Behind the Scenes: How My Blog Makes Money
Some of the links on this page are referral or affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission if you choose to sign up or make a purchase through them — at no extra cost to you.
I only share tools I personally use and genuinely recommend. No sponsored fluff. No paid placements. Just the real resources that help me run this blog.
If you’ve been here for a while, you already know I’m an open book. I share my real travel, my real wins, my real mistakes, and my real systems — so it only makes sense to share the real way my blog earns money too.
I don’t believe in gatekeeping. I don’t believe in pretending things are more complicated than they are. And I definitely don’t believe in hiding how this business works.
I run No Point Left Behind because it makes me happy — helping people travel better for less is my favorite thing in the world. But yes, the blog earns money, and I want you to see exactly how.
This page is a behind‑the‑scenes look at the tools I use, the partnerships I choose, and the systems that actually generate income for me. No fluff. No mystery. No judgment zone.
💸 1. Travel Affiliate Platforms I Actively Use
These are the platforms that consistently earn for me — especially across cruise ports, trip guides, and Lazy Girl travel content.
Stay22 — hotel + lodging map embeds; perfect for cruise ports and city guides.
Travelpayouts — flights, hotels, insurance, booking tools; strong conversions.
FlexOffers — huge brand network; great for non‑travel partners.
ShopMy (my new main platform) — better payouts, perfect for Lazy Girl gear + cruise packing lists.
Benable Shopping Lists — curated lists that match my aesthetic; great for gear roundups.
🧳 2. Tours & Activities
These convert extremely well for travel bloggers — especially cruise bloggers.
GetYourGuide — easy embeds, strong conversion for city guides + cruise ports.
Viator — massive inventory; great for cruise readers.
Shore Excursion Group — high commission; I recently made $150 from a blog reader booking all her tours through me.
🛍️ 3. Shopping & Product Monetization
ShopMy — my new primary; best payouts for travel gear + Lazy Girl essentials.
Beanable — perfect for curated lists (cruise packing, UK trip essentials).
Amazon Associates — still useful for commodity items (chargers, packing cubes, etc.).
Honest note: I made good money on this for like 2 months, and they changed everything, and my earnings are minimal at best.
🏨 4. Travel Agent Earnings
Cruise Brothers — my agency; cruise bookings, packages, and reader itineraries.
Shore Excursion Group — strong cruise excursion commissions.
📝 5. Content Monetization Tools
These support my blog ecosystem and help me earn passively.
FlexOffers — for brands outside travel.
CJ — occasional use for niche partners.
Rakuten Affiliate — retail partners + seasonal deals.
CardPointers — fits my points-and-miles niche perfectly.
Trackrak
💙 6. My Philosophy on Monetization (Creator to Creator)
I want to be completely honest here because I love supporting other creators — we are all better together. Engagement helps get the message about points and miles out faster, and when one of us grows, we all grow.
I’m still not making a ton of money from this blog. Definitely nothing to brag about. But I’m happy, and it is growing. And if you’re in the same place, I wanted to put all the real tools I use in one spot to help you on your journey.
When I started No Point Left Behind, my goal was simple: I wanted a place where someone could learn everything they needed — for free — without me doing it for them. I didn’t want a paywall. I didn’t want to charge for guides. I wanted to teach what I’ve learned as a self‑taught creator who figured this out one step at a time.
I tried running ads on my blog, but I didn’t like how they looked, and I had people complaining. I know I shouldn’t be so sensitive, but I work incredibly hard on this site, and people can be mean. I spend hundreds of hours on this every month. It’s a labor of love and a passion project — but it does have costs associated with it.
To be honest, up until a few months ago, I barely broke even.
I don’t follow many creators, but I’ve loved learning from my new points‑and‑miles friends. They’ve made this journey more fun, more collaborative, and more inspiring. And that’s why I’m sharing all of this — because if you’re building something too, I want you to have the real tools that actually help me earn.
No gatekeeping. No mystery. No paywall. Just the truth.
👋 About the Author
Hi, I’m Julie — the creator behind No Point Left Behind.
I’m a travel advisor, cruise‑focused content creator, and points‑and‑miles enthusiast based in the Nashville/Murfreesboro area. I’m self‑taught, a little obsessive, and completely in love with helping people travel better for less.
I run this blog with a Lazy Girl editorial tone, a lot of iced coffee, and the help of my unofficial mascots: my parents, who appear in half my posts and bring half the engagement.
I believe in transparency, community, and making travel accessible — without paywalls, gatekeeping, or complicated jargon. If you found this page through Google, welcome. I’m glad you’re here.
💬 Let’s Connect!
If you want to keep the conversation going, I’d love to connect with you on social. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and inside my Facebook group — where I share behind‑the‑scenes updates, travel deals, and creator tips.
I do my best to reply to every comment because if you take the time to engage with me, I want you to feel seen. 💛 This community means the world to me, and I love hearing your thoughts, questions, and wins.
