Running a travel blog sounds romantic until you realise that writing about tuk-tuks and sunset beers doesn’t pay the rent. Monetising a travel site is something everyone talks about but few actually manage to do properly. And if you’re tired of getting rejected by affiliate programs or dealing with payout issues in countries where PayPal doesn’t work, then Travelpayouts might just be your new best mate.
This is not one of those articles that promises you’ll be sipping coconut cocktails on a beach in three weeks. But if you’re already writing about travel, already have an audience, or even just want to build something from scratch that pays you over time, then Travelpayouts is a seriously good platform worth your attention.
Click to find out how to start your own paid blog.
What is Travelpayouts?
Travelpayouts is an all-in-one travel affiliate platform. It brings together a bunch of different services like flights, hotels, insurance, car rentals, trains, tours, and even a cashback membership called WayAway Plus. All of these can be promoted through one account, one dashboard, and one payout system.
Instead of signing up to ten different affiliate programs and keeping track of a dozen logins, you just use Travelpayouts to promote services from places like booking.com, Viator, Klook, Trip.com, and dozens more.
It works for blogs. It works for niche sites. And it even works if you want to build an entire travel agency without becoming an actual travel agent.
Who is Travelpayouts Suited To?
If you’ve got a blog, a YouTube channel, or an Instagram page with more than three photos of food, Travelpayouts is for you. It works whether you’re reviewing street food markets in Saigon or comparing capsule hotels in Tokyo. It’s especially good if you’re based in places like Georgia or Cambodia where half the world’s affiliate programs either block you or refuse to pay you.
It pays out via Payoneer and direct bank transfer. No need for PayPal. No weird tax forms if you’re not in the US. You just hit the minimum threshold and get paid. Simple.
It’s also good for people who want to go beyond blogging. If you’re the sort who likes to build niche websites around travel routes, visa guides, or food tours, you can create search engines, booking widgets, and white-label sites through Travelpayouts. You don’t need to write code, you just plug it in.
How to Use Travelpayouts
Once you sign up, you can browse all the programs in the dashboard. Pick the ones that match your niche. If you’re all about flights from Europe to Asia, then WayAway is a good bet. If you cover hotels, go with Booking.com or Agoda. Want to promote food tours in Hanoi? Klook or GetYourGuide has you sorted.
You can grab deep links, banners, widgets, or even full search forms. Everything is tracked in real time, so you can see which links are working and which ones are just taking up space.
There’s also a handy WordPress plugin if you want to insert search boxes or tables directly into your blog posts without copy pasting code every time.
The commissions vary depending on what you’re promoting. Flights are usually a small fixed amount per booking. Hotels pay a percentage of the total. Tours and travel insurance can be surprisingly generous. You won’t retire off a single booking, but it adds up.
Building Your Own Travel Affiliate Network
This is where it gets interesting. Travelpayouts also lets you become an affiliate network yourself. When you sign up, you get a referral link that lets you invite others to the platform. If they join and start earning, you get a cut of what Travelpayouts earns from them. Not from their pockets, but from the company’s share.
This means you can write guides like this one, tell people how to start their own travel affiliate blog, and earn passive income from everyone who signs up through your link.
It’s a rare setup in the affiliate world that doesn’t feel like a pyramid scheme. You don’t need to recruit people to survive, but if you help others get started, you’re rewarded for it.
And because Travelpayouts is free to join and beginner-friendly, it’s not hard to get people interested.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a travel affiliate platform that actually works, especially in countries that are usually left out of the monetisation party, then Travelpayouts is a solid choice. It’s reliable. It’s flexible. It works for real-world bloggers, YouTubers, and small-time creators who want to make their content earn something more than likes.
It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. It takes content, effort, and a bit of strategy. But if you’re already writing about travel, you might as well get paid for it.
You can join Travelpayouts through my referral link here:
👉 https://www.travelpayouts.com/?marker=641366
If you’ve got a blog or are just starting out and want some help setting up your first links or creating a white-label flight site, let me know. I’ve been there. I know it works. And no, I’m not drinking cocktails on a beach. I’m in a dank hotel in Tbilisi, but in fairness I was on the beach literally last week.
You see only you can judge your affiliate success!