Picture this: instead of agonizing over Google Analytics every morning, you’re actually excited to check your revenue streams.
With Google traffic becoming more unpredictable, many travel bloggers are looking for new ways to monetize their passion. One hot trend? Digital products to sell.
To help you pick, we’ve added a star system. More icons mean this digital product idea is more complex and takes more work.
Travel guides
Difficulty: ⭐
Time: ⭐
Travel guides provide detailed information and insights for travelers. They can be easily downloaded and used on various devices.
To prepare a virtual guide, you’ll need to do thorough research as well as draw on your own experiences. Cover everything a traveler might need to know about a particular place, including top attractions, accommodations, dining options, and local tips. Thematic guides are another option.
💡 Use articles that you’ve already published in your travel blog, adding to them as needed. Make them pretty in Canva and sell the finished product.
Monetization methods
- One-time purchases: Offer travel guides as standalone products that the audience can purchase individually.
- Bundling: Bundle travel guides with other digital products, such as digital magazines or travel planners.
- Affiliate marketing: Add affiliate links to your guides. For example, you can use Travelpayouts partner tools to recommend flights, accommodations, insurance, and other services travelers need.
- Sponsored content: Collaborate with brands to create sponsored sections for inclusion in the guide (or see if they’ll sponsor the entire guide).
Membership sites and exclusive content
Difficulty: ⭐
Time: ⭐⭐
Membership sites are online platforms where users pay a recurring fee to access exclusive content, resources, and dedicated communities of travel enthusiasts.
💡 You don’t necessarily need a site to sell memberships – you can share your paid content on Patreon, social media groups, etc. For example, Instagram subscriptions for creators allow you to offer exclusive content for a monthly fee.
Option 1. Exclusive articles and videos
Offer members access to exclusive articles, videos, and other premium content unavailable to the general public. This could include in-depth travel guides, destination reviews, and behind-the-scenes content. Because who wouldn’t want to see the ten attempts it took to get that perfect sunset photo?
Monetization methods
- Membership fees: Charge a monthly or annual fee for access to exclusive content.
- Premium tiers: Offer different membership levels with varying benefits, such as early access to content or one-on-one travel consultations.
- Affiliate marketing: Add affiliate links to recommend travel services and earn on its bookings.
Option 2. Forums
Forums create a sense of community and enable members to engage meaningfully with each other and the travel blogger. Members can ask questions and exchange travel tips, fostering a collaborative and supportive environment. The best part? This feedback also gives you more content ideas.
Monetization methods
- Sponsored discussions: Partner with travel brands to sponsor discussions or Q&A sessions within the forums.
- Advertising: Show relevant ads in the forum. If someone wants to promote their company, they can pay a fee and pin their comment/conversation to the top for maximum reach.
- Affiliate marketing: Where appropriate, share affiliate links in forum discussions – for instance, to booking sites or places where readers can buy relevant products
Custom itineraries
Difficulty: ⭐
Time: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Have you explored a region so thoroughly that you know every hidden gem by heart? Are you a pro at planning intricate itineraries for you and your friends? Don’t let that expertise go to waste – turn it into a profitable venture. Offer your readers personalized consultations and create custom travel itineraries tailored to their unique preferences and needs.
💡This way, you earn even if you don’t book client trips directly.
Monetization methods
- Consultation fees: Charge a fee for creating customized itineraries.
- Affiliate marketing: Share affiliate links with your customers for recommended accommodations, tours, and travel insurance. With Travelpayouts, you can manage affiliate partnerships with Booking.com, GetYourGuide, Tripadvisor, and other well-known travel brands in one place.
- Premium service packages: Offer tiered packages with varying levels of detail and additional services (for example, on-call travel assistance).
Option 1. Personalized itineraries
Personalized itineraries are tailored to individual clients’ interests, budgets, and travel styles. They can include recommendations for accommodations, dining, attractions, and activities.
Let’s say Anna is planning a trip to Rome with her husband and child. She needs help crafting the perfect itinerary and reaches out to you for expert advice. You can recommend her a family-friendly hotel with activities for children and suggest excursions from GetYourGuide or Viator within a 15-minute radius so that Anna Jr. doesn’t get too grumpy.
Option 2. Themed itineraries
Themed itineraries focus on specific interests, such as culinary tours, adventure travel, or wellness retreats. They can appeal to niche markets and provide unique travel experiences.
Imagine creating a culinary tour of Lisbon for food enthusiasts. Beyond the best local restaurants, you can include cooking classes and a visit to the famous Mercado da Ribeira food market.
Webinars and live Q&A sessions
Difficulty: ⭐⭐
Time: ⭐⭐
Webinars and live Q&A sessions allow travel bloggers to share their expertise and engage with their audience in real-time. Such events are good ways to establish your expertise, encourage audience loyalty, and foster community.
Option 1. Expert webinars
Expert webinars are structured, informative sessions where you share in-depth knowledge on specific topics. These might include everything from travel planning to photography tips and destination-specific info.
Monetization methods
- Paid access: Charge a fee for live attendance or access to recorded webinars.
- Sponsorships: Partner with travel brands to sponsor your webinars.
Option 2. Interactive Q&As
Interactive Q&A sessions provide a platform for your audience to ask questions and receive immediate answers. You can use platforms like YouTube, Instagram, or your personal website.
Monetization methods
- Membership perks: Offer exclusive Q&A sessions as part of a membership site or Patreon.
- Ticket sales: Sell tickets for access to live Q&A events.
Travel photography and presets
Difficulty: ⭐⭐
Time: ⭐⭐⭐
There’s power in your photos, so why not monetize a skill you’ve been honing for years?
