Travel Bloggers: These Platforms Pay the Most
• Originally broadcast August 12, 2025 via email •
Why More Traffic Doesn’t Always Mean More Income
If you’ve been in the blogging world for a while, you’ve probably heard the same advice on repeat:
“You need more Google traffic.”
And for years, I agreed.
Don’t get me wrong, I still do. I love Google traffic. BUT to a point.
Because here’s what I’ve learned after running multiple sites and testing dozens of traffic sources:
Not all traffic is created equal. And I’ll show you why.
Ad Income: The Truth About RPMs
RPM stands for “Revenue Per Mille” or how much money you earn for every 1,000 pageviews on your blog.
Most ad networks (Mediavine, Journey, Raptive, etc.) use this system or something similar. Even YouTube uses this formula.
But what most bloggers don’t realize is that your RPM isn’t just about traffic volume, it’s about the type of traffic you’re getting.
Here’s a look at real RPMs from one of my blogs (same blog posts, different traffic source):
 |
- Pinterest: $79.39
- Facebook: $55.74
- Yahoo: $50.82
- Bing: $44.64
- Email/Other: $32.20
- Google: $21.14
- Instagram: $15.94
So if you’re only chasing Google traffic, you are missing out on higher-paying platforms.
Again, let me reiterate: SEO does matter.
But diversifying your traffic is key if you want to increase ad income.
Affiliate Income: Why Intent > Volume
I’ve seen this over and over and over again..
A blog post barely gets any traffic, but the right reader lands on it. They click my link. They make a purchase. And I earn a commission.
That’s the magic of affiliate marketing.
It’s not about attracting millions of people, it’s about getting the right content in front of the right people, at the right moment.
Here are some of our Scale Your Travel Blog students that are crushing it with affiliate marketing even with lower traffic numbers:
👉 How Robyn earns $900/month with 6,000 sessions
👉 How Jordie earns £2K+/month with 12,000-15,000 monthly sessions
Both of these bloggers focus on intent, not pageviews, and it certainly pays off.
The Bottom Line
Chasing traffic is fine. But monetizing smarter is how you build real, sustainable income.
Coming Up Next…
I’ve got something exciting lined up for you…
Starting soon, I’ll be sharing exclusive interviews with bloggers who are turning their blogs into powerful traffic and income machines, often in creative, unexpected ways.
You’ll hear their behind-the-scenes strategies, smart pivots, and hard-won lessons across a range of topics: from affiliate success to ad optimization, email growth, and more.
These stories are packed with insights you can actually use, and I can’t wait to roll them out throughout the rest of 2025.
Stay tuned!
Talk to you soon,
Laura
