How We’re Monetising Our Family Travel Blog
Updated September 2025 , we’re writing this from Banos, Ecuador, mid-way into our second month of long-term travel.
The truth? We’re not making six figures, we’re not “digital nomads with laptops by infinity pools.” We’re building slow, sustainable income streams that fit around homeschooling mornings, 12-hour bus rides, and Wi-Fi roulette.
This is our real monetisation plan: what’s working, what’s not, and how it’s keeping our trip afloat.
Why We’re Monetising (and What That Means for Us)
We’re not trying to be full-time influencers. We’re not building a passive income empire. We’re a regular family prepping for long-term travel through Latin America and we’re trying to make this blog part of what helps fund it.
For us, monetising our blog TravelventureFour isn’t about replacing a full-time income overnight.
It’s about building sustainable side income that supports the life we’re choosing.
That means turning our planning, packing, budgeting, and travel chaos into content that helps others and gets paid to do it.
We’re doing it slowly, transparently, and with systems that make sense for parents juggling backpacks, blog posts, and bedtime stories.
And yes, we’ll share what’s actually working… and what’s not.
Monetisation has already paid for our Backpack we have been travelling around Ecuador with and even a couple of empanadas and workaway stays.
Table of Contents
Family Travel Blog Monetisation Strategy (2025)
We’re not relying on one single income stream and that’s on purpose. Here’s how we’re approaching monetisation, from tools we’re already using to offers we’re building behind the scenes:
TravelventureFour Income Streams (Current + In Progress)
Income Type
| What It Looks Like for Us | Status |
|---|---|---|
Affiliate Marketing:
|
| Active |
| Digital Products: |
| Active/ In Progress |
Email List Monetisation:
|
| Active |
Sponsored Content:
|
| In Development |
| Display Ads: |
| Future / traffic goal dependent |
We’re not going viral. We’re not blogging 40 hours a week. But we’re building content around things families actually Google:
What to pack for a year of travel with kids
How to learn Spanish together
How to budget realistically (when your kids think ice cream is a daily right)
And we’re using every one of those moments to gently lead into resources that can help and earn.
What’s changed since launch:
Affiliate clicks: steady trickle, first commissions already reinvested.
Email list: growing slowly but consistently through the Toolkit and packing checklist.
Digital products: soft-launched (Toolkit upgrade + budget tracker).
Sponsored posts: not yet, we’re waiting until traffic and email subs justify rates.
The Tech Setup That Makes This Possible
If we had to run this whole blog on chaos and Chrome tabs alone… we’d be sunk.
What’s made this blog actually manageable (and monetisable) is keeping our tools simple, stackable, and suited to our stage of growth. Here’s what we’re using behind the scenes:
Our Core Tech Stack
- WordPress: Our blog platform, flexible, fast theme, SEO-friendly
- Kit (ConvertKit): Email marketing, automations, lead magnets, and segmentation
- Ahrefs: SEO audits, keyword research, technical fixes
- Google Search Console: Search visibility, indexing, performance metrics
- Canva: Pinterest pins, lead magnets, blog graphics
- Upwork / Fiverr: Where we hired help for technical SEO and site tweaks
This is the setup that helped us hit a 98% technical site health score two days after hiring SEO help.
That score isn’t about bragging rights, it’s what makes Google see our content, index it properly, and show it to actual humans searching for answers.
Being on the road forced us to cut tech bloat. If it doesn’t run on dodgy hostel Wi-Fi, it’s gone. Our stack is still lean, WordPress, Kit, Wise, Ahrefs, Canva — but we’ve doubled down on email-first because social reach is unpredictable when you’re bouncing SIMs every month.
We shared the full breakdown here:
➡️ How Technical SEO Helps Monetise a Travel Blog
Why Email (and Kit) Is the Core of Our Strategy
Our first commissions and downloads didn’t come from Instagram reels — they came from the email list. Parents hit reply, ask follow-ups, then click links. That’s where trust lives.
We’re active on Pinterest, Instagram, and maybe too active in our own DMs… but email is the heart of our monetisation plan.
