Rome… Bangkok… Istanbul… Wichita?
Believe it. A couple of weeks ago, we wouldn’t have said Kansas plays a big role in global travel. But after chatting with bloggers, experts, and brands at TBEX Summit America 2025, we’ve gotta admit it: Wichita taught us a LOT about the industry.
Here are a few of our top takeaways.
1. SEO’s still a top concern – but July’s Google update brought some good news
After so many months of heartbreak, it was a joy to hear several bloggers saying that the most recent Google update didn’t tank their traffic – it actually helped. Some saw modest gains, others fully recovered what they’d lost in previous updates, and some are doing better than ever. One blogger even said her traffic doubled after July!
But still, people are stressed about Google. Sessions on traffic were more detailed and technical than at earlier TBEXes, and you’d have thought the devs from NerdPress were the Backstreet Boys circa 1997: everyone swarmed around them, asking for blog optimization tips.
Want to stay up to date with Google? Our blog’s the place to be. Hot off the press: blogger and SEO coach Isabel Leong’s deep dive into Search Generative Experience.
2. Your Travelpayouts metrics can help you land brand deals
Brands emphasized to us that when negotiating with bloggers, they don’t just want to see metrics like traffic and engagement. They want real financial results.
That’s why including info on your revenue and bookings via Travelpayouts can really strengthen your media kit. Show brands you’re able to drive purchases in your niche, and they’ll be more likely to partner with you.
It’s easy to grab this data from our Content Analytics tool – it’s 100% free, like our entire platform.
3. Targeted diversification + smart AI use → higher income
Sara Heer’s session, “From Passion to Profit: Monetizing Your Content in 2025,” was packed with great tips on “calming the income wave” – making your revenue steady and reliable.
Two ways to do so, according to Sara:
- Selling digital products (hey, we’ve got a blog post on that)
- Targeted, repeated affiliate promotion
“Targeted” in what sense? Sara chooses one physical product, one destination/experience, and one digital product to promote, then posts about them once per week. As she reminded us, people need to see something seven to 15 times before they’re ready to buy.
As a bonus, Sara shared some ChatGPT prompts she uses to develop revenue strategies:
- What are some other income ideas that go along with [idea] that I might have not thought about?
- What’s the potential income I could make off of [idea] within a year? What are the potential pitfalls?
- I want to launch [idea] in 30 days. What steps should I take?
- Create a checklist with daily/weekly tasks to help keep me focused.
We loved this part, since we’ve seen firsthand how smart use of AI tools can boost bloggers’ revenue while saving time. Try out Travelpayouts’ free suite today and get:
- Emerald – automated, optimized affiliate integration
- LinkSwitcher – monetize every link on your site with one click
- Content Analytics – a sophisticated but easy-to-use dashboard
4. Authentic affiliate marketing can turn your travel blog into a full-time income stream
If you think affiliate marketing is all about pushing links, think again.
At TBEX, Travelpayouts star 🌟 Lana from Adventures by Lana – who turned her blog into a full-time job thanks to affiliate marketing – hosted a public talk on affiliate income strategies.
She reminded us that the most profitable approach is often the most authentic one. Here are a few of her key takeaways:
- Help first, sell naturally. Blog posts that truly guide travelers through every stage of their journey – from dreaming to deciding – build authority and trust that lead to sales.
- Your audience is everything. You don’t need to join every affiliate program out there. Pick the ones you personally use or that your audience would genuinely love. As Lana puts it: “Only promote what you’d tell your best friend to book.”
- Authenticity beats algorithms. Lana’s most successful affiliate posts don’t read like ads – they sound like stories.
Easy ways to be more authentic:
- Always disclose your affiliate links at the beginning of your blog post.
- Share your own photos (doing the tour, staying in the hotel, etc.)
- Use first-person language (“I,” “we”)
- Include emotional hooks (“This sunset cruise ended up being our favorite part…”)
- Get specific – recommend one product, not 10 (decision fatigue kills conversions)
So ends the 2025 TBEX season. It gave us a lot of food for thought, and over the next year, we’ll be using all these insights to help Travelpayouts partners boost their revenue.
See you at a TBEX event in 2026!
