Off you go! You’re setting out to travel the world and you want to showcase your experiences on Instagram. But as you scroll through your feed, you realize, you’re not the only one. So many others are out there creating beautiful content and sharing their trip with the world. Don’t worry! There is room for everyone on this platform. That’s why we asked our favorite Instagram couples to share their best advice with those who want to set out, explore the world and create a beautiful Instagram feed. So here are the X best tips to start and grow your travel Instagram account.
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Table of Contents
1. Love what you do for your travel Instagram account
Who they are: We’re Alizée and Jordan, under @voyageatraversnous, a young couple in love with traveling. It’s been 11 months since we started discovering the most beautiful places in the world. We do this to inspire people to chase their dreams.
Why we love them: We love their whimsical editing style, and how throughout their journey, they’ve stayed hidden. Although we’ve never seen their faces, they look like such lovely people. We love this French couple and their feed. They make us feel like we could be in those magical places ourselves.
Their advice: Love what you do. And don’t start your account with the idea that you’ll get 100,000 followers. Be authentic and unique. Don’t do what everyone else is doing.
Where to follow them: You can find their stunning pictures on Instagram or follow their advice on their blog.
2. Always be yourself if you want to grow your travel Instagram account
Who they are: We’re Charlie & Lauren, a free-spirited couple on the run originally from the UK. We combine our sense of humor, love of travel and passion for life to explore the world.
Why we love them: They were one of the first couples we started following before we started to travel. They’re always smiling and happy and their light comes through in all their shots.
We even had the chance of meeting them in Singapore, and they are just super sweet! They’ve been one of our inspirations from the get-go.
How long they’ve been traveling together: We’ve been full-time traveling together for 16 months now.
Their advice: Always make sure you show the real you and document your travels for how they really are. Have fun and let the pictures come naturally… don’t force the Instagram life! And always stay true to yourself!
Where to follow them: See them travel the world on Instagram (and make sure to watch their stories) or check out their amazing blog for the best tips… especially if you’re heading to Bali.
3. Don’t do it for the ‘Gram
Who they are: We’re Estelle and William, a 24 and 25-year-old French couple who decided to go around the world indefinitely since January 2018.
We decided to share our adventures on Instagram for several reasons, the first was the willingness to share our day-to-day adventures with our friends and family. Then, we are passionate about photography, so the network seemed to be the most appropriate. Finally, the feed allows us to have a permanent “photo album” of our travels and we really like that.
Why we love them: Not only are these two vegetarians, but they have a raw and unedited style of traveling. Their dry French sense of humor got us hooked, and they keep spoiling us with some of the most beautiful and untouched places we’ve ever seen.
How long they’ve been traveling together: We’ve been on the road for the last 10 months. At the moment we’re focusing on Asia, Southern Africa and a work-travel visa in Australia for the following year. Our next step will surely be the Pan-American Highway!!
Their advice: If we had 3 tips to give to those who would like to embark on the Instagram adventure it would be the following:
- Post quality photos that appeal to you first, and not for the sole purpose of pleasing the community.
- Don’t hide some parts of reality. Even if it’s not always glamorous, be honest and true. This is important for us to create a real connection with others.
- Do not be fooled by or get sucked into the Instagram machine. Do not be tempted to buy likes, followers or other things like that. Instagram is too unpredictable for you to lose your legitimacy!
Where to follow them: They have a beautiful feed on Instagram, and for amazing tips on where to go to be the only traveler, check out their blog, en Français, bien sûr!
3. Find your niche when you start your Instagram account
Who they are: We are Bram and Manon from Flip Flop Wanderers. We met each other in 2010 and we had our first big trip together pretty soon after!
Why we love them: They are one of the sweetest people out there! Plus, they pimped out their own campervan and have been traveling through New Zealand for so long. Because we loved it there so much, we love reliving the beautiful places through their feed!
How long they’ve been traveling together: Currently, we are on our 2nd world trip which started almost 2 years ago already. We are not planning on stopping soon either, there is still so much we want to explore! We like to travel ‘slow’ and discover what a destination really has to offer and experience the country.
Their advice: When you start with an Instagram account, aiming to be an influencer, it is important to think about what kind of niche you want to focus on. This can be as simple as your own traveling style. Think about a name that suits this niche, and make sure it isn’t taken yet. Using a lot of underscores, numbers or dots might make the name look like a cheap ripoff from an existing one, so you want to avoid that.
In our opinion, the thing that really makes a good Instagram account is content. It’s important to take great photos, look at composition and lighting. Try to avoid selfies and crooked photos. It’s not impossible to grow without the best content, and of course, it’s a learning process, but if you’re planning to stay for the long haul, content is king!
Where to follow them: You can tag along their road trip on Instagram, or check out their amazing blog.
