How to Become a Travel Influencer in 2026

Learn exactly how to become a travel influencer in 2026 and start getting paid to travel! In this episode, Danielle shares the proven pandemic-proof steps from The Travel Influencer Handbook from laying your foundation and building your online presence to pitching brands and scaling to six figures. Tune in for insider strategies and tools to start and scale your successful influencer business in the upcoming year!

Tune in or read the blog version below!

✈️ Download the Travel Influencer Handbook

I am so excited today because the newest edition of the Travel Influencer Handbook is out now. It is the complete guide for aspiring travel influencers, teaching you everything from growing your following, landing collaborations with hotels, and scaling to six figures and beyond.

We’ve had so many success stories over the years from readers landing five-star private villas in French Polynesia that go for over 6,000 USD nightly, to readers landing collaborations with Hilton Hotels, Herbal Essences, tourism boards, Marriott Hotels, and more.

Just this past week, I received a DM from an older influencer who said,

“All this rambling to say thank you. I started with no clue what I was doing, and I just can’t believe someone like me at this age is getting paid to stay at one of the best hotels here. The book was my best purchase of 2025.”

So I know that this works, and I’m just so excited for you to take everything I teach in this handbook and apply it to your own life to see the same results. This is the sixth edition, and so it’s only fitting for today’s episode to be all about how to become a travel influencer in 2026. We are going to debunk one of the most misunderstood topics on the internet — how to actually get paid to travel.

If you’ve ever scrolled through Instagram thinking, “I wish that could be me,” then you’re going to want to continue listening because by the end of this episode, you’re going to know exactly how to start, grow, and monetize your very own travel influencer brand this upcoming year.

My Journey to Becoming a Full-Time Travel Influencer

If you are new to the show, I want to first share exactly how I got to this point today and what my experience is in the industry. So what better way than to read the introduction chapter from the handbook itself?

My name is Danielle, and I am a full-time travel influencer and online business coach with years of experience living a location-independent lifestyle. I am obsessed with teaching my community how to build creative, freedom-based businesses — but it didn’t always look like this.

After graduating from Cornell, I accepted a full-time offer in corporate finance in the heart of New York City. I honestly thought I had made it, but I quickly discovered that while the job offered security and what society would call success, I was not fulfilled. I didn’t love my job. I had only 15 vacation days a year, and I knew there was a whole world out there for me to see.

As I looked around my office and saw managers and executives working in cubicles, I realized that’s exactly where I would end up if I stayed on my current path — which was not where I wanted to be in five or ten years’ time. But on the other hand, whenever I would scroll on Instagram and look at influencers’ feeds, I would think to myself, “Wow, I want that life.”

I knew being location-independent and working with travel brands would be my ideal situation in five or ten years’ time, and I thought, “If they could do it, why couldn’t I?” I knew I would regret my life if I didn’t at least try. And the worst that could happen would be I’d end up where I currently was. So I chose a new path.

That decision led to the birth of The Wanderlover among a few other businesses that I no longer run today. I began exploring other ways to earn money outside my paycheck. As my digital presence grew, I landed incredible opportunities to work with travel brands and businesses.

It was far from an effortless journey, though. My transition was a marathon filled with late nights, imposter syndrome, and doubt from friends and family. But every single step taught me valuable lessons about resilience and the power of following your intuition.

I realized that even if my life hadn’t started out this free and adventurous, I could change my trajectory by adopting a growth mindset — and that is exactly why I wrote this book: to share everything I’ve learned about creating a sustainable, profitable online business that isn’t tied to any one income stream.

I’m not suggesting that my path is the only way or that it’s right for everyone. I know many people thrive in the stability of a corporate role or find contentment in a more traditional lifestyle. There is no one-size-fits-all solution in life, and each journey is deeply personal. But if you are feeling that inner pull — if you sense that there is a calling beyond the corporate grind — I’m here to show you that it’s possible.

I want you to discover the tools and mindset shifts necessary to be successful, expanding your abundance and inspiring others to do the same.

Lessons from the Pandemic and Building a Sustainable Influencer Business

I also want to expand on an event that completely reshaped my perspective on the influencer landscape — the pandemic. This ebook was first launched back in 2018 when I was living in Bali (checkout my one week Bali itinerary for first timers here) and when my work was primarily focused on collaborations with hotels, brands, and tourism boards. The world of influencing looked very different then — a world where travel was the ultimate freedom and end goal.

But when the pandemic hit, it forced me to rethink everything because suddenly the luxury of traveling went away, and all my influencer friends were freaking out. We were all unable to travel and most lost their sole source of income seemingly overnight.

However, even in the middle of global uncertainty, my income doubled during the pandemic because I did things differently. I diversified. The digital products (some of the even passive income) and services I subsequently built over time allowed me to deliver from anywhere in the world with a reliable internet connection.

I had multiple streams of income from my influencer business, and I did not rely solely on collaborations tied to physical travel — which then helped me rewrite the next edition of the handbook to include this important lesson: to help you build a sustainable, pandemic-proof online business.

