Remember the last time you added a destination, hotel, or restaurant to your bucket list because you saw a billboard or magazine ad for it? I’m betting it’s been a long time. That’s because travel content creation & influencer marketing has changed the game for the travel industry.
Influencer marketing and content creation have dominated the travel market since the inception of Instagram, and I can guarantee that you’ve got a saved folder of “places to visit” on both your TikTok and Instagram accounts.
There are countless opportunities to work with brands in the travel space, whether you’re a brand-new travel content creator or an established mega-influencer. To help you navigate this space, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to travel content creation and influencer marketing in 2024.
The Ultimate Guide to Travel Content Creation & Influencer Marketing in 2024: Tips for Bloggers, Vloggers & Influencers
In this ultimate guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about working with brands as a travel content creator. Yes, that includes bloggers, user-generated content creators, and vloggers.
We’ve packed it with all the must-know details, including:
- Types of brands to pitch to as a travel content creator
- Best practices when pitching to businesses as a travel content creator
- 5 Reels ideas for travel content creators to have in their portfolio for influencer marketing campaigns
Let’s start by defining…
What is Travel Influencer Marketing?
Travel influencer marketing is when businesses in the travel industry collaborate with travel content creators to produce travel-related content.
The content produced is beneficial to the brand as it increases visibility, drives traffic, and promotes reservations/sales for the brand’s service or product.
According to EuroNews.travel, 71% of European TikTok users actively use the app to search for international travel recommendations, 77% actively add new destinations to their bucket list, and purchase travel-related products.
Not only are people using short-form video content to plan their vacations, but travel and adventure are also some of the most profitable niches for content creators in 2024.
Let’s look at what brands would be perfect for travel content creators of all audience sizes.
What Types of Brands Should Work With Travel Content Creators?
The options are endless with travel content creators. That’s because there’s an element of lifestyle that goes into the act of travel.
We’ll divide this section into some of the most common types of brands and businesses that are natural fits for travel content creators.
Tourism Boards
Tourism boards are government organizations that promote a destination’s allure to travelers. In other words, they’re responsible for a thriving tourism economy in their respective destinations.
It’s common practice for tourism boards to host media trips (also known as familiarization trips) in which travel content creators and influencers are invited to explore and promote a destination.
Here’s a LinkedIn article written for Tourism Boards about the benefits of collaborating with travel content creators. (Particularly, the benefits of partnering with micro-influencers in the travel space).
How to Work with Tourism Boards as a Travel Content Creator
No matter how big or small your following is, tourism boards are going to want to know how engaged your audience is. There isn’t a magic number that you have to hit. That’s why it’s incredibly important to keep nurturing and engaging your audience.
Don’t let a small audience deter you from reaching out and working with tourism boards. Students of The Creator Bootcamp secure partnerships with tourism boards with 2500 followers or less. (One of them only had 1000+ followers before working with the Thessaloniki Tourism Board!)
We recommend pitching to tourism boards ASAP if that’s something you’re interested in. Here are some tips to get you started:
- Find the right email to send a pitch to. You can always send a DM to their Instagram account first asking what the best email is for these inquiries.
- Make sure you know which tourism board you want to work with. For example, there are tourism boards that cover the entire country, and then there are tourism boards in charge of specific cities. (The Thessaloniki Tourism Board is a great example, since it’s only servicing the city of Thessaloniki, and not all of Greece.)
- Put together a media kit and keep it updated!
- Always lead with value when you pitch. What can you provide the tourism board by partnering with them?
Hotels & AirBnbs
Another obvious choice is to partner with hotels and Airbnbs. If the Four Seasons Orlando/Super Conscious Baby teaches us one thing, it’s that hotels, resorts, and Airbnbs definitely benefit from working with travel content creators.
With the booming popularity of short-form video, in-depth reviews that showcase the amenities and conveniences of a hotel can help travelers decide where they’d like to stay on their trips.
Working with hotels as a travel content creator is very straightforward. Just follow the same pitching practices outlined above.
