travel websites for social media

21 Travel Social Networks for Avid Travelers

Travelers have the ability to connect with other travelers through a wide variety of social media and social networking websites. While major social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter get most of the attention from the media, the travel industry includes sites that can be incredibly helpful and fun for those who want to connect with like-minded people.

Whether you want to share your photos and stories, meet up with someone while you’re traveling, connect with your friends, make new friends, or find reviews from other travelers, the travel social networks and tourism apps mentioned here will prove to be highly useful.

Tripadvisor

TripAdvisor exists to help travelers book the perfect trip or vacation by providing reviews from other travelers. You can search for hotel reviews, restaurant reviews, and you can compare and find deals on all kinds of travel.

It’s one of the best and most reliable resources for researching businesses and locations. You can read honest and unbiased reviews from other travels, view their photos, get suggestions, and more. And of course, you can also participate by leaving reviews and helping others with their trip research and travel planning.

Matador is an online community of travelers, photographers, and adventurers. At Matador you can share your own experiences, get tips and meet other travelers with similar interests. There is a wealth of information on this social media site, including guides to destinations, a podcast, and more.

Trippy is an incredibly useful road trip planner that allows you to tap into the knowledge and insight of others in the community. Ask questions, get answers, and find the best places to stop on your own road trip vacation.

To use Trippy, you’ll simply enter your starting point and your travel destination, and it will quickly provide you with a suggested itinerary. It will provide you with all the suggested stops along the way, with suggestions from other users. Thanks to Trippy, you’ll never miss interesting places without knowing about them. It’s easily one of the best social media resources for planning a road trip.

Off Exploring

Off Exploring allows you to create your own free travel blog to share photos and content from your journey or vacation. Of course, you can share your blog with friends and family so they stay updated with your travel, or simply connect with others using the social platform.

If you like to experience travel destinations like a local rather than a tourist, you’ll love Showaround. It’s a travel social network that allows you to connect with tours by locals. You can get a more genuine and authentic experience anywhere in the world, thanks to the help of someone who lives there. No need for a travel agent!

Some tours are free and others come with a cost. You can read reviews from other travelers and learn all the details before deciding on a tour.

Of course, you can also offer tours to people who are visiting your hometown on vacation.

GAFFL (Get a Friend for Life) is a travel brand and one of the best social media networks for connecting with people in cities around the world. You can select a destination you’re traveling to, find other users who are planning trips to that location and connect. You can meet up at the destination or plan your trip and travel together to save on costs.

Backpackr is a mobile social network for connecting with others who are part of this backpacking community. Add your trip details, meet up with other users who are in the same area, and find details about the places you’re visiting. As a traveler, you can also find special deals and discounts at pubs, hostels, and more. They also list free events so you can have fun without spending money.

Steller is a social media mobile app for telling your travel stories. It includes some features that are similar to Instagram, but it’s specifically designed for travelers. You can find cool places and things to do, curate your own adventures, and connect with other travelers. Overall, Steller is one of the most popular travel apps and definitely worth checking out.

CouchSurfing

CouchSurfing is a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit. You can create an account and find hosts in other locations where you will be traveling, or you can host other travelers.

Travellerspoint

Travellerspoint is an online community that provides blogs, photos, forums, and tourism and travel guides. You can create an account and share your own experiences with others, or browse through the information provided by other travelers.

FlyerTalk is a community for frequent flyers. There is a forum for communicating with other frequent flyers, and information on travel-related loyalty reward programs. You can also find news headlines, information on airports, and more.

BeWelcome is a culture-crossing network that lets you share a place to sleep, meet up, and help others on their way. As a social network, BeWelcome focuses specifically on accommodations so you can find a place to stay or provide lodging for other users.

Withlocals is a great resource if you appreciate small, intimate tours rather than large group excursions or activities with a travel company. You can find tours and events led by individuals in their hometowns. Just enter the location you’ll be visiting and browse the tours and activities that are available.

If you’re interested in hosting tours in your local area, Withlocals can be a great way to make some extra money while showing visitors a great time.

Overall, Withlocals is an excellent resource within the travel industry.

TravelLibro specializes in visual travel journeys. Enter your destination and see visual journeys from others. It’s great for finding travel inspiration and things to do. Of course, you can also create your own visual journeys to share with others.

Travello ( Android , iOS ) is a popular and highly-rated social media mobile app for connecting with fellow travelers. It features a Facebook-style feed so you can see what others are up to and find inspiration. You can also learn about places to visit and get exclusive discounts on things to do.

MeetUp is a platform for connecting with people. It’s not exclusively about travel, but it certainly offers plenty of potential for travelers. You can view planned meetups in any location to find things to do wherever you’re going. If you enjoy connecting with new people and trying new things, you’ll love MeetUp.

Foursquare ( Android , iOS ) is a popular location-based social media network. It serves as a city guide you can use to research any location you’ll be visiting. You can see what other people are doing, find places to eat and things to do, make travel plans, and keep track of where you’ve been.

Spotted By Locals

Spotted By Locals ( Android , iOS ) provides city guides with expert insight from locals. The platform currently offers guides for 80 cities with more to be added in the future. You can find the best things to do with detailed guides, all provided by locals who want to share their insight.

Travel Buddy

Travel Buddy ( Android , iOS ) is a social media network exclusively for travelers. You can connect with people wherever you’re going, connect with people in your local area and plan a trip, research destinations, and more. It also includes a Facebook-like feed your stories and photos, or to see what other users are sharing.

Of course, Instagram is an incredibly popular mainstream social media network. While it’s not exclusively for travelers, it is a great resource for sharing photos, videos, and stories from your journeys. Since so many people are already on Instagram, it’s a great choice if you want to connect. You don’t need to be an influencer with millions of followers and lots of engagement to get a lot out of Instagram.

Pinterest is another mainstream social media platform that is ideal for travel. You can create your own boards for planning your trips, use Pinterest’s search engine to find things you might want to do, and pin the interesting ones from your board. Many people share photos and links to blog posts or articles from their journeys, so you can easily tap in to that collective wisdom by using Pinterest for planning your own trips.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re planning a trip or vacation or looking to connect with other travelers, social media content can be incredibly helpful. The platforms and apps covered in this article are the best available options for connecting with like-minded people. Using the information you find from locals and travelers, you can avoid travel industry and tourism details like a travel agency and large group tours.

This page may include affiliate links or sponsored links. If you click on one of our affiliate links and complete a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The 7 Best Social Media Apps for Travelers

There are a number of social media apps designed specifically for travelers. Here are the best ones you should start using!

There's no better way to explore a new location than with advice from people who have lived or traveled there before. Social media apps are fast becoming the best way to connect travelers with these experienced insiders.

While existing social media apps may inspire jealousy in your followers, or enable you to share experiences with friends, they aren't designed for travelers. Thankfully, there are travel social media apps designed specifically for travelers, and these are the best.

1. Foursquare

Foursquare has been a mainstay of online travel planning for many years. The app offers an incredible number of functions, and allows you to search for nearby attractions based on the distance from your destination or current location, rating, or Foursquare's personalized estimate of your tastes.

The app also offers you the chance to follow travelers who have similar tastes to your own, read reviews from other travelers, and add your own insights to help fellow travelers in the future.

The ability to create and save your information in a profile means that your preferences, saved locations, and information will always be available to you, whether in the planning stages or in the middle of your trip.

Download: Foursquare for iOS | Android (Free)

Trover is one of the best apps available when looking for travel inspiration. The home screen presents you with many different feeds of beautiful images to view, including a feed of the most popular photos, a feed of the latest images, feeds specific to different locations, and feeds based on hashtags that have been assigned by users.

This app focuses more on the travel experiences of individual users and beautiful photographs than providing in-depth reviews or traveler tips. These functions make Trover ideal for conceptualizing a vacation you hope to take, but another app may be required to turn that trip into a reality.

Download: Trover for iOS | Android (Free)

3. Spotted by Locals

Spotted by Locals offers quirky sightseeing and activity ideas handpicked by real locals. When you have no idea what to do or where to eat, you can browse through a ton of helpful guides for over 70 cities. Since all of the suggestions are written by locals, you can expect to find some non-touristy, hole-in-the-wall destinations.

Just keep in mind that you can't access a full city guide or save spots unless you pay a fee for each guide. The offline version of the app is also only available if you pay. However, it may be worth it if you're looking for smart travel planning apps to put a unique spin on your trip.

Download: Spotted by Locals for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

4. Withlocals

While Spotted by Locals helps you find destinations thanks to guides written by locals, Withlocals connects you with local tour guides. You can use this social travel app to find food tours, walking tours, day trips, night tours, and even bike tours.

When you select a tour you're interested in, you'll see a detailed description of the tour along with an itinerary. Scroll down the page to find reviews by other users, and tap Pick Your Local to view each guides' profile and book your tour. After all, there's really nothing better than receiving a tour from someone who knows their way around.

Download: Withlocals for iOS | Android (Free)

5. Couchsurfing

The Couchsurfing website and app have been well-used over the past several years by budget-conscious travelers looking for a free place to stay. While the app is entirely free, you can increase your chances of finding a host by paying a fee to verify yourself.

Even if crashing on a stranger's couch isn't your preferred style of accommodation, the app can still be a great resource for meeting new people around the world.

Every profile on the website features information about the Couchsurfing hosts, as well as their photo. If you find a host in the area you plan on traveling to, it's worth sending them a message to see if they'd be willing to meet during your travels.

Download: Couchsurfing for iOS | Android (Free)

6. Travello

Travello is a social media app for travelers and people interested in traveling. When you sign up, you'll see a feed filled with posts made by people traveling around the world. If you want, you can even connect with the other travelers on the app by commenting on their photos or by messaging them to ask questions.

You can also use Travello to find groups of like-minded travelers. Head to Explore > Groups to find groups such as Solo Travelers, Backpackers Asia, Digital Nomads, Female Travelers, and more.

Once you start traveling, you can start posting your own photos and keeping track of your trips. Make sure you know these key photography tips for beginners before you start posting pictures of the amazing sights you see.

Download: Travello for iOS | Android (Free)

7. TravelBuddy

If you're looking for a social media app for travel that doubles as a way to find a travel partner, TravelBuddy is for you. The home page presents you with a travel feed that will definitely inspire you to take a vacation. You can also opt to filter posts by location, which can help you find potential sightseeing spots.

To get in touch with a travel buddy, you can hit Find a Buddy on the home page. Simply enter your destination, choose a preferred gender for your buddy, and add your travel dates. TravelBuddy is also a great way to ask locals any questions about your travel destination.

Download: TravelBuddy for iOS | Android (Free)

Social Media Apps Can Improve Your Vacations

You should never be over reliant on technology while traveling. However, while you shouldn't be glued to your phone the entire trip, these social media apps for travelers can help make your trip better.

Having a few quality social travel apps at your fingertips can improve your experience, and help you find hidden gems throughout your travels. To explore even further, check out these travel apps to help you find unique tourist spots .

14 Best Travel Social Media Apps for Backpackers- Get Rolling!

Word of mouth had always been the best mode of advertisement for years. But now, social media is crowding more than ever. Anything and everything posted on social media gets exposed to many, so it’s presently one of the quickest and the most out-reaching forms of delivering any information than even physically hearing from someone. Considering the numerous benefits that travel social media apps provide, one can share personal stories, experiences, and even travel expeditions per se.

Table of Contents

“Updated” List of 14 Best Travel Social Media Apps Below:

Enlisted below are some of the best travel social network apps, designed specifically for globetrotters:

1. Trotter It

‘ Trotter It ’ is not just an app, rather it is a whole new digital diary, which can be your constant companion wherever you go. May it be an adventurous escapade to the wilderness or a calming break into the foothills of the Himalayas; you can record all of your experiences, not only in the form of literature but in real-time high-definition images, videos, and so on. Your stories are ready to be related to all your followers regaling them with all eminent information that’s possible.

Download the app : Android IOS

2. Foursquare

This app is almost a mainstay for online travel planners for years. It incorporates an incredible number of functions and facilitates one to search for tourist attractions, based on distance from their current location. The app also provides auto-suggestions, which is Foursquare’s personalized estimate of your tastes.

Download the App : Android IOS

3. Spotted by Locals

As the name goes, this software application is more realistic because the content material is collected from real localities, residing at that particular place. Peculiar sightseeing and activity ideas, as well as a guide to eateries covering more than 70 cities, are also provided. You can find a few non-tourist suggestions too.

4. Withlocals

This is an app that’s essentially filled up with localized information gathered pertinently from local tour guides. This software application furnishes all information related to food, short tours, nearby markets, day and night trips, etc.

5. Travello

Travello is a travel social media app for people who are very much fond of traveling. After signing up, a feed can be seen that is filled with post(s) that are made by other people who had been richly traveling the world. If needed, you can also connect with other travelers here on this app by giving comments on the photo(s) or sending messages to ask any question(s). Travello app can be used for finding groups of travelers, who share the same wavelength.

6. Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is the best application to stay connected to the locals, make strong travel buddies, or host travelers in your city. India application, you get to browse the millions of local hosts offering a place to stay in over 230,000 cities across the globe. You can also see who is nearby and wants to become available on Couchsurfing hangouts. If you cannot go out, you can meet up with incoming travelers coming to your hometown.

Trippy encourages more people to travel. You can experience new places, new cultures, and new people with them. Trippy is a community of global travelers who wish to share core values. You can register as heroes by using your real avatar, a bio, and a profile to start with. Then, you can share your reviews on a place, the best time to visit the place, and many more on the website. You can also ask for suggestions for shorter and simpler routes and get information on the streets and rest areas on the way.

Visit : Website

8. Showaround

Showaround helps the travelers and tourists connect with the locals who are ready to show off their hometown. It is an online marketplace for private tours, where you can customize your tool with local residents before arriving at your destination. When touring with the locals, the sightseeing experience becomes more flexible between the two. With Showaround locals, you get to visit the different corners of the streets, and this gives you a chance to make spontaneous decisions and enjoy whatever comes your way.

Are you tired of solo traveling? Then you must register on GAFFL. The application connects you with travelers from 170 different countries, and you can travel buddies, share costs and tour the entire world. You can start your trip and publish it in minutes. You can also search for your desired location, and when you like our trip post, hit connect and start chatting immediately. GAFFL has been exclusively made to export different parts of the globe together and split costs.

10. Backpackr

Whether you are out on a solo trip or a group, Backpackr is a great way to meet and greet fellow travelers. You can browse through hundreds of profiles and message the people you want to travel with. Then, you can grab a drink and see the sites together.

You can ask the travelers about the best sites, the best restaurant, or the best bar in the common room. You can even organize meetups.

11. Steller

It is an exciting way to plan a trip. Just open the application, and you will be inspired by the thousands of real-life travel stories from the worldwide community. You can bookmark your favorite adventures and use them to plan your next trip. You can also find hotels, restaurants, and bars near the destination and book them with the new booking tool, which Trivago powers.

With Steller, you get to learn interesting facts about a particular place and discover new adventures.

12. Travellerspoint

It is one of the world’s largest and most active travel communities, with members from almost every country in the world. The website has over 30,000 travel blogs and 175,000 stories, along with 1.4 million photos of various destinations across the globe. So, if you are thinking of traveling soon or getting ready to plan your trip, Travellerspoint is the spot where your journey begins.

The website helps you to plan easily, preview your plan and share your trip experiences with the community.

13. TraveLibro

TraveLibro is an exciting travel application that lets you discover, create and release your travel journeys. It enables you to find various travel spots across the globe by exploring the visual itineraries posted by travel influences and expenses. In addition to this, the application also allows you to create trip memories with friends and family members. You get a digital travel diary and a customized coffee table travel book along with the application.

14. Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts helps you connect to your loved ones during the afterlife. The website is a self-help therapeutic solution with a digital mental health space. It focuses on the patients who are diagnosed with severe illnesses.

You can create a birthday message or a wedding congratulations video for your friend or your child on the application. The website will deliver the video on their special day. The users can also create a legacy project using the website. It offers a unique opportunity for the patients to reflect on their memories, process the events and the people who affected their lives.

Wrapping Up

Since the virtual world is brimming with innumerable travel social media apps, each of them being equally compelling when it comes to advertisements, laymen are bound to get confused in deciding which ones to install and use. This short guide about some worthy ones has been prepared to enlighten you a little bit while planning your sojourns.

Must Read : Five Best Travel Journal Apps for Android

Don’t Have Time to Read Complete Post, Just Watch It

Trotter It - a Dedicated App for Passionate Travelers like You. Download Now and Share your Travel Memories with the World. Get it on Google Play | IOS

Leave a comment or Cancel Reply

Trotter It – Best App for Passionate Travelers

Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

Travel Better, Cheaper, Longer

How to Use Your Social Network to Travel the World

One of the most popular budget-travel apps is Couchsurfing . It’s a social network website that allows you to connect with locals abroad who can share their insider tips and advice or provide you with a free place to stay.

I remember I used it when I was first traveling and stayed at this lovely home in Athens . Since that first trip, I’ve used it dozens of times to meet people, hang out, and save money on accommodation.

Celinne, on the other hand, created — and used — her own personal social network. She traveled the world only by staying with friends and friends of friends. She reached out on the web and found strangers willing to open their homes to her. Not only did this help her lower her travel costs, but it also allowed her to meet wonderful, fascinating, and kind-hearted people.

To me, travel is about the human connections we make — and she found a way to make some great ones. Here’s her story, what inspired her to do this, and what she learned along the way.

Nomadic Matt: Tell us about yourself. Who are you? What drives you? Celinne Da Costa: My love story with travel dates as far back as I can remember: I was born in the heart of Rome to an immigrant Brazilian mother and a German-raised Italian father.

Since leaving Italy , I’ve gone from living in the quintessential suburbia neighborhoods that American dreams are made of, to frenziedly exploring Philadelphia while balancing my studies at University of Pennsylvania, to adventuring my way through every nook and cranny of New York City .

Last year, I left behind my corporate advertising job in the city to design my dream life from scratch. I began with a journey around the world, in which I harnessed the power of human connection and kindness to stay with 70+ strangers in 17 countries across four continents.

Eighteen months later, I’m still traveling full-time and writing a book about my experience circumnavigating the globe by couchsurfing through my social network.

What fuels your passion for travel? Travel accelerates personal growth and challenges me to become the best version of myself. There are so many beautiful places in the world, but after a while, they begin to blend into one another. What truly makes travel valuable is the lessons it can teach you , if you are willing to be present and pay attention to your environment.

Travel has helped me develop the humility and goodwill to learn from people that I meet along the way. It has pushed me to understand my insignificance on this planet, yet still take actions that will positively impact others.

Most importantly, it has challenged me to open my heart to others and live in the moment. Ultimately, travel is not a matter of what I see, but who I become along the way. I don’t need to see the entire world. I just want to feel it run through my veins.

Tell us about this long adventure you were just on. How did you think of it? How long did it last? Where did you go? What did you do? I didn’t want to just quit my corporate 9-5 job on a whim and travel the world without a plan. I wanted to make travel into a lifestyle , not a sabbatical, so I decided to design a project that would:

• Incorporate my main passions (travel, writing, and making connections with interesting humans)
• Create opportunities for a lifestyle change once I was done.

I challenged myself to design my dream life, attempt to live it out for six months and re-evaluate once I got there.

That’s where the idea of my social experiment came from: I circumnavigated the globe by couchsurfing through my network. I wanted to reincorporate real human connection back into my life.

During this time, I never used Couchsurfing since everyone who hosted me was connected to me somehow (friends, friends of friends, people I met on the road).

I ended up being on the road for nine months for this project, and having 73 hosts in 17 countries across 4 continents: I passed through Europe , the Middle East, Southeast Asia , Oceania, and the United States .

How did you actually find hosts to host you? How far ahead did you know where you were going to sleep?  There were no websites involved! Only sheer human connection. All the interactions were initiated by me and were enabled by my phone (texting, voice notes, calling) and social media (mostly Instagram and Facebook).

I reached out to everyone I knew telling them about my project and asking whether they knew someone they could connect me with. I kept moving from one connection to the next until I found someone willing to host me. As my project grew and people started finding out about it, hosts started to reach out to me through Instagram.

I only had a one-way ticket to Italy (where I’m originally from) booked – everything else was on a whim. I had a general trajectory of where I was going, and I would add or subtract places depending on my hosting situation.

There were places I wanted to visit no matter what, so there were often times when I was down to the wire and didn’t find a host until super last minute. Other times, I had hosts lined up months ahead.

It always worked out — I was only left without a host once, in Croatia . I ended up renting a cheap room last minute, but luckily, I did make some local friends on that trip so I’ll have a place to stay if I return!

What was the furthest connection with a host that you stayed with? How did that happen? My furthest connection was seven degrees in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was: my mom’s friend’s girlfriend’s client’s client’s co-worker’s friend. It was crazy how it happened. I kept struggling to find a place, and each person would pass me along to someone else they knew until eventually, someone was available and willing to host. This happened several times during my travels — I also had plenty of five- and six-degree connections. I was taken aback by how dedicated people were to finding me a place to stay.

Did you ever meet someone on the road and stay with them? Or did you strictly stay with friends of friends? Yes, all the time! There was never a point when I had all my hosts lined up – I usually had my next couple of destinations planned, and everything else up in the air. I was constantly meeting and befriending travelers on the road, and upon hearing about my project, a vast majority would offer to host me without me even asking.

For example, I met an older gentleman for all of 30 minutes as I was leaving a meditation retreat in Nepal (which, funny enough, was also part of my project: my Kathmandu’s cousin worked so I was his guest). Despite knowing me so briefly, he offered to host me in Tasmania. I ended up visiting his and his wife’s farm (located in the middle of nowhere) six months later with another host, and it was amazing.

Four complete strangers ended up spending an entire evening sharing stories about our travels and philosophies on life over a feast of freshly caught crayfish and vegetables picked from their garden.

Tell us a few host stories that completely surprised you when you were on the road. If there is anything I learned from meeting hundreds of people during my travels, it’s that there is so much more than we could ever fathom going on below the surface of a human being. It is our nature to categorize things.

With people, it tends to be by culture, race, geography, religion, etc. If you make an active effort to put these categories aside, sit down with locals, and demonstrate some basic interest in their lives and stories, you’ll find that each person is their own universe.

In fact, the most incredible nuggets of wisdom I’ve gotten came from people who didn’t even realize their own brilliance.

One of my favorite encounters was with Maung, an older gentleman that I met who was a hotel manager in Myanmar. After some conversation, I found out he smuggled cows to Thailand for a living when he was younger, and was a commander in the guerilla fighting movement against the oppressive regime alongside a monk who later became famous for his humanitarian efforts towards orphaned children. What a story!

