Can you really make money online writing about your travel adventures?

Today I came across the State of Travel Blogging 2013 infographic below on OuiInFrance.com and discovered some surprising information about fellow travel bloggers (click on the image twice to examine closely):

According to the agency NoPorkPies, who created the graphic for travel agency BookFHR.com, over 94 percent of bloggers surveyed (we’re not sure exactly how many were polled), say that travel blogging is their sole source of income.

What I found really fascinating is that of those bloggers, the majority say that 86 percent of their income is derived from sponsored content. This means they are accepting money from companies who pay bloggers to push their latest product campaigns.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against publishing paid content — Jim and I occasionally accept relevant content from companies in return for small  compensation. But the key word is relevant. Whatever we accept must be useful to our readers, and also give us an opportunity to fine tune the content with our own voice.

In other words, we will not sell Cheap Michael Kors Handbags to our Tripawds Three Legged Dog Support Community members. Nor will we ever consider pitching Ugg boots to our Full-time RVing Travel Blog followers.

With so many travel bloggers relying on paid content for cash, it makes me wonder how much of the owner’s blog is truly authentic. How much of that content is their voice, which reflects their experiences? Are we just being sold in a different way? I’m not sure I like it.

If you’re a blogger, we’d love to hear your thoughts about accepting paid content, and also this infographic — which for the record, we receive no compensation. Feel free to comment below!