Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn money by sharing tracking links to goods and services. You will have a commission when someone buys anything via your recommendation.
In the field of travel, you can find a wide range of services and related items to promote, such as flights, cruises, accommodations, accessories, and so on. As long as you have a channel targeted to travelers, many travel affiliate programs await you.
We will uncover the most necessary information in the travel niche and the best travel affiliate programs in the content below. Let’s explore it now!
14 Best Affiliate Programs for Travel Bloggers
Travelpayouts
Travelpayouts affiliate program offers you a wide range of services to promote, from accommodation to travel insurance. You can find many programs from many companies to join the network. Thus, the commission also varies, depending on the program you choose.
For cookie duration, it is 30 days for most programs, but you should browse the About tab of each program for the exact number. They pay monthly revenue from the 11th to the 20th via bank transfer, Paypal, and WebMoney. The minimum payouts are USD/EUR 400 for bank transfer, USD 50 for Paypal, and USD 10 for WebMoney.
| Commission rate | Variable |
| Cookie duration | 30 days |
| Category | accommodation, transfers, car, motorcycle, and bike rental, cruises, flights, package tours, tours & activities, train and buses tickets, travel insurance |
| Payment method | Bank Transfer, Paypal, WebMoney |
- A long cookie period
- Various products and services to choose
- Many payment methods
- A lot of affiliate support tools in different languages
- High minimum payouts for the bank transfer method
Expedia
Expedia is a trusted affiliate program to join in the world of travel. The network includes famous brands such as Vrbo, Stayz, Abritel, etc. It provides you with links, widgets, and banners for promotion.
The commissions vary depending on the brands, but you can earn up to 6% for each booking. The cookie length also depends on each brand. It normally comes from 7 to 30 days. When joining Expedia, you will be paid monthly via PayPal or Electronic Funds Transfer provided your account reaches £20/US$30/€30 per currency.
| Commission rate | up to 6% |
| Cookie duration | 7-30 days |
| Category | Rental cars, hotels, airline tickets, cruise lines |
| Payment method | Electronic Funds Transfer, PayPal |
- Many categories to choose
- A lot of well-known brands are available
- Different payment methods
- Support with links, widgets, and banners
Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a global website where you can look for flights, hotels, and rental cars. When joining its affiliate program, you will share 20-50% of its revenue from your recommendations.
Impact.com hosts Its affiliate program, which offers 30 days of cookie duration. You can set your payment time or threshold on Impact.com, but Skyscanner suggests choosing the date 15th to align with its payment date. You can receive your payment via PayPal, BACS, or Direct Transfer.
| Commission rate | 20-50% of Skyscanner revenue |
| Cookie duration | 30 days |
| Category | Flights, hotels, or rental cars |
| Payment method | Direct Transfer, BACS, PayPal |
- A high percentage of revenue sharing
- The cookie duration is long.
- Different ways to get payments
- Can choose payment date or minimum threshold
- Not many services to promote
Kayak
The Kayak affiliate program allows you to promote hotels, flights, rental cars, and other vacation packages. It shares a 50% commission on clicks, bookings, and ad revenue across each vertical with publishers. The number is good, but its cookie period, 30 minutes, is not.
When participating in the program, you can get paid via bank transfer and PayPal (if you live outside of Australia). The payment can be processed monthly when your account reaches $500. However, if you are Australian and use the HotelsCombined brand or use PayPal as a payment method, the minimum threshold is $100.
| Commission rate | 50% commission on clicks, bookings, and ad revenue across each vertical |
| Cookie duration | 30-minute/session window |
| Category | Flights, rental cars, hotels, holiday packages |
| Payment method | Bank Transfer, PayPal (for residents outside of Australia and who use the self-service products) |
- Good commission sharing
- Various services to affiliate
- Include PayPal and bank transfer in the payment method
- High payment threshold for bank transfer
- Cookie duration is session-based and short.
Booking.com
Booking.com is a famous platform for booking hotels, houses, flights, and rental cars. The platform has over 28 million accommodations and transportation options for more than 60 places. It provided you with a ton of offers to promote.
