Travel

Travel affiliate programs let you earn from flights, hotels, vacation rentals, travel insurance, luggage, and booking platforms. It's one of the oldest affiliate niches and the commissions can add up fast on big-ticket bookings.

Major players like Booking.com, Expedia, and TripAdvisor all run affiliate programs. Booking.com pays a percentage of the commission they earn from hotels (starting around 25%), while Expedia offers flat rates per booking type.

The tricky part about travel affiliates: commission rates on individual bookings tend to be low (3-6% is common), and cookies are usually short (1-7 days for some programs). But travel purchases are high-value. A $2,000 hotel booking at 4% commission is $80 from a single click.

Travel affiliates do best with destination guides, hotel comparisons, "best time to visit" content, and packing lists. Blog content works well here, but YouTube travel vlogs can also drive significant bookings. Seasonality matters too, so plan your content around peak travel planning periods.