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How To Make Travel Videos With Phone: Beginners Guide With Essential Apps, Tools & Techniques

How To Make Travel Videos With Phone: Beginners Guide With Essential Apps, Tools & Techniques

Do you love to travel and capture your adventures? Well, with the rise of social media, it’s easier than ever to create captivating travel content that inspires your audience. Say goodbye to lugging around heavy cameras and complicated editing software – your trusty smartphone is your new best friend! Whether you’re a seasoned globetrotter or just starting out on your travel journey, mastering the art of creating incredible videos with your phone will take you to the next level. So, let’s get started and make some unforgettable memories!

Essential Apps and Tools:

Before embarking on your mobile filmmaking adventure, it’s crucial to equip yourself with the right tools. Here are some essential apps and accessories that will elevate your vlogging game:

Camera apps:

Good camera apps are a must for travel vloggers because they make your videos look awesome. These apps give you more control over your camera settings, like focus and brightness, making your shots look more professional. They also let you record in higher quality, so your videos are clear and detailed. With manual settings, you can adjust things like focus and brightness based on where you are, so your videos always look good.

Picking the right camera app is important for travel vloggers because it helps you capture great moments and make your videos stand out.

  • Filmic Pro: Offers advanced features like manual controls, focus peaking, and zebra stripes for precise exposure control.
  • Moment Pro Camera: Delivers high-quality video recording with various shooting modes and anamorphic lens support.
  • ProMovie: Provides a powerful toolkit for professional-looking videos, including cinematic filters and precise audio recording.
  • FiLMiC Firstlight: Offers a unique interface designed specifically for smartphones, with intuitive controls for manual shooting.

Camera apps for travel vlogger

Gimbal stabilizers:

Using a good gimbal stabilizer is super helpful for travel vloggers. It’s like a magic tool that keeps your camera steady when you’re walking or moving around. So, when you’re exploring cool places, your videos won’t be all shaky – they’ll look really smooth and cool.

A gimbal makes your videos more fun to watch, like a movie! With a good gimbal, you can show off amazing views and exciting stuff without any wobbles. It’s like having a little helper for your camera that makes sure your travel videos always look awesome for everyone watching!

  • DJI Osmo Mobile 6: Compact and lightweight gimbal with intelligent stabilization technology for smooth and cinematic footage.
  • Zhiyun Smooth Q5: Features a foldable design, versatile shooting modes, and impressive battery life.
  • Moza Mini-P: Affordable and portable gimbal with intuitive controls and built-in LED light.
  • Hohem iSteady Mobile Plus: Offers excellent stabilization and a built-in extension rod for capturing unique angles.

External microphones:

Having a good external microphone is like having a superhero sidekick for travel vloggers. It makes your voice sound super clear and awesome in your videos. Imagine being in a busy market or next to a waterfall – a good microphone helps your viewers hear you without all the background noise. It’s like a magic wand that captures your voice and makes it stand out.

With a top-notch external microphone, your travel vlogs become way more enjoyable to listen to. So, if you want your audience to feel like they’re right there with you on your adventures, a good microphone is your secret weapon!

  • Rode VideoMicro: Compact and high-quality shotgun microphone for capturing clear and crisp audio.
  • Boya BY-M1: Affordable and versatile lavalier microphone with excellent sound quality.
  • Shure MV88: Connects directly to your smartphone’s Lightning port for professional-grade audio recording.
  • Sennheiser MKE 400: Offers exceptional audio quality and a compact design for discreet recording.

Lighting equipment:

Using good lighting equipment is like having a sunshine button for travel vloggers. It makes your face and surroundings look super cool in your videos. Whether you’re inside a cozy cafe or exploring a cave, good lighting makes everything bright and clear. It’s like a magic trick that makes your videos more lively and fun to watch.

With the right lighting, your viewers can see all the exciting details of your adventures. So, if you want your travel vlogs to shine and sparkle, getting good lighting gear is like adding a touch of magic to your videos!

  • Lume Cube Panel Mini: Portable LED panel with adjustable brightness and color temperature for enhancing lighting in different environments.
  • Aputure AL-M9: Mini LED light with a variety of effects and wireless control for creative lighting setups.
  • Neewer Ring Light: Provides soft and flattering light for close-up shots and vlogs.
  • Godox LED64 Pocket Light: Compact and powerful LED light with a built-in diffuser for versatile lighting options.

Mobile video editors:

Using a good mobile video editor is like having a fun toolkit for travel vloggers. It helps you make your videos look awesome without needing a big computer. With a good editor, you can add cool things like music, text, and fun effects to your videos, making them way more interesting. It’s like having a magic tool for making videos right on your phone.

