How I Make Money From My Travel Blog: What Actually Pays

I make money from Backpacking Is Life through affiliate bookings and display ads. When a guide helps someone find a rental car, book an activity or choose an eSIM, I can earn a commission if they book through one of my links.

That is the business behind the blog: helping people plan a trip, then making it easy to book what they need. If you are wondering how to do something similar with your own travel content, here is how it works.

Some links in this guide are affiliate links. If you join Travelpayouts through my link and meet its referral conditions, I may earn a reward.

Affiliate bookings: earning from the trip someone is already planning

An affiliate link takes you to a booking site, just like an ordinary link. The difference is that it tells the provider where you came from. If your booking meets the programme’s conditions, the blog receives a commission.

I use Travelpayouts for several of the travel programmes on the blog. I have earned commissions through GetYourGuide, DiscoverCars, Trip.com, 12Go and eSIM providers. The appeal is simple: I can manage several travel partners in one place.

For readers, the link should save time. If you have just read about renting a car in Jeju, a link to compare Jeju rental cars is useful. A list of unrelated offers is much less helpful.

What that looks like in a travel guide

The best place for a booking link is where you have enough information to decide what to do next. Here are three examples from Backpacking Is Life:

• Renting a car in Jeju. The Jeju car rental guide helps you work out whether driving suits your trip and what to check before booking. Once you know that, comparing cars is the natural next step.
• Choosing where to stay in Bali. Ubud, Sanur, Canggu and Uluwatu suit different trips. The Bali accommodation guide explains the areas before sending you to look for a place to stay.
• Getting mobile data. The Southeast Asia eSIM guide helps you compare coverage and data needs. Checking your phone is compatible comes before buying a plan.

If you are adding affiliate links to your own blog, start with the question your article answers. A reader choosing a hotel needs accommodation options. A reader researching a bus route needs tickets for that route. Keep the recommendation specific.

Display ads: another way the blog earns

You will also see ads on Backpacking Is Life. Unlike affiliate bookings, display advertising can earn when someone visits a page without buying anything.

The two income sources serve different stages of a trip. You might read a destination guide months before travelling, then return later to book a car or an activity. Ads can earn during that research; affiliate links can earn when you are ready to book.

For a new blogger, advertising usually makes more sense once you have regular traffic. A handful of useful guides with relevant booking links is a more manageable place to start than trying to build a large ad-supported site immediately.

Why blog income takes time

Travel bookings do not always turn into paid commission straight away. Someone might book today for a trip several months away, and the provider may wait until the booking is completed before approving the commission.

That is something to plan for if you want blogging to help pay for your travels. Give yourself time to build an audience, and keep enough money aside for your trip while you wait for bookings and payments.

The blog also needs looking after. Prices change, routes change and old recommendations need updating. I see it as a business you build over time, rather than a way to get paid simply for posting about a holiday.

Where Travelpayouts fits

Travelpayouts brings several travel affiliate programmes into one account, with tools for creating links and checking bookings. It is useful if your content already helps people choose accommodation, transport, activities or other travel services.

You still write the guides and attract the readers. The platform handles the affiliate tools, so you do not have to manage every travel partner separately.

I have put the pros, drawbacks and referral bonus details in my Travelpayouts review. Read that first if you are deciding whether it suits your blog.

How I would start a travel blog today

I would start small, with guides that answer questions people ask before booking a trip. “Where should I stay?” and “Do I need a rental car?” give you a clearer starting point than a broad list of places to visit.

1. Choose a destination or topic you can cover well. Give readers useful detail they can act on.
2. Publish a few focused guides. Explain the options, who they suit and what to check before booking.
3. Add a relevant affiliate link. Make it easy to reach the car search, hotel options or ticket page you are discussing.
4. Build an audience. Help readers find related guides on your site and keep improving the information.
5. See which recommendations people use. Look at clicks and bookings, then improve the pages that need attention.

If you already have a blog, use the free five-article worksheet to pick your first pages to improve. My guide to monetising travel content takes you through the next steps.

If you need to earn money for a trip sooner, blogging is only one option. I also cover freelancing, remote jobs and other routes in how to make money while travelling.