Guest post by Jonny Verman, travel blogger at Finding Our Adventure
Monetising a travel blog sounds simple in theory. Create helpful content, recommend places to stay, and earn commission when readers book.
In reality, it’s rarely that straightforward. With so many affiliate programmes to choose from, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and spend more time comparing platforms than creating content.
For years, we relied on traditional hotel affiliate links, mainly through Booking.com. While it delivered some results, it never converted traffic into the level of bookings we would expect.
Hoping for better results, we tweaked links, adjusted placements, and monitored performance, but the outcomes remained inconsistent and didn’t provide a reliable income.
Some months were good, but our goal was to build a steady passive income, and we knew there had to be a better way. The solution had to be easy to manage, seamlessly work with our content, and make the booking experience smoother for our readers.
That search eventually led us to Stay22.
Why We Switched to Stay22 to Boost our Blog Revenue
Making the switch to a new affiliate programme can feel daunting, but Stay22 checked all the boxes for us.
Firstly, it was very easy to install. The platform converts our existing links automatically using a simple script, saving time and making the transition seamless.
We were also encouraged by the success stories of other bloggers, showing higher conversions and better results than other affiliate platforms, so we knew we had to try it for ourselves.
Stay22 is smart with readers, offering a personalised experience with Roam by showing readers their preferred booking platform. It integrates naturally with our content and feels intuitive for our audience.
With all this in mind, it seemed like a no-brainer to trial Stay22 for a few months and compare the results with our previous affiliate platforms, all with the goal of building a steady, passive income.
How We Use Stay22’s Tools
When we first explored Stay22, the range of tools felt a little overwhelming. But once we understood how each one worked, it became clear how they could support our content and boost conversions.
Nova focuses on booking intent. It quietly detects when a reader is ready to book and shows relevant accommodation options at the perfect moment. This moved us away from relying purely on the hope that someone would click a link.
Spark analyses existing content and identifies opportunities to improve the performance of accommodation links. Instead of rewriting posts, it enhances what’s already there, helping us make the most of older content.
LinkSwap handles link conversion automatically. Once the Stay22 script is installed, all existing hotel links on the site are upgraded behind the scenes. This removed what we thought would be the biggest barrier to switching.
For example, we had hundreds of travel guides that had been published before switching to Stay22; this would have been a gigantic task to manually update each link. Each link was instantly converted, making sure we weren’t missing any potential bookings.
We regularly use the Allez Link Generator to create deep links to specific hotels in our travel guides. It produces short, shareable URLs that we can use on our website, social media, or even in our newsletter. A standout feature is its ability to generate QR codes, making it easy to share links across multiple platforms, including YouTube.
Image 1 - Allez link generator with short url and QR code created
The example below shows how we place Allez links in our travel guides. We make sure they stand out from the main text, clearly indicating that they are affiliate links, and include a call-to-action (CTA) like “Book your stay.” Since implementing this approach, we’ve seen increased conversions.
Image 2 - Allez links on our travel guides
Another tool we regularly use on our travel guides, especially stay-specific ones, is the interactive map. It lets readers browse location-specific accommodations, view the best deals, select specific dates, and filter by budget, reviews, or accommodation type. This makes it easy for readers to explore options without leaving the page.
Image 3 - Interactive map
Our First Impressions After Switching to Stay22
We didn’t switch to Stay22 overnight. Like many bloggers, we were sceptical at first. We had seen others share impressive results, but we weren’t sure if it would work the same way for us.
When we finally tested the platform mid-month, the results came faster than expected. Within just 15 days, performance exceeded our previous best month using other affiliate platforms.
What impressed us most was how little manual effort was required. Instead of constantly managing broken links, or tracking performance, Stay22 worked quietly in the background while we focused on creating content. This hands-off approach made it much easier to scale our affiliate strategy without burning out.
Setting up Stay22 on Your Blog
Setting up Stay22 on your travel blog is straightforward. Here’s how it works:
- Get in touch with Stay22 – Reach out via their website or email to start the process.
- Assigned a dedicated support contact – You’ll be connected with someone who guides you through every step.
- Create your account – Fill out the basic information to get your affiliate account active.
- Add the Stay22 script to your site – A small snippet is added to your website; this automatically converts your existing hotel links.
- Verify link conversion – Check a few posts to ensure links are upgraded correctly.
- Start using Stay22 tools – From Nova to LinkSwap, Spark, Allez, and interactive maps, everything is ready to enhance your content.
- Monitor performance – Log into the dashboard to see bookings, clicks, and revenue.
Tip: The dedicated support person will make the process very smooth, so you don’t need the technical experience to get started.
Key Insights from Our Stay22 Data
Since switching to Stay22, our accommodation content has started performing in line with our traffic, and the growth has been impressive.
From October 2024 to January 2026, we have seen:
- Total bookings: +488%
- Total commissions: +863%
- Average booking conversion rate: 10-15%, a significant improvement over our previous setup
Image 4 - Graph of Commissions generated over the last 12 months on Stay22
Key Takeaways
- Higher-value bookings: Commission growth has significantly taken over booking growth, showing our content is attracting higher-value reservations over time.
- Stronger engagement: Conversion rates prove our traffic is now generating more meaningful bookings than ever before.
- Clear ROI for partners: Having this data makes it much easier to demonstrate measurable results when working with brands and business partners.
- Rapid scale: In just 16 months, our booking volume has grown almost 5x, while total commissions have increased close to 10x, highlighting the clear impact of switching to Stay22.
Beyond the numbers, Stay22 has made the booking process more instinctive for our readers. Interactive maps, smart link placement and clearer CTAs allow visitors to explore stays with ease, and discover by the personal preferences.
Overall, these results show that Stay22 doesn’t just increase bookings, it optimises content for higher-value conversions while providing a better experience for readers with minimal effort.
How Stay22 Data Gives Valuable Insights
Stay22 doesn’t just track bookings; it shows what works on our blog. The data is invaluable to show what decisions can be made to improve performance and how to replicate this success on new content.
- Top destinations drive results - Madeira, Cape Town, and Morocco are our highest-converting destinations.
- Preferred booking platform - Around 88% of bookings come through one provider, showing the preference of our audience.
- Mobile-first audience - Most bookings are made via phone, showing the importance of mobile-friendly content.
- Accommodation-focused - Nearly all bookings come from accommodation posts, with average conversion rates of 10–15%.
- Content strategy tip - High-performing posts reveal patterns in link placement, map use, and CTAs that can be replicated across similar destinations.
These insights help us see which posts convert best, understand our audience, and optimise content for more effective bookings.
Final Thoughts
Stay22 has become an integral part of how we manage and monetise our travel blog. It streamlines link management, boosts conversions, and provides clear insights into which articles perform best.
For us, the platform turned our previous inconsistent affiliate setup into a more predictable and scalable system, all while keeping the reader experience smooth and natural.
If you create travel content and want your posts to work harder without extra manual effort or technical know-how, Stay22 is well worth exploring. It not only helps increase bookings but also provides actionable data to optimise your affiliate strategy, making your blog more efficient, effective and sustainable over time.
We’re grateful we gave Stay22 a try. It has helped us focus on creating useful content while building a more consistent and passive income.
👉 Start earning today with Stay22 – create your free account >>