Top Travel Blogging Courses That Will Make You Money [2023]

Looking for the best travel blogging courses? Let me help! I’m a full-time travel blogger and have taken dozens of courses. I would not be where I am today without these courses, but some propelled my growth more than others.

There are so many courses for travel bloggers out there it can be overwhelming knowing which one to pick, and some are a complete waste of money.

In this post, I’m sharing the best travel blog courses that have actually helped turn my website and brand into a money-making machine that allows me to live my wildest dreams and travel the world full-time as a content creator.

Overview of Best Travel Blogging Courses

Course	Category	More Info
SEO Roadmap	Search Engine Optimization	Find out more
Travel-Blog Prosperity	General Blogging	Find out more
Affiliate Marketing Superstars	Affiliate Marketing	Find out more
Pitching to Brands Masterclass	Brand Partnerships	Find out more

Best courses for travel blogging

1. SEO Road Map

I wish a travel blog course like this had existed when I started my own blog in 2018. Many of the courses back then were created by OG travel bloggers, and no shade to them, but what worked a decade ago doesn’t work now.

You need to learn Search Engine Optimization (SEO) if you want consistent, exponentially growing traffic. It’s how I got accepted into Mediavine (widely considered the best ad network), and it’s where 90% of my traffic comes from.

SEO is the BEST way to get traffic to your website because it allows you to reach a wide and targeted audience. Millions of people are searching for topics that your blog posts answers, so wouldn’t you want them to find them on search engines?

However, SEO is not the easiest thing to learn (and it changes constantly). There wasn’t a quality course designed to explain it to travel bloggers until Nina took it into her own hands, became a master of SEO, and created the SEO Road Map.

I first connected with Nina when she launched her course in the summer of 2022, and have since watched her scale her travel blog to 30k+ in revenue every month. I was so impressed that I hired her as my travel blog coach to scale my blog, but her course is an excellent place to start.

Topics covered include site speed, keyword research strategies, competitor on-page SEO, how to write SEO content, how to establish your authority, a guide to internal linking, backlink strategies, and how to do a content audit (this is important as your blog ages).

Everything she teaches you are white-hat SEO techniques, which is what you want. Otherwise, you may get penalized by Google.

Nina’s sense of humor and adorable dog make comprehending SEO way more manageable because it can be overwhelming at first.

She breaks it down into several lessons, no more than 20 minutes each, so that you can do the course at your own pace. And as a bonus, she gives super helpful spreadsheet templates for tracking your work!

Since launching her course, she has expanded it to include modules on affiliate marketing (which, combined with SEO, is $$$), plus covers other topics like writing with AI, which is essential in 2023. You’ll also get access to AI-infused blog templates that I’ve been using throughout this post.

While the price tag may seem steep if you’re starting, you’ll get that back in one month once you get accepted into Mediavine (and you will if you follow her advice in the course).

Plus, you get to be part of her private Facebook membership, where she shares the latest SEO advice.

2. Travel Blog Prosperity

by Jessie on a Journey

If you’re new to the blogging world and unsure where to start, a general blogging course covering all the different ways you can make money is a great place to start. That way, you can decide which ones you want to focus on further.

My first course was Nomadic Matt’s superstar blogging course, which he no longer runs. But don’t worry – there’s an even better course.

Travel Blog Prosperity is an in-depth blogging course taught by Jessie Festa, who runs two successful travel blogs: Jessie on a Journey and Epicure & Culture.

Travel Blog Prosperity goes far beyond what most general travel blog courses teach you, covering everything you could want to know about building a brand and making money. I’ve written an in-depth review of the course here and how it helped me become a professional travel blogger.

Jessie walks you through all the fundamentals of setting up your blog, including branding, tech, design, affiliates, SEO, Pinterest, Instagram, and so much more.

One topic I think Travel Blog Prosperity covers well, which some courses lack, is working with Brands and Tourism Boards. Jessie has done several successful paid campaigns with huge brands and helped me get my first partnerships.

There is an entire module on working with brands as a blogger (and getting paid), including some invaluable pitching templates that I have successfully used.

Travel Blog Prosperity also covers many topics I don’t see covered in other online blogging courses, such as legal issues, avoiding burnout, and creating e-books, podcasts, and online courses.

