Travelpayouts Review: How to Make Money as a Travel Blogger
When I started my journey as a travel blogger, monetization was a mystery. While I knew some marketing basics, affiliate marketing and SEO were unknown territory. Over time, I’ve learned a lot, and one of the most rewarding discoveries has been the power of affiliate marketing in the travel industry. Among the platforms I’ve used, the Travelpayouts affiliate program outshines the rest. In this Travelpayouts review, I’ll dive into the inner workings of TravelPayouts’ affiliate program, exploring its features, benefits, and tools.
If you’ve ever dreamed of making money from your travel blog, keep reading! Even if you’re brand new to the blogging scene, it’s important to have an idea of how to monetize down the line when you start creating content. There’s a lot to dissect in this post, so let’s jump right into it!
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission. Thank you!
Important Things to Know About Travelpayouts
What is the Travelpayouts Affiliate Program?
Travelpayouts “is a pay-per-action travel partnership platform”1 focused exclusively on travel brands and their affiliate networks!
Travelpayouts includes some of the top travel brands in the industry (like TripAdvisor!), making it a perfect resource for travel bloggers to monetize their own travel experiences and content.
With Travelpayouts, creators earn commissions by promoting various travel services available on the TravelPayouts website.
For example, let’s say you write a blog post about a recent hotel stay (like this blog post about my stay at The Palms Hotel in Miami!) and you embed your Travelpayouts Booking.com affiliate link into the post. When a site visitor clicks on your link and books a stay, you earn a commission of that sale. It’s that easy!
Which travel affiliate programs are available on Travelpayouts?
There are a ton of options to choose from when using Travelpayouts to apply to travel affiliate programs. Some of my favorites are Hostelworld, Airalo, and Booking.com!
The nice thing about Travelpayouts is that all of these travel affiliate programs are housed under one roof! Instead of logging into 20 different individual affiliate program sites to check your stats and commissions, you just log into your Travelpayouts dashboard and voila!
Plus, another great thing about all of these affiliate programs being a Travelpayouts partner is that you don’t have to wait to reach those pesky payout thresholds on each individual affiliate site. Travelpayouts combines any commissions earned across all of your affiliate programs and counts it toward your total payout threshold.
How much is the Travelpayouts Affiliate Program payout threshold?
The Travelpayouts affiliate program payment threshold varies depending on the payout method you choose. For US-based users, you can pick from the following options:
- PayPal – $50 minimum payout
- Webmoney, USD – $10 minimum payout
- Bank Account, USD – $400 minimum payout
- Bank Account, EUR – 400 € minimum payout
Since my preferred method of payment is PayPal, my current payment threshold to get paid every month as a Travelpayouts affiliate is $50 USD.
You must reach that amount to get paid out the commissions you earn for the travel sites and services you promote.
Considering your commissions earned across all of your travel affiliate programs are counted toward this total, it’s easier than ever to get one step closer to a monthly payout–even as a new travel blogger!
Who is Travelpayouts for?
If you’re a content creator in the travel niche, Travelpayouts is for you! Even if you post content within another niche but you sometimes post travel content to your platform, you could benefit from signing up for Travelpayouts depending on your audience! Travel agents and agencies can also get a lot of value out of the Travelpayouts platform.
If you create travel-related content in any capacity or share travel-related suggestions with an audience, I’d recommend Travelpayouts wholeheartedly. I love it and use it regularly to share recommendations for travel sites and services here on my blog.
It’s a great monetization tool for bloggers, content creators, and travel agents alike.
Also, there is no minimum traffic to sign up for Travelpayouts! This means that even if you’re brand new to blogging, you can sign up for Travelpayouts and start your journey as soon as today!
Social media influencers, YouTubers, SEO experts, and more can also benefit from the features available on TravelPayouts.
Features of Travelpayouts Affiliate Program
How does Travelpayouts work?
Whether you just started your travel blogging journey or you’re a travel blogging pro, Travelpayouts makes it easy for you to incorporate affiliate marketing into your content.
It’s seriously as easy as signing up, adding info about your blog/platform, and sharing your affiliate links!
Here’s a more detailed step-by-step breakdown of how Travelpayouts works, and how you earn money from your affiliate links:
- You create an account on Travelpayouts (you can sign up here!)
- Add information about how and where you’re planning to promote the travel brands and services you recommend
- Connect to the travel brands’ program
- Place affiliate tools (links, banners, etc.) on your platform
- Visitors to your platform make bookings on your site using the affiliate tools
- You receive a commission for each booking made by your visitors!
How much does it cost to start affiliate marketing with Travelpayouts?
One of the things I LOVE about Travelpayouts is that it’s 100% free to sign up and use! There is literally no catch, and it’s amazing.
