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‘I quit my job to travel’: Woman now earns up to ₹2.5 lakh per trip leading group tours
Rhiannon Wood makes a living travelling the world, leading group tours and working with brands.
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At 26, Rhiannon Wood has turned her love for travelling into a full-time career. After graduating in the UK, she worked several minimum-wage jobs abroad before figuring out how to make money from her travel content. Today, she has around 60,000 Instagram followers and leads group tours across the world.
What started as a way to fund her travels has now become a growing business. Wood earns through brand collaborations, sponsored Instagram content and commissions from group tours, while also working towards launching her own travel agency.
How did she become a travel influencer?
Wood discovered her love for travelling during a university study-abroad programme in Lyon, France, in 2021-22. Weekend trips to nearby countries and the Alps made her want to keep exploring after graduation.
She eventually moved to Canada, where she worked at a boat and canoe rental company, a zipline company and a ski resort while earning minimum wage.
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Wanting to turn her travel posts into an income source, Wood began posting more intentionally on Instagram in late 2024. She also took social media strategy courses and hired an Instagram coach to understand how to grow and monetise her account.
Her first major opportunity arrived within four months. Mapo Tapo, an online group-trip company, offered her the chance to lead a trip to Switzerland. She earned £330 from the trip.
According to Business Insider, Wood had no previous experience leading organised tours. However, her background in hiking, mountaineering and rock climbing helped her plan the outdoor-focused trips.
How much does she earn from travel?
The Switzerland trip opened the door to more collaborations. Wood has since worked with travel and sports-related companies, including Skyscanner, Siroko and Roamless.
She said her earnings from tours depend on the size of the group and the agency involved. She has made as much as $3,000 in commission from a single trip. Her Instagram collaboration rates have also grown from a few hundred dollars when she started to more than $1,000.
According to Business Insider, Wood currently earns in the low five figures and saves much of her tour income while using sponsorship earnings for personal spending.
Despite the growing income, she said the lifestyle comes with its own challenges. She often travels with limited luggage, stays in budget accommodation and has spent about a year largely living out of a backpack.
‘I work every day’
Building a travel business has also meant giving up a traditional work-life balance. Wood spends her days posting content, answering emails, negotiating brand deals and organising trips.
“I rarely have a day off,” she said.
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She also admitted that negotiating sponsorships was difficult when she first started because she lacked confidence in setting her rates.
Now, she is working towards launching her own travel agency, hoping to combine her love for exploring new places with a business that allows her to travel alongside her followers.