Booking.com shares many revenues for publishers, accounting for 25-40% of accommodations. But unfortunately, the platform does not have a revenue-sharing policy for cars yet. It also has no cookie-saving mechanism; thus, you must persuade your consumer to book with every click.
You will get paid monthly as long as your earnings meet the threshold of EUR 100. It pays you via Paypal and bank transfer.
| Commission rate | 25%-40% for accommodations not available for cars |
| Cookie duration | session-based |
| Category | Accommodations |
| Payment method | PayPal, Direct Bank Transfer (USD, EUR, GBP) |
- Good commissions for accommodations
- Plentiful offers to start promoting
- Two options for payment
- Trusted platform with high traffic
- The cookie period is session-based
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor’s affiliate program can be one of the highest paying travel affiliate programs offering pay-per-click and pay-per-sale mechanisms. You can get 50% of its booking revenues or can get paid when your audience clicks out to TripAdvisor’s hotel booking partners.
Though the platform has a wide range of services, such as restaurants, flights, cruises, or car rentals, its affiliate program is only for hotels. You can choose Awin or CJ network to register as a TripAdvisor affiliate.
If joining Awin, you can choose the payment schedule once or twice a month and will get your payment when your affiliate account reaches the minimum threshold of $20. For CJ, the payment will be on the 20th for all currencies and the 28th for USD, EUR, and GBP, and you will set the minimum payment amount. Both networks offer a wide range of payment methods.
| Commission rate | Pay per sale: At least 50% of revenues Pay per click: depends on factors like the given booking partner, hotel, seasonality, and length of stay. |
| Cookie duration | 14 days |
| Category | Hotels |
| Payment method | Awin: Check, International Wire, ACHCJ: Direct Deposit, Check, Payoneer |
- Include pay per click mechanism
- High revenue sharing for sales
- Low minimum payment amount
- Two networks with various payment methods
Viator
Viator, acquired by TripAdvisor in 2014, is now a large platform for tours and activities with over 3,500 partner networks. The Viator affiliate program provides you with offers in tours, activities, and other amazing experiences. It has a commission rate of 8% and a cookie duration of 30 days.
You can choose bank transfer or PayPal for payouts. The payment schedule is once a week for the former and on the 9th for the latter. It requires $50 to proceed with a bank transfer payment but no minimum amount for PayPal payouts.
| Commission rate | 8% of bookings |
| Cookie duration | 30 days |
| Category | Tours, activities, and other experiences |
| Payment method | PayPal, Bank Transfer |
- Great tours and experiences to recommend
- Good cookie length
- Fairly high commission
- Pay once a week for the PayPal method
- API (full access) is quite complicated
G Adventures
G Adventures affiliate program is a program for promoting global adventure tours for small groups. It has tours for traveling to various destinations; thus, you will have much to discover in the tour affiliate program.
The platform offers a modest commission rate of 6%, but its average online order value is $2,600. So, the earning potential is still great here. Its cookie duration, 90 days, is also impressive.
It offers many options for payment methods, depending on the network you sign up for. As Awin and CJ host the program, you can refer to TripAdvisor’s review above for relevant payment schedules and thresholds.
| Commission rate | 6% of each sale |
| Cookie duration | 90 days |
| Category | Adventure tours |
| Payment method | Awin: Check, International Wire, ACHCJ: Direct Deposit, Check, Payoneer |
- Extremely long cookie duration
- High average order value
- Low minimum payment threshold
- A wide range of payment ways
- Not quite a high commission
World Nomads
World Nomads affiliate program is one of the most well-known programs for travel insurance. Upon participating in the program, you will enjoy a commission rate of 10% and a cookie period of 60 days. World Nomads pay you monthly via PayPal and bank transfer, with $250 as minimum payouts.
