Travel to Alkebulan is reader-supported. That means when you read our travel guides and click on certain affiliate links to make a purchase or booking, we may earn a small commission. This comes at no extra cost to you – in fact, it’s a common way many travel websites generate revenue to stay up and running. We believe in being transparent with our audience, so we’ve created this Affiliate Disclosure page to explain what affiliate links are, how they work on our site, and how we handle them ethically. Your trust is very important to us, and we want you to feel confident in the content we provide.
What Are Affiliate Links?
Affiliate links are special URLs that track referrals from our site to an external company. In simpler terms, they are links to products or services (like hotel bookings, tour packages, travel gear on Amazon, etc.) that are coded to tell the company “Hey, this reader came from Travel to Alkebulan.” If you end up making a purchase or booking after clicking such a link, we earn a commission from the company as a referral reward. It’s a way for companies to compensate those who send customers their way, and a way for publishers like us to earn income for the recommendations and content we provide.
For example, if we write about “Top 10 Safari Lodges in Kenya” and link to one of those lodges’ booking pages with an affiliate link, we might earn a small percentage of the booking value if you reserve a stay there after clicking through our site.
How Affiliate Links Work on Our Site
When you click an affiliate link on Travel to Alkebulan, a few things happen behind the scenes:
- A cookie (small tracking code) is placed in your browser by the affiliate program. This cookie typically has an expiration (for instance, 24 hours or up to 30 days, depending on the program). During that time, if you complete a purchase on that site, it can trace back to us.
- The purchase or booking is recorded by the affiliate program as having originated from Travel to Alkebulan.
- We earn a commission – usually a percentage of the sale or a flat fee – which is paid to us by the company, not by you.
We want to stress that the commission comes out of the company’s marketing budget, not your wallet. You pay the same price whether you go through our affiliate link or find the product on your own. Sometimes, our links might even unlock a special discount or deal (when we have arranged that with the partner), in which case you could save money.
It’s also worth noting that not all links on our site are affiliate links. Some are just regular links included for your reference (like linking to a government visa site or a non-profit project). We primarily use affiliate links for recommended travel services or products that can be purchased online.
No Additional Cost to You
Using our affiliate links does not cost you anything extra. If a hotel night costs $100, and that hotel’s affiliate program gives us a 5% commission, you pay $100, the hotel gives us $5 after your stay, and we both benefit. There’s no “markup” or hidden fee on your purchase. In many cases, you might not even realize it’s an affiliate link because the buying process is exactly the same as normal.
We want to make this crystal clear because we never want our readers to feel like they’re being charged more for supporting us. The price you pay is the price you’d pay if you went directly to that website without our referral. In fact, if you find that isn’t the case somewhere, we’d want to know, because that would violate the spirit of fair affiliate partnerships.
Affiliate Programs We Participate In
Travel to Alkebulan is part of several affiliate marketing programs. While they may change over time as we refine our partnerships, here are some types of programs and examples we commonly work with:
- Travel Booking Sites: We often link to hotel booking platforms, tour booking sites, or flight search engines. For instance, if we mention a great hotel or a tour company, the link might be an affiliate link through a program like Booking.com, Airbnb, GetYourGuide, Viator, or similar.
- Amazon Associates: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This means if we recommend travel gear (like luggage, cameras, or books) and link to Amazon, those links could earn us a commission if you buy something. Amazon’s program is one of the most common affiliate programs for many websites.
- Outdoor/Travel Gear Retailers: We might also partner with specific outdoor gear retailers or other travel product companies that have affiliate programs. If we review or mention a product and provide a direct link to the manufacturer or a retailer, there’s a chance it’s an affiliate link.
- Accommodation and Airlines: Occasionally, airlines, hotel chains, or booking aggregators have their own affiliate/referral programs. We may use these if we trust and recommend their service (for example, linking directly to an airline’s special fare, or a hotel’s reservation page if they offer a referral program).
- Other Services: This could include travel insurance providers, car rental agencies, VPN services for travelers, etc. If we’ve vetted a service and find it valuable, we might join their affiliate program to recommend it.
We select affiliate programs that are relevant to our content and useful to our readers. We have no intention to clutter our articles with irrelevant links – that doesn’t benefit you or us.
Why We Use Affiliate Links
Running a website like Travel to Alkebulan involves costs – from web hosting fees, design and development, to the countless hours our team spends researching, writing, and photographing content. Affiliate commissions provide a way for us to earn revenue and keep the majority of our content free for our readers. Here’s why we choose affiliate marketing as one of our revenue streams:
- To Support the Site: The earnings help cover operational costs and compensate our team, allowing us to continue creating high-quality travel guides and articles. Think of it as a way of funding our work without asking you directly for money (like through subscriptions or paywalls). Instead, the brands we partner with pay a small share.
- Minimal Intrusion: We find affiliate links to be relatively non-intrusive compared to heavy display advertisements or pop-ups. They usually fit naturally within our content (like a suggested product in a packing list, or a booking link for a hotel we’re already talking about). This way, the site can remain cleaner and more focused on useful content rather than bombarding you with random ads.
