How travel creators have been reimagining the TV travelogue format

More than just a great way to finance holidays, many creators have established travel content businesses with a range of revenue streams.

Social platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are home to many travel influencers; those lucky people who travel the world and share inspiring short form videos, photos and reviews of what they’ve seen and where they’ve visited. Each of these influencers has a different business model depending on the nature and size of their audience: some involve direct payments from hotels or travel operators while others receive free accommodation, meals, experiences or flights. Some have brand deals or are appointed ambassadors for travel-associated companies.

Many also have other products or services they offer. For example, they might have a in-person travel guide business, or they may have a range of digital tour maps or guides, sold via a shopfront like Rexby (which is specifically designed for people planning their holidays via social media, where it says ‘Get Travel Advice from Travel Creators’).

For this post, I’m going to focus on those travel creators who are making content more akin to the familiar TV travelogue format that has been a staple of schedules for years; whether it is Whicker’s World, Wish You Were Here? or Michael Palin’s various series, through to some of the more competition type formats such as the ABC’s Race Around the World in the 90s, and then more recent series such as Great Canal Journeys or Race Across the World.

For some of these creators (and indeed, the wider travel influencer sector in general), the biggest benefit of their activity is cheap or free holidays, or they make enough money to fund their traveling lifestyle. For others however, it has grown into a much more lucrative model, often involving spin-off businesses where their social channels act as marketing.

Before getting started, a little aside on Patreon. While Patreon subscriptions are becoming a key part of many creators’ revenue streams, it is notable how in general, travel creators generate very small amounts of revenue via this mechanism in comparison to other types of creators. As a theory, is it possible that audiences’ draw a line at giving Patreon payments to travel creators as it feels a little too close to paying for someone else to have a great holiday?