How to Build a UGC Travel Creator Portfolio That Helps You Get Paid to Travel

Are you dreaming of making money traveling as a UGC creator? Whether that means dipping your toes in turquoise waters in the Caribbean or wandering the cobblestone streets of Europe, it is possible to get paid to travel. (To learn more about how you can get paid to travel the world, grab my $1 guide, Booked While You Sleep).

If you’re interested in becoming a UGC travel creator, building a portfolio is the first thing you’ll need to do to get started. Here’s the thing: Properties aren’t just handing out free vacations and paid collaborations. They need proof and evidence of what you can do for them. Without an amazing UGC travel portfolio, you’ll blend in with all of the other creators who are trying to land travel brand deals.

A professional UGC portfolio will show off what you’re capable of. And the best part is you don’t need to have any previous clients to do it! Even if you’ve never landed a deal, you can showcase your travel content and position yourself as a professional from day one.

In this guide, I’m going to tell you how to build a UGC travel creator portfolio that helps you land brand deals so you can make money traveling.

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How to Create a UGC Travel Creator Portfolio That Stops the Scroll

If you want to get paid to travel as a UGC travel creator, the key is to build a portfolio that stops the scroll. The good news is that you might already have everything you need to start right on your camera roll! Scroll through your travel photos and videos and grab a few from hotels, resorts, Airbnbs, restaurants, and natural scenery or landmarks that you can use. Be sure to choose content that sells the experience.

If you don’t have any UGC travel content to use, that’s okay! You can create content fast. Visit a nearby hotel or resort, grab a few shots, and create your UGC travel portfolio in a single afternoon. You can do this by exploring the lobby or bar, booking a one-night staycation, or getting a ResortPass to capture it!

Here are some of the types of photos you’ll want to include in a UGC portfolio that will help you land brand deals so you can make money traveling:

Wide-angle room shots
Unforgettable features (e.g. the terrace during a sunset)
Food and amenities (a cocktail overlooking the infinity pool, a spa treatment, or the hotel fitness center)
Close-up details (textures and decor)
Lifestyle shots (if you want to be in them!)

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Here are a few video ideas to include in your UGC travel creator portfolio include:

Food and beverages
Aesthetic videos (a sunrise with your morning coffee on the patio or the view from a beach lounger)
Voiceovers
Listicle videos

The ultimate goal is to create UGC travel content that would make guests say, “I NEED to stay at this resort!” An eye-catching, scroll-stopping travel UGC portfolio will grab attention and make properties want to hire you. And that is how you get paid to travel!

For more tips on creating stellar content to include in your UGC portfolio, check out:

Build Your UGC Portfolio and Travel for Free

Once you’ve created some travel content to get noticed, you might also consider bartering with resorts, hotels, and Airbnbs. Many will agree to collaborations in which you get a free stay in exchange for UGC travel content. Some might even include complimentary add-ons, such as free meals, cocktails, or spa services for you to create UGC travel photos or videos of those products or services.

You’ll get to travel for free and continue to build a UGC travel portfolio that will lead to brand deals so you can eventually make money traveling.

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What Should Your UGC Travel Creator Portfolio Include?

If you want to build a travel UGC portfolio that makes brands hire you so you can get paid to travel, you’ll want to include the following:

Create an Introduction: Include a photo and a short, captivating bio that establishes you as a UGC travel creator. Let potential brands know what makes your travel content unique. Whether it’s your storytelling approach, visual aesthetic or ability to capture the guest experience, be clear about what makes you the perfect fit!
Showcase Your Work: Show off those dreamy vacation shots! Remember that variety sells, so it’s ideal to showcase multiple properties or guest experiences in your portfolio to give clients a sense of what type of travel UGC they can expect from you.
Provide Contact Information: If you want to make money traveling, brands need to know how to get in touch with you. Be sure to provide an email, website, or phone number so properties can contact you for collaborations or brand deals.

Quick Action Steps for Creating a Travel UGC Creator Portfolio

1. Gather your best travel UGC work. Scroll through your camera roll and choose your best travel content, or go create new content! Remember that hotels, resorts, and Airbnbs care about quality, not when your content was created.
2. Edit your travel photos like a pro! Use presets to give your travel content a polished, elevated look that will stop the scroll. Grab my Layover Luxe Preset Pack here to take your travel UGC photos to the next level.
3. Build and polish your portfolio! I’ve made creating a UGC travel creator portfolio easy for you! Download my Canva template now. It’s completely free, fully customizable, and designed to help you land your first (or next) hotel, resort, or Airbnb paid travel deal faster!

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How to Build Your UGC Business and Make Money Traveling

Now that you’ve built a travel UGC creator portfolio, the next question is: how do you travel for free and get paid to travel?

This is where learning how to pitch comes in.

Hotels and resorts receive countless emails from travel UGC creators, which means the way you present yourself and you offer needs to stand out.

In my ebook, Check-In & Ca$h-Out, I walk through the exact process travel creators are using to successfully land collaborations with hotels, resorts, Airbnbs, and other travel brands.

You’ll learn how to:

write pitch emails that actually get responses
position your portfolio so properties take you seriously
structure collaborations and content packages
turn travel UGC into a real income stream

Your portfolio helps showcase your talent so properties see what you’re capable of.

Your pitch is what helps you land brand deals and collaborations so you can make money traveling.

If you’re serious about building a successful business as a travel content creator, join my Clear for Takeoff Telegram community. You’ll find insights on visibility, blogging, UGC, and so much more!