In 2014, I moved to Spain and started a travel blog. After about 18 months of rigorously posting content and sharing my stories, I started getting invited on press trips. While I never took it much further than a free hotel stay here and there, plenty of travel influencers are out there making money while exploring the world.
If getting paid to travel sounds up your street (and, let’s be honest, why wouldn’t it?), it’s definitely not out of the realm of possibility. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have made it easier than ever for travelers to share their journeys, grow a following, and make money while traveling.
The challenge is standing out. Becoming a travel influencer is a dream job for many people, which means there’s a lot of competition. To have a chance at making money while you travel, you need to have a strategy and more than one income stream.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through what it takes to become a travel influencer as well as break down the different ways you can make money.
How to Become a Travel Influencer (and actually get paid)
Becoming a travel influencer
Making money while you travel isn’t quite as simple as posting a few nice photos on Instagram and hoping for the best. To succeed, you need a niche, regular content, and an engaged audience.
Here's how you can set yourself up for success before you monetize.
Research the industry
Before diving in, familiarize yourself with the travel influencer world. Look at successful influencers and see what they do well and learn about different social media platforms and how they work. The more you dig deep into what others are doing, the more you’ll understand what’s popular and what people are actually interested in.
As a starting point, you can look at:
- How successful travel influencers engage with their audience
- What content types are most popular
- How trends impact the travel influencer scene
Refine your niche
Find a specific area of travel that you are passionate about and focus on it. This could be anything from luxury travel, budget backpacking, adventure trips, or family vacations. Having a niche helps you stand out and attract followers who share your interests—but make sure you’re passionate about your niche.
My old travel blog was all about finding ways to travel around a full-time job. I was able to stay consistent with content because that was my lived experience. If you’re a solo budget traveler, it makes sense to focus on that rather than, say, family travel or luxury adventures.
Brooke Saward of World Wanderlust leans heavily into solo female travel.
Define your personal brand
Your personal brand is what makes you unique. Think about what you want to be known for and how you want to present yourself. This includes your style, voice, and the type of content you create.
For example, if you are energetic and humorous, let that personality shine through in your content. Consistency is key, so make sure your brand is reflected in everything you do.
Create your strategy
Part of the path to success is having a plan (a.k.a. a strategy). This stops you from throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. Instead, you’ll have a solid route forward, including a roadmap for how to get there.
Here are some things to consider when creating your strategy:
- Set clear objectives, such as the number of followers you want to gain
- Plan the type of content you want to produce
- Come up with a couple of core topics you’ll talk about often
- Decide which platforms you’ll use
- Settle on a posting schedule that suits your lifestyle and goals
Set up your socials and website
Create accounts on your chosen social media platforms, whether that’s Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, or a mixture of all four. You might also want to build a website or a blog to act as a central place for all your content. This stops you from relying on unpredictable social media algorithms and instead creates something you own. You can branch out and sell digital products and services from your website too.
When setting up your social accounts, make sure your profiles are professional and reflect your personal brand.
Outline your content calendar
Plan your content ahead of time by creating a calendar. Decide what you’ll post and when to make sure you’re sharing a consistent flow of content. Include a mix of photos, videos, and stories to keep your audience engaged. For example, you might plan to post travel tips on Mondays and destination highlights on Fridays.
You can use a social media scheduling tool to stack up your content ahead of time. This means you don’t have to remember to log in and share content on the days you’re supposed to—particularly useful if you’re traveling.
Create your content
Produce high-quality content that showcases your travels. Use your photography and videography skills to capture stunning visuals. Share personal experiences and tips to make your content valuable to your audience. For example, you might create a video guide to a hidden gem in a city you visit.
Here’s a quick guide to get started:
- Plan your content. Decide what you want to share—this could be information about a destination, a specific activity, or a travel tip. For example, if you recently visited a beautiful beach, you might want to create content about that experience.
- Film or design the content. Make sure you have the right equipment to take high-quality pictures and videos. You might want to use a tripod to get steady shots or a drone for aerial views.
- Edit your content. Use apps like Lightroom or Snapseed to enhance your photos or a tool like iMovie to edit your videos. Include text overlays for context—for example, if you create a short video guide highlighting the best spots in Barcelona, you can add text that shares tips and fun facts.
- Share personal experiences. Don’t forget to share your personal experiences and feelings—this is what your audience will connect with.