Then, there is Adam, the Italian-American host I fell head-over-heels in love with (spoiler: we broke up). We grew up less than an hour away from each other in the US yet I found him while he was living in Australia .

Lastly, I’ll never forget asking my host Anna in Bali whether she knew of a spiritual healer and her telling me that she lived with one. That week, I spent most of my evenings sitting on their porch in an Ubud village, discussing the meaning of love and happiness as they proceeded to school me on life with their wise Balinese philosophy.

What challenges did you have Couchsurfing around the world? How did you deal with them? I could never predict the comfort or location convenience of my accommodation, so I really had to learn to go with the flow and not set any expectations.

I’ve stayed in penthouses with my own private room, bathroom, and maid, and I’ve also stayed in cots on the floor of a village with a hole for a toilet. It’s funny because some of my most “uncomfortable” hosting accommodations ended up being my richest and best experiences, and vice versa.

Also, “reading” my hosts was a challenge. Their reasons for hosting me were so different: some wanted to pay it forward, others wanted to actively show me their city and pick my brain, and others were only offering a place to stay but didn’t necessarily want to socialize. I had to sharpen my people skills so I could stay respectful and intuitive to people’s boundaries (or lack thereof).

What are your tips for people who are inspired by your story and want to do this on their own? What are some great resources you suggest to use? Identify what you are passionate about, and try to build your travels around what works for you. My project was successful because I tapped into my strengths and passions.

If you’d like to create a project around your travels, I suggest you customize it around your preferences: if you are an introvert and hate talking to people, for example, spending hours a day chatting with people and asking them to host you may not be the best idea.

Make your journey fun by catering to what you really feel comfortable and happy doing, and make sure you do some planning ahead of time.

My best resource was fellow travelers who had also done round-the-world trips . When I was thinking about doing this trip, I reached out to full-time travelers on Instagram, asked friends if they knew people who went on long travel trips, and did a lot of “blog surfing.”

I had so many Skype calls with strangers who had just finished round-the-world trips before I left for my own. Talking through my doubts, fears, and confusions — and being reassured that I would be okay made me so much more comfortable with leaving.

Specifically, my trip was inspired by one of my mentors Leon Logothetis, who is the author of the book (and now TV show) The Kindness Diaries . He traveled the world on a yellow motorbike relying on people to offer him gas, food, or shelter, to prove to himself and to others that humanity was kind.

Other books I also read that prepared me for the trip were Vagabonding by Rolf Potts, The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton, and A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle.

How do you make your money last on the road? What are some of your best tips? My top tips for people trying to make it work financially on the road:

1. Know your weaknesses, and plan for them – I’m terrible at numbers and never budgeted before, but I knew I would have to if I wanted to make this work financially. I created an excel sheet and for the past 18 months, have been documenting and categorizing every single expense so I can track where I need to cut down if necessary.

I also knew I’d go crazy if I didn’t occasionally treat myself to something I liked but wasn’t necessary, so I gave myself a monthly “frivolous stuff” allowance.

2. Always remember that you can barter or negotiate – Traveling and negotiating on the road taught me that currency is not only monetary — it is social as well. I did not have abundant funds, but I did have a skillset: I am a brand strategist by trade, as well as a writer, social media influencer, and content creator.

When negotiating with dollars didn’t get me anywhere, I would offer my services in exchange for goods or services of similar perceived value. In many areas of the world, people respond favorably to a favor exchange.

If marketing isn’t your skillset, that’s totally ok too! I’ve seen people barter all kinds of skills for experiences of places to stay: for example, exchanging farm work or teaching English for room and board, helping a small business with coding a website in exchange for free tours, etc. The possibilities are endless!

3. Embrace the minimalist lifestyle – When I’m on the road, I live a very minimalist lifestyle. I only travel with a carry-on to keep my belongings to a minimum, I hardly buy souvenirs or clothes, I walk or take public transportation whenever possible, and I buy most of my food at the grocery store.

I normally don’t pay for culture and history-related activities or tours; I email places ahead of time, tell them about my project and that I’m a writer (in addition to having my own social media following, I also write for some major publications…both which I achieved by creating this social experiment).

Since I stay with locals, I don’t pay for accommodation, which helps tremendously.

Were your family and friends supportive of your traveling adventure? Surprisingly, yes. I was originally nervous to tell my family and friends about my plan to quit my job to travel around the world by sleeping in random people’s homes – I really expected them to try to talk me out of it.

Although a handful of them did, the vast majority had a response along the lines of “Yes! You need to do this!”

I was overwhelmed by the support, how much they believed in me, and how they supported me along the way, emotionally as well as by connecting me to potential hosts. I couldn’t have made it without them!

What’s on your bucket list? Oof, am I allowed to say every country in the world? If had to narrow down to five places that I’m itching to see, they are: Peru , Bolvia , Antarctica, Japan , and the Philippines .

Now I just need to find hosts there!

Do you have any advice for people that feel like Couchsurfing is something dangerous that they could never do? Yes! The first rule is probably the hardest to internalize: you have to trust people. We live in a world that is constantly inundating us with news of what terrible humans we are, but that is not the case at all.

I found all over the world that most people are good, and want to help. I have enough stories about people who went out of their way in kindness for me to fill a book (and that’s why I’m writing one!).

Of course, there are exceptions, and that’s where my second piece of advice comes in: trust your intuition. Western society particularly values mind over heart, and that’s something I learned to question during my time in Southeast Asia . It’s important to use rationality and logic when moving through life, but there is something about intuition that just cannot be quantified.

Listen to what your gut tells you. If something feels off, remove yourself from the situation, no questions asked.

Overall, I’ve surfed over 100 couches in the past couple of years and I’ve only had one bad experience which I quickly removed myself from before it escalated. Statistically, that’s a 1% weirdo rate.

Believe that people are good, and that’s the world that will manifest for you!  

Become the Next Success Story

One of my favorite parts about this job is hearing people’s travel stories. They inspire me, but more importantly, they also inspire you. I travel a certain way but there are many ways to fund your trips and travel the world. 

I hope these stories show you that there is more than one way to travel and that it is within your grasp to reach your travel goals.

Here are more examples of people who overcame obstacles and made their travel dreams a reality:

• How Angela Travels the World as an Au Pair
• How Oneika Gets Teaching Jobs Around the World
• How Helen Successfully Traveled and Volunteered Around Africa
• Why Trish Sold Everything She Owned to Travel
• An Interview with Lee Abbamonte, the Youngest American to Visit Every Country in the World

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner . It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld . If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• SafetyWing (best for everyone)
• Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)
• Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.

Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.

Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.  

Got a comment on this article? Join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter and share your thoughts!

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and companies I use and the income goes to keeping the site community supported and ad free.

Related Posts

Get my best stuff sent straight to you!

Pin it on pinterest.

• About the ATTA
• Sustainability
• Our Initiatives
• Adventure Travel Conservation Fund
• Leadership & Team
• Internship Program
• Business Development
• Global Travel News
• Industry Spotlight
• Industry Voices
• Member News
• Regional News
• B2B Marketing
• Signature Events
• Market Activation
• Climate Action
• Storytelling
• B2C Marketing
• Event Calendar
• AdventureELEVATE Latin America 2024
• AdventureELEVATE Europe 2024
• AdventureELEVATE North America 2024
• AdventureWeek Finland 2024
• Climate Action Summit 2024
• AdventureWeek Okinawa 2024
• AdventureNEXT Fiji 2024
• AdventureConnect
• ATTA on the Road / Virtual
• Expert Nomination & Topic Suggestions
• Events Sustainability
• Sustainability Resource Center
• On-Demand / Webinars
• Inspiration
• Guide Standard
• Global Payment Resource
• Free Community Membership
• Become a Member
• ATTA Ambassadors
• Active Members
• Adventure Champions
• Community Books
• Case Studies

Shopping Cart

Shopping cart items, 25 social media content ideas for travel.

On social media, the content you post is critical to engaging your audience and creating a solid fan base. Yet, many travel professionals struggle with knowing what to post. Whether you are wondering what to say on Twitter, Facebook, blogs or any other channel, here are some travel content ideas to help get the creative juices flowing:

I’ve said it many MANY times : travel is an experiential product and the best way to get people thinking about travel is to show them fun places to go and fun things they can do while they are there. If you can, share personal or client photos of destinations you want to sell. They don’t need to be professional shots and often work even better if you’re in the photo doing something silly! I’ve had many travel agents report that they sell at least one or two packages they wouldn’t have otherwise every time they post photos of a trip they took.

If you don’t have photos of your own,  Flickr  is a great spot to find amazing shots of every type of destination around the world. Do a quick search and link (don’t steal!) to particularly amazing photography that you think your audience would enjoy.

Videos are also a great way to inspire customers to travel and usually works even better than photos because of their interactive nature. Once again, you don’t always need a professionally shot video to attract attention. A home video of a particularly memorable moment, useful information (like the view of a new cruise ship cabin), fun activities or footage of a new resort will do the trick. Got a knack for humor or publicly humiliating yourself without worry? Great! Use it to your advantage when you create your videos. The funnier the better!For those who are a little camera shy, don’t despair!  YouTube  is a great resource for videos of all kinds.  With a little imagination you can search and find some pretty amazing clips.

3. Useful links

The latest traveler alerts, a list of recommended items to pack, articles about the hottest trends in travel – think about what would be useful for your readership to know and you’ve got some sharable content. This is your chance to show off your expertise as a travel professional and provide your potential customers with information that they may not find otherwise.

Not sure where to find this information? Blogs, news sites, and trade press have articles that can fit the bill. You can also use  Google Alerts  to monitor the web for articles on just about any topic.

4. Blog posts

This one should go without saying, but too many people don’t think about it. If you publish regular blog posts, PLEASE remember to post links to them on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc if you have accounts there. Most blog platforms will allow you to connect your blog to other social channels automatically if you have trouble remembering to post.

5. Destination fun facts

Everyone loves a good bit of trivia or little known facts! It’s entertaining, informative and can again help position you as an expert in your field. Many tourist boards and hotel properties have fun facts available through their marketing department. Just ask to see if they can help you out.  Otherwise, the web is always a good alternative!

Engage your audience by asking them questions about things like their favourite vacation spot, what type of perks they like to get from their agent, what makes their holiday a perfect one, etc. Get them talking to you AND use the opportunity to do a little behind-the-scenes market research to find out what you can do to win and keep their business.

7. Event announcements

Are you attending your local travel show or hosting a consumer evening? Let the world know where you will be and when! Invite your fan base to come see you.  You might be surprised by how many of them show up…and bring a friend!

8. Top 10 lists

Quick, useful and always a good way of giving quick recommendations on destinations to see, things to pack, attractions to visit and more. You can either compile your own top 10 or link to someone else’s. Bonus points if you create your own with photos or video!

9. Community work updates

People like to know that you care about your community.  If you or your team partake in community service or charitable work, share information like updates about your latest donation, photos of your team volunteering, or news about your favourite charity.

10. Contest announcements & updates

Contests are ALWAYS a popular thing. If you choose to run one, you can build anticipation and buzz by posting regular updates. Whether you talk about the prizes, highlight funny entries, countdown the days until the winner is announced or something else, you’re sure to get attention (and probably new followers/fans/readers) really quickly.

11. Travel updates

Here’s another great opportunity to showcase your expertise as a travel expert. Share updates about your favourite suppliers (new bathtubs in every cabin? Service upgrades at a resort? New designer bag with every purchase? Ok…maybe not the last one, but you get the point) or important travel updates about specific destinations (everything from new passport requirements to travel warnings).

12. Ship inspection information

If you are a cruise expert and visit ships while they are in port, by all means, share pictures and reviews with your fans.  They WANT to hear your expert advice to know which ships are worth sailing.

13. Fam trip reports

I know too many agencies who require these reports from staff and then stuff them in a folder where they will never be seen again. You are experiencing travel while on these Fam trips and NEED to share those experiences with your fan base. This can be in the shape of photos, videos or blog updates. It doesn’t really matter. Either way, tell them what you liked, didn’t like, recommend and find amazing. If you do a good job, you may get a booking or two out of the experience.

14. Client stories

Ever get an email from a client who tells you how GREAT their trip was or wants to let you know about something funny that happened? If so, ask for their permission to share it with everyone. It acts as a testimonial for you and can be entertaining all at once.

15. Answers to common questions

If there are travel questions you get regularly, use the opportunity to share the answer with a wider audience. It may even prompt your fan base to ask you more questions and start engaging. Again…show everyone that you know your stuff and the bookings will follow!

16. Opinions

If something is happening in the travel community and you have an opinion to share, you can use your social channel to do so.  However, I would caution you to think twice about being excessively controversial or political as it may turn some people away. Some controversy is ok, but too much can be hard to handle for some people.

17. Travel tips

These can be quick tips or longer blog posts about your recommendations. Just like the fun facts, top 10 lists, and other ideas listed here, they help position you are the expert that your are while being useful.

18. Behind-the-scenes updates

If your teams is planning an event or preparing something big, there is always interest in seeing you have fun behind-the-scenes.  Be creative here with photos, videos, stories and staff comments.

19. Favourite quotes

Inspiring travel quotes are fairly easy to find (Google to the rescue!) and quick to post. If you are out of inspiration for the day, a quick quote can keep the engagement going with minimal effort.

20. Staff picks

Get your whole team involved in recommending hotels, resorts, cruises, activities or whatever else you can think of. This can be really fun for everyone and helps showcase your agency as a whole.

21. Interviews

Think written or video interviews with people on your team, a destination representative, hotel partner, etc.

22. Funny Stories

Whether it’s a cartoon, a funny video, an anecdote or the joke of the week, humor always goes a long way!

23. Updates from the road

This is where you bring out your inner journalist.  If you have access to an internet connection or a smartphone while on the road travelling or attending events, you can provide live updates.  This works particularly well on Twitter or Facebook where updates can be quick and short. Blog posts take some thought, but you could still provide one update per day once you have a chance to slow down a bit in the evening.

24. Milestones

Did you just get a new specialist certification? Did your agency win an important award? Maybe you got featured in the local newspaper. It’s time to let everyone know so they can share in the joy and find out how fabulous you really are!

25. Travel deals

I saved this one for last because it seems like the most obvious choice, yet it’s not always the best one. Depending on your sales goals, you may not want to attract the bargain hunters looking for the best deal. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if deals are a good choice for you.

It’s not as hard as it may seem. Many of the ideas above are already available within your agency or on the web.  A simple Google search or using  Google Alerts  can help you stay in the loop and find interesting content quite easily and without gobbling up your precious time.

Now it’s your turn…

Have you had success with any of the ideas above? Or perhaps I’ve missed a few good ones that you’d like to share?

• How to Use Copilot In Word
• Traveling? Get These Gadgets!

Top 5 Social Travel Sites

The latest tools make travel, maybe not exactly easy, but much easier

• University of Virginia

In This Article

Jump to a Section

What Is Social Travel?

• Frequently Asked Questions

Social travel is a hot area for innovation in social media as many startups launch services to make travel planning more efficient and effective by incorporating the latest social media tools and networks.

In the process, they're disrupting the established travel industry, including trip planners, travel agencies, and rental services. Even first-generation social travel sites like TripAdvisor , with its millions of user-generated travel reviews, face increased competition from travel social networks that have popped up in more recent years.

Social travel simply refers to information-sharing about travel. Typically, the new services include a website and mobile app and let you tap into your existing social networks for travel advice and communicate with other travelers you've never met via the sites' social travel network. Some focus on bookings and rentals, but more are about discovery and sharing tools and aim to be your travelogue.

New social travel players like San Francisco-based Suiteness continue to pop up month after month. Since it can be hard to know which sites are worthy of attention because there are so many, we've compiled the list below of six noteworthy innovators in social travel .

Sunshinemartin / Wikimedia Commons

Sample itineraries to plan long drives and flights.

Offers highly personalized advice.

Unreliable search feature.

Destination information isn't well organized.

Trippy is a Pinterest-like online service for planning trips with tie-ins to social networks. It helps people seek travel tips from their connections on those networks and others who have traveled to places they're considering; it also offers itinerary-planning tools with social features. The interface looks like Pinterest with a visual grid of what it calls "travel boards," image collections from places you like or have visited. The website launched in 2011. Trippy also has a free iPhone app.

Everplaces 

Mobile app works well without an internet connection.

Control who sees your posts.

Website loads slowly, there's a lot of pictures.

Can be difficult to navigate.

Everplaces is a Pinterest-like social network and mobile app aimed at letting you track places you've been or want to visit by category. It launched in closed beta in 2011 and to the public in 2012. The tagline gives the basic idea: "Create your own collection of places you love." The Danish ​startup is all about location-based tracking and planning. Like Pinterest, it allows users to follow one another. Everplaces recently launched a business-oriented tool that lets people and businesses create mini-travel guides as apps for mobile phones. Everplaces also is available as an iPhone app.

Trip by SkyScanner

"Tribes" feature that plans trips around personal interests.

Destination pages include comprehensive weather information.

Distracting advertisements for other travel websites.

Not the best tool to find cheap flights.

Trip by Skyscanner (formerly GoGoBot) is one of the more popular travel apps, thanks partly to early integration with Facebook. It performs a similar service to Trippy but with a more original interface, well suited for planning trips. It launched in 2010 and looks more like TripAdvisor than Pinterest, with a focus on mini-guides to particular destinations built around user reviews. Trip by Skyscanner also lets users book hotels while planning, create photo postcards for sharing, review venues, get "stamps" from places visited, and maintain a "passport" of visited places visited. In addition to the website, Trip by Skyscanner has an iPhone app.

Coordinate plans with groups of travelers.

Import travel details from your email.

Must create an account and supply an email address.

Advanced features require a premium membership.

TripIt is a social network for making itineraries and travel plans. It provides tools for converting your flight, hotel, and rental car confirmations into mobile itineraries. TripIt has free mobile apps for the iPhone , iPad, and Android .

Accommodations and tours you won't find anywhere else.

"Concerts" section covers the local music scene.

Limited customer service.

Some "experiences" packages are overpriced.

Airbnb is a major innovative player in online rentals that lets people book space in other people's homes. It lets users create profiles and show their reviews of places they've rented and stayed. Launched in 2008, Airbnb had hundreds of thousands of listings in a couple of hundred countries by 2012. Many listings are rooms inside private homes occupied by other people, but they also include full apartments and homes. Hosts and guests publicly rate each other after checkout, which helps with security. It was originally called Airbedandbreakfast and people often still call it air bed & breakfast. Airbnb has both iPhone  and Android mobile apps.

Before leaving for your destination, ensure you'll have data access so you can always rely on Google or Apple Maps to get around (or at least not super lost). One app that caught our eye was Spotted by Locals . Its premise is these articles and tips are written by folks who live in the cities and can offer places and events that might not yet be in your typical travel guide. The app is free, and you pay for each destination you are going to (so there's no money out of pocket if you don't end up needing it).

Yes, and we cover it all in our How to Use Google Translate Offline article. You need to download each language you want to use before you no longer than access to the internet, so plan ahead so you aren't sin suerte.

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

• The 9 Best Travel Planner Apps of 2024
• The 10 Best Road Trip Planner Apps for 2024
• 5 Pinterest Scheduler Tools to Try
• The Best VR Apps for the iPhone in 2024
• The 10 Best Bookmarking Tools for the Web
• The 10 Best Apartment Websites of 2024
• The 8 Best Social Media Management Applications of 2024
• The 9 Best Travel Apps for 2024
• The 5 Best Ways to Use Google Maps Trip Planner
• The 7 Best Google Maps Alternatives of 2024
• The 17 Best Android Tablet Apps of 2024
• 12 Best Places to Listen to Free Music Online
• 21 Free Redbox Codes – and 7 Ways to Get More (2024)
• The Best Tech to Travel With in 2024
• Hottest Social App Trends for Teens
• The 3 Best Websites to Print Instagram Photos in 2024

• Social Networks for Travelers
• The Worst People to Travel With
• Why Cruises Are Surprisingly Expensive
• Important Things in a Vacay Spot
• Words to Learn Before You Go
• Popular Spots That Kinda Suck
• The Most Beautiful Countries on Earth
• The Best Travel YouTubers
• Excellent TV Shows About Travel
• The Best Travel Shows on Netflix
• Travel Hacks and Tips to Try
• Mythological Places to Visit
• Top Travel Sites for Saving Money
• How to Avoid Getting Scammed on Vacation
• The Most Essential Hotel Amenities
• Ranking the Best Luggage Brands
• Where to Go Hang Gliding
• Meanwhile, on TripAdvisor...
• The Best Luxury Cruise Lines
• Awesome Places to Take a Cruise
• Best Cruise Ships for Families
• Luxury Hotel Perks We All Love
• The Best Countries to Go Hiking
• Ranking the Top Hotel Chains
• Great Countries to Travel Alone
• Where to Plan a Girls' Trip
• The Top Luxury Hotel Chains
• Destinations for Group Vacations
• Budget-Friendly Hotel Chains
• Amazing Cheaper Travel Destinations
• Hotel Hacks to Save You Money
• Travel Accounts to Follow on Instagram
• Crazy Drunk Snacks Around the World
• Great Photos of Dads on Vacation
• Insane Resorts Around the World
• Maps of Public Transportation
• Great Tour Groups for Solo Travel

The Top Travel Social Networks

Top travel social networks on the Web, including niche social communities for travelers and travel planning as well as those organized by language, nationality or specialty interest (including sites for backpackers, jetsetters, first-time travelers and so on). This list contains social networks and online communities relating specifically to vacationing, trip-taking and world exploration.

A social network is defined as an online service, platform or website which is focused largely around uniting individuals and allowing them to communicate and interact. Facebook currently is the world's largest and most popular social networking platform, having supplanted previous champions such as MySpace and Friendster.

TripAdvisor

Couchsurfing

Trip n Howl

HelloTel App

VirtualTourist

IstanbulTurkeyBook

FriendsChoices

TripFeverr.com

Internations.org

Travoom.com.

FindPenguins

infostraight.com

Pawna Lake Camping

News of Nepal

SocialResort

• Entertainment
• Watchworthy
• TV Networks
• Places/Travel

Lists for those with wanderlust.

Discover travel buddies and connect with other like-minded travellers across the globe.

Travel the world while meeting backpackers who want to see and do the same things as you do. Find others travelling to the same destination, collect virtual stamps and share photos with friends as you go!

• Join the site Now!

