7 Tips: How To Get Paid To Travel

TRAVEL

Apr 8

THE ULTIMATE STEP BY STEP GUIDE + OVER 40 TOURISM BOARD CONTACTS & SAMPLE EMAIL TEMPLATE FOR COLLABORATION

The age old questions.

How do you get to travel so much? How can you afford this lifestyle? Why would anyone pay you to travel to their destination?
Just a few years ago, these were questions we too would ask anyone who would listen. We’ve been fortunate enough to have had luck and have learned a few lessons while traveling for clients for the past few years. Below is the official step by step guide to traveling for free (for work or even better, getting paid doing so).

1- WHAT CAN YOU OFFER?

Do you fancy yourself a writer with a unique voice? Are you really good at taking incredible images? Can you create engaging vlogs or commercial trailers? Do you already have an audience? Are you really good at marketing and have a knack at finding out what people like?

Of course, it’s rare for one person to tick all of the above but the more you expand your horizons and skills, the more attractive you are to these potential destinations.

If you hate writing blogs, you should probably focus your energy on something you are great at or something you don’t mind putting the effort into learning. Passion is key. Keep it simple and offer services that won’t feel like work.

Here are just a few things tourism boards look for in a collaboration:

Blog posts
Video review
Photography content (for them to use without limitations)
Videography content (for them to use without limitations)
Instagram stories (the more, the better)
Youtube post
Instagram static post

2- HONE YOUR PITCH & BE UNIQUE

You don’t need to be the best creator or photographer or videographer. You just need to work really hard and offer something the client has rarely or never seen. Whatever it may be, pitch it with as much enthusiasm and imagery as possible to excite the client and really convey what you’re trying to create.

Do your research first and pick a few spots off the beaten path. This means, don’t only contact the Paris Tourism Board with pitches about sweet Eiffel Tower images - pretty sure they’re covered in that department. Get your creative juices flowing, your idea may be a 360 degree video review of the most beautiful streets in Barcelona at night, a top ten list of the best rum bars in Barbados or a photo set of the top haunted castles in Scotland paired with its creepiest Scotch bottles.

If you need a little help tweaking your style or finessing your skills, make sure to check out some online classes by clicking here.

3- LEARN ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

No need to become a Facebook ads guru but a good understanding of popular social media trends and search trends is a good start. Destinations are always looking for the next viral moment or popular hashtag to dominate. Make sure you know the lingo and that you familiarize yourself with what other creators are making for their own clients. Don’t copy but get inspired.

A great place to start is GOOGLE TRENDS by deep diving in Google’s own data, you can find some interesting trends in specific locations and with specific keywords.

CONDE NAST TRAVELER is also a must publication to read to, not only get ideas but learn about content creation, voice, niches and tone.

4- WHAT IS YOUR PITCH?

Once you’ve made up your mind on an idea and after doing the research on the location, you’re ready for the pitch. As this is a cold pitch (warm being someone who has heard of you before and hot being the client actually pursuing you), you must use catch words to keep them reading while at the same time not sound too cookie cutter or contrived. It’s a tough balance.

First, you must introduce yourself. Second, explain what makes you different and how you think your idea could make for a positive influence in regards to their destination. Lastly, you explain exactly what you will be offering them and what you expect in return. You don’t necessarily need a media kit, but definitely have some examples of projects you’ve worked on to show off on your website or social media accounts. Brand new to the game? Why not shoot in your local hotel lobby and pay for a day pass to the pool to lounge and shoot some content for yourself.

