Searching for the best travel affiliate program?
There are hundreds and thousands of travel affiliate programs available, but which one to go for? Which one will unlock those potential benefits that others are taking advantage of?
Don't worry; I have covered you with the 7 best travel affiliate programs that can help you in increasing your affiliate income.
Even after getting hit by a global pandemic, the traveling affiliates were still making money, so this is pretty clear the travel affiliate programs have some potential money-making abilities that need to be unlocked. You might be amazed to know that some of the below-mentioned affiliate programs even offer a commission of 40-70%; it seems like a pretty fantastic deal to me!
After the pandemic hit us globally, the traveling blogs and traveling affiliate programs have been doing pretty well in the current scenario. So let's dive a bit deeper into which 7 travel affiliate programs can be best in your traveling niche.
So hop in, let's dive into them a bit deeper and look at them!!
Check out the 7 best travel affiliate programs to monetize travel sites.
Best 7 Travel Affiliate Programs
Booking.com has been in the traveling business for quite some time now and has been delivering the best deals and offers to its users and affiliates. Even though you might be aware that Booking.com is one of the widely used platforms globally, it has a user base of around a million. And all of that user count means they might be having millions of dollars of revenue. So affiliate program offered by Booking.com has a pretty better chance of giving their affiliates better revenue, as your affiliate links will be working on one of the best travel/booking agencies.
You might be amazed to know that almost 1.5 million rooms are booked across Booking.com in a single day as they have around 2.5 million properties around the globe. I guess this is enough to estimate how an affiliate can earn if worked accordingly. In addition to that, Booking.com offers a great set of tools for their affiliate, including WordPress plugins, search boxes and much more. And just in case you have any issues while using these tools, just contact their customer support and get your queries solved.
These promotional tools can become handy while getting along with its affiliate program. In conclusion, it can be said that Booking.com's massive user base and affiliate program can help you expand across almost every aspect as a travel affiliate.
1. Your website should be related to all traveling and should have an exemplary daily visitor base.
2. The website or domain getting along with Booking.com should be live and functional.
Another renowned booking online platform with an extensive network of around half a million hotels. You might have come across the name ‘Expedia‘ due to its extensive and comprehensive marketing network.
But the main question is how much do they offer to their affiliates?
Expedia offers around 3-11% to their affiliates; by the way, if I speak up as per my perspective, it's a significant amount compared to other traveling affiliate programs.
Key features to consider while getting along with Expedia:
- Expedia does not pay for their pre-packaged vacations.
- They also have some non-commission terms and conditions, which you need to get clear about while going for the program.
Amazon is another giant in the list of our travel affiliate programs. I guess I don't need to mention more about what Amazon is? But as we all are familiar with the products that Amazon delivers, you can earn a pretty impressive amount of money as an Amazon affiliate; if you write travel blogs or have an audience related to the travel niche, you can go with selling and promoting travel products, the products can help you earn some pretty amount of money as Amazon has a broad user base. You can find almost everything across it.
If you choose to get along Amazon Associate Program (the 4% club), you can have a commission varying from 1% to 10% depending upon the category of the product you are promoting.
Amazon also offers some excellent features, such as pre-designed links and banners, making the promotional part a bit more presentable around the massive user base. I can't think of a single person who has not used Amazon. If you have such a broad user base, eventually, users and queries find a way to meet each other; the customer support by Amazon is not only limited to its users, but Amazon associates as well; just in case you come across any issues, Amazon will be solving that for you.
Payment on Amazon affiliates takes around a month to get the amount into your account; in other words, they have a minimum threshold of one month.
Have to wait for a while!!
Agoda's affiliate program is a bit different from the other affiliate programs. I have mentioned travel networks, but in addition to that, they also have an extensive list of travel blogs and websites.
Agoda does not have any prerequisite instruction list or rules to get on board with them; anyone can join their affiliate program; the only thing you need to get is having a website or a blog where you will be getting your audience from. At the same time, the approval takes around 48 to 72 hours.
While searching for any of the issues while opting for the program, I wasn't able to find a lot of information regarding any set of rules, but still:
- It's a must to have a live website.
- Being a part of the Agoda affiliate network does not entitle you to any rewards and membership offered by Agoda.
So, overall the affiliate program by Agoda can be considered as an excellent choice as they are a reputable and trusted choice with some good payout options.
Thumbs up for Agoda!!
TripAdvisor affiliate program is one of my favourite travel affiliate programs as you are offered a commission of around 50%, which is pretty good compared to most travel affiliate programs.
Now you know why most travel bloggers use and promote TripAdvisor at pretty high competitive rates.
