3 Weeks In: Amazon Progress, Travel Reviews Live, and Why I'm Heading to South Dakota
Starting to See Movement
It’s been about three weeks since I got approved for Amazon’s on-site commissions. I've uploaded 12 product videos so far and have earned $50.32 in total. Not a huge number, but it feels like progress from the my previous post ($0.40).
I intentionally held off on uploading more right away to see if the original videos would gain any traction. Turns out, they are, slowly, but steadily. That was the goal. No spammy promotion. Just trying to build something that compounds over time.
Travel Reviews Are Up and Running
The new Travel Reviews section on the site is officially live. Right now, there are reviews from about a dozen places I’ve stayed recently across the South and Southwest.
Each post includes:
My personal score
Google’s public rating
A quick breakdown of location, privacy, dog-friendliness, value, trails, and a few other things that I think people might want to know.
There’s also an interactive Google Map at the top of the page showing all the locations. It works... but it’s a little clunky on mobile. I’m looking into cleaner solutions, but it’s tough to find something that’s simple.
More reviews are coming soon. I still have a handful from the Northeast to add.
Why This Blog Exists
The goal of this blog is pretty simple: document my experience and maybe have a few people find it helpful. Long-term, I’d love to drive some traffic to my Amazon storefront.
So far, that part hasn’t clicked but I’m working on it. Playing with layout ideas, tightening up SEO, and slowly uploading more videos. If this site starts getting even 5 consistent visitors a day, I’d honestly be pumped. That would mean it's reaching actual people.
Heading West, and Why South Dakota
In the next few weeks, I’ll be heading west again. South Dakota is my first real stop, and not just for sightseeing — I’m going to set up a mailing address and residency there.
There are companies in South Dakota that specialize in this for full-time travelers. It’s popular because the state is flexible about residency — no income tax, no vehicle inspections, and some other benefits. For people like me without a permanent home base, it just makes sense.
After that, I might keep moving west. Maybe beyond South Dakota, maybe not. Depends on how the travel feels — I’m not trying to over-plan it.
EEAT and the Long Game
I’ve been reading more about how Google ranks blog content — especially the idea of EEAT: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
Weird acronym, but the idea makes sense. And I think this blog aligns with it:
Experience – I live this lifestyle full time
Expertise – I’ve made the mistakes, figured out the workarounds
Authoritativeness – Still building that through content and consistency
Trust – No hype, no fake numbers — just actual results and experiences
This blog isn’t trying to go viral. I don’t think it will and I really don’t want it to. I’m just building something I own, that reflects what I’m doing, and maybe helps someone else along the way.
Wrapping Up
Amazon earnings are still small, but they’re growing. Travel reviews are flowing. The site’s slowly taking shape.
Appreciate anyone following along.
— Ryan
SEO Keywords (for context):
amazon influencer earnings 2025
affiliate marketing blog
travel gear reviews
rv product videos
full-time travel blog
south dakota domicile
google maps blog issues
building a blog from scratch
eeat blog example
Joined Amazon Influencer, Ditched TikTok, Built a Website — No, I Didn’t Make $100K in 30 Days
Intro
You’ve seen the TikToks:
"I made $100K in 30 days blah blah blah"
Cool. I made... $0.40 in my first 30 days.
Not a typo. Forty cents. And that’s fine.
This post isn’t a sob story. It’s just the reality of starting affiliate marketing as a regular person, with no team, no viral video, and no sales funnel. No monetized newsletter. No “free masterclass.” Just a guy trying stuff out for fun.
Quick Backstory
Before any of this, I was a federal government employee. I took Elon Musk’s now-infamous “deferred resignation” and walked. I wasn’t interested in waiting for the system to implode—I wanted out, and I’m really glad I got out of there.
Since then, I’ve been on the road, traveling full-time in my van with my dog, really just messing around until September when the deferred resignation dries up and I have to find a job. I don’t have all the answers. I don’t even have most of them. But I’m figuring it out loud.
First 30 Days – Amazon Influencer Overview
Earnings: $0.40
Programs Approved: Amazon Associates + Amazon Influencer
On-Site Commission: Approved
Total Videos Eligible for Earnings: 10
Entry via TikTok: Created a fresh account, one video got traction, helped with approval
Exit from TikTok: Quickly realized I highly dislike the platform and want nothing to do with it
Conversion Data: One sale, one click-through, forty cents. But hey—not zero.
What I Actually Did
Built a website. Basic, but I’m just one guy who has no idea what he's doing.
Got approved for on-site commissions
Uploaded 7 more product videos — 10 total eligible so far
Focused on high-ticket vanlife (hate the term, but SEO, right) / RV equipment I personally use
Launched a basic Google Ads campaign to push traffic to my Amazon storefront (I have no clue what I’m doing, and I’m pretty sure it’s burning money—but it’s an experiment)
Also worth noting: I tested TikTok Shop early on. Made some videos, earned absolutely nothing, and took them down. Wasn’t my thing. Honestly, that space is super weird. Not judging, but it’s not something I want to shape my content around.
Why I’m Sharing This
Because no one else does. Most people only post when they’re suddenly making money. They skip the zero phase, or in my case, the $0.40 phase.
