Hey there sea changers… Many of my recent posts have discussed how to get yourself started with an online business. Today however we are going to have a look at those who have already got their travel related site/blog up and running and are now looking to make some money from it. This is a popular niche – as we all dream of working “from anywhere in the world” – however also a highly competitive one so with that in mind welcome to my post on how to monetize a travel blog.

Monetize a Travel Blog - header

Before we begin however it is important to note that you may not want, or need to set all of these up right now. Some may not be viable for your site or not be accessible if your site is new, or not generating a lot of traffic as yet – but you can certainly keep these options in mind as your site starts to grow.

Note: This post is assuming that you have a working a website, blog or social media account within the travel niche (or any niche for that matter really) and are looking to generate income from within it. If you need assistance with the development of an affiliate marketing or online business website, click here.

How To Monetize a Travel Blog

So grab a drink, a map and let's see how we can make some money…

1. Affiliate Marketing

Our first method to monetize your travel blog is affiliate marketing which is the process of earning commissions based on the promotion of travel related products that are sold directly via the vendor. In this case, you can utilise your website or social media account to provide information and solve problems in regards to the travel plans, experiences and/or general needs of your readers.

There are a good number of travel affiliate programs available in areas such as flights, hotels and accessories and to find them, simply type “affiliate: travel” into your search engine:

Monetize a Travel Blog - Travel affiliate

From here you can search through and find programs that:

  • Relate to your niche/problems that you are solving.
  • Have quality products – your brand can be severely damaged if you promote poor quality product.
  • Have solid payment and customer service arrangement.
  • Pay decent commissions.
  • Have good testimonials covering commission payouts and quality of product.

How is revenue earned?

As mentioned above, the trick here is to attract readers to your travel blog via the provision of information and solving problems. Within the travel niche, this can be undertaken via the inclusion of:

  • Product reviews – hotels, airlines, tours, luggage and so on
  • How to‘ posts and lists – such as “How to see Europe on $20 a day”
  • Product rankings and comparisons of travel accessories or tours from different companies etc.
  • Process information outlines – e.g. discussing travel health regimes etc.
  • Tips, tricks, hints and other general information.

Money is then earned by placing affiliate links to merchant/vendor sales pages within these posts. If your website visitor then chooses to make a purchase, they click on the link for redirection to the vendor site which processes and manages the sale, delivery and customer service requirements. Commissions are then paid to you as the website owner based on that sale.

When to action

Affiliate links can be loaded to a website as soon as it has been setup or a post written. Some affiliate merchants however will not accept you into their programs until your site generates a certain amount of traffic. Others, such as Amazon, will accept you immediately but on a trial basis which is terminated if you do not drive at least 3 sales to their site within the first 180 days.

There are also a number of Travel MLM programs starting to pop up as well.

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2. Sell your own products

This area is another opportunity to solve the problems of your readers as traveling is definitely one of those areas where things can easily go wrong so anything you can provide to make things a little easier for those in their time of need is going to be a Godsend to them. As your site grows and you start to create a decent amount of content, you can then start to monetise it via the on selling of your own products such as:

  • E-books – This can be extra content, a collection of the ‘best of' information from your posts or a ‘how to' guide etc. that you can sell on your site. In the travel niche, you could consider:
    • Travel guides – Best hotels, tours, restaurants, car rentals etc. for each city, country.
    • Equipment lists for certain types of travel.
    • ‘Things to do' lists for luxury holidays down to budget travelers etc.
  • Books – As with e-books, if you have enough content or know how to write a book based on traveling, then this is another way to earn some good money online. You can also sell them on marketplace sites such as Amazon to drive more traffic back to your site for their affiliate sales etc.
  • Merchandise – If you have built a good following that has turned your site into a well-known authority or brand within the travel niche, then maybe you can add some merchandise. This works best in the travel niche if you are selling things of real use that just happen to have your logo and website on them such as t-shirts, smartphone covers, stubby coolers, hats, travel bags, toiletry bags or anything waterproof – If you think about all of the travel accessories that one might use then the sky really is the limit here.
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  • ToolsOnline tools are another great way to generate income to your site – especially if you can offer subscriptions for ongoing use (as long as it is worth it). Common tools include travel calculators or plan creators etc. Basically, if it is something that can help people plan and budget their trips, then it is a tool. Oh, and search engines LOVE tools – they are great SEO juice!
  • Subscriptions – and finally, if you are looking to create yourself an ongoing income and are able to produce new content each month (basically anything we have discussed above), then maybe you could set up a membership subscription for your site. Members then receive a monthly ‘travel box' with content such as a new e-Book, newsletter, a piece of merchandise, a travel accessory or bonus information (such as member only tips) for example.