A motivating factor behind my decision to craft a Travelpayouts review was the belief that more travel bloggers should be aware of this remarkable platform! Its user-friendliness and cost-free nature, which were pivotal considerations for me as a newcomer to the travel blogging scene, make it a fabulous option for new and seasoned travel bloggers looking to monetize.
What are the commissions on Travelpayouts?
The commissions vary depending on the brand or affiliate program you connect with. What I like about Travelpayouts is that they seem to have relatively high commissions, and are usually on par with what the brand’s own affiliate site offers for a commission.
Here are a few examples of travel brands and their respective commissions offered on Travelpayouts:
- Viator
- 8% commission
- 30-day cookie lifetime
- Airalo
- 12% commission
- 30-day cookie lifetime
- WeGoTrip
- 20-30% commission
- 30-day cookie lifetime
What affiliate tools does Travelpayouts offer?
Travelpayouts offers a ton of affiliate tools for bloggers and content creators to use across their platforms. I mostly use links and widgets on my blog, but here are all of the options Travelpayouts currently offers:
- Search forms
- Links
- Widgets
- Banners
- Plugin for WordPress
- White label
- API
You can find more info about the various affiliate tools Travelpayouts offers on their support page here!
How can travel bloggers earn money on Travelpayouts?
Using affiliate tools like links, widgets, and banners is the easiest way for travel bloggers, content creators, and SEO experts to earn money on Travelpayouts.
For bloggers, you can insert your affiliate links into new or existing blog posts. You can also embed these links into your “About Me” page, “Resources” page, or even in your monthly newsletter (sign up for mine here)!
For YouTubers, TikTokers, and other video-based content creators, you can include links in your video captions or descriptions. You can also include links in your link-in-bio tool!
For SEO experts or other website owners, you can write targeted posts about a certain service or experience offered by a Travelpayouts brand (like Viator!). Make sure to optimize them for SEO based on keyword difficulty/competition and monthly search volume!
For Instagrammers, you can post photos or Reels promoting a product, service, or experience offered by a Travelpayouts brand and then include your affiliate link in your link-in-bio tool!
Another way to earn money on Travelpayouts as a travel blogger is to refer other bloggers to Travelpayouts if you like the platform! You’ll get 7% of the earnings generated by your referrals for the first 2 years of your referral’s sign up. This gives you a second source of earned commissions from sub-affiliates within the Travelpayouts ecosystem. Plus, it’s awesome to be able to share the love and help others earn commissions for their hard work!
Is Travelpayouts Worth It? Travelpayouts Review – Pros and Cons Explained
In my opinion, Travelpayouts is totally worth it–especially if you’re looking for an easy way to monetize your new or existing travel content on a blog or website. It’s not confusing to understand your metrics each month, and you don’t have to log into a dozen different affiliate program sites or reach a dozen different payout thresholds to get paid.
Pros of Travelpayouts
MoneyScript Feature
If you’ve already spent countless hours adding in links from a travel brand’s own site like Booking.com into your blog content, you can now quickly replace them with Travelpayouts affiliate links. This allows you to easily monetize old content and links without needing to go back and do it manually! Talk about a HUGE time saver. You can learn more about this awesome feature here.
Easy to navigate
The dashboard and analytics reports are incredibly easy to comprehend and digest, and everything is accessible from within the Travelpayouts platform!
Quick apply
Once you create an account, you can start connecting with brands immediately! Some brands might have a manual approval process, but others don’t! I love being able to connect with a brand instantly through the Travelpayouts platform because it makes affiliate marketing so much less stressful!
One payout threshold
There is only one monthly payout threshold for commissions across all connected programs! This helps you get paid faster by promoting a variety of travel brands on your blog or platform.
Big name travel partners
Travelpayouts has dozens of big name travel brand partners to promote on your blog! Many of them you’re likely already familiar with and use personally on a regular basis.
Access to Travelpayouts Academy
Travelpayouts Academy includes courses on how to boost your affiliate income with SEO, how to make money as a content creator, and more!
What is Travelpayouts Academy?
Travelpayouts Academy is an AMAZING resource for new travel bloggers and content creators. It’s 100% free to use and it’s completely self-paced!
Courses in the Travelpayouts Academy focus directly on how to make money using affiliate marketing and SEO as a travel blogger. This is especially helpful for new travel bloggers who might be wondering how to get started in monetizing their content.
Once you sign up for Travelpayouts, you’ll be able to start learning from Travelpayouts Academy right away! I recommend spending a full weekend going through all of the courses to maximize your efforts in monetizing your blog. Feel free to use this Travelpayouts review as a guide to help you through your sign-up and monetization journey!
