best viator alternatives for travel bloggers

These are the 10 Best Viator Alternatives for Travel Bloggers

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LOOKING FOR THE top VIATOR alternatives?

If so, you’ve found the right landing page. I’ve achieved a lot of success as a blogger — as in I’ve made multiple six-figures from my blogging business — and I just started blogging in 2020.

Even though I have three sites on Mediavine and earn six-figures from ads alone, the majority of my income comes from affiliate marketing. As a travel blogger, one of the best affiliate marketing niches is tours.

Personally, I use and recommend Viator.

However, I’m here to help you discover the best ways to maximize your earning potential through activity booking sites — and that might be with another tour affiliate program.

Ready to look at some of the best Viator alternatives on the market right now? Let’s dive in!

The 10 Top Viator Alternatives

Let’s take a look at the top Viator competitors with affiliate programs to see which could be the best fit for you in terms of audience, cookie windows, and commissions.

🤔 Wondering how to decide which tour provider to go with? 

To start, see how many tours and activities are available for your niche. If there aren’t many options, then a different site might be a better choice.

For example, if you have a primarily European audience, GetYourGuide could be the best alternative to Viator. If you are a food-focused travel blogger, EatWith may offer the top choices.

Best Viator Alternatives

1. GetYourGuide Affiliate Program

GetYourGuide tour and activities booking platform one of the best Viator alternatives
Looking for companies like Viator? Get Your Guide is one of the best Viator alternatives for affiliate marketers.

GetYourGuide is one of the top Viator alternatives available — if not the best Viator alternative of them all.

The company offers tours and experiences across the globe from vetted operators. It’s known for converting well in European destinations.

👩🏻‍💻 about the GetYourGuide affiliate program

The company offers a minimum 8% commission, and a 31-day cookie 🍪

GetYourGuide has a lot of options, so they can connect travelers to their perfect tour.

These include many budget-friendly options, private tours, group tours, and skip-the-line entrance tickets. 

It’s easy to integrate tours from GetYourGuide into your travel blog using deep links and activity widgets.

Their support team is helpful and responsive, and the partner dashboard includes essential statistics to help you further optimize.

GetYourGuide vs Viator: WHICH IS Better?

It depends, though both provide top-tier tours, activities and unique local experiences.

GetYourGuide is often favored by Europeans, while Viator, linked to TripAdvisor, is popular among North Americans and boasts a vast reach.

For many travel bloggers, deciding on Viator vs Get Your Guide often hinges on your audience’s location and platform preference.

When choosing the right affiliate program for you, always compare offerings and reviews before choosing.

Still, from what I know — you can’t go wrong with the Get Your Guide travel affiliate program.

Best Viator Alternatives

2. TourRadar Affiliate Program

TourRadar adventure booking platform
Another one of the best Viator alternatives is TourRadar.

If you want to offer multi-day travel tours on your website, TourRadar is worth checking out.

The company calls itself “the world’s leading adventure booking platform for organized adventures.”

It covers 160 countries worldwide, and features more than 50,000 multi-day trips.

The trips are led by trusted operators and include everything from food and accommodations to experiences and guides.

👩🏻‍💻 about the TourRadar affiliate program

The TourRadar affiliate program offers up to 6% of sold experiences.

With the company’s impressive 90-day cookie 🍪 people have plenty of chances to make a purchase using your affiliate link.

TourRadar’s tracking tools and reports give affiliate partners extra insight on how to sell to their audience and further optimize their earnings.

Partners also have access to educational materials and a media library, which makes it really easy to use.

Best Viator Alternatives

3. Tripaneer Affiliate Program

Tripaneer Viator alternatives
If your audience is focused on wellness and adventure, this site is a good booking platform.

Tripaneer is another excellent tour booking site to consider. The company offers themed multi-day trips for people going on holiday.

The main themes include health, fitness, surfing, meditation, yoga, and personal development. They also offer some cultural and adventure tours.

Cycling, motorcycling, and martial arts tours are some adventure tours people can book.

