10 tips for creating content while traveling

Wether or not you create "travel content", traveling is still a part of every content creator's life.
You travel to clients to film events or conduct interviews, you commute to an office space, you meet up with people for collaborations, you take weekend trips, you go on vacation... 

No matter how and when you travel, it's a great opportunity to create content and I'm going to explain why (and how) in this newsletter.

Let's take a step back first.
What is a content creator?

At the core of a content creator's life is often a "brand".
You might work for a company (building their brand), for an entrepreneur or artist (building their brand), or for yourself (building your own personal brand).

That brand is something that has taken a lot of time and work to build up and it is what allows you to do what you love and the more successful a brand becomes, the less you need to sell and promote it.

In the beginning, building a brand takes a lot of work (and the income doesn't always reflect that effort). But over time, as your brand grows, you can reduce the amount of effort spent on brand-building as your brand awareness and income increases, until you've found a sustainable balance (that you can maintain over time).

So how does brand-building connect to travel content?

Well, to simplify brand building, you can break down a personal brand into three parts or three "buckets" 🪣 (and you need to keep filling up all of these buckets regularly). These buckets are "marketing", "sales", and "community".

📢 The "marketing"-bucket is everything you do to reach more people with your message. It could be search-optimized content or freebies that educate, inspire, or entertain your target audience.

🤝 The "sales"-bucket is when you are converting your reach into income through products, services, experiences, courses, membership etc.

♥️ The "community"-bucket is where you develop relationships.
The goal here is not to reach more people or to sell, but to get to know your existing community better and get them to know you better. You might share personal stories, experiences, emotions, mistakes. You might show curiosity in your community by asking questions or showing support in some way.

Travel content is a great example of something that can support your "community"-bucket. It allows you to share authentic moments from your life, showcasing your personality. Where do you travel? How do you travel? Why do you travel? Capturing photos or short clips while traveling can communicate a lot about who you are, your personality, what you like and what you stand for.

This type of content doesn't have to be extraordinary.
It doesn't need to have a high production quality.
It can just be a short clip of you waiting for the bus, getting in the car, working on your laptop at a café or at the airport, reading a book, drinking coffee, arriving at a hotel, behind-the-scenes of when you are out working, eating at a restaurant, cutting the grass, taking a swim, hanging out with friends etc... It doesn't have to be work-related.

It could be literally anything you do that, in some way, communicates who you are as a person and what you do. And the more content you collect, the stronger of a brand you can build. But is has to be authentic. Otherwise it will fall flat.

People want to get to know you.
People want to connect with you on a deeper level.
People want to be able to relate to the things you're doing.

And if you are afraid that AI will take over your role as a content creator,
use travel content to your advantage.
Because AI won't "hang out at the beach".
AI won't "go on a weekend trip with friends".
AI won't "share a personal story".
AI won't "go to the store".
AI won't "go surfing".

Travel content is like the puzzle pieces that help you build the full picture of you. It is what will help you connect more with your community and it is what will help you sell more.

But creating content "on the go" might feel difficult or scary.
Believe me when I say that it is easier than you think.
You don't need an expensive camera. Your phone is fine.
The clips don't have to be long or cinematic. Simple 3 second clips are fine.
The quality doesn't need to great, it is more about being transparent and genuine.
The lighting issue can be solved by filming outside (using daylight) and audio isn't even necessary.
See? It's really not that complicated.

The goal with this type of content isn't to create high quality movies for the cinema. It is to share short snippets on social media.

So what are some things to think about when creating "travel content"?
Here are my 10 tips for creating travel content (with the most important points first):

1. Battery and storage space
First thing first, make sure that your phone is charged and that you have enough free space for media on your phone. If not, nothing else really matters. Check this ahead of time and bring a powerbank as a backup.
Preparation is key!

2. Focus and brightness
Most of your clips can be adjusted/improved later, except if the clip is too blurry or too bright. These are two mistakes I try to avoid at all costs.

3. Stability
I can't stress this enough: Hold the camera steady.
Or even better, use a tripod or place the camera/phone on a solid surface.
Your content will instantly look more professional if you're not shaking the phone when filming.

4. Proactivity
Think about what each clip communicates. What is the purpose of each clip? What message do you want to share? Thinking this through and planning ahead can make things less stressful later.

5. Capturing the "moments" first
When traveling, there are moments that will only happen once. The departure of the plane. The intro at a hockey game or a concert. Someones natural reaction to something. Make sure to catch those moments on camera and then create your more generic content ideas as a backup.

6. Being creative
Every location offers something unique. It can be helpful to think about what that specific location/situation is providing that you can't re-create or find somewhere else.

7. Using light to your advantage
Place your camera somewhere between you and the sun (or other light source). That way, you get light onto your face and your background, creating a more appealing photo/clip. Avoid filming towards the sun (unless that is a stylistic choice).

8. Using motion to our advantage
If you are on a train, bus or plane, you don't necessarily need camera movements because you are already moving. (Traveling is a perfect opportunity to film a timelapse or catch slowmotion footage.)

9. "Clean" footage
A clip with fewer distracting objects inside the frame can often make a clip look better. It will help the viewer to focus on what's important and it can also help when adding text or graphics on top of the clip later.

10. Angle variety
Don't just film "Point Of View"-clips. Put the phone on a tripod. Place it on the ground and walk over it. Attach it to a rolling suitcase. Film through objects to get more depth in the clip. Experiment! Try different things!
Do the uncomfortable.

I hope these tips helped!
There are many more things I could share but if you start with these 10 tips, you're off to a great start! ☺️

Let me know if you have any questions or tips that you want to add!

Now, go out and create! 👍

-----

ONLINE PROGRAM FOR CREATORS:

Systemize, Optimize, & Monetize
your content creation process

What is Streamlined Creator?

If you want to set the foundation for your channel, get systems in place, and grow faster, "Streamlined Creator" is for you!

Book a free 30-min Discovery Call and I'll share exactly how this program can take you closer to the life you love, where you can spend less time in a cubicle and more time creating YouTube content.

You will get insights, resources, custom support, and experience from my 7 years on YouTube and we will go into detail on the systems I’ve used to generate over 5 million views.

Depending on when you read this, enrollment might be open or closed. If it is closed, I will put you on the waitlist for the next launch right after the call and let you know once I open the doors for the next cohort.

Let me help you Systemize, Optimize, and Monetize your creative skills!