I remember when I started blogging a few years ago as a teenager. I had absolutely no idea about running a blog – and making money from it. In fact, making money didn’t use to be a goal for most bloggers at that time.
Things have changed a lot since then. I stopped blogging and went on to live a mediocre life. When I came back to the world of blogging a few years later, things were different. Blogging was not just a hobby to pass your time. It had become a serious thing, people were taking bloggers seriously.
And one thing that attracted so many people towards blogging is the potential to make money. Yes, bloggers make some good chunk of money and they work hard for it. When we talk about making money from a blog, it brings us to one of the most sought after ways of doing so – becoming an affiliate.
Affiliate programs are pretty simple: As an affiliate, you advertise a range of products a company has to offer. A potential buyer comes to your website, reads your post, and clicks a link that takes him to the website of the seller. If the potential buyer buys a product after following your link, you earn a commission on the sale.
For every type of bloggers including travel bloggers like me, affiliate programs are very rewarding. There are a number of affiliate programs you can sign up for. But in this article, I will show you just 5 affiliate programs that actually help me make money from my blog.
1. Travelpayouts
What is the first thing I search online when I am planning a trip? I search for flights. Every traveller who wants to fly to a country will have to book a flight and flying is usually a costly affair.
Thanks to a number of trusted online portals or search engines, travellers are now able to book their flights at attractive rates. These search engines can show you cheapest day to fly, ideal airline to fly with as well as other tips to help you find the best flight.
Jetradar is one of my favorite services when it comes to searching cheap flights. The search engine compares flight prices from a number of providers and airlines and you can book the one that feeds your expectations.
As a travel blogger, you can direct your readers to the search engine where they will book a flight or two – earning you a percentage of the profit.
Jetradar affiliate program runs under the Travelpayouts umbrella where they have easy to use tools you can use on your blog. You can also create a white-label flight search engine and operate it under your own brand name.
I have created my own flight search engine where my readers can search for cheap flights, without even leaving my website.
Join Travelpayouts affiliate program
2. Booking.com
Priceline Group’s Booking.com is undoubtedly one of the most well-known brands in the travel industry. Millions of people search and book rooms via Booking.com.
The brand’s trust and the potential to convert buyers is what makes Booking.com one of my favourites. In fact, it was the first affiliate program I applied for when I started this blog.
Whenever I travel to a new place, I stay in different types of accommodation and then publish a detailed review about them. In my reviews, I include a Booking.com affiliate link. When a traveller reads my review and books a room, it counts as a referral. After the traveller completes his stay at the hotel, it earns me my commission.
I recommend Booking.com affiliate program for their straightforward approval process, easy to use tools, and quick payments.
Join Booking.com affiliate program
3. GetYourGuide
Different places have activities and attractions unique to them. It could be a desert safari in Africa or reaching the top of Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building. These activities attract tourists from all over the world who spend money and help the economy.
Gone are the days when you booked an activity via phone or after reaching your destination. Just like hotels, you can book activities in advance. This is when GetYourGuide comes in the picture.
GetYourGuide provides thousands of activities in different countries which travellers can book in advance. GYG takes care of payment and booking. If you happen to enjoy some activities, you can publish their list and suggest them to your readers.
Rest of the things remain same. That is, a tourist visits the place, completes an activity, and you earn a commission.
Join GetYourGuide affiliate program
4. Amazon Associates
People search for flights, hotels, and activities. They might also be interested in car rentals and insurance. As a travel blogger, you will help your readers find the best of all these services. That’s great. But you can also help your readers find products they will carry while travelling.
And when it comes to advertising end-user products, I trust Amazon. Amazon is simply one of the most well-known and trusted brands out there. When you advertise products, say in reviews, your readers will be interested in buying them. You can redirect these readers to the product page on Amazon and when their order ships, you earn a small percentage from the order.
Amazon lives up to the trust customers and affiliate partners put in them. They issue payments on time and come up with different programs to help you earn more.
You can literally advertise the whole Amazon product portfolio. It doesn’t matter if you are a travel blogger and advertise a diaper brand that you trust for your baby. Every sale you drive to Amazon will earn you a commission.
I will suggest you stick to a niche, though. Promoting travel gear, backpacks, photography equipment etc. that you trust will help you drive more sales on Amazon. Why? Because you are a travel blogger and your readers are expecting you write about things you use while travelling. They might not be interesting about a product you use at home to decorate your bedroom.
5. DreamHost Hosting
When new bloggers are thinking about starting a blog, they look at other bloggers’ success for inspiration. They will be more interested in using products, tools, and services those successful bloggers trust and recommend.
I recently switched to DreamHost after hosting my sites with SiteGround for a couple of years. Thanks to a robust hosting performance along with features like unlimited storage, bandwidth, and emails, I have come to like DreamHost as my new preferred hosting partner.
Starting at just $2.59 per month, their plans are affordable even for new bloggers. In addition, DreamHost has a passionate team of employees which is a plus point.
When my readers — fellow bloggers — come here looking for a better host to speed-up their site, I direct them to DreamHost. Each sale I generate will earn me some commission. Simple.
The success of your blogging career will partly depend on how fast and reliable your blog is. A fast and reliable hosting provider is a must to succeed in your blogging career. If you are looking for a better host for your blog, head over to DreamHost and I’m sure you will love their services.
Even if you aren’t using DreamHost to host your blog(s), you can become an affiliate of your own hosting provider. Most hosting companies I know have their own affiliate programs that you can advertise and earn your commission from.
Affiliate Programs I Use for My Travel Blog: Summary
There are a number of affiliate programs to join. But not all of them would be rewarding to your niche. I have been using different affiliate programs for a while now. But aforementioned ones are those that actually help me me make a good amount of money from my travel blog.
Affiliate programs may not help you make a fortune. But they can make you some money to boost your confidence about continuing your blogging career. I have been using all these programs and getting satisfactory results.
If you too are looking for affiliate networks that just work, start using any or all five of these programs and start making money. Not to mention that all these programs are free to join.
Before you apply for these affiliate programs, make sure you have a working website with genuine content. These programs have an approval process and they will not like incomplete websites.
What about you? Which affiliate programs are you using? Do they help you a good amount of money? Share your tips with me.