How Sean Lau Built Three Travel Blogs to Earn $5K Monthly

Turning Adventure into Income

Sean Lau was on track for a civil engineering career when wanderlust struck. He withdrew $20,000, packed a backpack, and set off to share his journeys online. His first site, Living Out Lau, faced tough competition in travel blogging. Growth only came once he met other bloggers in Guatemala who shared hands-on tips on SEO, affiliate partnerships, and ad networks.

Scaling with Strategy

After applying the shared methods, Living Out Lau hit 50,000 monthly sessions in three years. Buoyed by this win, Sean launched The Turkey Traveler and Travel Thailand Together. He used an expired domain to jump-start the Turkey site and reached 100,000 sessions in nine months. His Thailand blog grew steadily to 30,000 sessions in its first year.

Mixed Income Streams

Sean now pulls in around $5,000 each month from three sources. Affiliate commissions on gear and tours, sponsored posts from tourism boards and brands, and display ads via Mediavine and AdThrive form his core. He optimized ad placement and negotiated higher rates as his sites gained authority.

Building a Remote Team

Content demands grew. Sean hired a small group of writers and virtual assistants. He drafts outlines, assigns posts, edits submissions, and has his VA handle uploads. This model freed him to work on strategy and outreach while keeping quality high.

SEO and Backlinks

Keyword research, on-page optimization, and a backlink push through guest posts and HARO queries cemented his rankings. He avoids low-quality link farms, focusing on reputable travel sites with engaged audiences.

Lessons Learned

From unexpected Google updates to building an engaged email list, Sean stresses adaptability. He plans to replicate his email strategy across all blogs, using Grow CRM to turn casual visitors into repeat readers.