While we can see that TripAdvisor offers some pretty high commission rates, the payouts are done with monthly frequency. Some of the rules that you might need to take a look at:
- You should disclose the relationship between your website and TripAdvisor across social media platforms.
- You cannot earn any commission from the click outs made by yourself. They have mentioned on their website that the clicks and commissions should be made from qualified users.
In previous sections of the blog, I mentioned the travel affiliate programs, which revolved around hotel bookings and products being sold, but now let's take a look at a travel affiliate program that is different from everything we have talked about.
Lonely affiliate program is one of the most prominent travel guide publishers globally, so here you won't be getting your commissions from hotel booking but from the successful referrals done. The Lonely program publishes travel guides, eBooks and even magazines, making it a sweet deal around travel affiliates.
The 30-day cookie: In addition to all the features and payouts mentioned above, Lonely Program offers a 30-day cookie; this means if any user uses your link after a period of 30 days, you'll be paid as per the number of transactions done.
Some of the key points to keep in mind while going for the Lonely Program affiliate program:
- They have stated that they can withhold your commission if any use of unauthorized voucher codes is found.
- Adult sites, gambling sites or any legal or media websites will not be considered while using the Lonely programs affiliate network.
While searching for a flight ticket, every one of us seeks an option that can give you lower flights on a hassle-freeway. One of the travel companies that has recently gained a lot of recognition in terms of flight booking is Skyscanner; I think you might relate to why Skyscanner's name was chosen, but remember they are limited to flights; you can even book hotels across the platform.
In addition to all the information I mentioned above, let's look at what all companies are in integration with Skyscanner; some of the companies that are integrated with Skyscanner are Makemytrip, Goibibo, Ctrip, etc.
Their website has a list of non-permitted traffic sources such as:
- SEM bidding and cookie stuffing.
- Auto direct sites and domain buying websites.
- Toolbars and extensions.
Some frequently asked questions about travel affiliate programs.
🌟 Top FAQs on Travel Affiliate Programs
✔What is a travel affiliate program?
A travel affiliate program helps affiliates or bloggers to promote services and products of travel companies. If the person purchases any product or service through your affiliate link, then you will earn some commissions. Join the travel affiliates programs and start making extra income.
✔How do I create a travel website?
Creating a travel website is quite easy. Follows the below-mentioned steps that will help you build your first travel website or blog for yourself.
1. You need to choose the defined niche that works best for your site. Also, discover what you are selling on your site.
2. Find the hosting platform that helps you to set up your website.
3. After successfully creating your website, start creating travel-related content for it.
4. Discover the monetization options that help you promote your travel website.
✔How do I make money through travel websites?
There are several ways that you can use to make real money through your travel website or blog. The most trending way is through affiliate marketing. Start promoting products and services via an affiliate link and earn a commission when someone purchases a product from your link. You can even generate income through memberships and subscriptions.
✔How do I become a travel affiliate?
To become a travel affiliate, you need to have a travel website. You just need to apply for travel affiliate programs and travel affiliate networks; once you will get approved then, you can start promoting travels related products or services through your affiliate link.
✔What is the highest-paying travel affiliate program?
If you are looking to join the highest-paying travel affiliate program, then check the above-mentioned list.
✔Is the travel affiliate program profitable in 2024?
The travel niche is a popular niche for affiliates that helps them to make money from travel affiliate programs. If the person is an established travel blogger, influencer, and vlogger, then travel affiliate programs can be a great way to make money. There is a huge potential for travel affiliates to make huge money; only you just target the right audience for your blog/site.
Hurry! Join the travel affiliate programs & start making real money.
Conclusion: Best Travel Affiliate Programs
After looking at the best travel affiliate programs, we could find, now it's a choice and matter of your audience group (plus your affiliate network). If you are someone looking to get along with an affiliate network that works on travel blogs and magazines, the lonely program can be a good choice for you. Still, if you are looking for a travel affiliate program that has been in the game for quite some time, Expedia and TripAdvisor can be great options to go with.
As per my experiences and opinions, these were some of the most innovative and popular affiliate programs found in the traveling niche. You can choose along with these programs that offer affiliate commissions under different variations.
Some of them also offer different features, such as a 30-day cookies window, which is quite impressive, right?
After all, the features, commission rates and the different categories such as flight booking, hotel booking, etc., totally depends upon your criteria. So choose the one which suits you the best.
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Sally Simard is a passionate content writer and blogger for a long while. She loves to talk and likes sharing her knowledge in various domains, including the latest technology, dropshipping, online marketing, make money online, affiliate marketing, and many more. She is venerated for her research skills, organizational skills, & flexibility, making her the cornerstone of AffTweaks.
