18 Best Travel Affiliate Programs To Boost Your Income
Are you a travel blogger, YouTuber, or influencer and looking for the best travel affiliate programs? Then you have landed at the right place.
Ask anyone their favorite hobby, and chances are they will have traveling on their list.
And that’s why if you have traveling as your niche, then believe me you are sitting on a gold mine.
But how can you make money exactly?
Well, going on trips is fun. However, it can be hectic to plan one and there are so many things that can go wrong on the trip itself.
And that’s where you come in.
By using your own traveling experiences and a little research, you can create amazing content to help people travel easily, and safely, and make them have the best time of their lives.
And in the process, you can recommend them hotels, flight booking sites, or simply some gadgets, and earn commission as an affiliate.
So, go through this list of the best travel affiliate programs and start monetizing your content.
Best Travel Affiliate Programs
1) Booking.com Affiliate Partner Program
Booking acquires more than 200 million visitors every month.
And this makes them arguably the biggest websites in the travel niche.
May it be hotels, rental cars, flights, cruises, or activities, you can book anything from here.
They have more than 2.5 million listings for stays over the world.
When you sign up for their affiliate program, you will get a few tools like deals finder, WordPress plugins, and pre-made banners to make your task easier.
Their customer support is considered one of the best in the business.
Cookie Period: Session-based cookie. This means if you send a prospect to their website, then they will have to make the booking then and there only. Otherwise, you will lose the sale.
Commission: 25% to 40% of what Booking makes from their partners. Most of us confuse it with the direct percentage of the booking amount. But it’s not like that.
Booking gets 20% of the booking amount from the merchant, and you will be paid 25% to 40% of that 20%.
This may not look much at first, but most of the bookings are done for 2 to 3 nights and every day’s charges are $250, then you will end up making $37.5 from just one sale with a 25% percentage rate.
The percentage varies with the number of sales you generate.
- 1 – 49 sales: 25%
- 50 – 149 sales: 30%
- 150 – 499 sales: 35%
- 500+ sales: 40%
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: €100
2) Expedia Affiliate Program
Expedia is another giant in the travel industry.
They have a wide variety of hotels, tours, activities that you can choose to promote. And their worldwide presence is a big positive.
According to the platform itself, they grossed $39.4 billion in bookings back in 2013. And this number is continuously growing.
Their affiliate program is hosted and managed by CJ Affiliates but they offer their own customer support for the affiliates.
Cookie Period: 30 days
Commission: 3.5% to 11%
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: $50
3) TripAdvisor Affiliate Program
Most of us check reviews on TripAdvisor before going on a vacation.
That’s how popular they are.
Through their platform, one can book a cruise, flights, hotels, restaurants, and much more.
However, as an affiliate, you will get paid only for referring hotels.
So focus on promoting their hotels only.
On TripAdvisor you can get paid in two ways:
- If you link out to a specific hotel and someone books it through your link, you earn a 50% commission of what TripAdvisor earns from that hotel booking.
- Or you can just bring people to TripAdvisor, and once they click out to a listing and go to their partner’s website, you earn a commission.
Have a look at this image. It will help you understand better.
Their affiliate program is managed by AWIN and CJ Affiliates.
Cookie Period: 30 days
Commission: 50% of what TripAdvisor earns from their partners/Incentives $60 to $1720
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: $10
4) Cruise Direct Affiliate Program
Cruise Direct is a well known website to book cruises.
Since their establishment in 2001, they have earned a good name for themselves.
Currently, they have listings from 20 cruise lines on their platform and they have ports in every major country.
They offer a clean user interface for their users and affiliates as well.
In my opinion, they are improving very fast and bringing more and more functionalities for their affiliates.
Cookie Period: 45 days
Commission: 3% of the gross sale
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: $25
5) Skyscanner Affiliate Program
Skyscanner started back in 2003 as a flight price comparison platform and today they are among the top travel websites.
They offer flight bookings, car rentals, and hotel bookings.
I really like them because they go the extra mile to help you.
They offer travel search widgets that you can embed directly on your blog.
And with an application, you can also apply for their API.
I really recommend you to check them out.
Cookie Period: 30 days
Commission: 20% or more of Skyscanner’s profit / £0.20 on click-outs
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: $50
6) ClaimCompass Affiliate Program
ClaimCompass helps travelers claim their money back for a canceled flight.