There are almost TOO many topics covered – I never found the time to go through them all. But at a price point of just $49 a month (and you can get your first month for $9 using code EXPLOREWITHLORA), it’s a no-brainer.

Jessie is a very ethical blogger, and all her advice is about building a genuine, sustainable, and profitable business.

There aren’t any get-rich-quick schemes here, just practical advice that will set up your blog for success in the long run. Plus, you get these other perks for being a member:

• VIP opportunities: Every Monday, Jessie sends out five opportunities related to blogging. These could be a press-trip opportunity, sponsored posts, a remote job, etc. I have gotten many press trips and sponsored posts because of these e-mails, which have more than covered the cost of the course.
• Private Facebook group to ask questions
• 3 Monthly Calls – There is a Q&A twice a month, plus one goal-setting workshop. I like these calls because there are usually only five or so people on the call, so you get all your questions answered and get a chance to network with the other members.

While general blogging courses are extremely valuable for getting started, I would suggest taking separate SEO and affiliate marketing courses if you want to make passive income. Nina covers both topics in SEO Road Map.

3. Affiliate Marketing Superstars

When it comes to my blog’s income, ads and affiliate sales are my two biggest earners. Affiliate marketing is when you promote a product or service through an affiliate link, as I am doing with this affiliate marketing course. If you decide to enroll in it, I’ll get a small commission on the sale.

But affiliate marketing is not as simple as dropping a few links in a post; you need a strategy. I made almost no money from affiliates for the first two years of my blog because I didn’t have one. Now, it’s my biggest source of revenue.

I bought this course at the end of 2019 but then got busy with life moving to Barbados, and never got around to completing it. Then, about a year later, I met the creator of the course, Leanne, at a travel blogging conference, and she gave me a bunch of helpful advice (she’s also a lovely human).

That meeting inspired me to finish the course, and now I wish I had earlier because it is PACKED full of helpful strategies and resources that will help you become a master of affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money blogging because it’s PASSIVE income, meaning you can still earn money even if you’re not actively working on your blog. If you want to make passive income blogging, you need to learn about affiliate marketing. It’s magical.

If you want to understand Leanne’s teaching style first, check out her FREE training on this 5-day e-mail course.

Nina also teaches affiliate marketing in her SEO road map course.

4. Pitching To Brands Masterclass

Working with brand and tourism boards can be an extremely profitable way to make money if you have a strong social following. Honestly, most brands aren’t interested in blogs these days – they want to see you have an engaged audience on your social media platforms.

To me, influencer marketing and blogging are two different worlds. You can be an extremely successful blogger without a substantial following, and vice versa; you can be an influencer without a blog. Or you can have both – but it’s a lot to manage!

It’s really up to what feels most authentic to you. I’m primarily a blogger and don’t do a lot of brand campaigns, but I do take part in many press trips (“free trips” that are hosted and or paid) by tourism boards. I would never get these without my social media following.

That said, influencer marketing is the wild west. There are micro-bloggers getting 4-figure deals and influencers with huge followings only getting comped products. The secret to making money? Pitching and negotiating.

Unless you have a massive following or are an authority in a specific niche, DO NOT expect brands to come to you. You need to go out and pitch them, and there’s an art to this.

I have never had much success getting paid brand deals, so I enrolled in the Pitching to Brands Masterclass by Sidewalker Daily.

This travel influencer course was a complete game-changer for me. I learned so much, including making a media kit, pitching, what to charge, how to negotiate with brands, analyzing contracts, and more.

If you’ve ever wondered how influencers make money or what to charge, THIS is the course for you. It’s completely changed my perspective.

Since joining, I pitched and negotiated my first 4-figure collaboration, so the course has already paid for itself.

Why you should invest in blogging courses

It seems like everyone and their dog has a travel blogger course these days. How much value can you really get out of one? Can’t you learn everything for free online?

These are all valid questions! When I started blogging, I wasn’t taking it that seriously and didn’t see the value in investing in a course.

I also had about 100 page views a month and even less income. I’m happy to say that those days are far behind me now, but it’s because I invested in courses on blogging!

Being a successful travel blogger requires knowledge and skills in MANY different areas, from SEO to affiliate marketing to photography and managing brand partnerships.

