Hey, fellow travelers! If you’ve started a blog with the goal of monetizing your site and making money online, you’ve probably considered joining affiliate marketing networks in hopes of generating passive income.

Affiliate marketing can be the biggest driver of income to your blog, if done well. It requires a lot of upfront energy before it can take a more passive role on your blog. However, the more active you are with affiliate marketing, the more money you will make.

There are many, many choices available when it comes to selecting which networks, platforms and programs to join in effort to make money with affiliate marketing. So many so, the process can be overwhelming when you are just getting started.

Affiliate marketing networks vs. programs

Keep in mind that there is a difference between affiliate marketing networks and platforms (which I will be sharing here), and affiliate programs.

Hubspot defines affiliate marketing as “an agreement in which a business pays another business or influencer/affiliate a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.” 

Affiliate programs are unique to each business that offers this kind of work and compensation. 

On the other hand, affiliate networks are platforms where there is a large number of affiliate programs offered by various companies.

Amazon has an affiliate program that they manage with their own in-house software and tools. Because of their size, market influence and company resources, they can handle their Amazon Associates program without the use of a third party marketing platform to help connect them with publishers and influencers interested in promoting their product.

A smaller company that only has a few products may not have the infrastructure, influence or resources available to reach and manage a network of publishers working to promote their products. In this case, the brand is most likely going to join an affiliate marketing network or platform that will manage payouts, publisher accounts and other logistics for them.

It’s a good idea to try a few platforms and see what works best for you. Some platforms perform better than others based on the merchants available. Some have lower payout thresholds meaning you could get paid more often. Some platforms have more tools and statistics available to help your campaigns perform better and achieve better conversions.

It’s also important to note that affiliates are sometimes referred to as publishers and advertisers are sometimes referred to as merchants.

Just remember, if you create content you are a publisher applying to programs as an affiliate.

Ready to get started? Let’s dive in with the platforms you need to join in order to achieve your affiliate marketing goals!

The best affiliate marketing networks for TRAVEL bloggers to join in 2020

Rakuten Advertising

We’ll kick off this list with Rakuten Advertising, one of the most reputable and respectable affiliate marketing platforms in the business.

This platform (formerly LinkShare) has been active for over 20 years and has been voted time and time again as the #1 affiliate marketing network.

While Rakuten may not partner with as many merchants as some of the other platforms, there is still plenty to choose from between their 1,900 advertisers, including massive brands like Walmart, Best Buy, and Macys. 

I also really enjoy how you can browse by product or by brand, making it easy for you to find the products you and your family use and link specifically to those items, versus applying to every program and then browsing their catalogs. You can browse the brands here.

The reporting and stats available to you as an influencer/publisher are some of the best out of all the networks. You can choose from multiple different languages for your dashboard and customize the reporting you want to see most when you log in.

The application process is one of the most involved compared to other platforms and networks, but it is well worth it. Once you are approved to the Rakuten Advertising Affiliate Network, you will need to apply and be approved to each advertiser’s individual affiliate program (which is the case for most platforms).

Notable brand partnerships available with Rakuten for travel bloggers:

BackCountry, Virgin Holidays, Travel Insurance direct, Rail Europe, Hilton, Teva

CJ Affiliate

Formerly Commission Junction, the CJ Affiliate network is one of the oldest platforms that positions themselves as the experts in creating profitable partnerships in affiliate marketing for both brands and publishers.

The company presents a more refined and polished platform that works with massive global brands and has set high expectations of their publishers.

This affiliate marketing network is one of the best for travel bloggers due to the high commission rates from booking sites such as Expedia and Trip Advisor which are exclusive merchants to CJ Affiliates.

To join the network as an affiliate, simply create an account and follow their onboarding checklist of tasks that include completing a publisher profile, adding your tax information, and providing some questions regarding your own platform.

Once finished, you will have access to the merchant list where you can apply for individual affiliate programs.

