Travelpayouts Review: My Experience Running Two Blogs

Travelpayouts lets you earn commissions by recommending travel bookings through your blog or other content. I use it on Backpacking Is Life and MoneyHackHQ for programmes including rental cars, activities, transport and eSIMs.

Its biggest benefit is convenience: several travel partners, link tools and booking reports in one account. Here is what I like about it, where it falls short and how I would use it on a travel blog.

Some links in this guide are affiliate links. If you join Travelpayouts through my link and meet its referral conditions, I may earn a reward.

Is Travelpayouts worth using?

Yes, if you publish travel content and want to recommend services your readers can book. It is especially useful when you cover several parts of a trip, such as accommodation, car rental, activities and transport.

If you are still building your first website, focus on useful articles and attracting readers alongside setting up the affiliate links. Travelpayouts gives you the booking tools; your content gives people a reason to use them.

Who it suits

Travel bloggers and creators who help people plan and book trips.

Cost to join

Free to register.

Best starting point

Links to the destinations or services your articles already discuss.

Main advantage

Managing several travel affiliate partners in one place.

Main drawback

Each programme has its own rules, and bookings can take time to become payable.

How I use Travelpayouts on my blogs

I use Travelpayouts to connect travel guides with booking options. A rental car guide can link to a car search, an itinerary can link to activities, and a transport guide can link to the route someone needs.

I have received booking commissions from GetYourGuide, DiscoverCars, Trip.com, 12Go and eSIM providers. Having those programmes together makes it easier to create links and keep track of bookings without opening a separate account for every provider.

The links work best when they follow useful advice. For example, explaining which part of Bali suits a first visit is more helpful than putting a hotel button at the top of an article without any context.

The tools you can use

Travelpayouts offers affiliate links, search forms, widgets and other tools. You add your website or content project, choose the programmes that suit it and check the requirements for each.

I would start with ordinary affiliate links. They are easy to add beside a recommendation, and you can send someone to the destination or service you are discussing. A search form can also work well when readers need to enter dates or a route.

Use the tool that makes booking easier. A large widget is not automatically better than a clear link, especially if most of your readers are on phones.

What I like

• One place for several partners. Useful when your blog covers more than one travel category.
• Links that fit the article. You can point readers towards a relevant destination or booking search.
• Booking reports. You can see which programmes are producing activity and follow the commission status.
• A small start is enough. You can add links to existing guides before building new content around the programmes.

What to know before joining

The terms vary by programme. Check the commission, attribution rules, accepted traffic sources and payment conditions for the brands you want to recommend. There is no single commission rate that applies to everything on Travelpayouts.

A booking may take time to pay. The traveller might not take the trip for several months. Cancellations and the provider’s confirmation process can also affect the commission.

The recommendation still matters. If someone is looking for a Jeju rental car, send them towards options for Jeju. A generic offer or an unrelated service is unlikely to help them finish planning their trip.

Can you get a bonus for joining?

Eligible new creators who join through a referral link can unlock up to US$100: US$25 after adding and verifying a website and installing the required script, US$25 after reaching US$100 in qualified revenue and US$50 after reaching US$1,000. You need at least US$50 in qualified revenue before withdrawing the setup bonus. Qualified revenue means eligible commission from bookings marked “Paid”.

If you use my referral link, I can receive up to US$600 in stages when you reach US$500, US$1,500 and US$3,000 in qualified revenue and complete the required withdrawal. I do not receive a reward just because you sign up.

The offer is for eligible new accounts. Cancellations and reversals can affect eligibility, and the terms can change. Check the current Travelpayouts referral terms for the full requirements.

Should you join Travelpayouts or work with brands directly?

If you only want to recommend one brand, its direct affiliate programme may be worth comparing. If you cover different parts of a trip, Travelpayouts can make managing several partners simpler.

Compare the brands you actually plan to use: commission, booking options, payment process and the links available. The better choice is the one that suits your content and gives your readers a useful way to book.

My recommendation: start with a few existing guides

Choose a handful of articles people already visit. Add a relevant booking link after the advice that helps them choose, then see whether readers use it.

For the practical steps, follow my guide to monetising travel content. You can use the free five-article worksheet to plan your first links, or read how I make money from my travel blog for examples.