A person just needs to go and fill out a form which may take only a few minutes. And their team will get to work.
They don’t charge beforehand, but only after the applicant gets the claimed money from the airline.
A person can claim a maximum of €600 for a flight cancellation that happened 5 years ago.
Cookie Period: 90 days
Commission: A minimum of €15 per referral. But it changes with the number of claimants you bring.
- 50 claims: €1,050
- 100 claims: €2,100
- 150 claims: €3,150
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: €15
7) G Adventures Affiliate Program
G Adventures organizes trips for small groups worldwide.
They offer different trip types like day tours, independent travels, small groups, and tailor-made.
Also, one gets to choose different traveling styles:
- Active
- Classic
- Family
- Local living
- Marine
- National geographic family journeys
- National geographic journeys
- Rail
- Wellness
Commission Junction and AWIN manage their affiliate program.
Their affiliates get promo codes, several types of display ads for promotion.
Cookie Period: 90 days
Commission: 5% of the confirmed sales
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: $50
8) Lonely Planet Affiliate Program
Lonely Planet is a top travel media company that sells e-books and guides about different destinations and travel.
They also let you book flights, hotels, cars, insurance, and tours from their platform.
As an affiliate, you can help them sell all these things and earn a good commission.
Cookie Period: 30 days
Commission: 15% on printed books and ebooks and 12% on travel guides
9) RoutePerfect Affiliate Program
RoutePerfect is one of the highest-rated traveling platforms out there.
They are kind of unique as they let the travelers make their own itineraries in only five simple steps.
These steps are as follows:
- Choose a destination and date
- Then create your itinerary or pick an already existing one
- Customize your trip
- Select hotel, car rental, and activities or experiences
- Then simply make the payment
Make sure to add this one to your affiliate portfolio.
Cookie Period: Unclear
Commission: $50 for a minimum package of $300
Payment Time: Within 30 days of checkout
Minimum Payout: $50
10) Urban Adventures Affiliate Program
Local sourcing is the best thing about Urban Adventures.
They believe in giving back to the community.
So when someone books a tour with them, they hire a local guide. They make sure that one gets to know the real culture of the place.
They organize local meetups, cooking workshops, and interactions.
And when it comes to their affiliates, they are always there to support them.
If you bring them a good volume of bookings, they will customize their affiliate option according to you.
Cookie Period: 6 months
Commission: 10% on all confirmed booking
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: $150
11) World Nomads Partner Program
World Nomads provide insurance for travelers.
Their insurance covers:
- Trip cancellation
- Trip interruption
- Trip delay
- Loss or theft of personal items
- Medical expenses
- Accidental death
- Dismemberment, etc.
They are very professional and take pride in their fast service.
And as a fellow traveler and affiliate, you can suggest them to other travelers.
Cookie Period: 60 days
Commission: 10% on every sale
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: $250
12) Allianz Global Insurance Affiliate Program
Allianz Global Insurance comes under Allianz, which was established back in 1890.
They are trustworthy and have a total of five plans to offer:
- OneTrip Cancellation Plus Plan
- OneTrip Basic Plan
- OneTrip Prime Plan
- OneTrip Premier Plan
- OneTrip Emergency Medical Plan
Families traveling with kids under 17 will get free insurance for their kids.
They let Commission Junction run their affiliate program.
Cookie Period: 45 days
Commission: $12 to $25 on every sale
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: $50
13) TravelInsurance.com Affiliate Program
Unlike the earlier two insurance companies, TravelInsurance doesn’t sell the insurance themselves.
They just let travelers find and compare different insurances to help them choose better.
This can be done in four easy steps:
- Enter trip details
- Get quotes from different insurance companies
- Compare plans
- Buy the plan you like
For their affiliates, they have a number of banners and text links.
Also, they make it easier for their affiliates to monitor their campaigns from their functional dashboard.
Cookie Period: TBC
Commission: Varies from company to company
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: $100
14) Skyroam Affiliate Partner Program
While traveling to different countries, we all have to go through the hassle of buying a new sim card and paying hefty charges for only a few days of usage.
But with the help of Skyroam, we can save ourselves from this drag.
They offer two small disc-shaped portable WiFi devices, Solis Lite and Solis X.
