I've spent five years making a living as a content creator, and travel video is one of the most reliably profitable formats in the business. Fifty percent of consumers say they've wanted to book a trip after seeing it on their social feed, according to Expedia's Unpack '25 Trend Report, and 51% of U.S. travelers say creators directly influence where they go, per MMGY Travel Intelligence. That audience is real, but it's also crowded. Here's how to actually make a travel video worth watching, and the tips I've picked up from other creators in the space along the way.
Why travel video works: Half of consumers say a social post has made them want to book a trip (Expedia, Unpack '25), and over half of U.S. travelers say creators influence their travel decisions (MMGY Travel Intelligence, Winter 2024). The format has an audience. The bar for standing out in it just keeps rising.
Travel Video Basics: How to Make One
Before you plan a shoot, you should have a working grip on your gear, whether that's a proper camera setup or just your phone. If you don't yet, start with our videography equipment checklist for beginners and guide to shooting on an iPhone, then come back here.
Stage 1: Ideation and Planning
Planning is what separates a travel video people actually finish watching from one they scroll past. Whether you're planning a trip around the video or filming a trip you're already taking, trace the idea back to its source. Ask yourself what motivated the video and what you want it to achieve. Once you know why you're making it, you're through the ideation phase. Write it down, physically or digitally.
| Goal | Example |
|---|---|
| Grow engagement on a lifestyle or personal channel | An Instagram creator visiting Bali films short reels of the restaurants they try and activities they do |
| Promote a product or service tied to the destination | Someone who sells leather jackets visits a cold-climate country and works the product naturally into the footage |
| Educate and build a community | A creator visits the most popular spots on a Sydney trip and gives honest reviews of whether each one was worth it |
Once your goal is set, storyboard your shots before you travel. You want a hook to open the video, and a frame-by-frame plan for the message and music you'll pair with each shot. If you're aiming for something short, our guide to making a viral video covers what to include and what to cut. For anything longer than five minutes, you have more room, just keep it compiled in a way that holds interest. A rough storyboard, on paper or digital, is enough. You don't need anything fancy, just something prepared before you leave.
Know your gear before the trip: camera, lights, mic, laptop, and any accessories, all tested and travel-ready. A few angles worth having in your back pocket:
- Wide angles and slow pans
- Time-lapse shots
- Stabilized rotation shots
- Low-angle shots
Stage 2: Recording
Travel is unpredictable, so plan for your plan to change. When you reach a location, check that its look and feel actually match the purpose of your video before you start rolling. Get multiple takes of your planned shots rather than pushing to nail everything in one pass, especially in public places, since you'll likely be recording in bits and compiling later. A useful habit: start your next shot from roughly the same position you ended the last one, so cuts feel continuous.
Stage 3: Editing Your Travel Video
Raw travel footage is usually shaky, noisy, and shot under time pressure, so it needs real editing before it's ready to publish. That means cropping clips, sequencing them, adding transitions, correcting frames, and cleaning up audio and visual noise, all while keeping the edit true to your original storyboard and the emotion you're going for. A travel documentary calls for stable wide shots and soft music. An entertaining travel vlog calls for fast cuts and upbeat music.
If you have the time and an eye for it, tools like InVideo or veed.io work well for beginners, with templates, filters, background music, and auto noise cleanup built in. If you're comfortable with more advanced software, Adobe Premiere Pro gives you full control. And if you don't have the time or aren't confident you'll land the right tone, handing the footage to a professional editor is often the better trade. It's exactly what our editors do for clients who need travel footage turned into something polished, so you can stay focused on the filming while someone else handles the cut.
6 Tips for Optimizing Your Travel Videos
Recording a travel video looks simple until you're actually doing it. Between last-minute changes, new discoveries, and tight timelines, it's easy to end up with shaky footage that feels like an obligation rather than a story. These six tips, picked up from other creators in the space, help you avoid that.
1Prep Your Camera Before the Trip
Charge it, load a fresh SD card or clear enough storage, and dial in your settings ahead of time. If you're bringing lights or extra lenses, test everything before you pack.
2Shoot in Broad Daylight
Low light rarely works in your favor on a travel shoot, since you won't usually have time to set up proper lighting. Daylight captures more vibrant color and detail, and that reads as more appealing to viewers.
3Shoot the Scene, Not Yourself
Your audience is watching to experience somewhere they aren't. Keep the camera on what you're seeing rather than on your own reaction to it. They want your view, not your face.
4Don't Try to Cover Too Many Places Too Fast
A good rule of thumb is one city per minute of footage. If you're doing a detailed review of one spot, a restaurant or landmark, give it its own minute. If you're giving a quick highlight reel of a trip, keep each city to about a minute rather than cramming in more. A mellow instrumental track suits this pace well.
5Build In a Soundtrack
Short travel videos generally work better without narration. A soundtrack that fits the vibe carries the piece on its own. For anything over two minutes, narration can work, but pair it with mellow background music since most viewers are there for the wanderlust feel more than the commentary.
6Use Slow Zooms
You'll naturally move a lot while traveling, and small camera shake can undercut an otherwise good shot. A slow, deliberate zoom instead of handheld movement keeps viewers watching longer and feels more intentional.
One more thing: None of these tips replace a clear goal. Revisit the "why" from your ideation stage before you edit, and cut anything that doesn't serve it, even footage you love.
FAQ: Making a Travel Video
What equipment do I need to start making travel videos?
A smartphone with a stable camera is enough to start. As you grow, a basic gimbal or stabilizer, an external mic, and a spare battery or two make the biggest difference. See our videography equipment checklist for beginners for a full breakdown.
How long should a travel video be?
For short-form content, aim for about one minute per city or location covered. For a longer documentary-style video, two minutes or more gives you room for narration, but keep it tightly edited so it doesn't drag.
Should I use narration or just music in a travel video?
Short videos usually work better with just a soundtrack, since most viewers are watching for the visual escape rather than commentary. If your video runs over two minutes, narration can work well paired with mellow background music.
What's the biggest mistake first-time travel video creators make?
Trying to cover too much ground in too little footage. Cramming multiple cities or attractions into a short video usually reads as rushed. It's better to cover fewer places well than many places poorly.
Should I edit my own travel footage or hire an editor?
If you have the time and enjoy the process, beginner-friendly tools like InVideo or veed.io are a reasonable starting point. If you'd rather spend your time filming and let someone else handle color, pacing, and sound, a professional editor typically delivers a more polished result faster.
Got the footage but not the time to edit it? A dedicated human editor can turn your raw travel clips into a polished video that actually holds attention, on a flat monthly rate.
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