Cons of Travelpayouts
Not all partners reward in-app purchases/bookings
For me, this is the biggest drawback to some of the programs available through Travelpayouts. Though this isn’t necessarily a con of the Travelpayouts platform itself, it does mean that some travel brands won’t reward you commissions from any in-app purchases. If you’re thinking about promoting your links on social media sites like Instagram or Twitter/X, I’d recommend connecting with brands on Travelpayouts that do reward in-app bookings and approve sharing links on social media like Agoda.
Some travel brands aren’t included
Travelpayouts has a ton of travel affiliate programs with big name brands, but there are still some brands that aren’t currently represented in their portfolio. This isn’t an issue for me considering Travelpayouts includes most of the big name travel brands I promote in my content, but it’s something to keep in mind when thinking about which companies you recommend more than others!
Honestly, I can’t think of many other cons to using the Travelpayouts Affiliate Program. And I don’t say that to be cliche! It’s true–Travelpayouts is incredibly useful and very intuitive. I wish I would have learned about it much sooner in my blogging journey! That’s partly why I’m writing this Travelpayouts review–in hopes that more bloggers, especially those early on in their blogging journey, can learn about the best ways to monetize their content!
Is travel affiliate marketing worth it?
Without a doubt, travel affiliate marketing is absolutely worth it! With the right mix of SEO strategy, informative content, and an engaged audience, you can transform your earnings from $0 to $1,000+ as a new travel blogger.
Affiliate marketing in general has a relatively low/no barrier to entry, which is why it’s such a great monetization strategy for bloggers!
If there’s one thing to take away from this Travelpayouts review, let it be the inspiration to take action now! I, too, once found myself caught in the trap of endlessly planning the perfect launch for my travel blog and affiliate marketing endeavors. Looking back, I realize that had I not waited so long, I could have made significant progress much earlier in my journey. Don’t let perfectionism hold you back; instead, let this post serve as a catalyst for your travel blogging aspirations!
How do I join Travelpayouts?
To join Travelpayouts, you’ll need to first create an account and verify your email. This process takes under 2 minutes. From there, you’ll be instantly verified and can start using the platform!
You can get started with Travelpayouts here!
Before you can start gathering links and including them in your existing content, you need to create your first project on Travelpayouts. Projects are basically an individual travel brand that you’re looking to promote. You can connect to multiple projects under one account.
To create a project, you can either navigate to the projects section or simply create a project when connecting to an affiliate program.
You’ll need to enter some information about how and where you plan to promote the brands you connect to through Travelpayouts. You’ll also need to answer a couple of questions related to your audience and the content you create. Don’t worry, though! It’s a super streamlined, easy to follow process.
Some projects require the brand’s approval before you can get connected with it. However, this doesn’t apply to all projects. If you do have to undergo a manual approval for a specific brand or project, this process is usually completed within a quick timeframe.
Once you’re connected to a project, you’ll be able to start creating affiliate links through Travelpayouts!
Travelpayouts Review – Final Thoughts
As I wrap up my analysis of the Travelpayouts affiliate program, I want to stress the pure joy that comes with sharing my passion for travel with fellow globetrotting enthusiasts. It’s this very enthusiasm that has driven my content creation journey on my blog and across my social media channels.
If you’re just as passionate about exploring the world and eager to share those adventures while reaping some well-deserved benefits, I encourage you to delve into the insights provided in this Travelpayouts review! It’s a fantastic opportunity that can enhance your travel blogging experience in meaningful ways.
To kickstart your travel affiliate journey, simply sign up here to get started with Travelpayouts. It’s the first step toward sharing your unique perspective on travel and monetizing your travel-related content!
You can also check out Travelpayouts on social media to learn more about their platform!
Interested in checking out some other posts from my blog? Here are some of my other articles for you to enjoy while you’re here:
- Solo Trip to San Diego: 8 Things to Do Alone in San Diego
- Things to Do This Fall in Seattle
- Cafe Beignet vs. Cafe Du Monde: Who Has the Best New Orleans Beignets?
If you enjoyed reading this review of the Travelpayouts Affiliate Program, please consider supporting me via buying me a coffee! Any funds given in support of this blog help me continue creating engaging travel content and sharing my stories and experiences with you all. I appreciate any support you can give, whether it’s a simple “share” or buying me a coffee!
Have you uncovered any eye-opening insights in this Travelpayouts review? If you’ve had an “Aha!” moment or found valuable information that resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you. Drop a comment below to share your thoughts or spread the knowledge by sharing this post on your favorite social media platform!
Thanx for making such an in-depth post regarding Travelpayouts. My experience with them has been great so far, and I find them to be very user friendly!
Just got started on this platform and am still trying to get the hang of it. Great info!
Great article! Thanks!
This is great information…thanks for sharing! I will be looking into it 🙂
Great breakdown of the program, if I didn’t already have a million things going on, I might be tempted. Now I have to go the beignets post to find out your verdict.