Travel Content Plan: Filming 'Top Destinations 2026' Guides That Earn Affiliate Revenue

Stop guessing what to film — turn The Points Guy’s “Best Places 2026” into a revenue-generating series

You're excited about travel content but overwhelmed by options, thin affiliate payouts, and video ideas that never convert. This guide gives a step-by-step plan to convert The Points Guy’s 17 best places for 2026 into a scalable travel content series that earns affiliate revenue, drives SEO traffic, and builds partner relationships.

The opportunity in 2026 (quick overview)

Late 2025 and early 2026 showed two clear trends creators must use: more consumers are booking shorter windows and experiential trips, and platforms reward authoritative, checklist-style travel content. Short-form discovery (TikTok/Shorts/Reels) fuels interest; long-form SEO pages and itinerary videos convert. Combine both and you own the funnel.

Why use The Points Guy’s list?

• Timeliness: TPG’s 2026 list is a high-intent trend signal people are searching for.
• Search volume: picks like Kyoto or Lisbon spike in queries; use that momentum.
• Affiliate fit: Many featured destinations map well to card offers, OTA bookings, tours, travel insurance and gear.

High-level content & monetization blueprint

Turn each TPG destination into a three-part content funnel per city: Discovery, Consideration, Conversion.

1. Discovery — 30–90s TikTok/Shorts highlighting the “top 3 must-do” or a 15-second teaser of a checklist item. Goal: views and clicks to your long-form content.
2. Consideration — 8–12 minute YouTube or 1,000–1,500 word SEO article: “The Ultimate 3-Day Checklist Itinerary for [City] 2026” with affiliate links to tours, hotels, gear and travel cards.
3. Conversion — Dedicated product pages or roundup posts (e.g., best credit cards for travel to Kyoto, best booking platforms for Lisbon day tours) that capture transactional intent.

Step-by-step: From TPG pick to monetized asset (9 actionable steps)

1. Map destinations to audience personas (30–60 minutes)

Choose 6–8 of the 17 TPG destinations that match your niche. Example personas:

• Luxury points chaser — prefers aspirational stays and premium credit card content.
• Budget culture explorer — wants cheap eats, free walking tours.
• Adventure families — seeks easy itineraries and family tours.

Assign each destination to a persona — that determines affiliate products and messaging.

2. Keyword cluster + SEO intent map (1–2 hours per destination)

For each city, build a mini-cluster around three intent types: informational, transactional, and navigational.

• Informational: "what to do in [city] 2026", "best time to visit [city] 2026"
• Transactional: "book tours in [city]", "hotel deals [city]"
• Navigational/Local: "airport transfer [city]"

Create a spreadsheet: primary keyword, search intent, target URL, and affiliate product match.

3. Affiliate product plan (2–4 hours)

Select 4–6 affiliate partners per destination to cover the funnel:

• Accommodation OTAs: Booking.com, Expedia (3–10% or fixed EPCs)
• Tours & activities: Viator, GetYourGuide, local DMCs (8–20%)
• Travel insurance: SafetyWing, World Nomads (CPA-style payouts)
• Gear & packing: Amazon, Backcountry (affiliate items & bundles)
• Credit cards & points offers: card networks and aggregator partners — ensure you follow FTC rules and the advertiser’s compliance.

Estimate potential revenue using conservative assumptions: 10k page views/month, 1% conversion to affiliate offer, $20 EPC → $200/month per article. Scale by producing a network of 12–24 destination pages.

4. Video-first filming checklist (one-sheet you can use on location)

1. Hook (3–5s): show the city’s signature moment.
2. Headline slate: destination +"3-day checklist".
3. Scene list: Arrival, 3 top activities, one local meal, 1 hotel room, CTA to link in bio/article.
4. B-roll needed: transit, food closeups, maps, local signage, sunrise/sunset, crowd shots.
5. Affiliate callouts on camera: "Book the walking tour I used — link in description."
6. Clear legal: have written permission for hotel and tour filming; capture business card/website of partners.

For mobile-first capture and low-latency uploads, follow the techniques in on-device capture & live transport to keep your pipeline resilient while shooting on the go.

5. Create checklist-based itineraries that convert

Checklist itineraries outperform long narratives because they’re scannable and actionable. Structure each itinerary as:

• Day 0 — Arrival essentials: airport transfer affiliate link, top tip on card benefits.
• Day 1 — Morning / Afternoon / Evening: each item includes a time, duration, and affiliate product (tour link, restaurant reservation platform, booking link).
• Packing & prep checklist: gear affiliate links and insurance CTA.

Example snippet: Day 1 morning — "Sunrise at Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (2 hrs). Book a guided walking tour with GetYourGuide (affiliate link). Tip: Use your points for a private transfer — see best travel cards below."

6. On-page SEO structure (1–2 hours to implement)

Every destination landing page should include:

• Short intro (50–80 words) referencing 2026 trends and TPG’s pick to capture search intent.
• Checklist itinerary with H2/H3 headers for "Day 1", "Day 2" etc. — helps featured snippets.
• Affiliate modules near transactional intent phrases: "book", "ticket", "reserve" — use buttons and text links.
• FAQ/snippets for voice search and People Also Ask.

Don’t forget structured data: follow the Schema, Snippets, and Signals checklist so your itinerary pages are eligible for answer boxes and rich results.

7. Cross-platform distribution & repurposing (repeatable process)

Repurpose the same core content across format tiers:

• Short-form clips for discovery with link to long article.
• Long-form YouTube video (8–12 minutes) with timestamps and affiliate links in the description.
• SEO article for organic search and newsletter content.

