#13: Many folks dream of getting paid to travel. For Ernest Shahbazian, his side hustle as a travel content creator allows him to do just that.

In episode 13 of the podcast, I talk with Ernest, a management consultant who solopreneurs on the side as a YouTube travel influencer (>22k subscribers) providing travel tips, destination reviews, points and miles tutorials, and travel gear reviews.

With over 2B monthly users and crazy engagement, YouTube has become a “too big to ignore” platform for video influencers.

We talk with Ernest about how he got started, his content creation process, and how much he is currently earning.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How Ernest got the idea for starting a travel content channel
• Why he decided to focus on YouTube early on
• How he has grown his subscribership
• The diverse ways he is monetizing (not all ads and affiliates)
• Growing pains of scaling

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Trip Astute YouTube channel
• Trip Astute website
• TubeBuddy
• Yoast
• HARO
• CardRatings Affiliate program
• BlackBox
• Video Creators podcast (Tim Schmoyer)
• TubeBuddy Express podcast (Dusty Porter)
• Side Hustle School podcast
• Born for This: How to Find the Work You Were Meant to Do (Chris Guillebeau)
• HYW private Facebook community

Intro/Outro: Old Bossa by Twin Musicom.