This post is sponsored by HostelBookers

If you have an affinity for the underwater world, you haven’t experienced it fully until you’ve been down under. Australia is the world’s king when it comes to dive spots. From large animals to beautiful multi-colored coral reefs, the diversity of experiences will have you craving more!

Diving at Flynn Reef

The best spot to see big marine life animals like sharks, manta rays and turtles is at Ningaloo Reef. Located off the coast of Western Australia, this reef hosts so many beautiful and frightening creatures that you’ll have to make several dives to soak it all up! First head to Exmouth or Coral Bay, which are the nearest towns and offer all the services you would expect. From Coral Bay, you can even just opt to snorkel above the depths, where you can observe in wonder the great whale shark from March to June.

If you want to see sharks in action, head to the Coral Sea Predator’s Playground. If you’ve ever seen Finding Nemo, the 1,000-foot vertical drops into the great depths will look familiar. You’ll have to go on a several day long journey to check it out, but with the superb visibility the voyage is well worth it.

Most of Australia’s premier dive sites are in Queensland, and the Whitsunday Islands are no exception. There are many, many islands with pristine diving options all over the place. There are many types of reefs; from huge drop-off ones a bit further out from the islands, to the nearer-by reefs that you can explore in excellent visibility just with a snorkel.

Flynn Reef - Ski Slopes

For a change of pace, why not scope out one of the country’s best dive spots to present you with something other than reefs? The Yongala shipwreck is located off of Townsville, although you can get there on a multi-day trip from Cairns as well. The shipwreck is home to tons of fish and coral species. It sank in an early twentieth century storm, and makes for not only an interesting dive in terms of biodiversity, but also in terms of maritime history.

Speaking of Cairns, it is the main city for divers looking to head out toward the Great Barrier Reef. The city itself is a great traveler’s mecca, since there are people from all over the world who have come to see the sights. From beautiful rainforest surrounds to a happening night scene, the city aims to please. Dozens of dive companies offer large and small boat tours to the most popular diving spots in the world at the Great Barrier Reef. Probably the most popular dive spot is Flynn Reef. You get to experience the grandeur of marine life diversity and towering walls of coral with dozens of swim-throughs. This is the quintessential, colorful and fabulous dive experience that everyone should want to have!

Cairns hostels offer relaxing and engaging accommodation that brings you together with like-minded travelers. If you’re thinking of heading to Cairns, check out Nomads Cairns Backpacker Hostel. With its pool, bar and restaurant, you’re sure to have a wicked fun social life during your stay.

HostelBookers is the leading budget accommodation website in the travel industry not to apply a service charge and is, on average, 8.7% cheaper than its nearest competitor. It features over 20,000 hostels, cheap hotels and budget properties on its website in over 3,500 destinations across the world. Follow us on Twitter @PRHostelBookers

Images: Flynn Reef – Gordon’s, Flynn Reef – Ski Slopes, and Featured Image taken by travelix.

Memes are all the rage these days, but it is not very often that you see travel memes. That is odd considering all the little things that happen all the time while traveling that are perfect targets to be poked at via meme.

The Travelated team has come up with a set of travel memes that we hope will make you laugh. Enjoy!

“Holy crap, the bunny hill did not prepare me for this.”

That was the only thought in my head as I got off the ski lift, rounded the corner, and looked down the steep ski slope. This was my first time skiing, and more importantly the first time I attempted anything but the bunny hill. I hesitated for a few minutes, and finally just went for it.

I immediately fell on my ass and lost a ski within the first 50 feet. There is no way to look cool when you go down hard, lose a ski, and clearly have no idea what you are doing. But, I got up, clicked my ski back on, and started down the hill again – much more cautiously this time. I remembered my lessons, and formed an iron clad wedge with my skis just hoping not to die. Eventually I became more comfortable on my feet and the experience seamlessly morphed from sheer terror to pure exhilaration. Before I knew it I reached the end of the hill alive.

This is Las Vegas.

