We have all heard about the countless benefits of traveling. From how it is a stress reliever to how it replenishes the soul by broadening our horizons. Then through a voice of pragmatism, whether it be our own or someone else’s, we are convinced that it is too costly an endeavor that would strain us financially. In consequence, many of us give up on traveling altogether. But what if I told you that there was a way to monetize your travel experiences. Every place you visit that enriches you spiritually can also be a place that benefits you monetarily. All you have to do is journal about your experience on your personal blog with the intent of attracting visitors. Once your blog acts as a personal journal where snippets of your travels are put together, it can have professional branches where leaves of wealth may grow. Once they do, you will be able to effortlessly afford any travel expenditure.
Benefits of Owning a Travel Blog
Akin to a travel journal, a travel blog is more than its monetary prospects.
It is a place where you can expressively document your journeys.
The windfall of emotions that rouses in you during each travel can be encapsulated into several blog posts.
For example, if you take a photo of a place you had just visited and post it on social media with a simple caption, it can only linger in your mind for so long. However, if you take the same photo, place it beside the paragraph of a blog post and write euphorically about the people you have met, the foods you have tasted or the very event the photo is depicting, it makes it memorable and reinstates feelings of relaxation that do not extend beyond the journey.
Also, like a double-edged sword, traveling can be both therapeutic and stressful. When it is therapeutic, a travel blog can amplify its tranquility. But when it is not, travel can be worrisome. Long flights, concerns about not meeting your expectations, cultural miscommunications, safety concerns, navigating unfamiliar territories can add up to make you feel stressed.
At times like these, blogging can help process the chaotic events by turning them into manageable stories. This alleviates stress drastically. Additionally, people who stumble across your blog get to learn about the dos and don’ts of travel.
In essence, a travel blog comes bundled with all the benefits of owning a travel journal. By implementing some simple monetization strategies you can turn it into a golden goose that pays for your travels.
How and Where to Create a Travel Blog
In order to get started, first you have to pick a name for your blog that is simple to remember yet captivating. It does not have to be overly complicated and confusing or overly simple with no enigma. Striking the right balance between simplicity and elegance should give you the ideal name. The travel blog “Travelistia” comes to mind when thinking of such a name.
If you want to keep things simpler, you can, but at least think long-term about your blog name. For example, if you name your blog “Washington Travels” you will be fine for a few years. However, if you later decide to blog about places outside of Washington, your blog may appear incoherent. Also, avoid adding numbers to your blog name. It makes it look neat and easier to remember.
After deciding on a name for your blog, you will need reliable hosting to get it online with your preferred domain name. It is customary to choose a domain name matching your blog exactly. You can however, choose something similar that varies slightly.
For web hosting I would recommend Wealthy Affiliate, as it is an all-in-one platform that equips you with all the knowledge and tools needed to turn any blog into a successful business. It offers state-of-the-art hosting with training for content creation and is fully AI integrated. Each of these aspects are briefly touched upon below:
- Web Hosting. Wealthy Affiliate allows you to run high-traffic WordPress sites with optimum hosting security. It has SiteSpeed to boost the speed of your website and double hosting allows for full redundancy. Periodic backups are performed with 24-hour monitoring. Custom email address and site health analysis are also added to the mix.
- Mentorship and Training. At Wealthy Affiliate you will not only be provided with basic hosting and a domain name, but guidance and mentorship that will transform your travel blog into a scalable business. Every time you hit a roadblock, seasoned marketers will help you push through it. The step-by-step training and access to a global community will give you resources that covers every part of your digital business.
- AI Integration. Ever since the inception of AI in the online world, Wealthy Affiliate seemed busy incorporating many of its utility into its business model. Now it has its own set of AI tools that includes Article Designer, Logo Designer, Image Studio and Jaaxy Research. The Article Designer can be used for content creation on the go. The Logo Designer can bring to life a stunning logo reflective of your travel blog. With Image Studio you can create unique travel images and blog visuals on demand. And Jaaxy Research helps you find low-competition keywords optimized for search engines that drive niche traffic. All this can be accessed without further upsells or extra costs.
Although Wealthy Affiliate has several membership plans, I would personally recommend the lightweight, premium membership for your blog. I feel it falls in line with the breezy experience of traveling and entails enough training materials for building a profit ready WordPress site. The membership is priced at $49 per month, which can be reduced to $41.25 by making the yearly payment of $495. The yearly payment plan translates to a daily cost of $1.36, which is less than half of what is spent on a cup of coffee making it relatively affordable.
Strategies for Effective Monetization
Travel blog monetization strategies can be many. However, implementing the most profitable ones will bring about its highest monetary value. A few hand-picked recommendations are listed below:
Utilize Travel Affiliate Programs
First and foremost, your travel blog should be a guide for newbie travelers. It should be a go to place where they can learn about your stories, exotic experiences, struggles you went through and mistakes to avoid when traveling. Each time you write a column on any of them, it becomes an opportune spot to insert your affiliate link and introduce a service by a well-known travel site. The following are some big names in the industry that offer hefty affiliate commissions:
- Booking.com. A travel industry giant that made its debut in 1996. It has over 12,000 affiliates earning affiliate income by monetizing their travel content. Every single sale generates a lofty commission between 25 to 40%. Payouts are sent on a monthly basis with no minimum threshold. You can promote hotel stays, vacation rentals and experiences.
- Skyscanner. A flight comparison service that allows you to earn a commission of roughly 20% from your referrals’ spending. Its payout threshold is £100 and is sent at the end of each month. They have thousands of affiliates worldwide who promote flights, hotels and car rentals to make a living.