Option 1. Editing presets
Editing presets are ready-made settings for photo editing software or mobile apps. They can be applied with a single click. Offer a variety of presets for different styles and lighting conditions to help your audience improve their photography easily.
Monetization methods
- Direct sales: Sell individual presets or bundles through your website or platforms like Etsy.
- Bundle deals: Combine presets with other digital products, such as photo packs or travel guides, to create value-added packages. You can also sell a pack of presets; the more, the better.
Option 2. Selling your photos
Give your photos a second life! Who knows, maybe your snapshot will end up on someone’s fridge.
Monetization methods
- Online print shop: Set up a store on your website where visitors can purchase your photos as prints, canvases, or framed artwork. Services like Printful or Fine Art America can handle the printing and shipping, allowing you to focus on marketing and selling your work. Also, you can sell packs of travel photos that your audience can use for personal projects, social media, or promotional materials.
- Stock photography sites: Upload your photos to sites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Getty Images. Then you’ll earn royalties whenever your photos are downloaded or purchased.
- Photo licensing: License your photos for commercial use through platforms like 500px or Alamy. Businesses and publishers can purchase licenses to use your images in their projects, providing you with a steady income stream.
Digital magazines
Difficulty: ⭐⭐
Time: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A well-designed digital magazine entertains readers with stories and photos, helps them out with tips and trip ideas, and gets them excited to hit the road. It’s not something you can slap together in a couple of hours, but if you do it well, the final product can be a true beauty.
Option 1. Monthly magazines
Monthly digital travel magazines provide consistent, updated content for readers. They can include destination guides, tips, interviews with travel influencers, and more. The regularity keeps readers engaged and coming back for more.
Monetization methods
- Subscription fees: Charge readers a monthly or annual subscription fee for access to the magazine.
- Advertisements: Sell ad space within the magazine to travel-related companies such as hotels, airlines, and tour operators.
- Affiliate marketing: Add affiliate links to the content. For example, you can use Travelpayouts partner tools to recommend flights, accommodations, insurance, and other services travelers need.
- Sponsored content: Collaborate with brands to create sponsored articles or features that align with the magazine’s theme.
Option 2. Special editions
Special editions of a magazine might focus on specific themes, destinations, or events. They can be released quarterly or for special occasions such as holidays or festivals. Special editions allow you to dive deep into a topic and attract niche audiences.
Monetization methods
- One-time purchases: Offer special editions as standalone products that readers can purchase individually.
- Bundling: You can bundle special editions with other digital products, such as access to exclusive online content or courses (which we’ll discuss below).
- Premium content: Include exclusive interviews, in-depth guides, and high-quality photography that can justify a higher price point.
- Partnerships: Partner with travel brands and organizations to sponsor special editions, providing them with exposure in exchange for financial support.
- Affiliate marketing: Just as in monthly magazines, you can also add affiliate links to the content.
Printable travel planners and journals
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐
Time: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trust us, travelers are willing to pay to remember to put a power bank in their suitcase or generally remember what happened to them on their trip. Printable travel planners and journals are perfect for this. You can offer them as digital downloads so your customers can print them out and use them whenever they need to.
Option 1. Trip planners
Trip planners provide travelers with comprehensive planning tools, including checklists, budgeting sheets, and daily itineraries. These digital products help travelers stay organized and make the most of their trips.
Monetization methods
- Direct sales: Sell individual presets or bundles through your website or platforms like Etsy.
- Custom planners: Charge a premium for personalized trip planners tailored to individual needs.
- Printable bundles: Create and sell bundles of various planning templates for different types of trips.
Option 2. Trip journals
Offer beautifully designed downloadable or printable pages to help your audience record their adventures in a structured and creative way. These journals often include sections for daily entries, packing lists, itineraries, expense tracking, and spaces for photos and mementos.
Monetization methods
- Direct sales: Sell printable travel journals on your website or through online marketplaces like Etsy.
- Bundling: Offer journals as part of a travel planning bundle, which could include itineraries, planners, and other helpful resources.
- Custom designs: Provide options for custom-designed journals that can be personalized with the buyer’s name, travel dates, or specific destinations.
Online courses and workshops
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Time: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Online courses and workshops help your audience learn new skills and gain in-depth knowledge about travel-related topics.
Option 1. Online courses
In terms of topic, the sky’s the limit. It depends on what you’re an expert in and what you want to share with the world. Here are some ideas:
- Travel photography: Teach the basics of camera settings, composition, and advanced techniques for capturing stunning photos.
- Travel videography: Offer lessons on shooting and editing videos, including equipment recommendations and storytelling tricks.
- Cultural immersion: Create courses on understanding and experiencing different cultures, including language basics and tips for navigating cultural challenges.
- Sustainable travel: Educate on eco-friendly travel practices, conservation efforts, and responsible tourism.
Monetization methods
- Direct sales: Sell the course as a one-time purchase.
- Membership access: Include the course as part of a subscription or membership site.
Option 2. Blogging workshop
You can share not just your travel expertise, but your travel content expertise. Offer blogging workshops covering content creation, SEO, social media strategies, monetization, and other topics. These might be live sessions or pre-recorded, allowing participants to learn at their own pace.
Monetization methods
- Workshop fees: Charge a fee for access to the workshop.
- Premium packages: Offer additional one-on-one coaching or personalized feedback for an extra fee.
- Referrals: If you want to recommend a product you love, check if it has a referral program. For example, Travelpayouts offers a referral program where partners receive 7% of the earnings of people they refer for two years.
Whichever digital product ideas you choose, launch one at a time, and be realistic about your expertise and the time and effort it’s going to take. Start small and then scale.
Do you have any experience with these or other digital products? Which ones have shown the most promise? Let us know what you think in the comments.