The program provides deep links, cross-device tracking support, and API integrations for better performance. You can join it via the CJ network.
| Commission rate | 10% of each sale |
| Cookie duration | 60 days |
| Category | Travel Insurance |
| Payment method | PayPal, Bank Transfer |
- Good commission rate
- Long tracking time
- Support affiliates with nice tools
- A little bit high payout threshold
SafetyWing
SafetyWing affiliate program is another nice option in niche travel insurance. The program provides publishers with an impressive cookie length of up to 364 days. Affiliates can earn a 10% commission for each purchase via their links.
SafetyWing will pay monthly via PayPal with a minimum threshold of only $10. It also provides publishers with useful materials to improve their performance, including logos, photos, a product overview, and a price widget.
| Commission rate | 10% of each sale |
| Cookie duration | 364 days |
| Category | Travel Insurance |
| Payment method | PayPal |
- Impressive cookie duration
- Great commission rate
- Just need $10 to start receiving payment
- Provide many supporting materials
Boatbookings
The Boatbookings affiliate program brings the opportunity to promote chartering yachts to travel bloggers. You can recommend sailing boats, gulets, super yachts, or motor yachts to your audience. When joining the program, you will find inquiry forms, sleek images, and buttons for promotion in your affiliate dashboard.
You can earn 20% of the net charter value for each booking from a new client and 10% for an old client. The program requires a net charter value worth at least $3000 for commission paying. You will be paid monthly via bank transfer after successful charters.
| Commission rate | 20% of net charter value for new clients 10% of net charter value for returning clients |
| Cookie duration | 30 days |
| Category | Yachts |
| Payment method | Bank Transfer |
- Nice commission structure
- Good tracking duration
- Supporting materials are available
- Strict vetting process during application
- Only pay via bank transfer
Sandals Resorts
Sandal Resorts affiliate program is an outstanding name in the world of luxury travel affiliate programs due to its wonderful services. Sandal Resorts is a 5-star all-inclusive resort that everyone prefers when coming to Caribbean travel. So, choosing to promote it is a wise choice.
The program offers a 60-day tracking period, and its commission starts at 4%. It also brings you a library of colorful banners for your promotion. You can join it by registering on CJ and getting paid every month with your chosen threshold.
| Commission rate | Starting at 4% |
| Cookie duration | 60 days |
| Category | Hotels and amenities |
| Payment method | Direct Deposit, Check, Payoneer |
- Famous brand name for promotion
- Long tracking period
- A wide variety of beautiful banners provided
- Regular promotions for ease of recommending
- A little bit low commission rate compared with other travel programs
Osprey.com
AvantLink, a cost-per-sale affiliate marketing network, hosts the Osprey.com affiliate program. It allows publishers to earn a commission at 8% during a 30-day cookie window.
The brand offers seasonal promotions and sales, a lifetime guarantee, and free shipping for over $49. This leads to high conversions in affiliating. In the program, payment will be made monthly via PayPal, ACH, and direct deposit with the default minimum threshold of $25.
| Commission rate | 8% base commission |
| Cookie duration | 30 days |
| Category | Outdoor and travel accessories |
| Payment method | PayPal, ACH, Direct Deposit |
- The cookie period is long-lasting.
- Many promotions and sales
- Lifetime guarantee and free shipping over $49
- Low minimum payment threshold
- Low average order value ($150)
REI
REI affiliate program is another remarkable option in the field of travel accessories. The brand has a long-lasting history with a wide range of products for recommendations. It also has over 20 million loyal customers who usually choose its accessories.
The program allows publishers to earn a commission of 5%. Its tracking time is within 15 days, which is not ideal. AvantLink also hosts this program, so payout characteristics are similar to Osprey.com.
| Commission rate | 5% |
| Cookie duration | 15-day cookie |
| Category | Outdoor and travel accessories |
| Payment method | PayPal, ACH, Direct Deposit |
- Long-lasting brand since 1938
- A lot of loyal customers
- Free shipping on orders from $50
- Many payment ways to choose
- Not a high commission rate
- Not an ideal tracking duration
What is a Travel Affiliate Program?
A travel affiliate program is a business’s method to promote its travel services and related products. In this method, the business organizes a “pay per action” strategy, and publishers will attract audiences to take such an action (purchasing a product, booking a service, or filling in a form in some cases).
