How to Travel and Make Money with Affiliation in 2026

Introduction

One of the questions we get the most is: How to Travel and Make Money at the same time? Or even better — how can I make money while traveling without constantly working?

Well, the short answer is affiliation. It’s one of the easiest and most sustainable ways to make money while traveling — even while you sleep.

When we first started our blog, we had no idea how to earn from it. We simply wanted to share our stories and experiences. But over time, as our audience grew, we learned that every piece of content — whether a travel guide, hotel review, or itinerary — could actually help us earn a small commission, without costing readers anything extra.

This is how we started to travel and make money online through affiliate marketing. And the best part? You don’t need to be an expert or have millions of followers. You just need the right tools, a bit of patience, and a genuine desire to help others travel better.

In this article, we’ll explain how to make money traveling using affiliate programs, which networks work best for travel bloggers, how payment and cookie systems work, and a few personal tips we learned along the way.

With Network (Blog, Social Media, YouTube…)

Before you can make money while traveling, you need a place where people can find you. That could be a blog, a YouTube channel, or even social media — whatever feels natural to you.

Affiliation only works if people trust your recommendations. You’re not just dropping links; you’re guiding others through your real travel experiences. Whether you’re sharing your favorite hotels, the gear you use, or how to plan a trip, every post or video can become a source of passive income.

Here’s how it usually looks in practice:

• Blog: If you run a travel blog, like we do, this is the best place to start. You can naturally add affiliate links to hotel recommendations, travel gear, or booking platforms inside your travel guides and itineraries.
• YouTube: Create travel vlogs and add affiliate links in the video description (for example, links to your camera gear, accommodation, or tours you mention).
• Social media: Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest can also drive traffic to your affiliate links or your blog. Use story highlights, link-in-bio tools, or direct post mentions to share links.
• Newsletter: Email remains one of the most underrated tools for affiliates. It’s personal, and people who subscribe already trust your advice.

No matter which platform you choose, the key is authenticity. Share what you truly love and use. People can tell when you’re being genuine — and that’s what builds long-term trust (and income).

Affiliate Program (Direct vs Network)

Once you have a platform where you share your travels, the next step to learning how to travel and make money is to join affiliate programs.

But before jumping in, it’s important to understand that there are two main types — direct affiliate programs and affiliate networks. Both let you earn commissions, but they work a bit differently.

Direct Affiliate Programs

These are partnerships directly with a specific brand or platform. For example, if you want to recommend hotels, you can partner directly with Stay22 (a good alternative since booking.com direct affiliate is closed), or GetYourGuide. You sign up directly on their websites, and they’ll give you your personal tracking links.

Direct programs are great because:

• You usually get higher commissions, as there’s no middleman.
• It’s easier to build a long-term relationship with the brand.
• You can focus on tools that perfectly fit your niche (travel, hiking, yoga, etc.).

However, managing several programs can be tricky — each has its own dashboard, payment schedule, and cookie duration.

Affiliate Networks

Affiliate networks like Impact, Awin, or Travelpayouts group together hundreds of travel-related programs under one account. You can find airlines, car rentals, tours, hotels, and gear brands all in one place.

They’re amazing for managing everything in one dashboard and seeing all your earnings at once. You can apply for several brands from a single platform, saving tons of time.

The downside is that some networks take a small share of your commission, and approval for specific programs may take longer.

If you’re just starting out and want to make money traveling without overcomplicating things, start with one or two direct programs (like Stay22 and GetYourGuide). Once you get comfortable, join a network like Impact to scale your partnerships.

Best Affiliates for Travel Bloggers

Now that you understand the difference between direct affiliate programs and networks, let’s look at which ones actually work best for travel bloggers.

If your goal is to learn how to make money while traveling, these are the programs that have consistently performed well for us and many others in the travel niche.

How to make money traveling with Stay22 – Best for Hotels & Accommodation

Stay22 lets you integrate an interactive hotel map directly into your travel blog. Readers can zoom in on the area you mention (like “where to stay in Bali”) and book directly through your map — and you earn a commission each time they do.

