Before the Trip
My Top Tips for Trip Planning
1: Do what you genuinely want to do
Your audience will come up with some fantastic ideas, and your previous videos may naturally steer you towards a certain destination or journey. All of this is valuable data, but the final choice must be something you actually want to do. If you aren’t enjoying a trip, it will shine through in the final edit, and you'll be on a fast track to burnout.
2: Repeat what works
The perfect scenario is to book a trip that works equally well for you and your channel. If you find that sweet spot, hang onto it! Personally, I love everything to do with being at sea, from kayaks to ferries and ocean liners. They are fantastic environments for filming and tend to be well-received by viewers. There is absolutely nothing wrong with making these journeys a cornerstone of your channel. But…
3: Variety is the spice of life
While it's great to repeat what works, you still need to mix things up to keep your channel fresh. Most ‘experts’ will tell you that the only way to be successful on YouTube is to narrow in on a hyper-specific niche. I don’t agree, and bucking that trend has gone pretty well for me. Put yourself out of your comfort zone occasionally; it keeps things interesting for both you and your audience, while expanding your horizons.
Top Tip: Try combining long-term trip planning with a bit of short-term spontaneity!
4: Have a "hook" before you book
Having a core concept in mind will help you choose the right itinerary, even if your destination choice is already locked in. A good hook can make a massive difference to the hotel locations you book, the transport you choose, or even the time of year you travel. Half the battle on YouTube is packaging a trip in a way that makes people want to click. Just be sure to keep your theme flexible, as travel inevitably pans out differently to how you imagine. Ultimately you need to remember that having a hook should never define your outcomes. It’s actually better to be taken in a completely different direction to what you first envisioned!
5: Live within your means
This is just the reality of running a sustainable channel. Every filming mission is a business decision, not a holiday, it has to make financial sense, otherwise it quickly becomes a very expensive hobby or vanity project. This can be a risk, especially with long-haul trips. You need to stick strictly to budgets, which often means filming ‘batch content’ (multiple videos per trip) to bring down the cost-per-video.
Top Tip: Get everything onto a spreadsheet from day one and keep on top of it relentlessly. It won’t only help you budget better, it’s also a good way to keep everything in one place for the dreaded year-end tax returns!
6: Avoid chasing travel trends
The travel space is incredibly crowded, so simply repeating what everyone else has just done is counterproductive. Unless you can bring a completely fresh angle to a trendy location, you risk losing your audience's interest before the video even starts. Be different. Look for a true hidden gem, or just go somewhere where you are the only traveller. The best way to build a channel is to offer unique value. Everyone has seen the big tourist attraction anyway, and there’s a whole world of discovery down the quieter street ;)
7: A happy creator makes a better video
Be comfortable and don’t push past your physical limits just for the sake of footage. Being an experienced traveller means knowing your strengths, weaknesses, and boundaries. For example, I hate hot weather just as much as mosquitoes love my blood, and no amount of air conditioning or DEET is going to change it. That’s why, when planning a visit to the equator, I chose Quito in Ecuador—its high altitude instantly removed the mosquito problem. (Let’s just not talk about everything else that happened on that trip…)
8: Leave room for mystery
Going somewhere new is all about the excitement of discovering the unfamiliar. When I book a journey, I try not to over-plan beyond the absolute essentials. I would much rather walk down a street with genuine curiosity than know exactly what lies around the next corner. That way, I can share the authentic magic of seeing something unexpected with the viewer. Keep your wits about you, but stay curious.
💡 A Quick Story on Spontaneity:
One of the best trips I ever did was as a youngster. I booked a return flight to Madrid, giving myself two weeks in Spain with zero plans. I just travelled freely around the country and eventually stumbled into Salamanca. That single spontaneous trip led to it becoming my home, which eventually inspired me to go to university. You can’t plan these sort of life-changing moments on a rigid itinerary.
9: Don’t forget what’s around the corner
A long-haul trip might fill you with anticipation, but don’t overlook what’s sitting right outside your front door. Remember: a location that feels completely mundane to you might look like an exotic adventure to someone watching on the other side of the world. Some of my most successful content has come from grabbing the GoPro and heading outside during a storm or a fresh dump of snow. It gives viewers a little insight into your everyday life, which they love. Just don’t show too much! Your online privacy is important.
10: Actively avoid burnout
Creating travel content for YouTube is a brilliant job, but I’d be lying if I said it was easy. Living out of a suitcase quickly loses its charm. Half the time when I wake up on the road, it takes me a few moments to even work out which country I’m in. The process of flying also lost its romance for me many years ago. Be wise to the physical toll, and force yourself to leave proper gaps between big trips. Your body and mind will thank you for it, and there truly is no place like home. So appreciate the comfort of your own bed!