However, Airbnbs are a different story since these accommodations are often on a case-by-case basis. Some Airbnbs are privately owned by an individual host, others are part of a larger company.
Just know that when you’re pitching to an Airbnb, the responses you get might vary.
Tour Companies
There are different types of tour companies that travel content creators can work with on influencer marketing campaigns.
- Tour companies like Intrepid, Travel Talk Tours, and G Adventures essentially take care of your entire trip for you. They plan a tour of a destination (or destinations) from start to finish.
- Excursion-type tour companies like Get Your Guide and Viator specialize in specific experiences within a country. In these instances, travelers will book a specific tour they’re interested in instead of having their entire trip planned out for them.
Cruise Lines
Cruise lines are another popular option for travel content creators. Similar to Tourism Boards and hotels, it’s a natural and straightforward fit. In fact, cruise lines are actively searching for travel content creators to participate in influencer marketing campaigns.
Restaurants
Now we’re venturing into brands and businesses that aren’t specifically travel-related. While restaurants fall under the food and beverage content creation category, they also make perfect sense for travel content creators.
While these restaurants don’t necessarily actively reach out to travel content creators to collaborate with, it is worth pitching to! We’ve had numerous students of both The Creator Bootcamp and Blogger Bootcamp who have worked with restaurants while traveling.
How to Work With Restaurants as a Travel Content Creator
If you plan on working with restaurants as a travel content creator, you want to make sure that you’ve covered food and beverage content on your travels.
For instance, if you’re a budget travel content creator who typically shares content about hostels, budgeting tips, and travel hacking… but you’ve never or rarely covered dining experiences, it might not be the best fit for you to pitch for restaurant collaborations.
However, if you’re a budget travel content creator who shares content about budgeting tips – including cheap and local eats, pitching to restaurants that are a perfect fit for your audience is a great idea.
Remember, partnering with a business needs to make sense for both the business and your audience!
Fashion & Beauty Brands
Similar to restaurants, fashion and beauty brands are great for travel content creators who include fashion and beauty in their content.
This could get a little tricky since fashion and beauty are industries and niches on their own. In the context of travel content creation, fashion and beauty might fall more in line with travel-specific situations.
Think about your content pillars – would it make sense for your audience to consume fashion and beauty content, even if it’s related to travel?
For example, if you’re a travel content creator who specializes in traveling with sensitive skin, chances are tailoring your skincare and makeup routine to fit the climate of a destination is a content pillar of yours.
In this case, it would make perfect sense for you to pitch beauty brands for influencer marketing opportunities.
Same applies to fashion brands. If you’re a luxury travel content creator who plans destination-inspired outfits for trips, partnering with a fashion brand is a great fit.
Another instance where this would work is if you’re a travel content creator who specifically creates content for hiking and outdoor adventures. This will naturally lend your platform to working with outdoor and activewear brands.
Remote Work Brands
Another more specific business for travel content creators, but it’s one that is definitely on the rise. Remote work brands are often services that make working on the go much easier.
These businesses include:
- E-sim companies
- Productivity tools (for team communications, adjusting to jet lag, etc.)
- Connectivity tools and products (such as pocket wifis and VPN services)
If you’re a van life or digital nomad travel content creator, these businesses are a perfect fit for you and your audience. Not only will your audience be interested in what services you use to keep you connected on the road, your audience will also be the perfect demographic for these businesses – making it a mutually beneficial partnership.
Bag & Luggage Brands
Last but not least, bag and luggage/travel accessory brands are an obvious choice for travel content creators.
How to Pitch for Influencer Marketing Campaigns as a Travel Content Creator
Now that you know what types of businesses and brands would be a perfect fit for your platform, we wanted to equip you with a “best practices” checklist for pitching influencer marketing campaigns.
We’ve packed a few tips in the section above, but here’s a more comprehensive list:
- Always start with “What value can I offer this brand?” Businesses and brands are smart, and they can smell a bad deal from miles away. Before pitching to a brand for a potential partnership, get clear about whether your audience would love their product/service and if you can bring added value to the business.
