From passion project to $5K months: The inspiring journey of Adventures by Lana

Q. What do you get when you mix SEO, consistent new content, and smart affiliate marketing strategies?

A. Success!

Need proof? Meet Lana. Her travel site Adventures By Lana has become a trusted resource and a successful business, giving her a second income doing work she enjoys.

Read on to learn how Lana made it happen.

From pandemic hobby to successful blog

I started Adventures By Lana as a passion project during the pandemic. With extra time on my hands, I bought a domain, set up my site, and began writing. However, my blog didn’t go live until 2022, as life got in the way. Initially, it was just a side project, but when I realized that my traffic was stagnant at 500 monthly sessions, I decided to challenge myself to grow it.

In 2023, I made the conscious choice to prioritize my blog, setting aside other projects and focusing on what mattered most to me. I invested in a course – Bootstrap Blogging – and set out to learn as much as I could about blogging!

My work paid off, and in 2024, my traffic and affiliate income skyrocketed – I was so excited to break 50,000 page views in April. I was able to join the Raptive Rise ad program and began achieving $5K months through ads and affiliate marketing with Travelpayouts.

Planning and consistency: the keys to growth

Planning and consistency have been the backbone of my success. I still work full-time, which means I need to organize my days to make the most of my limited hours.

Every weekend, I plan my content for the upcoming week, choose my topics, and create detailed outlines for each post. This makes it easier to jump into writing whenever I have a spare moment, whether that’s for 30 minutes before work or during an evening editing session.

The key for me is to write consistently throughout the week, with final touches, proofreading, and publication on Friday. Some days flow with inspiration, while others require more effort, but the key is just to keep writing. I love writing, but there are obviously still days when I’m not in the mood – and that’s okay. In any case, having the outline ready in advance means a lot of the hard work is already done.

Sticking to this routine and being consistent with my efforts has made all the difference. I’ve learned to make the most of my limited time, stay productive, and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Getting strategic about content creation

I tend to write posts about my latest trips, which keeps me inspired and productive. I try to do itineraries, beginner’s guides, and “things to do” articles for each destination. For instance, after a recent trip to London, I worked on multiple posts covering various aspects of my visit, from itineraries to specific tours I went on. I’ve found that writing several related articles in a row makes me more productive.

SEO is obviously a must, so I also spend time researching keywords, looking for high-volume, low-competition ones I can focus on each week. In addition to creating new content, I also devote time to updating older posts, particularly optimizing them for affiliate links.

Growing the team

For the first two years, it was just me handling every aspect of the blog. Once I started making money, I decided to get some help so I could increase my output. At the beginning of 2024, I hired a freelance blog writer to help me with content creation so I could reach 50,000 sessions per month and apply for an ad network. Now she also helps me with Pinterest. I truly love writing, so ideally I’d do it all myself, but I have to be realistic. Plus, having someone who’s traveled to places I haven’t been allows me to share extra experiences with my readers!

Recently, I also hired a virtual assistant (VA) to help pitch to brands – something that often ended up on the back burner. These additions to my team have allowed me to stay focused on what I love most while still growing the blog.

Traffic sources and social media strategy

Around 85% of my traffic comes from Google, with the rest from Instagram and Pinterest.

My top articles are:

While Google remains my primary focus, social media is important for me, too. My Instagram, which I launched before the blog, now serves as a platform for connecting with like-minded travelers and repurposing my blog content.

One of my goals for 2025 is to invest more time in Pinterest. I do already use it, though, and I have a good workflow that doesn’t demand much time: I content once a month using the built-in scheduling tool. By creating and scheduling 30 days’ worth of pins in one session, I ensure my presence on the platform without daily effort. I don’t currently use affiliate links on Pinterest, but I should look into that!

Affiliate marketing success and reader intent

It was affiliate marketing that really allowed my income to skyrocket, and Travelpayouts has been instrumental here. My main partners include Viator, GetYourGuide, Tripadvisor, and Booking.com.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned about affiliate marketing is understanding reader intent. When I first started, I randomly threw widgets into my blog posts – for example, adding a Booking.com widget into a section about snorkeling. It made no sense, and it didn’t convert well.

Now, I make sure that every link is placed where it naturally fits and where readers are already “warmed up.” If I’m writing about things to do in London, I’ll use a GetYourGuide link and widget and share my personal opinions to encourage clicks!

My top-performing posts in terms of conversions are those geared toward buyer intent, like my guide to the best sunset cruises in Key West. People reading that post are ready to book but need help deciding which cruise to choose. Posts like these and “where to stay in XYZ” consistently convert well because they meet my readers’ needs at just the right moment.

Diving into the data

I love studying my numbers to see what’s performing well. I’m trying to be better about using SubIDs to track which articles and links bring in the most bookings, but I can often tell which post is converting based on the recommendations I made. Interestingly, some posts that get a lot of traffic don’t necessarily convert well for affiliate revenue, and vice versa. I’d love to bring those two closer together!

I’m also experimenting with affiliate tools to see how to maximize conversions. For example, I often add a GetYourGuide availability widget beneath a related affiliate link, providing additional info like cost and ratings to help guide readers’ decisions.

Hot tips for aspiring travel bloggers

For those looking to grow their blogs and earn more than a few bucks from affiliate marketing, my journey offers valuable lessons:

Prioritize and commit: Focus on what truly matters and be prepared to set aside less important projects.
Optimize for SEO: Use high-volume, low-competition keywords and keep your content fresh by updating older posts.
Understand reader intent: Strategically place affiliate links where they add value to readers, boosting your chances of conversion.
Time management is key: Plan and stick to a schedule that works for you – whether that means writing on weekends or batching Pinterest content once a month.
Experiment and learn: Track your results, experiment with different strategies, and always learn from your successes and mistakes.

Above all, remember that this isn’t magic. Sure, there’s some luck involved, but more than anything, it was focus and strategy that got me where I am. You can do it, too!