Find a travel buddy

Whether you're travelling solo or in a group, Backpackr is a great way to meet nearby travellers. Browse through numerous profiles and message the people you want to meet. Grab a beer, or see the sites the city has to offer, it's up to you. The opportunities are endless. In the Common Room, anything goes. Ask travellers what the best sites to see are, the best bar to drink in, or even organise meet-ups. The 'nearby' tab allows you to see what's going on around you whereas the 'worldwide' tab is a more universal way of finding out information from around the world.

A Backpacker Community

Online reviews can often be slightly skewed so why not get the advice of people who are there right now? The possibilites are endless.

The Common Room

Search for nearby posts or a specific country for keywords or hashtags that match your travel plans.

Meet People To Travel With

Enter a date and city and Backpackr will show you all the travellers going there at the same time. The results will show you their interests and if they match yours you can plan to meet or travel together. This feature can be a handy aid in helping to eliminate the fear of travelling alone. Backpackr will also send you push notifications everytime someone new is en route to your destination.

Quickly add a trip, with beginning and end date and your destination.

Meet Travel Buddies

See a list of travellers that will be in the same place at the same time as you. Get push notifications every time you get a new match.

Exclusive Travel Offers

Have something to offer our users? Please see here.

We work with a number of different pub crawls that offer discounted prices as we know how much backpackers like to party.

Enjoy cheap food? So do we. Make sure you’re switched on and know where to eat when arriving in a new city.

Hostel Deals

Did you know websites charge 10-20% commission per booking? Use Backpackr to book directly with hostels and pay less.

Local Tours

Don’t pay full price for tours. We’ve partnered with a number of reputable companies to bring you the best offers.

Drink Specials

Drink specials

Free Events

As backpackers ourselves we know that free is our favourite word. We’ll make sure to notify you of all the free events & offers nearby.

Backpackr Ambassadors

Matt Dowling

Co-founder of Backpackr, knows how to shuffle.

Brent Swallowell

Co-founder of Backpackr, pretends he knows how to program.

Avid world traveller.

@backpack101

Mark Teasdale

Wishes he created Backpackr and plans to steal our idea.

@thebeardedmanc

Bearded Manc

Loves to travel the world and blog.

Download the App

Want the utimate app for backpackers? You can download it now for iOS and Android.

Keep Updated

Enter your email and we will notify you whenever we update the app. Don’t worry we hate spam as much as you do.

You have successfully subscribed.

Something went wrong!

Copyright © 2022 Backpackr. All rights are reserved

• Terms of use
• Get in touch

Send us an email

How to set up a travel social media marketing strategy

Written by by Jenn Chen

Published on  December 17, 2019

Reading time  7 minutes

We’ve all seen the social posts: selfies from a beach vacation, airplane wings en route to a faraway destination and delicious meals in a different city. Through all the changes and growth that social media has experienced in the last decade, some things stay the same. Vacations are posted about in all of their stages: planning, sourcing recommendations and the trip itself. Social media plays an important role in all of this and travel companies should recognize it or risk stagnation.

Whether you’re a luggage company or a hotel, our tips should give you some ideas to test out on social. You’ll notice that a lot of the ideas are centered around content and that is because travel lends itself to a more visual audience. People want to see what the experience will be like and they need to see it often. Read on to find out how to take advantage of social media to get the message out about your travel or hospitality brand.

Basics: Set yourself up for success

If you’re starting your strategy from scratch or just looking to update your current one, taking a look at the resources available to you is always step one. You can’t manage four different social networks by yourself if you have a large and active audience. Responding to comments alone would take up a lot of your time. So what kind of resources are we talking about?

Staff is the most obvious one. How many people do you need for your company to successfully meet goals for sourcing and creating content, posting, managing comments and DMs and keep an eye out for complaints? Is your company large enough that you need a 24-hour watch on social media? Managing a single-location company is far more different than managing a multi-location one, especially if it spans multiple time zones.

The next basic resource to pay attention to is skill . This ties closely to staff because you want to make sure you have all the right skillsets to execute your strategy. And if you don’t, then you’ll need to be comfortable outsourcing. Social media managers tend to have a lot of different skills , including excellent communication and writing.

Third, get your budget in order. Ads are an important part of the travel industry. If you’re running flash deals on social media, ads are the way to go and you need to make sure you have the budget to promote them.

Lastly, document your strategy with goals . Without clear social media goals per network, your strategy will flounder. The best way to set these up is to evaluate your current audiences and see how they’re using each network. For example, if your customers like to use Twitter for direct customer service, set up goals on response time and a feedback loop of how well your responses are performing. Have a response plan in place for common questions and complaints.

Setup might take a while and you’ll go through several iterations in trial and error, but having a basic plan in place will save you wasted effort in the long run. Having a total picture of the resources available to you will help you know if you should be active on that additional social network or not.

Plan posts for each portion of the purchase cycle

For more expensive getaways and items, the purchase cycle will be longer. For travel brands, this means you’re playing the long game and need to make sure you have posts targeted for each stage.

At the beginning of 2019, Pinterest released their travel personas and trend report . It noted that “69% of Travel Pinners use Pinterest to discover travel services when deciding what to book.” The Pinners typically booked within two months of starting research and research included everything from what to bring to what to do.

Instead of directly promoting their services to customers, cruise company Carnival created a “Cruising Tips” Pinterest board for those still thinking about going on a cruise or have recently booked. The guides are a nice mix of what to expect when you go on a cruise to how to stick to your exercise routine.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a hotel or a travel backpack company. The principles of targeting consumers at each part of the purchase cycle remain the same. Don’t forget that you’re not done when they’ve made the purchase. You want to keep them constantly engaged and reminded of your product or service.

Understand different generations

Millennials and the younger Generation Z groups have more spending power now but to market to them, you’ll need to understand their social media use. An Expedia study of millennial and Gen Z travel behaviors found that they were heavily influenced by social media.

Eighty-four percent of Gen Z and 77% of millennials surveyed had been influenced by social media when planning their travel. More than 70% surveyed were open to help and inspiration during the planning process.

Both Gen Z and millennials named appealing imagery and deals as the two most informative pieces of social media content. Photos and videos maybe costly to create and produce but they will be worth it in the long run.

To ease the content sourcing pain, include user-generated content from past customers. This works particularly well for high-ticket purchases. Potential customers get to see what they’ll be buying through the lens of someone who’s already been. It establishes credibility to your brand so you’re not the only ones talking about you.

Walk into sophisticated spaces designed to expand the mind and spark new ways of thinking. / 🎥: @RonTimehin at @RdamMarriott pic.twitter.com/CIcsoioVx6 — Marriott Hotels (@Marriott) September 6, 2019

Marriott Hotels consistently uses user-generated content to promote its various hotel locations. They give glimpses into what it’s like to stay at a location. While some photos and videos on your account will be staged, you can bring in additional authenticity by reposting ones created by their guests.

Why your entire team needs access to social business intelligence

Respond to reviews

Reputation management is important in travel and this doesn’t mean only responding to complaints. According to a Harvard Business Review study with TripAdvisor, it found that once hotels started responding to reviews, they saw a drop in the amount of short negative reviews. Knowing that management was reading and responding to reviews made for more thoughtful posts.

In a 2019 study , TripAdvisor noted that 81% of respondents frequently rely on reviews before booking a hotel. Travel purchases represent a major investment of money, time and even the emotional expectations people place on anticipating a great vacation, so your audience depends on feedback from reviews and social media to figure out how to spend their money and effort. This is why staying engaged and responsive on both social networks and review sites is key to building a travel brand’s presence.

To make it easier on yourself, use Sprout’s new review management tool to respond to reviews on Google My Business, Facebook and TripAdvisor all in one place.

The next essential step is to create an online review management strategy . This involves coming up with tone, vocabulary and common scenarios that might need addressing.

Online reviews do influence consumer behaviors so it’s best to approach them like any compliment or complaint you might have in person. Be sure to respond in a timely manner, listen to what they’re saying, offer a resolution if you’re able to and e sure to avoid a defensive tone. Pretend that you’re being recorded and the video will be posted publicly for eternity–this will help you avoid lashing back at difficult customer feedback in the heat of the moment. Future customers will read your responses, so how you respond is important.

Divide & conquer

For multi-location businesses, it’s sometimes best to create separate accounts for your national and local brands. The national brands can amplify local messaging and connect with loyal brand advocates while the local brands can address in-the-moment customer service queries and promote their immediate area.

Following the lead of other large corporations, you may even set up a separate account to address customer service inquiries. All of this is up to your company and your available resources. For whichever circumstances you fall under, Sprout makes it easy for enterprise companies to post in a cohesive and collaborative manner. Divide your local branches up into groups but still give them access to your Sprout Asset Library .

Ace Hotel does a good job of creating a cohesive national brand presence while their local accounts focus on what’s happening in that location or city. Each local account also runs promotions to make following them more appealing to those who are thinking of booking.

The travel industry is large and encompasses many different types of companies. But whether you’re a single-location vacation rental or a multi-location global company, travelers still want to hear from you. Your best bet is to plan carefully and get creative. Take inspiration from other companies and be sure to invest in a strategy and professional imagery.

Idyllcove Vacation Cabin is a great example of one location doing their best at promotion. The shots posted are always on brand even when they’re user-generated content. To help potential visitors cement their decision, they created a highlight that tours the cabin. And the Guest Snaps highlight makes use of user-generated Story content.

Airbnb, on the other hand, is on the opposite end of the vacation rental spectrum. The company uses Instagram to highlight its many available places to book and what you can expect out of each one. In the above example, you can not only picture yourself there but you also get ideas on what you can do while you’re staying there.

Whatever your specialization is in the travel industry, the basic tenets are the same: get your basics down, respond to reviews in a timely and gentle manner and don’t forget the newer generation.

• Social Media Strategy
• Travel & Hospitality

Social media and hospitality: How 3 brands are serving 5-star experiences

• Customer Care

Sprout Social helps keep NJ TRANSIT’s social strategy on track

How Loews Hotels & Co succeeds at scale with Sprout Social’s all-in-one platform

• Now on slide

Build and grow stronger relationships on social

Sprout Social helps you understand and reach your audience, engage your community and measure performance with the only all-in-one social media management platform built for connection.

• Do Not Sell My Personal Info

•  ⋅ 
• Social Media

Best Travel Social Media Networks : Traveling 2.0

Summer is fast approaching and I already can’t wait to have some rest. Of course, the social media geek inside me made me get prepared for my upcoming vacation the web 2.0 way: by looking through available travel social media networks and seeing what they have to offer. So here are my personal picks:

Best Social Voting Site: BestTravelDeals

BestTravelDeals lets users share travel deals and vote for most useful of them.

Best City Page: Dopplr.com

Dopplr.com has a strong focus on city profiles. The information provided for each city is really helpful and to-the-point:

• Places to stay;
• Places to eat;
• QA section for members to help each other.

Check out this page for example:

Best Profile Pages: Driftr.com

Driftr.com is a feature-rich travel community that is a pleasure to browse: everything seems to be where it belongs (not always SEO-friendly though but that’s not the point).

Profile pages are not overloaded with elements but look beautiful – what you’ll see there:

• the member’s traveling map (places he has been to, places he plans to visit, places he wants to go to);
• the person’s slideshow on each destination he visited;
• brief traveler’s stats (photos, places visited, reviews);
• person’s friends.

Best Social Features: TripSay

TripSay groups feature seems to be the bets way to unite various (virtual) travelers around common interest. Groups allows uses to:

• Exchange experience and opinions on one topic;
• Find travel buddies based in some common interest;
• Give members ideas on where else to go and what to visit.

Example: breath-taking places:

Most Active Forum: Thorn Tree

Thorn Tree spots very simplistic interface but overwhelming number of areas covered and posts added daily.

Apart from area-related forums, you can also find here general topics like “health”, biking, traveling with kids, etc.

Disclaimer: I understand, the features I listed above are objective, so the site reviews in this post only represent my personal opinion. Please list your favorites in the comments!

Ann Smarty is the blogger and community manager at Internet Marketing Ninjas. Ann’s expertise in blogging and tools serve as ...

Subscribe To Our Newsletter.

Conquer your day with daily search marketing news.

120+ Travel Blog Post Ideas For Creating Engaging Content

By Jessie Festa. This guide to travel content ideas contains affiliate links to trusted partners!

Looking for engaging travel blog post ideas ?

Then you’re in the right place!

If you’ve ever sat in front of your laptop wondering, “What should I post on my travel blog?” this article shares over 120 topics — as well as bonus tips for those looking to see success and make money blogging.

Personally, I get most of my blog traffic through keyword research, and these travel blog post titles and topic ideas come from researching what people are actually searching in Google so that you can create content people truly want to read.

And with so many to choose from, you’ll never need to wonder what to write about again or spend hours coming up with new travel blog ideas.

Without further adieu, let’s dive into the list of travel blog content ideas!

Quick tip: There are many tools that make it easier to come up with blog post ideas. Personally, I love Keysearch for finding high traffic keywords. Use code “jessieonajourney30” for 30% off. Additionally, Jasper AI utilizes the power of artificial intelligence to help you come up with content topics, draft outlines, create content, and more – free trial included !

Table of Contents

Travel Blog Content Creation & Promotion Workflow Freebie

Now, I realize that even when you have a ton of travel post ideas it can still be challenging to understand how to create and promote your content.

Luckily, I’ve got a freebie that can help!

It’s a Content Creation & Promotion Workflow Trello Board that will help you plan your blog posts as well as write them and promote them for maximum engagement.

You can grab the free Trello board here .

Grabbed it?

Then let’s continue with our travel blog content strategy.

What Should I Post On My Travel Blog?

Writer’s block for bloggers is a very real thing, as is being confused on what to actually post to see growth.

So, before we dive into the list of travel blog topics , let’s discuss how to determine what to post on your blog.

One smart tactic is starting with a mission statement. You can use the template “I help [group of people] do [how you help].”

From there, you can pinpoint the best travel topics to fulfill that mission and even come up with a few travel blog categories.

For instance, if your mission is to help women feel confident traveling solo, you might write a blog post about how to travel solo in Paris or a guide to overcoming fear when you’re scared to travel alone .

Feeling stuck? You can use a tool like Jasper’s Blog Post Topic Ideas Template for quick and easy help. This tool uses artifical intelligence to instantly generate a list of topics that can engage your audience.

Also, if you’re curious how to write blog posts quickly , Jasper can help you create amazing content almost instantly (though it’s recommended to edit your articles to add a human element).

More on this tool below, though note that you can click here for a 10,000-word free trial of Jasper AI .

120+ Travel Blog Post Ideas For Engaging Content

To come up with the following list, I looked at popular blog post ideas related to travel.

Keep in mind, this list is in no way exhaustive. There truly are a limitless number of travel blog topic ideas that are possible.

Moreover, this list is customizable. You can always tweak any of the travel blog post titles mentioned below to better fit your own niche and audience.

For instance, if an idea mentions compiling a list of travel yoga mats, but you don’t cover yoga, consider what relevant piece of gear you can swap in, like sleeping bags, nutritious TSA-friendly snacks, or camera gear.

Once you’ve narrowed down what you’d like to write about, use a blog content planner to stay organized. You can also follow this strategy on how to plan a year of content in one week to help you save time.

Have ideas for travel blog posts to add?

Leave them in the comments below!

Travel Blog Post Ideas Focused On Travel Tips

A review of your favorite piece of travel gear

Best free travel apps

How to do a Global Entry name change

How to change your passport name

Why duct tape (or another item) is your best travel accessory

How to practice self-care while traveling

How to become a travel hacker

Your top travel hacks

Your top travel tips for introverts

Important advice for the first-time traveler

A list of uncommon travel tips

How to learn a language while traveling

Travel Blog Post Ideas Focused On Trip Planning

How to pack for a long trip with just a carry-on

What to pack for a particular destination

A review of your favorite travel insurance provider

What to wear in a particular destination

How to save up for a round-the-world trip in a certain amount of time

How to choose the perfect suitcase/backpack/luggage

A review of your favorite suitcase

How to ask your boss for an extended travel leave

The best credit cards for travelers

How to prepare your house for vacation

What to do the day before a big trip to prepare

Best Travel Content Ideas About Transportation

Things to do on a long bus ride

How to survive a long flight

What not to do one a plane

How to sleep on a plane

A review of the Eurail pass (or another transportation pass)

A guide to using a city’s transportation, such as the subway in NYC

How to get to the main part of a city from the airport — and vice versa, such as a guide to Bangkok’s airport shuttle

A guide to an airline’s rewards program

The best platforms for booking cheap flight/bus/train tickets

Travel Blog Post Ideas Focused On Destinations

Fun facts about a place

Things to do in a destination during a specific season

A roundup of your favorite tours in a destination

What not to do in a destination

A roundup of your favorite hotels in a destination

How to visit a particular place on a specific budget — such as $50 per day

A roundup of your favorite restaurants in a destination

The cheapest countries to visit on a certain continent

Your top travel tips for a specific destination

Travel Blog Post Ideas For When You Can’t Leave & Must Travel At Home

A recipe from a particular place, including a background story of the dish

Your favorite travel-inspired beauty ritual

Your favorite travel-themed craft

How to throw a dinner party inspired by a specific destination

How to transform your living space into a destination or give your space a makeover inspired by a particular place

Do a souvenir show-and-tell and share the story behind your favorite travel finds

Cocktail recipes from around the world

A roundup of your favorite movies set in a particular destination

A roundup of your favorite books set in a particular destination

How to visit the places featured in a certain movie

How to visit the places featured in a certain book

A roundup of inspiring TED Talks related to travel

Niche Travel Blog Post Ideas

Note: Feel free to swap in your own travel blog niche for any of the below ideas.

The best destinations for a budget-friendly wellness experience

Best weekend getaways for couples

The best destinations for solo female travelers

Best bookstores around the world

How to plan a cruise vacation

How to book an ethical volunteer trip

Best female travel blogs

How to stay safe when traveling solo

Relaxing couples vacations

Common work-related travel expenses

Top luxury travel companies

Meals from around the world

Cheap travel insurance for families

Best luxury hotels in the world

How to avoid the single supplement when traveling solo

Tips for flying with a baby

Lesbian travel groups

Outdoor vacations for couples

Fun trips for kids

Best travel yoga mats

How to travel with a yoga mat

Best hiking vacations

Top guided backpacking trips

Best travel baby gear

Gifts for traveling couples

The top all-inclusive family vacations

Best family beach destinations

Tips for traveling with grandchildren

Quotes about family travel

Travel jobs for couples

Top liveaboard dive trips

Fun yoga and hiking retreats

Top spiritual yoga retreats

Safest countries for LGBTQ+ travelers

Holiday Blog Post Ideas For Travel Bloggers

Best gifts for a certain type of traveler — such as the best gifts for solo female travelers

How to book cheap Christmas vacations

How to find cheap Thanksgiving flights

Where to travel during Christmas

Best Christmas markets in europe

Traditional Christmas desserts from around the world

Top Jewish heritage tours

Delicious Kwanzaa recipes

Inspirational Blog Post Ideas For Travel Bloggers

Lessons learned from traveling to X# countries

What travel teaches you

Benefits of traveling

How travel changes your brain

Inspiration travel quotes

Recount one of your favorite funny travel stories

Share an inspiring love story from the road

Share one of your favorite inspiring travel stories about the kindness of strangers abroad

Summer Blog Post Ideas For Travel Bloggers

Cheap summer vacations

Places to visit in summer in the USA

Summer vacation ideas for families

A summer travel guide for a particular destination — or you can even niche down to a specific month, such as July Travel In Seattle

Best travel-sized sunscreens

Stylish active swimsuits

Fall Blog Post Ideas For Travel Bloggers

Where to go apple picking

Fall wine tasting outfit ideas

Fall foliage tours

Scariest haunted houses in America

Best fall road trips

Winter Blog Post Ideas For Travel Bloggers

Best showshoes for hiking

Scenic winter hiking trails

Best places to spend New Year’s Eve

Cozy log cabin getaways

Top ski resorts in a certain destination

Spring Blog Post Ideas For Travel Bloggers

Best gardens in the world

Warm places to visit in April

Cheap spring break trips

Romantic spring getaways

Best Easter holiday destinations

Tourism Blog Ideas

Must visit attractions in X

Best hidden gems in X

Most Instagrammable spots in X

Where to Stay in X

Best restaurants in X

Beach Blog Ideas

Most beautiful beaches in the world

Best beaches for surfing

Best beaches for families

Instagrammable beaches

Best beaches for snorkeling

Travel Agent Blog Ideas

Best time to visit X

Travel deals and discounts

Best travel destinations for families/couples/solo travelers

Guide to all inclusive resorts

Where To Find New Travel Blog Post Ideas

After learning how to start a travel blog and make money , it’s important to regularly publish interesting articles that continuously bring you traffic and help you grow your income.

But, maybe you’re wondering how to come up with blog post ideas that people actually read .

Luckily, I have a few tips for this.

Note that for a full overview of how to create a content plan that aligns with your overall goals, I recommend taking my free Profitable Travel Blog Makeover , a four-day course that takes you from blog branding to monetization.

So earlier in the post I discussed starting with a mission statement that guides your content.

Along with coming up with travel blog post ideas from your own imagination, you can also utilize:

Jasper AI (click for a 10,000-word free trial).

Jasper uses the power of artificial intelligence to help you outline blog posts, create content, and come up with blog post ideas.

You can use the Blog Post Topic Ideas Template and simply enter your:

• company name
• product description
• tone of voice
• how many ideas your need

Boom — Jasper will provide you a list of ideas for travel topics to write about. From there, you can favorite the ones you like to help the tool better get to know what you’re looking for.

Keysearch  (use code “jessieonajourney30” for 30% off)

This is a powerful keyword research tool that can help you optimize your blog content to rank higher in search engine rankings.

You’ll also be able to input desired keywords to see related keywords — as well as questions people have about your keyword in the “Content Assistant” section. These can also be used as travel blog post ideas.

Like tutorials?

Check out this short video to see how to find micro niche keywords and relevant keywords you can actually rank for using Keysearch:

Niche Facebook groups & forums .

Pop into a Facebook group or Reddit forum related to your niche and see what people are discussing. These can make for great travel related content ideas.

Google Trends .

Monitor search trends over a given time. This can help you post about things people are truly talking about.

Pinterest Trends .

See what topics are trending on Pinterest. This tool can help your content marketing efforts by helping you get more traffic to your Pinterest pins, which translates into more visitors to your blog content.

These are just a few of many strategies for coming up with engaging travel post ideas.

How To Write A Travel Blog Post Without Traveling

One common question many travel bloggers have:

How do I write a travel blog without traveling?

Of course, there will be times when travel isn’t possible.

This doesn’t mean you need to stop creating content.

Instead, consider how you might cover where you live in a way that would be interesting to travelers.

