How to Make Money Online as a Travel Blogger?

I believe most writers and artists have dreamed about life on the road at one point or another. The sense of freedom and power that travel brings is unmatched.

At 18, I was hooked on the idea of traveling solo too.

Soon after my 19th birthday—and for over a decade after that—I traveled solo and lived as an expat in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

I volunteered in an animal shelter (picture cats and dogs, but also cows, donkeys, monkeys, and even a camel called George!), taught basic English to kids in Cambodia, planted trees in Auroville, painted the walls of a hostel in Thailand, and so much more.

Backpacking solo was one of the most fulfilling experiences I have had to this day.

And while I was at it, I always wondered how to make money online as a travel blogger.

I didn’t know much about blogging or monetization strategies at the time. Before then, I had had other blogs, but those were just pastimes that some of my friends and family would read (occasionally).

Now, more than a decade later, I run Blogging She Thrives to share everything I have learned over the years and give back to the wonderful community of digital nomads who helped shape who I am today.

If you’re new to the digital space and dream about starting a blog and making money online to support your travels but don’t know how, this post is for you.

I am not the same having seen the moon shine from the other side of the world.

Mary Anne Radmacher

How Do Travel Bloggers Make Money?

To help you decide which income streams will work best for you, I have reached out to some of the most successful travel bloggers I know, and I got great feedback.

I asked them what the best monetization strategies are in the travel blogging niche and which income streams are most important in their businesses.

Here’s what they had to say…

1. Jessie | Jessie on a Journey

“The great thing about blogging is there are so many different ways to monetize! Personally, the top three ways I monetize include:

• Affiliate marketing
  This is typically the first way that travel bloggers monetize. Instead of having to pitch brands, you can apply to their affiliate program to get a unique tracking link you can share in your content. When people purchase through this link, you receive a referral commission.
  Tip: Have at least one affiliate program for all of your bookable actions. 
• Ads
  Running ads on your website allows you to earn passive income based on how many people visit your site and see your ads. Different programs have different requirements, so getting into a highly-rated ad network like Mediavine or Raptive will take some time.
  Tip: I don’t recommend running Google AdSense on your site. It can really slow things down and typically the payout isn’t very good.
• Product/service creation
  This allows you to take control over your income by creating, marketing, and selling your own products like courses, ebooks, tours, itinerary creation, and more.
  Personally, my products and services include blogging courses, my Travel Blog Prosperity membership, a premium newsletter, NYC photo tours and photoshoots, and NYC itinerary planning.
  Tip: Keep track of the questions your audience asks you. This can help you really see what they want from you—which you may be able to help them with through a paid product. 

If you’d like to learn more about monetizing a travel blog, I have a free 10 Ways To Make Money Travel Blogging Workshop here that can help.”

Check out Jessie’s content on Jessie on a Journey (travel blog), The Profitable Travel Blogger (podcast), and Jessie on a Journey’s Travel Blogging School (all of her courses, which were created specifically for travel bloggers).

2. Chris | Amateur Traveler

“I make most of the money on my blog from advertising, but plan to put more work into affiliate revenue, which more pro bloggers get serious about. My biggest revenue stream is podcast advertising.”

Check out Chris’ content on Amateur Traveler (travel blog and podcast).

3. Nick | Goats on the Road

“I think the best way to monetize is by having your own digital product. This can include something simple like an ebook or a preset, to something higher on the value ladder like a course or coaching program. 

By owning your own product and offering it to your audience, you can help people in a more direct way. You can listen to their needs and serve them with exactly what they want.

Unlike affiliate commissions or ads, you can actually cater your product to be a perfect fit for your audience.”

Check out Nick’s content on Goats on the Road (travel blog and blogging courses).

4. Holly | Four Around the World

“We are lucky enough to be in a niche that can be very easy to monetize, so long as you are giving great quality content to readers! 

Even before you grow a big audience, you can offer value through recommendations for hotels, tours, transport and insurance with affiliate marketing. 

The more your audience gets to know you and trust you, the better chance you will have of converting your recommendations into sales. 

Ad revenue is a more passive way to earn money. We recommend waiting until you can join a premium network such as Mediavine or Raptive and then you will earn based on page views to your site. 

Having your own digital products is another great option, such as eBooks about specific destinations, printable travel planners or online courses to help your audience with a pain point.”

Check out Holly’s content on Four Around the World (travel blog and travel-planning digital products).

5. Shelley | Travel Mexico Solo

“The absolute best strategy is diversification, meaning having more than one stream of income.

For bloggers, ads on your site and affiliate marketing are two of the most commonly used ways to monetize, but there are also other things like digital products (printable itineraries, eBooks, etc.), itinerary planning services, leading tours with companies like TrovaTrip, etc.”

Check out Shelley’s content on Travel Mexico Solo (travel blog).

6. Jackson | Journey Era

“The best income streams for me are ad revenue through Mediavine and affiliate sales of hotels and tour activities.”

Check out Jackson’s content on Journey Era (travel blog).

7. Steven & Jazmin | Travel To Blank

“Our two biggest monetization strategies are selling UGC to travel-related companies, including hotels, tours, tourism boards, attractions, etc, and through advertising on our website. 

Selling content is a great way to get started earning money, as you do not need a significant audience to land deals, it is all about the quality of your work. 

Having advertising on your travel blog takes longer to build up from zero, but becomes a much more passive income stream as you grow.”

Check out Steven’s and Jazmin’s content on Travel To Blank (travel blog) and Jazmin’s book (The Book of the Ten Journeys: Overcoming Internal Barriers for a More Enriching Life Through Travel).