How is revenue earned?

This method mirrors basic retail operations where you:

  1. Source or create your products.
  2. Write about the products, their benefits, uses and problem solving capabilities.
  3. Provide links where customers can purchase them via sales pages on your own site or marketplace sites (Amazon, Shopify etc.).

The disadvantage here is that you will need to do all of the work in regards to packaging, shipping, sales and customer service – which is why online/downloadable products such as e-Books are popular here. However on the plus side, you do hold the ability to set your own price meaning you can increase and decrease as demand rises and falls.

Revenue is earned by direct sales to the reader.

Note: This option will require some fairly significant (but not too difficult) changes to your website to allow for the display of products and processing of payments. Please comment below if you need any assistance in this area.

When to action

To be honest, I was about to write that you would probably want to have built a good and loyal following before you started to attempt these types of sales. But you know what? You can never tell what will prompt a person to purchase so I am now thinking that if you have your products ready and your site can handle it, then why not test it out?

Want To See How I Made Money Whilst Standing On A Mountain?

Every New Business Needs Tools to Grow!

Click on the button below to access the exact training and tools I used to make over $1000 a month and growing.

And it is the same training and tools that helped me sell another site for $17,000 - And yes, the sale came through as I was standing here!.

You too can start your very own online business here that can make you money from anywhere in the world!!

3. Placing ads on your site

Should you not wish to actually sell products on your site – or are too busy traveling and writing to be able to create products to sell – then placing advertising on your pages and posts can be a good way of making some passive income if your website has some decent traffic. The trick here obviously is to have enough advertising on your site to make some income, but not so much that your site just becomes annoying or worse, unreadable. There are a number of ways that you can make money from advertising on your page, including:

Pay per click ads

Pay per click ads are placed on your site or within search engine results based on the interests, internet use/search history, search behaviour and/or location of the reader. These can be utilised in one of two main ways dependent upon whether you are selling products via any of the methods listed above or not:

1. If you are not selling products on your site then you can try Banner ads. Banners are placed on your website and are shown to readers as they view your page and posts. You, as the owner of the site can generally determine how many ads are incorporated and what they look like but not on what types of ads they are. You are then paid a commission each time a reader clicks on the ad.

2. If you are selling products (say as an affiliate to some hotel chains for example) then you will set up your advertising where links to your site are displayed at the top of search engine results pages based on the searches undertaken by the reader. If their searches match your chosen keywords (“best hotels in Munich” for example), then your site will be placed at the top of search engine results.

This option really only works if you have saleable options on your page as unlike banner advertising, you will be charged a fee every time a reader clicks on the link to access your site – anywhere between $0.01 and $100 depending on the popularity of the keyword and competition.

You can also load these ads onto your YouTube channel for extra exposure and earning capacity. Companies that manage this form of advertising include:

  • Google Adsence – Google's website ad product.
  • Microsoft Advertising – Bing and Yahoo service.
  • Infolinks – Offers both website ads and in post ‘text' ads – these are where they place ads within your posts on relevant keywords – keyword ads are usually double underlined.
  • Ezoic – Ad monetization platform

Selling page space

These ads work in a similar fashion to pay per click ads however in these instances you are actually selling space on your site for more permanent advertising. These ads pay a higher commission but do not change based on the online behaviours of your readers. Companies offering this type of advertising include:

Social Media Advertising

This can also be a good way to increase traffic to your site and sales pages as well. Social Media platforms such as Facebook and Pinterest will allow you to place advertisements to boost your online presences and drive sales.

Monetize your supplements website - advertising

How is revenue earned?