For instance, I have loads of New York City travel content because I know that even though it’s not a travel destination to me, it is to other people. Plus, being a local allows me a unique perspective not every blogger can provide.

You might also think about “armchair travel” content; blog post ideas that have a travel theme but can be enjoyed without leaving home.

A few examples of this include roundups of short travel stories , cultural recipes, solo staycation ideas , and other travel at home posts that align with your mission.

These strategies are also great travel blog ideas for beginners, who may be looking to jumpstart their blog with content even if they’re not traveling.

How To Write A Catchy Blog Post Title

Now, here’s the thing when it comes to coming up with ideas for travel blog posts:

Even if you have an amazing article, if your title isn’t enticing, it likely won’t get read.

Luckily, there is a free Headline Analyzer tool from CoSchedule that can help with this.

Basically, it looks at your headline to ensure that:

• It has a good mix of common, uncommon, emotional, and power words
• The first and last three words of the headline are engaging (as these are the words people tend to focus on most)
• It includes searchable keywords
• It isn’t too generic
• It’s the right length (about 60 characters)

How To Start A Travel Blog Post

Now that you have a big list of travel content ideas , it’s time to dive deeper into how to actually write your blog post.

One very important part of your travel blog post is the introduction, as this will affect whether someone continues reading or clicks away.

To help you engage readers right away, I recommend utilizing the APP Method; also known as Agree – Promise – Preview.

This copywriting technique, which I learned about from Backlinko , revolves around the idea that your introduction should first agree with the reader to make it clear you understand them.

From there, you make a promise to them — such as a solution to a problem or a benefit of some kind.

Finally, you provide a preview by sharing exactly what they’ll get out of reading the blog post.

This blog post on growing an email list as a blogger provides a nice example of the APP Formula in action.

It’s also shown here:

Promoting A Travel Blog Post Organically

There are many smart ways to increase blog traffic , a few of which I’ll outline here.

I recommend incorporating these into a content checklist so that you always know exactly what needs to be done before hitting publish on a blog post.

Optimize your blog posts for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) .

In my opinion, the best way to grow your blog traffic is to optimize it to rank in search results.

Once it ranks, you can continue to enjoy steady traffic for the foreseeable future.

Again, Keysearch makes it simple to both research if you can realistically rank for a keyword and then optimize your content for it. You can use code “jessieonajourney30” for 30% off.

While Keysearch offers loads of tutorials on how to use their tool, here is a quick overview:

Above is an example of me researching “places to hike on Long Island,” a keyword I currently rank in the first spot of Google for.

On the left, you can see a graphic comparing all of the first page posts — which provides information for determining whether it’s worth competing for the keyword or not.

For instance, you can see things like how your Domain Authority compares to the other posts already ranking, as well as if the other posts have optimized their title, description, and URL for the keyword you want to rank for.

Additionally, on the right, you can see other suggested keywords with important information related to how competitive they are and how often people search for them.

Keep in mind, this is just the main page of Keysearch. The tool has numerous other features for ranking your posts in Google, too.

Take your SEO to the next level.

Now, another tool that can help with optimizing your content to rank in organic search results is Surfer SEO .

Instead of simply giving you data about other sites that are ranking, Surfer SEO analyzes your website to make tailored recommendations for:

• specific keywords to target
• specific ways to optimize new content
• specific changes to make to old content to improve its chances of ranking
• specific missed opportunities for internal and external backlinks
• specific on-page SEO optimizations (such as optimal word count, title length, image count, etc)
• and much more

As you can see, the tool gets very specific.

In short, you’ll get a step-by-step SEO workflow that can help you grow your traffic and increase your rankings – no guesswork required!

Here is a quick tutorial going over some of Surfer SEO’s powerful features:

While you’ll need a paid plan to get everything I showcase in the video, they do offer a free AI Article Outline Generator to give you a small taste of the platform.

Promote your new travel blog post on your social media channels.

When you promote new content, I highly recommend weaving a story into your shares to increase engagement. Talk about why you wrote the post, how the topic has impacted you, and how it can benefit others.

To save time, you can use a tool like StoryChief to blast your new travel blog content across your blogging hubs, social media channels, and email newsletter with one click.

Speaking of email newsletters…

Understand how to promote your blog content to your email subscribers in an engaging way by utilizing storytelling email marketing .

Just like when sharing travel blog content on social media, it’s helpful to share a story to make your email even more valuable.

Moreover, if you have an automated email sequence set up for new subscribers you can add in your best blog posts to help the content continuously get traffic.

Looking for an email marketing software that’s feature-rich and intuitive — and includes automations?

Click here for a free one-month trial of ConvertKit (no credit card required!).

The platform is made for bloggers by bloggers. And once you sell products, they also offer a marketplace to help their users increase sales.

Choosing Blog Post Categories

In terms of the categories you put on a travel blog post, consider how you want to organize your content.

Typically, your categories will be your blog’s main themes, while your tags help further break them down.

For instance, you might have “North America” as a category and “USA” and “Canada” as tags.

How To Get Paid As A Travel Blogger

There are many ways to boost your travel blogging income — especially if you’re focusing on offering paid products, services, and experiences that fulfill your mission and that are an extension of your travel blog content.

Again, I highly recommend grabbing a seat in my free four-day travel blogging course if you want to learn how to make money blogging, though a few of the main ways I monetize my travel blog include:

Creating & selling online courses.

You’re already sharing knowledge in some way through your helpful blog content. Why not package up your wisdom into an online course that further helps your readers?

Personally, I use and recommend Teachable for creating online courses. That link gets you a two-week free trial, no credit card required!

You’ll have everything you need to be successful — including powerful training videos and support. It’s what I use to create and launch all of my online travel blogging courses .

Selling photo tours in NYC.

After having loads of readers ask me to show them around New York, I decided to get licensed as an NYC tour guide and start offering local experiences.

In fact, I’ve done so well selling these through my blog that I started a sister company, NYC Photo Journeys .

Working with brands.

This includes working on blogger brand collaborations as well as going on paid press trips and promoting partners in my travel blog content.

Affiliate marketing for travel bloggers .

When coming up with travel blog post ideas, I highly recommend you regularly add content optimized for affiliate sales to your publishing schedule. Here are some creative ways to promote affiliate links .

Running display ads on my travel blog.

Personally, I work with Mediavine for this. To see success, you should be publishing SEO-optimized articles and regularly updating older content so that it’s up-to-date.

How To Become A Travel Blogger

If you stay focused, it’s possible to make money blogging in one year or less .

Map out your blogging goals , including what they are, how to reach them, and by when.

Stick with one or two main strategies, and then once you master those, you can add in others. This helps alleviate spreading yourself too thin.

This might mean saying you want to earn $5,000/month in affiliate sales by June 1 through publishing two affiliate-optimized blog posts per month, publishing two affiliate-optimized videos per month as part of your YouTube strategy , and hosting a free challenge that promotes an affiliate each quarter.

Remember, also, to grab access to my free Travel Blogger Resource Library to snag printables and workshops that can help you take your blog full-time much quicker.

Bonus: 10 Ways To Make Money Travel Blogging [Free Workshop]

While we’re on the topic of growing a profitable blogging business, I’d love to invite you to my free workshop: 10 Powerful Ways To Make Money Travel Blogging.

During the 60-minute on-demand workshop, you’ll learn:

• Myths related to monetizing a blog (that may be holding you back!)
• Strategies for creating profitable content (so those blog posts, emails & social shares lead to income!)
• Tips for earning recurring passive revenue as a blogger (so your income grows even when you’re away from your laptop!)
• How to create products that you know your audience will buy (so you don’t waste your time!)
• Advice for growing your affiliate income (with a strategy that truly works!)

Plus, your free ticket to this actionable workshop also includes a Q&A, limited-time replay, and special bonuses.

Click here to grab your seat in the free travel blog monetization workshop .

Bonus Profitable Blogging Tutorials [Video Playlist]

Want to learn more powerful strategies for taking your blog full time?

Check out this curated playlist of blogging tips and tactics that work:

What travel blog post ideas would you add to this list?

Which of the above best travel topics are you excited to write first.

Enjoyed this post on travel blog content ideas? Pin it for later!

• Privacy Policy

10 Tips For A Perfect Travel Social Media Marketing Strategy

Last Updated on April 14, 2024 by The Digital Travel Expert

How do you build a travel social media marketing strategy that conveys the right message to the right target audience and addresses their travel pain points?

First thing first, how has social marketing changed the way we travel?

In the digital era, the travel and hospitality industry has been evolving at an unprecedented pace. Traditional marketing methods are quickly making way for digital media marketing, compelling hotels, travel agencies, and tour operators to adapt and innovate.

But how do you effectively build a travel social media marketing strategy? Like in our previous post about travel SEO strategy , this article will go through steps to consider when building a travel marketing strategy that aligns with your brand and niche.

Table of Contents

10 Steps to Building a Successful Travel Marketing Strategy

Any digital marketing plan starts with defining your goal. Your goal might be brand awareness or conversion, but in general social media is best for the first two stages of the marketing funnel. Once the goal is defined, the next steps to building a successful travel social marketing strategy will require you to have your target audience and understand their preferences and interests.

This involves conducting thorough research to identify the platforms where your audience is most active, whether it’s Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest. Next, you create compelling and visually appealing content that showcases the unique vacation experiences and destinations your hotel or travel brand offers. Let’s explore every step of travel social marketing in detail.

1. Identifying the Right Social Media Platforms

When developing your social marketing strategy for travel brands, the first step is to identify the platforms most used by your target audience. Facebook, with its billions of users, is a must for most businesses. Instagram travel marketing ‘s visual nature makes it ideal for showcasing destinations, accommodations, and local attractions. Twitter can be great for quick updates and engaging in conversations, while LinkedIn can help you establish connections in the industry.

2. Creating Engaging Travel Social Media Content

Like in travel SEO marketing , Content is king in the digital marketing world. When it comes to crafting your content plan, it should be a mix of promotional, educational, and entertaining content.

• Promotional content: Share special offers, discounts, or exclusive packages. Highlight your unique selling propositions but ensure it doesn’t come off as pushy.
• Educational content: Share travel tips, must-visit places, local customs, or any information that would enrich your audience’s travel experience. Providing valuable insights establishes you as an expert in your field.
• Entertaining content: Interesting anecdotes, breathtaking photos, or engaging travel tales can get your audience excited about their next trip. This is not social media addiction:)

Remember, your content should align with your brand’s personality and engage your audience. Vary your formats between videos, images, infographics, and stories.

3. The Role of a Social Media Marketer

A skilled marketer can turn your social presence from an afterthought into a major revenue driver. They are the architects of your social content plan, responsible for crafting posts, scheduling content , engaging with the audience, and analyzing performance metrics.

In essence, a digital travel marketer ensures that your brand’s voice is heard and respected, your customers are satisfied, and your business goals are achieved.

4. Monitoring and Adapting Your Strategy

Social media marketing isn’t a “set it and forget it” type of strategy. It requires continuous monitoring and adaptation. Keep an eye on your metrics – likes, shares, comments, followers, website clicks, etc. Use these insights to understand what works and what doesn’t, and tweak your strategy accordingly.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. Trends change quickly, so stay updated and adapt your strategy to ride the wave of these changes.

5. Engaging with the Audience

Interaction is a vital aspect of any social media marketing strategy . It’s not enough to simply push out content; you need to engage with your audience as well. Respond to comments, encourage discussion, and consider creating polls or contests to boost engagement. Being accessible and responsive can foster a sense of community and loyalty, making your followers more likely to convert into customers.

6. Utilizing User-Generated Content

Your customers are your best advertisers. Travelers love sharing their experiences online, so why not incorporate user-generated content into your strategy?

It’s a great way to foster engagement and create authenticity around your brand. Encourage customers to share their experiences using a branded hashtag and feature these posts on your social profiles. It’s a win-win situation: you get authentic and cost-effective travel content , and your customers get recognition.

7. Leveraging Travel Influencer Partnerships

In the world of travel social media marketing , influencers can be a powerful tool. Partnering with influencers who align with your brand can help you reach a more prominent, engaged audience. While celebrities can have a massive reach, don’t overlook micro-influencers. They often have a smaller but highly engaged following and can drive excellent results.

8. Implementing Travel Social Media Advertising

While organic reach is important, social platforms offer sophisticated advertising options to help you reach a larger, targeted audience. Use them to promote your special deals, boost your top-performing posts, or target users who are planning their next holiday.

9. Building a Consistent Brand Voice

It is important to keep your brand voice consistent across the platforms you use . Your brand voice communicates your values through your online and offline messages, and customer service as well. It’s a reflection of your brand’s personality and values. Whether you’re serious and professional, fun and quirky, or helpful and friendly, your voice should resonate with your target audience and be consistent in every post, comment, and reply.

10. Staying Updated with Social Media Trends

Stay abreast of the latest social travel trends and updates. Platforms regularly roll out new features, such as Instagram’s Reels or LinkedIn’s Stories. Being an early adopter of these features can give you an edge over your competitors.

15 Content Ideas for Social Media Marketing For Travel Business es

First, what is social media and its importance for the travel industry? The ease of sharing experiences, the visual appeal of exotic locations, and the accessibility of reviews make social platforms ideal for engaging prospective customers in the travel sector.

An effectively implemented social media content plan can be your key to reaching a broad audience and driving bookings.

Ethical travel content for social media marketing is a great way for tourism businesses to engage with their audience while promoting sustainable and responsible travel practices.

These content ideas aim to inspire travelers to explore the world responsibly, while also promoting the values of sustainability, cultural appreciation, and community support.

Here are 15 content ideas from travel catchy slogans, captions, and quotes suitable for Instagram, TikTok posts, and bios:

1. Eco-Friendly Accommodation Spotlights

• Slogan: “Stay green, stay serene!”
• Caption: “Discover eco-friendly stays that offer luxury with a conscience. #EcoTravel #SustainableLiving”

2. Local Cuisine Exploration

• Slogan: “Taste the world, support local.”
• Caption: “Savor the flavors of [destination] while supporting local farmers and businesses. Every bite tells a story. 🍽️ #EatLocal #SupportLocal”

3. Voluntourism Opportunities

• Slogan: “Travel with purpose, leave a positive impact.”
• Caption: “Make a difference while exploring new destinations. Join us in giving back to the communities we visit. 💚 #VolunteerTravel #MakeADifference”

4. Wildlife Conservation Initiatives

• Slogan: “Protecting wildlife, one adventure at a time.”
• Caption: “Embark on unforgettable wildlife experiences while supporting conservation efforts. Let’s preserve our planet’s precious biodiversity. 🐾 #WildlifeConservation #ResponsibleTravel”

5. Cultural Immersion Experiences

• Slogan: “Embrace diversity, celebrate unity.”
• Caption: “Immerse yourself in the vibrant cultures of [destination]. Every interaction is an opportunity to learn and grow. 🌍 #CulturalExchange #UnityInDiversity”

6. Plastic-Free Travel Tips

• Slogan: “Pack memories, leave only footprints.”
• Caption: “Small changes can make a big difference. Say no to single-use plastics and help keep our oceans clean. 🌊 #PlasticFreeTravel #LeaveNoTrace”

7. Adventure with a Cause

• Slogan: “Adrenaline with purpose.”
• Caption: “Experience the thrill of adventure while supporting local conservation projects. Let’s protect the places we play in. 🏞️ #AdventureForGood #ConservationHeroes”

8. Responsible Tour Operator Features

• Slogan: “Exploring responsibly, together.”
• Caption: “Partnering with responsible tour operators committed to sustainable and ethical travel practices. Join us on our journey towards a better future. 🌿 #ResponsibleTourism #TravelConsciously”

9. Community-Based Tourism Highlights

• Slogan: “Travel with heart, leave with stories.”
• Caption: “Discover the warmth and hospitality of [destination] through community-based tourism experiences. Every visit helps support local livelihoods. ❤️ #CommunityTourism #TravelWithPurpose”

10. Low-Impact Transportation Options

• Slogan: “Go green, travel clean.”
• Caption: “Opt for eco-friendly transportation options like biking or walking to explore [destination] sustainably. Let’s reduce our carbon footprint together. 🚲 #GreenTravel #SustainableTransport”

11. Nature Conservation Awareness

• Slogan: “Protecting paradise, one step at a time.”
• Caption: “Explore the beauty of nature and learn how we can all play a role in preserving it for future generations. 🌳 #NatureConservation #ProtectParadise”

12. Fair Trade Souvenir Suggestions

• Slogan: “Souvenirs with a story.”
• Caption: “Support local artisans and communities by choosing fair trade souvenirs that empower rather than exploit. Every purchase makes a difference. 🎁 #FairTrade #EthicalSouvenirs”

13. Educational Sustainable Travel Tips

• Slogan: “Travel smart, travel sustainably.”
• Caption: “Learn simple yet effective ways to minimize your environmental impact while traveling. Together, we can create a more sustainable future. 📚 #SustainableTravelTips #TravelWisely”

14. Off-the-Beaten-Path Destinations

• Slogan: “Explore beyond boundaries.”
• Caption: “Discover hidden gems off the tourist trail and support lesser-known communities. Adventure awaits where the crowds don’t go. 🗺️ #OffTheBeatenPath #ExploreLocally”

15. Leave No Trace Challenges

• Slogan: “Take memories, leave no trace.”
• Caption: “Challenge yourself to leave behind only footprints and take away memories and photographs. Let’s keep our favorite destinations pristine for generations to come. 👣 #LeaveNoTrace #TakeMemories”

You can leverage ethically catchy travel slogans, captions, and quotes to engage your audience and encourage them to join responsible travel practices.

Travel Social Marketing FAQs

How has social media influenced travel and tourism in recent years? 

Social marketing has revolutionized how people plan, experience, and share their travel adventures. With the rise of platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, travelers now have access to a wealth of information and inspiration at their fingertips. Through stunning visuals and personal stories shared by fellow travelers, social media has fueled a desire for exploration and discovery like never before. It has become a powerful tool for research, allowing individuals to gather recommendations, read reviews, and gain insights into destinations they may have never considered.

How do luxury travel brands use social media marketing?

Luxury travel brands have embraced social media marketing as a powerful tool to engage with their affluent clientele and create a unique brand experience. They leverage various platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, to showcase their exclusive destinations, personalized services, and opulent accommodations. By curating visually stunning content, they captivate their audience’s attention and evoke a sense of wanderlust. These brands also employ influencer collaborations to enhance their online presence, partnering with renowned travel bloggers and celebrities who embody the essence of luxury travel.

Final Thoughts

Crafting an effective travel social media marketing strategy involves understanding your audience, creating engaging content, and continuously monitoring and adapting your approach. It’s not about being present on every platform but about maximizing your impact on the right ones.

It’s a journey with exciting twists and turns, but with patience, creativity, and persistence, you’ll be well on your way to harnessing the power of social media for your travel business.

Remember, building a successful travel social media marketing strategy doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process that requires patience, creativity, and the ability to connect with your audience. With the right approach, social media can play a pivotal role in your business’s growth. The world is waiting for your story. Now, go ahead and share it!

This article was written from the love of travel and digital marketing. If you came through this part, it either means you have some thoughts about travel digital marketing or you know someone who might need to read this article. Let us know in the comment section your point of view!

Additional resources

Share this:

Recommended for you.

Congratulations on an insightful article! Your breakdown of effective travel social media marketing strategies is incredibly insightful and practical. It’s evident that your expertise shines through, providing valuable guidance for navigating the dynamic landscape of digital marketing in the travel industry. Well done!

Kudos for the comprehensive insights on travel social media marketing strategy! Your article brilliantly navigates through the complexities of digital marketing in the travel industry, offering valuable strategies and tips. It’s a true gem for anyone looking to leverage social media effectively in the travel sphere

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

ColorWhistle

Digital Web Design Agency India

Explore our Market-Fit Services

We ensure to establish websites with the latest trends as we believe that, products whose value satisfies the needs of the market and its potential customers can be efficiently successful.

Quick Links

• About Us – ColorWhistle
• Engagement Models
• Testimonials
• Case Studies
• Agency Services
• Web Development
• Web App Development
• Digital Marketing
• Travel Website Development Services Company
• Real Estate Website Development Services Company
• Education Website Development Services Company
• Healthcare Website Development Services Company
• Hotel and Restaurant Website Development Services

Category: Travel

Date: February 6, 2024

The Role of Social Media in Travel Marketing: Best Practices and Case Studies

Back in 2016, then Marriott’s chief global marketing officer, Karin Timpone spoke to CNBC about their social media travel marketing service and incorporation of geo-fencing technology. 

If someone posts a photo from one of its properties, her team will reach out and contact the front desk to let them know. The hotel will often then reach out to the customers and offer complimentary upgrades — something to show that Marriott values their presence. 

Earlier, a music video for “I’ll Show You” featuring Justin Bieber at the Fjadrárgljúfur canyon in Iceland. A few years later, tourism to this once-quiet town nearly doubled. The video on YouTube has over 500 million views since 2015. 

Given the general rise in income levels and jobs going remote, people find more time to take frequent travel breaks, showcasing the need for effective digital marketing services to tap into the growing travel market

And social media has only accentuated this trend , 

• By hosting engaging travel content and motivating reviews
• By increasing travel FOMO (Fear-Of-Missing-Out)
• By minimizing unpleasant surprises at the destination

Given the scope of social media in travel marketing services , this blog discusses best practices followed by interesting case studies for inspiration. 

The Power of Social Media in Travel Marketing

• Expedia’s 2023 Traveler Value Index noted almost 35% of travelers turn to social media for holiday inspiration. 
• Furthermore, 75% of respondents chose a specific destination inspired by social media as per Amex’s 2023 Global Travel Trends Report .
• Travel Live Streaming is becoming increasingly popular on social media, with 60% of travelers saying they have watched a live stream of a travel experience. 
• 74% of travelers use social media while traveling, while 92% of consumers trust word of mouth and UGC more than other forms of advertising, thus making UGC on social media crucial for any travel marketing campaign. 

Best Practices for Successful Social Media Travel Marketing

Top 5 things travelers use social media to research – Destinations, Hotels, Activities, Attractions, and Restaurants. Let’s list out travel marketing best practices to get the most attention from social media users. 

Choosing the Right Platforms

Creating engaging content, building a consistent brand presence, utilizing paid advertising, monitoring and analytics.

Identify the social media platforms that align with your target audience. 

Popular Vacation Inspiration Social Platform

Demographics

Millennials, GenZ

Highly visual

Boomers, Millennials

Moderately visual

TripAdvisor

Millennials

User Generated Content

Extremely visual

Boomers, Millennials, GenZ

Detailed & Informative

B2B travel marketing

Take a que from social media strategy of Marriott Hotels . Their Instagram account features stunning photos of their hotels, while their Twitter account is more focused on sharing news and updates.