👩🏻‍💻 about the Tripaneer affiliate program

With more than 17,500 unique experiences to choose from, there could be plenty of great options to promote to your audience — especially if you are focused on wellness, holistic travel, and yoga retreats.

Rather than offering a set commission, their policies state that the percentage you can earn depends on how many finalized bookings are made through your affiliate ID.

The lowest commission is for 0-50 bookings and is an impressive 35% 🤯

You can make a 40% commission on 51-100 finalized bookings, 45% if you make up to 250 affiliate bookings per month, then 50% on more than 250.

Tripaneer also has a 14-day cookie 🍪, which is good, but affiliate marketing programs with 30-day cookies will always mean more money for you.

Best Viator Alternatives

4. EatWith Affiliate Program

EatWith restaurant booking platform
EatWith is the best platform for food experiences, cooking classes, and discovering restaurants.

Culinary experiences take center stage at EatWith, a tour booking company dedicated to culturally immersive food experiences.

EatWith offers tours in more than 130 countries, including Vietnam, Greece, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and select cities in the United States.

The food experiences can include cooking classes, dinner parties, rooftop brunches, and intimate meals with local families.

👩🏻‍💻 about the Eat With affiliate program

Partners earn a 10% commission on tours, and cooking experiences or a 6% commission on online cooking classes.

The commissions are paid quarterly, and EatEith has a 30-day cookie window 🍪

With an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, there are thousands of happy EatWith travelers out there.

Best Viator Alternatives

5. Klook Affiliate Program

Klook one of the best Viator alternatives
If you’re looking for more Viator alternatives, Klook is a good one.

When it comes to websites like Viator, Klook is another alternative.

Klook is very popular for Asia tours, so if you have an Asia-based niche travel site, this might the best travel affiliate program for you.

The company is more comprehensive than Viator because it offers booking experiences and travel services for everything from flights and transportation to SIM cards and tours.

Klook primarily offers tour and booking services to East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Oceania.

Some travel experiences are available in the United States, and Vancouver Canada.

👩🏻‍💻 about the klook affiliate program

Affiliate partners on Klook make a 5% commission in most categories. Payment takes 60 days, and the cookie window is 30 days 🍪

Regarding support, Klook offers deep links, banners, discount codes, special offers, and a product feed (upon request). 

Best Viator Alternatives

6. Expedia Affiliate Program

expedia affiliate program

Expedia, a well-established name in the travel industry, offers more than just hotel and flight reservations.

Its extensive catalog includes city tours, cultural excursions, adventure activities, book tours and tickets to local attractions.

With a global reach, Expedia provides travel bloggers with a diverse range of experiences and content opportunities.

👩🏻‍💻 about the EXPEDIA affiliate program

With the Expedia Affiliate Program, you can earn up to 6% commission for every qualifying booking made through your site, link, or widget.

The Expedia cookie window is 30 days 🍪

The best part? You can offer your readers flights, hotels, cars, cruises, and other travel services through Expedia — which is almost everything under the sun that a traveler would want.

Best Viator Alternatives

7. Civitatis Affiliate Program

Civitatis Affiliate Program

Civitatis is an online platform specializing in booking activities, day trips, and guided tours.

It is primarily catering to the Spanish-speaking market, with a lot of emphasis on Spain and Europe.

With a presence in more than 3,730 destinations and offering more than 84,300 activities, they have successfully served over 14 million clients.

Their vast selection ensures that travel bloggers can discover various unique experiences, especially tailored to the preferences of a Spanish-speaking audience.

👩🏻‍💻 about the Civitatis affiliate program

The Civitatis affiliate program sets the stage for promising earnings, offering an initial commission of 8%.

🤑 If you qualify, that can rise to 10% commission for top affiliates.

With an activity catalog boasting 84,509 options, of which 15,453 are in English, it’s tailored to cater to both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking audiences.

Civitatis provides real-time statistics, ensuring partners are always in the loop. The affiliate panel is user-friendly and designed for simplicity and efficiency.

