6 Travel Guidebook Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 1st, 2023
Write A Travel Guidebook

Every travel destination offers a unique experience. Are you passionate about traveling and exploring new locations? You can translate unique experiences into something tangible for other travelers by writing a travel guidebook.

A travel guidebook explains to travelers different things about the destination, including:

  • What is there to do
  • What and where to eat
  • How to get around
  • Where to stay

If you are enthusiastic about your local neighborhoods and townships, you can share a lot of information and market them as ideal travel locations.

Here are some real life success stories of starting a travel guidebook:

1. DragonTree Publishing ($2.4K/year)

This British founder's idea for a business came about when she realized the potential market for a guidebook to the astronomical observatory on the Spanish island of La Palma. Through personal connections and targeted marketing, the founder has sold thousands of copies of her guidebook, and plans to continue expanding her book collection and guiding services. The combination of tour guiding and self-publishing has allowed her to have a good quality of life on the island.

How much they make: $2.4K/year
Current team size: 0

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How To Write A Travel Guidebook And Sell Thousands Of Copies

Learn how a writer and tour guide turned her niche knowledge of the Spanish island of La Palma into a successful book business, earning ⅓ of her modest income through sales of her self-published guide book to the island's astronomical observatory and other publications, often selling directly to observatory visitors and other outlets, and how the books promote her income-earning work.

About
Sheila started DragonTree Publishing almost 12 years ago
Revenue
Sheila grew the business to $200/month
Read by 5,758 founders

Learn more about starting a travel guidebook:

Where to start?

-> How much does it cost to start a travel guidebook?
-> Pros and cons of a travel guidebook

Need inspiration?

-> Examples of established travel guidebook
-> Marketing ideas for a travel guidebook

Other resources

4. AAA ZIP/Postal Code

Where they're located: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Website traffic: 15.5M/month

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5. Lonely Planet

Love travel? Discover, plan and book your perfect trip with expert advice, travel guides, destination information and inspiration from Lonely Planet.

Where they're located: In Salah, In Salah, Algeria
Website traffic: 4.33M/month

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6. Fodors Travel Guide

Fodor's provides expert travel content worth exploring so you can dream up your next trip. The world is a weird and wonderful place—we want to show you around.

Where they're located: St. Lawrence, Jersey
Website traffic: 2.97M/month