Invest in high-quality, visually appealing content, including photos and videos. Use storytelling techniques to capture the essence of your travel experiences.

Encourage user-generated content (UGC) by running contests or using branded hashtags. UGC refers to any content that is created and shared by users or consumers of a product, service, or brand rather than by the company or organization itself. 

Travel marketers can leverage UGC in the following way: 

• Display UGC on their social channels to engage other users as it signals authenticity.
• Monitoring UGC can become your informal market research to upgrade your services in-time. 
• UGC also helps build employer brand which results in team retention.

Furthermore, you may leverage the new YouTube app feature that lists video recommendations according to thumbnail color. As a travel marketer, you can explore more such strategies to increase views on YouTube here .  

Highlight safety measures and sustainable practices in your travel marketing, as these have become critical concerns for travelers post-pandemic.

Take inspiration from our previous blog where we have discussed Innovative Travel Marketing Campaigns From Around The World . 

In a bid to blindly replicate brand marketing successes on social media, many end up creating “self-congratulating” content.

Recreating trendy content give a false impression to the marketing team about better reach. The truth beholds, unless original thought is put to market product/service, the social media marketing will lead to poor brand awareness, let alone lead generation. 

Consistency is Key. Develop a content calendar to maintain a consistent posting schedule. Consistency helps keep your audience engaged and informed.

Share travel stories, itineraries, and personal experiences. Storytelling creates a deeper connection with your audience. Use live streaming feature to promote your brand often. Learn more tips on travel live streaming here . 

You can use hashtag strategy to expand your content’s reach. Create a branded hashtag for your campaigns and encourage followers to use it.

However, we feel social media hashtags are overused. Hashtags are annoying and they hijack conversations. Moreover, users may relate social media posts with many hashtags as spam.

Here is an interesting blog by Hannah Macready where she discusses the best use of hashtags for your social media campaigns in 2024 and beyond. 

Partner with social media influencers who align with your brand and target audience. Influencers can provide authentic recommendations and reach new followers. 

Look for long-term association with the right content creator on social media for consistent engagement of new and existing users. Influencer marketing tools like Ylytics , HypeAuditor , and others can help you find the right social media influencers. 

How Travel Marketers Want People to Search on Google?

Enter a search query -> Your brand website ad appears -> Book your services

But How Do People Actually Search?

Enter a search query -> Google analyzes and displays results per keyword -> Visitor clicks -> Interrupted by WhatsApp chat -> Sleeps.

… a week later…

Notices a display ad from your brand -> Visits the landing page -> Bookmarks it -> Checks out the brand profile on Instagram -> Share it with spouse -> Logs out

… 2 days later in the office…

Visits your site -> Confirm their bookings.

Use paid advertising options on platforms like Facebook and Instagram to target specific demographics and promote your travel offerings. Consider retargeting ads to re-engage users who have shown interest in your travel products or services.

Use geo-targeting to reach users in specific locations, especially if you’re promoting local or regional travel experiences.

Also, read>> Facebook Ad formats

Also, read>> YouTube Ad formats

Also, read>> Instagram Ad formats

Use analytics tools provided by social media platforms to track the performance of your posts and campaigns. Adjust your strategies based on data insights, focusing on what works best for your audience.

Continuously monitor social media trends and adapt your strategy to incorporate new features and technologies. Keep an eye on emerging platforms that may provide new opportunities for travel marketing.

It is important to develop a crisis management plan to address any negative incidents or crises that may arise on social media. Swift and appropriate responses are crucial.

Further, experiment with different types of content, posting times, and ad creatives to determine what resonates best with your audience. 

Latest Trends in Social Media Travel Marketing

• Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) for immersive advertisements and travel previews.
• Live streaming for real-time travel experience.
• Showcasing eco-friendly destination and promoting responsible tourism.
• AI-powered chatbots and recommendation engines.
• Social commerce and booking directly on social media platforms.

VietJet Air is not afraid to experiment with new formats and strategies. For example, they recently launched an augmented reality (AR) campaign that allowed users to virtually experience their flights.

You can connect with us for more AI-related marketing solutions . 

Case Studies: Success Stories in Social Media Travel Marketing

Let’s explore a few success stories in social media travel marketing through case studies. The selected case studies highlight how effective social media strategies can help travel brands engage their audience, encourage user-generated content, and create memorable and impactful marketing campaigns. 

• Airbnb – #LiveThere Campaign
• Icelolly – Facebook Marketing Automation
• Royal Caribbean International – Targeted Ad Campaigns
• Expedia – #ThrowMeBack Campaign

Each campaign leveraged the power of storytelling, user participation, and visual content to connect with travelers and promote unique travel experiences.

1. Airbnb – #LiveThere Campaign:

Airbnb wanted to differentiate itself from traditional hotels and emphasize the idea of “living like a local” when traveling.

Social Media Strategies Implemented

• Launched a series of visually stunning Instagram and Facebook posts showcasing unique properties and travel experiences.
• Encouraged hosts and guests to share their stories, photos, and videos using the hashtag #LiveThere.
• Collaborated with travel influencers and celebrities to create authentic content.

Results and Outcomes

• The #LiveThere campaign garnered over 3.5 million Instagram mentions.
• Airbnb’s Instagram following grew by over 300% in a year.
• The campaign effectively communicated the brand’s message of unique and authentic travel experiences.

It may have worked for Airbnb back in 2017 but will be work for your travel business in 2024 and beyond? No one can be sure but you can surely take some inspirations out of it and improvize over it.  

2. Icelolly – Facebook Marketing Automation:

Icelolly experienced a temporary decrease in conversion rates across their social media platforms. As a response, they incorporated the Facebook extension into their Engagement Cloud.

• Implemented an omnichannel strategy to unify data from a single social media platform with the website. 
• Delivered tailored ad notifications through social media feeds to individuals who have subscribed to destination price alerts.
• Conversion rate was generated by 17% through Facebook
• Retargeting ads was increased up by 3%
• Open rate was generated by 35%
• CTR was increased by 201%
• Conversion was increased by 45%

3. Royal Caribbean International – Targeted Ad Campaigns: 

Royal Caribbean International, a global cruise line, sought to increase engagement and conversions through its social media marketing efforts.

• The cruise line implemented marketing automation tools to segment its social media audience based on factors like travel preferences and past interactions.
• They used automated chatbots to respond to common inquiries and facilitate booking processes on social platforms. 
• They launched targeted ad campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, retargeting users who had shown interest in specific cruise itineraries.
• Significantly improved response times and engagement on social media platforms.
• Enhanced conversion rates, with more users booking cruises directly through social media channels.
• Increased brand loyalty as travelers received personalized recommendations and timely responses to inquiries.

4. Expedia – #ThrowMeBack Campaign:

Expedia aimed to inspire travelers to relive their favorite travel memories.

• Encouraged users to share their old travel photos with the hashtag #ThrowMeBack, along with a caption explaining the memory.
• Curated and featured some of the best user-submitted photos on Expedia’s social media accounts.
• Over 15,000 users participated in the #ThrowMeBack campaign, sharing their travel memories.
• The campaign generated increased engagement and user interaction on Expedia’s social media platforms.
• It created a sense of nostalgia and encouraged travelers to book new trips to create more memories.

Challenges and Pitfalls in Social Media Travel Marketing

Social media travel marketing offers significant opportunities, but it also comes with various challenges and potential pitfalls that marketers should be aware of, like 

• Platform Algorithm Changes: Social media platforms frequently update their algorithms, affecting organic reach and engagement. Marketers need to adapt strategies to stay visible to their audience.
• Privacy and Data Protection: Stricter privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR) require marketers to handle user data responsibly. Mismanagement can lead to legal issues and reputational damage.
• Ad Saturation: Social media users may become overwhelmed with advertising, leading to ad fatigue. Marketers must strike a balance between promotion and providing value to the audience.
• Language and Cultural Sensitivity: Misinterpretations or insensitivity to local languages and cultures can lead to backlash. Marketers must research and tailor content appropriately for different regions.
• Changing Travel Behavior: Travel behaviors and preferences change over time, influenced by various factors like technology, health concerns, and economic conditions. Marketers need to stay updated and adapt accordingly.
• Over-Tourism Concerns: Social media can contribute to over-tourism by popularizing specific destinations or attractions, leading to overcrowding and environmental issues. Travel marketers must promote responsible tourism.

Hike Up Your Marketing Efforts with ColorWhistle

If your goal is to motivate shoppers, fans, and advocates through genuine content that has a track record of success, we are here to provide assistance. 

ColorWhistle’s expert travel-focused designing and marketing assistance can boost your social media efforts. Further, our experienced digital marketing service team can elevate user experiences on multiple touchpoints. You can write to us or call us at +1 (210) 787 3600 anytime to enquire more. 

Kindly leave your comments down below if you found the information in this blog useful and wish to learn more

Related Posts

How Predictive Maintenance Can Help the Travel Industry

Exploring the World Through AI and VR in the Travel Industry

How AI-based Travel Booking Applications Can be Developed?

About the Author - Manav Gupta

Manav Gupta is a full-time CopyWriter at ColorWhistle, where he works to benefit both professionals & enthusiasts in the field of Digital Marketing, Branding & Web Development by creating engaging content. Prior to joining ColorWhistle, Manav was responsible for managing & executing content projects ranging from sales collateral to web content, ad copy to letters, business proposals to sales plans, and training manuals. A graduate of a reputed university, Manav holds an honors degree in Engineering. When not hard at work creating meaningful content, he enjoys perfecting his knowledge of music, playing cricket, and volunteering to build a carbon-neutral society.

View Our Services

Have an idea? Request a quote

Share This Blog

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ready to get started?

Let’s craft your next digital story

Sure thing, leave us your details and one of our representatives will be happy to call you back!

Eg: John Doe

Eg: United States

Eg: [email protected]

More the details, speeder the process :)

The 50 Best Travel Blogs & What You Can Learn From Them

Travel blogs have become a very popular and lucrative niche over the last several years. Even with the challenges of COVID-19 and a dramatic drop in overall travel, the opportunities for the next several years are incredible. Statistics show that over 80% of travel planning is done online these days, and more than half of travel bloggers operate more than a single site. This highlights not only the demand but also the need to diversify your offerings as a blogger.

Given the current travel restrictions around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now’s the time for travel bloggers to focus on marketing their blogs and growing their audience. There are lots of ways to promote your travel blog, too, from effective content marketing strategies to social media marketing , paid social media ads , and more.

It’s not just about growing traffic to your travel blog, but monetizing it, too. After all, you need a way to fund all those globe-trotting adventures. Renting out your pad while you’re on a travel journey? Install an Airbnb follow button on your travel blog so visitors can save your Airbnb experience, listing, or other pages. Travel bloggers who offer guided tours of their cities or other experiences for travelers can install the TripAdvisor follow button , which enables blog visitors to save your TripAdvisor listing or experience.

In this post, we’ve compiled a list of the 50 best travel blogs that can inspire your own work. Creating a content and business strategy for a blog can be tough, and it is always helpful to learn from other leaders and influencers in the space. You’ll find a diverse mix of sub-niches in the list, including sites that focus on travel photography, retirement travel, and solo female travel. The travel blogs featured below aren’t ranked or rated in any particular way but are listed alphabetically.

1. Adventurous Kate  

@adventurouskate

Kate McCulley has traveled to 83 countries so far and her blog, Adventurous Kate, is a great resource for anyone looking to travel and turn their passion into a full-time business. Her target audience is independent women and she covers topics like travel resources, destinations, and travel safety. To help connect with her audience, Kate also publishes a monthly recap where she talks about highlights and key learnings from each period of travel.

What you can learn from Adventurous Kate:

• Why you need to target your blog for a very specific audience
• How to balance informative posts and personal posts to keep your content interesting
• Ideas for taking great pictures while traveling that are interesting and authentic

2. Against the Compass

@AgainstCompass

Against the Compass, from Joan Torres, focuses on off-the-beaten-path destinations that may be overlooked by other sources. Joan is from Spain, and he has a great “start here” page that explains his motivations and goals for his travel blog. He strives to provide unique content that can’t be found anywhere else, including detailed guides for many destinations in the Middle East.

What you can learn from Against the Compass:

• How focusing on specific countries can help differentiate you from other travelers
• Why travel insurance is a very popular topic today
• Setting up a travel blog to support multiple languages

3. Along Dusty Roads

@alongdustyroads

Along Dusty Roads was created by Andrew and Emily, a British couple who have been traveling extensively for the last six years after leaving their local jobs. As with many of the travel blogs in this post, the blog owners have many first-hand stories to share. This website is a reminder of how important it is to develop some of your own unique experiences that will be relevant for the audience you are looking to grow.

What you can learn from Along Dusty Roads:

• How to incorporate dramatic landscape photos into your landing pages and posts
• The importance of selecting a particular color palette for your branding
• A great way to integrate your Instagram feed into your website

4. Anywhere We Roam

@anywhereweroam

Mark and Paul operate the Anywhere We Roam blog and have been sharing a lot of great content over the last several years. This blog features a lot of stunning landscape photos and does a nice job of highlighting excellent nature and wildlife destinations. One particularly helpful resource on their site is a ‘Book’ tab where you can view tips and instructions for how to set up everything you need for a trip, including insurance and activities.

What you can learn from Anywhere We Roam:

• How a defined mission statement can strengthen your blog
• The importance of highlighting any travel awards or mentions from authoritative sites
• Useful ways to diversify your social media presence on multiple platforms

5. Atlas & Boots

@atlasandboots

Atlas and Boots was founded by novelist Kia Abdullah and photographer Peter Watson. This outdoor travel blog is the perfect resource for real adventures to immersive natural locations. They not only cater to outdoor adventure seekers but also have resources for finding remote work and balancing life and work while traveling.

What you can learn from Atlas & Boots:

• Why a simple website theme can really make your photos noticeable
• How to develop guides for hikes and treks that cater to outdoor travelers
• Excellent ways to incorporate travel books and movies

6. Backpacker Banter

@stokedfortravel

Chris Stevens runs Backpacker Banter as a resource for budget travel tips and guides. He has been traveling since 2009 as a surfer, photographer, and blogger and has a lot of fascinating guides covering destinations like South Africa and Thailand. The ocean is obviously a primary theme of his blog, and you can really see how his branding and photography highlight the best part of life near the water.

What you can learn from Backpacker Banter:

• How to balance multiple brands and websites as a blogger
• Ways to offer exclusive discounts to your readers
• How to develop a travel niche around your desired lifestyle

7. Barbaralicious

@bbarbaralicious

The site Barbaralicious has accumulated over 100,000 followers, and Barbara Riedel regularly adds new content to her travel blog. A native of Germany, Barbara has optimized her site for both German and English language audiences, and the blog features self-published books and additional services. This travel website is a nice example of how to combine professional offerings with a travel blog.

What you can learn from Barbaralicious:

• How to format and release self-published books
• Ideas for diversifying income sources through services, products, and publications
• Using your personal story to make your brand authentic

8. Be My Travel Muse

@bemytravelmuse

Kristin launched Be My Travel Muse as a blog dedicated to helping others plan their dream trips. She actively promotes her brand on social media channels, including Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. On her travel blog you will find a lot of excellent resources for solo female travel, such as destination guides and shopping tips.

What you can learn from Be My Travel Muse:

• How to create an immersive travel map on your blog
• Ideas for how to build a compelling landing page
• Excellent examples of YouTube video content

9. Bound For Nowhere

Husband and wife team Owen and Mak have been traveling non-stop for over 1,600 days and fully embrace the van life. They have a well-organized travel blog that includes details of their journey, van build, and recommended gear. This site is a useful resource for travelers who seek to live and work in a fully remote environment while visiting destinations around the world.

What you can learn from Bound For Nowhere:

• How to create simple and cohesive branding for your blog
• Effective ways to offer products and accept donations
• Where to find affiliate opportunities in addition to Amazon

10. Bucket L istly

@peachananr

Pete Rojwongsuriya is a full-time travel blogger who has visited over 65 countries and written over 200 articles. His goal for the BucketListly blog is to help other travelers plan their trips in a way that is simplified and less stressful. The main way he achieves this is by sharing personal stories, including his candid experiences and failures that can help others learn from his mistakes.

What you can learn from Bucketlistly:

• How to offer Lightroom presets as a way to increase newsletter signups
• Why you should focus on the travel locations you are most familiar with
• New ideas for creating a modern and immersive travel blog theme

11. Cheapest Destinations

Tim Leffel is a travel writer and author who is best known for his book, The World’s Cheapest Destinations , which shares the name with his travel blog. His work has been featured in multiple publications, and he has been interviewed by many other popular travel bloggers. The blog contains some informative posts that explain the cost of living in various countries and how to find great deals when planning your itineraries.

What you can learn from Cheapest Destinations:

• Ways to promote travel books through your blog
• How a simple blog design can be used to capture a large audience
• The importance of linking to your other websites and offerings

12. Expert Vagabond  

@expertvagabond

Expert Vagabond features photography tips, travel advice, and guides for how to maximize your travel budget. Matt Karsten started the blog over 10 years ago and has been featured on some impressive websites including National Geographic. He is also active on social media and does a great job of focusing his travel blog around his core topics of photography, backpacking, and nomadic life.

What you can learn from Expert Vagabond:

• What a professional theme and branding looks like
• How to feature your most popular articles and posts
• Great ideas for integrating social media feeds into your landing page

13. Follow The Boat

@followtheboat

Follow the Boat is the blog of British citizens Jamie and Liz who have been traveling in their boat since 2006. They strive to make their content very personal and realistic without sensationalizing the experience of traveling full-time. You’ll also see that they’ve integrated a web store into their travel blog to offer visitors various products.

What you can learn from Follow The Boat:

• How to blend photography and travel writing in your posts
• The importance of being authentic and candid with your audience
• Ways to promote and sell products through your travel blog

14. Girl Eat World

Melissa Hie, from Singapore, is the blogger who runs Girl Eat World, and she documents her travels through the various foods she eats along the way. She focuses her social media efforts on Instagram and Facebook, where she does a nice job of cross promoting her work. Her travel blog is not her full-time job, and you can follow along with her personal and professional journey through the annual reviews that she shares.

What you can learn from Girl Eat World:

• How an FAQ can help orient new site visitors
• Where to place a travel map to share destinations
• Why a simple website theme can help improve your content

15. Girl Gone Travel

@ImCarolCain

Carol Cain is the CEO of a communications and branding agency, and her blog, Girl Gone Travel, documents her experiences traveling with a large family. This is a great example of a travel blog that allows someone to highlight their passions and their professional work. The website has a simple design and allows Carol to focus on her content and promote her offerings.

What you can learn from Girl Gone Travel:

• Where to place testimonials on your site for maximum effect
• How to structure a page that offers collaboration opportunities
• Why you should integrate Instagram into your landing page

16. Global Help Swap

@globalhelpswap

The travel blog at Global Help Swap includes travel snapshots and information about important environmental events throughout the world. Bloggers Karen and Paul embrace the idea of responsible travel and share tips with their followers to help them create their own memorable journeys. As the name implies, the site also has a listing for global volunteer opportunities for travelers.

What you can learn from Global Help Swap:

• How to create a service-oriented travel blog that has a defined purpose
• Formatting ideas for travel guides
• Which social media platforms are effective for promoting a travel blog

17. Goats on the Road

@goatsontheroad

The 30-something couple Nick and Dariece have been working and living on the road for over 10 years so far. Their blog, Goats on the Road, has been featured in dozens of major websites such as Forbes and Travel Pulse. They started this website in 2012 and since then have expanded their staff to include an active group of content contributors.

What you can learn from Goats on the Road:

• How to find additional contributors to create value-added content
• Where to find remote jobs and careers to promote on your travel blog
• Ways to define and leverage a unique website name

18. Gotta Keep Movin

Emma Higgins created Gotta Keep Movin in 2010 and has been traveling full-time since 2011. One of the unique aspects of her website is the inclusion of annual printed guides that document a year living in a particular destination. This strategy allows Emma to use her skills as a freelance travel writer to develop additional revenue streams through her platform.

What you can learn from Gotta Keep Movin:

• How to market and sell printed materials on your site
• Why podcasting is a great medium for the travel blogger
• Where to find other travelers and writers who can contribute content

19. Hand Luggage Only  

Two college roommates, Yaya and Lloyd, came up with the idea for Hand Luggage Only while studying together at the University of Cambridge in England. Since 2014, their travel blog has been a resource for travel insights, photography guides, and food reviews. They’ve amassed a large following and do a nice job of developing engaging content.

What you can learn from Hand Luggage Only:

• How to take vivid and interesting travel photos
• The importance of including relevant category links on your main page
• How to organize a searchable archive for older content

20. I Am Aileen

Aileen Adilid promotes the idea of solo female travel through her blog, I Am Aileen. Her site features destination guides that span all seven continents, and there are also detailed posts showing visitors how to create a successful blog and become a digital nomad. This a a well-designed and professional looking site that covers a large number of different travel topics.

What you can learn from I Am Aileen:

• How to combine lifestyle and travel themes into a single blog
• Designing an online shop for physical and informational products
• How an online newsletter can help build your following

21. Legal Nomads  

@legalnomads

Legal Nomads started as a personal blog and has since grown into a complete travel website that covers topic such as writing and gluten free travel. Jodi Ettenberg maintains the blog and offers readers some amazing stories about resilience and how to balance work and life priorities. Jodi shares details and really strives to give readers a complete picture of the challenges that one can face.

What you can learn from Legal Nomads:

• Where to find resources when traveling gluten-free
• Useful ways to integrate an online shop
• How to pivot your website to meet your personal and professional needs

22. Life Part 2

@LifePartII

Life Part 2 is among a growing number of travel blogs that cater to the needs of baby boomers. Jonathan and Sarah are retired and travel full-time to destinations throughout the world. They share tips that help visitors make the most of their retirement and inspire them to try new things and keep growing. In addition to travel topics, there’s also some informative content that discusses lifestyle concepts such as minimalism and budgeting.

What you can learn from Life Part 2:

• How to define a specific niche for your travel blog
• Why listing your experiences can be a great motivation for readers
• Ways to develop your true purpose as a blogger

23. Lost With Purpose

@lostwpurpose

Alex Reynolds launched Lost With Purpose as a female solo travel blog where she explains exactly how to work and travel independently. The site is an inspiration for new travelers and also has a lot of useful tips and resources that anyone can use. She also offers exclusive tours in Pakistan, which allows her to spend time with fellow travelers and offer a truly unique experience for those who attend.