• Commission: around 5–7%
• Cookie Duration: 30 days
• Best for: Blogs with itineraries or destination guides

How to make money traveling with GetYourGuide (GYG) – Best for Tours & Activities

If you share detailed travel itineraries, GetYourGuide is a must. You can add affiliate links for day tours, skip-the-line tickets, and activities — all bookable instantly by your readers.

• Commission: around 8%
• Cookie Duration: 31 days
• Best for: Travel blogs, YouTube videos, and newsletters

How to make money traveling with 12GO – Best for Transportation

12GO is perfect for travelers who move around a lot. You can link to buses, trains, and ferry routes in Asia and beyond. It’s incredibly useful for travel guides that include transport info.

• Commission: around 4%
• Cookie Duration: 30 days
• Best for: Asia, South America & Europe itineraries

How to make money traveling with Journey by Mediavine – Best for Travel Services & Insurance

If your site gets traffic and you’re already with Mediavine for ads, you can also use their affiliate platform Journey. It offers access to brands like World Nomads, Booking.com, and Viator, all in one place.

• Commission: varies by partner
• Cookie Duration: varies
• Best for: Experienced bloggers with solid monthly traffic

These four are more than enough to get started and make money traveling even with a small audience.

Final note on how to make money traveling

Focus on quality content that naturally includes affiliate links — not random placements. For example, if you’re writing a guide about “2 Weeks in Japan,” add your favorite hotels (Stay22), tours (GYG), and train links (12GO).

Learn About Travel Blogging (Salty Academy)

If you’re serious about learning how to travel and make money, then building a solid foundation is key — and that starts with understanding how affiliate marketing, SEO, and content creation actually work.

One of the best places to learn how to travel and make money is The Salty Academy (by Salt in Our Hair). It’s created by two full-time travel bloggers who turned their blog into a six-figure business — and they share everything they’ve learned along the way.

Here’s what you’ll find in the Salty Academy courses:

• How to Start a Blog: From domain setup to design, hosting, and branding — everything you need to launch your travel blog properly.
• SEO & Affiliate Marketing: How to use search engines to attract readers who are ready to book — and turn your blog into a passive income source.
• Content Creation: Learn how to take and edit photos, create engaging videos, and build a consistent aesthetic for your social media or blog.
• Pinterest & Email Growth: How to drive traffic beyond Google using Pinterest and build a loyal audience through newsletters.
• And so much more

The great thing is, it’s not just theory — it’s practical advice from people who are actually doing it. We personally learned a lot from them and still go back to their courses for tips and updates.

If you truly want to figure out how to make money traveling and grow a brand that lasts, investing in your education early will save you months (or years) of trial and error.

Common Payment Models

Once you start joining affiliate programs, you’ll quickly notice that not all of them pay in the same way, so how to travel and make money will depend on each platform’s strategy. Understanding these affiliate payment models is essential if you want to know how to make money traveling efficiently and track what works best.

Here are the most common types you’ll come across:

Pay Per Sale (PPS)

How to travel and make money with PPS: This is the most common model for travel affiliates. You earn a commission every time someone books or buys something through your link — like a hotel, a tour, or a flight.

• Example: A reader books a $100 hotel stay through your Stay22 link → you earn around $5–7.
• Best for: Travel blogs, itinerary posts, and destination guides.

Pay Per Lead (PPL)

How to travel and make money with PPL: You earn a commission when someone completes a specific action, even if they don’t buy yet — such as filling out a form or signing up for a newsletter.

• Example: A visitor signs up for travel insurance or car rental quotes through your link.
• Best for: High-traffic blogs or email lists where not everyone is ready to buy.

Pay Per Click (PPC)

How to travel and make money with PPC: This one is rare in travel but sometimes used by ad networks or special programs. You get paid for every click on your affiliate link — regardless of whether someone books.

• Example: You earn a few cents each time someone clicks your booking widget.
• Best for: Sites with huge traffic volumes.

Revenue Share (RevShare)

How to travel and make money with revenue share: In this model, you earn a percentage of what the company earns from your referral — not just a one-time commission.

• Example: If someone you referred keeps booking tours on GetYourGuide, you earn a commission every time they do, even months later.
• Best for: Long-term blogs with recurring readers.

