I’m surely not the best success story in the travel blogging world. There are creators out there who offer incredibly detailed guides, courses, and resources for travel blogging. But I do get the occasional question about how I run my blog, so I thought I’d put together this resource page where I can share the tools I use for setting up and monetizing this travel blog. I won’t go into the technical details or share a step-by-step guide (at least not yet), but if you’ve ever landed on my blog and thought, “I wonder how she did that”, whether it’s about the theme I use, the monetization tools, or the hosting provider, you’ll find it all here.

Below are the resources I used to set up my travel blog and any other relevant services.

• Hosting: I was initially using another hosting provider, but I switched to Bluehost in 2019, and I’m pretty happy with the performance and pricing. I also got my professional email through Bluehost.
• Website design: I’ve used WordPress.org to build and design my blog from the beginning, and I believe it’s the best choice. I know there are platforms out there that are potentially easier to use, but WordPress gives you the most flexibility. There is a steeper learning curve, but it pays off, in my opinion.
• Plugins: There is literally a plugin for everything, but as I’ve learned over the years, less is more. If you have too many plugins, it can slow down your site. Use the necessary performance, optimization, and compliance plugins. The plugins that have made the most difference for me are WP Rocket for performance, Wordfence Security for firewall and malware scanning, Imagify for image optimization, Complianz for GDPR/CCPa compliance, Akismet for spam protection, and All In One SEO for SEO.
• Theme: I am currently using Astra Pro. I find it fast, with cool features and personalization options. I’ve changed a few themes over the years, and this one is my favorite so far.

• TravelPayouts: This is the first partnerships platform I joined to monetize my travel content, and it is still one of my favorites. They have a lot of cool partners, like Booking.com, GetYourGuide, Viator, and more. Sign up here.
• Stay22: I joined Stay22 fairly late in the game, but I immediately noticed a huge difference in my income. This is by far the platform that brings me the most income from travel recommendations. Sign up here.
• Individual partnerships: Aside from the affiliate networks mentioned above, I have also partnered with a few individual brands that I find worth recommending to my audience.
  • SafetyWing: my current travel medical insurance. I would recommend it even if I wasn’t an affiliate. The team at SafetyWing is always super helpful, and there are lots of perks in being an ambassador!
  • GuruWalk: I discovered this platform for booking free walking tours when they reached out to me to be an affiliate. I’ve used it myself and loved it, so I now include it in my content.
  • Manawa: As with GuruWalk, I didn’t know this one before they reached out to me, but I tested it before recommending activities to my audience. I love that you can book tours and activities organized by local providers.
  • GPSMyCity: It’s a cool way to leverage your travel blogs and earn extra income by adding them to their travel planning and navigation app. You earn commission for subscription sales that came through your blogs.
• Ads: Lastly, I joined Mediavine Journey for display ads. This has brought a nice income boost when the blog was performing well. I’m not earning as much since I lost a lot of traffic, but it’s still an easy way to add that little bit of extra income.

That’s it for now! I hope you’ll find these resources useful! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions! If you’d like to receive updates about new blog posts, promotions, and other news, consider signing up for my monthly newsletter!

This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through these links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services I have tried and/or find useful and reliable.