How to Make Money as a Travel Blogger: How Michelle Jensen Makes $2,000/Month
Is travel blogging dead, or just evolving? That’s the question I asked Michelle Jensen, creator of Travel Her Story, on a recent episode of The Thought Card Podcast. After 14 years in TV and tech, Michelle now runs a profitable travel blog, visiting 35+ countries on a budget and consistently earning at least $2,000 a month, with higher earnings during peak travel months.
Michelle’s story isn’t an overnight success. It’s built on years of trial and error, a pivot toward SEO, and a commitment to transparency about what it takes to run a successful blogging business.
If you’re wondering whether travel blogging can still be a viable side hustle or even a full-time business, Michelle’s experience offers one of the most grounded, practical answers I’ve heard. Here’s everything we covered.
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She Didn’t Make Real Money for Years — and That’s Normal
Michelle started her blog in 2013 while working in TV. At that time, she covered lifestyle topics, recipes, outfits, and travel diaries. She didn’t make any money from it. Shen then picked the blog back up after leaving a tech job. While unemployed, she decided to try to cover her hosting fees. That’s when things started to shift. The takeaway? The travel blogging monetization engine doesn’t start overnight. Most successful travel bloggers put in years before seeing consistent income.
The Turning Point: SEO Changed Everything
The single biggest shift for Michelle wasn’t a viral post; it was learning SEO.
“It was being so much more intentional with how I was structuring posts. Before, it was very travel-journal-like, as if I were writing in a diary. I started actually figuring out what keywords are and where to put them — that’s important for Google to be like, ‘oh, this is an itinerary for Paris.'”
Michelle credits Nina from She Knows SEO — whose YouTube channel and Facebook group are free as a foundational resource. Once Michelle understood how to tell Google what her posts were actually about, traffic and income followed.
Start here with these resources:
- 6 Months to 50K Sessions SEO Strategy Masterclass: Build a repeatable traffic system that runs in the background while you work, sleep, or sip cappuccinos in Rome.
- SEO Spreadsheets: Monthly SEO tracker, blog post master sheet, and keyword planner.
This is something I believe deeply too.
Blogging gives you something social media simply can’t: the ability to write a post once, optimize it well, and have it drive traffic and revenue for years.
A post that ranks on page one of Google doesn’t disappear after 48 hours the way an Instagram photo does.
View on Threads
How Michelle’s Travel Blog Income Streams Break Down
Wondering how bloggers make money?
Michelle’s monetization mix has evolved over time, reflecting broader shifts in the online landscape.
Here’s how she breaks it down:
1. Hotels and Tour Affiliates (Top Earner)
This is now her #1 income stream. The logic is straightforward: people traveling to a destination have to book somewhere to sleep and something to do. A well-placed hotel or tour recommendation in an itinerary post — where it makes contextual sense — converts far better than throwing affiliate links everywhere.
“I’ve started switching towards focusing on hotels and tours rather than products, because people are still going to need a place to sleep.”
Join affiliate programs such as:
- Travelpayouts (flights, hotels, car rentals, insurance, tours and activities)
- Stay22 (monetization platform for hotel bookings)
Michelle’s key insight: be specific.
Don’t just say “there are places to stay in Athens.” Link to a particular hotel with a view of the Acropolis and explain exactly why it’s worth it. One of her top-performing posts recommended a specific Athens pass that covered multiple major attractions at a discount, and it converted well because it answered a real question with a real recommendation.
2. Display Ads
Display ads are Michelle’s most passive income stream, which runs in the background on every page. She currently runs website ads with Mediavine. Other ad networks include Raptive and SHE Media.
3. Amazon Affiliates
Amazon used to be a significant source of income for Michelle. She had one post where she sold 2,000 units of a single item at a 10% conversion rate. But she’s noticed a recent drop, which she partly attributes to cultural shifts in support for large corporations. She’s actively looking for alternatives.
4. Future Potential: Blog Audits
Michelle has been publicly sharing her income reports and blogging insights on Threads for a while, and she’s considering launching a paid blog auditing service. While she has not yet launched this offer, the demand is clearly there.
You Don’t Have to Be on Every Platform
One of my favorite parts of this conversation was Michelle’s unapologetic stance on social media.
“Instagram makes me no money. I also don’t enjoy it much. If I do my SEO correctly and Google ranks me highly, I’ve had posts that have stayed on page one for years — that continually get me traffic. You don’t have that on social media. You just post it, and then it’s in the ether and disappears.”