Why? Because:
Social followers don’t convert like subscribers do
We own our list…no algorithm required
We can build slow, smart systems (even while chasing kids)
We use Kit (formerly ConvertKit) because it’s made for creators, not marketers. It lets us:
Set up lead magnets (like our family packing checklist) that deliver instantly
Create helpful, human automation, not spammy funnels
Segment parents based on interests (packing vs budgeting vs Spanish learning)
Kit recently launched the Kit App Store which made this even easier. Now we can plug tools directly into our email workflows (like testimonials, forms, or creative assets) without bouncing between 12 tabs or setting up Zapier hacks.
We wrote more about that here:
➡️ How We Use Kit to Grow & Monetise Our Family Travel Blog
Tools we use to build and monetise our blog
Here are 4 of our favourite tools we:
1. ACTUALLY use and find useful.
2. Use as affiliates to earn income
Its always a win win when a tool you use, find helpful and actually like then has its own affiliate referral commission.
Affiliate Marketing for Family Travel Blogs
Affiliate marketing gets a bad rap and honestly, sometimes for good reason. But we only recommend what we’ve actually used, packed, tested, or relied on during this chaotic prep phase.
We don’t do “best 37 packing cubes” style posts. We do:
“Here’s the exact one we’re using with two kids and a half-zipped suitcase.”
“Yes, we tested five and yes, one fell apart.”
Example: our Amazon backpack cube link got more clicks in one week than three months of Instagram Stories. Why? Because people read the packing list post while actually packing. Search intent beats scroll fatigue every time.
Our Approach to Affiliate Content:
Built into real posts, not standalone reviews
Always contextual (e.g., packing cubes in a post about family packing systems)
Transparency-first: we disclose affiliate links and only partner with brands we trust
Some of the Brands/Tools We’re Linking To:
- Kit (email) – the core of our monetisation flow
- Amazon gear – cubes, travel backpacks, kids’ carry-ons, daypacks
- TalkBox.Mom – family-friendly Spanish learning tool
- Osprey, Unbound Merino – niche travel brands for families
Our packing posts, budgeting guides, and language content all have natural moments where affiliate links serve the reader.
That’s the goal: helpful > pushy.
Digital Products We’re Building for Our Family Travel Blog
We’re not there yet but we’re building toward it. Slowly, honestly, and in a way that fits the rhythm of full-time travel with kids.
Here’s what’s coming:
Product Type
| Audience / Purpose |
|---|---|
| Printable Packing Checklist: | Email lead magnet, affiliate product tie-ins |
| Budget Planning Template: | Downloadable tool tied to “Budgeting for Travel” post |
| Mini e-Book (Packing Systems): | Low-cost offer linked to long-form content posts |
| Spanish Phrasebook for Families” | Optional opt-in for Spanglish Corner readers |
We’ll deliver all of these through Kit, where we already have sequences in place to onboard readers, offer value, and eventually sell without pressure.
Digital products won’t be the main engine (yet). But over time, we see them supporting:
Deeper engagement
More control over income
Useful tools families can actually download, use, and return to
We’ve now got two “minimum viable” offers: the Budget Planner and a Family Travel kit. They’re tiny, but they prove people will pay for practical, quick-win tools. Next up: a Spanish mini-guide based on what’s actually working for our kids in South America.
Short answer? Yes.
Longer answer? Yes if you’re building it like a real business, not a dream journal.
Yes, if you’re specific. Generic “top 20 packing cubes” posts are toast. But “what we packed for 12 months in South America with two kids”? That’s sticky, searchable, and monetisable. Our traffic is small, but our conversion rate is higher than expected because the content matches real intent.
The era of travel blogs being overnight money machines is over. But the era of helpful, specific, slow-growth blogs?
Very much alive.
What’s changed:
💸 Audiences want real stories and tools… not sponsored fluff
🧠 SEO favours helpful content that answers real questions
📥 Email is making a comeback, especially for niche blogs with something to say
That’s what we’re leaning into.
We’re not trying to get 1M pageviews. We’re trying to help 1,000 families prep for their own big trip… with checklists, budget templates, Spanish tools, and stories from the mess in the middle.
If your blog solves a real problem for a real person, you can absolutely make money with your travel blog, even now, even in 2025.
Do You Need a Big Audience to Start Monetising?
Nope. And honestly? It might be better if you don’t.
We made our first affiliate commissions under 200 monthly pageviews. The trick? Writing posts that answer “how do I…?” questions, not “top 100…” fluff.
