More people are moving away from the traditional work ideals and adopting a more nomadic approach to work. Influencers, digital nomads, content creators. A large percentage of jobs that were once office based have now also switched to a work remotely model. One of the career paths that has become increasingly popular in recent years is travel vlogger.
The Covid-19 pandemic shut down the tourism industry. But it didn’t take long for it to bounce back once restrictions were lifted. People were beyond ready to go traveling again after such a turbulent time. This also means that now is the ideal time to break into the world of travel vlogging. But it can be quite a daunting prospect if you don’t have any vlogging or social media experience.
This guide will walk you through the basics of travel vlogging so that you can slowly make a name for yourself!
Get The Right Gear
Travel vlogging is less technology intensive than other content creation formats. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need quality products. You will be doing most of your filming with your phone, so you want a reliable model like a Google Pixel. You will also want a GoPro to capture time lapse footage.
You will want a small microphone that can attach to your shirt to ensure you get quality audio. Poor audio is one of the main reasons a lot of content is unsuccessful. You will want plenty of portable chargers, external hard drives, and tough cases for all of your gadgets to ensure they don’t get damaged while traveling.
You will want fully comprehensive travel insurance at all times too. If you want to make a career out of travel vlogging then you will want to be traveling for the majority of your time. So it is advantageous for you to invest in a good insurance plan. One that covers not only your physical stuff, but includes health insurance too.
Utilize Multiple Platforms
In the early days of the internet most travel vloggers could get away with using YouTube as their only upload platform. But these days, if you want to succeed, you need to be using as many platforms as you can to increase your exposure and bring in new followers.
YouTube should be your primary upload platform still. It allows the longest form content and is the most stable and reliable video sharing website on the internet. But you will also want to use TikTok and Instagram too. TikTok in particular has become a huge space for travel vlogs. It is ideal for uploading short videos highlighting smaller aspects of your travels like nice restaurants, bars, or tourist attractions. Then your full length vlogs can go into greater detail about your trip as a whole.
In the beginning you will find it difficult to build up a big follower count. Which is why we recommend buying followers. Follower growth is often exponential once you start gaining them. Meaning if you buy followers for your TikTok or Instagram even once you will start to notice your follower count increasing organically very quickly.
Don’t Copy Tourbooks
One of the main advantages of travel vlogs is that they are often more off the cuff and provide a more unbiased and genuine look into different locations. Anyone can buy a tourbook and see all the sponsored or most popular tourist destinations.
If you want to succeed you need to be exploring the places you visit and finding all the locations and experiences that aren’t listed in popular guidebooks and on travel agency websites. Spend time talking to locals and visiting the bars and restaurants that are off the beaten path. Take the time to learn about a location’s history and culture and share that with your audience.
A good starting point is to go on a number of different walking tours. This will help you get a lay of the land. Which then allows you to do more informed exploration. Being able to tell your viewers which tours are worth their time is also a huge advantage.
Locale Variety
If you really want to make it as a travel vlogger you need to include a large variety of locations in your content. This doesn’t mean you need to be jetting all over the world. But visiting numerous towns and cities within a country, or hopping over to neighboring countries is a great idea.
Building up a huge catalog of travel destinations on your page will bring in a lot more viewers. People will often look up travel vlogs specifically if they are already planning to go somewhere. So you want to cover as many destinations as you can to grab those viewers when they appear.
This doesn’t mean you can’t revisit the same place multiple times. Going back to a familiar destination will often allow you to create content that is more focused on niche aspects of that place.