Grow your audience
You need an audience to be a travel influencer. While you don’t necessarily need hundreds and thousands of followers, it does help to have an engaged audience. As well as posting content regularly, here are some ways you can grow your following:
- Respond to comments and messages to show followers you value their input
- Use polls and question stickers on Instagram to encourage interaction
- Share user-generated content and encourage followers to tag you in their posts
- Share content with trending audio and popular hashtags
- Host live Q&A sessions where you can answer travel-related questions in real-time
- Create travel-related challenges for your audience to participate in
- Share behind-the-scenes content to give your audience a sneak peek into your travels
Collaborate with other influencers
Partner with other travel influencers to reach new audiences. For example, team up with someone in a related niche for a joint project or content series. Collaborations can introduce you to new followers and provide fresh content ideas.
Engage with brands
Reach out to travel-related brands for partnerships. Create a media kit that showcases your work and audience demographics. For example, pitch to a travel gear company about testing their products during your next adventure. Be professional and clear about what you can offer in a collaboration.
Getting Paid as a Travel Influencer
Ready to start earning your first dollar as a paid travel influencer? Here’s how you can do it.
1. Try affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing involves sharing unique product links with your followers and, when they buy using that link, you get a kickback in commission.
Here’s how you can make money with affiliate marketing:
- Join affiliate programs. Sign up for travel-related affiliate programs, such as Amazon, hotel booking sites, or travel gear companies.
- Promote products. Share links to products or services you use and recommend. For example, if you use a specific backpack on your trips, include an affiliate link in your blog post or video description.
Affiliate marketing was my go-to income stream back when I was travel blogging. Granted, I didn’t earn a lot from it, but I still made a few extra pennies every month by promoting hotels and guided tours.
Colleen Travels regularly shares unique affiliate codes with her audience:
2. Get sponsorships
Lots of travel influencers partner with their favorite travel brands as a way to make money. They might become a brand ambassador, where they regularly share content about the brand’s products, or they might simply get paid a one-off fee to promote an upcoming launch.
Here’s how to get started with travel sponsorships:
- Build your profile. Start by growing your social media following and engagement levels to attract brands. There’s no hard and fast number here, but aim for a minimum of 1,000 followers as a starting point.
- Create a media kit. Prepare a document that details your audience demographics, engagement rates, and past collaborations. You can send this to potential sponsors.
- Pitch to brands. Reach out to travel-related brands with a proposal for collaboration. For example, you might propose a sponsored trip where you create content for the brand in exchange for travel expenses or a set fee.
Kiki of The Blonde Abroad regularly partners with brands for sponsored posts:
3. Create paid ads
Paid ads can be a great way for brands to get more eyeballs on their products. They’ll often partner with travel influencers to reach different audiences. For example a luggage brand launching a new product might reach out to a handful of travel influencers and ask them to share a paid ad of the new product.
Here’s how you can take advantage of this:
- Identify ad opportunities. Use your platforms to run paid advertisements for brands. This could be in the form of sponsored posts or stories.
- Negotiate terms. Work with brands to determine the type of ad, duration, and compensation.
- Deliver content. Make sure the ad aligns with your personal brand and still provides value to your audience.
4. Ask for donations
It’s a lot of effort to create consistently engaging content for a hungry audience. Many travel influencers make it easier by asking their followers for donations. This can either be through a one-off donations app or via a platform that lets you exchange exclusive content for donations.
Here’s a guide to getting started:
- Set up a donation platform. Platforms like Whop, Patreon, and Buy Me a Coffee allow your audience to support you financially.
- Offer exclusive content. Provide exclusive content or perks to those who donate. This might be behind-the-scenes access or personalized travel tips.
- Promote your page. Regularly remind your audience about the option to support your work through donations.
5. Start a podcast
People who can’t regularly travel might love to hear your unique travel stories during their daily commute or while they run errands. Consider starting a podcast where you can foster a community, share your stories, and make money.
Here’s how it works:
- Start a travel podcast. Share your travel experiences and tips in audio format with your audience.
- Monetize through ads. Once your podcast gains traction, you can earn money through sponsorships and ads.
- Offer premium episodes. Create exclusive episodes for paying subscribers, providing additional value.
The Armchair Explorer podcast shares stories from impressive travels all around the world. Each episode has a sponsor and intermittent ads throughout.
6. Monetize your audience
Creating a paid community is a great way to make recurring income—think of it as a kind of subscription. For example, you might create a membership for your most loyal fans where you share exclusive content, behind-the-scenes tips, and more personal breakdowns of your trips. The idea is that your followers pay monthly to be included in your community.
Here’s a guide to doing it right:
- Create a membership community. Use a platform like Whop to build a community hub where members pay for access to exclusive content.
- Provide value. Offer members-only travel guides, live Q&A sessions, or personalized travel advice—something extra than what regular followers get.
- Engage regularly. Keep your community active by interacting with members and providing regular updates.
Digital Nomad Babes is a travel community on Whop that offers travel tips, resources, consultations, and shares job opportunities.