- Relevance: Affiliate links align our revenue model with providing value. We generally only make money if we have recommended something that you found good enough to purchase. This motivates us to suggest things that are genuinely helpful. If we just put any link for the sake of money and it’s not valuable, you likely wouldn’t click it or trust us again. So it encourages us to maintain a high level of quality and relevance in our recommendations.
- No Paywall: Thanks to affiliate income (and possibly other methods like sponsored content or ads, used sparingly), we can make our articles accessible to all users for free. We don’t want to hide our travel tips behind a paywall or start charging for premium content if we can avoid it. Affiliate marketing helps us keep information open and accessible.
In summary, affiliate links help us strike a balance: we can generate income while still focusing on delivering free, valuable content to you.
Editorial Independence and Honesty
Our reputation and your trust are paramount. We want to be very clear that our content is driven by our genuine opinions and research, not by affiliate deals or sponsorships. Here’s how we maintain editorial integrity while using affiliate links:
- Honest Recommendations: We do not let the potential for a commission sway our recommendations. If we truly think a product or service is great, we’ll recommend it, affiliate link or not. Conversely, if something is subpar, we won’t push it just because there’s an affiliate program. In fact, there have been (and will be) many instances where we mention places or products that have no affiliate link at all, simply because we believe they are the best option for travelers.
- Experiences First: Many of our recommendations come from first-hand experiences or extensive research. If we’re writing about a destination or product, our first thought is “What would benefit the reader? What was my actual experience?” Only after choosing what to mention do we consider if an affiliate link is available. If not, we still include the recommendation with a normal link.
- No Endorsement for Cash: We do not accept offers from companies to say things we don’t believe in. If we ever do a sponsored post (which is a different arrangement where we might be paid a flat fee to feature a brand), it will be clearly disclosed as sponsored, and we still maintain control to be honest in our assessment. Affiliate linking is different – it’s passive and only rewards us if you as a reader found the recommendation valuable enough to act on.
- Balanced Content: You’ll notice that our content remains informational and not overly salesy. We often present pros and cons, alternatives, and personal anecdotes. We strive to provide context (e.g., “This lodge is a splurge, but worth it for the wildlife viewing; budget travelers might prefer the campsite option down the road…”). We want you to trust that we have your best interest in mind, whether or not you click our links.
- Transparency: Whenever possible, we note within the content if affiliate links are present (for instance, some sites use a simple
(affiliate link)notation or a disclaimer at the top of a post that says it contains affiliate links). We also have a general disclosure in our footer that reminds you of affiliate partnerships. And, of course, we have this page to explain it in detail. We’re not trying to hide the fact that we may earn commissions – we want you to be informed.
Transparency and Trust
Transparency is the foundation of trust between a reader and a content creator. By openly disclosing our affiliate relationships, we aim to uphold that trust. Here’s what we do to be transparent:
- Dedicated Disclosure Page: (This page!) We’ve created this comprehensive explanation so you’re fully aware of how we operate. Not all sites provide this level of detail, but we think it’s important.
- In-Content Notices: As mentioned, when practical, we include a note in articles that contain affiliate links. It might be a short blurb at the beginning or end like “This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a commission.” That way, even if someone didn’t read this page, they get a heads-up.
- Honoring Regulations: We comply with regulations such as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines which require clear disclosure of affiliate relationships. Similarly, if there are any local laws or guidelines in other regions about endorsements and transparency, we aim to meet those as well. In plain language: we won’t try to sneak in ads or paid content without telling you it’s paid.
- Open to Questions: If you’re ever unsure about whether a link is an affiliate link or have questions about how we make money, you can ask us. We’d rather have a conversation and clear up any confusion than have you feel uncertain or skeptical. Our contact info is at the bottom of this page and on our Contact page.
Ultimately, the goal is that you can enjoy and trust our content without feeling that you’re being misled. We want you to feel confident that even though we have these partnerships, your interests as a traveler and reader come first.
Thank You for Your Support
By using Travel to Alkebulan and occasionally clicking on our affiliate links, you’re supporting us in a tangible way. We genuinely appreciate it. It allows us to continue doing what we love sharing the beauty and excitement of African travel with you and hopefully it helps you discover great experiences along the way.
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to every reader who has trusted our recommendations and helped us earn a bit of income through affiliate purchases or bookings. It might seem like a small thing, but each click and purchase adds up and makes a difference for our small team.
In summary: We use affiliate links to help fund our site, but we do so in a way that prioritizes honesty, transparency, and relevance. You don’t pay more, and we promise to keep our content genuine. If you have any questions about our affiliate links or any aspect of this disclosure, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Happy travels, and thank you for being part of the Travel to Alkebulan community! Your support means the world (and helps us keep bringing you the world, one story at a time).
(For any inquiries regarding this disclosure or our affiliate partnerships, you can contact us at info@traveltoalkebulan.com.)
