“Who am I to charge for travel advice?”

This question stops more creators from making money than lack of followers, lack of time, or lack of ideas.

Let me give you a simple way to answer it.

The DM Test

Open your Instagram DMs. Scroll through the last few months.

Count how many messages ask some version of:

• “Where should I stay in [destination]?”
• “What restaurants do you recommend?”
• “How did you plan your trip?”
• “Do you have an itinerary I could use?”

If the answer is more than zero, you have monetizable expertise.

These messages represent demand. Real people want your knowledge badly enough to reach out and ask. They’ve self-identified as potential customers.

The Google Doc Test

Here’s another test.

Do you have any of the following saved somewhere?

• Itineraries you created for trips
• Lists of restaurants, hotels, or activities by destination
• Spreadsheets tracking costs or logistics
• Notes you’ve shared with friends planning similar trips

If yes, you’ve already created product prototypes. For free. For other people’s benefit.

That Google Doc you emailed to a friend? That’s a rough draft of something someone would pay for.

Why “Who Am I” Is the Wrong Question

The question assumes expertise requires credentials. A degree. Professional certification. Years of documented experience.

Travel doesn’t work this way.

Your expertise comes from doing the thing. You went to the destination. You figured out the logistics. You discovered what worked and what didn’t.

The person DMing you hasn’t done that yet. They want to skip the research phase. They want to benefit from your trial and error.

You have something they want. That’s the only credential required.

The Real Question

Instead of “Who am I to charge?” ask this:

“What do I know that saves someone else time, money, or frustration?”

That reframe changes everything.

You know which neighborhoods to stay in and which to avoid. That saves someone booking a bad hotel.

You know which restaurants are tourist traps and which are worth it. That saves someone wasting meals on mediocre food.

You know how to navigate transportation, currency, language barriers, and local customs. That saves someone hours of stressful research.

Time, money, and frustration have clear value. You’re not charging for “advice.” You’re charging for a shortcut.

The Three-Destination Framework

Not sure where to start? Use this framework.

Step 1: List your top three destinations These are places you know well. Places you’ve visited multiple times or spent significant time. Places you could answer detailed questions about without research.

Step 2: For each destination, list 10 things you know Not general facts. Specific knowledge. The exact train pass to buy. The restaurant locals go to. The neighborhood that looks sketchy but is safe. The tourist attraction that’s overrated.

Step 3: Rate the demand Which destination generates the most questions? Which one do people seem most interested in when you post about it?

Start there. One destination. One guide. One product.

Imposter Syndrome vs. Reality

Imposter syndrome tells you everyone knows what you know.

Reality: They don’t.

The person who’s never been to Lisbon doesn’t know the best time to visit Sintra to avoid crowds. The person planning their first Japan trip doesn’t know about IC cards vs. JR passes. The person heading to Mexico City doesn’t know which colonia to stay in.

You learned these things through experience. That experience has value to anyone who hasn’t had it yet.

The “Not Expert Enough” Trap

Another version of imposter syndrome: “I’m not the best source on this destination.”

True. Someone probably knows more.

But that person might not create content. They might not make guides. They might not be accessible to your audience.

You don’t need to be the world’s leading expert on Tokyo. You need to know enough to help someone plan a better trip than they’d plan alone.

“Better than doing it yourself” is the bar. Not “best possible source in existence.”

From Giving Away to Selling

You’ve been proving your expertise for free. Every post about a destination. Every story sharing a recommendation. Every DM response with detailed advice.

This content built an audience. It established credibility. It created demand.

The only difference between free content and paid product? Organization and delivery.

A free Instagram carousel shares 5 restaurant picks. A paid guide organizes 30 restaurants by neighborhood, cuisine, and price point with maps and reservation tips.

Same expertise. Different packaging. Different value.

The Minimum Viable Test

Still unsure? Run this test.

Post a story asking: “I’m thinking about creating a guide to [destination]. Would anyone find that useful?”

Count the responses. Count the DMs. Count the people who say “yes.”

That’s your market research. Those are your first customers.

If multiple people express interest, you have validation. Build the guide.

What Happens When You Stop Asking Permission

The creators who make money from travel do one thing differently: They stop waiting for permission.

They don’t wait until they’re “big enough.” They don’t wait until they feel “expert enough.” They don’t wait for someone to tell them their knowledge has value.

They look at the evidence — the DMs, the questions, the requests for itineraries — and they act on it.

Tourli exists to make acting on it simple. No website needed. No payment processing setup. Create a guide, price it, share the link.

The demand for your knowledge already exists. The only question is whether you’ll meet it.

Passed the DM test? Turn your expertise into your first guide on Tourli.