How Much Do Travel Bloggers Really Make in 2025?
Spoiler: it’s not all sponsored resorts and six-figure months — but there’s real money to be made if you play it smart.
Why Everyone Googles This
We’ve all done it, 2am, staring at our phones, wondering:
“How much do travel bloggers actually make?”
I definitely did, especially in those early days of planning our family’s long-term trip through South America.
It’s one thing to dream about the digital nomad lifestyle. It’s another to figure out whether a travel blog can realistically support a family of four (or most importantly at least pay for the coffee).
The truth? Yes, travel blogs can still make money in 2025. But it’s not all viral pins and beach-sponsored stays anymore. The game has changed. Blogs that earn today are strategic, intentional, and built with real monetisation models from the start.
In this post, I’m breaking down:
The main ways travel blogs earn money (affiliate, ads, sponsors, and more)
What kind of income bloggers are actually making at different stages
What’s working for me so far as an early-stage creator (and what’s not)
And how you can build income even if you’re starting from scratch
Let’s talk numbers, the kind that help you build something sustainable.
This blog is fuelled by caffeine and chaos, if it helps, support our journey.
Affiliate Income: The Long Game That Scales
Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular and scalable ways travel bloggers make money and it’s the backbone of many profitable blogs in 2025.
Here’s how it works:
You recommend a product or service in a blog post. Someone clicks your affiliate link. If they buy (or book), you earn a commission at no extra cost to them.
Read: The Most Profitable Travel Blog Niches in 2025
Common affiliate examples in travel blogging:
Amazon: travel gear, kids’ essentials, backpacks usually earns 1–5%
Travel insurance: some programs pay $25–$100 per signup
Booking platforms: sites like Stay22, GetYourGuide, Booking.com
Digital tools: VPNs, language apps (like TalkBox.Mom), or travel courses
Real Example:
Goats on the Road reports earning several thousand per month from affiliate links, especially from SEO-optimized evergreen content.
What I’m doing:
I’ve added affiliate links to my gear recommendations, family planning posts, and resource pages. So far, it’s early, but I’m treating affiliate income as a snowball, the more useful content I create, the more potential for compounding clicks over time.
Affiliate income is passive, but only if you do the work upfront.
Ad Revenue: When Traffic Pays the Bills
Once your blog hits a certain traffic threshold, ads can become a solid source of passive income, especially when paired with SEO-driven posts that bring in regular visitors.
But lets not pretend its an easy way to earn…You have to put the work in.
Here’s how it works:
- Join a network like Mediavine (50,000 sessions/month) or Raptive (100k+)
They place ads on your blog, and you earn based on impressions (CPM)
CPM = “cost per 1,000 views” — usually $10–$30 depending on your audience + niche
Example earnings:
Let’s say your blog gets 50,000 sessions per month and your CPM is $20:
That’s ~$1,000/month just from passive traffic.
What I’m doing:
I’m not there yet, but Mediavine is 100% on my roadmap. I’m focused on creating evergreen, search-optimised content that answers real travel questions and stacks traffic over time. No viral Reels required.
Ads aren’t quick but they’re worth building toward.
First goal will be to get approved by Google ads.
Sponsored Content & Brand Partnerships
Sponsorships are still alive and well but they’ve evolved. Brands aren’t just handing out freebies for hashtags anymore. They want content that performs, aligns with their mission, and earns them a return.
Sponsored opportunities include:
Gear reviews
Paid blog posts
Photo usage rights
Social media mentions or long-term ambassadorships
What brands pay:
Early-stage creators: $100–$500/post (if your niche + value are strong)
Established bloggers: $1K–$5K+ depending on traffic, reach, niche and deliverables
What I’ve tried:
I’ve pitched brands like Aeropress Go, offering in-the-field gear use and lifestyle content in exchange for product or payment. I’ve also secured a niche edit backlink from Goats on the Road which builds SEO credibility and gets your content in front of a wider audience.
Sponsored content isn’t passive, but it’s highly relationship-based and can scale with your authority.
Freelance Work & Services (Still a Thing)
Many travel bloggers, especially early on make money around their blog by freelancing or offering services that align with their skills.
Think:
Freelance writing for travel sites or brand blogs
Blog coaching or SEO audits
Social media management or Pinterest strategy
Digital product creation or email funnel writing
Common rates:
Writing: $0.10–$1.00 per word
Coaching: $100–$500/hour depending on niche
Templates/products: $15–$100+ depending on value
My angle:
As a brand performance manager by trade, I’m already fluent in content strategy and SEO and brand so freelance service and consultancy are a potential future add-on if I want to fund the blog while it grows.
This route is great if you want income sooner and have a skill set that overlaps with your blog niche.
Early-Stage vs. Established Blog Income: What’s Realistic?
Let’s lay it out honestly. Income depends on strategy, consistency, and time not followers or luck.
| Stage | Traffic | Monetisation Mix | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner (0–6 months): | 0–5k monthly views | Affiliate links, templates, freelance work | $0–$250/month |
| Building (6–18 months): | 5k–50k monthly | Affiliate, low-tier ad networks, 1–2 sponsors | $250–$3K/month |
| Established (18+ months): | 50k+ monthly | Mediavine, premium affiliate, digital products | $3K–$10K+/month |
Reminder:
It’s a long game. The first few months might feel like shouting into the void. But traffic and income compound when you build with intent, especially around SEO and monetisation-ready content.
What I’m Earning & Doing Now (Real Transparency)
Let’s talk about my own blog, TravelventureFour, and what’s happening behind the scenes.
Where I’m at:
Website Launched: early 2025
Traffic: Under 1,000 monthly (early days)
Income: Less than £100 total — but it’s begun
What’s live:
Affiliate links to travel gear, TalkBox.Mom, planning tools
Our Family Travel Kickstart Kit a paid Notion-based template bundle
Blog posts focused on SEO (like this one, and our Most Profitable Travel Blog Niches post)
Outreach for niche edits, link building, and future brand partnerships
I’m not writing this post from a villa in Bali with $10K in passive income. I’m writing it from the messy middle, at home in the UK 3 months before we leave the Uk and travel Latin Americs, and that’s exactly why it’s useful.
Final Thoughts: What Makes a Travel Blog Profitable in 2025?
It’s not luck. And it’s not a perfect Instagram feed.
The blogs making money in 2025 are doing a few key things really well:
They niche down early
They build with SEO not just vibes (Very Important)
They create content with affiliate, ad or digital product potential income
They show up consistently and give their audience something valuable
Whether you want your blog to cover your lattes or your living, the income is possible. But it’s not instant.
I’m building this blog in public and you can follow along (or build with me).
👉 Want the tools I’m using to prep, write, and monetise with intention?
Grab the Family Travel Kickstart Kit — it’s the system I wish I had when I started.
