, display ads can be easily integrated with the content, ensuring they don't interfere with the user experience too much.

However, not all is smooth sailing. Display ads can sometimes detract from the aesthetic appeal of your blog. They can clutter the page and detract from the clean, inviting design most travel enthusiasts seek. Additionally, if the ads are not well-targeted, they might not resonate with your audience, leading to lower click-through rates and potential revenue.

Another challenge is the dependency on traffic. The effectiveness of display ads is heavily reliant on high visitor numbers. For newer blogs or those with fluctuating traffic, this can lead to inconsistent income. It's also important to consider that over-reliance on ads might push you to prioritize traffic over content quality, which could alienate your core readership over time.

Furthermore, the rise of ad blockers poses a significant hurdle. With more users installing ad blockers, the visibility of display ads decreases, which can significantly impact your potential earnings. Staying informed about technological solutions that counteract ad blockers can help mitigate this issue, but it remains a concern for many bloggers in the travel niche.

3. Digital Products

Selling your own digital products is a great way to increase your earnings per visitor in the travel niche.

A digital product is anything you can sell on your travel blog that the customer will receive via download.

Here are some cool digital products you can sell on your travel blog:

• E-books: Detailed guides about destinations, travel tips, or local cuisines.
• Travel Itineraries: Customizable day-by-day plans for popular locations.
• Online Courses: Teach skills like travel photography or how to travel on a budget.
• Photo Presets: Offer presets for photo editing apps to help travelers enhance their photos.
• Maps and Checklists: Digital, interactive maps and packing checklists.

A lot of people search for simple checklists and guides related to different topics. They’d happily pay you for them.

Pros and Cons of Selling Digital Products for Travel Bloggers

One major advantage of selling digital products as a travel blogger is the potential for passive income. Once you create and set up your product, such as an e-book or a travel course, it can be sold repeatedly without additional effort. This allows you to earn money even while you're exploring new destinations or sleeping!

However, there's significant upfront effort involved. Creating a high-quality digital product requires a lot of time and possibly financial investment. You need to ensure your content is not only engaging but also offers unique insights that can't be easily found elsewhere. Additionally, you might have to update your products periodically to keep them relevant and valuable.

Another pro is the global reach. Digital products can be sold to anyone around the world as long as they have internet access. This vastly widens your potential market beyond those who might attend physical events or buy physical books. It's a fantastic way to leverage your existing audience and grow your brand internationally.

On the downside, competition is fierce. Many travel bloggers might be selling similar products, so distinguishing yourself in the market can be challenging. You'll need effective marketing strategies and perhaps a unique angle on your travel experiences to capture and retain customer interest.

How To Monetize a Travel Blog By Selling Digital Products

The first thing to do is create your digital product.

Look at which content your audience interacts with the most, and brainstorm digital products to help serve their search intent.

That’s what I did when I created our Ultimate Blogging Guide:

Then, create the product using whatever tools are at your disposal. For example, use Microsoft Word to create an ebook PDF, or Google Sheets to create interactive spreadsheets and checklists.

Next, you have to figure out how to distribute your product. The easiest way to distribute PDFs is by uploading them to your WordPress media library. Then you can give customers the link, and they can download the PDF from there.

Lastly, you’ll have to set up payment processing and order fulfillment. A plugin like Woocommerce can automate most of this, but you’ll have to tie it to a processor like Stripe or PayPal.

Woocommerce can even connect to an email tool like ConvertKit, so as soon as your customer finishes their checkout, they’ll get an email with a link to their download.

Barring any issues, you won’t have to do anything but watch your bank account grow.

4. Email Newsletter

One effective way to monetize a travel blog is by creating an email newsletter. This method allows you to build a loyal audience and engage with your readers on a more personal level. Let's explore how to monetize a travel blog with an email newsletter and the pros and cons of email marketing for travel bloggers.

How to Monetize a Travel Blog with an Email Newsletter

Email newsletters are a powerful tool for travel bloggers looking to monetize their content. By collecting email addresses from your blog visitors, you can create a direct line of communication to your audience. This setup allows you to promote affiliate products, sell your own merchandise or digital products, and even secure sponsorships specifically tailored to your readers' interests.

Start by integrating a sign-up form on your blog. Offer an incentive, like a free travel guide or exclusive tips, to encourage subscriptions. Once you have a sizable list, segment your audience based on their preferences or travel styles to tailor your emails and increase engagement. This personalization can lead to higher conversion rates when you introduce monetized offers.

Utilize your newsletter to share exclusive content that isn’t available on your blog, such as advanced travel tips or personal anecdotes from your travels. You can include sponsored content within these emails or offer paid advertisements to tourism boards and travel brands. Remember, transparency with your audience about sponsored content keeps trust intact.

Pros and Cons of Email Marketing for Travel Bloggers

• Pros:
• Direct Access to Readers: Email allows personal and direct communication with your audience, which enhances relationship building and loyalty.
• High Conversion Rates: Targeted offers based on user preferences and behaviors can lead to higher engagement and sales.
• Cost-Effective: Compared to other marketing forms, email marketing is relatively inexpensive, offering a high ROI for travel bloggers.
• Cons:
• Time-Consuming: Creating engaging content and managing a list can be time-intensive.
• Risk of Unsubscribes: Over-promotion or irrelevant content can lead to unsubscribes, shrinking your audience.
• Spam Filters: Emails can sometimes end up in spam folders, reducing the effectiveness of your campaigns.

