Ever wonder how much bloggers really make? This blog income report roundup provides a behind-the-scenes look at 13 bloggers' monthly income breakdown from 2019 and 2020 across the travel, food and lifestyle niches.
Whether you're thinking about starting a blog or have been blogging for a while, blog income reports can be a great source of inspiration and motivation.
But one of the biggest mistakes a new blogger can make in assessing income reports is reading the report at face value without considering which figures the report does (or doesn’t) take into consideration.
Blog income reports aren’t created equally and my goal with this post is to lift the curtain so you can get a better sense of blogging income earned across travel, food and lifestyle blogs at a variety of different points along a blogging journey–from beginner bloggers to advanced bloggers that have been actively working at their blogging business for a decade.
Before we dig into the nitty-gritty of each blog income report, it’s important to get a handle on two key terms: gross income and net income.
Gross income: This is the earnings figure reported before expenses are deducted.
Net income: This is the final earnings figure after expenses are deducted.
It’s important to keep these terms in mind as you read income reports because blogger income reporting is not standardized. Some bloggers lead with their gross income, others provide a full breakdown of their net income, and others land somewhere in the middle, reporting their income less some of their expenses but not all. This is especially important for travel bloggers to keep in mind because not all travel blogging reports deduct travel expenses in their monthly reports!
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13 Travel, Lifestyle & Food Blog Income Reports from $548 to $222,857 Per Month
I’ve organized the following 13 blog income reports from the lowest to the highest income per month. With the above reporting discrepancies in mind, I’ve also included high-level information that provides more context around the blogger’s reported earnings.
This includes information like:
- Blog niche
- How long they’ve been blogging
- Whether the earning figure is gross or net income
- High-level overview expenses that they are (or aren’t) reporting
- Their income sources
I hope that this income-at-a-glance format helps you get a clearer picture of the blogger’s earning breakdown, up-to-date earning methods that other bloggers are using to build their income as well as ideas for boosting your own blog income.
Here’s what you’ll find below:
Blog Income Report Roundup: Below $1,000/Month
This first group of blog income reports represents bloggers that are relatively new to blogging, new to actively monetizing their blog or are focusing on their blog as a side hustle (rather than as a source for full-time income). One blog income report was written after just 5 months of blogging, so it just goes to show that you don’t need to blog for a decade before you turn a profit!
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Lifestyle Queensland: $548/Month
Lifestyle Queensland is an Australian lifestyle blog focused on in-depth product guides for your home, life and travel. Their income reports offer a unique look at building a blog with the goal to make money from day one and achieving success!
In the August 2019 income report:
Blog Niche: Lifestyle
Gross Income: $548.30
Net Income: $530.60
Income Streams: Affiliate marketing
Years Blogging: 5 months
Other details to study: Blog traffic, month-over-month traffic growth since day one of blogging, what did (and didn’t) work, link building strategies
Fork in the Road: $643/Month
Fork in the Road offers a look at what’s possible when you focus on monetizing your blog as a side hustle. This food blog is run by a registered dietitian that focuses on creating content around plant-based recipes and sustainable living. Although she’s been blogging for a while, this blogger didn’t actively focus on monetizing her blog until 2018.
In the April 2019 income report:
Blog Niche: Food
Gross Income: $643.75
Net Income: $431.05
Income Streams: On page advertising, affiliate income, freelance writing, photography, design
Years Blogging: 2+, having started focusing on monetization 2 years ago
Other details to study: Full itemized expense list (including learning expenses like courses and conferences), blog traffic, email list growth, monthly RPM, a closer look at how each of her income streams works
The Atlas Heart: $657/Month
Reviewing The Atlas Heart's income reports is an interesting opportunity to see a more advanced blogger (she’s been blogging without monetizing for over six years) actively work on passive monetization with the goal to be earning a full-time income from her blog by the end of August 2020.