Notable brand partnerships available with CJ Affiliate for Travel bloggers:

Trip advisor, booking.com, hotels.com, cheapoair, STA Travel, Sandals Resorts, Expedia

Pepperjam

Pepperjam is a performance marketing company committed to your success. Of all the platforms included in this list, this network has the most resources available to help you grow as an affiliate marketer. They heavily stress the importance of personalized over impersonal when it comes to their relationships with both brands and publishers.

Pepperjam has a very attractive network of over 1,500 brands for publishers to partner with across many, many niches. They also encourage publishers to build strong relationships with brands, and allow for both parties to directly communicate through the Pepperjam sysytem. They also boast a low payout threshold at $25!

You can view a database of the available merchants here.

Impact

Formed in 2008 buy former Commission Junction employees, Impact Radius does not consider themselves as an affiliate marketing network, but rather a “digital marketing technology company” that provides affiliate solutions as one of their products.

Nevertheless, Impact does manage an affiliate network that “allows both advertisers and media partners to develop affiliate relationships as well as track and report on performance.”

In short, “advertisers and their agencies manage the programs, while our team provides the highest quality tracking, training, and best practices on how to get the most from the platform,” according to their website.

For you, the publisher, this doesn’t change how you work as an affiliate. Simply apply to their marketplace just like with any other platform and once you have access to their active advertisers, apply to each merchant individually.

The approval process is very slow (like more than a week or so, two in my case) so I suggest finding a company that works with Impact first and apply directly through that company to gain access to the Impact platform. As slow as it may be, they have many exclusive and high profile brands available for partnerships with publishers and travel bloggers.

Notable brand partnerships available with impact for Travel bloggers:

Alamo, British Airways, Hotwire, IHG, Korean Air, National Car Rental, World of Hyatt

ShareaSale

ShareASale is one of the most popular platforms when it comes to affiliate marketing and advertising, housing over 4,500 merchant programs across a variety of categories.

To join the network, you must apply and be approved pending account review. From there, you are required to apply for each individual affiliate program offered by the merchants.

I personally do not find the dashboard or user interface particularly user-friendly, it’s a pretty ugly site), and searching by category or affiliate commission is a bit of a mess, but there are many exclusive merchants that only work with this platform which is a plus.

Notable brand partnerships available with SHAREASALE for travel bloggers:

Viator, Swiss Gear, Priority Pass, Hotel Xcaret Mexico, Nomatic, Qatar Airways, Agoda

AWIN

Formerly known as Affiliate Window, Awin is a giant marketing conglomerate that also owns ShareASale and provides influencers and publishers access to over 14,600 (!!) different merchants within their affiliate network. Browse their directory of advertisers here to see what brands are available that align with your niche!

This affiliate network is not free to join as their signup is $5, but this fee is credited to your account with your first payout.

To apply, join the network by filling out an application and proceed to individually apply to merchant programs within the network.

Notable brand partnerships available with Awin for Travel bloggers:

Lonely Planet, Radisson hotels, trip.com

FlexOffers

FlexOffers is a straight forward, not-into-relationship-building platform that offers over 12,000 merchants within their network. The approval process is a bit slower with website and mobile verifications, but is not very competitive based on your blog and social media reach. Check out the programs available here to see if this platform is a good fit for you.

They offer mostly cost per sale programs, but there are some cost per action programs where you make a commission for email signups or free trials.

Notable brand partnerships available with Flexoffers for travel bloggers:

Kayak, Travelex, Barcelo hotels & resorts, JetBlue, Atlantis hotels, Air italy, Allianz assistance

ClickBank

ClickBank is a global retailer with its own affiliate marketplace. The network itself does not feel very personal, but rather “salesy” and full of scams. They want to help you “make bank” and “live your life by design.”

I want to point out that while their website is outdated, many of the product’s promotional material and marketing content looks like spam, and the amount of valueless (get rick quick schemes) that flood the platform are overwhelming, there is potential to make up to 40% commissions if you tread carefully.

Ultimately, when deciding which affiliate marketing networks and specific programs to choose, keep your audience in mind and stick with what you know they will be interested in and benefits them most.

Most importantly, be transparent about what you are promoting through affiliate links and be honest when reviewing or linking products and services as recommendations to your followers. 

Now get going and good luck!

RESOURCES