How We Make Money
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase through my links we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Read about our affiliate policies here.
Erica loves to ask this question whenever we meet an entrepreneur. This is a question that should be asked of any business, and one Erica and I are happy to answer.
We overshare. We overshare our travels and our lives. We do this because our readers are our top priority and transparency is what they deserve.
By being transparent in all aspects of our business and our lives, we seek to inspire our readers to take action. To travel and enjoy the Hawaiian Islands.
Transparency in our business is part of adding value to our readers’ lives. Behind the scenes of every article, video, social media post, and sponsorship are countless hours and great care in creating the best in Hawaii travel education, research, and tour reviews. We are not doing our job unless we share accurate, unbiased information.
How Does The Hawaii Vacation Guide Make Money?
At no extra cost to you, when you read our content and click on one of our partners’ links, and then decide to complete an offer — be it a purchase, opening an account, or any number of other triggering actions — we may earn a small commission from that advertiser. We share our favorite Hawaii tours and activities here.
In fact, in some instances, you may unlock an exclusive promotion merely because of our partners’ wishes to do business with The Hawaii Vacation Guide readers. We have awesome readers.
Our ultimate goal is to inform and protect, not lure you into purchasing products. Products you may not need. Our What to Pack for Your Hawaii Vacation article is a good example of recommending to bring less, instead of sending you to Amazon to buy packing cubes.
We partner with advertisers and companies that share the common vision of helping you have an amazing vacation to Hawaii. If you’re interested in working with us, learn more at Work With Us. These partners may include travel companies, apps, restaurants, tour operators, or other companies that conduct work in the travel and leisure sector.
We do our best to not overwhelm our readers with affiliate and partnership links. For example, our Hawaiian Island itineraries include our recommended activities for each island as a supplement, the itinerary is about 90 percent of things to do that are free or include parking or a state park entrance fee.
Can I Trust Hawaii Vacation Guide Reviews?
You bet you can. Knowing how we make money now, you may be wondering, even a tad bit skeptical if our reviews and content are biased or intended to influence you. You are correct to assume that although some of the companies and products we review provide a means for us to make money, that does not interfere with our editorial integrity and research.
Erica and I can only sleep at night if we know we have provided a fair and balanced review. We are sounding boards for each other and we also listen to our readers to ensure we have provided unbiased content.
If we review a product, regardless of whether we are compensated for our work, and genuinely do not find the product to be in the best interest of our readers, we will be sure to let our review reflect those findings. Advocating for something that would steer our readers away from financial stability or result in a miserable family holiday goes against our core values. It is not why we got into this business.
For example, where we review what we feel are the best travel credit cards, we advise our readers to assess if they have a household budget in place, or a plan to pay off debt, before taking on credit card debt or spending beyond their means.
How Can I Trust You Are Being Honest?
We believe that our work speaks for itself. We are not tour operators or travel agents. We are consumers. Consumers are reluctant to let go of our hard-earned money without proper research, testing, and due diligence. We started The Hawaii Vacation Guide with the intention of putting our readers first. Starting this business as a hobby ensured our foundation for growth was built on putting the reader first. That will never change.
Who Is Behind The Hawaii Vacation Guide?
The Hawaii Vacation Guide was founded by Erica Gellerman and Jordan Fromholz in 2019. We decided to start the website when we decided to move from London to Hawaii to live our adventure. We had lived on Oahu for a couple of years and yearned to go back. Erica has been coming to Hawaii numerous times a year since she could remember while I was introduced to the islands in my early twenties. Our toddler Henry, baby Edith, and darling dog Hattie are along for the ride. We may bring on travel experts at times when we crave a unique perspective or need their expertise for a product review, technology, or company.
We do this because we believe it is important to help our readers worry less about where to go and how, so they can spend more time planning a perfect vacation to Hawaii. After all, family travel doesn’t have to be uncomfortable.
Check out our About Page to learn more about us.
Sincerely,
Jordan