Finally, Civitatis has a 30-day cookie window 🍪

Plus, every sale counts; even free tours bring in €1 per participant aged over 12.

Best Viator Alternatives

8. Bookmundi Affiliate Program

Bookmundi Affiliate Program

Bookmundi, based in Denmark, has established itself as a global travel booking platform, specializing in multi-day tours.

With a wide range of experiences, it offers 15,000 tours and trip packages across 135+ countries.

Whether it’s group tours, cruise adventures, or personalized itineraries, Bookmundi has something for every type of traveler, making it a great affiliate program for every type of travel niche.

👩🏻‍💻 about the BOOKMUNDI affiliate program

Affiliates benefit from a 25% commission on every sale 🤯 Given the average booking value of $3,000 USD, this can lead to significant earnings per booking.

The 90-day cookie tracking period is also impressive.

With their wide range of tours catering to a diverse audience, partnering with Bookmundi can be profitable for travel bloggers and influencers.

Best Viator Alternatives

9. TripAdvisor Affiliate Program

TripAdvisor info and reviews on tours and places
TripAdvisor is one of the top Viator alternatives for comprehensive reviews.

TripAdvisor ranks among the top trip-planning sites on the internet, offering information and reviews on tours, attractions, restaurants, and hotels.

👩🏻‍💻 about the TripAdvisor affiliate program

Unlike other affiliate programs on this list, TripAdvisor doesn’t pay a commission based on sales.

Instead, commission data is based on the number of leads (or clicks) you generate.

This is known as pay per click affiliate marketing, as they’re paying you for clicks to their site.

If you write about trip planning (ie. most of your audience isn’t far enough down the funnel to buy or book their tour yet), TripAdvisor could be a good choice.

However, if you are promoting to an audience that is actively booking experiences for their trip, choosing a different option from this list is probably better.

Best Viator Alternatives

10. Manawa Affiliate Program

Manawa Affiliate Program
With rights reserved to provide the best to their affiliates, the Viator alternatives listed in this article are making a significant mark in the industry.

Manawa was born from a challenge: finding and booking outdoor activities worldwide.

It offers the largest global catalog of outdoor activities, with a presence in over 60 countries.

They’ve partnered with 2,200 providers to offer 6,200 activities across 75 different sports.

This could be your perfect affiliate if your niche is focused on travel and outdoor sports/activities.

👩🏻‍💻 about the Manawa affiliate program

You can unlock additional revenue with Manawa’s tiered commission system, starting at 8% and potentially climbing up to 10%.

Designed with brand aesthetics in mind, their white-label integration ensures your site retains its unique identity.

What’s more, you’re not alone on this journey. Manawa’s dedicated marketing team is just a call away, ready to provide advice on product integration and share the latest industry insights.

Finally, Manawa has a 30-day cookie window 🍪

Top Viator Alternatives

What is Viator?

Viator is one of the best tour booking sites in the travel niche. They are owned by Tripadvisor, and have A LOT of tour options.

Viator tour booking platform
Wondering, Is Viator reliable? I have booked my own tours on this site, and it is a reliable booking site.

The Viator supplier online travel platform offers travel activities, guided tours, and experiences for multiple destinations worldwide, with a strong focus on a North American audience.

best Viator alternatives

How does the Viator affiliate program work?

Viator’s affiliate program offers an 8% commission on completed experiences, which includes experiences booked through the Viator app, and a 30-day cookie. 

Their Viator Select Tool is an excellent way to find tours to promote, as is their Viator Shop, where you can feature/promote all your favorite tours in one place.

Partners can see which Viator tours are most highly rated and which have the best conversion rates.

best Viator alternatives

Why choose a Viator alternative?

It’s good to test out and use different affiliate programs, as not all travelers have the same tastes.

Viator is great, but other programs like Get Your Guide, might cater better to specific audience preferences, providing unique or varied activities.