Michelle also uses Pinterest, which drives high-intent traffic to her blog. Someone scrolling Pinterest, looking at Iceland travel plans, is already in planning mode. They’re more likely to book a tour, buy a pass, or click through on a hotel recommendation than a casual Instagram follower.
Meanwhile, two people in a blogging course she recently attended make most of their money through Instagram. And that’s valid too.
“I would say whatever brings you joy. Chase whatever works for you.” – Michelle Jensen
This is something I’ve said many times before. Don’t copy and paste someone else’s strategy wholesale. Filter it through your niche, your strengths, and what you’ve already seen working. For me, blogging and podcasting are non-negotiable. For you, it might be YouTube, Pinterest, or email. Start where you can show up consistently and with genuine enthusiasm.
Budget Travel Blogging Can Absolutely Be Profitable
When I started The Thought Card back in 2015, I was firmly in the budget travel space because that’s where I was financially. I got some pushback at media events that said, “There’s no money in budget travel.” Michelle pushes back on that, too.
“I was making two grand a month easily, and I say easily because for those four and a half months I traveled in Europe, I didn’t write a ton, and I was still making money. There is money in budget travel, but you have to give yourself grace to include paid things, especially if you think they’re worth it.”
For example, Michelle landed a partnership to stay at a 700-year-old Prague monastery and secured a Belize resort the same way. Being a budget travel blogger isn’t only about recommending free things; it’s about helping readers decide whether something is worth the cost.
“I made sure in the post to be like, here are the benefits, you have to weigh whether the cost is good enough for you. I’m too honest to just say it’s amazing no matter what.”
That kind of transparency builds trust, and trust converts into affiliate sales, repeat readers, and sponsorship opportunities. I’ve found the same to be true in the affordable luxury travel space I’ve moved into: readers appreciate knowing the full picture, not just the highlight reel.
Seasonality: Plan for the Highs and Accept the Lows
Like any business, travel blogging has seasons. Michelle’s busiest months run from March through August/September, when people are planning and taking summer vacations.
Her strategy for slower months: intentionally create content for winter destinations and seasonal gift guides to keep the blog from going completely quiet. She has one standout winter post about Rovaniemi, Finland, in January that performs well when summer travel searches slow down.
She also acknowledges that some dips are simply out of your control. A Google algorithm update in December 2025 knocked some of her posts off their rankings.
Every business has high and low seasons. For travel blogging, summer is prime time. The key is identifying patterns, planning your content calendar around them, and not panicking when the slow months arrive because it’s inevitable.
Practical Tips for New Bloggers
Do you need to travel constantly to make money as a travel blogger? No. Michelle is three years behind on content from trips she’s already taken. She spends significant time going back through her archive, turning a single “Three Days in Paris” post into a full content cluster: things to do, where to stay, best neighborhoods, food guides.
You have more to work with than you think.
Do you need a big Instagram following? No. Michelle writes for herself — a solo female millennial traveler on a budget who wants honest, specific recommendations. That clarity of audience creates trust, and trust drives conversions. You also don’t need to have a big personality. You just need to know who you’re talking to.
What income stream should new bloggers focus on first? Display ads are the easiest starting point. Set it and mostly forget it. But the bigger earners come from specific, well-placed affiliate recommendations for hotels and tours. Remember, don’t just mention a hotel exists. Tell readers why it’s worth it, and put that recommendation in a post where it genuinely belongs.
So, is blogging dead? No, blogging isn’t dead. It’s different now, but still effective. Search and consumer habits are evolving, and as long as you’re willing to evolve with them, you’ll get ahead.
Listen to Full Episode
This conversation with Michelle Jensen is packed with honest, practical insights, including more details on her income breakdown and her goals for reaching the income threshold to qualify for a digital nomad visa in Portugal or Spain.
🎧 Listen on Spotify and be sure to follow Michelle at travelherstory.com and on Threads at @travelherstory, where she posts her monthly income reports.
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Danielle Desir Corbett is an award-winning and 6x grant-funded travel writer and podcast host who went from financial struggle to visiting 27+ countries all without waiting until retirement. Her story is proof that budget doesn’t limit adventure. Tune into The Thought Card Podcast for practical strategies to travel smarter and live on your terms. Say hello: thethoughtcard (at) gmail (dot) com.
