If, like myself you write about travel, at some point you may begin wondering whether your hotel recommendations and route breakdowns could earn something back. I did. One of the tools I landed on is Travelpayouts, and since I use it on Quest for Durian, I wanted to explain how it works and why I personally love it.
What is Travelpayouts?
It’s an affiliate platform built specifically for travel. You recommend hotels, flights, tours; everything you’d typically recommend on a travel blog, and if a reader books through your link, you earn a commission. That’s the entire model. Guides you wrote months ago can keep earning while you’re off eating noodles in a hawker centre in Singapore or exploring Turkish ruins.
Why it works for me
The primary reason I like Travelpayouts, is that it’s travel only. I don’t have to sort through protein powder and web hosting offers to find something relevant. Everything on the platform maps predictably to what I write about: places to stay, how to get around, activities that are worth it. Their links slot into my articles effortlessly.
It also suits practical guides, which is most of what I make. My Japan content is where this makes a difference. When I’m walking someone through their first Tokyo trip, a booking link next to the recommendation is genuinely useful. They were going to book anyway and I love sharing the places I have actually stayed and recommend!
Furthermore, old posts keep working. This is probably my favourite part of blogging. Someone finds my Japan travel guide on Google six months after I wrote it, plans their trip off it, books through a link. I did nothing new that day; rather the post did the work.
The last piece is that all of my content comes straight out of my own trip research, so I’m not hunting for things to promote. My rule is simple: would I tell a friend to book this? If yes, the link goes in. If no, no commission is worth it to me.
Should you try it?
If you’re already making travel content, yes, take a look. You don’t need a huge audience either. A small blog with genuinely useful, searchable guides can do better than a big one full of filler, because the folks finding those guides are actively planning trips and ready to book.
For me, Travelpayouts turns research I was doing anyway into something that helps keep the blog running.
If you’re a travel blogger and would like to try it for yourself: Sign up for Travelpayouts
Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you sign up or make a qualifying purchase through my link, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I think are actually useful for travellers and creators.
