How This Travel Blogger Made Money Thinking Outside the Blog
• Originally broadcast December 29th, 2025 via email •
| 💡 Travel Blogging Tip of the Week 💡 How This Local Travel Blogger Makes Money with Coloring Books |
I have a bit of a pet peeve.
It’s when people say things like, “I could never do that,” or “That would never work for me.”
Because most of the time, those statements come from not knowing or believing what’s actually possible.
That’s why I love success stories so much.
When I first started blogging, I read as many success stories as I could. Every single one made me ask the same question: if they can do it, why can’t I?
I especially like the stories that don’t fit the typical “blogger makes $50k/month from ads” narrative. Even when I can’t relate to every detail, there’s always at least one idea I can put my own spin on.
With this newsletter, my goal is to share unique success stories; the ones where someone looks at what they already know, where they already live, or who they already are, and builds something from that.
Today’s example is exactly that.
Meet Liz, Travel Blogger
Meet Liz, the creator behind LagunaLiz.com and SuitcaseAndSunglasses.com.
She started blogging in 2024 after retiring from 25 years of teaching high school history (both in the U.S. and internationally).
She’s traveled to more than 90 countries with her husband and two sons, and she wanted a way to combine writing and travel in this next chapter.
So she did something a lot of people should do, but rarely think to try.. she started local.
Eventually, she found Scale Your Travel Blog.
Her blogs are still growing, and monetization is very much in the early stages.
But this is where Liz started to think outside the box..
The Unique Way Liz Started To Make Money From Her Blog
Originally, Liz was focused on growing her traffic so she could qualify for an ad network. But her Laguna Beach site was hosted on Wix.
💡 Laura’s Tip: If you want to make money with ads from Mediavine, Raptive, or other ad networks, you cannot host your site on Wix.
Instead of rushing to move her website during her summer traffic spike, she asked a different question:
“What else could my audience want?”
She thought back to traveling with her kids and remembered how often simple, destination-themed activities saved the day.
So she created a Laguna Beach–specific coloring book for kids.
Here’s the Exact Process She Used
This is what Liz did step-by-step:
Step 1: Validate the idea
She searched Amazon and Google for Laguna Beach–specific coloring books. There weren’t many, and none that really captured the town.
Step 2: List real locations
She brainstormed 50+ recognizable Laguna Beach spots, then narrowed it down to 25.
Step 3: Publish
She published it and ordered physical copies.
Step 4: Pitch locally
She emailed two local stores. One of the stores said to bring it in.
When she walked into the shop, the owner asked ow many copies she had in her car.
Liz had 10. The owner bought all 10 on the spot.
A few days later, she asked for 25 more.
They sold out, too.
Why This Worked (And Why It Matters)
Liz is a local in a tourist town. This meant she knew which landmarks could be interesting for a touristy coloring book.
This was also a huge hit with traveling families. On top of that, the book was placed front-and-center during peak season, which made it an easy grab for customers already looking for something like it.
The same store then went on to ask her for a Christmas-themed Laguna Beach coloring book, which was released October 1st.
Another local bookstore is interested in the holiday version.
How This Changed Her Blog
Liz told me something I think a lot of bloggers need to hear..
There’s something powerful about hearing “yes” and hearing “no” without it meaning anything about your worth or your blog.
And once she realized this was possible, she didn’t stop.
She’s since created a Dubai-themed coloring book based on the nine years she lived there, and a non-fiction book pulling from her background as a history teacher, 50 States, 50 Names: How Our States Were Named (released October 1st).
What You Can Borrow From This
(Even If You Never Make a Coloring Book)
You don’t need to create physical products to learn from this.
Here are a few thing things you should take away from this success story:
- Monetization doesn’t have to be digital-only
- Local expertise is a massive asset
- Small, specific ideas often work better than big, generic ones
- You don’t need huge traffic to test an offer
- Your blog can be the starting point, not the entire business
Ultimately, it may not be the traditional way bloggers think about making money, but it expanded what was possible for her. Don’t box yourself in.
Try new ideas. If something flops, move on.
Then double down on what works.
Sometimes the best income ideas come from asking:
“What do people already ask me for help with?”
“What do I know that tourists don’t?”
“What problem keeps coming up again and again?”
That’s where opportunities live.
And don’t get me wrong.. ads and affiliates are still great.
But they’re not the only way to build something meaningful and profitable.
Have a great week,
Laura
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