My page views and income have skyrocketed since investing in the best blogging courses and tools. Not to mention getting paid to have once-in-a-lifetime experiences working with dream brands.

While I understand that as a brand new blogger, it may feel discouraging knowing the market is so saturated, there’s also a flip to this. Before, you were on your own if you started a blog.

There weren’t readily available courses you could take to learn the necessary skills. But now, so many successful bloggers are making over six figures, and they are sharing their secrets!

Blogging is a skill. Like any skill, it requires a lot of time to learn. You can significantly speed that up by enrolling in a blogging course.

Yes, there is a ton of free information out there. But much of that information is incorrect, outdated, and confusing. Having all the information in one place from a reliable source is well worth the cost.

If you want to make money blogging, you need to treat it like a business. Do you know any successful companies that had no money invested in them? Probably not.

Investing in myself and my blog is the best money I’ve spent on my business. And I say investment because I’ve already had that money spent come back to me 10x over.

Now, I can travel the world full-time because of my blog and work with brands and tourism boards that I used to dream about!

What type of blogging courses should you invest in?

Before investing in a travel blogging course, you should consider your blog’s goals.

If you want to earn money passively without worrying about social media, you should focus on affiliate marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).

With proper SEO techniques, you can get hundreds of thousands of people visiting your blog every month without ever showing your face on Instagram (yes, really)!

Once you reach 50,000 sessions a month, you can apply for Mediavine, widely known as the best ad network for travel bloggers. I got accepted in 2022, and it was a game-changer for me.

There are ad networks that you can join with fewer pageviews, but they aren’t nearly as good. I was with Ezoic before, and let’s just say I don’t miss them.

I would wait until you have at least 10,000 page views before adding ads to your site; the dollar amount you’ll earn won’t be worth the impact it will have on your site speed.

While waiting for your page views to increase (because SEO does take time), focus on creating targeted affiliate posts. I have posts with less than 200 page views monthly that still generate monthly income because they are for a specific buying intent.

If your goals are to work with brands and tourism boards, that can also be very lucrative – but it is an entirely different beast of its own (and a lot of work – it’s not all pretty bathtub pics).

If you want to work with brands, you’ll need to have a heavy presence on social media, but more importantly, know how to pitch and negotiate with brands. Spoiler alert: I know influencers with less than 10k followers getting 5-figure deals.

Or maybe you want to be a travel writer for the world’s top travel publications – there are courses for that, too.

All of the above are part of my business. Had I just focused on one area, I’d probably be making more money than I am. But there’s also something to be said about having multiple income streams – never put all your eggs in one basket.

How do you make money as a travel blogger?

Turning your passion for travel into a profitable business is not just a dream; it’s very much attainable!

As a professional travel blogger who’s been in the field for over five years, I know firsthand that monetizing a blog requires creativity, persistence, and the right strategies. Here’s how you can start making money with your travel blog:

1. Affiliate Marketing: Partnering with brands and promoting products you trust can be a lucrative way to earn commissions. By including special tracking links within your blog posts, you can earn a percentage of the sales made through those links.

Almost every major travel brand, such as Booking.com, Viator, VRBO, and more, offers an affiliate program. By promoting their services, you can earn a commission on each sale made through your unique affiliate link.

If you want to work with multiple brands, joining a travel-specific affiliate network like TravelPayouts can be a great place to start. These networks provide access to various affiliate programs in one place, simplifying the process of finding and managing partnerships.

2. Display Advertising: By placing ads on your blog, you can earn money based on the number of views.

Mediavine is widely regarded as the best ad network for travel bloggers. The company offers excellent customer support, user-friendly dashboards, and higher earning potential. It’s what I use. However, it’s important to note that Mediavine requires a minimum of 50,000 monthly sessions.

Before hitting the 50k sessions mark, you can consider joining SheMedia or Monumetric. Both networks are reputable and allow bloggers to start monetizing with as little as 10,000 sessions.

I’ve worked with Monumetric on my niche website and found them to be good, with my RPMs sometimes as high as Mediavine (although I have a much larger US audience on that site). Don’t waste your time with Ezoic.

3. Sponsored Content: Working with travel companies, hotels, or tour operators on sponsored posts can be a great way to earn income. Just be sure to choose partnerships that align with your brand and disclose them to your readers.

