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.
Hey! I still laugh thinking about this one time when Mike and I were coming back from French Polynesia. We’d been there for a month — part work, part adventure — and got stuck in the customs line at LAX. When it was finally our turn, the immigration officer looked at our passports and said, “French Polynesia for a month? What were you doing there?” “We’re travel bloggers,” I said. “We were researching for our blog.” He raised an eyebrow. “What’s your blog?” *Which one?* I thought to myself.....
💡 Travel Blogging Tip of the Week 💡 How Kristine Turned Her Love for Italy Into a Service-Based Blog Business Blogging success stories are my absolute favorite. Because they show what's possible for all of us. But when most people think of succeeding as a travel blogger and making money, they typically think about display ads (like Mediavine or Raptive) or affiliate marketing. And don't get me wrong.. Those are great ways to earn money from your blog. But one blogger in our Scale Your Travel...
💡 Travel Blogging Tip of the Week 💡 How One Blogger Grew to 160,000 Pageviews (and Replaced Her Teaching Income With Blogging) When I first met Kristin, she was teaching in a classroom full-time and completely exhausted. Fast forward just two years, and after joining Scale Your Travel Blog, her main blog, Tiny Footsteps Travel, now gets over 160,000 monthly pageviews and earns her a six-figure income. She’s fully replaced her teaching salary and built a business that gives her freedom and...