Also, depending on a single affiliate program is risky — it’s like putting all your eggs in one basket.

The beauty of affiliate marketing is its flexibility, allowing you to use multiple programs simultaneously, which gives you more ways to earn and share.

Affiliate Marketing Guide & FAQ

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which an affiliate (the “publisher”) is rewarded for referring customers or visitors to a merchant (the “advertiser”).

what is affiliate marking infographic

The affiliate earns a commission for each referral, typically based on the number of sales, clicks, or sign-ups generated from the referral.

Affiliate sales are generally tracked using affiliate links, which contain a unique tracking code that allows the affiliate to track and monitor their referrals.

With affiliate marketing, there are little to no upfront costs for the advertiser or the publisher, so it’s a great starting point for making money without spending in advance.

While affiliate marketing may feel daunting at first, and the thought of selling to your readers may seem uncomfortable, it’s one of the most reliable and natural ways to monetize your blog.

Affiliate marketing doesn’t have to be salesy and pushy — you can find companies that align with your blog’s values and authentically promote them.

If you’ve ever used a product or service and recommended it to friends and family, you’ve essentially done affiliate marketing without realizing it.

You’ve already proven you have what it takes to be an affiliate marketer and start monetizing your travel blog (or travel blogs if you have more than one).

best viator alternatives

What is a travel affiliate program?

A travel affiliate program is an affiliate program specifically for bloggers and influencers in the travel niche.

person on laptop researching the Best Affiliate Programs for Travel Bloggers

Through these programs, you can earn commissions for referring customers and visitors to partner companies such as airlines, hotels, tour operators, and more.

Travel affiliates may also receive exclusive discounts or perks for themselves or their readers.

This can be an excellent way to demonstrate the value of travel products or services to your readers while also earning commissions.

Travel is one of the top niches for affiliate marketing, and there are many great programs to choose from.

Be sure to research and pick the one(s) that fit your blog’s values and audience.

best viator alternatives

How do I become a travel affiliate?

The first step to becoming a travel affiliate is to find the right programs for your blog or social following.

affiliate marketing infographic chart

Once you’ve chosen the right ones, you can request to sign up.

Some programs have stipulations before they approve you, like a minimum traffic number of monthly visitors to your site.

However, many don’t and should approve you in a few days or a week (sometimes longer) — but Travelpayouts is one that tends to approve immediately.

After you’re approved, you can start promoting their products or services through deep links, banner ads, or other promotional materials they provide you with.

For many affiliate marketers (me included), deep links convert best.

When choosing an affiliate program, pay attention to any requirements, such as minimum sales thresholds or restrictions on content or promotion methods.

You’ll also want to ensure you read each program’s terms and conditions carefully before signing up.

Some programs may not allow certain types of promotion, or require you to make specific disclaimers to your readers.

The key to success with affiliate marketing is to be honest and transparent with your readers by using disclaimers.

You’ll also only want to promote high-quality products you genuinely believe in.

This way, you can foster trust and loyalty among your followers while earning commissions for yourself.

best viator alternatives

How do affiliate programs help travel bloggers?

Affiliate programs can provide travel bloggers with a great way to monetize their blog or social media following.

Through affiliate marketing, you can earn commissions for referring customers and visitors to partner companies in the travel industry.

Recommending the best travel affiliate products for your readers helps you satisfy user intent and build trust with your followers, all while monetizing your blog.

Affiliate marketing for travel bloggers is often the most lucrative monetization strategy, but it’s much more than simply adding a few text links to your content.

I teach bloggers how to find keywords with big potential to earn affiliate income in my How to Find Affiliate Marketing Keywords Class.

best viator alternatives

How do bloggers get affiliates?

Finding affiliates to promote to your audience is quite simple and starts with understanding your readers’ needs and desires.

books about affiliate marketing

Consider the issues your readers face as they travel to your target destinations.

Assess what products and services could help mitigate these struggles and pain points, and look for affiliates to match them.

By doing so, you can provide immense value to your readers while building a lucrative revenue stream through affiliate marketing.