In the December 2019 income report:
Blog Niche: Travel
Gross Income: $675.05
Net Income: $332.23
Income Streams: Affiliate marketing, on-page advertising
Years Blogging: 6+
Other details to study: Full itemized expense list, blog traffic, month-over-month growth, what did (and didn’t) work
Blog Income Report Roundup: Between $1,000 - $10,000/Month
This group of blog income reports represents a wide range of bloggers with anywhere from 1 to 11 years working actively to monetize their blogs. It’s interesting to take both the total time spent blogging and the active pursuit of monetization into consideration and learn about each blogger’s journey towards earning money through their blog.
Minding Minimal: $1,419/Month
Minding Minimal is a lifestyle blog focused around minimal fashion, beauty, travel and lifestyle content. It’s run by a fashion and beauty influencer. Although you won’t find income reports for every month of operation, you will get a behind the scenes look into key moments during this blogger's journey as she works towards full-time income level monetization.
In the October 2019 income report:
Blog Niche: Lifestyle
Gross Income: $1,419.60
Net Income: not reported
Income Streams: Brand collaborations, affiliate income, on-page advertising
Years Blogging: 3
Other details to study: Monthly blog traffic, strategies that worked
Ashley Abroad: $2,112/Month
Ashley Abroad focuses on offering travel guides and tips to help other travelers plan their adventures. As with The Atlas Heart, this income report notes an intentional shift in the goals of the blog and content itself. Prior to this income report, Ashley Abroad also posted personal essays.
In the September 2019 income report:
Blog Niche: Travel
Gross Income: $2,112.61
Net Income: not reported
Income Streams: On page advertising, affiliate income, digital products
Years Blogging: 7
Other details to study: Blog traffic
Midwest Foodie Blog: $3,284/Month
Midwest Foodie Blog provides monthly and annual income reports that provide a long-term look at blog earnings since joining the Mediavine ad network at the beginning of 2019. This is a great source of inspiration if you’re just getting started in monetizing your blog because this blogger has shifted from -$484.64/month to +$2,787.67/month in just 12 months!
In the December 2019 income report:
Blog Niche: Food
Gross Income: $3,284.17
Net Income: $2,787.67
Income Streams: On page advertising, affiliate marketing (specifically Amazon)
Years Blogging: 1+
Other details to study: Full itemized expense list (not including taxes), blog traffic, year-over-year traffic comparisons, monthly RPM, insight into upcoming expected RPMs for the first quarter of 2020, annual earnings at a glance across 2019
Getaway Couple: $4,326/Month
The Getaway Couple is focused primarily on US-based travel. They travel full time from their RV and focus on sharing tips, tricks, RV-related lessons learned and the best places to visit across the country. Besides their blog, they also have a YouTube channel with over 35,000 subscribers.
In the March 2019 income report:
Blog Niche: Travel
Gross Income: $4,326.61
Net Income: not reported
Income Streams: Sponsorships, YouTube ads, affiliate income, products
Years Blogging: 3
Other details to study: Blog traffic and key stats, YouTube traffic and stats, other social media stats
Living the Dream: $7,750/Month
Living the Dream offers both global and local travel information across two separate blogs and both are reported in this single blog post. It’s important to note that while Living the Dream reports blog expenses, they do not report travel expenses (though they provide context for what those expenses could look like). You will not find a history of income on their website because they update this one income report post every month.
In the January 2020 income report:
Blog Niche: Travel
Gross Income: $7,750
Net Income: not explicitly reported, approx. $7,000
Income Streams: On page advertising, affiliate income
Years Blogging: 11+
Other details to study: Blog expenses breakdown, blog traffic, month-over-month income, year-over-year traffic
Blog Income Report Roundup: Above $10,000/Month
If you’re wondering whether there’s a cap on blog income, use this section as inspiration. You’ll see monthly reports ranging from $15K to $222K per month. The sky is the limit! Most of these bloggers have been working actively for at least 5 years, but the income streams listed provide interesting insights into what could catapult your income above the $10,000/month threshold.
