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Meet Danny, a UK-born travel blogger, photographer, and creator of Danny–CPH.com – now based in Copenhagen. A lifelong fan of cold weather and Nordic landscapes, Danny fell in love with Northern Europe after his first trip to Copenhagen in 2016.
Since then, he’s explored the region from Iceland to the Faroe Islands and Arctic Norway. His site has become a trusted guide to Northern and Northwestern Europe, filled with practical tips, stunning photography, and authentic local insight.
Today, Danny earns between $6,000 and $9,000 per month from his blog – about half of that comes from affiliate marketing, and roughly half of those earnings are through Travelpayouts.
Danny’s main money-making affiliate programs are:
How Danny built a travel blog that actually pays off
Danny’s success didn’t happen overnight. His current blog is his fourth attempt at travel blogging. What made the difference this time? Total commitment, smart systems, and the right affiliate tools.
This is the story of how he built his blog – and what you can learn from it.
Fully committing to the journey
In his earlier blogging attempts, Danny struggled with consistency and belief. This time, he approached things differently – with a clear intention to take it seriously from the start.
When I started my current travel blog in 2023, I told myself straight away that I would go all-in. I had every intention of making this my full-time job one day.
His background as a freelance content writer gave him a strong grasp of SEO, but he also focused on developing habits that fuel creativity – like meditation, healthy eating, and training.
By combining professional knowledge with personal discipline, Danny built a sustainable rhythm for producing content and growing his site.
Building in-depth content around real experience
Danny’s strength is authenticity. Every post is based on firsthand exploration – he writes about places he truly knows.
He’s visited every Nordic capital multiple times and uses that experience to create interconnected, in-depth articles.
My idea is to create a really strong ecosystem of interlinked content and give site visitors something they might not find in search engines.
This “ecosystem” approach boosts his authority and keeps readers exploring more pages – which naturally improves conversions.
Placing links naturally and adding value
Many beginners overload their posts with random links – Danny did it too.
I used to spray affiliate links aimlessly and hope someone would make a purchase. That did not work. People can smell desperation from a mile off.
But he learned that conversions happen when links fit naturally into the story. Now, he places links only where they make contextual sense – like when describing a boat tour he personally took.
Widgets are also a part of Danny’s strategy. He adds them to make affiliate content useful and attractive.
When recommending a specific tour or experience, I use the calendar widget. Sometimes, giving readers multiple options makes more sense – and in these cases, I use multi-tour widgets. Besides being good for revenue, I like the aesthetic of these widgets in my articles.
To make your posts more interactive and visual too, try adding widgets for tours, flights, or hotels – they often convert better than plain links.
Try Travelpayouts Widgets
Using AI to boost conversions automatically
Danny is a big fan of Travelpayouts’ Emerald tool, which uses AI to automatically display relevant tours and experiences within his articles.
Danny activated Emerald in September and noticed immediate results.
I’ve realized just how useful AI can be for monetization. I saw an immediate uptick in affiliate commissions after enabling Travelpayouts’ Emerald tool. It’s a very easy way to generate more revenue without much extra work.
Emerald helps Danny summarize the top activities in each destination and fill gaps he might have missed – without disrupting the reading experience.
He also loves the tool’s ease of use and the ability to decide which articles it’s shown on.
I’d recommend Emerald primarily because it’s very simple to use. I just had to press a few buttons and then everything was working as it should. I also like how I can choose which articles the tool appears on and which ones it doesn’t. This gives me better control over everything.
If you also want to grow affiliate income without extra effort and with full control, start by activating Emerald.
Analyzing what works (and do more of It)
Danny uses Google Analytics and Travelpayouts’ Content Analytics monthly to track which articles and affiliate placements perform best.
Instead of manually calculating results, he can instantly see which widgets or programs bring the most revenue in Travelpayouts’ Content Analytics.
The analytics are very easy to read, and it’s easier to get a full picture of my affiliate marketing success. Not having to work everything out myself and manually aggregate data is a game-changer.
This data-driven approach helps him plan smarter content updates and increase conversions.
Want to see which of your pages or widgets perform best?
Explore Content Analytics
Diversifying traffic but focusing on one traffic channel at first
Roughly 85% of Danny’s traffic comes from organic search.
Instead of trying to grow on every platform at once, he focused on mastering SEO first – then added socials and newsletters.
Now he sends a monthly email newsletter, posts regularly on Pinterest, and uses Instagram mainly to connect with readers and promote his blog in stories.
When I started my blog, I decided to get really good at one channel at a time. Now that I’ve got a good grasp on organic search, I’m expanding other options.
This focused approach helped him reach 100,000 monthly pageviews in just over two years.
Being patient – Results take time
Despite his content background, Danny didn’t earn a single dollar from affiliate marketing for more than a year.
Toward the end of 2024, I started to see my first few sales trickle in. When I generated $200 in commissions in December, it was a reality-bending experience.
Soon after, everything began to snowball. Smarter monetization and growing traffic helped him hit $1,000 per month in affiliate income – and he hasn’t looked back since.
When I made over $1,000 in one month from affiliate marketing (and by that, I mean actually in my bank account), I realized how powerful this form of making money is.
Danny’s advice for anyone who feels stuck (or just starting out)
If you’ve ever felt like giving up on your blog – Danny gets it.
He started and quit three times before finally creating the version that changed his life. Whether you’re new to blogging or on the verge of walking away, his story proves it’s never too late to make it work.
His biggest message is simple: be patient, be consistent, and stay true to what excites you.
Even successful blogs start small – his first posts barely had readers for six months.
Here are some of his best lessons from the journey:
- Ignore the “blogging is dead” talk – Success still comes to those who’re willing to put in the effort.
- Use what makes you different – Your interests, experiences and voice are your biggest competitive advantage.
- Let passion guide your writing – When you enjoy your topic, readers and income will follow.
- Don’t overthink it – Your first posts won’t be perfect. Publish, learn, improve.
- Learn the rules, then redefine them – Understand SEO and best practices, but don’t lose your personality.
- Find your own rhythm – A few focused hours a day beat burnout and inconsistency.
- Start monetizing early – Add affiliate links right away; learning by doing is the fastest path to profit.
Danny’s story is proof that when passion meets persistence, your travel blog can become more than a hobby – it can become your life’s work. With the right tools, persistence, and love for travel, your blog could be the next success story we tell.