- Tripadvisor. Another excellent option you can explore as a travel blogger and earn up to 50% in revenue by promoting its services. With a $50 payment threshold, payouts are processed at the end of each month. A myriad of travel bloggers are affiliated with the platform and you can promote hotels, attractions and restaurants.
- Travelpayouts. An all-in-one travel affiliate portal that brings together multiple travel brands. The commission rate can vary from 5 to 10% based on the brand you are promoting. Payments are sent monthly with a minimum threshold of $50. It has a large affiliate base promoting flights, hotels or tours.
For each of these affiliate programs, you will have to sign up and qualify as an affiliate before you are provided with affiliate links you can integrate into your content. Many bloggers who consistently write about their travels generate a five-figure weekly income through these platforms.
Sell Travel Accessories and Goods
Selling travel accessories on a travel blog is another intuitive route for monetization. But does it mean you have to sell your own products? No, it merely implies that you become an Amazon associate and recommend products that your audience would be interested in.
As your travel blog rises in popularity your readers will take a keen interest in your activity as well as the travel equipment you use.
If you can dazzle them with exquisite photos of your visit to Rome (or any other place) in a blog post, it is a good idea to mention the typical settings and camera used for taking each photo.
While mentioning the camera name, you can hyperlink it with your Amazon affiliate link and earn a commission every time a reader makes a purchase through it.
Camera equipment such as lens, tripods or drones can be also introduced in this manner.
Apart from travel equipment associated with photography, you can also introduce travel essentials such as packing cubes, toiletries, first aid kit, reusable water bottles, cables, adapters, power banks and so on.
For every essential you introduce you can create an Amazon affiliate link that can be embedded into your writings.
Each time your writings inspire a purchase, Amazon will reward you with a commission. Again, you must apply and get approved as an associate before you are able to generate affiliate links. An avid travel blogger has the potential to earn thousands per month as an Amazon associate.
Promote Paid Surveys
Although counter-intuitive, promoting paid survey sites can also add monetary value to your travel content. Taking paid surveys in one’s spare time can be the preferred choice of side income for many. The GPT sites ClixSense and NeoBux are both extensively covered on my blog for this reason. They were the first income opportunities I came across as a novice entrepreneur.
In addition to that, I would like to introduce Swagbucks, a sister site to ClixSense that I have recently discovered. Launched in 2008, it is one of the trailblazers of GPT industry. On Swagbucks you are paid for shopping, answering surveys, playing games and receipt uploads. An average user can expect to earn anywhere from $2 to $5 daily translating to a monthly income of up to $150.
If you separate two paragraphs in a blog post with a banner like this, it will likely entice many in your audience to create a free account on Swagbucks. If you make it clickable with your affiliate link, they will become and stay your referral for life. Similar promotional attempts can be made on the sidebar, header or footer of your travel blog.
You are entitled to receive 10% of your referral’s earnings, implying a monthly commission of $1,500 given that 100 of them are earning $150 in a month. An elementary breakdown is given below:
- A single referral with a $150 monthly income implies $150 × (10%) = $15 commission per month
- A hundred referrals with a $150 monthly income implies $150 × 100 × (10%) = $1,500 commission per month
Unlike the affiliate programs we have discussed so far, you do not need approval on a survey site to become an affiliate. The mere creation of an account will make you an affiliate with a unique link. The same rule applies to NeoBux, ClixSense and Wealthy Affiliate.
As a solo earner: Combining two or three survey sites is an excellent way to ensure an additional income of $300 per month. I would personally recommend coupling ClixSense with Swagbucks and making $5 every day on each. This should easily translate to a daily earning of $10, bringing in $300 at month’s end. You can keep $250 to yourself and spend $50 per month on a premium membership at Wealthy Affiliate. This should help keep intact your personal money.
Leverage Wealthy Affiliate Partner Program
And last but not least, Wealthy Affiliate’s own affiliate program can play a crucial part in monetizing your travel blog.
A lucrative affiliate commission of around 48% is one of the highest in the market. For every premium member you recruit, an impressive $23.50 will be credited to your account.
So with a hundred premium referrals, a recurring monthly revenue of $2,350 can be intuited.
The marketing strategy I introduced for Swagbucks can also be implemented for Wealthy Affiliate. Additionally, I would recommend mentioning the line “This travel blog was built on Wealthy Affiliate” below every promotional banner. As your audience grows in numbers, they will take a keen interest in your activity and follow in your footsteps. This is how you recruit lifelong active referrals.
As a promotional effort, I would like to mention that TheEccentricLad.com is hosted and built entirely on Wealthy Affiliate. If you are unable to afford premium hosting, you can sign up for free hosting on a SiteRubix subdomain by filling out the form below:
Wealthy Affiliate: An Extension to Your Travel Suite
In a general sense, a person’s travel suite consists of his backpack, fanny pack, luggage, suitcase and other essentials. Rarely do we imagine an essential that would facilitate traveling by ridding us of our financial strain. Wealthy Affiliate can be such an essential, that keeps in store a virtual travel journal, providing us with meaning and financial freedom.
In other words, it can be a valuable addition to your travel suite that allows you to travel with intent. By eliminating every monetary impediment, Wealthy Affiliate keeps you rooted to your journey. Being financially covered, you feel mellow basking in the cozy delights of a new-found city, a restaurant or a historic place.
You should therefore start your travels as a Wealthy Affiliate today!
