If you want to make money traveling as a UGC travel creator, the first thing you’ll need to learn is how to create eye-catching content that makes brands want to hire you. While that might sound difficult, the reality is that you just need to make a few tweaks to the way you capture travel photos and videos.

The right composition strategies can help your travel content stand out, make your portfolio get noticed, and get you hired again and again. 

Here are five photography tips to create eye-catching UGC travel content (and get paid to travel with nothing but your phone). 

1. Use Leading Lines in Your UGC Travel Content

Leading lines are a composition technique where visual pathways guide the viewer’s eye to areas of the photo that you want to stand out. Their purpose is to create depth, direction, and movement. They’re sort of like arrows to pull someone deeper into an image and draw their eye to the part of the photo you want to stand out the most.

Leading lines are a great way to take your UGC travel content to the next level. They can elevate your content in a way that makes it stand out so you can land more brand deals and make money traveling!

There are a number of ways UGC travel creators can use leading lines in their content, including: 

• Pool edges to guide attention to a cocktail. 
• Hallways leading to a resort entrance. 
• Railings to draw attention to a balcony view.
• Walkways to guide the eye to a person. 

The truth is, leading lines can be found just about anywhere. You just need to train your eye to see them and utilize them to make elements of your UGC travel content stand out! 

To learn more about this photography technique, check out How to Enhance Travel Photos Using Leading Lines (UGC Guide). 

2. Use Framing to Enhance the Quality of Your Travel UGC

Framing is a photography technique where you use elements of your photo or video to highlight the focal point of your composition. There are a number of ways you can implement this strategy into your travel content: 

• Use a doorway to frame a balcony view. 
• Use a palm tree to frame a pool. 
• Use trees to frame a mountain scene.

From architecture to natural elements, frames can be found anywhere. You need to learn how to look for them. It can be one of the best ways to create top-notch, professional UGC travel content that helps you get paid to travel the world. 

To learn more about this photography tip, check out How to Create Travel UGC: 5 Photo Framing Hacks to Elevate Your Content. 

3. Apply the Rule of Thirds to Your Travel Content 

The Rule of Thirds is an easy photo composition technique that UGC travel creators should take advantage of if they want to create stunning content that will help them get paid to travel!

Imagine your photo is divided into 9 equal rectangles, or a 3×3 grid. It helps most people to think of it like a Tic-Tac-Toe grid. When you use the Rule of Thirds, your goal is to place the most important elements of your photo or main subject matter where the lines intersect.

Here are some easy ways to use the Rule of Thirds in your UGC travel content: 

• Line up the horizon in beach photos, pool photos, or balcony shots. 
• Avoid standing at the center of your photos. Shift your body to the left or right third of the frame. 
• Place subjects like palm trees, cocktails, pool edges, or luggage at intersecting lines. 

You can turn on “Grid” or “Composition Grid” in your phone settings to take photos using the Rule of Thirds. But after you get the hang of this photography technique, your eye will train itself to see the intersection lines all on its own so you can naturally start creating travel content that will get you noticed as a UGC travel creator — which is exactly how you start making money traveling! 

To master this photography composition technique, check out How to Create UGC Travel Content Brands Will Pay For: The Rule of Thirds. 

4. Know When Not to Use the Rule of Thirds And Create Balanced Content Instead

While the Rule of Thirds is a great composition technique that can help you create elevated, eye-catching UGC travel content, it’s not the only strategy. Sometimes, photos and videos look better when they’re balanced. And in some cases, brands actually prefer balanced travel content.

Balanced travel photos can actually help spaces appear larger, create a sense of calm, highlight luxury details without making content feel overly staged, and showcase spaces more clearly. The key to creating content that helps you get paid to travel is using your intuition and knowing when a composition strategy does or doesn’t work. 

Check out How to Balance Travel Photos Without Using the Rule of Thirds: A Travel UGC Guide to learn more about when you shouldn’t use the Rule of Thirds. 

5. Use Presets to Elevate Your UGC Travel Content

If you want to make money traveling as a UGC creator, it’s important to keep in mind that editing isn’t just important — it’s an absolute must!

One way to take your travel photos to the next level is by using presets to edit them. I highly recommend using my Layover Luxe Preset Pack, which gives you the tools you need to take your travel content to the next level. My presets will give you a polished, scroll-stopping look that makes your images feel editorial and professional. It’s one of the best ways to upgrade your photos so your UGC travel creator portfolio is eye-catching enough to make travel brands want to hire you to create travel UGC for them. 

The Next Steps to Starting Your UGC Travel Creator Business 

Once you’ve learned how to create UGC travel content that can help you land deals and collaborations so you can get paid to travel, it’s important to build a UGC travel creator portfolio that will get noticed. To learn how to create an effective and eye-catching UGC travel portfolio, check out How to Build a UGC Travel Creator Portfolio That Helps You Get Paid to Travel.

Once you’ve built a portfolio, it’s time to start pitching. I teach you all about how to create successful pitches in my ebook Check-In & Ca$h-Out. In this guide, I’ll help you build a UGC travel creator business from the ground up so you can start landing brand deals and begin making money traveling!