15 Examples of Great Travel Affiliate Sites

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Map Happy

Map Happy is a travel journalism website focused on “practical traveling”, as its authors state. It is all about giving advice and tips on matters related to travel: from getting a visa to overcoming the language barrier issue.

The platform was created by the joint effort of a whole team of authors, editors and travel experts. The content is versatile and includes travel guides, news, somewhat similar to phrasebooks, instructions, and more.

In contrast to many other travel platforms, Map Happy is “technically-oriented”, looking into the details of traveling rather than sharing the author’s impressions and memories. Posts are added regularly, one or two times per week.

In 2016, Map Happy won a prize for the Best travel journalism site, awarded by the Society of American travel writers. 

Key Numbers

Followers on Social Media

Traffic Sources

The most important traffic source is organic search results, direct traffic accounts for about 11% of the visitors, while a small portion of them come also from referrals, social networks or paid search results. 

Monetization Strategy

Map Happy is monetized via affiliate links and ads. Affiliate links are placed inside blog posts. It publishes sponsor posts and reviews, audience poll, display ads through prime spots and sticky bars on the website, and more.

Also, advertisers can reach out to the Map Happy audience via their social media channels. 

Alajode

Alajode is a travel blog launched by a former linguist and now a digital marketer Jodie. Blogging is Jodie’s full-time occupation, and you can find various guides on this website: the most unusual bars, city breaks, and more.

Jodie is also passionate about health, style, minimalist living and self-development, so you can find tons of materials on these subjects as well, with a particular focus on the digital nomad lifestyle: there are guides, blogging tips and even a digital nomad network that you can join. Every once in a while, Jodie publishes guest posts from other bloggers.

Apart from articles and top-notch photos, you can also take a look at Jodie’s YouTube channel where she shares a lot of “behind-the-scenes” videos. 

Key Numbers

Followers on Social Media

Traffic Sources

This blog acquires visitors mostly through organic search and social networks, and the rest of the traffic is either direct or coming from referrals, as you can see in the table below:

Monetization Strategy

The blog is monetized through affiliate links and ads placed within blog posts. Advertisements also appear in the pop-up window at the bottom of the screen and in the sidebar. Some of the affiliate links appear as a button, just like any other “Read the post” button on the website, so it’s hard to tell right away which one will direct you to an advertiser’s website.

In the picture below you can see “Read the post” and “Check your dates” buttons that look the same, but one of them directs to another blog post while another is affiliate:

Travel&Destinations

Travel & Destinations is a travel resource designed to inspire people to travel the world and provide helpful tips and advice. It was created by Mike Clegg, a great traveler and photographer.

Together with a team of authors, Mike writes about various destinations in Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, Middle East and North America and targets quite a wide audience by providing versatile guides that you can filter by destination or trip type (active, city break, etc.).

Apart from guides, you can find multiple tips on blogging, health and fitness, money, photography, social media promotion, as well as product reviews and interviews with travel photographers, writers, artists, flight attendants and pilots.

Travel&Destinations is among those good affiliate websites that feature works of various authors and are able to cover a topic from different sides. 

Key Numbers

Followers on Social Media

Traffic Sources

The great majority of visitors come from organic search results. Direct traffic is the second biggest channel, and the rest of the readers come from either referrals or social networks. 

Monetization Strategy

Travel&Destinations resort to advertising and affiliate marketing. There are context ads in the right-hand sidebar and inside blog posts. Affiliate links are placed within the posts as well, highlighted by a blue color just any other links on the website.

At the end of each travel guide, there are a few affiliate links and a promotional widget accompanied by a notification of its affiliate nature, as you can see in the example below:

Furthermore, there are a few affiliate links placed at the bottom of the screen in such a smart way so that they don’t disturb you when you read but are still perfectly visible.

Mejor Época Para

This website is clearly designed for the Spanish-speaking audience. As the name suggests, it offers travel advice for multiple destinations around the globe from the perspective of the best time to explore the place. In addition to travel guides, the website provides advice on the best time to make purchases (from a TV to a car), sell your assets and even harvest.

The platform maintains a single type of content for all the articles. It provides readers with a short description of each place or activity and detailed information on the local climate throughout the year. The project doesn’t have any social media presence.

Key Numbers 

Traffic Sources

A large part of traffic falls on organic search results, while the rest of it is either direct or referral.

Monetization Strategy

MejorEpocaPara uses advertising and affiliate links to monetize the website. Context ads are placed in the main body and at the end of the blog posts together with affiliate widgets, as you can see in the picture below:

Here To Travel

HereToTravel is another example among many successful affiliate websites. It provides travel guides to some of the world’s less explored places and gives advice on veggie & vegan food around the globe.

Matt and Jade, the blog authors, are a married couple passionate about exploring places that are not crowded and sharing their knowledge with the audience.

On this website, you can find not only articles but also podcasts and filter the posts by destination or category: food, inspiration, guides&tips, and see&do. The content is versatile and includes guides on city breaks, gift ideas, throwing a party, visiting famous sights for free, booking hotels and more. There is also a small YouTube channel.

