Creating a Travel Content Calendar for 2026: Using The Points Guy’s Top Destinations to Plan Evergreen and Timely Posts

Hook: Stop chasing clicks—build a travel content calendar that converts

If you publish travel posts sporadically and wonder why organic traffic is flat, your real problem isn’t creativity—it's planning. In 2026 the winners are teams that map seasonal intent, pair timely hooks with evergreen value, and bake in affiliate and points-and-miles monetization from day one. This guide shows you exactly how to turn The Points Guy’s 17 destinations (their Where to Go in 2026 list) into a strategic, repeatable travel content calendar that drives visits, bookings, and credit-card sign-ups all year round.

The one-line strategy (inverted pyramid)

Prioritize high-intent evergreen posts for each TPG destination, schedule seasonal/experience-driven pieces around peak booking windows, and add explicit affiliate and points hooks to every article. Publish, promote, and update on a predictable cadence so posts compound organic traffic and affiliate conversions in 2026 and beyond.

Why this matters in 2026: trends shaping travel content

• Shorter decision windows: Post-pandemic 2026 search behavior favors last-minute and flexible travel queries—optimize for both “when to go” and “last-minute deals.”
• Points and hybrid travel purchases: Airlines and hotel groups expanded dynamic award pricing in late 2025—users search for points strategies plus cash+points options.
• Sustainability and authentic experiences: Eco-friendly activities and community-first tourism come up more in queries—create local partner content and affiliate experiences that emphasize this.
• AI-powered trip planning: Tools and itinerary generators are mainstream; content should integrate exportable itineraries and structured data to power AI consumption.

The 17 Points Guy destinations — mapped to the year

Below we use the 17 destinations The Points Guy highlighted for 2026. For each, you’ll get a seasonal publishing slot, evergreen post idea, timely post idea, and clear affiliate + points hooks you can add to your content brief.

List of the 17 destinations (as featured by The Points Guy, Jan 2026)

1. Kyoto, Japan
2. Lisbon, Portugal
3. Reykjavík & Iceland
4. Cartagena, Colombia
5. New Orleans, USA
6. Seoul, South Korea
7. Mallorca, Spain
8. Hoi An / Hanoi, Vietnam
9. Rwanda (gorilla trekking & Kigali)
10. Costa Rica
11. Marrakech, Morocco
12. Alaska (cruises & overland)
13. Mexico City, Mexico
14. Copenhagen, Denmark
15. Greek Islands (Naxos, Santorini)
16. Cape Town, South Africa
17. Québec / Prince Edward Island, Canada

Seasonal calendar — how to slot the 17 destinations in 2026

Use this as a baseline editorial calendar. Adjust by your audience geography and search trends, but keep the same logic: evergreen core + seasonal variations + timely promotions.

Q1 (Jan–Mar): Planning and bookings

• Kyoto — evergreen: "Best time to see cherry blossoms + points strategy"; timely: "Spring 2026 sakura award availability guide"; hooks: Japan Rail Pass affiliate, ANA/JAL transfer partners, Japan hotel bookings.
• Lisbon — evergreen: "Lisbon neighborhoods guide"; timely: "Carnival & shoulder-season flight deals"; hooks: Rail/Eurostar partners, Iberia/BA Avios tips, boutique hotel partners.
• Reykjavík & Iceland — evergreen: "Iceland road trip itinerary"; timely: "Northern Lights late-winter award seats"; hooks: car rental affiliates, adventure tours (viator), premium airline partners.

Q2 (Apr–Jun): Shoulder-season and city breaks

• Cartagena — evergreen: "How to do Cartagena on points"; timely: "Spring festival/low-season rates"; hooks: boutique hotels, tours, flight credit card transfer partners.
• New Orleans — evergreen: "Food, music & budget tips"; timely: "Festival booking windows (Jazz Fest)"; hooks: event ticket affiliates, rental car, local experience partners.
• Seoul — evergreen: "Where to stay and how to use points"; timely: "K-pop/event calendars and award seat tips"; hooks: Korean Air points transfers, hotel programs, SIM/eSIM affiliates.