Most visitors don’t know that just about a 30-40 minute drive from the Strip, you can go skiing. This is actual, outdoor, on-a-mountain skiing as well, not some indoor facsimile of skiing like you might expect from Las Vegas (or will actually find in Dubai). The Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort boasts some of the best snow and the earliest open date in the county. The resort is generally open from November through April, so you can go skiing in Las Vegas for nearly half of the year. Pretty much if you come to Vegas and the pool at your hotel is closed, then the ski slopes will be open.

A lift ticket on the weekend will cost you $60 for the entire day (9 AM to 4 PM), or $50 during the week. Put another way, you can go skiing for an entire day on the amount of money you would probably lose in ten minutes of blackjack. You can even rent all of the equipment needed (including jacket and pants) and take a 2 hour lesson if you are new to skiing. I took the lesson, and would definitely recommend it to newbies.

So, now if anyone tells you that Las Vegas only has gambling and nightclubs, you can let them know about the world class skiing. This is a great way to spend the day no matter what kind of Vegas trip you’re taking, be it with family, friends, or solo. And if you can’t make it to Las Vegas to try the skiing for yourself, this is a pretty close reenactment of my experience.

This post is sponsored by DialAFlight

Backpackers tend to avoid big cities. Large cities these days seem to be rather homogeneous; the same international brands, chain stores and signs written in English. Often they are mere transit points on your way to somewhere else. However, there are some cities that are just too cool to miss and New York is one of them.

It’s not exactly the most backpacker friendly city, seeing as pretty much everything involves spending money, but there are ways to get by in the Big Apple without draining your bank account completely.

Times Square looking uptown. Creative Commons photo by Trey Ratcliff.

There are really three standout things you need to do in New York. The first is see the skyline and the Statue of Liberty from the water. Next you need to visit MoMa, this really is one of the best galleries in the world and finally you need to eat out – New York has more restaurants that any other city on the planet. Here’s how to do all three without spending loads of cash.

Jump on the Staten Island ferry from Whitehall Terminal. This free service goes all the way out to Staten Island, past the Statue of Liberty. You’ll get a great view back onto Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge and get a real sense of scale of the buildings and surrounding New York boroughs.

The Museum of Modern Art near Central Park costs $25 for adults, but if you go between 4pm and 8pm on Friday, admission is free, thanks to Target Free Friday Nights.

Eating out in New York is a must at least once. Of course the Michelin-star restaurants may be out of the question, but there are plenty of award-winning restaurants that don’t charge top dollar to choose from. A good place to find the restaurant for you is on Top Table. This handy website offers all kinds of offers, including two for one, 50% off, lunchtime specials and taster menus. Thousands of offers are running at any one time.

Thankfully, getting to the ‘Empire State’ isn’t over priced. As long as you book your flights to New York in advance you should be able to bag a decent deal. DialAFlight has a range of flights to New York throughout the year, so you should find one package you can afford. Even if your flight to New York is just a transit onto somewhere else, you need to spend at least a few days in the city that never sleeps.

by Sydney Stonner

Many tourist attractions in Hong Kong, such as the local amusement parks, aren’t cheap; and the city is full of designer clothes and luxury goods. But, there are quite a few things to do in this Asian metropolis that are free and fun.

1. Hong Kong Park
   Located in Central, this park is truly a green oasis nestled among the skyscrapers of the financial district. It is a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of sightseeing and relax. One of the highlights is the large aviary where visitors can walk amongst a variety of colorful, talkative birds. Check out the Flagstaff House Museum of Teaware, too.
2. A Symphony of Lights
   This laser light show occurs nightly in Hong Kong and can be viewed from vantage points on either side of Victoria Harbor. From the waterfront in either Wan Chai or Tsim Sha Tsui, you can see searchlights and laser beams dance across the skyscrapers in time to music. The display is a bit cheesy, but the harbor views on a clear night are spectacular.


Hong Kong has Beaches!