4. Be true to your niche and yourself
Who they are: We’re Patricia & Miguel, a passionate couple who quit our jobs to travel the world and chase every bit of sunshine. Our mission is to inspire people to live consciously and work on their self-development, travel the world to engage with communities, find home on earth and promote change.
Why we love them: They have a way of transporting us to the most beautiful places, and their captions always hit home. They are two beautiful souls, and their light shines so brightly!
How long they’ve been traveling together: We’ve been traveling together for about 2 years. It’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives.
Their advice: They also shared 3 important tips to help you start and grow your travel Instagram account:
- Choose a name like you would a brand. You want people to remember you so make it personal and appealing. We played a game where we wrote some words down on paper, related to adjectives that characterized our beings, as well as names or expressions that described our passions.
- Have a mission, because it is even more common now to have a travel couple account. If you want to stand out, you must have a mission, so make sure you write down what your goals are with your account, so you can focus on the message you will deliver with your photos and captions.
- Always be yourself. This is the most important thing in the social media world. If you want to engage with people and have them trust your influence on them, you must be real all the time, transparent and never copy others’ lifestyles. Remember, we are all unique and true beauty relies not only on being the best version of yourself but the real one.
Where to follow them: Together, they created an online destination (Instagram and a blog) where they share stories, travel and promote an ethical lifestyle, focusing on sustainability and conscious living.
If you’re looking to run your Instagram account as a business, check out these articles:
– Building a micro-influencer media kit
– Working with brands without a large following
– How to take couple pictures
– Mistakes to avoid when starting your Instagram account
5. Get creative and have fun when growing your Instagram account
Who they are: Our Taste For Life documents the story of Charlotte & Natalie – A British lesbian couple chasing our dreams around the world on a shoe-string budget.
We share a passion for adventure, writing & photography and spend the majority of our time bickering over what our next meal will be. We have recently celebrated our 1 year anniversary of being on the road, and have no intention of stopping any time soon.
Why we love them: These ladies are funny, sweet and just real. We feel like we could totally hang out with them, and we would laugh the whole time! Plus, they show us the most beautiful places on Earth!
How long they’ve been traveling together: We’ve been on the road for a year, and we’re currently in our 9th country.
Their advice: These wonderful ladies share their 3 best tips with us when you want to start and grow your travel Instagram account as a couple:
- Get creative. In the modern world where Instagram is a prodigious community, creativity is most certainly King. We aren’t all born natural photographers, however, with the beauty of editing software such as Lightroom & Photoshop, there are heaps of ways you can add creativity to your shots.
- Be Yourselves & Have Fun. This one is really important, as it’s easy to start comparing yourselves to others and consequently losing your own identity. Remember nobody is more you-er than you, and that will always be your greatest strength. It’s also easy to get so wrapped up in taking the perfect shot that you forget to have fun. Trust us when we say the best photos are the ones taken when you’re both relaxed and enjoying yourselves.
- Be Patient. Instagram is a hard game to crack so don’t feel deflated if you aren’t growing as quickly as you’d like to be. Just keep working hard, enjoy the journey and trust that good content will prosper in the end.
Where to follow them: They have some awesome tips and itineraries up on their blog, and you can find them on Instagram too.
6. Be patient and focus on growth, not the numbers
Who they are: We met 13 years ago in Vail Colorado when Jana came from Bulgaria to snowboard for one winter. We fell in love and long story short, we’ve been together as a couple for 11 years now.
We are very passionate about traveling, spreading positivity and living a healthy lifestyle. Jana’s been plant-based for over 15 years and Mikey for 12. We love the ocean and care about our environment. We hope to inspire people to love the life they live and to be more kind and loving towards every living being.
Why we love them: How can we not?! These two have beautiful pictures, and on top of it, they always have such motivating and positive captions. They make anything and everything seem possible!
How long they’ve been traveling together: We’ve been traveling together part-time for the past 10 years, and we’ve been to 53 countries as a couple.
Their advice: This lovely couple has 3 bits of advice to share with anyone who wants to start or grow their travel account:
- Have a clear vision. One of the main things is to know and have a clear vision and idea of why you are doing it. Figure out your message and the things that make you different and unique.
- Don’t get caught in the numbers game. Another very important tip we tell everyone is to not get caught in the game of numbers, engagement, and comparisons. Don’t measure your worth by the algorithm and know that your relationship with each other is more important than your Instagram account.
- It takes time. Also, understand that it takes time to grow your account, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t happen right away. Focus on getting better with your photography or other skills and make sure you dedicate more time to your relationship and the fun part of the journey.
Where to follow them: Their Instagram feed is just goals and they have an awesome blog as well.