They use a virtual SIM that connects to the local server and gives you access to the internet.
You can simply download their app on your mobile phone and select a plan of your choice.
Their services are in over 135 countries.
And this makes it a great product to remote for a travel affiliate like you.
Cookie Period: 30 days
Commission: 15%
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: TBC
15) Wise Affiliate Program
When you transfer money to another country, you have to pay an extra exchange rate and a commission percentage to the bank.
That’s where Wise comes in.
They charge the lowest possible true cost and flat fees that you can check before making the transaction.
But the main thing that will interest travelers is the Wise debit card. You get this debit card after creating the Wise borderless account.
Using this card, you can withdraw up to £200 in a month from an ATM overseas with a conversion of merely 0.35% to 15, and for no extra fee.
Wise has an affiliate program that you can use and get paid in your own currency, no matter from where you belong.
Cookie Period: Unlimited
Commission: Varies from affiliate to affiliate. They assess the value of business a partner brings to them and pay them accordingly.
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: TBC
16) Decathlon Affiliate Program
Decathlon is a well-known brand that sells all kinds of hiking and camping gear, clothing, bags, and so much more.
And since they are a global brand, you can easily promote their product to adventure travelers around the globe.
Their affiliate program is run by Admitad.
Cookie Period: 30 days
Commission: 2.62% to 3.15% on every sale
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: TBC
17) REI Affiliate Program
REI is another giant that specializes in outdoor gear, accessories, and apparel.
They have been around since 1938 and have grown a massive following.
Backpacks, coolers, cookware, tents, sleeping sacks, hammocks, compasses, flashlights, or jackets, you name it and they have it.
Their product quality is absolutely great and they are loved worldwide.
They have a pretty straightforward affiliate program that you can leverage.
Cookie Period: 30 days
Commission: 5% on every sale
Payment Time: 30 days
Minimum Payout: TBC
18) Amazon Associates
This one needs no explanation.
We all know how massive Amazon’s inventory is, and as a travel affiliate, you can find tons of cool stuff to promote.
You can partner with them using Amazon Associates.
The best part with them is that you will get paid for all the things that someone buys after landing on their platform from your link. But not for the products that were already in their cart.
Their commission rates vary for different categories.
Cookie Period: 24 hours
Commission: 2% to 10%
Payment Time: 60 days
Minimum Payout: $10
FAQs
Q1. What are the highest paying travel affiliate programs?
Some of the programs that I mentioned above pay really high commission rates.
But if you want some more, then here they are:
- Travelpayouts – Upto 80%
- Priceline – 3% to 5%
- Travelocity – 2% to 4%
- Marriott – 3% to 6%
- Sandals Resorts – 4%
Q2. How much do travel affiliates earn?
It completely depends on two things; the quality of traffic and the offer you decide to promote. In the travel niche, you can earn a minimum of $10 for every qualified lead, and the upper limit is in the hundreds.
So, as an average travel affiliate, you can earn anywhere from $1000 to $10,000 every month.
This is a very rough estimate, to be honest.
Q3. How do I become a travel affiliate?
Steps to become a travel affiliate:
- Choose a platform to create content. This can be YouTube, a website, or any social media platform.
- Next, try to find out how you can help your audience.
If you are already a traveler, then you must know what kind of things you might need before, during, and after traveling. You can do some research as well.
- After this, join affiliate programs that have products or services that will help your audience.
- Start creating great content. Make sure to be as thorough as possible.
- Promote your affiliate products through this content.
- Keep engaging in conversations with your audience.
- Test different things and modify accordingly.
This is a very brief explanation of the process. In reality, there are so many other things that go into it.
So, make sure to check ‘Step By Step Guide to Affiliate Marketing’.
Q4. How do you monetize a travel website?
Best ways to monetize a travel website are:
- Affiliate marketing
- Contextual advertising
- Direct advertising
- Native ads
- Selling your own products
- Sponsored posts
Conclusion
Travel is an evergreen niche, and if you play a little smart then you can make good money.
It’s all about how well you know your audience and how genuine you are.
All marketing and strategies will fail if you try to fool people.
Create a connection with them, let them know you are here to help, and then if you will recommend something, they will buy.
So I wish you luck, traveler.
For any queries or suggestions, leave a comment below.
Thanks and regards!!