Whether you’re at the beach or on a mountain, a good mobile video editor lets you turn your videos into something amazing. So, if you want your travel vlogs to be like cool movies, a good mobile video editor is like your special tool for making awesome videos!

  • LumaFusion: Powerful mobile video editor with a professional interface and diverse editing tools.
  • KineMaster: Features a user-friendly interface and various effects, transitions, and overlays.
  • FilmoraGo: Offers a simple and intuitive interface for basic editing and adding music, titles, and filters.
  • VN (Video Editor by VSCO): This free app was developed by VSCO with powerful editing tools and a focus on aesthetics.
  • Quik by GoPro: Fast and easy-to-use app with automatic editing and pre-made templates for creating dynamic videos.

Mobile video editors for travel vloggers

Music and sound effects:

Having good music and sound effects for your travel vlogs is like adding a magic touch. It makes your videos way more exciting and fun to watch. Imagine exploring a cool city or hiking up a mountain – good music and sound effects bring those moments to life. It’s like creating a soundtrack for your adventures.

With the right tunes, your viewers feel the vibe of each place you visit. So, if you want your travel vlogs to be like a cool playlist of your journeys, adding good music and sound effects is the secret ingredient that makes your videos extra awesome!

  • Epidemic Sound: Royalty-free music library with diverse genres and moods.
  • Artlist: High-quality music and sound effects subscription service.
  • Free Music Archive: Curated collection of free-to-use music for your videos.
  • Soundstripe: Royalty-free music and sound effects library with a focus on independent artists.
  • Zapsplat: Free sound effects library with a wide variety of categories and moods.

Color grading and correction:

Using color grading and correction for your travel vlogs is like giving your videos a cool makeover. It makes everything look super nice and lively. Imagine a beautiful sunset or a busy market – with color grading, these moments look even cooler. It’s like having a special tool that makes your videos more beautiful. With the right colors, your viewers can feel the vibe of the places you visit.

  • VSCO: Popular app for adding cinematic filters and color adjustments to your videos.
  • Snapseed: Powerful tool for color editing, retouching, and enhancing your visuals.
  • Adobe Lightroom: Offers a comprehensive set of tools for professional-grade color grading and editing.
  • Tezza: Mobile app designed specifically for color grading with intuitive controls and cinematic presets.
  • Lutify.me: Provides professional LUTs (Look Up Tables) for color grading your videos.

Thumbnail creation apps:

Using thumbnail creation apps for your travel vlogs is like crafting a catchy cover for your video story. It’s the first thing people see, and it makes them want to click and watch! These apps let you add cool pictures, text, and colors, turning your thumbnail into a mini poster for your adventure. So, if you want more people to find and enjoy your travel tales, using thumbnail creation apps is like having a special tool to make your videos extra inviting!

  • Canva: Design platform with customizable templates for creating eye-catching video thumbnails.
  • Phonto: Easy-to-use app for adding text and graphics to your video thumbnails.
  • Thumbnail Maker: Offers a variety of templates and design tools for creating professional thumbnails.
  • Over: Provides a large collection of fonts, graphics,

Sharing your travel vlogs on platforms is like throwing a big party for your videos! Platforms, like YouTube or TikTok, help you reach lots of people. It’s where your videos get to dance in the spotlight. You can make a channel on YouTube or post short clips on TikTok, and these platforms let your audience find, watch, and cheer for your adventures. So, if you want your travel vlogs to be the talk of the town, these platforms are like the stages where your videos become the stars!

  • YouTube: Largest platform for video sharing with a global audience.
  • Instagram: Popular platform for sharing short-form video content, including Reels and IGTV.
  • TikTok: Short-form video platform with a strong focus on creativity and trends.
  • Facebook: Offers a variety of ways to share videos, including Facebook Watch and live streaming.
  • Vimeo: Platform for hosting and showcasing high-quality videos with a focus on professional creators.

Scheduling and analytics tools:

Using scheduling and analytics tools for your travel vlogs is like having a personal assistant for your video game plan. Scheduling tools help you decide when to share your awesome videos, making sure they hit the screens at the perfect time.

Analytics tools, on the other hand, are like magic glasses that show you how well your videos are doing – who’s watching, when, and what they like the most! It’s like having a backstage pass to understand your audience.

  • Hootsuite: Allows you to schedule posts and track the performance of your vlogs across multiple platforms.
  • Buffer: Similar to Hootsuite, offers scheduling and analytics for various social media platforms.
  • Creator Studio: Native platform for managing YouTube channels, including scheduling videos, analyzing performance, and interacting with viewers.
  • Instagram Insights: Provides valuable data about your Instagram audience and the performance of your content.
  • TikTok Analytics: Offers insights into your TikTok audience, video performance, and trends.