Key Numbers

Followers on Social Media

Traffic Sources

Almost all the website visitors come from organic search results, while a small proportion of traffic is direct.

Monetization Strategy

HereToTravel makes money through commissions from affiliate links that users can find throughout articles and in the “Resources” section. Also, there are affiliate search form widgets placed inside the blog posts (up to three widgets within one article):

FlunkingMonkey

FlunkingMonkey is a personal blog of a travel photographer Neel Wanders. As Neel’s motto “Leave the world a better place” suggests, his website is ecology-focused: you’ll be able to learn about eco traveling, wildlife, road trips, experience hotels, sustainable brands, eco-friendly resorts and much more. Also, Neel offers an opportunity to donate money to conservation and biodiversity projects.

The platform presents various content types such as imaginary, videos and articles on travel and nature from the perspective of ecology. Neel also has a YouTube vlog, where he shares the travel experience around the world.

Key Numbers

Followers on Social Media

Traffic Sources

Over half of readers stumble upon the blog in organic search results. Direct traffic accounts for over one-third of the visitors, while the rest of the traffic falls on social media.

Monetization Strategy

The website is funded through affiliate links and ads. Context advertisement is used on the homepage and in the right-hand sidebar.  Widgets are also placed in the sidebar, as in the example below:

The Travels of Bbqboy and Spanky

Frank and Lisette from Canada run this blog in order to share their experience of selling a house and traveling the world ever since. The couple has been to over 45 different countries in search of adventures and a place to settle in the future and blog to document their trips and memories.

Frank and Liette focus on “slow” traveling and stay one to two months in each location which gives them an opportunity to carefully study the place and gather valuable insights.

On this website, you can find travel guides to various destinations in different parts of the world. Mostly, these are lists of places to visit and things to do for each location based on  Frank and Lisette’s personal experience, illustrated with multiple photos and links to hotels, tours and transportation options. 

Key Numbers

Followers on Social Media

Traffic Sources

The biggest traffic channel of the BBQboy is organic search results, while the rest of the visitors come from direct search, referrals, social media, and display ads. 

Monetization Strategy

The website is monetized through affiliate links, direct partnerships and context ads. The ads are placed in the sidebar and within blog posts, and there is a rather annoying pop-up ad at the bottom of the screen. Affiliate links, highlighted in blue like other links, are located inside blog posts and so are affiliate widgets.  

P.S. I’m on my way

P.S. I’m on my way is an interesting example of travel affiliate websites. Trisha Velarmino, the website author, shares her experience of traveling the world or, as she says, “choosing to be somewhere else, all the time.”

On the blog, you can find comprehensive guides to 35 countries, including basic information about each destination, main landmarks, cost estimates for accommodation, food, transportation and daily budget, accommodation recommendations, gastronomic advice and related articles.

But short of that, P.S. I’m on my way is more than just a travel guide, as Trisha Velarmino tells so many stories from her life and shares beliefs and her opinion on money, politics, dating and a variety of other topics. 

Key Numbers

Followers on Social Media

Traffic Sources

The lion’s share of traffic falls on visitors coming from organic search results. The second biggest channel is direct traffic, and a small percentage of visitors come from social media and referrals. 

Monetization Strategy

The blog makes most of its money by sharing affiliate links and banners. Banners are placed in the sidebar, as you can see in the example below. And there is a context ad in the sidebar as well.

Tomas Havel Photography

This is a personal website of Tomas Havel, a professional photographer from the Czech Republic. He focuses on travel and landscape photography and conveys an idea of how beautiful nature is through his works. Tomas also specializes in commercial, lifestyle and astrophotography. Some of the photos are accompanied by travel stories, but they are quite short and express Tomas’s memories of trips rather than provide comprehensive travel advice.

This resource is aimed at sharing the author’s works and promoting him as a professional, and it features just a few affiliate links, in contrast to other affiliate blogs, so it is not a typical affiliate website example to follow. 

Key Numbers

Followers on Social Media

Traffic Sources

Almost half of the traffic comes from social media, one-third of visitors are referred through organic search results and the rest of traffic is direct. 

Monetization Strategy

It includes affiliate marketing, partnerships and product sales (photo prints). Tomas uses affiliate buttons at the end of blog posts that unobtrusively call readers to proceed to the partner’s website, as you can see in the picture below. Apart from affiliate marketing, Tomas monetizes the blog by selling photo prints. 

Tara’s Travels

Tara’s Travels is a personal blog containing travel guides to various destinations in Asia, Europe and North America. Apart from must-see lists for Cambodia, Malta, Sicily and Switzerland, Tara shares her insights on different aspects such as climate differences, job placements difficulties, her favorite places to eat, drink, hike, and even videos. Not all the materials are recent, some of them date back to 2013 or so, and Tara publishes only a handful of posts throughout the year.  