Publishers can earn a commission when someone gets through the link and makes a purchase or does anything else required. Travel affiliate programs allow travel companies to promote their services and products widely and travel affiliates.
You can find the programs on the companies’ websites or a third-party affiliate network. Ensure you can choose the ones suitable for your blog or channel’s niche during a wide range of travel affiliate programs.
As travel is a highly profitable niche, many offers are available with various commissions and terms. Travel brands also provide publishers with creatives like widgets or banners to drive more conversions. Thus, when joining this lucrative area, stay awake to pick the right choice!
- A profitable niche with a broad audience
- Does not require too complicated knowledge or expertise to start
- The registering process is free and easy to make
- Many travel services and various related services and products
- Many programs with high commissions are available
- High competition
- Need to update content regularly
- Hard to convert to sales
- Do not bring a stable income as the niche relies on external factors.
Finding Your Travel Affiliate Program Niche
As the travel field consists of many things, thus, you will need to find a niche to start. Let’s check the essential factors to consider when picking your travel affiliate program niche.
Your Passion
Knowing your interests is important in choosing the niche, as your passion affects your ability to create content. If you are keen on discovering and experiencing trips like trekking or mountain climbing, reviewing soft vacations in resorts is unsuitable. Or if you love seas and sands, making content on camping with forests and mountains seems unfit.
For a clear view, you can list your hobbies, interests, travel experiences, and favorite destinations. Concentrating on your interests will help you generate more ideas for interesting articles and videos.
Your Target Audience
Does your niche target only a certain age range? Do your content consumers have specific personalities? Are they friend groups or families? You should answer the questions and determine your audience’s persona.
Upon understanding the audience, you will focus on the niche correctly. It will help you produce effective content and choose the right channel, leading to high conversions.
Market and Competitors
Before deciding on a niche, research the market and your competitors. You can use SEO tools like Google Keyword Planner to check what people are searching for in your niche. Ahrefs may be useful in analyzing the available content and competitors’ sites.
How to Choose the Best Travel Affiliate Program?
When aiming for the best affiliate programs for travel bloggers, you should consider the compatibility between the programs and your audience, their commissions, payouts, and cookie duration.
Compatibility
When choosing affiliate programs, remember who your audience is and what they like. You should self-ask questions like, is that product or service useful for them? Is that suitable for their demands?
For example, if you create content for budget backpackers, picking a high-end product brand to affiliate with is not wise. Understanding the audience and sticking to your niche while choosing affiliate programs make you reach your consumers easier. In other words, you will have more clicks and purchases.
Commission
Every affiliate looks for a good commission policy. In the travel field, commission rates vary among programs; however, starting around 6% per sale is a nice program to choose from.
Payment
The best travel affiliate programs provide various payment methods for your convenience. The most common ones are PayPal and direct bank transfers. You may find Payoneer and Wise as popular payment methods in the programs.
Thresholds often come in the programs’ terms. You can browse their policy for it. However, for ease of getting revenues, you should not choose the programs that require a high threshold, e.i. $500.
Cookie length
For cookie duration, the longer, the better. A good cookie length increases the chance of getting more sales. Choose the programs offering at least 15 days of cookie length for great effect.
FAQs
Is travel affiliate profitable?
Yes, the travel niche is very profitable. The average yearly earning of travel bloggers is up to $73,199. So, you can look for huge revenue when joining the niche and creating attractive content.
Is travel a good niche for affiliate marketing?
It is a great choice for making your affiliate career if you are keen on traveling and travel services. Especially when you have a site or media channel about travel activities, you can easily promote flights, hotels, tours, etc., to potential customers and get your earnings.
Is travel blogging easy?
Of course, it is not. Travel bloggers need to work hard to document their adventures and earn money from the public. However, hard work pays off. When their blogs are developed, they can have a trusted passive income source for their living.
Conclusion
The article has provided you with fundamental information on best travel affiliate programs in 2024. Now, you can have a comprehensive overview of this affiliate marketing niche. If it seems suitable for you, do not hesitate to start earning your money with travel experiences!