This is what starting looks like for most of us. No secret group. No course. Just showing up and trying to build something that might eventually work. And if it doesn’t? Then at least this’ll serve as a time capsule of what I tried, how it went, and where it broke.
Also — side note — I’m convinced 99% of the main “vanlife” (cringe) creators on TikTok and other platforms don’t actually live like that full time. I’ve been all over the country. I’ve stayed in national forests, free campgrounds, state parks, you name it — and at 36, I’m often the youngest person there by about 30 years. If these influencers are out here in their vans 24/7, they must be parked in some parallel universe I’ve never seen. Just saying.
Where I’m Going From Here
Ditching TikTok — I’m done playing the algorithm lottery. And honestly, the content on there is just not for me.
Doubling down on my website — I control it, and it actually reflects what I care about
Continuing product reviews — No fluff, just gear I use daily. The videos on Amazon are going to be more on the positive side. However, I will post 100% honest product reviews via this blog.
Targeting the RV/travel gear niche — Because it’s my real life, not a strategy
Tweaking the ad campaign — Even if it doesn’t work, I’m learning something
Seeing if blogging can still earn income in 2025 — Or it’s not 2003 anymore. I guess we’ll see. Either way, this format feels better than chasing views for attention’s sake.
Coming Soon: Travel Reviews
I’m building a section of my site to review the places I stay — state parks (mainly), free campsites, some private ones etc. Each post will have my personal score and the Google user rating side-by-side. Mostly because my thoughts almost never match what the public rating says. I think that contrast is useful.
Final Thoughts
Thirty days in: $0.40. Not zero. Not $100K.
This blog will keep tracking my progress—whether the number grows or not. No filters. No marketing speak. Although it will be SEO optimized. Just a real person figuring it out from the ground up. Until September, when I might be living under a bridge—or maybe not. Let’s see.
[Transparency Note]
This blog post is optimized for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), so you’ll see keywords like "Amazon Influencer earnings," "affiliate marketing blog," and "starting from scratch in 2025" woven in. That’s not to sound robotic—it just helps the right people find this post. If any. Keeping it honest.
SEO Keywords (for the bots and the curious):
amazon influencer program 2025
affiliate marketing blog
starting affiliate marketing from scratch
vanlife product reviews
building a niche website
is blogging still profitable in 2025
tiktok shop experience
honest affiliate income report
Thanks for reading.
- Ryan
From Snow to Sand: My Winter-Spring Loop (Van/RV Travel Blog)
Spent most of the winter hunkered down in upstate NY at an RV park. Wasn’t exactly by choice — job stuff was in limbo, and I was still technically a government employee trying to figure out the next move. Eventually took a deferred resignation in January and by February, I was heading south with no real plan other than: keep moving, stay warm.
Landed in North Carolina and parked it for a month. OBX is beautiful — that mix of beach, off-season emptiness, and zero crowds is hard to beat. But by the end of it, I had the itch to hit the road again. From there, I bounced all over on a solo RV travel loop across the South and Southwest.
Below are most of the campgrounds and state parks I stayed at during my winter-to-spring RV road trip. I’m working on a dedicated Travel Reviews section on the site that’ll break down each location — amenities, hookups, trail access, dog-friendliness — all of it. No fluff, just honest travel reviews for fellow RVers and vanlifers.
For now, here’s the quick recap of my RV camping route:
Ocracoke, NC (Jerniman’s Campground): Empty in winter, great people, killer beach access.
TN: Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park — yeah, that name... was there for a night.
AL: Cheaha State Park — pretty, but priced like a resort.
MS: Turkey Creek Water Park — elite. Water access, empty, trails. A+ for the dog.
OK: Roman Nose State Park — dry lake, weird vibe.
LA: Lake Bistineau State Park — loved it, one of my favorites. Great vibe.
LA: Poverty Point Reservoir State Park — hated it, suburban RV vibe, packed.
TX: Fort Parker State Park — decent lake, trails hug the road.
NM: Oasis State Park — good desert stop, chill lake (more of a pond) but packed with people fishing.
NM: Lincoln National Forest — free, up on the mountain, dusty but very remote and peaceful except for the ATVs.
NM: Santa Rosa Lake State Park — decent, hot, but great access points to a nice lake.
VT: Silver Lake Campground — Vermont vibes, great trails, completely empty, felt like I was trespassing.
That’s the quick version of my winter-to-spring RV journey. Keep in mind, there were plenty of overnight stops in between — mostly at highway rest areas. I may of also forgot about some places. On the way back east, I spent most nights parked at rest stops. Had to get back quick for easter plans.
If you’re planning a similar trip or just looking for laid-back RV camping spots across the South and Southwest, keep an eye out for the Travel Reviews tab — coming soon.
Thanks for reading!
-Ryan
Eli living his best life at Turkey Creek Water Park in Mississippi — quiet lake, empty trails, and perfect water access.
Starting the website
I’m building this site as a hub—somewhere to share what’s actually worked for me on the road, without depending on social media algorithms and what not to do it.
Full disclaimer:
I have no idea what I’m doing.
After a year of full-time RV life with my dog Eli, I figured it was time to start posting the equipment, camping spots, and setups that have held up.
More coming soon—probably from a state park with one bar of signal (weboost will help) and Eli tracking mud into the van.
-Ryan