Being paid to travel can seem like the dream job and it is possible to make money from a travel blog. A lot can depend on the quantity and quality of your content so keep it fresh and relevant.
That money can come through your travel blog in the form of affiliate links and advertisements or you can use it to secure remote work. The amount of money that you make from your travel blog also depends on the time and effort you put into it so make it worthwhile.
In this guide, we will look at how to make money from a travel blog.
Create An Attractive Travel Blog
The first step to making money from a travel blog is to make a good one. While the focus may be on the design and making it look attractive with some features and photos, it is the content that matters.
People should be drawn to your travel blog to read about places and destinations that they are interested in.
It also helps if you know how to write about traveling and that you spend time updating your content to keep it relevant and ensuring repeat custom. The level of content that you should be looking at is around two to five posts every week at an absolute minimum.
Each post should have a word count of at least 2,000 words yet it should be detailed and relevant. With more content there will be more traffic and you can shoot up on Google so it will be easier to find new readers.
Focus on Search Engine Optimization to find out what people are searching for and meet that demand.
Placed Advertisements
If you research other travel blogs, you should see placed advertisements which is a tidy way to make a passive income.
Activate a plugin on your travel blog and your pages will be populated with ads that are tracked to your account so you are paid.
This is an option once you get some traction with your blog as there is typically a minimum traffic threshold to be met to be accepted. As the traffic builds and builds, your monthly revenue will increase so consider the likes of Mediavine, AdThrive, Ezoic, and Google Adsense.
Paid Press Trips
An established travel blogger should be paid to write about their travels and new destinations.
That can come in the form of paid press trips where hotel companies, tourism boards, tour companies, and even airlines pay you to share their services on your travel blog.
There’s little work involved, you may need to take a few notes, snap a few photos, and take some videos yet you will be paid. It can feel strange to be paid to be treated like a VIP yet such a method does work for the brands too.
Sponsored Posts
Having attracted brands to pamper you to showcase their services on your blog, you can get sponsored to earn some money too.
A full-time sponsor will pay a retainer to ensure that their service or product is showcased and promoted on your travel blog.
This can seem restrictive so make sure it feels organic by pairing up with a brand that you know you like and that you feature regularly anyway. It should feel like second nature to talk up a certain brand if you are comfortable with them and feel honest when doing it.
Affiliate Links
Affiliate links and affiliate programs are an ideal way to make money from a travel blog. There are plenty out there to choose from so try to pick a travel brand like Skyscanner, Airbnb, Booking.com, or Expedia and get started.
By creating tracking links on your blog, any reader can click on it and, once they purchase something from the travel brand’s website, you will get a commission.
Let’s say you are writing a blog about the ‘Best Hotels In Madrid’ and you include a link to each featured hotel through Booking.com, should a reader book a hotel stay using your link then you will get an agreed percentage of that purchase cost.
Final Thoughts
Should you visit a few destinations fairly regularly then you may become confident enough to run your own tours.
This can provide some focus for your writing on a particular place and it may seem obvious when you find out how popular the posts are.
Get in contact with your followers and try to strike a few deals to see how feasible it is. Once you get the numbers together, get in touch with local businesses and make it worth their while, as well as your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Could You Do As A Job When You Are Traveling And Not Updating Your Travel Blog?
If you enjoy writing then you could turn to freelance writing as a job to keep you busy while you are sampling a new destination.
Granted, you can probably ensure that your travel blog takes precedence over your freelance writing yet the two can work in tandem. All you need is a laptop and a Wi-Fi connection to keep typing, plus you do not need any tangible experience.
Use your travel blog as a portfolio for your writing and get started, you could even post links back to your travel blog as a cheeky way of boosting the traffic.
How Do You Sell Digital Products To Make Money On Your Travel Blog?
A lot of the way we appreciate the world is done digitally and you can make money by selling digital products.
These can include videos, travel photos, courses, and e-books which can be easily sold via your blog. If you take photos of your destinations for Instagram then selling them as digital products should be straightforward.
Whatever the product is, make sure that it is relevant and useful so that you can put it up for sale and watch the income roll in.