3. Hiking
   You wouldn’t think a city as densely populated as Hong Kong would have many opportunities for hiking, but you would be wrong. There are trails all over Hong Kong Island, the New Territories and even the outlying islands. Some of the hikes can be quite strenuous due to many steep inclines, but others are less of a workout; and, they all provide magnificent views of the city, the beach or the countryside.
4. A Day at the Beach
   Being a city of islands, Hong Kong has miles of shoreline and thus, beaches. They vary in terms of sand quality and location; but practically all public beaches have changing facilities and restrooms, and are accessible by public transport. Some of the most famous are at Stanley, Repulse Bay, Discovery Bay and Clearwater Bay.
5. Man Mo Temple
   Located on Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan, this is probably Hong Kong’s most-visited temple. The temple was built in the mid-1800s and is dedicated to the gods of literature and martial arts.
6. A Magnificent View
   There are many skyscrapers in Hong Kong, and the views from such heights are truly breathtaking. Some places with great vistas charge admission or the price of a drink at the bar, but there are two observation decks that are free. In Central, both the Bank of China Tower, 43rd floor, and Two IFC, 55th floor, have viewing platforms open to the public.
7. Classical Music
   To showcase its magnificent, handmade pipe organ, the Hong Kong Cultural Center hosts free public concerts in the main concert hall, which is located in Tsim Sha Tsui. These are typically held on Saturday afternoons and feature various guest performers. If you need a break from sightseeing, relax and enjoy the resonating sounds of the pipe organ.


That's a lot of Buddhas

8. The Avenue of Stars
   Also located in Tsim Sha Tsui is Hong Kong’s answer to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Tourists can walk along the promenade — which is also a great location to view site #2 — and see the commemorative stars for many Hong Kong celebrities. The most recognizable name to Westerners is, of course, actor Jackie Chan.
9. The Peak
   The Peak is one of Hong Kong’s most famous attractions, a must-see for any tourist. At the top, there are restaurants, shopping areas and a ticketed viewing platform. However, there is also the fairly flat, paved Peak Circle Walk. This trail provides views of all sides of Hong Kong Island and puts visitors at eye-level with the higher floors of many tall buildings.
10. 10000 Buddhas Monastery
    Located in Sha Tin in the New Territories, the 10000 Buddhas Monastery no longer has monks in residence, but the temple complex is well-maintained and very picturesque. The winding path up to the main temple is lined with statues of buddhas of all shapes and sizes, and at the top there are even more, including a room whose walls are filled with shelves bearing small buddha statues.

Why did you start your travel blog?

I’m sure you have a long list of reasons. Maybe you started it so your friends and family could follow your adventures, or maybe you just wanted to share your love of travel with the whole world. No matter what your primary reason might be, I bet you also wanted to make a little money.

When you make money with your travel blog you get to take pictures like this

Making money with a travel blog is a difficult nut to crack. I know from experience. My name is Alex Ritter, and I manage the business side of Travelated. I have an extensive background in internet marketing and website monetization, and I have spent the last year applying everything I know to Travelated. In 2011 I tried just about every type of advertising, sponsorship, and affiliate deal I could think of on this site. Most of the things we tried went nowhere, but some of them were big winners for us. In fact, this humble little travel blog ended up bringing in over $15,000 in 2011.

Now, nobody is going to retire on $15,000 per year, and not every site will be able to do what we did. That said, there are definitely things that every travel blogger can do (including us at Travelated) to earn a little more money. If you are actively traveling, just think what you could do with an extra $50 to $100 per month. How many nights sleeping in the airport or a questionable hostel could you turn into nights in a comfortable hotel?

If you want to make more money with your travel blog, keep reading. Below is a list of different ways you can monetize your blog along with tips on how to implement them successfully. If you want help, I will give you my personal email address at the end of this post. Please contact me, I would love to help you make more money with your travel blog.

