How to Create Travel Videos that Draw an Audience

Do you like to travel and take videos? Vinnie Van GO reached out to writer Jane Hurst about how to make the most of them.

If you love to travel, and you love to take videos on your travels, it may be time to make the jump to becoming a travel blogger. There are people out there who want to learn about the places you have visited, and they are interested in hearing what people have to say about various vacation destinations. They also enjoy watching travel videos, as long as they are well-made and aren’t just videos of someone’s kids playing around at various tourist sites. If you are interested in becoming a travel blogger, here are some tips that will help you create travel videos that people are going to want to watch.

• Choose Your Video Type – One of the first things you need to do is decide which types of videos you want to make. You have a few options to look into, including travel vlogs, travel guide videos, niche videos (food, amusement parks, zoos, state and national parks, historical sites, etc.), and marketing videos (which can help to promote your brand). You may want to stick with one type of video to start with, and then branch out into other types once you have an audience.
• Consider the Location – You need to find the best locations that people are interested in seeing and learning more about. A video showing a back alley may look cool, but it isn’t going to attract an audience for your travel blog. Look for popular tourism areas, including beaches, historical sites, resorts, etc. Look for backgrounds that are going to be pleasing to the eye, and whenever possible, include people enjoying themselves at these locations in your videos.
• Consider Background Noise – One of the most annoying things about many videos is that they are loaded with background noise. You have two choices with this. You can either leave the noise in, which your audience is not going to like, or you can spend more time in editing and put voiceovers or music in the background. Look for locations that don’t have a lot of background noise. Stay away from construction zones, and take other steps to avoid unwanted noise.
• Upgrade Your Tech – You don’t need to go out and buy an expensive video camera in order to make great videos. As long as you have one of the newer mobile phones with video capabilities, you have all that you need. If your older iPhone doesn’t let you create the quality of videos that you need, it is time to upgrade your tech. You can sell used iPhone devices and use the cash towards newer models that have better capabilities for shooting and editing your travel videos. Use Long and Short Shots – A video can get pretty boring if you are only using one stationary shot. Get creative with your shots, and use both long and short shorts, and everything in between. Look for ways to make your videos more unique, so they are something that people will really want to see because they are so interesting. Once you are more experienced at making good videos, you may even want to start playing around with different angles.
• Use Long and Short Shots – A video can get pretty boring if you are only using one stationary shot. Get creative with your shots, and use both long and short shorts, and everything in between. Look for ways to make your videos more unique, so they are something that people will really want to see because they are so interesting. Once you are more experienced at making good videos, you may even want to start playing around with different angles.
• Be Careful with Lighting – One of the most difficult obstacles for any videographer or photographer is lighting. Unless you are working in a studio, you don’t have a lot of control over lighting. But, you can manipulate it. For instance, if you are looking for the best lighting so there are no shadows, try making your outdoor videos around mid-day, when the sun isn’t too high or too low. Don’t have the sun directly behind your subjects, unless you are going for a silhouette effect. Overcast days are great, because you will get no harsh shadows.
  Jane Hurst is a writer, editor and avid traveler from San Francisco. Contact Jane here