Laura Peters is the owner and author of Mike & Laura Travel, a blog that helps travelers find unique destinations and travel experiences on a budget. She is also the CEO of Scale Your Travel Blog, a coaching program that helps travel bloggers start, grow, and scale their travel blog income. When she isn't writing blog posts about her favorite travel destinations, she is serving her audience through Scale Your Travel Blog and her live/virtual events, Travel Blogging Summit.
Travel bloggers: these platforms pay the most
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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):
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 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. 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 P.S. Scale Your Travel Blog is currently CLOSED for enrollment until January 2025. To join our waitlist, please click here! ✔️ Sponsor our newsletter/content: Fill Out The Form Here! |
Laura Peters || Travel Blogging, Affiliate Marketing, Email Marketing
Laura Peters is the owner and author of Mike & Laura Travel, a blog that helps travelers find unique destinations and travel experiences on a budget. She is also the CEO of Scale Your Travel Blog, a coaching program that helps travel bloggers start, grow, and scale their travel blog income. When she isn't writing blog posts about her favorite travel destinations, she is serving her audience through Scale Your Travel Blog and her live/virtual events, Travel Blogging Summit.
💡 Travel Blogging Success Story of the Week 💡 How Georgia 6x’d Her Traffic and Is Walking Away From Her 9-5 Most new bloggers assume growth comes from going viral. I certainly thought that was the only route to actually making money, let alone ‘making it big'. Luckily, I learned a better way. These days, when I tell people I’ve been a full-time travel blogger since 2019, they immediately assume Instagram fame, YouTube subscribers, or some viral TikTok. But once you discover a better way… you...
💡 Travel Blogging Tips of the Week 💡 Where I Spend Money on My Blog(and Where I’d Invest If I Were Starting Over) When I first started blogging, I tried to figure everything out on my own and do everything by myself. Most do! I thought I was “saving” money.. but in reality, I was wasting time (and delaying the point where I actually started making money, which means I was, in fact, losing money). These days, I look at things differently. I’m not afraid to spend money on my blog because the...
💡 Travel Blogging Tips of the Week 💡 Quick Wins & Exciting Blogging News Today’s newsletter is a little different than usual. Normally I like to go deep on one topic, but this time I’ve got a few quick updates and tips I think you'll really appreciate, so grab some coffee (or water, if that's what you prefer) hang with me! In Today's Newsletter: How Emily Built Her $10K/Month Travel Biz With Less Than 10,000 Blog Sessions What’s Working Right Now On Our Blogs Google Algorithm Updates = HCU...