7. Work hard but have fun if you want to turn your Instagram account into a business
Who they are: Hey everyone we are Corina and Greg. A married couple living and working in NYC, traveling the world as much as possible. Combined we have been to over 50 countries and our current goal is to hit all 7 continents together, which we only have 1 left! Africa is the last one and we are hoping to knock off this next spring.
Why we love them: For so many reasons! These NYC folk show the best of the city, plus they travel to the coolest places (hello Iceland and Copenhagen!). Plus, their editing is just super dreamy! When we head back to NYC, we know who we want as tour guides!
How long they’ve been traveling together: We first started traveling together just 3 weeks after meeting when we made a trip to Sayulita, Mexico. All our friends thought we were crazy to be traveling internationally or traveling anywhere with someone we had just met, but it felt right! And hey, 5 years later, we are happily married, traveling all over the world together.
Their advice: Corina and Greg have 3 pieces of advice to share with those who want to turn their Instagram account into a business:
- Work hard at it. If you’re trying to make this into a business, know it is going to take a lot of time and hard work. It doesn’t happen overnight and be prepared to spend 3-5 hours a day growing your account, for at least the first 6 months.
- Content is king. This doesn’t mean you have to have the best equipment. It just means try to be creative and take pictures from your own perspective. Don’t just only take the same pictures that you see 100 times over on Instagram. Switch up the poses, try and be as natural in the photos (which can be hard). Laughing is key for this one we find. lol.
- Do it for fun! If it is not fun, it is not worth doing!!
Where to follow them: You can tag along their travels through their blog and on Instagram
As a reminder, if you’re looking to run your Instagram account as a business, check out these articles:
– Building a micro-influencer media kit
– Working with brands without having a large following
– How to take couple pictures
– Mistakes to avoid when starting your Instagram account
8. Always keep evolving your travel Instagram account
Who they are: We are Bre and Daniel from Colorado, USA. We’re husband and wife, best friends, and travel companions. We strive to deeply learn about each place we travel to by visiting local villages and partaking in volunteer opportunities.
As for our future, we’re not sure what it holds, but we are confident that our every move will be made in love and adventure.
Why we love them: Because they are just lovable! More than a travel couple, these two are our friends. We had the pleasure of traveling to three countries with them, and we can’t wait to discover more. Their feed is beautiful and they are showcasing the best of South America right now. Why did we not keep traveling with them?
How long they’ve been traveling together: The world is a vast place and we knew it would take more than a lifetime to see, so in September 2017, we sold our belongings, packed our backpacks, and boarded a one-way flight to India. We’ve been on the road for 13+ months with no sign of stopping.
Their advice: One of our favorite parts about being an Instagram user is that we’ve been able to evolve and learn as photographers and content creators. We recommend using the platform to push yourself, to sometimes fail, and grow from it. Don’t be afraid to be creative, but also stay authentic. We worry about the future of photography when images are faked or manipulated to a point of nonrecognition.
Try new things. If you’re naturally good at landscape photography, try some portraits and use the platform for instant feedback. Lastly, don’t think that your account needs to look like thousands of others to be successful. Highlight the locals. Post food pictures. Take silly photos of yourself. Just have fun with it and breathe — it’s only Instagram after all.
Where to follow them: You can see where they are on the daily through their Instagram, or check out their blog for more details and inspiration.
9. Define your space and make yourselves known for it
Who they are: We’re Zach and Tara Brose, creators and curators of The League Collective of Brands. We’re born and raised in the United States (Zach in Wisconsin and Tara in South Carolina- but we met and fell in love in New York City). We currently call Bali home.
Why we love them: These two are all about wellness and living a great life. We loved following their adventures through Greece. Their pictures are always dreamy, and we just love it when they get creative and scribbly on their feed. Come on, look at how cool this picture looks!
How long they’ve been traveling together: In 2017, we said goodbye to our beloved NYC and set out to travel full-time and build The League Collective into a lifestyle destination for all things travel, fashion and design. Simply put, life in style for the modern adventurer.
Their advice: Choose a niche and do it really really well! The market is supersaturated these days, so do something that is unique “you” and then perfect it. You can expand later! i.e. Traveling with a dog, the best Michelin-starred restaurants around the world, boutique hotels, something like that!
Define your space and make yourselves known for it. The better your photos/video are, the more you’ll stand out! Invest in a nice camera and learn to use it well!
Where to follow them: You can check out their amazing work on their blog, or see their daily posts up on Instagram.
10. Do your research about hashtags & the algorithm
Who they are: Our names are Jared and Desiree. We met in 2012 while attending Brigham Young University Hawaii. After our marriage in 2015, we have always had a dream of traveling the world, but we weren’t yet sure how to go about it.
Starting in January of 2018, we saw an opportunity to take Instagram more seriously, and we started sharing our photos, experiences, and positivity with others. It took a lot of work and research, but our following finally grew large enough to start working with brands and doing collaborations.