Once you have identified the right affiliates, reach out and inquire about their program.
Many companies have an online application process that you can complete to become approved as an affiliate.

Other times, you may need to contact a representative directly if the company does not yet have an established program.

best viator alternatives

What is an affiliate marketing cookie?

An affiliate marketing cookie is a small piece of data stored on an internet user’s computer when they click a link or advertisement leading to an affiliate partner’s website.

The cookie allows the advertiser to track purchases and activities of the customer over time, even after they leave the site.

This allows advertisers to reward affiliates for any purchases that their readers make as a result of their link or advertisement.

Depending on the program, affiliate cookies last anywhere from zero to 365 days, or longer.

Most of the best travel affiliate marketing programs use cookies to track sales, as they provide an accurate way to measure the success of each partner’s efforts.

best viator alternatives

How do I pick the right travel affiliate programs?

You’ll want to look for programs that offer generous commission rates, easy tracking and reporting systems, and a wide variety of products or services that align with your audience’s needs.

Choosing the right travel affiliate program for your blog can be both exciting and daunting — so here is an example to help make some sense of it.

If you’re in the luxury travel niche, you can find a variety of luxury travel affiliate programs through some of the popular affiliate networks, like the Plum Guide Affiliate Program (billed as an upscale Airbnb).

If you’re in the budget-friendly travel niche, luxury programs won’t suit your audience.

Instead, stick with what your readers will be interested in, like the HostelWorld Affiliate Program — which you can join now through Travelpayouts.

Additionally, one of the most important things to look for is programs that have a positive reputation and an active community of affiliate marketers, so you know your readers are getting quality products and that you’ll be paid reliably.

A great way to start affiliate marketing is by signing up for one or two programs of products or services that you already use and would recommend to others.

As you build up your skills and following, you can expand to include more programs to diversify your income streams.

Here are four things to consider when picking the best travel affiliates and best travel affiliate networks to join.

🍪 1. What is their cookie policy? 

affiliate marketing cookie
🍪 Wondering, What are cookies? An affiliate marketing cookie is not the same as a cookie you eat!

Tracking cookies is an integral part of any affiliate program. Cookies help ensure you get paid for all the leads and sales generated from your blog.

Every affiliate program should have a clear cookie policy stating how long their cookies last and what kind of data is collected.

Read each cookie policy carefully and make sure you understand the cookie duration (or cookie window), what happens when customers clear their cookies, and what kind of data is collected through them.

Knowing these details can help you choose the best travel blog affiliate programs and ensure that you get paid for your hard work.

It’s also important that you disclose tracking cookies in your privacy policy and allow your readers to opt out of cookies if they choose to do so.

A cookie opt-out pop-up is a great way to tackle this.

💰 2. What are their commission rates? 

When selecting the best travel programs for affiliate marketing, commission rates should be high on your priority list.

While some pay-per-click travel affiliate programs exist, most programs pay a percentage of the sale. The exact rate varies depending on the product or service.

Online marketplaces like Travelpayouts, Booking.com, DiscoverCars.com, and many others that act as a middle-man between you and the companies you are promoting often pay commissions on their portion of profits from the sale.

While the commission percentage may appear higher for these such programs, the actual rate you receive may be lower than that of a direct affiliate program.

Other programs may have tiered commission rates with higher percentages for larger or more sales.

It’s usually worth your time to compare different programs and affiliate networks and find the ones that offer the highest commission rates for the same great products.

This way, you can maximize your earnings from each sale and ensure your time is spent wisely.

🙋 3. Do they have a dedicated Affiliate Manager? 

affiliate marketing manager at their computer

Many travel affiliate programs now offer dedicated affiliate managers to help you promote their products and services.

A good affiliate manager can answer any questions about the program, provide creative assets and tailored promotions for your blog, and help you get the most out of the affiliate program.

Having a dedicated affiliate manager can make it much easier to launch and maximize your campaigns and sometimes help you negotiate higher commission rates based on top performance.