Q3 (Jul–Sep): Peak summer escapes

• Mallorca — evergreen: "Beach towns & family itineraries"; timely: "Summer booking hacks and seaplane options"; hooks: ferry/car rental affiliates, boutique hotels.
• Hoi An / Hanoi — evergreen: "Cultural routes & points-friendly hotels"; timely: "Monsoon-season packing + late-summer deals"; hooks: regional flight partners, guided tours.
• Rwanda — evergreen: "Gorilla trekking logistics and sustainability"; timely: "Conservation travel windows and permit availability"; hooks: park permit affiliates, high-ticket tour partners (excellent for high CPA).

Q4 (Oct–Dec): Holiday & winter escapes

• Costa Rica — evergreen: "Best eco-lodges & park guides"; timely: "Dry season booking surge"; hooks: eco-lodge affiliates, adventure tour partners, rental car.
• Marrakech — evergreen: "Markets, riads & points-friendly luxury stays"; timely: "Holiday markets + flight award availability"; hooks: riad booking affiliates, travel insurance, airport transfers.
• Alaska — evergreen: "Cruise vs fly-then-drive decisions"; timely: "Prime wildlife months and last-minute deals"; hooks: cruise affiliates, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan tips.

All-year / flexible slots

• Mexico City — evergreen: "Food-focused city guide"; timely: "Major culinary festivals"; hooks: food tours, hotel affiliates.
• Copenhagen — evergreen: "Design & cycling guides"; timely: "Christmas markets and winter fares"; hooks: bike rental affiliates, Nordic hotel programs.
• Greek Islands — evergreen: "Island-hopping templates"; timely: "Low-season sailing and shoulder-season deals"; hooks: ferry affiliates, yachts/charter affiliates.
• Cape Town — evergreen: "Wine routes & coastal drives"; timely: "Southern Hemisphere summer bookings"; hooks: boutique hotels, safari partners in South Africa, airline partners like South African Airways and Star Alliance/oneworld options.
• Québec / PEI — evergreen: "Fall foliage & slow travel"; timely: "Maple season + provincial travel deals"; hooks: regional hotels, ferry affiliates.

Content types & SEO focus per destination

For each destination, publish a set of canonical content types. This template ensures search coverage across the funnel.

1. Evergreen hub: "Ultimate guide to [Destination] (what to do, where to stay, month-by-month)" — target: high-volume informational queries.
2. Points & miles playbook: "How to go to [Destination] using points (best banks, airlines, and transfer tips)" — target: affiliate conversions and credit card sign-ups.
3. Seasonal / timely post: "Best time to visit [Destination] in 2026 (deals, events, and award availability)" — target: immediate booking intent.
4. Listicle / Experience post: "12 things to do in [Destination]" — target: top-of-funnel inspiration and affiliate experiences.

Affiliate and points monetization hooks—practical examples

Every article should include 3–5 monetization touch points, layered by intent: high-value (credit-card sign-ups), mid-value (hotel booking, tours), and low-friction (product affiliates, eSIM).

Per-destination monetization blueprint (examples)

• Kyoto: Credit-card transfer partners (AMEX/Chase to ANA/JAL), JR Pass retail links, boutique ryokan booking affiliates, travel insurance for Japan — include an award-calculator table (see travel tech trends for tools that enable these tables).
• Lisbon: Iberia/BA Avios transfer strategies, Portugal rail passes, apartment/airbnb-style affiliates, walking tours via Viator.
• Reykjavík: Car-rental and 4x4 affiliates, adventure/ice-cave tour partners, premium card offers that waive foreign transaction fees for Iceland purchases.

Editorial process & templates (ready to use)

Turn the calendar above into repeatable workflow items. Below is a lean editorial brief and checklist you can paste into your CMS.

Content brief template (copy/paste into your CMS)

• Title: [Primary headline with target keyword]
• Target keyword + variations: travel content calendar, Points Guy, [destination], seasonal content, affiliate travel, points and miles
• Search intent: (informational / transactional / comparison)
• Angle: (evergreen guide / points playbook / seasonal deals)
• Target word count: 1,200–2,000 (evergreen hubs 2,000+)
• Required sections (H2/H3): Quick facts, When to go, How to get there (points), Where to stay (affiliate), 7 must-do experiences (experience affiliates), Budget & money-saving tips, FAQ
• Monetization: Primary affiliate (credit card name + link), 2 secondary affiliates (hotel, tours), product affiliate (packing)
• Schema: FAQ, Article, HowTo (where applicable)
• Internal links: Link to city hub + related points articles
• Publish date: YYYY-MM-DD
• Update cadence: 6 months (evergreen hubs) / 3 months (seasonal)

Publishing checklist

• SEO title/meta optimized for primary keyword
• Primary affiliate link in first 500 words and again near CTA
• Structured data added (FAQ & Article)
• Share kit for socials + email snippet
• Internal link to hub and points playbook
• Track UTM parameters for affiliate conversions

KPI framework and measurement

Measure beyond pageviews. Track metrics that show real business impact.