5. Consulting and Coaching Services

Consulting or coaching is exchanging your expertise and time for a fee. Your customers need an expert, and you’ve proven yourself to be that expert.

As you become an authority in the industry, people will reach out to you with questions about topics they consider you an expert in.

Now, you don’t have to charge for being helpful, but you should place a dollar value on your time.

As a travel blogger, you extensive knowledge of the industry. If a reader reaches out to you asking for help, you should get paid for that effort.

How To Monetize A Travel Blog With Consulting Services

Monetizing a travel blog with consulting services is similar to selling sponsored posts.

Put a “Coaching” option in your nav bar that goes to a landing page outlining your consulting services and your hourly rate. This will help head off some of the people looking for free advice.

Then, wait for requests to come in, evaluate them, and propose your offer. If the customer accepts, send them an invoice using PayPal or another payment processor, and schedule the call.

Pros and Cons of Selling Consulting Services for Travel Bloggers

One of the biggest pros of selling consulting services as a travel blogger is the potential for high profitability. With a solid audience base and established credibility, travel bloggers can offer personalized advice, itinerary planning, or even country-specific travel tips, which can command a premium price. This not only diversifies income beyond traditional blog monetization strategies like ads and affiliate marketing but also leverages the blogger's expertise and unique insights gained through their travel experiences.

However, consulting requires a significant time commitment, which can be a major con. Tailoring advice for individual clients takes time and can detract from creating content for the blog itself. This balancing act can be challenging, especially since consistent content is crucial for maintaining and growing a blog's audience and search engine ranking.

Another advantage is the deepening of community engagement. When bloggers offer consulting services, they interact directly with their audience, which can enhance loyalty and increase word-of-mouth referrals. These personalized interactions often lead to better understanding of the audience's needs, shaping more relevant and engaging content.

On the downside, there's a scalability issue. Unlike digital products that can be sold repeatedly, consulting is inherently limited by the amount of time the blogger can dedicate. This makes it difficult to scale up without expanding the team or sacrificing the quality of the service, potentially impacting the personal brand and reputation that drew clients in the first place.

Travel Blog Monetization FAQs

What Is The Best Way To Make Money From Travel Blogging?

If you want to build a successful travel blog, then affiliate marketing is the best way to monetize it. It’s the least intrusive way to make a lot of money from your site without much extra effort.

Can I Make A Full-Time Income From Travel Blogging?

Absolutely! Some travel blogs, like Nomadic Matt and The Blonde Abroad get hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors. That’s enough for a full-time income for a small team of people.

How Do I Start a Travel Blog?

Learning how to start a travel blog is the first best way to use your expertise to start an online business.

You need to register a domain, install WordPress, and publish great content. It's a lot of work, but totally worth it!

How Do Travel Bloggers Get Paid?

Most travel bloggers make money through affiliate commissions and advertising fees. Both of these monetization methods pay out one or two months after the fees have been generated.

Some travel bloggers also sell sponsored posts, consulting services, or their own products. In these cases, a payment processor like PayPal or Stripe is necessary.

Is Travel Blogging Easy?

Nothing worth doing is truly easy, but that doesn’t mean travel blogging isn’t fun.

As a travel blogger, you’ll get to go places, try new things, and meet new people. And it will be part of your business! What could be cooler than that?

Is It Worth Starting A Travel Blog?

It’s absolutely worth it to start a travel blog. Not only can you make a living from it, but you can also build a community and control the conversation.

Once you’re an established authority, people in travel-related industries will take you seriously.

Final Thoughts on Monetizing a Travel Blog

So, you've got the scoop on how to make money with your travel blog. Here's a final nugget of advice: Mix it up with your income strategies!

Spreading out your revenue sources is super smart. Whether it's affiliate marketing, ads, or selling your own stuff, diversifying helps keep your blog financially safe. Even if one stream hits a snag, like a dip in affiliate fees, you're not out of the game.

With a bit of hustle and smart planning, you're all set to watch your travel blog's earnings grow. Go out there and turn those adventures into income!

Why You Should Trust Our Travel Blogging Content

You may be thinking, "that's all great, but what does Lasso know about travel blogging?"

Quite a lot, actually.

Here's why you can trust our process for building a successful travel blog:

We've Built Wildly Successful Blogs

Lasso is built for affiliate marketers, by affiliate marketers. We're not gurus; we've walked the walk.

Our team members have built multiple blogs from the ground up, some of them earning over seven figures in revenue.

We put that experience into every guide we write, so you can trust we're giving you a process that works.

We Talk To Travel Bloggers Every Day

Lasso's WordPress plugin is installed on over 8,000 websites, including a lot of travel blogs.

Our team supports those bloggers every day as they create awesome content and earn lots of money.

These communications give us a bird's-eye view of what's new in the travel industry. We take that information and use it to keep these guides as up-to-date and accurate as possible.

We're Super Nerds

We've put a lot of company focus into learning everything we can about blogging, affiliate marketing, SEO, and anything to do with online entrepreneurship.

We attend conferences, collect high-level contacts, read tons of books, and distill all of that information into our content. We pass information onto you that was previously only available to industry insiders.