Each program will specify which model it uses, so be sure to check before joining. If your goal is to travel and make money passively, focus on Pay Per Sale and Revenue Share — they tend to be the most rewarding in the travel industry.

Cookie Duration

One of the most underrated but crucial factors in affiliate marketing — especially when learning how to make money traveling — is understanding cookie duration.

When someone clicks on your affiliate link, a small tracking “cookie” is stored in their browser. This cookie tells the affiliate program that you referred that person.

If they purchase within that time frame, you earn the commission.

Here’s what you need to know 👇

What Cookie Duration Means

Each affiliate program sets its own cookie lifespan. It can range from 24 hours to 90 days, sometimes even longer.

For example:

• Amazon Associates: 24 hours (very short, so timing matters)
• GetYourGuide: 31 days
• Stay22: 30 days
• 12GO: 30 days

That means if someone clicks your GetYourGuide link today but books their tour two weeks later — you still get the commission.

Why It Matters for Travel Bloggers

Travel planning takes time. Readers might visit your blog, check prices, and only book later when their trip is confirmed.

So, longer cookie durations give you a much better chance to earn.

When choosing programs, always look for:

• Cookies 30 days or longer
• “Last-click” attribution (the last link they click before purchase gets the commission)
• “Cross-device tracking” (if possible), so you still earn if they click on their phone but book later on a laptop

Cookie duration might sound technical, but it can make a huge difference in your affiliate income.

If you’re wondering how can I make money traveling, understanding and using long cookie programs is one of the easiest wins you can get.

Top Tips to Make Money While Traveling

Now that you know how affiliate programs work, here are our best-tested tips on how to travel and make money with. These are things we’ve learned from years of blogging on the road — what works, what doesn’t, and what actually brings results over time.

Be Honest and Genuine

People can tell when you’re only promoting something for the commission. Recommend tools, tours, or hotels you’ve personally used or would truly book yourself. Readers trust you more when your recommendations feel real — and trust leads to clicks and sales.

Focus on Evergreen Content

If you want to learn how to travel and make money passively, create posts that stay relevant all year — like itineraries, hotel guides, or transportation tips.

For example: “Best Hikes in Patagonia” or “How to Travel from Lima to Cusco by Bus.”

These articles can rank on Google and keep earning affiliate income long after your trip is over.

Use Multiple Networks

Don’t rely on a single affiliate partner and learn how to travel and make money by mixing direct programs (like Stay22 or GetYourGuide) with networks (like Impact or CJ).

If one program changes its commission rate, you’ll still have others running.

Use a Reliable Hosting Provider

If you run a blog, your website needs to load fast and stay online — even when traffic spikes. This is a key thing if you want to really learn how to travel and make money with

We’ve tested several hosts over the years, and SiteGround has been the most reliable for uptime, performance, and support. A slow or broken site means lost readers — and lost income.

Optimize for SEO Early

You don’t need to be an SEO expert to make money traveling, but even basic optimization helps a lot.

Use tools like RankMath and Mangols to target travel-related keywords, and naturally integrate your affiliate links into helpful, well-structured content.

Use the Right Tools for Your Blog

A great setup makes everything easier. If you’re running a blog, we highly recommend building it with Kadence — it’s lightweight, fast, and fully customizable.

Paired with Kadence Blocks Pro, you can design beautiful pages, add affiliate sections, and keep your site performing perfectly without slowing it down.

Track Your Performance

Keep an eye on what converts — which links, destinations, or types of content bring you the most sales.

Once you spot patterns, double down on those. If your readers book hotels more than tours, make more hotel-related content.

Don’t Forget Social Media

Even if you don’t have a blog yet, you can still earn through affiliate links on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube (with link-in-bio tools like Stay22 or Linktree).

You can learn how to make money traveling even before launching a website — just start building your audience and trust.

Think Long Term

Affiliate marketing isn’t instant money. It takes consistency.

Keep writing, keep learning, and keep improving your content. A few months from now, you’ll start seeing clicks, and soon those clicks turn into commissions.

Final tip

The more value you give, the more you’ll earn — that’s the core of how to make money while traveling.

It’s not about promoting everything; it’s about helping people plan their trips better through your own experience.