Here’s an cold pitch example to hotels that has worked well for us with a tweak for 2021:

SUBJECT: Re: So excited about our trip to________, we’d love to help out!
Good afternoon XXXXXXXXX,
We are Michelle & Seb from @gominplanet, a married couple living in St. Maarten. Our Instagram account has accumulated over 23,000 of like minded travelers looking for the next best spot to visit.
We are content creators who specialize in fun and engaging commercial videos and images focusing on showcasing experiences and unique perspectives. We’re not your typical travel couple - we goof off, we have fun, we love trying everything at least once and love sharing all of it in our documentary/reality style.
We are reaching out to see if you would like to work with us on your current promotion: ______________. We would love to show our audience how far you’ve come since 2020 and how your safety regulations are making travel, fun and enjoyable once more.
In exchange for a 4 night stay at villa ___________ during the week of ___________ with all inclusive meals and drinks, we will:
• Post daily stories (20+ each day during the stay).
• Create 4 static posts on @gominplanet.
• 1 blog post reviewing the whole experience.
• YouTube video (3-5 minutes showing the customer experience in 2021 - what to expect).
• Deliver 20+ architectural images of your villa + amenities and services (if your staff permits it).

To get some more information on us, you can check us out here- https://influence.co/gominplanet and have a look at some samples here: https://www.gominplanet.com/hire-gominplanet
Looking forward to hearing from you,

Seb & Michelle
GOMINPLANET.com

A variation can be done when contacting tourism boards directly. Again. do your research about the location, the bucket list things you want to potentially do and search various hashtags to get some ideas of what has been done before. Most tourism boards will already have a planned out itinerary for you with hotel stays, transport, car rental, and dining plans. It is best to contact them with an open mind and loads of samples and stats (more on that later).

*On a personal note: we usually prefer working with brands and hotels directly as we have more freedom. Tourism boards are extremely demanding and will have practically every hour of your trip planned out in advance. For some, it’s a no-brainer of a trip, for others, a logistical nightmare.

5- OVER-DELIVER

Whatever you agree on with the client, make sure they are completely satisfied. You promised 20 daily stories, post 25. You said you would retouch 20 final images, give them 3 extra in black and white that blow their socks off (no big deal).

Whatever it is, never make them regret of agreeing to work with you. Be transparent with your pitch and in the way you keep information flowing between both parties. Some clients like to have full review of all content, others just let you experience and report. You simply need to be able to read your client efficiently and over-deliver on their needs and your promises.

Also, by over-delivering it makes it easy for you to ask for a glowing testimonial or even working with them again in the future.

6- THE ULTIMATE ROLODEX

Every year, whether it’s ITB, B Travel Trade Show, the IAAPA, the PATA Destination Marketing Forum or the SeaTrade Cruise Global - these conferences are invaluable for content creators to get a leg up on the competition. There you can mingle with key attendants that have decision making power with marketing budgets and other fun perks at their disposal.

Behind the closed doors of these conventions, they’re more keen to chat, exchange contacts and listen to pitches simply for the fact that they know that laniard around your neck doesn’t come cheap. Most of these conferences and trade shows ask for hundreds if not thousands of dollars to attend. It is an investment in your brand if you are serious about the travel industry.

We’ve attended and mingled so you don’t have to and we’re about to spill the beans. Below is an extensive list of tourism boards with direct contact information for your cold pitches. With great power, comes great responsibility. Use it wisely.

This is a digital rolodex like no other. You won’t find these contacts on most websites and rarely on the tourism boards’ pages themselves.