Here’s what we’re doing instead of waiting for 10k followers or viral pins:
Offering a packing checklist in exchange for email signups
Using Kit to tag, segment, and follow up based on what people actually care about
Linking to just a few affiliate products the exact ones we use and would recommend to friends
Building useful, niche content that gets found by people searching for very specific help (like “how to pack for a year with two kids”)
You don’t need huge traffic to earn your first affiliate commission or get your first opt-in.
You need:
- Clear content
- One good tool (Kit)
Genuine blog
That’s what we’re building.
Audience size is helpful, but audience trust is what actually pays.
Our SEO Plan to Drive Traffic (Without Burning Out)
We’re not aiming to blog every day or chase viral content. Our SEO strategy is simple, slow, and designed for real families with limited time and even less chill.
Real talk: our “work hours” are buses, naps, and nights. We chose a pillar + cluster model so even if we publish one post a week, it compounds. Our Colombia cluster is already ranking for “family travel Medellín” proof that small, intentional content wins over scattershot blogging.
How We’re Structuring Our Content:
We follow the pillar + cluster model, which just means:
We write one big, evergreen post around a key topic (like this one)
Then support it with smaller, helpful articles that link in and out
For example:
Pillar: How We’re Monetising Our Family Travel Blog
Clusters: How We Use Kit, How Technical SEO Helps, Budgeting for Travel, Packing Systems
It keeps our site organised, gives Google context, and helps readers actually find what they need.
Google domination here we come.
Keyword Strategy:
We use Ahrefs (plus a great tool called KeywordsPeopleUse) to find real things families are typing like:
“How to monetise a travel blog”
“How much money do travel bloggers make?”
“What’s the best platform for travel blogging?”
“Is it too late to start a blog in 2024?”
We’re not targeting thousands of searches a month. We’re targeting real questions people ask when they’re in the middle of planning, prepping, or trying to make blogging work on a budget.
Where SEO Shows Up in Our Work:
Our blog posts have clear titles, internal links, and alt text
We create Pinterest pins that match search queries
We write posts that answer “People Also Ask” questions in natural language by using KeywordsPeopleUse
And we’re watching traffic slowly grow without burning ourselves out trying to post daily or be everywhere.
Read our Article: How to do Keyword Reserach Using KeywprdsPeopleUs
Final Thoughts: This Is the Plan (So Far)
We’re not experts. We’re not full-time bloggers. We’re a family of four trying to turn real life into something that funds the next part of our story.
This blog isn’t just a diary, it’s a system.
One that helps other families, grows slow, and supports this huge, terrifying, exciting leap we’re taking.
We’re not chasing viral. We’re chasing viable. This blog won’t replace two salaries tomorrow, but it already covers pieces of our trip, and it’s building a foundation for the long run. If you’re building something similar, don’t copy the gurus. Copy what works for your life stage. Ours is backpacks, bedtime chaos, and blog posts squeezed into bus rides. And it’s enough.
Want More of the Real Behind-the-Scenes?
Sign up for our monthly Dispatch where we share:
What we’re testing (and what’s tanking)
Gear we actually use
The parenting/blogging/travel juggle in real time
FAQ: Monetising a Travel Blog
1. How long does it take to make money from a travel blog?
Longer than you think but shorter if you treat it like a system, not a side hobby. We’re a few months into publishing consistently, building our email list, and adding affiliate links, and we’re just starting to see early momentum. Real income tends to come after months of laying groundwork (like SEO, email, and helpful content).
What are the easiest ways to start monetising a travel blog?
For us:
Affiliate marketing (Amazon, Kit, TalkBox.Mom)
Lead magnets that connect to a product or post
Creating blog content that matches what people search for
Skip the “ads from day one” mindset it’s slow, and you’ll barely make anything with low traffic. Start with high-intent posts and one tool that helps.
Do you have to be on social media to make money blogging?
Not necessarily. We’re active on Instagram and Pinterest but our blog + email combo is where monetisation actually happens. Social is great for connection. The blog is where we convert.
Is affiliate marketing really worth it?
We’ve only linked to products we’ve packed, prepped, or panicked over. That’s what makes it work. You won’t get rich fast but it builds slowly, and it stacks.
f you’re trying to be a travel influencer, maybe.
If you’re trying to solve real problems for real people absolutely not.
The world still needs honest, useful family travel content. Especially content that says, “We’re not perfect. We’re just figuring it out and here’s what helped.”
That’s what we’re doing. And that’s what pays off over time.