This one is simple – each time a reader clicks on your ad, you either get paid or redirect a reader directly to your purchase (money) pages to increase your chances of sales. If I am being honest, these advertising processes are generally a set-and-forget type scenario as they really do not generate any real income until your site starts to generate serious traffic.

As an example, on one site I placed 3 ads from Google adsence once it reached abut 200 monthly viewers and it made about $1 per month. However, for another (currently running at about 3000 views per month), I paid $25 to place my site at the top of search engines and generated an extra 2000 clicks per week resulting in a bonus $230 in sales.

When to action

Generally, the advertising brokers will not accept your site unless there is some traffic generated to it. I started at 200 monthly viewers but it is really up to you when you start. My main recommendation however would be to really consider where you want to have ads placed on your site – especially if it is new and you are still tweaking the set out.

4. Become a Social Media influencer

This one is a bit more difficult achieve and is definitely one that requires a massive social media following. However if you are handy with a camera then this does make a lot of travel bloggers a good income via the following process:

  1. Take amazing photos and/or videos of your travels (or as part of your hotel or tour reviews etc.).
  2. Upload these to Social Media (Instagram and YouTube are popular within the Travel niche).
  3. Gain a good following because your photos and videos are so good.

How is revenue earned?

As your following starts to grow, you then become what is commonly known as an ‘influencer'. Influencers then earn their cash via:

  • Product placement.
  • Wearing, using or reviewing products in their social media or website posts.
  • Linking or adding hashtags for various companies on their posts.
  • Adding advertising banners to their social media (as above).

Note: This is a highly competitive market – especially within the travel niche – so your social media management will have to be absolutely well managed and generate a huge following and interaction. That said, and as mentioned above, this can be an extremely lucrative income generating stream for travel bloggers.

Monetize a Travel Blog - inflluencer

When to action

The advantage here is that social media is free however building a following takes time meaning it is never too early to get started – so start taking photos now and get them uploaded.

5. Email lists

Email lists are one of the most effective means of generating revenue for you and your website. This is because once you have the ability to send your readers a direct email, you are able to then promote products, promotions and special deals directly to them without the need for them to search and locate your site. After all, how many times have we decided to go on a holiday or weekend away simply because someone has sent us an email with an amazing hotel deal?

In general, you will need to do the following (in extremely abbreviated steps):

  1. Set up your email autoresponder and email list. Common Autoresponders include Aweber, iContact and Mailchimp.
  2. Add an ‘optin' to your website with an incentive to join (maybe you could give away some of those e-Books or information guides etc. we discussed above for free in return for their email address).
  3. Send emails to your list with extra information, bonuses and sales offers/promotions.

Note: It is critical that you only send emails to those who have ‘opted in' to your email list via your website or social media. Unsolicited emails are known as SPAM and generally not accepted or appreciated by those who receive them and can do your website and brand irreparable damage. Autoresponders will also cancel your service if they think that you are spamming.

How is revenue earned?

Revenue is not actually earned via the emails as such rather provide the opportunity for higher sales due to the ability to market directly to your reader list.

When to action

Most seasoned online marketers will tell you to wait until you are generating a decent amount of traffic before setting up this type of marketing. This is usually for two reasons:

  1. The cost of the autoresponder software – If you have a new site that is not earning any revenue then this might be a cost that you don't really need at this point. There are however some free ones out there with limited functionality.
  2. You don't yet have anything to offer – With so many websites and social media platforms out there, readers are becoming more and more hesitant to give out their email address information for fear of receiving yet another raft of emails. Unless you have a pre-prepared product such as a book, health or fitness programs to match travel needs or exclusive discount codes for flights or hotels you may not have the necessary means yet to lure someone to sign up.

That said, as with all other traffic reliant revenue raising methods here, if you feel your site is ready for it, give it a shot.

Monetize a Travel Blog - stripe 3

FAQ

Are travel blogs worth it?

To be honest, the most successful travel blogs start out as simply a way for someone to record their travel experiences. And whilst making money from a travel blog is one of the more competitive niches, with a little persistence – and the fun of travel of course – you can absolutely make money.

Conclusion

So there it is. Some fairly solid methods that you can utilise to monetize a travel website. As always, keep in mind that making money online is a long term process so just because you have some of these revenue earners on your site, it doesn't mean that you will see any immediate income. As always, patience is the key.