8. Creator partnerships & pitching sponsors (two templates)

Approach hotels and DMCs with a value-first pitch:

Subject: Content partnership idea — featured itinerary video + guaranteed promotion to 100k travel fans Hi [Name], I’m producing a "Top Destinations 2026" checklist series that highlights [City]. I’d like to film a 2–3 minute hotel room feature and include your property in a 3-day itinerary article distributed to our newsletter of X subscribers. In return I can offer: dedicated segment, logo & booking link, and a 30-day promotion on socials. Let me know rates and availability. — [Your name]

Offer performance-based deals where possible: flat fee + commission on bookings through a unique booking link.

9. Measurement & optimization (weekly & monthly cadence)

Track these KPIs:

• Organic sessions (per destination)
• Video views & watch time
• Click-through rate to affiliate links
• Affiliate conversion rate and EPC
• Partner bookings (if available)

Run A/B tests on CTA copy, button color, and placement. Expect the best pages to double traffic in 60–90 days if you implement internal linking and structured data correctly.

Example content series roadmap (3-month sprint)

1. Week 1: Research & persona mapping for 6 destinations from TPG’s list.
2. Week 2: Keyword clusters and affiliate signups; outreach to 6 partners.
3. Week 3: Filming batch — 2 destinations per trip, follow the video-first filming checklist and bring portable power and field kits.
4. Week 4–6: Edit long-form video + publish SEO article with checklist itinerary and affiliate modules.
5. Week 7–12: Distribute short-form clips; send a newsletter; iterate on low-performing pages.

SEO title & metadata templates creators can reuse

• Title: "3-Day Checklist Itinerary for [City] 2026 — What to Do, Where to Stay"
• Meta: "Plan your [City] trip in 2026 with this checklist itinerary: best things to do, booking links and tips to use points."
• YouTube Title: "[City] 2026 — Complete 3-Day Checklist Itinerary (Top Tips + Bookable Tours)"

Compliance, trust & E-E-A-T best practices

Be transparent. Always include affiliate disclosures (FTC-compliant language) and note when points/miles offers are referenced. To build E-E-A-T in 2026:

• Show on-location proof (maps, receipts, timestamps).
• Quote up-to-date travel requirements (visa, entry rules) and link to official sources.
• Use case studies — e.g., "I tested this 3-day itinerary in Lisbon in Nov 2025 and booked through [OTA]."

Advanced strategies (2026 trends you should use)

AI-assisted editing for faster output

Leverage AI for assembly cuts, subtitles, chaptering and auto-generated SEO outlines. In 2026 many creators use AI to cut a 10-minute video into 8 short clips in under an hour — saving weeks of manual work. For immersive shorts and emerging formats see the work on Nebula XR and immersive shorts.

Dynamic affiliate modules

Use widgets that update live (hotel prices, tour availability). Dynamic modules improve conversion because they lower the friction between discovery and booking. Many affiliate platforms now let you embed a live availability widget — ask your partner or use an aggregator’s plugin. If you rely on field shoots and trade shows, plan for portable power and live-sell kits to keep modules live on location (portable power & live-sell kits).

Hybrid sponsorship + affiliate deals

Negotiate partial performance deals: lower flat fee plus revenue share. This reduces sponsor risk and gives you upside if the content performs above baseline.

Mini case study (realistic example)

Creator: mid-size travel channel (80k YouTube subs, 40k monthly readers). Strategy: targeted series of 6 TPG-listed destinations. Execution: 6 checklist articles + 6 long-form videos + 36 short-form clips. Results in 6 months:

• Average page views per article: 14k/mo
• Average monthly affiliate revenue per article: $320
• Top-performing page (Kyoto-style itinerary) earned $1,200 in month 4 from OTA bookings + 3 sponsored hotel stays

Key takeaway: a focused, checklist-first format + consistent repurposing generated steady affiliate revenue and sponsor interest.

Practical templates you can copy today

Email pitch to OTAs and local tour operators

Hi [Name], I’m publishing a "Top Destinations 2026" series and planning a featured itinerary for [City]. I can drive targeted bookings via a dedicated article + YouTube video and promote a unique affiliate/booking link in all placements. Can we discuss a commission rate and access to press rates for filming? Thanks, [Your Name]

Affiliate disclosure snippet

"This post contains affiliate links. If you book using these links we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we use or trust."

Filming and publishing checklist (printable)

• Reserve filming permissions & hotel approvals
• Prepare affiliate links and tracking parameters ahead of publish
• Film short-form hooks first
• Gather receipts/screenshots for E-E-A-T proof
• Publish SEO article with internal links to other TPG destination pages
• Push short-form across platforms within 24 hours of publish

Final notes on scale and sustainability

This model scales because each destination reuses the same production and SEO framework. In 2026, focus on quality signals (on-location proof, trusted affiliate partners) and distribution cadence. Expect a ramp: most pages will take 60–90 days to show SEO traction; videos may produce instant affiliate conversions if they target transactional search terms. Keep a compact creator kit ready — see Future‑Proofing Your Creator Carry Kit (2026) for mobility and resilience tips.

Call to action

Start by mapping 3 destinations from The Points Guy’s 2026 list to your audience and make one checklist itinerary this month. Use the filming checklist above. If you want a ready-made template, comment with the destinations you’ll cover and I’ll provide a tailored keyword cluster and affiliate match for one of them.

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