CPC/CPM Ad Networks

The easiest form of monetization to implement are CPC (Cost Per Click) or CPM (Cost Per 1000 Impressions) ads. Google Adsense is the most popular CPC ad network, and if you have tried only one ad network I bet it is Adsense. CPC ads attempt to figure out what a page or post is about by picking out keywords, then they show a block of hopefully relevant ads. If someone clicks the ad, you are credited with a little cash. CPC ads can be either a banner or text. The important things for maximizing revenue with CPC ads are placement and the post topic.

CPM ads pay out per impression rather than per click. In other words, you will get paid a fraction of a penny for each page view that includes a CPM banner. There are more variables than just page views with CPM ads, but the gist is more page views leads to more money.

These are a few ad networks you should consider using on your blog.

• Google Adsense – Adsense will offer the best CPCs (i.e. the most money per click) because it is the largest network (it has the most publishers and the most advertisers). As long as your blog meets Google’s quality guidelines you will be approved, and you will be able to start placing ads on your site very quickly. The main downside of Adsense is that internet users are savvy enough to recognize Adsense ads when they see them, and many people won’t click them anymore. Also, Google is very strict with payouts. If you receive a flood of traffic from StumbleUpon or some other social media site and it generates more clicks than normal, Google could decide the clicks were fraudulent and withhold your payments or even disable your account. Adsense probably won’t earn a lot of money for a typical travel blog.



• Chitika – Chitika is a lot like Google Adsense, but with more flexibility and more options for displaying your ads. Chitika mostly targets traffic that comes from search engines, so it can be a great compliment to Google Adsense. Chitika also allows you to create blocks of ads in the sizes you want, and even offers map ads that can be great to use on travel blogs. If you already use Adsense, you might want to try using Chitika in combination to increase your revenue. As long as your site meets Chitika’s quality guidelines, you should be approved as a publisher with no problems.
  Click here for more info on joining the Chitika Network
• CPM Networks – There are many CPM networks you can consider joining that all do the same thing: show banners. You will need to prove a minimum level of page views per month to be accepted into a CPM network, usually 50,000 to 100,000 or more. These ads are best if you have a lot of page views and content that is very general in nature (webcomics, personal stories, etc.), or if a lot of your traffic comes from social media sites.

With any of these types of ads, the more traffic you get the more money you will make. How to get traffic is another topic entirely. The things you can control with these ads are placement, and what keyword the ads will focus on. In general, the more you put the ads in your readers’ faces, the more likely the ads are to get clicked (see the graphic above – it shows where to place ads if you want to encourage clicks). Aggressive ad placement tends to irritate your regular readers though, so there is a definite tradeoff of money and return visitors. It is up to you to find a balance you are comfortable with.

Affiliate/CPA Networks

CPA stands for Cost Per Action. It means that someone must click your ad then make a specific action on the landing page, such as purchasing an item or supplying their email address, in order for you to get paid. The amount you get paid can be a flat fee or a percentage based commission. Earning money through a CPA ad is more difficult than CPC and much more difficult than CPM, but it can be by far the most profitable if it is implemented correctly, especially for a travel blog with loyal readers. With affiliate networks, you first have to get approved by the network, then you have to join specific programs. So, for example, if you wanted to advertise for Hotels.com you would need to join the appropriate affiliate network, then join the Hotels.com affiliate program in that network. You will need a plan for how you will generate traffic to get approved by the network, and your site will need to be aesthetically pleasing and on topic to be accepted by specific programs. It can be tough to get approved, but once you are approved you are only limited by your own creativity in how to promote the programs you join. Did you recently stay at a great hotel? You can recommend it to your readers and get a commission if they stay there! Do you absolutely love your luggage? Write a post about how great it is, and get a commission if someone buys it! Below are a few of the Affiliate networks I recommend for travel bloggers:

