Affiliate Disclosure

Last updated: 08/05/2026

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Backpacking Diplomacy has been publishing travel writing since 2012, built on firsthand experience in more than 70 countries. The site is operated by International Product Growth, LLC.

Research, fact-checking, translation, hosting, and the travel itself all cost money. Affiliate partnerships are one of the ways that we pay for it without putting our guides behind a paywall or burying them in ads.

Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you click one and book a hotel, reserve a tour, or buy a product, we may receive a commission from the company. You never pay more because of it — the price is identical whether you use our link or go direct. In some cases our partners offer reader discounts, in which case you pay less. That commission is what keeps this site free to read.

Our recommendations are our own

We recommend places we’ve been, stayed in, eaten at, or researched to the point that we’d send a friend there. Nobody can pay to be added to a “best of” list on this site. Rankings are not for sale, we do not accept payment in exchange for a positive review, and we do not accept payment to remove or soften a negative one.

Where we haven’t personally visited something, we say so and explain what the recommendation is based on.

We’re upfront about the bias

An affiliate relationship creates a financial incentive, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest.

We know some links pay better than others. We work to keep that out of our editorial judgment, and we build our guides around what actually serves a traveler — but no one with a commission on the line is perfectly neutral. We’d rather say that plainly than claim an objectivity nobody in this industry genuinely has.

What we can promise: we will not recommend a hostel we thought was miserable, a tour we found overpriced, or an operator we wouldn’t trust with our own safety, regardless of what it pays. That goes double for anything safety-related — insurance, visas, transport, guides.

Hosted stays, press trips, and comped experiences

Occasionally a hotel, tour operator, or tourism board provides a free or discounted stay, activity, or transport in exchange for consideration of coverage. Our rules:

• Any hosted or comped experience is disclosed directly in the article where it appears, not just on this page
• Accepting hospitality never obligates us to write a positive review, and we retain full editorial control
• If an experience was poor, we either say so or decline to cover it
• We do not accept payment for guaranteed positive coverage of a destination or property

Who we partner with

Backpacking Diplomacy participates in affiliate programs across several categories. Current and prospective partners include:

• Accommodation: [Booking.com, Hostelworld, Agoda]
• Tours and experiences: [GetYourGuide, Viator, Klook]
• Travel insurance: [SafetyWing, Heymondo]
• Transport and car rental: [Discover Cars, 12Go, Omio]
• Connectivity and gear: [Airalo, Amazon Associates]

We also work through affiliate networks including [AWIN, CJ, Impact, Travelpayouts, ShareASale]. This list changes as programs come and go, and we won’t always update it the day a partnership starts or ends. Assume that any outbound commercial link on this site may be an affiliate link.

Amazon Associates: Backpacking Diplomacy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Sponsored content

If we publish content that a brand, property, or tourism board paid for directly, it will carry a clear label at the top of the page identifying it as sponsored. Our standards:

• Sponsored posts are always labeled as sponsored
• No sponsor can buy placement in our destination guides, rankings, or “best of” lists
• We only accept sponsorships from businesses we’d recommend anyway
• Sponsored content still reflects our own reporting, and we won’t omit real drawbacks

Questions

If anything here is unclear, or you want to know whether a specific link is monetized, reach us through our contact page and we’ll answer directly. Partnership and press inquiries can be directed to partnerships [at] backpackingdiplomacy.com.

Thanks for reading, and for booking through our links when you do. It’s what makes the next guide possible.

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Frequently asked questions

Does Backpacking Diplomacy earn money from affiliate links?

Yes. We earn a commission when readers book accommodation, tours, insurance, or products through links on this site. Commissions are paid by the partner company, not by you.

Do I pay more if I use a Backpacking Diplomacy link?

No. The price is the same whether you use our link or go to the site directly. Some partners offer reader discounts, in which case you pay less.

Are Backpacking Diplomacy’s recommendations paid placements?

No. Placement in our guides and rankings cannot be purchased. Any content a brand paid for is labeled as sponsored at the top of the page.

Does Backpacking Diplomacy accept free trips?

Occasionally. Any hosted stay, comped tour, or sponsored travel is disclosed within the article it relates to, and it does not obligate us to write a favorable review.