10 of the Best Affiliate Programs for Travel Bloggers and Businesses

When you look at the many different industries and business models in the world today, travel is one that is always in demand. Not only is there a never ending supply of demand and customers for this industry, it’s also one that is heavily fueled through the use of email marketing and online engagement.

With more businesses relying on the internet to increase sales and generate more leads, the travel affiliate market has been increasing at an astonishing rate. That was predictable. With almost every business moving on the net, people are sure to catch up on opportunities. As we are on the topic, the travel industry has shown signs of commendable improvement over the years, but unfortunately being a travel blogger is still hard.

As hard as it may be, the important thing to note is that the travel industry is huge! Based off the latest industry reports, there is more than enough money to go around. And when it comes to researching, planning, and booking a trip, more people are using the internet to accomplish this than ever before.

To all those who are travel bloggers and businesses, you have our utmost respect. Unlike other genres, finding quality affiliate offers and revenue sources to support your sites can be hard. Especially when you’re trying to create content for both your audience and any relevant advertisers. If you spend too much time trying to cater to both, you may find your site soon blows out of proportions and doesn’t end well. 

However, both business and personal travel sites dedicated to world travel have become more and more popular. Considering that most of them are funded solely through affiliate marketing, we’ll help you out by not only providing you with a great source of email marketing and lead generation for your site, but also a listing of the top travel affiliate programs on the internet today.

Here are some affiliate programs for you to look through. It’s not that hard to find, see.

1. Booking.com

It is highly likely that you’ve booked hotels or at least looked for them on Booking.com when you are planning your travels. It is one of the largest hotel website industry. They proudly offer over 1 million places to stay worldwide.

Booking.com has an easy-to-use affiliate program, more than 12,000 websites use, got to give them credit for it. The affiliate program is open for everyone to use, blog or website. They have an official Word Press plugin and even banner and interactive search box options.

2. TripAdvisor

Among the sites related to traveling, it can be said without a hint of hesitation that TripAdvisor tops the list. It also gets the majority of the network traffic related to traveling. When someone is planning a trip, they usually check out TripAdvisor for reviews, recommendations, and bookings. They offer Pay-per-lead programs for vacation rentals and also “commerce clicks” that give you 50% commissions.

TripAdvisor’s affiliate programs are run through the mighty CJ Affiliate. So, for people already working with CJ, TripAdvisor just got easy as pie.

3. Agoda

Agoda boasts 900 000+ places to stay, all over the world. This means that you have an overflowing no. of options to choose from. They offer hotels, private rentals and more. They are open to all individuals and groups who manage a website or a blog. You can also join them from ShareASale.

Agoda offers a search box, text links and also data feeds. It follows a tier-based commission structure. 1-50 referrals give you 35% commission, over 1000 per months and you jump to 60%. The set-up is cleverly made so that even not-techie guys can utilize it. Another plus point is that its payout mode is a direct bank transfer.

4. VRBO.com

From CJ Affiliates we give you the top performer in the travel industry, VRBO.com. One of the leading marketplaces for vacation rentals in the world. VRBO charges 8% booking fee per listing or an annual fee of $399 for unlimited listings. With that you get 20% commissions on annual subscriptions, making your commission $80 per referral. Not that bad eh!

5. ShareASale

Just like CJ Affiliates, ShareASale is a vast network. You can find top affiliates programs in any niche with ease. Many popular airlines, services, and hotels, e.g. Qatar Airways, Agoda, The Lalit Hotel, Rui Hotel, etc. are available via ShareASale.

It must be noted that if you’ve never used it before, going through the site can be confusing in the start. But it pays in direct bank transfers. And it is a lot easier to reach your minimum payout.

6. Cruise Direct

Although air travel is the fastest means of transportation. However, people also like to cruise just for the experience. If that’s what you’re looking for Cruise Direct is your best option. Offering cruises all over the world, you don’t have to worry about your options narrowing.

Cruise Direct has a 45-day cookie window. That means even if someone follows your link today but books their cruise a month later, you still get a commission. But they offer only 3% commission, isn’t that too little? No,  fairly good. Cruises cost $1000+ per person, think if a family of three, you get at least $90. Banners, links and search boxes all offered.

7. Thompson Holidays

If you like to travel and live in the UK, Thompson holidays will be nothing new. The largest supplier of package holidays in the whole of UK. It has become one of the most visited websites there. They offer at least 2% commission on all packages and beach holidays, rounding your earnings to $45/booking. On hotels, cruises, and flights the percentage is raised. The cookie window is 14-day, pretty decent.

8. Priceline.com

Priceline gives you complex travel Comprehensive travel comparison website offering flights, hotel rooms, cruises, car rentals and lots more. It gets close to 3 million organic search visits in one month. They’re trusted alright. And with the comparison, you can find good and bands in many deals in one place.

Priceline.com gives you 3% commission on pretty much everything. And have a large cookie duration of 30-days.

9. G Adventures

The reigning world leader when it comes to adventure traveling. Their average orders are $2900. They range from $500 all the way to $12 000. On this, they give you 5% commission. On top of that, they have a ridiculous 90-day cookie window.

10. Amazon Associates

How can we call it complete without including Amazon Associates? It has become the top destination for online buying. Reputation? Do you even need to ask?

You will earn money whenever a referred user purchases any product from Amazon. This means that it doesn’t have to specify the product you referred. Plus, setting up and getting started is easy, lots of educational material. Commission increases as you start referring to more users.

In summary…

When it comes to travel blogging and affiliate marketing, if your first experience doesn’t go well, don’t be disheartened. Affiliate marketing is a process of continually split testing and trying new things. The same holds true with creating site content and reaching your target audience. This is all a process that will only improve with time.

However, it’s also important to make sure you are also taking advantage of what email marketing has to offer in the process. People will visit your site and they will come and go. With email, you get a subscriber on your list and they are potentially there for life.

We can definitely help with that!

Connect with AfterOffers today and discover how we can deliver hundreds of email subscribers to your list daily. Best of all, they are 100% opt-in and are completely interested in what you have to offer.

The travel industry is predicted to grow more and more over the years. So, get polished and start with your affiliate marketing.

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