- Research, research, research! Whether that’s collecting the appropriate email that gets you in touch with the right person, or familiarizing yourself with the brand’s voice, who their audience is, and travel content creators they’ve worked with in the past to see if you’re a good fit for the brand.
- Before you send your pitch, come prepared with a media kit and/or portfolio. You’ll want to show proof of your creative ideas so the business can easily see how your content fits with its brand. If you’re a travel content creator, make sure your organic content showcases examples of the types of partnerships you’re pitching for (e.g. restaurant content/food recommendations, travel skincare routines, etc.). As for user-generated content creator, your portfolio should include a few examples that showcase your work.
- Don’t be afraid to follow up! If at first you don’t get a response, follow up.
- Keep organized and start a running list of brands you’ve pitched to, who needs to be followed up with, when due dates are, and all the pertinent details of the partnership.
Making a great impression on a brand is a must, especially if you want to build a long-lasting relationship with a business.
5 Reel Ideas for Travel Content Creators
Hopping on a trending audio is cute and all, but it’s hardly grounds for a solid portfolio. You’ll want your profile/portfolio to showcase your work. This makes it easier for brands and businesses to envision how your content can work with the influencer campaign they’re running.
As always, we want to set you up for success, so we’ve compiled 5 reel ideas to include in your portfolio as a travel content creator.
These 5 types of reels/TikToks are staples in travel content creation and influencer marketing campaigns.
Travel Guides and Interesting Bucket List Experiences
Whether you’re sharing an all-encompassing travel guide to a destination, or a specific experience for your audience to add to their bucket list…
Sharing a detailed itinerary of an entire trip or a singular experience is an evergreen travel content idea.
Caitlin from @her.atlas shares the best spot for cherry blossoms in Japan in this reel.
In this TikTok, Amanda Rollins from @americanfille on TikTok shares her must-know tips for attending the masquerade ball at Versaille.
Want an idea that isn’t a Reel? This carousel by @galswhotravel_ features things to know before visiting Paris. It’s a helpful and saveable post for anyone planning a trip to Paris.
If You’re Looking for the Best [Experience/Meal/Etc.]
These types of posts are saveable and great planning companions for travelers. Whether you’re recommending a must-do experience or a restaurant, these posts are incredibly helpful for those looking for the best things to do in a destination.
@voyagewithmc shares her recommendation for the best beef bourguignon in Paris.
@sali_mamutchadze shares a must-visit restaurant in London.
@carley_lightfoot on TikTok shared a unique experience at a Book Spa in Bath and what you can expect from an appointment there.
We Stayed At [Hotel] And This is Our Experience
This one’s pretty straightforward.
@Tamsinamy showcases her dog-friendly stay at Browns Hotel Mayfair in this reel.
Pack For a Trip With Me
Another straightforward piece of content to film.
You can film a non-speaking packing video showcasing the products you’re using, similar to what @teresalauracaruso has done in this TikTok.
Or you can narrate your packing video like @laurenkkim0.
How Much We Spent In [Destination]
Finally, a roundup for how much you spent in a day in a destination is a great content idea. The best part of this is that you can make one for the city in which you’re a local in.
@annainseoul does a “how much I spend in Seoul”/a day in my life vlog that’s incredibly helpful for travelers so they know how much they can expect to spend.
She also does different iterations of this vlog for different destinations she visits…
And in different currencies.
Get Your First Influencer Marketing Campaign as a Travel Content Creator
We hope this post helps you understand the influencer marketing space as a travel content creator. With all the brands/businesses that you could possibly pitch to for partnerships, what to include in your portfolio, and tips on pitching, this post is going to be your companion to navigating your first collaboration as a travel content creator.
If you’re ready to kickstart your career in travel content creation and influencer marketing, we’d love to invite you to our free masterclass – The 5 Step Blueprint to Earn $10k on Social Media in the Next 90 Days.
I’ve poured years of experience into this class to give you the no-fluff, quickest route to becoming a paid travel content creator, even if your account is started from 0 today.
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