Have you tried any of the above methods? What worked well for you? What didn't work so well? Please share below.

Do you need some extra assistance with the right ways to monetise your travel site or do you need help in creating your very own affiliate marketing website?

If you are looking for a comprehensive training platform that can give you step by step tuition with the tools to develop and host your very own website, help to identify a good niche, content or keywords, assistance with managing affiliate programs, 24/7 support and access to some of the best affiliate marketing minds on the planet, then click on the graphic below to access your free starter membership – no credit card required.

Want to know more first? Then click on the following link to read more about Wealthy Affiliate.

Until next time

Have fun

Paul

Note: If you make a purchase from this page, there is a very good chance that I make a commission from it – these commissions do not increase your sale price. This may include sales made via Wealthy Affiliate.

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Introducing Wealthy Affiliate, My #1 Recommendation for Setting Up Your Own Online Business

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When I started, I knew I wanted to work online, but had absolutely no idea where to begin! You see I had watched friends of mine run a sales party to sell essential oils and someone asked if they could just sell them online?

Then, as I sat on the bus heading into my office job, I started to wonder if I could do just that, sell essential oils online.

Anything to stop having to catch this bus to and from work every day right!

The trouble was, as I mentioned above, I had no idea how to even start.

So of course I started to look around online and found all these courses! They all promised me riches then took my money but left me with no riches!

Then I stumbled across the program that didn’t promise me riches, but told me it could help me get started even with no experience!

So I did that, joined Wealthy Affiliate that was it, and the rest as they say, is history!

But it doesn’t come without work!

That is the key here! I began on their starter membership and did the training! I then joined as a member and did some more training!

Each night after work, I would do a little more, then a little more.

And to cut a long story short, after 10 months I realized I didn’t really like writing about essential oils, so I sold the site for about $2000. But I had learned so much that I started another – about fishing and camping!

Then, after 18 months (by which time it had earned me close to $10k), I was offered $17k for the site, so I sold it too.

Now, through my travel blog, I’ve been able to fund my passion for travel and explore different places around the world.

In the past few months, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to some amazing destinations, including Bali, Los Angeles, Dallas, Vancouver and Las Vegas.

The success of my travel blog has allowed me to fully fund my travels and explore new destinations with my family.

Steps to Creating a Successful Travel Blog - Me at Whistler

Try the Wealthy Affiliate as a Starter Member and Build your First Hub!

As you start your journey, Wealthy Affiliate is there for you with the most comprehensive training package I have ever seen – And as I have mentioned, I have used a few in my professional career trust me.

To get you started, Wealthy Affiliate has recently introduced the Hub.

The Hub

The hub is an AI based niche and website creation tool that will get you up and running with the foundation of your OWN business in just a few minutes. This includes:

  • Your website – hosted and inclusive of a WordPress editor
  • Your brand
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  • Your blueprint
  • A task list that is going to help you drive the creation and growth of your business moving forward.
Wealthy Affiliate Review 24 - Hub screen

The hub makes the website creation process simple which allows you to get started on the training with a solid base and understanding of the processes.

All you need to do is choose your subject – which is known as your ‘niche’ – and follow the steps on the screen.

Oh, and as you run through the training below you may realize that what you created above is not exactly what you want. That’s ok, you can just create a new hub!

Wealthy Affiliate Training

Then as you continue your journey, the Wealthy Affiliate Hub is there for you with the most comprehensive training package I have ever seen – And I have used a few in my professional career trust me.

Above we discussed the use of the Hub to set up a website. Once you have done this, you will be able to access the “Step-by-Step Core Training”.

This is available to all members including starter members and will give you everything you need to know to continue to create your online business.

Wealthy Affiliate Review 24 - step by step core training

Member Training

There are also Live weekly classes taught by REAL industry experts on a range of topics like artificial intelligence (AI), SEO, YouTube, WordPress, PPC marketing and more.

wealthy affiliate master training

Great, What Else Does Wealthy Affiliate Have To Help You?