Key Numbers

Followers on Social Media

Traffic Sources

Tara’s Travels acquires all of its traffic through organic search results only. 

Monetization Strategy

As for monetization strategies, Tara offers private walking food tours in Sliema, Malta, that you can book on Airbnb or dozens of other activities such as hiking, market tours, cooking classes and more.  The links to the activities you can find inside and at the end of blog posts. 

The Nerdy Me

The Nerdy Me is a beautifully designed affiliate website example providing travel insights, blogging tips, motivational pieces and fun lists.

The content is quite versatile and is split into many categories such as lifestyle, blogging, wellness, travel, food and more. You can also filter it by series such as motivational posts, weekly finds and lists.

As for travel guides, Leta, the blogger behind The Nerdy Me, prepares comprehensive guides and shares tips from personal experience as she has a long list of visited countries and cities. 

Key Numbers

Followers on Social Media

Traffic Sources

More than half of the visitors are directed to the website through organic search results. The second biggest channel is direct traffic, and the remaining percent falls on social traffic.

Monetization Strategy

Leta uses affiliate links and widgets in blog posts (example below) and on the “Travel resources” page. 

TravelTables

This is another good example of top affiliate marketers. On Travel Tables, you can compare prices for accommodation, sightseeing, transportation, clothing, food, salaries and many more parameters to choose the best destination for yourself.

The database includes over 3,000 cities worldwide and is constantly updated. Users can type in two destinations that they want to compare and receive the information. It’s possible to update the prices and help other readers get the best available data.

Also, you can find travel guides, for example, for the United Arab Emirates, and the world average cost of living & price map, providing a visual overview of the global situation. 

Key Numbers

Traffic Sources

The lion’s share of traffic comes from organic search, while the rest of visitors are directed through email marketing, referrals, social media or arrive directly on the website.

Monetization Strategy

The website is funded through affiliate marketing and context advertising. Ads are located on the homepage as well as on every page with price comparison. Affiliate widgets are also located on price comparison pages, and their content depends on what locations you compare:

The Lilac Scrapbook 

This is another success story for bloggers who write travel tips, product reviews and simply share snippets from their lives.

The blog has a pretty simple layout: all the posts are published on one page. Katy also talks about her trips in Europe and other places, shares memories from traveling and provides detailed information on what transport to take and where to go while on vacation. There are many relevant links to places such as museums and restaurants as well as products that Katy recommends: clothing, makeup and more. 

Key Numbers

Followers on Social Media

Traffic Sources

Most traffic comes to the blog from organic search, while direct channel accounts for the rest of visitors.

Monetization Strategy

The blog is monetized through affiliate links and sponsored content. Promoted products are accompanied by an asterisk in blog posts. There are affiliate banners in the sidebar and in the footer. 

Fonsi Abroad 

Spanish blogger Alfonso Boada shares his traveling experience for over 15 destinations in Europe, Northern Africa, North America and the Caribbean. He talks about his favorite sights, restaurants, hiking experiences, vacation ideas, and more.

There are just a couple of posts for each destination, containing affiliate links to hotels and other places. FonsiAbroad is a rather small project, aimed at sharing personal experience and featuring just a few affiliate links. However, Alfonso Boada has a large Instagram audience, with over 153K followers. 

Key Numbers

Followers on Social Media

Traffic Sources

FonsiAbroad acquires all of its traffic through organic search only. 

Monetization Strategy

The blog makes money through affiliate marketing: links are placed inside blog posts and highlighted in blue, and there are banners and search forms in the sidebar (quite many of them, to tell the truth, but this strategy allows to not place any promotional tools inside blog posts to not annoy readers). 

The Atlas Edit

Stephanie, the blogger behind The Atlas Edit, shares her traveling experience to over 40 countries worldwide. On this blog, you can find comprehensive guides including sights to see and places to eat at. You can filter guides by destination.

On the page “My recommendations” you can find links to various services that Stephanie recommends to use for booking flights and accommodation, getting around, choosing tours and activities and more. There is also an 8-step guide to planning your trip and a printable planner. Apart from traveling tips, Stephanie shares her blogging experience and talks about website monetization. 

Key Numbers

Followers on Social Media

Traffic Sources

This website receives traffic mostly from direct and organic searches, while social media bring about one-fifth of traffic.

Monetization Strategy

The blog is monetized through a commission from affiliate links and ads. There are two links in the “Booking discounts” section in the sidebar and context ads inside blog posts.

Best Affiliate Marketing Websites 

As easy as it is to join affiliate marketing, it might require some time and effort to start actually making money. A good foundation for your future success is to build a proper affiliate website and monetize it in the right way.

So, if you are wondering, “What does an affiliate website look like?” consider learning from the best: popular bloggers know how to place links and widgets on their affiliate marketing sites to generate clicks and not annoy readers at the same time.

To get more structured guidance on how you can monetize a travel blog with affiliate marketing, take free courses from Travelpayouts Academy.