Who doesn’t want to live that “passport full, bills paid, living my best life” dream? If you’ve been scrolling through IG or TikTok wondering how these influencers are getting PAID to hop from country to country, let me put you on game.
Getting paid to travel as an influencer isn’t just about snapping cute beach pics—it’s a strategic mix of content creation, brand partnerships, and knowing how to market yourself. Let’s talk about it!
Build a Strong Travel-Focused Brand
Brands don’t just throw money at random people—they invest in creators who align with their audience. If you want travel brands and tourism boards to notice you, your content needs to scream “I’m the travel expert you need!”
Monetize Your Content
If you want to make travel your full-time job, you need multiple income streams. Here’s how you can get paid while traveling:
- Brand Partnerships – Travel and lifestyle brands will pay you to create content featuring their products, hotels, or experiences.
- Affiliate Marketing – Earn commission when your audience books flights, hotels, or excursions using your link.
- Ad Revenue – Platforms like YouTube and blogs can generate income from ads when your audience engages with your content. You can also learn how to run Facebook ads!
- Digital Products – Sell travel guides, itineraries, or even travel preset filters for editing photos.
- UGC (User-Generated Content) – Some brands pay influencers to create content that they can use in their marketing (even if you don’t post it on your own page).
Find the Right Sponsorship Opportunities
The best partnerships come from pitching directly to brands and using influencer platforms that connect creators with travel sponsors.
Where to Find Sponsored Travel Collabs:
- Hotel & Resort Partnerships: Luxury hotels and boutique stays love influencer exposure.
- Tourism Boards: Cities and countries pay influencers to promote tourism (Visit Dubai, Jamaica Tourism Board, etc.).
- Travel Gear Brands: Luggage, cameras, and travel tech companies sponsor creators to showcase their products.
- Influencer Marketplaces: Join sites like Travelpayouts, IZEA, and AirBnB’s Creator Program.
A generic “Hey, do you do influencer collabs?” won’t cut it. Your pitch should be specific and results-driven.
Example Pitch for a Hotel Partnership:
“Hey [Hotel Name], I’m a luxury travel creator with an audience of 80K engaged travelers. I’ll be in [Destination] from March 10-15 and would love to showcase your property through high-quality Reels, YouTube shorts, and a blog review. Let’s collaborate to highlight your resort as the go-to luxury stay!”
Don’t just sit back and hope brands find you—be proactive! Create a media kit showcasing your engagement rates, audience demographics, and past collaborations. Then, reach out to travel brands, airlines, tourism boards, and hotels with a strong pitch.
Brands care more about how you can help them than how many followers you have. Show them the value you bring, whether it’s content creation, exposure to your audience, or storytelling that makes people book trips ASAP.
Position yourself as the influencer brands NEED to work with, and the free trips (and checks) will follow. Stay consistent, perfect your pitch, and start securing those all-expenses-paid adventures!