What You’ll Learn Inside The Travel Influencer Handbook

Throughout this guide, I’m going to walk you through not just how to create incredible content and land those paid collaborations, but also how to build a resilient online business. You’ll learn how to develop your brand across different platforms and diversify your income streams — maybe even open up opportunities for passive income if you’d like.

My goal is to help you build an influencer business that empowers you to live a life of time freedom, location freedom, and financial freedom.

So whether you’re here because you’re dreaming of a location-independent lifestyle, or you’re ready to make strategic moves to scale your business profitably, I want you to know that you are in the right place.

We will be covering the main five steps in detail in the next few chapters:

  1. Lay the foundation
  2. Build your online presence
  3. Start monetizing
  4. Scale to a profitable business
  5. Keep momentum

I’m honored to be here as your mentor. Get out a notebook or take notes on your phone as you work through the chapters so you can revisit what you learn. The most successful readers are the ones who execute, so step one is to lay the foundation.

Step One: Lay the Foundation

In this chapter, we focus on treating your brand like a business, not a hobby. This means getting clear on your niche and ideal audience, your brand mission, your voice, your story, and what makes you different — exactly why brands will want to work with you in 2026.

The travel industry is going to be more competitive than ever, but I guarantee there will be equally as many new opportunities, if not more, than there ever were before.

In chapter one, we also cover legal business basics because if you’re treating this as a money-making business, you’re going to want to make sure you set up everything correctly.

Step Two: Build Your Online Presence

Step two is where we build your online presence. I recommend starting with Instagram, and we cover profile optimization, content creation, and a growth strategy so that you can start growing your audience online.

We also cover other social media platforms and the backbone of your business — your website and email list. In 2026, brands are no longer just looking for followers; they are looking for conversion power.

If you focus on building a consistent content strategy across multiple platforms, your job is to stick to one year, one strategy. Instead of jumping from one strategy to another, follow the one laid out in the Travel Influencer Handbook for one whole year, and I guarantee you’re going to see results.

Step Three: Start Monetizing

After we have your foundation and your content strategy, we are going to start monetizing. This is where we cover working with brands, partnering with hotels by creating a media kit and rate card, pitching and negotiating contracts, getting invited on press trips, affiliate marketing for influencers, and driving sales authentically.

We also cover all the ways you can start monetizing your influencer business in 2026. As I mentioned earlier, we are not just relying on one income stream. I truly show you how to build a cohesive online business that is pandemic-proof — and you don’t have to wait for brands to find you. You can pitch them so it’s a win-win for both parties.

I include my exact brand pitch template — the same one I’ve used to land collaborations with hotels, tourism boards, and travel brands all over the world. I’ve refined it so that it’s literally what I send out every single time.

If you have never created your offers or priced yourself, we are going to do so immediately, because unless you have something to offer, you won’t be able to get paid — and I want you to get paid.

Always remember: done is better than perfect.

Step Four: Scale to a Profitable Business

Getting paid once is fun, but turning your brand into a six-figure or multiple six-figure business is where the magic happens. This is where you start thinking bigger about systems and scalability — automating your processes and continuing to build digital assets that sell while you sleep.

This is where I help clients with passive income. Maybe you launch a course, create your own travel products, or grow your team. Whatever scaling looks like for you, the handbook walks you through how to structure your business so that travel is the byproduct.

We cover diversifying income streams with coaching, UGC, courses, digital products, sustainable business systems like automations, Pinterest, Tailwind, paid advertising, and building a team.

I want you to feel confident knowing that this is a business you can grow for life — not just a get-rich-quick scheme that fizzles out after a year.

Step Five: Keep Momentum

Consistency is what separates people who do this as a hobby versus those who do it professionally. There will be slow seasons, algorithm changes, and whatever online fads come and go, but the ones who last are the ones who keep showing up and keep innovating.

The sixth edition of this handbook is designed to help you stay in the game with all the latest marketing strategies and trends — everything you need to stay relevant and profitable.

I pride myself not only on working as an influencer but also as a business coach, so I understand what the long-term strategy is. It’s not just content creation — I want you to have this operating and profitable through every season of your life.

Personally, I just became a mother, and I love that I’m able to have my influencer business running alongside all of the other income streams I’ve built under the Wanderlover. I want you to be able to do the same and experience time freedom, location freedom, and financial freedom.

Start Your Journey as a Travel Influencer

I include so many additional resources, including the list of apps I use, brands that pay best, and affiliate networks. You can also join the handbook affiliate program and start monetizing immediately.

So if you are ready to make 2026 the year you finally take action and get paid to travel, grab your copy of the Travel Influencer Handbook here. I cannot wait to see your journey unfold.

As always, DM me on Instagram at @thewanderlover if you have any questions. Have an amazing week, my loves, and I will see you in the next episode.

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Danielle Hu

Danielle Hu

Danielle Hu is a multiple 6-figure travel influencer, business coach, and Host of The Wanderlover Podcast. She has traveled to over 65+ countries running her online business and surfing in remote tropical destinations. Her mission is to help creatives and coaches achieve time freedom, location freedom, and financial freedom through online entrepreneurship.

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My mission is to help you achieve time freedom, location freedom, financial freedom through online entrepreneurship.

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