• Commission Junction – This is probably the largest affiliate network, and it includes programs for many big-name travel sites (Travelocity, Hotels.com, Expedia, and many more).
  Click here for more info on joining Commission Junction
• Linkshare – This is another large network that includes some popular travel booking sites (Orbitz, CheapOair, Hotwire, and many others). Linkshare also includes a lot of handy tools that make integrating relevant ads very easy even if you have no coding or HTML experience.
  Click here for more info on joining the Linkshare Network
• Amazon – Amazon.com lists just about every product imaginable for sale, and you can get a commission on all of it. Like I mentioned earlier, if you love your luggage you can write a post about it and then show your readers where they can buy it on Amazon.com. If the person clicks your link and goes on to buy anything at Amazon.com you get a commission. Yes, you can link to a piece of luggage then get commissions if that person buys a Kindle. Again, your site must pass the Amazon approval process, but as long as it is a good looking site with original content you should get approved.
  Click here for more info on joining the Amazon Affiliate Program
• ShareASale – Another affiliate network similar to CJ or LinkShare, but with smaller advertisers in the Travel Niche.

The most important thing with CPA/Affiliate ads is you must have a plan in mind. It isn’t as easy as placing a banner or block of text ads, but it can be much more profitable.

Sponsored Articles and Sponsored Links

Sponsored articles and sponsored links are fairly controversial among travel bloggers. This is an arrangement where the blogger accepts a cash payment in exchange for posting on their blog a link to a third party site or an entire article that includes links to a third party site. There are plenty of SEO specialists and marketing companies who are more than willing to pay you for a link back to their site (or their client’s site). This is technically against the guidelines of Google, and it could result in your site getting penalized for selling links. You can minimize the risk of being penalized by Google by disclosing any links or articles that you were paid to post, and by using rel=”nofollow” in the outbound links. You can earn anywhere from a few dollars per month for each sponsored link up to $100 or more for a sponsored post. This is entirely up to you and how comfortable you are with posting paid links or posts on your site. There are many ways to attract sponsored links or posts, but the easiest is to simply provide a way for advertisers to contact you on your blog.

Applications

Apps are all the rage these days, and I don’t mean just iPhone and Android apps. You can make apps for facebook, or apps for browsers, or even make your own toolbar. There is a platform called Conduit which you can use to make your own branded toolbar and offer it to your readers. You can put together a toolbar in under 10 minutes and get paid for every install you generate. You can even get paid for placing some apps on your toolbar. I would suggest adding the TravelScout app if you build your own toolbar. Of course TravelScout is the app Travelated built, but it would be a great app for the audience of any travel blog.

Be Creative

The best advice I can give is to try to be creative. Don’t be afraid to try anything you can think of. Contact anyone who might benefit from being mentioned on your blog. Do you rave about a specific hotel, product, or even a location on your blog? Contact anyone who stands to gain from your kind words and you might be amazed at what can happen. The travel industry is brutally competitive. Every country, state, city, hotel, and airline wants to attract every traveler they can. Your blog helps people decide where to go, where to stay, which airline to take, and even where to eat. Reach out to tourism boards, hotels, and even restaurants. They are all willing to listen to your ideas on how you can drive more business their way.

Our Breakdown

UPDATE: A few people have requested to see the breakdown of how much revenue we earned from each of these sources in 2011. So, below is a pie chart that shows where our income came from.

As you can see, the bulk of our revenue came from Commission Junction and Linkshare, and most of that revenue is from our TravelScout coupons. We made just a tiny bit of money from CPC and CPM ads because we made the conscious decision not to place ads in our content area, but instead focus on building a loyal reader base who would be inclined to use our coupons and even install our TravelScout app. What you don’t see on the chart are the things we tried that brought in no money (such as our attempt to sell our own travel guides). We also chose to stop accepting sponsored posts early in 2011, or our revenue from those activities could have been much higher.

Conclusion

Are you still with me? I know this is a very wordy post, but this is just scratching the surface of ways to make money with your travel blog. I would be glad to help you if you need advice on what to try on your site or how to implement it. I would love to help you with anything from ad placement to discussing ways we can partner up. Send me an email, alex -at- travelated.com. I know making money with your travel blog can be difficult, but I would love the chance to help you out.

Do you know of any other ways to make money with a travel blog?