A Sassy Spoon: $15,843/Month
A Sassy Spoon offers periodic monthly income reports and annual income reports for both 2018 and 2019. This blogger has a background in digital marketing and now focuses on recipe and photography creation full-time. This blogger is a great example of diversified income streams across both passive and active channels.
In the August 2019 income report:
Blog Niche: Food
Gross Income: $15,843.36
Net Income: $13,523.68
Income Streams: On page advertising, group coaching program, sponsored content, affiliate marketing
Years Blogging: 4
Other details to study: Full itemized expense list (this doesn’t include taxes), blog traffic, monthly RPM, monthly highlights
Two Wandering Soles: $17,811/Month
Two Wandering Soles provides a variety of travel-related content, including (but not limited to) tips, guides, gear, and ethical travel. They’ve stated that they share their income online as both a resource and inspiration to other bloggers. Their income reports provide a great opportunity to learn from a successful blogging business providing full-time income to one couple as well as additional part-time income to other team members. That said, it’s important to note that their reported expenses do not include their team member.
In the June 2019 income report:
Blog Niche: Travel
Gross Income: $17,811
Net Income: $17,603.55
Income Streams: Affiliate marketing, on-page advertising, sponsored posts & brand partnerships
Years Blogging: 6
Other details to study: Itemized blog and travel expense list, blog traffic and analysis, social media followers, email subscribers, long-term month-over-month income growth, what did (and didn’t) work
A Dangerous Business: $19,070/Month
Much like Living the Dream, A Dangerous Business runs two blogs, one focused on global travel and the other focused specifically on Cleveland. This income report focuses only on A Dangerous Business, although it sounds like Cleveland Traveler will also be reported in the coming months.
In the December 2019 income report:
Blog Niche: Travel
Gross Income: $19,070.17
Net Income: not reported
Income Streams: On page advertising, paid campaigns, affiliate income, consulting, course sales
Years Blogging: 10
Other details to study: High-level blog traffic, month-over-month growth, what did (and didn’t) work
Local Adventurer: $25,798/Month
Unlike some of the other more global travel-focused bloggers on this list, Local Adventurer provides an in-depth look at one new city each year. They also mention that they also have a few side hustles, but the blog itself is their main hustle.
In the November 2019 income report:
Blog Niche: Travel
Gross Income: $25,798.20
Net Income: $16,629.34
Income Streams: Affiliate marketing, sponsorships, on-page advertising
Years Blogging: 6
Other details to study: Full itemized expense list (including travel, meal expenses, team members and subcontractor costs), amounts set aside for taxes, blog traffic, month-over-month income growth, as well as what did (and didn’t) work
It’s a Lovely Life: $222,857/Month
It’s a Lovely Life is an amalgamation of content focused around living and traveling with a family, but there is also a subsection of content within the blog about teaching others to blog. They also run an active YouTube Channel.
In the August 2019 income report:
Blog Niche: Lifestyle/Travel
Gross Income: $222,857.49
Net Income: not reported
Income Streams: Sponsored content, affiliate income, course sales
Years Blogging: 10
Other details to study: Blog-related expenses (but not all line items include actual figures and none of the business-related expenses–like contractors, health insurance, etc.–are included), as well as month-over-month and year-over-year growth dating back to 2017
Use This Blog Income Report Roundup as Inspiration & Motivation
Many of the bloggers listed here note that the reason they provide blog income reports is to provide fellow bloggers with inspiration, insight and motivation into what’s working, what’s not and what’s even possible. And of course, now you can see that living beachside earning a full-time income as a blogger is indeed possible.
The beautiful (and sometimes hard) thing about blogging is that you get to decide what your business looks like. Whether you want a little extra income or to trade in your 9 to 5 to live by the beach, the sky is the limit in terms of what’s possible with your blogging income. Each blog income report in this roundup is proof of that!
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