Bob is a travel blogger from Taiwan specializing in all things Japan, including transportation, attractions, and local cuisine. Like many travel bloggers, he suffered a devastating blow during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only was he unable to travel and maintain his blog, but his traffic dropped to zero almost overnight.
But rather than walk away, he used the downtime to rethink his approach. He reevaluated his content, style, monetization strategy, and how he engaged his audience. It truly paid off because today, GoToTravel.tw draws in around 700k monthly readers and generates an average of $6,700 a month in affiliate income.
Here’s how Bob got to where he is today – and continues to thrive despite Google’s constant updates.
He put himself in his reader’s shoes
The last thing travelers want is to go to a travel blog only to be bombarded with ads. With around 700k monthly readers, Bob has built his content around one simple question: what does a traveler actually want? The best deals and honest recommendations, not a constant stream of product placements.
So that’s what Bob does:
The goal is for travelers to think of this blog whenever they consider a specific destination. I help readers find the best deals for bookings, striving to meet their needs as closely as possible.
It’s a strategy that’s clearly working. The majority of his traffic is direct; readers aren’t stumbling across his posts by accident, they’re coming back on purpose. He’s created a space that feels genuinely useful, and the more travelers trust his recommendations, the more likely they are to follow through on a booking.
He was honest with his readers
As you can imagine, being a full-time blogger means that your content needs to bring in money – passion alone can’t sustain a blog. So Bob joined affiliate programs for some big brands and started using Google AdSense.
Knowing that the reader experience always comes first, Bob gives honest and transparent reviews of each deal.
Generally, I check prices on booking platforms first and compare them briefly with the official websites. If a deal is more cost-effective, I mention it in the article; if not, I still highlight its advantages so readers can decide for themselves.
He chose the right monetization platform
Things were going great for Bob until they weren’t. Some of his direct affiliate partner programs suddenly changed or stopped working. While searching for a monetization alternative, he discovered Travelpayouts in 2025.
He didn’t jump on board right away, given his recent disappointing experiences. But one of our Travelpayouts Partnership Managers, Eugenia, reached out to Bob directly to ease the transition.
I had a lot of reservations at first, but Eugenia shared firsthand information with me, which gave me more confidence to try something new.
The effect was immediate. Within minutes, the Switch Links function took care of the often mundane and time-consuming task of swapping out old affiliate links for new ones. This turned existing content into a source of income it had never been before; work he’d already done started paying off in a way it hadn’t before.
It also lets me avoid placing Google AdSense ads in my articles as much as possible, providing readers with a better reading experience.
Drive also has a Targeted Offers function that generates relevant travel deals for readers who are already in the mindset to book. It does this without interrupting the user experience; readers can act on it right away or come back to it later – either way, as long as the booking is completed within 30 days, it generates a commission. For a blogger who’s built his reputation on keeping things useful and non-intrusive, it’s a setup that fits.
Travelpayouts Drive allows me to increase my income without having to re-edit articles or insert ads. And there hasn’t been a noticeable drop in traffic, and my SEO hasn’t been affected.
The results speak for themselves
So, how much can switching links to a single affiliate platform earn you? In the first three months after making the switch, Bob earned an average of $1,200 per month. Over time, he’s managed to double his revenue and now earns around $2,100 every month from links alone!
The Targeted Offers have done even better! In less than a year, Bob increased this revenue stream by 2.5 times, from $1,900 to $4,500 per month.
This means that, on average, he can earn about $6,700 per month when Drive is fully activated, and all functions are working together to optimize his revenue-making.
I’m very satisfied with the results. Additionally, because my income has increased, I can focus more on the content I want to write without worrying about ad placement – this is what attracted me the most.
What the future holds
For Bob, the path forward looks a lot like the one that got him here: expanding into new countries, writing interesting and useful content, and continuing to earn his readers’ trust. More traffic and growing affiliate income are certainly perks, but GoToTravel’s main motivation is his love of travel.
Don’t limit yourself; explore more directions. Write only about topics that interest you and are helpful to your readers. Don’t waste time on meaningless articles or one-off content.
At the end of the day, Bob is about staying true to himself and his audience. The money’s just there to keep the passion going.