It’s worth considering whether a program has a dedicated affiliate manager when you are making your selection, as this can be a great asset to you.

🗝️ 4. Can they give your readers a discount code or special offers?

One of the best ways to increase conversions is to offer your readers a discount code or special offer.

Look for affiliate programs with regular promotional offers and discount codes, as this can greatly increase your affiliate income.

Make sure you check the terms of each offer carefully, as you will be responsible for providing the code and ensuring that it is applied correctly.

Additionally, many programs have restrictions on where they can be advertised, so read the terms and conditions before promoting any offers.

best viator alternatives

Is travel a good affiliate niche?

Travel is one of the most popular and profitable niches for bloggers, especially if you can focus on promoting travel services in a specific destination or for a specific audience.

affiliate marketing stats on a tablet

Doing so can help you scale your readership faster and create content that resonates with your readers.

Travel bloggers tend to enjoy higher engagement and more loyal readers than many other niches, making it a great choice for affiliate marketing.

By targeting the right affiliate keywords and joining relevant, high-converting affiliate programs, you can easily make income from your travel blog while also providing great value to your readers.

best viator alternatives

What is the best program to promote as an affiliate?

Sourcing the best travel affiliate programs online for your blog begins with you clearly defining your blog’s niche, your audience, their pain points, and their longed-for goals.

Finding lucrative affiliate programs begins with finding ones that are most relevant to your readers, as this will always maximize your chances of making a sale.

After you’ve done that, start sifting through affiliate programs and networks to find those with the highest commission rates and most favorable terms.

It’s also always important to choose programs that have a good reputation and reliable customer service, as this will ensure that your readers will have a great experience and will continue to trust you as an authority in your niche.

best viator alternatives

Is travel affiliate marketing profitable?

It can be — The travel industry is an incredibly lucrative affiliate market and can be highly profitable for those who know how to market their content correctly.

In fact, affiliate marketing is often the top monetization strategy for travel bloggers, accounting for more than 60% of revenue for many top travel bloggers (like me 🤑).

By targeting the right affiliate keywords, implementing marketing best practices, and maintaining your readers’ trust, travel bloggers can earn substantial commissions from their affiliate marketing efforts.

best viator alternatives

When should I start affiliate marketing?

Immediately, if not sooner! Affiliate marketing is a great way to monetize your blog and generate passive income, and with the right strategies, you can start earning instantly.

green key on a computer keyboabrrd that says affiliate marketing

Now is the best time to start, as the sooner you begin, the sooner you will find the best methods for successfully marketing to your audience.

Additionally, joining affiliate networks and programs as early on in your blogging career can give you an advantage down the road when it comes to re-negotiating higher commission rates and better promotional offers.

best viator alternatives

What are the average affiliate network conversion rates?

Affiliate conversion rates can vary tremendously based on several factors, but many affiliates see their programs convert at an average of 1%-3%.

best viator alternatives

What are the best affiliate programs for travel bloggers?

1. Discover Cars: Best car rental affiliate program
2. Safety Wing: Best travel insurance affiliate program
3. Travelpayouts: Best affiliate network so you can apply yo join 100+ affiliate programs at one time
4. Viator: Best tours affiliate program
5. Booking.com: Best hotel affiliate program
6. Amazon Affiliates: Best affiliate program for physical products

Top Viator Alternatives

My Final Thoughts on the Best Viator Alternatives

If Viator isn’t right for your niche or audience, don’t worry; several great stand-in options are available.

In fact, after going through various Viator alternatives reviews, you might find that joining a few different tour booking affiliate programs could be a good strategy.

Which of these Viator alternatives sounds most promising to you?

🤔 If you want my two cents, go with the Get Your Guide Affiliate Program when picking an alternative to the Viator Affiliate Program.

While I don’t really use them, there are some bloggers who prefer using Get Your Guide to Viator.

However, there are many opinions in the Get Your Guide vs Viator debate, so I encourage you to find out for yourself.