How to Start a Travel Blog and Actually Get Paid (Not Just Post Pretty Photos)
Because starting a blog is easy, but building one that earns real income takes strategy, patience, and more than a few late nights.
The Big Blogging Dream and What Most People Miss
If you’ve ever looked at a travel blog and thought,
“I could do that,”
you’re probably right.
But if you’ve also thought,
“Could I actually make money doing it?”
Then you’re already asking the right questions.
Here’s the truth: anyone can start a travel blog. But starting one that’s useful, intentional, and built to earn something? That takes a little more than a pretty header and a dreamy post about Bali.
I started building TravelventureFour while still at home, before the backpacks were packed, before the passports were stamped, and before any traffic hit the site. And honestly? That’s exactly why it’s starting to work.
This post will walk you through:
Choosing a niche that sets you apart
Setting up tools that won’t collect digital dust
Writing blog posts people actually search for
The four real ways travel bloggers make money
And how I’m building income before our trip even begins
If you want to start a blog that actually brings income (and not just dopamine from a few likes), read on.
We’re building this while prepping for a year on the road with two kids. If you want to support the journey even just a little, here’s how.
Choose Your Blog’s Purpose (and Your Niche)
The #1 reason most travel blogs fade out?
They never figured out who they were for or what problem they were solving.
Let’s fix that.
You don’t need to pick a destination-based niche (“Colombia with Kids”) in fact, niching by purpose or audience is more effective and scalable.
Ask yourself:
Who am I helping?
What kind of decisions am I helping them make?
What experience or pain point do I bring into this blog?
Examples of solid travel blog niches:
Family travel (👋 that’s ours)
Digital nomads with kids
Slow travel for beginners
Worldschooling / unschooling on the road
Travel gear for minimalist packers
You don’t have to know everything. You just need to write about the things you’re working through yourself as they happen.
📍 Related post: The Most Profitable Travel Blog Niches in 2025 (And the Ones I’m Betting On)
Set Up With Tools That Work (Not What You’ll Abandon)
Blog Basics:
Domain + Hosting: Namecheap + SiteGround
Platform: WordPress (Elementor builder)
Theme: Lightweight + mobile-friendly (with flexibility for future landing pages)
Tools I Actually Use:
Canva — for all graphics (pins, post headers, product mockups)
KIT — Email scheduler and automation tool.
KeywordsPeopleUse — for real search queries I build posts around
Tailwind — to automate Pinterest pins without having to babysit them
I didn’t build a fancy brand kit or logo first. I built systems — because systems scale, aesthetics don’t.
📍 Related: Keyword Research Using KeywordsPeopleUse — 2025 Guide
What to Write First (Before You Ever Leave Home)
Here’s the myth: “I need to be traveling before I can start a travel blog.”
Not even close.
Some of my highest-performing prep posts were written before I ever left the UK because people Google their pre-travel anxiety and decisions far more than destination guides.
Great first blog post types:
Gear lists and product comparisons
Our route planning logic
Downsizing, screen time prep, language learning, worldschooling mindset
These posts build:
Trust
Search visibility
Affiliate income
A real audience who’s a few steps behind you
How Travel Blogs Actually Make Money
You don’t need 100,000 followers or free hotel stays to earn from a travel blog. You need traffic with intent and a monetisation strategy.
Here’s what actually works:
1. Affiliate Marketing
You recommend products or tools. Someone buys. You earn a commission.
My go-tos so far:
Amazon (gear, tech, toddler stuff)
TalkBox.Mom (language learning for families)
Booking platforms + travel insurance (coming soon)
Good blog topics for affiliate links:
“Travel Tech That Actually Works with Kids”
“Our Favorite Travel Planning Tools”
2. Digital Products
Selling templates, planners, checklists, Notion dashboards, or courses.
My product:
🎒 Family Travel Kickstart Kit built entirely before we even left, and earning affiliate clicks + conversions today.
Digital products scale well. Once it’s built, it works for you 24/7.
Thats the joy of passive income.
3. Ads (Later)
Ad networks like Mediavine pay per view — usually $10–$30 per 1,000 sessions.
You need ~50K sessions/month to qualify, so this is a long-term goal but one worth aiming for with SEO-friendly content.
In the meantime go with Google adsense, though there is an approval process and you need certain things on your site and a small certain amount of traffic. Find out more here.
4. Sponsored Content
Brands pay you to write about or feature their products/services when your niche + audience match what they need.
Example from me: I pitched Aeropress Go for a travel-ready coffee gear collab (early stages, but real value exchange).
This also applies for social media, so build up your social following at the same time.
Growth That Doesn’t Rely on Going Viral
You don’t need Reels. You need reach and reach comes from strategy.
Focus on:
Search-first content (build for Google)
Pinterest (great for prep content…checklists, gear, how-tos)
Internal links (every post leads to atleast 1–2 others, think web, not silo)
Backlinks (niche edits, guest posts, earned slowly but powerfully)
Content is slow to build. But it stays. I’ve had posts from month 1 still bringing in clicks every day and they’re written from home.
📍 Related: How We’re Monteising Our Family Travel Blog
What I’ve Done (And What I’d Do Differently)
Here’s what I’ve built before our trip even started:
100+ SEO-driven blog posts
Product (Kickstart Kit) built and linked
Pinterest workflow using Canva + Tailwind (1000+ pins)
Affiliate links tested and embedded
Outreach for backlinks (Goats on the Road win!)
Blog traffic is growing (without location content)
What I’d do differently?
Start keyword research earlier (KeywordsPeopleUse)
Set up Pinterest boards before website launch
Create a proper lead magnet for email earlier (coming next!)
But overall? Starting before we travelled gave us a massive head start and removed the pressure to “launch from the road.” as when you’re travelling. you actually want to enjoy travelling.
Build With Purpose, Not Pressure
Most people wait to start their travel blog until they’re already living the adventure.
By then? You’re overwhelmed, behind, and hoping your photos make up for weak strategy.
Here’s your permission slip to start now.
👉 Start with problems you’re solving.
👉 Use tools that support you.
👉 Write content for the people you were six months ago.
👉 Build income before the big trip even begins.
Want the tools we used to start our blog, build content, and earn before takeoff?
Grab the Family Travel Kickstart Kit — it’s everything I wish I had when we started.