What you can learn from Lost With Purpose:

• How to launch and market customized travel tours
• Writing and formatting immersive travel guides
• Where to place links for Patreon support from readers

24. Maptia  

Maptia is a travel blog that focuses on the art of storytelling. Each article on the website mixes vivid photographs with well-written accounts to really explain what the experience is like to visit different places. Visitors can sign up for a newsletter to stay informed about the latest stories, and there are additional resources available to explore the community.

What you can learn from Maptia:

• How to develop a narrative style for your blog content
• Where to find active contributors and develop a true community
• Great ideas for creating a visual web store and selling photography products

25. Marriott Traveler

@mbonvoytraveler

Marriott does an excellent job of fostering an active community for their blog, the Marriott Bonvoy Traveler. The site is created as its own entity, and it has the look and functionality of a standard travel blog. The articles are well written and include photography that helps capture the essence of each topic.

What you can learn from Marriott Traveler:

• An inside look at how a major company publishes their travel blog content
• How to use diverse categories that cover many aspects of the travel world
• Great examples of how to embed video content directly into posts

26. Matador Network

@MatadorNetwork

Matador has become a massive network of travel enthusiasts that includes millions of readers who regularly visit the blog. With a dedicated international team of contributors, this site is an inspirational example of using a travel blog to promote a true business venture. The team has also created an exclusive travel app, travelstoke, and you can view a selection of their premium shows and mini-documentaries called Matador Originals.

What you can learn from Matador Network:

• The benefit of having an app that is associated with a blog
• How to develop an international community of active followers
• What can happen when you place high editorial standards on content

27. Matthew Woodward

@OnTheRails

With so many travel blogs out there, it can be a challenge to differentiate your website and make it unique. Matthew Woodward has carved out an interesting niche for himself and travels nearly exclusively by train. He has mapped his largest trips on the website as distinct itineraries that capture multiple stops along a journey between two cities.

What you can learn from Matthew Woodward:

• The benefit of developing a unique point of view
• How to promote books on a travel blog
• Where to find new ideas for YouTube and Instagram content

28. My Life’s a Travel Movie

@AlyssaRamos

Alyssa Ramos is a travel blogger and social media influencer who documents her journeys on her blog, My Life’s A Travel Movie. She prefers to travel solo and shares a lot of helpful tips for other aspiring travelers who want to learn how to get started. There’s a ton of content on the website, and she also organizes group trips to interesting destinations.

What you can learn from My Life’s a Travel Movie:

• How to use Instagram to increase traffic to your blog
• Where to promote the products in your web store
• Why giveaways can help you grow your email subscriber list

29. Never Ending Footsteps

@NEFootsteps

Lauren Juliff is a writer who has been traveling extensively over the last 10 years while running the Never Ending Footsteps blog. Along with destination guides, you will also find some excellent articles about working and living in many different countries. She also has an interesting travel anxiety course available to help individuals overcome their fears and reduce anxiety through traveling.

What you can learn from Never Ending Footsteps:

• How to promote courses on your travel blog
• The importance of using social media along with your website
• How to be candid and authentic with your audience

30. NOMADasaurus

@NOMADasaurus

The NOMADasaurus website has been around since 2013 and has become the biggest travel blog in Australia. Alesha Bradford and Jarryd Salem use this platform to share travel tips and show their readers how to promote sustainability. The site is easy to browse, and they do a really nice job of combining interesting writing with impressive photography.

What you can learn from Nomadasaurus:

• How to offer adventure tours to your audience
• Why you might want to promote sustainable tourism on your blog
• Ways to maximize your engagement on Twitter and YouTube

31. Nomadic Boys

@nomadicboys

Stefan and Sebastian are a couple who have been traveling for the last 10 years and together created a leading gay travel blog called Nomadic Boys. They offer tips and inspiration for members of the LBGTQ community and their international audience. This website is an excellent example of combining lifestyle topics with resources for long-term travel.

What you can learn from Nomadic Boys:

• How to establish an email newsletter
• The importance of networking for blog success
• Tips for curating travel content for the LBGTQ community

32. Nomadic Matt  

@nomadicmatt

Nomadic Matt is a well-known blog in the travel space that has been around for over 11 years. Matt has been to over 100 countries, and his travels have been covered by major publications like the BBC and The New York Times. He has a nice mix of informative and inspirational content that helps visitors learn more about traveling to any place at any time.

What you can learn from Nomadic Matt:

• How to launch and maintain a webshop on your site
• The true value of community and how to maximize your networking
• Ways to successfully sell guidebooks and courses

33. Notes From the Road

@erikgauger

Notes From the Road is an experimental travel blog by Erik Gauger. His content focuses on experiences in nature, and you’ll find a lot of stunning wildlife photography within many of the posts. He also includes several of his own illustrations. Erik’s goal for his blog is to capture true experiences that are told in a sincere way as they happen.

What you can learn from Notes From the Road:

• The value of demonstrating authenticity through your blog
• How to show a vivid picture of nature during travel
• Ways to organize your travel writings by destination

34. Oneika The Traveller

@oneikatravel l er

Oneika Raymond is a media personality and journalist who has appeared on the Travel Channel and NBC New York. Her blog, Oneika the Traveller, allows her to share experiences from her travels to over 115 different countries over the years. She aims to inspire people of color and provide some important commentary and opinions along the way.

What you can learn from Oneika The Traveler:

• How to balance blog content with a social media presence
• Ways to present professional travel experience
• Why you should embody the essence of the lifestyle you promote

35. Practical Wanderlust

@practicalwander

Practical Wanderlust is a blog by a couple, Lia and Jeremy, who strive to provide their audience with realistic tips and advice for traveling. They’ve created detailed guides for many destinations and also offer gift guides for topics like hiking and eco-friendly travel. You’ll find some great articles on the blog along with some amazing photos from many unique places.

What you can learn from Practical Wanderlust:

• Using printable checklists to attract newsletter followers
• Why hosting a podcast can help develop your audience
• How to promote products through affiliate sites

36. Retire Early and Travel

@RetireTravel

Keith and Tina Paul created Retire Early and Travel to help people prioritize travel and find ways to retire early and make it happen. They work alongside major travel agencies and businesses to find experiences they can review for their audience. This is an excellent example of using a travel blog not only to engage with an audience but also develop a true business around the concept.

What you can learn from Retire Early and Travel:

• The importance of developing a core audience
• How to use your blog to promote travel companies and offerings
• The benefit of focusing on a specific travel concept for your blog

37. Sidetracked

@SidetrackedMag

Sidetracked seeks to capture the emotion of travel within each and every blog post. They run their travel blog as a web magazine with a complete editorial team and regular group of contributors. The field journal gives you quick access to specific entries covering different locations, and visitors can also purchase printed Sidetracked books from the online shop.

What you can learn from Sidetracked:

• How to run and operate an online travel magazine
• Great ways to match your highlighted content with each season
• Where to find great brand partnerships

38. Spin The Globe

@spin_theglobe

Sylvia Longmire has gained international recognition as a traveler who doesn’t let her disability hold her back. Previously diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Sylvia travels in her wheelchair and provides an intimate look into the challenges and potential for wheelchair accessible travel. She has also released several books and provides an impressive number of consulting and trip planning offerings on her blog.

What you can learn from Spin The Globe:

• The true value of capturing candid and authentic stories
• Ways you can promote books through a travel blog
• How to embrace life and focus on your potential

39. Stuck in Customs

@treyratcliff

Stuck in Customs is the travel blog of photographer Trey Ratcliff, and he really captures his personality on the site. He has amassed an impressive following and shares a ton of informative tutorials and guides for taking better photos and videos. This website is a great example of being fully committed to your niche and developing multiple streams of income.

What you can learn from Stuck in Customs:

• How to promote yourself and your work in an authentic way
• Why you should use multiple social media platforms
• How to develop informative tutorials and guides

40. The Barefoot Nomad  

@BarefootNomads

The Barefoot Nomad is the blog of Micki and Charles Kosman, who have been actively traveling since 2003 and sharing a multitude of tips with their audience. With an active community of followers built over the last 10 years, their blog highlights the importance of consistency and regularly posting fresh content. Highlights of their blog include travel tech reviews and tips for how to manage travel as a family with young children.

What you can learn from The Barefoot Nomad:

• The importance of writing a detailed About Us page
• How to develop your content for long-term growth
• How technology is impacting the travel niche

41. The Blonde Abroad

@theblondeabroad

The Blonde Abroad is run by Kiki, who has compiled a diverse set of travel tips on her website. She promotes the concept of solo travel and the many ways you can define your own unique approach to visiting any destination you choose. You’ll find a nice mix of inspirational posts, guides, and planning resources on her blog.

What you can learn from The Blonde Abroad:

• The importance of integrating lifestyle tips and guides for deep audience engagement
• How to incorporate a web store into your travel blog
• The value of an easily accessible “start here” page to help direct new visitors

42. The Points Guy

@thepointsguy

As the name implies, The Points Guy is a travel blog dedicated to maximizing the value of travel points and miles. Brian Kelly started this blog in 2010 and has since built a huge audience with over 10 million unique visitors to the site each month. On The Points Guy blog, Brian shares guides for how to accumulate and use travel rewards and also covers airline and travel news and other important topics related to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What you can learn from The Points Guy:

• How to integrate two big topics, travel and personal finance, into a unique niche website
• Why including relevant news topics can help keep your content fresh
• How to set up a category for dedicated reviews for travel services and products

43. The Travel Episodes

@travelepisodes

The Travel Episodes is the blog of Johannes Klaus, who focuses on the idea of travel as as a medium for storytelling. His travel stories include vivid photography and well-formatted posts to really build a sense for what it feels like to visit these destinations. Each post is written in a long-form journalistic style and often includes stories that span multiple days of a particular trip.

What you can learn from The Travel Episodes:

• How to create narrative-style travel posts that include relevant images
• What topics and themes can be developed into deeply engaging content
• How to maximize the value of guest bloggers and contributed stories

44. Time Travel Turtle

@michaelturtle

Time Travel Turtle is Michael Turtle’s blog, and his content reflects his background as a television and radio reporter. His goal as a blogger is to share stories from his travels in a way that inspires others and helps them plan their own adventures. One major focus of his site is the importance of Unesco World Heritage Sites and why they make such incredible destinations to visit.

What you can learn from Time Travel Turtle:

• Where to place your most popular posts as a dedicated feed
• Why integrating a clear mission, such as visiting World Heritage Sites, can give your website structure
• The importance of including lesser-known destinations and stories in your posts

45. Travel Break

Travel Break is run by Stephanie Be, who took a gap year after college and has traveled to 42 countries since then. Her website has a very streamlined layout with content that focuses on planning, packing, and travel tips. She has also created an online shop and promotes a dedicated travel companion app.

What you can learn from Travel Break:

• The importance of being featured on other authoritative websites and blogs
• How to structure and promote an engaging online store
• Ideas for how to promote exclusive travel services and professional offerings

46. Travel For Wildlife

@Travel4Wildlife

Travel for Wildlife is a nature travel blog created by a couple, Cristina Garcia and Hal Brindley. They not only share travel tips but also dedicate time to promoting conservation initiatives and the importance of responsible wildlife tourism. This website is an excellent example of how to combine a passion for travel with larger themes and trends in the industry.

What you can learn from Travel For Wildlife:

• Ways to organize and share destination guides
• A simple format for featuring your trending content
• How winning tourism awards can help build credibility for your blog

47. Uncornered Market  

Bloggers and consultants Dan and Audrey started Uncornered Market to share stories from travelers and organizations that embrace the planet and promote responsible forms of travel. Hailing from the United States, they share stories that paint a more genuine picture of American life than can be seen on television. This approach helps them engage with an international audience and provides a strong base for promoting their consulting services.

What you can learn from Uncornered Market:

• How to combine a travel blog with a commercial site featuring professional services
• Why creating case studies for your blog can help you gain credibility with a professional audience
• Where to place alert banners to provide visitors with urgent and important news and content

48. View From the Wing  

Gary Leff is a CFO and travel expert, and his blog, View From the Wing, is an inspiring example of a site that has a clearly defined, specific purpose. His main focus is sharing travel deals and advice for how to manage air travel, hotel, and credit card rewards. Having been featured in a number of television, radio, and print publications, Gary continues to expand his reach and share the latest trends in the industry.

What you can learn from View from the Wing:

• How to promote an email newsletter to your audience
• The best way to organize trip reports by region and year
• Where to place your best deals when promoting third-party offers

49. Wandering Earl

@wanderingearl

Derek has been traveling full-time since 1999 and has spent the last 20 years traveling to over 100 countries. His blog, Wandering Earl, contains blog posts and travel resources that chronicle his experiences. By building his website around his lifestyle, he has been able to create an authentic identity and share content that truly resonates with his audience.

What you can learn from Wandering Earl:

• The value of making a resources section a highlight of your landing page
• How to get the maximum value out of a simple website theme
• Where to plan travel tours as an offering for dedicated travelers

50. We’re The Russos

@WeretheRussos

The We’re the Russos travel blog was created by full-time RVers Joe and Kait Russo in 2015. They’ve developed an effective and simple brand for their website that includes a nice professional logo and basic theme. They also do a great job of embedding their relevant YouTube content directly into posts and mixing different topics to keep the feed from becoming repetitive.

What you can learn from We’re The Russos:

• How to develop and promote travel books for your website
• Why YouTube can be an excellent extension of a travel blog
• Tips for starting your own blog and earning money while traveling

Studying these amazing travel blogs and what they do right can inspire you to create your own travel blog that makes a mark in this popular niche. Once you start growing your audience, there are many ways to monetize your travel blog and finance your travel adventures. If you rent out your apartment or home to travelers while you’re jetsetting around the globe, promote your listings on sites like TripAdvisor and Airbnb with our easy to install Airbnb and TripAdvisor follow buttons, making it easy for your blog visitors to save your listings or experiences for the next time they’re planning a trip to your neck of the woods. Not only can you install them in just minutes, but they’re totally free to use!

About ShareThis

ShareThis has unlocked the power of global digital behavior by synthesizing social share, interest, and intent data since 2007. Powered by consumer behavior on over three million global domains, ShareThis observes real-time actions from real people on real digital destinations.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get the latest news, tips, and updates

Related Content

Top 10 Travel Influencers on Social Media in 2024

Jack Greenwald

• March 5, 2024

Travel influencers, masters of storytelling, captivate audiences with global adventures. Let’s explore 2024’s top 10 influencers, inspiring wanderlust.

• Louis Cole ( @louiscole )
• Drew Binsky ( @drewbisky )
• The Bucket List Family ( @TheBucketListFamily )
• Kurt Caz ( @KurtCaz )
• Tara Whiteman ( @taramilktea )
• Kiki ( @theblondeabroad )
• Murad Osmann ( @muradosmann )
• Chris Burkard ( @chrisburkard )
• Lauren Bullen ( @gypsea_lust )
• Eva zu Beck ( @evazubeck )

Top Travel Influencers on Social Media in 2024

Louis Cole, a prominent travel influencer with nearly two million YouTube subscribers, is renowned for his daily video blog. Documenting his life and global travels, Cole’s vlogs offer viewers an immersive journey into his adventures.

Following, beyond his travel escapades, Cole’s content reflects a broader ethos centered around exploring a better way of living. Find it all on Cole’s channel, from DIY projects to eco-friendly living, van life, and insights into technology and education. Cole embodies a multifaceted approach to embracing a more sustainable, adventurous, and fulfilling lifestyle.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Louis Cole (@louiscole)

Drew Binsky

Drew Binsky has achieved global recognition for his ambitious quest to visit every country in the world. Furthermore, Binsky immerses his audience in the rich tapestry of diverse cultures, and exhilarating adventures in far-flung corners of the globe.

Beyond his globe-trotting endeavors, Binsky’s persona shines through as a scratch golfer, EDM enthusiast, people-person, and holder of two Guinness World Records. Altogether, engaging with his audience on various social media platforms, Binsky invites travelers to join him on his journey.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Drew Binsky (@drewbinsky)

The Bucket List Family

The Bucket List Family, a remarkable clan of five, has captured the hearts of adventure seekers worldwide with their extraordinary journey around the globe. Embracing a nomadic lifestyle, they embarked on their odyssey in 2015 after selling everything to pursue a life of exploration and discovery.

As full-time family travel journalists, they chronicle their awe-inspiring escapades through captivating Instagram posts and YouTube videos under the moniker The Bucket List Family. From serene beaches to rugged mountains, their wanderlust knows no bounds as they traverse the world, sharing their experiences, insights, and cherished moments with a global audience. Currently, the Gee family finds themselves off the grid in Antarctica, adding yet another remarkable chapter to their remarkable odyssey.

Kurt Caz, a spirited vlogger hailing from South Africa, embodies the essence of adventure as he traverses the globe. With an insatiable hunger for travel and a deep-rooted connection to his South African heritage, Kurt immerses himself in the diverse cultures and landscapes of his destinations.

From the lush jungles of Central America to the vibrant streets of South America, the historical treasures of North Africa to the untamed wilderness of East Africa, Kurt’s journey unfolds as a testament to his nomadic spirit and innate curiosity. Therefore, as he explores each corner of the world, Kurt remains true to his roots as a “South African bushman,” following the call of his DNA to embrace the thrill of discovery and inspire others to embark on their own transformative adventures.

Tara Whiteman

Tara Whiteman, a creative hailing from Sydney, Australia, brings her kaleidoscopic vision to life on social media. She delights her audience with her daily lifestyle videos. With a passion for travel, food, and vibrant locales, Tara’s adventures unfold through a lens of color and creativity.

Despite her youth, Tara has already achieved remarkable milestones, recently completing her Honours degree in Design while simultaneously globe-trotting, working on projects with prestigious clients, and managing her lifestyle blog and Instagram. Subsequently, with a keen eye for the extraordinary and a penchant for partnering with esteemed brands like Canon and Tiffany & Co., Tara’s journey epitomizes the pursuit of passion and entrepreneurial spirit. With over one million followers and counting, Tara’s ultimate goal is to inspire others to seize life’s opportunities and craft their own path to happiness.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Tara Milk Tea (@taramilktea)

Kiki, a California native, embarked on a transformative journey in 2011, leaving behind her career in corporate wealth management to pursue a summer of soul-searching. Dissatisfied with the traditional notion of success, Kiki’s travels through Australia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bali, and New Zealand opened her eyes to the empowering freedom of solo exploration.

Over the past decade, she has shared her personal journey and invaluable travel insights with women worldwide, chronicling her adventures across 70 countries. From living in Cape Town, South Africa, to settling back in California, Kiki’s quest for self-discovery and wanderlust knows no bounds, inspiring others to break free from societal norms and embrace the transformative power of travel.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Kiki | The Blonde Abroad | Travel Blogger (@theblondeabroad)

Murad Osmann

Murad Osmann, the visionary behind the viral photo series “Follow Me To”, has ascended to the summit of travel influence with his captivating imagery and creative storytelling. Beginning with a single snapshot of his then-girlfriend Nataly in Barcelona in 2011, Murad sparked a global sensation that has since earned him recognition as one of the world’s top travel influencers by Forbes magazine.

With over 4 million followers on Instagram alone, Murad’s evocative photography has transported audiences from Havana to Kamchatka, weaving together a tapestry of destinations united by his unique perspective. Simultaneously, The Follow Me To project has not only captivated social media users worldwide but has also propelled Murad and Nataly to international acclaim, leading to the publication of a best-selling book and their own travel program on Channel One Russia. As a sought-after partner for influencer marketing campaigns, Murad’s reach offers brands access to millions of dedicated travel enthusiasts.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by MURAD OSMANN (@muradosmann)

Chris Burkard

Chris Burkard stands as a multifaceted force of nature, blending the roles of explorer, photographer, creative director, speaker, and author. He crafts a narrative that celebrates the majesty of Earth’s most remote corners. Roaming the planet year-round in pursuit of untamed landscapes, Burkard’s lens captures the raw power and pristine beauty of nature. Overall, this inspires viewers to forge deeper connections with the world around them and champion the conservation of wilderness everywhere.

Through social media, Burkard shares his evocative imagery with millions. Additionally, he’s collaborated on global campaigns, spoke at TED, designed products, and published acclaimed books. In California, Burkard finds solace with his family. At 36, Burkard’s legacy as a global travel influencer continues to grow.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by ChrisBurkard (@chrisburkard)

Lauren Bullen

Lauren, known to her followers as Gypsea Lust on Instagram, embodies a boundless spirit of adventure and creativity. Despite being only 27 years old and hailing from Northern NSW Australia, nonetheless Lauren has forged a remarkable journey. Together with her partner Jack Morris , Lauren explores the globe, capturing breathtaking moments and sharing them with an eager audience.

Lauren and her partner base themselves in Bali, but travel globally, blending travel, fashion, and lifestyle. Lauren, self-taught in photography, collaborates with diverse clients, crafting unique content resonating globally. As she continues to wander the world, Lauren inspires others to chase their dreams and embrace the beauty of exploration.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by lauren bullen (@gypsea_lust)

Eva zu Beck

Eva zu Beck, a raw adventurer, embodies a fearless spirit guided by the mantra “the world belongs to the brave.” Currently undertaking Expedition Wild, Eva traverses the length of the Pan-American Highway in her converted 4×4 mini-camper Land Rover Defender.

Furthermore, each week, she shares captivating videos, offering viewers a front-row seat to her solo adventures across the globe.

Partner with Top Travel Influencers

Glewee streamlines collaboration for brands with top travel influencers, ensuring transparency and efficiency in campaigns. It provides seamless communication channels and pre-vetted influencers.

Brands can confidently hire influencers, optimize strategies, and reach global audiences with authenticity and efficiency. Glewee empowers brands to amplify their message and achieve marketing success.

Join Glewee Today

Launch unlimited campaigns with pre-vetted Creators and promote your Brand on social media.

Download the Creator App

Launch Your Influencer Campaign Today

Join Glewee to discover pre-vetted Creators, manage end-to-end campaigns, and engage your target audience with content.

Customizable Campaigns

Creator marketplace, brand and creator chat​, user-generated content​, performance metrics​, content library ​, health & wellness, food & beverage, request a demo, privacy policy, terms of service, community guidelines, about glewee, stay connected with glewee.

Build, run, and manage campaigns.

Discover pre-vetted Creators.

Contact Creators in real time.

Commission tailor-made UGC.

Measure, track, and evaluate campaign success.

Store your content in one place.

For Creators

For Agencies

Getting Started

Launch your account to launch campaigns.

Launching Campaigns

Build campaigns in four easy steps.