So, let’s keep this short, Wealthy Affiliate is a one-stop-shop platform that provides:

  • The Hub – this is the starting point and uses AI processes to assist you in determining your niche and creating your brand.
  • Complete training programs to assist with the development of your own affiliate marketing website in your own niche.
  • Website creation and publishing tools including access to WordPress editors and themes.
  • AI Content article design and content creation
  • Domain name purchasing (you get a free domain when you upgrade to the Premium membership).
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  • Online help and chat forums.
  • Weekly live training events.
  • 24/7 support.
  • Keyword access tools.
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The platform has been active for over 15 years with the original developers and owners, Kyle and Carson, still extremely active in its day to day operations – especially as they rollout their AI capabilities.

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You Can Try it Yourself For Free

Now of course I can tell you all about how Wealthy Affiliate works (because it does) until I am blue in the face. But every other program out there – including the shams and scams – will tell you the same thing!

So how about you just try it for free yourself. The Wealthy Affiliate Starter membership is free to join and gives you access to everything you need to get started – all without the need to spend a cent!

With the starter membership, you get:

  • 1 Limited Business Hub
  • 1,500 AI Word Credits
  • Try the AI Author Platform (BETA)
  • 1 Practice Website
  • Jaaxy Starter
  • Limited Help & Support
  • Core Niche Training (8 Classes)

And of course I will be there to help you every step of the way as well!

Look, in the interest of transparency, whilst Wealthy Affiliate does offer a free starter membership, this is designed to give you a look around, have a practice and see if it is worthwhile for you – which is a really great option.

However, as with all new businesses, you will need to make some investment so if you are serious about making money online , you will need to upgrade to a premium membership as this will give you access to all the tools you need in the one spot to succeed!

Afterall, every business needs tools to grow!

So How Much Does This Really Cost?

Wealthy Affiliate does not use upsells once you join – but as I mentioned in the video, to succeed here you will need to invest in a membership. There are a couple of options that provide access to all the tools, training and assistance that you could need – and a free domain as well.

Wealthy Affiliate offers a trio of membership tiers, as detailed on their pricing page.

You can opt for the Starter membership at no cost, the Premium membership for $49 per month or the Premium Plus+ membership for $99 per month. That’s the full extent of it – and you can absolutely build your website without having to spend another cent.

You won’t encounter any unexpected additional charges or covert fees and as a Premium member, you’re equipped with all the essentials to initiate, develop and expand a thriving online enterprise.

Those who opt for the Premium membership are provided with

  • Hosting for their websites
  • A complimentary domain name
  • Access to hundreds of hours of current expert tutorials
  • Various marketing and research tools
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And for those of you who want to make a serious investment into your future, there are some yearly options as well below to give you peace of mind that you have a whole year ahead of you to get stuff done!

And Don’t Forget the Personal Coaching

Once you join, not only do you get plenty of assistance from me, but you also have access to expert coaching, support and mentorship from real industry experts.

I mean, you can have access to all of the top-tier affiliate marketing training in the world, but inevitably, questions arise, particularly during the initial stages.

With an exceptionally dynamic and engaged community that boasts over 2.7 million members, Wealthy Affiliate offers an environment where you, as a member, can fully immerse and leverage this network.

You’re never alone; you have the collective wisdom of an entire community at your fingertips, ready to assist at any moment.

Plus, there’s always-on, rapid-response website support to handle any technical queries you may encounter.

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Wealthy Affiliate Works: Real Results From Real People

As I have mentioned a number of times, Wealthy Affiliate has helped me make real money online though its training and tools.

I have made money each month as well as a sale for $17,000.

But again, those promoting other programs will tell you the same thing!

So let’s get away from me and see what others are saying:

To start with, Wealthy Affiliate has a 4.9 out of 5 Star TrustPilot rating, which is a remarkable accomplishment in any industry, let alone the online business industry.

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And here are some of those reviews:

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And this is what people are saying within Wealthy Affiliate as well:

home page - success at WA

So, Let’s Make a Decision!

Let’s be frank, you have read this far so why not go all in, click on the button below to get started on the way to your very online business.

And once you are in and have had a play around with the hub, look for the little envelope on the top right and there will be a message from me. It is of course automated so respond to let me know you are there and we can start this journey together.

(oh, and the profile is mine so you can find me that way as well)

wealthy affiliate envelope

See you there

Paul

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