8. Olly | We Seek Travel

“For We Seek Travel, affiliate marketing stands as my preferred method of monetization. 

I prioritize partnerships with travel services and products that I personally use and match my travel style, including Stay22, Booking.com, and GetYourGuide. 

These collaborations enable me to recommend tours and accommodations (and other travel services) that I personally vouch for, ensuring authenticity and recommendations that are actually helpful for readers. 

While Mediavine ads contribute to revenue, I’ve consciously minimized ad density to maintain an optimal balance between monetization and user experience. This strategic approach ensures my travel blogs remain accessible and enjoyable!”

Check out Olly’s content on We Seek Travel (travel blog and adventure tours).

9. Anshula | Passport to Eden

“Every blog is different, and every blog audience is different. 

I’d recommend new travel bloggers look at their analytics closely and test, test, test to figure out a monetization strategy that works with their particular audience.

This advice sounds cheesy, but believe in yourself (at the start, no one else will believe in your blog as much as you do, so believe in it). Don’t be afraid to email a company directly and ask if they have an affiliate program or referral (or discount) code they can provide your blog readers. Not all companies advertise their affiliate program on their website. And don’t be afraid to go back and add relevant affiliate links to your top-performing posts! 

I debated for too long whether people would think I was being too sales-y if I did this, and no one cared. My readers liked the posts more, and it was a great monetization strategy for me.

So, my biggest income streams (right now) are affiliate earnings and advertising revenue through Mediavine (a full-service display ad management agency that requires 50,000 sessions to join).”

Check out Anshula’s content on Passport to Eden (travel blog and book club).

10. Marek | Indie Traveller

“Affiliate links are the monetization method I rely on the most by far. I like affiliate links from both a commercial and editorial point of view. 

They let me make money from my recommendations, but unlike sponsorships, I’m still in complete control over those recommendations. I can pick exactly the hotels, tours, or products that I think will be helpful to my audience. 

Being closely aligned with the user’s needs not only makes these links more helpful and feel less like ads, but they also increase conversion rate, so it’s a win-win.

Besides affiliate links, I sell a book called Travel the World Without Worries, which is all about how you make the jump into travelling long-term or as a digital nomad. It makes up a smaller slice of my revenue, but I am very fond of this revenue stream as it’s mostly immune to algorithm changes (people find the book through my mailing list or by browsing Amazon) and I own the product fully.

Display advertising is just icing on the cake. It plays a major role in my adventure travel blog Indie Traveller, as the site often deals with low-budget destinations, where banner ads can help me earn an income even on certain topics that aren’t as commercial. 

I also have some niche microsites on specific destinations where I solely use affiliate links and where I don’t run any ads. For these sites, I’ve calculated that the clutter and distraction of ads are not worth it based on the RPM I can get from the affiliate links.

I think it’s important to find the right monetization strategies for your blog and audience and not just to blindly copy what others are doing… some things make sense for certain blogs but less for others. It’s good to have your own strategy and to test out what works.

I have generally stayed away from sponsorship as it doesn’t fit my personal strengths that well, plus I prefer to work for myself rather than for marketing clients.”

Check out Marek’s content on Indie Traveller (travel blog) and order his book, Travel the World Without Worries: An Inspirational Guide to Budget and Adventure Travel.

11. Natalie & Robson | Love and Road

“Diversification is key. Each blogging niche offers its own opportunities; you can leverage affiliates and ads, sell digital products like guides, or offer services such as travel planning. The possibilities are numerous. 

It’s crucial to identify the strategies that resonate with you and focus on them.

Affiliates and ads serve as essential and steady revenue streams, particularly if you excel in SEO and maintain relevance on Google. 

Additionally, we enjoy collaborating on campaigns with brands and tourism boards. Although these creative projects may not occur frequently, they yield significant rewards.”

Check out Natalie’s and Robson’s content on Love and Road (travel blog).

12. Katie & Ben | Two Wandering Soles

“There are many ways bloggers can earn money: sponsored content, affiliate marketing, advertising, digital products, hosting trips, and more. 

I like to think that each content creator has their own unique “recipe” for monetization, using a combination of those methods. 

We primarily focus on affiliate marketing, advertising, and selling our own digital products.

My advice: It’s important to find a balance of diversifying and not relying on just one stream of income while being sure you don’t spread yourself too thin. 

Try different income streams and see which you like best. Lean into your strengths and what feels authentic to you.”

Check out Katie’s and Ben’s content on Two Wandering Soles (travel blog).

13. Alesha & Jarryd | Nomadasaurus

“The two best monetization strategies for travel bloggers are still display ads and affiliate marketing, especially if executed correctly through SEO and CRO.

Digital products such as courses and e-books are still fantastic ways to monetize a blog, but you really need to be a thought leader in your field for this to work.

Another strategy that works well is content campaigns, such as partnering with brands or tourism boards to feature editorial or advertorial content on your website. 

For us, we have a healthy mix of display ads, affiliate marketing, brand partnerships, travel campaigns, running group tours, and a few other avenues which generate our revenue through the blog.”

Check out Alesha’s and Jarryd’s content on Nomadasaurus (travel blog).

Over to You

As you see, there are many ways to make money as a travel blogger. I hope that the monetization strategies these incredible bloggers were so kind to share inspire you to dream big and follow your dreams. 

Becoming a travel blogger isn’t as hard as it may seem. Take it one step at a time, and be sure to offer value to your readers from the very start. The hard part is often the ongoing work: you must stay consistent and relevant so your readers want to come back for more!

If these tips have inspired you, but you don’t have a travel blog yet, head over to the guide I’ve created for you. It shows you exactly how you, too, can start a travel blog that supports your lifestyle!