7. Sell travel courses
As you start sharing more and more content with your fans, you might start to get lots of the same questions, like “How do I travel for cheap?” and “How can I pack light?”. Turn these into money-making opportunities by creating courses to help your fellow travelers. It might be a course about traveling or it could be a course about becoming an influencer.
That’s exactly what Girl Boss Abroad does. The course teaches other aspiring digital nomads how they can make money online while traveling the world.
You can use a platform like Whop to create a central hub where you can share your course content and interact with students. The handy platform setup means you can add fresh content whenever you like and promote add-ons like digital downloads, communities, and memberships, all in one space.
8. Sell ebooks
One of the quickest ways to earn an income as a travel influencer is to package up your experiences and tips into an ebook—Lonely Planet style but with more personality. You can decide what route you want to take here—do you want to create a practical guide full of tips for city breaks? Do you want to write a memoir about your unique experience in Mongolia?
Once you have an idea, here’s what to do:
- Write the ebook. Set to work putting together page after page of your experiences, tips, and opinions. Turn it into a compatible ebook format.
- Choose a platform. You may want to sell your ebook on Amazon (but be sure to check out the fees), or use a site that lets you keep more of your income - like Whop.
- Promote your ebook. Use your social media profiles and blog to market your travel ebook. Include a link to it in your social profiles and share it at the bottom of every blog post.
Kelsey in London has a series of downloadable travel ebooks providing tips for travel in various European cities.
9. Create and sell access to webinars
Another way to make money as a travel influencer is to run webinars and charge people to attend. You can either run them live or pre-record them and sell them to customers throughout the year.
Here’s how to do this:
- Plan a webinar. Choose a travel-related topic you can teach or discuss in-depth, like packing light or exploring Bali.
- Host the webinar. Use a platform like Zoom to host your live session (you can record it too to sell afterward).
- Charge for access. Set a price for attendance and promote the webinar to your audience.
How Difficult is it to Become a Travel Influencer?
Becoming a travel influencer is no easy feat, but it is possible. The biggest challenge is the sheer amount of competition. With so many people sharing their travel experiences online, standing out and attracting a loyal audience can be difficult.
Firstly, you need to find a specific niche, like adventure travel, luxury vacations, or solo travel, to connect with a particular group of followers. This focus helps build a relatable audience and makes it easier to create content that resonates with your people.
You also need to create high-quality content. This often requires photography, videography, and storytelling skills, which not everyone has straight out the gate. Many influencers start with very limited resources and need to learn how to capture stunning pictures and edit them effectively.
Finally, building a following takes time and consistent effort—it’s not for the faint-hearted. You have to regularly engage with your audience and promote your content to attract new followers. So, while it is possible to succeed as a travel influencer (and plenty of people do it), it typically requires a bucketload of dedication, creativity, and willingness to adapt to unpredictable social media algorithms.
Start Your Influencer Journey With Whop
If you want to become a travel influencer, starting your journey with Whop can be a great choice. Whop has a ton of communities that help people grow their social media presence. By joining these communities, you can connect with other aspiring influencers, share tips, and learn from each other's experiences. This support can be invaluable as you begin to create content and build your audience.
Here’s an example of one of the social media communities on Whop that teaches you how to go viral:
Then, once you feel ready to take the next step and start making money from your influence, you can create your own Whop community.
This allows you to monetize your expertise by offering exclusive content, such as travel guides, tips, or even personalized coaching. For example, you could set up a membership where followers pay for access to your travel insights, special webinars, or behind-the-scenes content from your trips.
Whop makes it easy to manage subscriptions and engage with your community, helping you turn your passion for travel into a profitable venture.
FAQs
How do you become a travel influencer with no money?
Becoming a travel influencer without spending money is possible, but it requires creativity and resourcefulness. Start creating content by using your smartphone for photos and videos, which keep costs low. Focus on building a niche, such as budget travel or solo adventures, to attract a specific audience, and engage with your followers on social media.
How do you become a travel influencer on Instagram?
Instagram is the ideal platform for travel influencers because it’s incredibly visual. Start by creating a compelling profile that reflects your travel style and niche. Choose a unique username and write a bio that clearly states what your account is about, such as “adventure seeker sharing budget travel tips”. Then, post high-quality photos and engaging stories that showcase your travels and use relevant hashtags to reach a wider audience.
Consistency is key, so aim to post regularly and interact with your followers by responding to comments and messages.
How do you become a paid travel influencer?
To become a paid travel influencer, you need to build a strong online presence and grow your audience. Start by consistently creating high-quality content that resonates with your followers. As your audience grows, brands may reach out for partnerships, or you can proactively pitch your services to companies that align with your niche. Consider joining affiliate programs to earn commissions by promoting products or services you love and exploring sponsored posts, where brands pay you to create content featuring their products.
