Why we never take comped trips

Published May 18, 2026Read 4 minFiled under Dispatch

Most travel content is paid for by the places it reviews. Not in envelopes of cash — in comped rooms, hosted trips and affiliate percentages that quietly reorder every top-ten list.

We decided in 2019 that Monsoon Ledger would pay its own way, every trip, every bed. It costs us real money and it is the entire reason the ledger is worth reading.

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