Reviewing Performance

Track campaign performance & measure success.

Approving Content

Review drafts, request revisions, and approve for posting.

Paying Creators

Handle payments securely.

Managing Creators

Discover your Creator team and collaborate in real time.

Become a Glewee Creator, authenticate your socials.

Finding Campaigns

Discover Brand deals from your phone.

Creating Content

Meet deliverables, follow guidelines, and get inspired.

Posting Content

Promote your favorite Brands across social media.

Getting Paid

Manage payments through your Glewee Wallet.

Adding Portfolio Content

Show your best work and tell Brands what you do best.

Get the insights you need to navigate influencer marketing and the Creator Economy.

Read about Glewee in the news.

Your Brand’s winning formula.

Get your Brand into shape.

Nail your influencer marketing.

Turn heads on social media.

Promote your Brand to the fullest.

Cook up Brand-boosting campaigns.

Case Studies

Explore influencer marketing success stories here.

• Book My Demo

Glewee's Guide to Creator Marketing

The 10 Best Designed Tourism Websites in the World 2022

Mary Ann Ha , Skift

June 15th, 2022 at 2:30 AM EDT

In a frantic attempt to avoid being left behind, official tourism organization websites are doing their best to catch up to the high expectations of the new traveler — tourists of the post-pandemic digital age.

Mary Ann Ha

Almost every tourist these days is making decisions about their travels based on what they see online. From themed trips to budgeted food tours, travelers crave previews of potential destinations and surf the internet to learn anything they can about a new and exciting spot.

Due to intense levels of pent-up travel demand followed by impulsive and impatient post-pandemic travelers, tourism website design is more important now than ever before. The competitive space for well-designed websites is more ambitious, and reliance on digital platforms as a dependable resource for travel inspiration is at an all-time high. Looking at the Gen Z traveler, it’s easy to notice that attention spans have shortened immensely, and tourists are treating trip planning like a shopping experience, picking and choosing elements of their vacations after engaging in a few seconds of appeal.

With that being said, tourism organizations are slowly learning that the old ways simply don’t work anymore — paragraphs of information on the screen, redirection that continues tab after tab, slow and clunky navigational experiences, depressing color palettes, and promotional descriptions of sites that don’t answer any of the truly important questions, especially for a more conscious traveler worried about climate change, and other threats.

After two years of rapidly-evolving digital growth, several websites have succeeded in breaking out of that dull and repetitive cycle. Here is Skift’s 2022 list of best designed tourism websites — ones that hit the spot both visually and navigationally, and are taking note of what the modern traveler wants, how they think, and most importantly, how they behave.

1. Visit Iceland

The clean-cut and minimalistic nature of Nordic graphic design works well to communicate visual appeal, send concise messages with clarity (or humor), and entice further curiosity with minimal effort, especially in the website world. Visit Iceland leads our list with a transitional homepage display, decorated with background images that hover along the page as they overlap and interact with the text on the screen, making the website feel inviting and alive.

As users scroll further down, the website displays excellent examples of utilizing the organized nature of drop-down menus and vertically moving lists. With a clean white background and bold capitalized black font, readers are able to quickly catch sight of what they want to read, without feeling overwhelmed by options. Blog articles of potential itineraries and Iceland travel tips are also organized in a format reminiscent of Youtube, integrated with carousel elements that are easy to view via mobile phone. 

Accessibility to greener travel options within the website is always a plus — Visit Iceland has an entire page dedicated to helping travelers join in on Iceland’s commitment to preserving their nature, including a list of environmentally certified businesses, a carbon footprint calculator, and an easy-to-follow list of tips for sustainable travel in Iceland.

2. Visit California

While the homepage might look typical at first glance, Visit California’s “Experience California” layout is one of the best designs we’ve seen in the tourism website game. Swipe left as soon as you get onto the landing page (a surprising, but not too complicated way to navigate the site, which keeps visitors engaged), and users are immediately whisked into a three-dimensional space to explore what the state of California has to offer to their tourists.

To the new millennial and Gen Z traveler, design and aesthetic can be just as or more important as destination information and travel guidance. Interactive visuals and bold colors speak to the character of California as a vacation spot, filled with globally cultural experiences and advanced businesses in design and technology — adding to the visitor’s impression of what a trip to California could be like. 

As the home of Los Angeles and the land of influencers, Visit California also fully embraces the use of User-Generated Content as a promotional tool, and displays this in an easy-to-digest format.

3. Z ürich Tourism

Speaking of Nordic graphic design and user-generated content, the official website for the city of Zurich is another example of the excellent use of white space. Dedication to sans serif typography, a two-to-three cool tone color palette, and an extremely simplistic, clean layout keeps visitors from feeling overwhelmed and allows for a breathing space to go through all the activities offered on the website. 

Beneath several of the suggested activities, restaurants, and bars, the Zurich website also labels whether the business is open or the service is being offered in real time, a unique feature that can be extremely helpful for travelers who are looking for last minute places to enjoy or spontaneously plan a day trip.

Their user-generated content page is a delightfully neat design, with the page tab linked as a single hashtag in the top menu. The entire page acts as a unified social media feed, making all their social media coverage on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram visually accessible in one view.

3. Visit Brazil

Visit Brazil has all information and links available on their homepage, split into four sections: Experiences, Destinations, Regions, and Travel Information. 

Aesthetically, a framework of yellow is filled with a line-up of action-packed visuals, picture and video, and a section dedicated to Instagram content. They know their visitors, and they recognize that in-your-face video content appeals to those who are looking for some sort of adventure. The video that takes up the entire homepage display keeps visitors engaged at initial glance, and while the website prioritizes promoting their adventurous activities, they balance “fun” with “necessity” and make sure to give easy access to the safety information travelers will need to know when coming to Brazil.

We all know New York City could be its own state, with experience offerings that are equivalent to those of a country.

Set up like a booking site, the NYCgo’s most impressive elements include the UX framework that is deeply familiar to the modern traveler — searching for hotels or accommodations via a search engine reminiscent to short-term rental or airline sites, being able to “like” and save posts or articles for later referral, and of course, a function that offers filtered options to find activities and locations catered to the visitor’s personal preference.

The bold, graffiti-like font that covers the homepage and is used throughout the website is simple, which is a necessary move considering how much text is on the front page. It’s also a great aesthetic choice, a subtle way of speaking to the headlines that cover billboards in NYC. While the website offers slews of information on the homepage, the way it is formatted and presented to the user keeps the aesthetic uncluttered and down-to-earth.

6. Visit Finland

From the logo, to overall design, to choice of font, Visit Finland’s website displays similarities to another extremely popular rental booking site, but when it comes to approachability and visual appeal, borrowing those design elements works in their favor.

The website is a smooth, transparent, and, of course, familiar experience — one that is both modular and linear, showing dedication to navigational simplicity. The design does not shy away from white space and minimalism much like its Nordic counterparts also on this list. Complete use of full-screen photos and stunning imagery is a highlight, as well as the level of scroll-responsive interactivity visitors experience as they explore the site. 

This website also displays various Finnish activities and locations through the save/heart feature, referencing a user experience often seen in online shopping or Pinterest mood boards. The layout feels particularly responsive to the nature of the Gen Zers who spend all their time on social media “saving” posts and ideas.

7. Visit Australia

Like we’ve seen on other websites on the list, the Visit Australia website is hugely loyal to the tile format, which could feel silly if overused, but because the tiles are lined up and sectioned in a cohesive manner, visitors will find it extremely easy to find options for each and every aspect of destination planning. The homepage is lined with left-right carousels of vertical images, appealing to younger generations and optimized for mobile formats.

Drop down menus are also a highlight for this website design. Instead of cluttering the frame with an overwhelming amount of text, the tile format keeps the menu options visually engaging for the user. Integration of beautiful imagery within every step of the user experience shows great dedication towards marketing the destination, which is, ultimately the main purpose of a tourism organization. 

The Visit Australia website offers everything, from itineraries and cultural or geographical activity guides to budgeting and accommodation deals. Recognizing that budget is an important factor for many travelers is also a major plus for any tourism website, as it keeps website visitors within the website instead of browsing other platforms for “best or most affordable deals”. 

Perhaps the highlight of the site is Explore Australia in 8D, an interactive exploratory experience that allows visitors to move through a map of the entire mainland of Australia, including a few islands surrounding the area, and see what each region has to offer, from attractions to lodging and food.

As much as Peru is receiving growing interest as a travel destination in recent years, the country also seems to be extremely conscious about communicating COVID safety measures and restrictions to potential tourists. The immediate landing page of the tourism website gives visitors easy access to ways to prepare and plan for a trip to Peru from home, beginning with multiple avenues to check and double check updated Covid protocols. Showing this level of diligence to Covid measures not only communicates the fact that Peru takes safety protocols seriously, but also allows for international travelers to cross ‘testing or vaccination requirements’, still a major concern at this time, off their list of potential worries.

The team at Peru Travel also takes advantage of the numerous recognitions, media coverage, and awards that Peru receives as a tourism destination, and pushes that at the forefront of their website design. 

The most exciting part of the website is perhaps the VR page, called Peru 360, where one can “visit” various sites throughout Peru in a virtual reality. While this is a method that has grown in popularity amongst a lot of brands during the pandemic, very few official tourism websites have been successful in offering a well-established experience that feels interactive beyond typical images or videos. 

9. Visit Italy

Italy has long-been a tourist-heavy destination, and the team at Visit Italy knows it. At the forefront of their website are easy ways to search, budget, and book the top tourist attractions through the best deals. Viewers barely need to scroll down the homepage before getting immediate access to the Ticket Carousel, with exact prices listed by attraction or location.

Visit Italy’s website isn’t the most ambitious platform design-wise, but it prioritizes digestible formats, such as buttons for each step in planning or tiled carousels, and feels easy-to-navigate overall, especially considering all the information on their homepage.

It’s clear that the website knows what their visitors need — to beat lines, to get the best prices, and to make the most of their time in one of the most famous cities in the world that Italy has to offer. The site is ideal for the tourist who needs to prioritize planning and booking over aesthetic photo inspirations. The website also acts as a search engine of sorts, and does not shy away from redirecting their visitors to other booking sites or options in order to make the best decisions.

10. Visit Greenland

Visit Greenland’s website also sets up like a familiar search engine site (a trend we are observing across most of the designs on this list) but serves mostly for travel inspiration and local informational purposes. The layout of the website is simple and loyal to the use of white space, which allows for their unique graphic design elements to shine through in this particular design. 

Not only are the three-dimensional illustrations beautiful, but they are also interactive, acting as links to the respective relative pages. 

Aside from engaging geographic and cultural graphics, the website also lines up options of various package tours that lead to external provider links, who are more well-versed in helping potential visitors move forward in their planning and exploration process. Because Greenland is a nature-heavy travel destination, the website focuses on displaying a variety of outdoor activities — based on personal interests or geographical location — in order to prevent travelers from feeling deprived of diverse activities. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Innovative methods in the digital world are getting increasing ambitious day by day and website designs are trying to be as responsive as possible, as to make sure they maintain their presence in the travel planning space.

In addition to the websites on our list, several other tourism organizations are diving into unique measures to gain attention from the ever-so-hungry tourist of the post-pandemic travel world. Interactive games, like Cape Town’s Virtual Game Tourism Campaign , are one of the few ways these organizations hope to attract younger audiences and give a virtual taste of their destination to potential travelers. The Machu Pichu 360 website invites visitors to enter the world of VR and includes auditory stimulants, a step up from the Peru 360 page in our list, that engages both eyes and ears to fill the void travelers have all been experiencing during Covid.

With the competitive space for tourism websites expanding at an increasing speed and mobile apps taking the spotlight from website platforms , tourism organizations and designers will most likely continue to borrow elements of the newly digital world to keep their platforms running.

Tags: climate change , design , digital , Digital Marketing , generation z , online booking , online travel , pandemic , tourism , tourism boards , tourism campaigns , websites

14 Top Travel Blog Platforms Reviewed – Which is the Best?

I make and work with a lot of people wanting to start travel websites, finding something versatile that was quick to deploy with minimal knowledge of code, was crucial.

There are a few platforms where you can share maps, and travel stories easily. Some of them are specifically built just for travel bloggers which are really awesome, as you can share your stories, connect, and log your trips a lot easier.

The most common website platforms were; WordPress, Wix, Blogger, Tumblr and Weebly, but I found more than 20 when I was looking.

I decided to try 7 different travel blogging platforms.

What I did to test:   Made a post, engaged with some people, and tried to make a journey, story, trip or route to see how each one functions and their pros and cons.

Bloggers Platforms

• Atameo (now Mapify)
• Travellerspoint
• Traveldiariesapp

Squarespace

Comparison table, travel blogging sites.

These sites were all the ones I could find that allowed you to create a travel blog, or allow you to write, upload images or create maps of your trips .

Free Travel Sites

The sites below are all travel platforms that you use to create a FREE travel blog. I tried all of them and my favorite way Atameo because of its ease of use.

Want your own beautiful travel website built by proffessionals? Click here to view our web design packages

Travellerspoint Review

Travellerspoint – Plan your Trip – Book your Stay – Share your experience

Travellerspoint Pros

• It has a big and active community already so you can interact with others.
• It does everything that all the other platforms do.

Travellerspoint Con

• The interface is a little older than others but not hindering.

Atameo Review

Atameo – It’s a travel blogging platform that is built to easily log your trips.

Atameo Pros

• Can add photos and you are able to add trips to your blog.
• Really nice to plan your trips.
• You can’t create a page and it isn’t a very active community from what I can see.

Photler Review

Photler – a place to share your travel photos

Photler Pros

• The system is nice and clean, almost beautiful.
• The platform makes creating sites attractive & very easy.

Photler Cons

• Pretty limited in terms of templates/themes.
• Doesn’t have a lot of creative space
• Requires payment

Triponto Review

Tripoto – Global Community for Travelers

Triponto Pros

• Can create posts and trips.
• It’s fairly well established so it has a real community.

Triponto Cons

• More focused on planning trips
• Write-ups don’t seem to get as much attention.

Livenguide Review

Livenguide – Find a local Guide, search for a Tour, or become a Guide yourself.

Livenguide Pros

• Able to book travels with members, as well as meet up with members from all over the world.
• You can make money while meeting people and exploring countries.

Livenguide Con

• Unable to translate posts and reviews that aren’t in English. Therefore limiting the guides you would be able to work with.
• More about becoming a guide than a travel platform.

Jauntlet Review

Jauntlet – Tell stories of where you’ve been and share plans of where you will be.

Jauntlet Pros

• You can log how far you’ve traveled as well as the days, which allows you to see who the most experienced travelers are.
• You can allow friends to edit your blogs, adding more content and substance to your posts.

Jauntlet Cons

• Site navigation could use some work.
• Finding a person is pretty hard because the search criteria are for cities alone.

Traveldiariesapp Review

Traveldiariesapp – Create your own travel diary to capture and share your travel

Traveldiariesapp Pro

• You can make long and detailed write-ups that are laid out in chapters, this gives the effect of reading a short, personal story.

Traveldiariesapp Cons

• Unable to follow other writers (dairies).
• All write-ups are also anonymous.
• Unable to link to any other blogs or posts that you may have written.

Best Blogging Site to Start a Travel Blog

When starting a travel blog, the first thing most people try to figure out is which site or blogging site they are going to use to make it. There are many options out there, but in this day and age, there is only one winner, WordPress.

WordPress has long been recognized as the go-to platform for making your own website or blog. A lot of companies and businesses have started their websites on WordPress, and it is the platform of choice for almost every blogger across the globe.

If you have already decided to use WordPress, brilliant, if you are on the fence or have heard better recommendations for using other platforms, this post is for you. We will break down why WordPress is the best platform for your travel blog.

It is Free and Open Source

One of the biggest benefits of using WordPress is that it is free. You can use the basic platform and download plugins and themes for free. There are some more advanced themes and plugins that cost money, but for testing and trying out, it is completely free.

As well as being free, WordPress is open source. Open source meaning it is being constantly upgraded, improved and tested, and with hundreds of thousands of people across the globe specializing in WordPress, world-class support is only a click away.

Very Beginner Friendly

WordPress is designed to be used by anyone, and that means ANYONE. Whether you are a 55-year-old mom with zero blogging or CMS knowledge, or a 13-year-old wanting to start a blog on his favorite TV series, you can use WordPress with little to no problems.

WordPress does not require any coding knowledge to use or customize, if you want a new feature on your site, it is as simple as downloading and activating a plugin which will do all the complicated work for you.

WordPress can easily be called a drag-and-drop site, as most of the hard work is done automatically, and the most you have to do is input your information into the relevant box or drop-down, simple.

Themes and Plugins

One of the huge benefits of WordPress is that it allows third-party designers and programmers o upload their own themes and plugins, this means that their library for these aspects is enormous.

There is a theme that will suit any type of blog, blogger, and personality, and each is fully customizable. You can easily take a theme that has been downloaded 100 000 times and turn it into something completely unique.

The plugins are just as versatile. There is a plugin for absolutely everything you may want or need your blog to do or to look like. Whether you want your social media buttons on the bottom of the page, or to keep track of how many clicks you get between lunch and 2 pm on a Thursday, there is a plugin that will do it perfectly.

All these themes and plugins allow you to turn your site into an e-commerce store, a photography site, a hotel booking site, whatever you may need your website to do, you can customize it accordingly.

All these themes and plugins come with their own support system from the designers themselves, allowing you to have every query or question answered, as well as getting inside tips on how to fully utilize each theme or plugin.

Security Features

Considering WordPress is used to start important websites, blogs, and e-commerce stores that handle lots of money and contain a massive database of personal information, the site was designed with high security in mind from the get-go.

If you are still uneasy about security, there are many plugins that will add layer upon layer of security to your site to give you even more peace of mind. Security is not a problem with WordPress, and they ensure, with constant updates, that you are constantly protected.

Ranking in Search Engines

If you are making a blog for your business or company, you will most likely want it to be viewed and seen by as many people as possible. To do this on the internet, you need SEO to optimize your site to make it as search engine friendly as possible.

Once again, WordPress has these bases covered from the start. WordPress automatically ensures your website is fast and responsive and optimized for mobile platforms, keys for great SEO.

If this isn’t enough, there are a host of SEO plugins and tools you can install to ensure your SEO is always at its best. The best one on the market right now is Yoast SEO, which covers all the basic SEO bases as well as many more. Obviously, like most of WordPress, it is easy to use and understand.

Unparalleled Support

It has been mentioned numerous times just how easy WordPress is to use and how easy it is to set up a fully functioning website. There will, however, be sticking points that you just can’t fix, this is the WordPress community comes in.

WordPress has a massive support community that covers absolutely every aspect of the platform, and no matter what you are stuck on, there will be someone who can help you fix it.

WordPress have their own official support forums, online tutorials, and courses, support forums for each and every theme and plugin, as well as WordPress blogs, that go into every tiny detail of every aspect of the site.

WordPress is without a doubt the best platform for your travel blog or any blog for that matter. If you started reading this feeling unsure if it was the right option for you, it is clear that it is not only the right option but the only option too.

Main Blogging Platforms Review

All of the platforms above can be used to start a blog, but the websites/platforms below are specifically designed for you to have more control and customization – which is really important down the line.

If you plan on monetizing your travel blog, I would recommend starting it on a platform that you have control over and own, such as the ones mentioned below.

Tumblr is a good option if you just want to share photos and videos in a very simple and easy-to-use form (lacks things like plugins and customization).

Much easier to use (no coding required, just drag & drop content around). Your website will be a lot less customizable when compared to using WordPress, as you can’t modify the codes to your website.

This platform doesn’t have a free plan really, so it’s hard to get properly acquainted with it or take the leap. It’s easier to use than some of the platforms but it lacks customization. There is also not that much back-end maintenance with this kind of platform.

Blogger is one of the simpler platforms and that’s why it is pretty popular. It’s a platform that many bloggers start out on, then maybe move onto a more customizable platform or something that suits your needs better.

WordPress – More flexibility and highly customizable. Requires ongoing maintenance, higher initial learning curve, and more likely to have a higher financial commitment over the long run. Costs are less predictable, depending on whether you need to hire developers.

Medium is great if you want to share stories with nice imagery and it’s one of the cleanest. But you cannot log trips or connect with fellow travelers on this platform as easily as you can on other platforms.

WordPress is by far the best, I have tried many platforms in my quest to build the best travel website or get links for SEO.

If you not very serious about your blog and its just to show people where you going and what you up to, then I recommend any of the above but If you plan on having a blog for an extended period I would recommend getting good WordPress hosting from Siteground  or any other host which allows you the easy install and setup.

I think all the platforms have their pros and cons. It is hard to say which one of them is the best. However, I will continue to use each platform to log some trips and see if one particularly stands out from the rest.

In the end, I went to WordPress to start my new travel blog.

What do you think?

Is there a platform that you are using that is working well for you, or have I missed something? Leave it in the comments 🙂

More to explorer

ChatGPT vs Jasper AI | The Pros & Cons of Each AI Writing Tool

9 Common SEO Mistakes You Should Avoid + How to Fix Them

Storytelling in Digital Marketing for Travel Websites

Book a call with an digital strategist.

Travel agency social media strategy 101: A beginner's guide for travel agents

Last updated November 29, 2023

If you're wondering what a travel agency social media strategy is, you're in the right place. It’s a term that gets thrown around a lot, but it’s rarely defined.

Essentially, a travel agency social media strategy is a plan for how you'll use social media to achieve your business goals. And if you're a travel agent, having a social media strategy is more important than ever before.

In today's digital age, social media can be a powerful tool for promoting your business, building brand awareness, connecting with potential customers and getting them into your sales funnel. But without a solid strategy in place, your efforts may fall flat.

That’s why I’m walking you through the basics of social media strategy for travel agents. Whether you're a complete beginner or just looking to up your game, I’ve got you covered. So, let's dive in!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I may get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Step 1: Define your goals and objectives

Before you start posting on social media willy-nilly, it's important to take a step back and think about your goals and objectives.

What do you want to achieve with your social media strategy? Do you want to increase your number of followers? Drive traffic to your website? Boost your bookings for a particular destination?

Once you've defined your goals, you can start to develop a strategy that will help you achieve them. And let's be honest, who doesn't love a good strategy?

As a travel advisor, your goals might include things like:

Increasing brand awareness

Building relationships with potential customers

Driving more traffic to your website

Generating leads and bookings

Whatever your goals may be, it's important to make sure they're SMART. That stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. SMART goals are more likely to lead to success, and less likely to leave you feeling overwhelmed or directionless.