4. Selling Products or Services: Create and sell your own products such as eBooks, online courses, travel guides, or photography.

5. Travel Photography Sales: If you have a knack for photography, consider selling your travel photos through platforms like Shutterstock or directly to magazines and tourism boards.

6. YouTube and Video Monetization: Expand your blog into video content, and monetize your YouTube channel through ads, sponsorships, and affiliate links.

7. Utilize Social Media Platforms: Platforms like Instagram and TikTok offer monetization opportunities through collaborations, sponsored posts, and even affiliate marketing.

8. Freelance Travel Writing: Many travel magazines, websites, and publications pay for well-crafted travel articles. Pitch your story ideas to editors, focusing on unique angles and personal insights. I did freelance writing for my first few years as a travel blogger, which really helped improve my writing skills.

Remember, consistency and authenticity are key to monetizing your travel blog successfully. Focus on providing real value to your readers and align your monetization strategies with your blog’s mission and your audience’s interests.

It may take time to see significant income, but with dedication and the right approach, your travel blog can become a profitable business.

Travel blogging tools for beginners

Here are some other tools/resources that have helped my blog grow:

Keysearch – a fantastic tool for doing keyword research, which is essential for SEO success. There are free tools to do this, but they are not nearly as accurate or useful as the information Keysearch can tell you. You can get 20% off your subscription to Keysearch by using coupon code KSDISC.

Ubersuggest – a free tool that gives you insight into what your competitors are ranking for – great for keyword research.

Interact – the best platform for making quizzes to generate e-mail leads

LinkWhisper -An easy way to internal link, which is essential for SEO.

Siteground Hosting. If you want to have your own website like this one, you need a hosting provider. I started with HostGator and switched to Siteground after becoming increasingly frustrated with my website speed.

After switching to Siteground, my page speed became 3x faster, which helped with SEO. Siteground also has excellent live chat support; I never have to wait more than two minutes to talk to someone.

Facebook Groups For Travel Bloggers

Facebook groups have been so helpful in my blogging journey. There is a Facebook group for just about everything regarding travel blogging, such as collaboration opportunities, link building, guest posts, and social media sharing.

Not only are Facebook groups great for networking and advice, but it provides a sense of community. If you are new to blogging, I highly recommend joining Facebook groups related to your niche. Here are some of my favorite Facebook Blogging Groups:

• SEO for Travel Bloggers
• Affiliate Marketing For Travel Bloggers
• Women Travel Creators
• Digital Nomad Wannabe
• Travel Collab Post Opportunities

Travel Blogging Conferences

In addition to taking blogging courses, attending travel blogging conferences and networking with other bloggers has greatly impacted my business. I’ve written a separate post about the best conferences for travel bloggers, but here’s a quick overview:

• Traverse (UK-based group; conferences are held in Europe)
• Women In Travel Summit (US and Europe)
• TBEX (all over the world)
• Propel (Small conference, have to apply and be selected to go)

While conferences are traditionally seen as places to hone skills and learn from industry experts, they can be so much more than that. For travel bloggers, these gatherings are a vibrant hub for networking, community building, and forging lifelong friendships.

Many of my best friends today are creators I met at conferences. These connections go beyond business; they become part of your support system and tribe, sharing the same passion and understanding the unique challenges of blogging.

The blogging community is incredibly supportive and collaborative. Conferences foster this sense of community, offering a space to share experiences, seek advice, and encourage one another. It’s this community that often becomes the foundation of your success.

FAQ: Travel blogging courses

Final thoughts: What is the best travel blogging course?

If you’re ready to invest and make your blog a profitable money-making machine, the best course is the SEO roadmap. If I were to start my blog today, this is the course I would buy.

If you aren’t sure where to start or ready to invest, take a month of travel blogging prosperity.

If you don’t even want to blog and would rather be an influencer, take the pitching to brands masterclass by Sidewalker Daily.

If you have any questions about these courses, feel free to message me on Instagram. I’m happy to chat about them!

Like any worthwhile pursuit, travel blogging requires commitment, continuous learning, and a genuine connection with your audience. Whether you’re just starting or looking to take your blog to the next level, these courses will help you succeed as a travel blogger.