The dream job of travelling the world and experiencing the extraordinary is now a reality thanks to the world of social media and brands willing to pay big money!

There is, however, an art to being an instagram influencer. Stories need to be told along with stunning photography leaving the audience drooling over the destinations and ready to book their holidays to experience the same adventures. Influencers can turn their experiences into money as brands are willing to pay for the likes of accommodation and fashion in return for sponsored content. However, if it was as easy as posting your holiday snaps up and hoping to get an instant deal to travel the world we would all be doing it...

Top tips on how to become a travel influencer

  • Create a niche and stand out through this, be it extreme adventures, solo travelling, wildlife, romance etc...

  • Brand your niche by creating a platform for your audience to engage with across multiple channels.

  • Travel guides and tips are a great way to share your adventures with your audience and promote products and destinations.

  • It is likely that you will be funding your travels for some time so enjoy the experiences, plan them and keep it real with your content and consistent with the brand you have created for yourself.

  • Follow new technology and channels to stay ahead of the game

  • Engage with other travel influencers to immerse yourself into their world and get inspiration from.

  • Cross industries for further promotion, travel influencers often promote accommodation, food etc...

  • Engage with your audience - reply and post regularly keeping within your brand style

  • Only partner with brands that align with your values

  • Use location tags and hashtags

  • Find out the best time of day to post and keep postings regular based on the stats



Below are 10 travel influencers I think are worth following to brighten up your instagram feed and inspire your next holiday!

https://www.instagram.com/hilvees/

I follow this couple because they add romance to their feed, enjoying their travels together. They look like a model couple with their images having great compositions and quality. One half of the couple is a professional photographer which helps!

https://www.instagram.com/muradosmann/

Consistent with the use of the iconic hand holding from behind pose, this feed is full of colour, personality and great destinations.

https://www.instagram.com/kirstenalana/

Extensive narrative with each post which enables lots of brand promotion but in a way that leaves you feeling it is part of the adventure rather than in your face selling of products.

https://www.instagram.com/bucketlistjourney/

A great story of ticking off your bucket list through travel. However I like this feed because the photography feels consistent and human.

A brand of real life, travelling whilst still working 9-5. An inspiration for most of us. He also keeps up a great dialogue with his followers making the audience feel connected to the travels by asking questions and replying to posts.

https://www.instagram.com/doyoutravel/

It is reported this couple can charge up to 7k a post for their jaw dropping images coupled with brand promotion throughout

https://www.instagram.com/everchanginghorizon/

Scenic images that feel like pieces of art and extreme adventures thrown in, this influencer has brand partnering with the likes of apple music.

https://www.instagram.com/jannikobenhoff/

Great landscapes with a moody atmospheric feel to them. A top following on instagram and he is only 17.

https://www.instagram.com/girleatworld

Beautifully consistent images showing iconic food for iconic destinations. Held in the same manner creating a strong theme to feed and giving you a great insight into the popular food choices of each destination.

https://www.instagram.com/k_a_r_e_n_g/

More of a piece of art this feed is mainly black and white and captures great architecture with emotion.

Why brands should use influencers

  • Influencers are experts in the digital field and can help expand reach across different platforms as well as instagram for maximum reach

  • Influencers can cross into different audience types for more exposure; if you run a hotel for instance, use your influencer to promote the spa products or food in the hotel picking up a new set of followers

  • Micro influencers (1000 - 100,000 followers) are a “less well known” promoter of content. Using a Kardashian with millions of followers is going to come with a cost, but using multiple smaller influencers can spread your content wider at a cheaper rate. They also tend to have a more loyal following.

  • Trust your influencer to produce the content on their own terms, they have the following because they are authentic and trusted. They are also creative and can do the hard work on your content reach for you.

  • Using influencers opens up lots of dialogue with your customers for instant insight

  • Your brands’ social following will grow.

Whether you aspire to be an influencer or to partner with influencers, the consistent theme is to keep your content authentic and different and be engaged with your audience.

Hopefully some of these influencers will help with your travel plans this year!

Back to blog