Do you want to increase your social media followers by a certain number or percentage by a specific date? Maybe you’d like to connect with a specific number of leads, or get a certain number of bookings for a specific destination within a specific time period. Those are both examples of SMART goals.

So, take some time to think about what you want to achieve with your social media strategy. Then, write down some SMART goals to help you get there. Trust me, it's worth the effort.

Step 2: Know your target audience

Alright, time to get a little more specific. When it comes to social media, it's not just about getting as many followers as possible. It's about getting the right followers.

That's where knowing your target audience comes in. If you don't know who your ideal customer is, you'll have a tough time creating content that resonates with them and ultimately, driving more business.

Think about it: would you rather have 10,000 followers who aren't interested in travel or 1,000 followers who are itching to book their next trip? Yep, I thought so.

So, take some time to define your target audience. Who are they? What are their interests? Where do they live? What kind of trips do they like to take?

Once you have a good idea of who you're trying to reach, you can start to tailor your content to their interests and needs. And trust me, they'll appreciate it.

One way to define your target audience is to create a buyer persona or an Ideal Client Avatar. What are those? They’re simply a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer. It includes things like their demographics, interests, pain points, and more.

To create a buyer persona, start by gathering data on your existing customers. Look at their age, gender, income, location, and more. Then, think about their interests, motivations, and challenges. Use this information to create a detailed profile of your ideal customer.

> Want a step-by-step guide and worksheet to make creating your Ideal Client Avatar easy? Click here!

With your target audience in mind, you'll be able to create content that speaks directly to them, build relationships with potential customers, and ultimately, drive more business.

Step 3: Choose the right travel agency social media platforms

Alright, now that you know who you're trying to reach, it's time to figure out where to find them.

There are a ton of social media platforms out there, and not all of them are right for every business. As a travel agent, you'll want to focus on the platforms where your target audience is most active.

So, which platforms should you be using? Here are a few of the most popular social media platforms for travel agents:

Facebook: With over 2.8 billion monthly active users, Facebook is a great place to connect with potential customers and share your travel expertise.

Instagram: With its focus on visual content, Instagram is perfect for showcasing travel destinations and inspiring your audience to book their next trip.

Twitter: Twitter is a great platform for sharing travel news and engaging with customers in real-time.

Pinterest: Pinterest is a visual search engine that's perfect for showcasing travel destinations and creating travel guides.

Of course, there are many other social media platforms out there, so it's important to do your research and figure out which ones are right for your business.

> Check out the Travel Advisor’s Guide to Social Media

When choosing which platforms to use, consider things like your target audience's age, interests, and their preferred social media platforms. You should also think about the type of content you want to create and how it will best be shared on each platform.

Remember, different platforms serve different purposes, so it's important to choose the ones that align with your social media goals and overall marketing strategy.

And don't forget to have fun with it! Social media is a great way to show off your personality and connect with potential customers in a more casual, human way.

Step 4: Develop a content calendar

Now that you know which platforms you'll be using, it's time to start creating content! But before you start posting, it's important to have a plan in place.

That's where a content calendar comes in. A content calendar is essentially a schedule that outlines what content you'll be posting and when. It's a great way to stay organized, consistent, and make sure you're always providing value to your audience.

Here's how to create a content calendar for your travel agency:

Start by brainstorming content ideas. What types of content will resonate with your audience? What questions do they have about travel? What types of destinations are they interested in? Think about these things and jot down some ideas.

Decide on your posting frequency. How often will you be posting on each platform? Make sure to choose a frequency that's realistic for your schedule and allows you to consistently provide value to your audience.

Choose a calendar tool. There are a ton of great content calendar tools out there, ranging from free to paid. You can even use your regular calendar and simply add your content calendar to it.

Fill in your content ideas on the calendar. Make sure to mix up your content types (e.g. photos, videos, blog posts, etc.) and be strategic about when you're posting certain content.

Schedule your posts, preferably in advance using a social media scheduler. I use and highly recommend Later , but no matter which one you use you’ll want to find one that works for you and start setting up your schedule.

A content calendar is a crucial part of any social media strategy, but it's also important to stay flexible and be willing to adjust your plan as needed. And remember, the goal is to provide value to your audience, so make sure your content is always informative, engaging, and helpful!

Step 5: Create engaging social media content

Now that you have a content calendar in place, it's time to focus on creating engaging content that will capture your audience's attention and keep them coming back for more. Remember, the goal is to provide value to your audience and build a relationship with them through your content.

Here are some tips for creating compelling content for your travel agency:

Know your audience. Make sure you're creating content that speaks to your target audience's interests and needs. Think about what types of travel experiences they're looking for and what questions they may have about travel.

Use visuals. Travel is a visual experience, so make sure your content includes eye-catching photos and videos. This will help your content stand out and grab your audience's attention.

Tell a story. People love stories, so use your content to tell stories about your travel experiences or the experiences of your customers. This will make your content more relatable and engaging.

Provide value. Make sure your content provides value to your audience. This could be in the form of travel tips, destination guides, or special offers on travel packages.

Mix up your content types. Don't just stick to photos or videos. Mix things up by including blog posts, infographics, and other types of content that will keep your audience engaged.

> Want to learn more about creating engaging travel content? Check out this post!

Some examples of engaging content for travel agents could include:

Destination guides

Travel tips and hacks

Customer testimonials

Behind-the-scenes looks at your business

Beautiful destination photos and videos

Remember, the key to creating engaging content is to put yourself in your audience's shoes and think about what types of content would be most valuable and interesting to them. By doing this, you'll be well on your way to building a loyal following on social media.

Step 6: Measure your social media success

After putting in the effort to create and execute a travel agency social media strategy, it's important to measure its success. Without tracking your progress, you won't be able to determine whether your efforts are paying off or if there's room for improvement.

To measure the success of your social media strategy as a travel agent, it's important to track relevant metrics such as engagement rates, reach, follower growth, and click-through rates. These metrics can give you insights into how your audience is responding to your content and how your strategy is driving traffic to your website or increasing bookings.

There are various tools you can use to track your metrics such as Google Analytics and individual social media platform analytics. If you use a scheduling service like Later you can also track many of your metrics there.

All of these tools can provide detailed reports on your social media performance and help you identify areas where you can make improvements.

Remember, measuring the success of your social media strategy is an ongoing process, and you should regularly review and adjust your strategy based on your metrics. This way, you can continually optimize your social media presence and achieve your business goals.

The bottom line

Congratulations, you now have a solid foundation for creating a successful travel agency social media strategy! Remember, having a well-thought-out social media strategy is key to standing out in a crowded industry and reaching your target audience.

As you embark on your social media journey, keep in mind that building a strong presence takes time and effort. Be patient, stay consistent, and don't be afraid to experiment with different tactics to see what works best for you.

Did you find this information valuable? If so, sign up here to get articles like this delivered directly to your inbox each week.

• Social Media
• Marketing Strategy
• New Travel Advisors

Recent Posts

Step by step guide: Defining your ideal client

The travel advisor’s guide to social media

Inspiring Wanderlust: How to Write Engaging Travel Agency Blog Posts

• Topics ›
• Mobile social media worldwide ›

Social Media has the Greatest Influence on Travel Destination Choices

Sponsored post by booking.com.

The COVID years have paved the way for greater consumer trust and familiarity with advancement in biometric identity management and automatic check-in at airports. However, social media continues to cement itself as a crucial ingredient for many travelers, with 75% using social platforms as a source of inspiration for travel.

Description

This infographic show the share of respondents who were influenced to travel to a destination, by channel

Can I integrate infographics into my blog or website?

Yes, Statista allows the easy integration of many infographics on other websites. Simply copy the HTML code that is shown for the relevant statistic in order to integrate it. Our standard is 660 pixels, but you can customize how the statistic is displayed to suit your site by setting the width and the display size. Please note that the code must be integrated into the HTML code (not only the text) for WordPress pages and other CMS sites.

Infographic Newsletter

Statista offers daily infographics about trending topics, covering: Economy & Finance , Politics & Society , Tech & Media , Health & Environment , Consumer , Sports and many more.

Related Infographics

Offline hotel bookings defy digitalization, the evolution of air travel, sponsored post by booking.com, social media shapes travel experiences, top 10 nature destinations in southeast asia, the how of improving social cohesion with local tourism, european hospitality sector experiences unprecedented levels of bankruptcies, top 10 history and culture destinations in southeast asia, leading challenges for the japanese accommodation industry, effective policies for reducing tourism-related emissions, hotels faring significantly better than strs on the japanese travel accommodation market, the us remains the largest domestic travel market, sponsored post by booking.com, top 10 foodie destinations in southeast asia.

• Who may use the "Chart of the Day"? The Statista "Chart of the Day", made available under the Creative Commons License CC BY-ND 3.0, may be used and displayed without charge by all commercial and non-commercial websites. Use is, however, only permitted with proper attribution to Statista. When publishing one of these graphics, please include a backlink to the respective infographic URL. More Information
• Which topics are covered by the "Chart of the Day"? The Statista "Chart of the Day" currently focuses on two sectors: "Media and Technology", updated daily and featuring the latest statistics from the media, internet, telecommunications and consumer electronics industries; and "Economy and Society", which current data from the United States and around the world relating to economic and political issues as well as sports and entertainment.
• Does Statista also create infographics in a customized design? For individual content and infographics in your Corporate Design, please visit our agency website www.statista.design

Any more questions?

Get in touch with us quickly and easily. we are happy to help.

Feel free to contact us anytime using our contact form or visit our FAQ page .

Statista Content & Design

Need infographics, animated videos, presentations, data research or social media charts?

More Information

The Statista Infographic Newsletter

Receive a new up-to-date issue every day for free.

• Our infographics team prepares current information in a clear and understandable format
• Relevant facts covering media, economy, e-commerce, and FMCG topics
• Use our newsletter overview to manage the topics that you have subscribed to

An official website of the United States government Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Final Rule Requiring Automatic Refunds of Airline Tickets and Ancillary Service Fees

Rule makes it easy to get money back for cancelled or significantly changed flights, significantly delayed checked bags, and additional services not provided  

WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris Administration today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final rule that requires airlines to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash refunds when owed. The new rule makes it easy for passengers to obtain refunds when airlines cancel or significantly change their flights, significantly delay their checked bags, or fail to provide the extra services they purchased.

“Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them - without headaches or haggling,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg . “Our new rule sets a new standard to require airlines to promptly provide cash refunds to their passengers.”  

The final rule creates certainty for consumers by defining the specific circumstances in which airlines must provide refunds. Prior to this rule, airlines were permitted to set their own standards for what kind of flight changes warranted a refund. As a result, refund policies differed from airline to airline, which made it difficult for passengers to know or assert their refund rights. DOT also received complaints of some airlines revising and applying less consumer-friendly refund policies during spikes in flight cancellations and changes. 

Under the rule, passengers are entitled to a refund for:

• Canceled or significantly changed flights: Passengers will be entitled to a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly changed, and they do not accept alternative transportation or travel credits offered. For the first time, the rule defines “significant change.” Significant changes to a flight include departure or arrival times that are more than 3 hours domestically and 6 hours internationally; departures or arrivals from a different airport; increases in the number of connections; instances where passengers are downgraded to a lower class of service; or connections at different airports or flights on different planes that are less accessible or accommodating to a person with a disability.  
• Significantly delayed baggage return: Passengers who file a mishandled baggage report will be entitled to a refund of their checked bag fee if it is not delivered within 12 hours of their domestic flight arriving at the gate, or 15-30 hours of their international flight arriving at the gate, depending on the length of the flight.  
• Extra services not provided: Passengers will be entitled to a refund for the fee they paid for an extra service — such as Wi-Fi, seat selection, or inflight entertainment — if an airline fails to provide this service.

DOT’s final rule also makes it simple and straightforward for passengers to receive the money they are owed. Without this rule, consumers have to navigate a patchwork of cumbersome processes to request and receive a refund — searching through airline websites to figure out how make the request, filling out extra “digital paperwork,” or at times waiting for hours on the phone. In addition, passengers would receive a travel credit or voucher by default from some airlines instead of getting their money back, so they could not use their refund to rebook on another airline when their flight was changed or cancelled without navigating a cumbersome request process.  

The final rule improves the passenger experience by requiring refunds to be:

• Automatic: Airlines must automatically issue refunds without passengers having to explicitly request them or jump through hoops.   
• Prompt: Airlines and ticket agents must issue refunds within seven business days of refunds becoming due for credit card purchases and 20 calendar days for other payment methods.  
• Cash or original form of payment: Airlines and ticket agents must provide refunds in cash or whatever original payment method the individual used to make the purchase, such as credit card or airline miles. Airlines may not substitute vouchers, travel credits, or other forms of compensation unless the passenger affirmatively chooses to accept alternative compensation.    
• Full amount: Airlines and ticket agents must provide full refunds of the ticket purchase price, minus the value of any portion of transportation already used. The refunds must include all government-imposed taxes and fees and airline-imposed fees, regardless of whether the taxes or fees are refundable to airlines.

The final rule also requires airlines to provide prompt notifications to consumers affected by a cancelled or significantly changed flight of their right to a refund of the ticket and extra service fees, as well as any related policies.

In addition, in instances where consumers are restricted by a government or advised by a medical professional not to travel to, from, or within the United States due to a serious communicable disease, the final rule requires that airlines must provide travel credits or vouchers. Consumers may be required to provide documentary evidence to support their request. Travel vouchers or credits provided by airlines must be transferrable and valid for at least five years from the date of issuance.

The Department received a significant number of complaints against airlines and ticket agents for refusing to provide a refund or for delaying processing of refunds during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, refund complaints peaked at 87 percent of all air travel service complaints received by DOT. Refund problems continue to make up a substantial share of the complaints that DOT receives.

DOT’s Historic Record of Consumer Protection Under the Biden-Harris Administration

Under the Biden-Harris Administration and Secretary Buttigieg, DOT has advanced the largest expansion of airline passenger rights, issued the biggest fines against airlines for failing consumers, and returned more money to passengers in refunds and reimbursements than ever before in the Department’s history.

• Thanks to pressure from Secretary Buttigieg and DOT’s flightrights.gov dashboard, all 10 major U.S. airlines guarantee free rebooking and meals, and nine guarantee hotel accommodations when an airline issue causes a significant delay or cancellation. These are new commitments the airlines added to their customer service plans that DOT can legally ensure they adhere to and are displayed on flightrights.gov .  
• Since President Biden took office, DOT has helped return more than $3 billion in refunds and reimbursements owed to airline passengers – including over $600 million to passengers affected by the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown in 2022.   
• Under Secretary Buttigieg, DOT has issued over $164 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations. Between 1996 and 2020, DOT collectively issued less than $71 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations.  
• DOT recently launched a new partnership with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general to fast-track the review of consumer complaints, hold airlines accountable, and protect the rights of the traveling public.  
• In 2023, the flight cancellation rate in the U.S. was a record low at under 1.2% — the lowest rate of flight cancellations in over 10 years despite a record amount of air travel.  
• DOT is undertaking its first ever industry-wide review of airline privacy practices and its first review of airline loyalty programs.

In addition to finalizing the rules to require automatic refunds and protect against surprise fees, DOT is also pursuing rulemakings that would:

• Propose to ban family seating junk fees and guarantee that parents can sit with their children for no extra charge when they fly. Before President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg pressed airlines last year, no airline committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating. Now, four airlines guarantee fee-free family seating, and the Department is working on its family seating junk fee ban proposal.  
• Propose to make passenger compensation and amenities mandatory so that travelers are taken care of when airlines cause flight delays or cancellations.   
• Expand the rights for passengers who use wheelchairs and ensure that they can travel safely and with dignity . The comment period on this proposed rule closes on May 13, 2024.

The final rule on refunds can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/latest-news and at regulations.gov , docket number DOT-OST-2022-0089. There are different implementation periods in this final rule ranging from six months for airlines to provide automatic refunds when owed to 12 months for airlines to provide transferable travel vouchers or credits when consumers are unable to travel for reasons related to a serious communicable disease. 

Information about airline passenger rights, as well as DOT’s rules, guidance and orders, can be found at   https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer .

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

• Local Media Release

U.S. Border Patrol Agents and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies Seized More Than $300,000 in Smuggled Tobacco Products

THERESA, N.Y.  – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Wellesley Island Station Anti-Smuggling Unit assisted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on a traffic stop that resulted in the seizure of more than one million smuggled cigarettes .

On April 14, Border Patrol agents responded to a traffic stop initiated by sheriff’s deputies on State Route 411. Through investigative steps, Border Patrol agents and sheriff’s deputies discovered more than fifty cardboard boxes that contained 1,025,000 non-compliant-loose cigarettes. Further investigation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, revealed that the loose cigarettes were not manufactured in the United States and were determined to have a MSRP of more than $336,000.

“Discovering and removing illicit and unregulated tobacco products is one of the many enforcement actions we take to safeguard our nation and the community,” said Patrol Agent in Charge Andrew Regan. “The partnership the Border Patrol has with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is crucial in the prevention of criminal organizations from profiting and exploiting the trafficking of potentially hazardous tobacco products.”                                                                                   

The cigarettes and vehicle were seized for destruction/forfeiture by the U. S. Border Patrol. The trafficking of smuggled tobacco products in New York state remains illegal under state and federal law.

Buffalo Sector is responsible for securing the border between ports of entry in New York and Pennsylvania encompassing 341 linear maritime border miles. The assistance of citizens is invaluable to their border security mission, and they welcome community members to help them keep our nation’s borders safe and report suspicious activity at 1-800-331-0353. 

For more on Customs and Border Protection’s mission at our nation’s ports of entry with CBP officers and along U.S. borders with Border Patrol agents, please visit the Border Security section of the CBP website. 

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @CBPBuffalo and @USBPChiefBUN

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.

Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Full Topic List

Regions & Countries

• Publications
• Our Methods
• Short Reads
• Tools & Resources

Read Our Research On:

81% of U.S. adults – versus 46% of teens – favor parental consent for minors to use social media

More than 40 states and the District of Columbia are suing Meta , the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, alleging its platforms purposefully use addictive features that harm children’s mental health.

Amid this news, U.S. adults and teens are more likely to support than oppose requiring parental consent for minors to create a social media account and requiring people to verify their age before using these platforms, according to a pair of new Pew Research Center surveys. But adults are far more supportive than teens of these measures, as well as limiting how much time minors can spend on social media.

Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand American adults’ and teens’ views on ways social media companies could limit minors’ use of their platforms. This analysis uses data from two separate surveys, allowing us to compare the views of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 with U.S. adults ages 18 and older.

For the analysis of teens, the Center conducted an online survey of 1,453 U.S. teens from Sept. 26 to Oct. 23, 2023, via Ipsos. Ipsos recruited the teens via their parents who were a part of its KnowledgePanel , a probability-based web panel recruited primarily through national, random sampling of residential addresses. The survey is weighted to be representative of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 who live with parents by age, gender, race and ethnicity, household income and other categories. This research was reviewed and approved by an external institutional review board (IRB), Advarra, an independent committee of experts specializing in helping to protect the rights of research participants.

For the separate analysis of adults, the Center surveyed 8,842 U.S. adults from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1, 2023. Everyone who took part in the survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP). This online survey panel is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race and ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the  ATP’s methodology .

Here are the  questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology .

Here’s a closer look at the findings from the two new surveys – one of adults and one of teens – which we conducted in late September through October, before the states’ lawsuit against Meta.

Adults’ views on social media policies aimed at minors

Most U.S. adults (81%) say they support social media companies requiring parental consent for minors to create a social media account. About seven-in-ten favor requiring people to verify their age before using social media sites (71%) and setting limits on how much time minors can spend on these platforms (69%). Only about one-in-ten adults oppose each of these three measures.

Still, some adults are uncertain. For example, roughly one-in-five adults are unsure if companies should require age verification (18%) or set time limits for minors (17%).

Views among adults by age, party and parental status

Many social media companies do not allow those under 13 to use their sites. Still, there’s a growing movement to develop stricter age verification measures , such as requiring users to provide government-issued identification. Legislators have pushed for mandatory parental consent and time restrictions for those under 18, arguing this will help parents better monitor what their children do on social media.

Our survey finds there is strong bipartisan support for these types of policies. Clear majorities of Republicans and Democrats – including independents who lean to either party – support parental consent, time limits for minors and age verification.

Majorities of adults across age groups support social media companies introducing these measures. But young adults are less supportive than their older counterparts. For example, 67% of those ages 18 to 29 say social media sites should require parental consent for minors to create an account, but this share rises to 84% among those ages 30 and older.

Additionally, majorities of parents and those without children back each of these measures, though support is somewhat higher among parents.

Teens’ views on social media policies for minors

Building on the Center’s previous studies of youth and social media, we asked U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 about their views on these measures.

Teens are more likely to support than oppose social media companies requiring parental consent for minors to create an account (46% vs. 25%). There’s even more support for requiring people to verify their age before using these sites – 56% of teens favor this, while 16% oppose it.

But their views are more divided when it comes to setting limits on how long minors can use these sites. Similar shares of teens support and oppose this (34% vs. 36%).

For each of these policies, about three-in-ten teens report being unsure if this is something social media companies should do.

How adults’ and teens’ views on social media policies differ

Adults are considerably more supportive of all three measures we asked about than are teens.

While 81% of U.S. adults support social media companies requiring parental consent for minors to create an account, that share drops to 46% among U.S. teens.

Adults are also about twice as likely as teens to support setting limits on how much time minors can spend on social media sites (69% vs. 34%).

But majorities of adults and teens alike support requiring people to verify their age before using social media sites. But on this, too, adults are more supportive than teens (71% vs. 56%).

Note: Here are the  questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology .

• Social Media
• Technology Policy Issues
• Teens & Tech

Monica Anderson is a director of research at Pew Research Center

Michelle Faverio is a research analyst focusing on internet and technology research at Pew Research Center

How Teens and Parents Approach Screen Time

Teens and social media fact sheet, how americans view data privacy, charting congress on social media in the 2016 and 2020 elections, men appear twice as often as women in news photos on facebook, most popular.

1615 L St. NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036 USA (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax (+1) 202-419-4372 |  Media Inquiries

Research Topics

• Age & Generations
• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Economy & Work
• Family & Relationships
• Gender & LGBTQ
• Immigration & Migration
• International Affairs
• Internet & Technology
• Methodological Research
• News Habits & Media
• Non-U.S. Governments
• Other Topics
• Politics & Policy
• Race & Ethnicity
• Email Newsletters

ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER  Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of  The Pew Charitable Trusts .

Copyright 2024 Pew Research Center

Terms & Conditions

Privacy Policy

Cookie Settings

Reprints, Permissions & Use Policy