Want to work with travel brands, stay in dreamy hotels, or get paid to create content around the world? You’ve come to the right place!
In 2025, travel collaborations are more accessible than ever, but standing out means knowing more than just how to take great photos. If you want consistent partnerships, you need to know where to find travel collabs, how to pitch to travel brands and how to build long-term relationships.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to land travel collaborations step by step, from where to look for opportunities, to what makes a great pitch and common mistakes that hold creators back.
1. The Foundations Before You Pitch
Before you send a single DM or email to a brand, take a step back and make sure your foundations are solid. A strong online presence, clear niche and professional brand assets can make or break your chances of landing travel collaborations.
🧭 Define Your Niche
Brands want to know who you speak to and why your audience is a good fit. Whether you're a budget backpacker, luxury couple, adventure filmmaker or solo female traveller, define it clearly and consistently across platforms.
- Your niche should show in your bio, content style and captions.
- A clear niche = a clear audience = better partnerships.
🧰 Have a Media Kit Ready
Your media kit is your travel creator CV, make sure it includes:
- A short bio and your niche
- Social stats (followers, engagement rates, audience demographics)
- Recent brand collabs or testimonials
- Examples of your best content
- Contact info and links
🧠 Know Your Platform Strengths
Do you have strong blog traffic? Is your reel reach high? Do brands often compliment your storytelling or visuals? Know what sets you apart and lead with that when pitching.
2. Know How to Pitch
Pitching is still one of the most effective ways to land travel collaborations in 2025, but only if you do it well. Brands are flooded with generic DMs and copy-paste emails.
If you want to stand out, your pitch needs to be clear, valuable and personalised. Here’s what to keep in mind:
✅ What to Include in Your Pitch
- A clear subject line - e.g. "A quick idea you’ll love" or "Idea for [Brand Name]"
- A quick, compelling intro - who you are, what you do and why you're reaching out
- Your offer - be specific about what you’re proposing: content types, reach, timing, etc.
- Why it benefits them - show that you’ve done your research and explain why this collab makes sense for their goals
- A call to action - suggest a call or offer to send your media kit
❌ What Not to Do
- Don’t send a generic message to 50 brands with “Hi there”
- Don't focus on yourself - focus on the benefits for the brand
- Don’t be vague about your deliverables or audience
- Don't send a lengthy email - be concise and get straight to the point
- Don’t forget to follow up - many collabs happen on the second or third email
3. Know Where to Look For Travel Collabs
Finding travel brands that are open to collaborations is half the battle. The good news is there are more platforms, agencies and brand outreach opportunities now than ever, you just need to know where to look.
🔍Platforms
Start with platforms built specifically for creators:
- TravelCollabs - Weekly travel-specific collab listings and brand opportunities
- Generic Influencer platforms like Aspire, Upfluence and CreatorIQ
- UGC marketplaces such as Collabstr or Insense, which often include travel campaigns
These sites connect creators with brands looking for partnerships — from paid hotel stays to destination campaigns and content-only deals.
💼 LinkedIn (Underrated Goldmine)
Linkedin is a hidden gem for creator opportunities. Connect with people in travel and tourism companies, comment thoughtfully on their posts and start conversations before you pitch - many now post creator calls or campaign news directly. You can also search for roles like “hotel photographers” or “creator partnerships”.
🤝 Creative Agencies & PR Firms
Some brands hire agencies to run their creator campaigns. Look for boutique agencies that specialise in travel, hospitality, or lifestyle. Many agencies have forms you can fill out as a creative, or just send them a pitch.
4. Network In-person and on Social Media
Pitching is important, but many of the best travel collaborations happen through relationships. Brands and agencies want to work with creators they know, like and trust - and networking is how you build that trust.
📱 Show Up on Social Media
Use social media platforms to engage and connect with brands you want to work with ans fellow travel creators.
- Comment with intention - Leave thoughtful comments that show your interest in the brand or its values.
- React to Stories - A low-pressure way to start conversations with brand accounts or marketing teams.
- DMs that build relationships - Instead of diving straight into a pitch, start with a compliment, a shared interest or a relevant question. Think of it like building a friendship first.
🗣️ Networking In Person
Don’t underestimate the power of face-to-face connection. Meeting brands, PR reps and fellow creators in real life can lead to faster trust and long-term partnerships.
- Attend travel conferences and creator events - Look for events like WTM, Traverse or niche retreats where brands and creators connect.
- Press trips and media events - These are great for building direct relationships with tourism boards and PR agencies. Even one strong connection can lead to multiple future collabs.
- Be ready to pitch in person - Have a digital business card, media kit link or QR code ready to share your work on the spot.
🤝 Meet Fellow Creators
Connecting with other travel creators can not only help you level up but also lead to new contacts and collab oppotunities.
- Connect with other travel creators in your niche. They may recommend you for campaigns, share contacts or even collab with you on projects.
- Attend events, press trips, or meetups - connect with others in person.
- Join creator communities on Facebook, Discord, or Slack - many share collab leads and insights weekly.
👀 Be Seen Consistently
- Brands notice creators who consistently engage with their content.
- Tag relevant brands in organic posts - just make sure it’s natural and not spammy.
- Show behind-the-scenes of your workflow, travels or client shoots to highlight your professionalism and creativity.
Networking isn’t just about being visible, it’s about being valuable. When you engage meaningfully, offer support and stay top of mind, you’ll start attracting opportunities instead of chasing them.
5. Know Your Offer & Know Your Worth
Before you pitch a brand or agree to a collab, you need to be clear on two things: what you're offering and why it’s valuable. Brands aren’t just looking for creators, they’re looking for results.
🎁 What’s Your Offer?
Think beyond just "an Instagram post." Your offer might include:
- High-quality content (photos, reels, blog posts, UGC)
- Audience reach - especially if your followers are travel-ready, niche-specific, or highly engaged
- Expertise - travel blogging, SEO, video storytelling or local knowledge
- Platform diversity - do you offer blog + TikTok + email list? That’s a powerful combo
Package your offer in a way that solves a brand’s problem: Do they need better content? Local exposure? Seasonal promotion? Tailor your pitch accordingly.
💰 Know Your Value (Even If You’re “Small”)
- Follower count isn’t everything - micro and nano creators often have higher engagement and trust.
- Share results, not just stats - clicks, saves, traffic or even customer DMs are evidence.
- Set realistic, confident rates for your work and stick to them - especially if you’re offering deliverables with long-term value like blog content or licensing rights.
❌ Mistakes to Avoid in 2025
Here's some common mistakes to avoid that can hold you back from landing consistent travel collaborations:
- Only pitching without giving value - Don’t make your pitch about what you want. Focus on what the brand will gain by working with you.
- Being inconsistent on your platforms - If you’re not posting regularly or your brand presence feels unclear, it’s harder for brands to trust you'll follow through.
- Ignoring data and insights - Brands love numbers, use stats like blog clicks, saves, engagement rates and video views to back up your value.
- Not following up - The first email is just the opener, follow up 5–7 days later - many deals happen after a gentle reminder.
If you’re serious about landing collabs (& making money) with your travel content - here are the best resources to help make it happen 👇
- 🔓 Travel Collabs Pro - Get unlimited access to the full library of travel collab opportunities - updated weekly.
- 🚀 Travel Collabs Playbook - A system for pitching, following up & securing deals - with templates, scripts and first-hand advice.
- 💸 Travelpayouts - Earn passive income from your blog or social media with the largest affiliate network for travel creators.
- 🏨 Stay22 - Maximize your hotel booking commissions with AI that skyrockets conversions (if you're a travel blogger, you need this).
