Many people consider starting a travel blog for no other reason than to share stories about their adventures with others. Born with a natural wanderlust, they know that their experiences can inspire others to explore the world around them.
However, over time, your travel blog could quickly become a source of income and, in some cases, your full-time job. This means that you’d get to wave your 9-5 goodbye in favour of full-time travel.
There are many different ways why you can begin to make money through your travel blog (or any blog, for that matter). This includes affiliate marketing.
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a form of brand partnership through which you will create content that links back to their website. For example, if partnering with a hotel company, you could write blog posts about the highest-rated hotels in a specific location, embedding links to their site in your content. Each time a reader heads to their website through your site and pays for a hotel stay, you will receive a commission fee.
The amount of traffic (and customers) you send their way is measured in one of two ways: by the link embedded in your site (you’ll be given a link that is entirely unique to you) or by a unique referral code. Alternatively, you may be asked to feature widgets or banners on your site, which when selected, direct readers to a specific sales page.
There is a lot of earning potential when it comes to affiliate marketing, especially in the world of travel and tourism.
What are the benefits of affiliate marketing for travel bloggers?
There are many benefits of affiliate marketing and travel bloggers. For example, affiliate marketing partnerships:
- Give you the opportunity to collaborate with leading travel brands, often forming lasting relationships when doing so.
- Allow you to monetize not only your blog, but your travels too. This makes it more affordable to travel and create new content moving forward.
- Take your blog to the next level by introducing new concepts and content.
- Present you with new travel opportunities.
- Make it easier to grow your readership by bringing more attention to your brand.
How can I get started in affiliate marketing as a travel blogger?
Fortunately, getting started in affiliate marketing as a travel blogger is not as difficult as it may seem. This is because many affiliate companies allow you to apply online to join their programs. However, you should make sure that your blog is of a certain standard before applying, in order to increase your chances of success.
As a result, you should start by working to take your blog to the next level. Not only will this help you to put your best foot forward during the application stage, but it will also increase your readership and exposure. In short, perfecting your craft is key when looking to get involved in the world of affiliate marketing, especially among travel bloggers, where competition for affiliate spots can be fierce.
Generally speaking, the higher the quality of your blog, the higher the quality of the partnerships you will be able to obtain. As such, you may want to sign up for some blog writing classes, or read up on ways in which you an improve or build upon your blog. While you may already have a skill for storytelling and writing, there’s no reason why you should not work on honing these natural skills, especially when you are looking for a way to make money through them.
What are the best affiliate marketing programs for travel bloggers?
There is a wide range of affiliate marketing programs designed slowly for collaboration between travel bloggers and travel companies, from booking sites to hotel brands. However, while this does mean that you are spoilt for choice, you should do plenty of research ahead of time.
Ensure that you are partnering with a brand that you both like and trust. Otherwise, you could run the risk of giving poor recommendations to loyal readers, souring the relationship you share, and turning them away from your blog.
Some of the best affiliate marketing programs for bloggers include:
- Booking.com Affiliate Program
- Travelpayouts.com Affiliate Program
- Amazon Associates
- Skyscanner Affiliate Program
- Expedia Affiliate Program
- Get your guide Affiliate Program
- Viator Affiliate Program
Travelpayouts.com Affiliate Program
What is Travelpayouts.com?
Travelpayouts.com is a platform purpose-built to facilitate affiliate marketing relationships between travel companies, businesses, and travel bloggers or content creators. Bloggers can use this platform to explore collaborative opportunities with recognizable travel brands, increasing their earning potential quite considerably. In fact, TravelPayouts has helped partners earn over $67 million since its founding in 2011.
How can I earn money through their affiliate program?
You can earn money through Travel Payout by partnering with a range of leading brands, including Booking.com, Trip Advisor, and Viator (among others). In fact, there are over 100 travel brands to choose from, making it easier than ever to find a brand that aligns with your blog and target audience. Again, it is free to sign up to become a Travel Payout affiliate.
Amazon Associates
What is Amazon?
Amazon is a global digital retail platform with 310 million active users. With millions of products listed (and new items added every single day), there are plenty of products on the site that you can promote on your blog, even if your travel blog focuses on a specific niche.
How can I earn money through their affiliate program?
You can earn money by becoming an Amazon associate and sharing unique links to products on your blogs. Each time a reader purchases a product using these links, you’ll earn a small commission. It’s easy to find products that you can promote on your travel blog, as the website is home to everything from suitcase and bag organizers to sunscreen and swimwear. You can earn up to 12 % in commission income from qualifying purchases and programs, which is an incredibly competitive rate among affiliate programs.
Skyscanner Affiliate Program
What is Skyscanner?
Skyscanner is a price-comparison site used to help holidaymakers find the best possible prices for both long and short-haul flights across a range of different airline companies. In recent years, they have also made it possible to book for or compare the price of accommodation. With over 100 million monthly users, Skyscanner is a great choice of affiliate partner!
How can I earn money through their affiliate program?
There are many different ways in which you can make money through the Skyscanner affiliate program. For example, in addition to embedding content within your blogs themselves, you can add Skyscanner widgets and banners to your site. As this kind of content algins perfectly with any travel brand or blog, you can be sure that you are partnering with a company your readers will not only recognize, but respect, too. After all, it means you’re making it easier (and more affordable) for your readers to book flights to destinations across the world.
Expedia Affiliate Program
What is Expedia?
Expedia is described as a “one-stop shop for your dream holiday” and primarily functions as a booking tool for flights, accommodation, and transportation. With years of experience under its belt, Expedia is the most commonly used travel booking site.
How can I earn money through their affiliate program?
After successfully applying to become an Expedia affiliate, you can earn up to 6% commission on every qualifying booking, whether they are made through direct links in your blog posts or widgets and banners featured on your site. Again, a key benefit associated with partnering with this platform is that it is a highly reputable, trustworthy site, which means that users are more likely to use the links and widgets provided.
Get Your Guide Affiliate Program
What is Get Your Guide?
Get Your Guide is a booking platform used to help users find the best possible prices for “sightseeing tours, attractions, excursions, things to do and fun activities from around the world.” In short, it’s often the key to making their trips as fun and exciting as possible – without breaking the bank. To date, Get Your Guide has sold more than 30 million tickets to customers globally.
How can I earn money through their affiliate program?
Becoming a Get Your Guide affiliate, much like the other affiliate programs listed above, gives you the chance to live the dream and make money while you travel. This is because you can earn money by generating referrals, not only through your blog content and website, but your social media pages too. With Get Your Guide, you will earn a minimum of 8% commission on every booking, and this money will come through in monthly payments.
While there are specific eligibility requirements in place, it is free to apply to become a Get Your Guide partner.