Why we love them: Their silly antics and fun personalities got us hooked from the get-go. Their feed is the happiest thing we’ve seen and their stories make us think we could be good friends!
How long they’ve been traveling together: We finally made our dreams come true at the end of August (this year, 2018), when we worked to save up money, sold everything we had, and took off to start exploring! We have been on the road (or in the air) ever since.
Their advice: Do your research! Learn about hashtags, the algorithm, optimizing your posting times, how often to post, etc. This, too, will take some experimenting, but don’t give up! There are a lot of resources out there that have answered many of the questions we had. We have even found a lot of inspiration from analyzing successful accounts and determining what is working for them.
And, as always, be yourself! Find your niche and roll with that. It may take a while to figure out what you want to share or how to share it, but keep experimenting until you do. No matter how many accounts may seem similar to yours, you can always find something to make yours unique and offer something different to your audience.
Where to follow them: You can find them on Instagram or you can check out their awesome weekly vlogs on Youtube.
11. Consistency is key
Who they are: We are Kim & Raphaël, a French couple that grew up in the Caribbean on the island that Haiti and the Dominican Republic share.
Why we love them: Saying we love their pictures is just not enough! They are beautiful and they go to magical places together. They are awesome, and somehow, they make long-distance relationships look so easy.
How long they’ve been traveling together: Our first big trip was Cuba, summer 2017. We stayed for one month, which is still too little for this wonderful place. I started taking pictures during this trip with the idea of documenting our travels. In the beginning, Rapha was reluctant but he started getting into it and developed a taste for it. When we got back we decided to start our couple travel account, so we could help young travelers with authentic experiences.
Their advice: After doing it for almost a year, we have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn’t. So here are our top tips:
- Post consistently. Posting every day is super important. The more you post, the more chances for your followers to see your pictures (or even people that don’t follow you will find you through the explore page or hashtags).
- Post good content. Try to post the best content you can. Good content means good quality pictures but also unique ones (either a unique angle of somewhere popular or a brand new beautiful place that no one knows).
- Be yourself and enjoy this journey. It is super important to enjoy this journey in every aspect from taking pictures to editing them and posting them on Instagram. If you don’t enjoy the process, you will get tired of it and will feel like all this is fake or superficial (I often felt like that, so I took responsibility for it and now I have much more fun). Always spread love!
Where to follow them: You can see all their amazing pictures on Instagram.
12. Get social on your social media
Did you think we were done? Well nope! We have our own advice to give as well. But we’ll keep it short and sweet because everyone has given some amazing tips already.
Our advice: It’s called social media for a reason. Get social, make friends and actually connect with people.
Social media gets a bad rep for being too curated and fake, and sometimes, it can be. But one of our favorite things about this platform is that we got to make so many real connections with other couples and people. We’ve met a few of them on the road, and our experience would not have been the same had we not created these real friendships.
Social media and traveling can both get lonely at times, so if you really want to make the best of this experience, reach out to people, talk to them, make real connections, meet up with them. Heck! This article would not have been possible had we not reached out to all these beautiful people.
To recap, here are the best 12 tips to start and grow your Instagram travel account:
- Love what you do for your travel Instagram account
- Always be yourself if you want to grow your travel Instagram account
- Don’t do it for the ‘Gram
- Find your niche
- Be true to your niche and yourself
- Get creative and have fun when growing
- Be patient and focus on growth, not the numbers
- Work hard but have fun if you want to turn your Instagram account into a business
- Always keep evolving your travel Instagram account
- Define your space and make yourselves known for it
- Do your research about hashtags & the algorithm
- Consistency is key
- Get social on social media
So go out there, document your travels, bring people on this trip with you and always have fun. And remember, Instagram is just a platform. It may not be here forever, so until then, make friends, have fun, and enjoy this trip you’re on!
And just a last note. If you’re looking to run your Instagram account like a business, check out these articles:
– Building a micro-influencer media kit
– Working with brands without a large following
– How to take couple pictures
– Mistakes to avoid when starting your Instagram account
Have you found these tips helpful? Do you have other tips to add to this? We’d love to know in the comments.
We put a lot of time and effort into the content we create. Please like, comment and share, every action on your part helps us out tremendously and is very much appreciated.
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Thanks again for the opportunity to be involved in this article guys! You guys are an inspiration, and we hope to meet you out on the road one of these days! 🙂
Glad you liked it but it is thanks to you and the many amazing travel couples we have met through Instagram that this article was possible! I’m sure our roads will cross one day!
Check out Flying the Nest on YouTube…they have indy channels on IG.
Hello. I have nominated your blog for the Real Neat Blog Award. Please find my post with all details at https://wordpress.com/post/photoblographysite.wordpress.com/5880 Congratulations. Keep up the good work. Allan
Thank you so much Allan,this is very nice of you!