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Best travel affiliate programs, offers & networks in 2021 [post-COVID-19 update] ✈️

zeropark

Traffic Manager
Traffic Manager
ZeroPark
Hey guys!

The travel industry is waking up.

Are your affiliate marketing campaigns ready?

Read the article to learn about the best travel programs, networks, and offers to promote in the post-covid-19 world!

☑️ The post-COVID-19 rise in popularity of travel offers​

Just back in early April, the Google Flight keyword reached a score of 100 in popularity on Google Trends. The rating also increased for topics and searches such as Cancun, cheap o-air, and cheap flights anywhere.

Additionally, as reported by Forbes, more and more destinations are opening for Americans (and other nations as well), which in turn causes an increase in hotel bookings and in travel jobs, car rental shortages, and a push for sooner opening of popular theme parks and entertainment locations.

In short, the travel industry is coming back to life. The internet becomes filled with useful tips, advice, and guides. Googling ‘covid safe travel destinations’ and reading up on procedures required to enter a given country is usually enough to prepare yourself for a trip in the post-covid world. And there’s plenty of resources like that, e.g. The Wall Street Journal’s Q&A to safe travels.

Travel is about to become a very popular and profitable niche again. And travel blogs, social media accounts, and websites can again be used to make additional profit by sharing a referral link to your favorite travel experience. So, better find the best affiliate programs and offers right now and don’t miss out on any of that growing hype.

☑️ How to choose the best affiliate program?

If you’re an affiliate marketer looking for the best referral program to join, it’s crucial to learn about the criteria. Many travel affiliate programs will have strict requirements as to who can join. If you do meet these criteria, it’s important to set your own requirements. So here are the three most important things to pay attention to.

Commission​

This one is a no-brainer. The higher the affiliate program commission the better. However, sometimes the commission rate depends on what you’ve got to offer. And sometimes it doesn’t. That’s why you need to compare different programs taking into account the way you’re going to promote the offer.

Usually, the more people click on your link or banner the more likely you are to get a payout increase. In that case, knowing your affiliate marketing potential, you can sign up for a program with a low base commission rate but higher bonuses and better offers for experienced webmasters.

However, if what you’ve got to offer is a smaller travel blog or if you’re planning to use paid traffic (which can be volatile) it’s better to focus on a higher base commission rate and smaller bonuses. It’s easier to enjoy your affiliate sales when you’re not desperately trying to reach a set quota.

Cookie length​

Cookie length/duration is the time window in which the consumer needs to make a purchase. If someone clicks on your link on day one and then puts items in the cart and only makes the purchase 30 days later – you would only receive a commission if your cookie lifetime was 30 days or more. If it was a 14-day cookie, you won’t receive a commission despite the customer coming from your link.

With cookie length, the principle is simple – the longer the better. 30 days is a good minimum and 60 days makes it infinitely easier to make a successful referral. Cookie length can range from a single session only to a lifetime.

Support​

Support, interface, documentation, and anything else that ensures you have a good experience with the affiliate program should be on your research list. While it might not be as easy to research the support system from a theoretical standpoint, there are still things you can easily do.

If you have access to some of the affiliate marketing communities you can take a look at what other affiliate marketers say. And peak some screenshots of an affiliate dashboard, functions, and tracking tools. There are plenty of websites ranking travel affiliate programs so checking out the reviews is also your best bet.

✈️ Best travel affiliate networks

Just like we’ve mentioned above, some affiliate programs are managed by an external affiliate network. The most popular networks where you can find various referral programs and some of the best travel affiliate programs are simply networks aggregating all kinds of offers. They are aimed at website owners and affiliate marketers using email, social media, search, text links, or other paid kinds of traffic.

There is one prominent name that sticks out.

travelpayouts logo

Travelpayouts​

Travelpayouts needs to have a special spot on the list as this is the only affiliate network that deals exclusively with offers relating to the travel niche. Affiliate marketers who specialize in this vertical can join the Travelpayouts affiliate network and gain access to nearly a hundred of the best travel offers at once.

Additionally, they’ll have access to unique tools, an account manager, statistics, and even useful courses. As for cookie lifetime and commission rates, everything varies depending on the program.

Mixed-niche affiliate networks​

Regardless of what kind of affiliate marketer you are, you must have met with some of the below names. They are some of the world’s largest affiliate networks. They are also filled with hundreds of quality affiliate programs including the best travel affiliate programs (such as the abovementioned Tripadvisor or Expedia.)

But that’s not all. These affiliate networks are aggregators for affiliate marketing offers relating to all niches. You don’t have to be a travel blogger or a webmaster reviewing vacation packages to join. All you need is a bit of experience in affiliate marketing and you can make money online promoting offers.

Take a look at some of the below networks to find travel affiliate programs and other offers relating to the travel industry (e.g. sweepstakes and vouchers for vacation packages, camping gadgets, or trip-planning mobile apps).
  • CJ Affiliate
  • ShareASale
  • Awin
  • ClickDealer
  • MaxBounty
  • MyLead
Pro tip: You’ll find a special deal for ClickDealer, MaxBounty, and MyLead affiliate networks in the Zeropark Deals & Offers tab. If you’re looking for a good travel affiliate program managed by an affiliate network, these options come with additional benefits.

offer wall


☑️ How to pick the best travel offers?​

Best travel offers might be hard to pick as the affiliate marketing landscape changes constantly. After covid-19, travel blogging and travel social media groups are coming alive with the best deals, cheap location finds, and airline tickets. Similarly, travel affiliates are on the lookout for any special offers that might be easily marketable.

If you’re joining an affiliate network with many offers, an affiliate manager will know exactly what performs best, and what’s got potential. The travel niche is on the rise, so don’t be shy to come back for more offers after a short time. There are bound to be more travel affiliate programs popping up throughout the summer.

Travel offers vs. travel-themed offers​

The last important thing to mention is a distinction between travel offers and offers that relate to the travel vertical but belong to a different category. Travel affiliate programs usually relate to a website offering travel insurance, holiday packages, discounted flights, or a variety of other travel services such as car rentals.

For example, the Tripadvisor program allows affiliate marketers to place an affiliate link in their travel niche content and send customers straight to holiday-organization websites. In short, travel offers are serious and quite often a travel affiliate program will suggest that you use a specific landing page and a specific traffic source.

But there is also another side of affiliate marketing. And that’s affiliate programs that relate to the travel niche but are not considered to be necessities. They can range from mobile content, vouchers, and giveaways to e-commerce. Travel buddies, illustrated guides, survival gadgets, and photo accessories can all be great additions to your main travel affiliate program. And these are the kind of offers that are perfect to be advertised with PPC and PPV traffic sources, such as Zeropark.

Whether you’re a travel blogger or a PPC affiliate marketer, it’s good to have these alternative methods of earning a little side income.


⚠️ If you want to find out:​

  • Should affiliate marketers start advertising the travel vertical again?
  • What are the best travel affiliate programs?

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