• Organic sessions — baseline traffic growth per hub.
• Affiliate conversion rate & EPC — revenue per 1,000 visitors.
• Credit-card sign-ups — track via partner dashboards and UTM tags.
• Average time on page / scroll depth — indicates content engagement and likelihood of conversion.
• Search rankings for target keywords — check weekly after publish, monthly after 90 days.

Promotion & distribution playbook

Publishing is the start. Use a 4-week promotion window and then evergreen distribution schedule.

1. Week 0 (Publish): Email blast to audience with itinerary PDF (lead magnet).
2. Week 1: Organic social carousel + paid social test (small budget targeting travel intenders).
3. Week 2: Pitch to partners and feature in destination hub page; cross-link with points plays.
4. Week 3–4: Re-promote to social stories and repurpose as short-form video/shorts with CTA to full guide.
5. Quarterly: Refresh stats, update award charts (points & miles), re-run promotion and re-test headlines.

Practical examples: evergreen vs timely headlines

• Evergreen hub: "The Ultimate Kyoto Guide 2026 — When to Go, Where to Stay, and How to Use Points"
• Timely post: "Sakura 2026 Award Seat Availability: How to Find Business-Class Flights to Kyoto"
• Evergreen hub: "Iceland Road Trip Planner (Seasonal Tips + Car Rental Hacks)"
• Timely post: "Late-Winter Reykjavik Deals — When to Book and How to Use Miles"

"The best travel content calendars blend evergreen value with seasonal urgency—your job is to make it easy to find, book, and pay for the trip (with points)."

Maintenance: keep posts earning year-round

Set reminders to update three things every time you refresh an article: award availability tables, affiliate offers, and local event calendars. Small updates (2–3 sentences + date) signal freshness to Google and keep CTRs high.

Advanced tactics for 2026

• Dynamic award tool embed: If possible, include a simple award-seat calculator or embed partner widgets; users who play with numbers convert at higher rates.
• Micro-conversion funnels: Offer downloadable mini-itineraries gated behind email capture tied to affiliate offers—make sure your plan follows privacy-friendly analytics.
• Local affiliate partnerships: In 2025–2026, many boutique riads and eco-lodges began offering publisher referral deals—pitch them for exclusives.
• AI-friendly structure: Use clear H2/H3s and schema so AI travel planners can parse and recommend your content.

Final checklist: 10-step launch for a destination hub

1. Research PAA (People Also Ask) & related queries for destination + points terms.
2. Create content brief with monetization hooks and schema requirements.
3. Publish evergreen hub + points playbook within same week (cross-link heavily).
4. Add UTM-tagged affiliate links in two strategic spots.
5. Schedule social and email promotion for 4-week window.
6. Run a small paid test to validate headline and CTA.
7. Collect micro-conversions (itinerary downloads, newsletter opt-ins).
8. Monitor KPIs weekly for first month, then monthly.
9. Refresh award data and affiliate links every 3–6 months.
10. Repurpose top-performing sections as shorts/video to drive long-tail traffic—consider an accessory roundup for packing/product affiliate links.

Parting advice: focus on compounding assets

Think of each destination hub as an asset—when you publish the right mix of evergreen and seasonal posts and optimize for points-and-miles queries, traffic and affiliate earnings compound. In 2026, travelers search for practical ways to use points, brag about unique experiences, and book quickly. If your calendar answers those needs on schedule, you win.

Call to action

Ready to convert The Points Guy’s 17 destinations into a revenue-driving calendar for 2026? Download our free travel content calendar template and CMS brief (copy-ready), or subscribe for a weekly editorial prompt that aligns with 2026 travel trends and points-and-miles opportunities. Take one destination this week—publish the hub + points playbook—and watch the compounding effect.

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