This post was originally published in [2021] and has been fully updated for 2026 with new data and tools.
If you’ve been blogging for a while, you’re probably leaving thousands of dollars on the table in un-monetized keywords.
I was in the same boat until I figured out how to use Travelpayouts Drive for automated links to sweep my archive.
This single script could identify 40+ high-intent keywords you missed and turn them into live affiliate offers overnight.
If you want to see a 20-30% jump in your RPM without writing a single new post, this 2026 AI strategy is exactly what you need to implement today.”
Travelpayouts is one of the BEST affiliate networks for the travel niche and is worth joining!
Keep reading, and I’ll share 7 of the biggest reasons I like this program, 3 things I don’t like about Travelpayouts, and 3 different ways you can use them.
2026 Earnings Audit Checklist
Optimize your Travelpayouts Drive performance in 5 minutes.
Pro 2026 Tip: Sites using the full Drive AI suite see up to a 30% revenue boost compared to manual linking.
How to Use Travelpayouts Drive to Automate Your Affiliate Links
Hunting down the perfect affiliate links for a blog can be a pain.
Luckily, Travelpayouts Drive does all the heavy lifting. It goes through your post and inserts the most profitable tools where the reader is ready to book.
It’s an autopilot that is badass!
It doesn’t just insert links, it learns. This means it finds which paragraphs people spend the most time reading.
It can swap links, add hover previews, plus it’s free. The more money you earn, the more Travelpayouts earns, so it’s a win – win.
However, there are SOME dangers.
You just want to make sure it doesn’t go crazy. You know clutter! Just like your home, you don’t want crazy stuff thrown everywhere.
There is page speed, too.
The autopilot is lightweight; it’s best to check how fast your website is to ensure it doesn’t slow down your website too much.
Also, be sure to exclude pages like your landing page, contact pages, privacy, and other ones that you don’t want to be cluttered.
Travelpayouts drive is ONLY for the travel niche. You can get Travelpayouts drive by signing up for TravelPayouts.
A similar tool is Skimlinks that can link your website to an affiliate product if you’re not in the travel niche.
The best part is that it’s free to use. If you make a sale with Skimlinks, you keep 75% of the money, and Skimlinks gets 25%.
How Does Travelpayouts Work? A Simple 2026 Guide for New Travel Bloggers
Travelpayouts is an affiliate network, and this means that by joining, you get access to a variety of affiliate programs (over 80) in the travel niche.
It’s a cost-per-action network, and this means you get a percentage of the sale if someone clicks on your affiliate link and buys something.
It was started in 2011 with only Jetradar, which is a platform that shops around for cheap air flights. Since that time, the network has added “many” travel-related affiliate programs.
There are services for hotels, bus services, sim cards for traveling, bike rentals, museums, taxis, package tours, and even insurance.
Why I Switched: 7 Benefits of Travelpayouts vs. Joining Brands Directly
There is “a lot” I like about this affiliate network.
For starters is VERY easy to join and there is a 100% acceptance rate. The truth is we are “all” lazy people, right? Making a program insanely easy to join, with a 100% acceptance rate, is a very good thing.
I hate getting rejected!
All you have to do is click on the link HERE, enter your email, and make up a password. For the promo code, just enter DEMO for the increased commission for the first few months.
It’s very convenient to join 1 travel network instead of many different programs.
The second “big” advantage to this affiliate network is that you only have to sign up for this site, and you get access to 90 affiliate programs for the travel niche.
The payment comes from 1 company, and all the customer service is from 1 company, so it’s very simple.
With some programs, you are automatically approved, and some programs need approval.
The third benefit is that there is an affiliate program if you want to recruit affiliates. It’s very nice to have, and you earn money from what the affiliates you refer earn.
The fourth benefit is that it seems very transparent from what I’ve seen. They tell you the commission rates and cookie duration of each program. You can see how many people click your affiliate links and all the sales you have gotten.
The fifth benefit is that if you enjoy traveling, you can click on your own affiliate links and get a discount. 90% of the time, you will probably save more money using travel payouts.
Still, why not compare as many sites as you can right?
The 6th benefit is that the website has a variety of promos you can use to promote your offers. This would be like 50% off train tickets, for example. It could also be specific conditions that can help affiliates earn more money.
The 7th benefit is that the website has lots of tools you can use, such as widgets, banners, search bars, white labels, API’s (Application Program Interface), and landing pages.
A white label is basically selling a product, almost like it’s your own, on your website. It’s usually involved in e-commerce but can work in the travel niche.
The Honest Truth: 3 Common Travelpayouts Complaints (And How to Fix Them)
Travelpayouts doesn’t have a lot of negatives, but one thing that I did notice is that they payout once a month. This isn’t a big negative, but let’s be honest, “we want our money now,” right?
Another negative is that when it comes to getting paid, the only options are PayPal, Money Transfers, and Web Money. This isn’t a big negative because PayPal is very big, but more options, such as Stripe or Apple Pay, would be nice.
The third negative is that you are automatically accepted into “a lot” of programs; however, some programs require approval.
To get approved, you want to share how you will make “them” money.
For example, I went to school to learn about blogging, so I would mention that. You could also mention how much traffic you get, additional places you get traffic apart from a blog, and how long you have been an affiliate marketer.
You don’t want to lie, but you want to talk about how you can benefit THEM.
Beyond the Blog: How to Promote Travelpayouts on Social Media and YouTube in 2026
By far the best way to promote Travel Payouts is through blogging.
You might be thinking that blogging is dead, but it does have uses. For example, you can take a blog post and repurpose it to other places, such as Substack, Medium, Quora, LinkedIn, and even turn it into short videos or YouTube videos.
I created a post HERE that shares 20 benefits of starting a blog, how AI can be used with it, and how to build one step by step.
An even easier way to promote them is with short videos. What is so cool about them is that you can take 1 video, such as TikTok, download it, and reuse it on other platforms.
Plus, LOTS of places accept and like a short video. I wrote a detailed plan on how to do this in this post HERE.
Finally, it’s always a good idea to build a home on a solid foundation. This means that if you only make TikTok videos, then you’re at their mercy.
You can have your videos get blocked, your account can get suspended, or something could even happen to the platform due to politics.
What is SO great about building a list is you OWN the traffic. You have to admit it’s a security feeling. Plus, it provides some other benefits such as.
- Can promote multiple offers
- Can contact someone WAY in the future
- Promote your other content
- Do list swaps
- Easier to get accepted into affiliate programs
- MUCH higher conversion rate
- Great for launching products
- Get valuable feedback
- Protects you from algorithmic changes
- More personalized marketing
Even better, I’m giving away a FREE guide to building a list, building a landing page, and how to earn money from the list HERE.
Conclusion to How to use Travelpayouts drive for automated links
TravelPayouts is a great program if you love traveling like me. Heck, if you sign up just to give yourself discounts, it’s probably worth it.
You can learn more about TravelPayouts and sign up for FREE HERE.
I hope this blog post on Travelpayouts and whether it’s worth it or not was valuable. Bye for now.