AMERICAN SAMOA VISITORS BUREAU, david@americansamoa.travel
ANTIGUA & BARBUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY, info@visitaandb.com
ARUBA PORT AUTHORITY, m.arends@aruba.com
BAHRAIN TOURISM AUTHORITY, ali@btea.bh
BARBADOS TOURISM BOARD, tiab@visitbarbados.org
BELIZE TOURISM BOARD, deborah.gilharry@belizetourismboard.org
CHINA NATIONAL TOURIST OFFICE, info@cnto.org
COOK ISLAND TOURISM CORPORATION, carlene.mapu@cookislands.gov.ck
Costa Rica TOURISM BOARD, carolina.ortega@ict.go.cr
CUBA TRAVEL SERVICES, marketing@cubatravelservices.com
DISCOVER DOMINICA AUTHORITY, kcuffy@dominica.dm
DUBAI TOURISM, cruiseinfo@dubaitourism.ae
GOTLAND TOURISM BOARD, monica@gotlandsbesoksnaring.se
GRENADA TOURISM AUTHORITY, nroberts@puregrenada.com
GUADELOUPE ISLANDS TOURISM AUTHORITY, o.michel@lesilesdeguadeloupe.com
HONDURAS INSTITUTE OF TOURISM, hondurastourism@aol.com
HONG KONG TOURISM BOARD, Linda.ho@hktb.com
INDIA TOURISM, ny@itonyc.com
TAHITI TOURISM BOARD, sr@archipelagoes.net
KOREA TOURISM BOARD, cruisekorea@knto.or.kr
MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD, haryanty@tourism.gov.my
MALTA TOURISM AUTHORITY, arthur.grima@visitmalta.com
MARTINIQUE TOURISM BOARD, muriel.wiltord@atout-france.org
MINISTRY OF TOURISM DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, o.salazar@sectur.gov.do
MINISTRY OF TOURISM OF INDONESIA, wonderfulindonesia.amefrica@gmail.com
MOROCCAN NATIONAL TOURIST OFFICE, chakib.ghadouani@mnto-usa.org
PAPUA NEW GUINEA TOURISM, alcinda.trawen@papuanewguinea.travel
PHILIPPINE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM, susan.pdotnewyork@gmail.com
PUERTO RICO TOURISM COMPANY, juan.nadal@tourism.pr.gov
SAINT LUCIA TOURISM BOARD, kfontenelle@stlucia.org
SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD, yap_chin_siang@stb.gov.sg
SOUTH PACIFIC TOURISM ORGANIZATION, rdrekeni@spto.org
ST. KITTS TOURISM AUTHORITY, melnecia.marshall@stkittstourism.kn
ST. MARTIN TOURISM OFFICE, e.louisy@st-martin.com
ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES TOURISM OFFICE, kct@svgpa.com
TAIWAN TOURISM BUREAU, tbrocnyc@gmail.com
TOURISM CORPORATION OF BONAIRE, xenahcicilia@tourismbonaire.com
TOURISM AUTHORITY OF THAILAND, achiraya@tatny.com
TOURISM OFFICE OF EL SALVADOR, mrendon@corsatur.gob.sv
TOURISM OFFICE OF SPAIN, miami@tourspain.es
TURKISH TOURISM OFFICE, sedatg@tourismturkey.org
TOURISM OFFICE OF URUGUAY, mviera@mintur.gub.uy
TOURISM OFFICE OF FINLAND, tarja.koivisto@businessfinland.fi
VISIT STOCKHOLM, christian.bergstrom@stockholm.se

Stay professional in your messaging and to the point. Reply to every request even if it’s to ask for more details or to politely decline a demand. If declining, always give a reason and a counter offer.

7- WHAT ABOUT STATISTICS?

Brands and tourism boards want to see your stats but which ones should you provide? We’ve had brands ask for our general Instagram insights (this will show them your reach which is far more important than your likes or comments) while others wanted a more in depth dive into our numbers.

We have been using influence.co for a few months and like the fact that they not only provide stats but also a home to start collaborations with brands right from their hub. You can visit our page here: www.https://influence.co/gominplanet

Sending brands to your influence.co page will also show them your past collaborations. It’s a great way for them to get a quick idea of what you’re all about. There, they’ll see your follower’s demographics (gender, city, country) and what top interests they have. It’s also a better representation of your stats rather than using media kits as they tend to be highly curated and less and less trusted by brands.

If the stars align and the brand in question sees a value in working with you, you’re in! Now, the real work starts.

Collaborating with hotels, car rentals, tourism boards and airlines is sure fun but it’s not a free vacation. You need to keep that in mind as you get ready for your collab. For us, It’s lugging around a backpack full of gear ready to shoot at a moment’s notice, getting up for sunrise and staying up late prepping or editing. Its definitely not for everyone but if you enjoy meeting new people, traveling the world and putting out quality marketable content while experiencing some of the most fantastic places this planet has to offer: Do it up!