Disclosure Policy

Disclosure Policy – Only One Carry On

Last Updated: January 9, 2026

The Honest Truth About How Only One Carry On Makes Money

I believe in radical transparency. You deserve to know exactly how this blog works financially, what influences my recommendations (spoiler: only genuine experience), and how I maintain editorial independence while keeping the lights on.

Why This Page Exists

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires bloggers to disclose when they earn money from recommendations. Beyond legal compliance, I think you simply deserve to know.

If I’m telling you to book a specific hotel in London, you should know whether I’m saying it because it’s genuinely great or because someone’s paying me.

Spoiler: It’s always because it’s genuinely great. But let me explain how the money stuff works.

How Only One Carry On Earns Income

đź’° Affiliate Commissions

When you click certain links on this blog and make a purchase or booking, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. The company pays me a percentage of the sale as a “thank you” for sending customers their way.

Programs I participate in:

  • Amazon Associates: When you buy products I recommend (like travel gear or books)
  • Booking.com Affiliate Program: Hotel and accommodation bookings
  • Other affiliate programs: Various travel-related services and products

Important things to know:

  • You don’t pay extra. Seriously. The price is identical whether you use my link or go directly to the website. The company just shares part of their marketing budget with me instead of spending it on TV ads.
  • I only link to things I actually recommend. If I haven’t used it myself or wouldn’t confidently book it for my own family, it doesn’t get linked—regardless of commission rates.
  • Higher commissions don’t influence recommendations. Sometimes the products I recommend most enthusiastically earn me the least money. That’s fine. I optimize for your experience, not my wallet.

📢 Display Advertising (If Applicable)

If I display advertisements on my blog through an ad network, these ads are automatically selected based on your browsing history and location—I don’t personally choose which ads you see. I earn money when you view or click these ads.

What this means:

  • Ad content doesn’t reflect my personal endorsements
  • I don’t control which products/services are advertised
  • You can use an ad blocker if you prefer (though it reduces my income)

🤝 Sponsored Content (If Applicable)

As of now, I haven’t published any sponsored content, but I may in the future. If I do, it will be clearly disclosed at the top of the post with phrases like “This post is sponsored by [Brand]” or “This trip was hosted by [Company].”

My sponsored content policy (if I accept sponsorships in the future):

  • I will only work with brands I’d genuinely recommend anyway
  • I will maintain editorial control—no one tells me what to write
  • My honest opinion can’t be bought. If something doesn’t work for military families or working parents with limited vacation time, I’ll say so
  • I will never hide a sponsorship relationship

đź“š Digital Products (If Applicable)

If I create and sell digital products in the future (such as detailed itineraries, travel planning templates, or ebooks), these will be based on my years of flight tracking data and real family travel experiences.

There’s no affiliate relationship here—these would be my own products, and I would earn 100% when you purchase them.

What Doesn’t Influence My Recommendations

Freebies: Sometimes brands send me free products to review. I disclose this in the post. A free sample doesn’t guarantee a positive review—I’ve given critical feedback on plenty of gifted items.

Press trips: If a tourism board or company invites me on a hosted trip, I disclose it. But I maintain editorial independence. Not every hosted trip results in a blog post, and when it does, I share both what worked and what didn’t.

Personal relationships: I don’t let friendships influence recommendations. If my friend’s hotel is mediocre for family travel, I won’t recommend it.

Brand pressure: No brand has the power to remove negative reviews or change my opinion. I’ve turned down partnerships when companies wanted editorial control.

✨ My Editorial Standards

What you can count on:

  1. Real experience: If I recommend it, I’ve either used it myself or spent hours researching it thoroughly enough to confidently advise my own sister.
  2. Receipt-backed transparency: I show actual costs with receipts whenever possible. No theoretical budgets that don’t account for reality.
  3. Honest assessments: I tell you what didn’t work, not just highlights. If Rome in 24 hours means you’ll be exhausted, I’ll say so.
  4. Data-driven advice: My flight price recommendations come from tracking 250+ searches over three years, not guesswork.
  5. Context for military families: I understand PCS moves, limited leave, and the reality of family travel with real constraints.

Third-Party Advertising & Cookies

Some advertisers and affiliate networks use cookies to track whether you clicked a link and made a purchase. This helps them know when to pay me a commission.

You can read more about this in my Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.

You can opt out of personalized ads by:

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure (Required)

Only One Carry On is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated international sites (Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr, etc.).

Questions or Concerns?

If you ever have questions about whether I have a financial relationship with a company I’m recommending, just ask! Email me at hello@onlyonecarryon.com. I promise to answer honestly.

And if you ever see a product recommendation that feels off or seems like I’m prioritizing money over your experience, PLEASE tell me. My reputation matters more than any commission check.

Changes to This Policy

I’ll update this disclosure policy if I add new ways of earning income. Check the “Last Updated” date at the top to see what’s changed.

The Bottom Line

I started Only One Carry On because I was frustrated by the lack of realistic travel advice for working parents with limited vacation time. Every recommendation on this blog is designed to help you maximize short trips with your family—because I know how precious those 72 hours of leave are.

Yes, I earn money when you book through my links. But I’d rather have your trust and a smaller bank account than compromise the integrity of my recommendations.

Thank you for reading, for trusting my advice, and for supporting this work by using my affiliate links. It means I can keep researching flight prices at 2am while my twins sleep, instead of returning to a day job that doesn’t understand why anyone would track flight data for three years straight. đź’™

— Jen