{"id":23226,"date":"2024-03-15T21:10:45","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T18:10:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/?p=23226"},"modified":"2025-07-23T17:05:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T14:05:14","slug":"always-pack-tissues-blog-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/always-pack-tissues-blog-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond Competition: Maria’s Unique Path in Crafting the Always Pack Tissues Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Birth of the Always Pack Tissues Blog and My \u201cAdult Gap Year\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My story is perhaps a common one, but for me I felt like I\u2019d just defied everything I\u2019d ever known when I quit my job and started blogging full time one year ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My career after college led me on a 15 year path through many grounded and stable roles from Systems Engineering to Project Management, most notably all in government contracting or software companies. My career led me to manage a team of project managers and situated me in a high powered position within my last company. I had status, respect, and a lot of cash, but something was missing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before blogging became my full time career, I started dabbling with it as a hobby. After less than a year with my blog, I gained the support of my family to leave my technical life behind \u2013 at least for a period \u2013 to see what else was out there. To see if I could succeed in this new passion, and honestly, to give myself a little career break. I was calling it the \u201cAdult Gap Year\u201d and convincing myself that I\u2019d go back to my old life soon enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How I Realized That Blogging Was the Right Path for Me<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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A year after the gap began, I\u2019m more gung ho than ever to make this blog<\/a> succeed, and I feel like I\u2019m really on the right path. My traffic is, truthfully, much lower than I expect from the level of work I\u2019ve put in, but if I compare it to a year ago \u2013 wow! I can see the progress, slow and steady. I hear stories of reaching Mediavine (with 50,000 sessions) within 9 months and I\u2019m over here saying wait, really? I\u2019m at about 2,000 views a month. What\u2019s going on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So here\u2019s what really has me thinking: what is the measure of success for a blogger? Is it money? Traffic? Or here\u2019s a kicker, happiness? The blogosphere is in a twitter over Google updates and AI madness, and I\u2019m over here just trying to make a splash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here\u2019s where I feel I outshine my \u201ccompetition\u201d \u2013 I don\u2019t have competition. This isn\u2019t about other bloggers. It\u2019s about my readers, it\u2019s about me. With strong SEO, a penchant for siphoning as much knowledge as I can about blogging, and a stern determination to build this dream, I keep going. Traffic or no traffic, bookings or no bookings. <\/p>\n\n\n

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I have a little post-it note on my desk that\u2019s been there since the beginning. \u201cIf you build it, they will come\u201d, it says. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Of course as my blogging journey continues I am having to do more keyword research and more work to make a post rank, but in essence I\u2019m just here to be a storyteller. I hate to call myself a digital nomad or a social influencer, because I\u2019m not. I\u2019m not here for the follows and the clicks. I simply want to get the word out there about some cool places around the globe. And, alright, the affiliate earnings don\u2019t hurt!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Much Money Does Blogging Bring In and What Else I Make Money From<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Right now I actually have multiple income streams, 90% of them being independent of the blog. My income streams vary but are largely from writing for other publications. I\u2019m a regular contributor to at least three online publications, including a digital magazine called International Living. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With these other writing jobs, I\u2019m building experience, expertise, authority with Google, and strong backlinks, so in essence it all eventually ties back to building the blog and my brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of this may seem independent of the blog, but branding is important to recognition and trust, so the more I get myself out into the world, the more the world will know Always Pack Tissues. That\u2019s the idea, anyway!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now I\u2019m averaging less than $200 a month on my blog earnings. It may sound meager to anyone reading this, but honestly, it’s OK! I know I am building a pipeline. In fact, I\u2019ve got four pending bookings in the tube right now and I can\u2019t wait to see those dollars roll in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Journey in Monetizing My Blog<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I started my blog, I joined Google Adsense. I WISH I knew what I know now, because I completely failed and got the boot from them only weeks into my journey. It\u2019s like a shame I have to carry through my blogging career, \u201cin bad standing\u201d \u2013 so how on earth am I supposed to get into a good ad network now? Enter, affiliate marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I loved Booking.com but the system on its own was so irritating. I couldn\u2019t ever get past the sign up screen. Really! (Now I partner with Booking.com through Travelpayouts). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I went to the next easy choice \u2013 Amazon Affiliates, which I have to say is doing pretty well! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides Amazon, I\u2019m currently enrolled in CJ Affiliates, a basic non-earner for me but the widgets are fun to make and the variety of programs is awesome, and of course, I am also enrolled in Travelpayouts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I learned the ropes with affiliate marketing, it became evident early on that Travelpayouts was a standout for user interaction. I can easily navigate through my dashboard and earnings, click rate and metrics, and making tools like links, widgets or banners is a breeze. With the other affiliate programs, honestly I\u2019m still trying to figure out the best way to leverage them. The Travelpayouts platform has been easy from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Analyzing my stats last year, my top two earners for clicks (and eventual bookings) through the Travelpayouts platform were with Viator and Booking.com. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are top articles that bring bookings to me: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n