Overcoming Technical Limitations:

Even with a smartphone and essential tools, you might encounter technical limitations. However, with some clever tricks and strategies, you can overcome them and produce high-quality content:

Limited storage:

  • Use cloud storage services: Upload your footage and edit projects to the cloud (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox) to free up space on your device.
  • Optimize video quality: Choose lower resolutions and bitrates for smaller file sizes.
  • Delete unnecessary footage: Regularly review and delete unused clips and backups.
  • Invest in an external hard drive or SD card: Increase storage capacity for storing your footage and editing projects.

Battery life:

  • Invest in a power bank: Carry a portable charger to extend your filming time.
  • Turn off background apps: Close unnecessary apps to conserve battery life.
  • Enable power-saving mode: Activate your phone’s power-saving mode for extended use.
  • Shorten filming sessions: Plan your shots efficiently and capture shorter clips to avoid draining the battery quickly.

Connectivity issues:

  • Edit offline: Work on your vlogs even without internet access.
  • Pre-download resources: Download music, sound effects, and other online resources before heading to remote locations.
  • Use mobile data sparingly: Prioritize downloading and uploading when Wi-Fi is available.
  • Consider offline editing apps: Explore apps like LumaFusion or KineMaster that offer offline editing capabilities.

Low-light conditions:

  • Utilize natural light: Shoot during golden hour or in well-lit environments.
  • Invest in external lighting: Carry a portable LED panel or ring light for enhanced illumination.
  • Increase camera exposure: Adjust your camera settings to compensate for low-light conditions.
  • Use editing tools: Enhance brightness and contrast in post-production.
  • Stabilize your footage: Utilize a gimbal or tripod to minimize camera shake in low-light conditions.

Producing High-Quality Content

Beyond technical aspects, captivating content requires planning, creativity, and storytelling skills:

Planning and storyboarding:

  • Research your destination: Learn about the culture, attractions, and activities you will be filming.
  • Plan your itinerary: Outline the destinations you’ll visit and the activities you’ll film.
  • Storyboard your vlog: Create a visual map of your video, including key scenes and shots.
  • Develop a narrative: Identify the story you want to tell through your vlog and capture footage accordingly.

Filming techniques:

  • Compose your shots: Pay attention to framing, rule of thirds, and camera angles.
  • Stabilize your footage: Use a gimbal or tripod for smooth and professional-looking video.
  • Utilize different camera angles: Capture wide shots, close-ups, and action sequences to keep your viewers engaged.
  • Record clear audio: Use an external microphone for optimal sound quality.
  • Variety is key: Experiment with different shooting techniques, such as timelapses, slow-motion, and hyperlapses.

Editing tips and tricks:

  • Trim unnecessary footage: Cut out dead air and irrelevant clips for a concise and engaging vlog.
  • Add music and sound effects: Enhance the mood and atmosphere of your video.
  • Use transitions and overlays: Create visual interest and smooth transitions between scenes.
  • Correct color and exposure: Enhance the visual quality of your footage.
  • Add captions and text overlays: Make your video accessible to a wider audience and provide additional information.

Engaging voiceover and narration:

  • Write a clear and concise script: Organize your thoughts and ensure your narration flows smoothly.
  • Deliver with confidence and enthusiasm: Speak clearly

Advanced Techniques:

For those seeking to elevate your vlogs to the next level, explore these advanced techniques:

  • Timelapses and hyperlapses: Capture stunning visuals of moving landscapes, cityscapes, and crowds. Utilize apps like Hyperlapse or TimeLapse to create these effects.
  • Drone videography: Add a unique perspective to your vlogs with aerial footage. Invest in a mobile-compatible drone like DJI Mavic Mini or Parrot Anafi and learn aviation regulations in your travel destinations.
  • Advanced editing techniques: Learn about green screen effects, color grading with advanced tools like DaVinci Resolve or FilmoraPro, and complex transitions for dynamic storytelling.
  • Mobile live streaming: Interact with your audience in real-time and share your experiences live on platforms like Twitch, YouTube Live, or Instagram Live. Utilize streaming apps like Streamlabs OBS or StreamYard for professional-looking broadcasts.
  • Social media engagement: Promote your vlogs across different platforms, engage with your audience by responding to comments and questions, and participate in relevant online communities.
  • Collaborations: Partner with other travel vloggers for content creation, cross-promotion, and audience expansion.
  • Travel vlogging as a business: Explore monetization options like brand sponsorships, affiliate marketing, selling digital products (e.g., ebooks, presets), or creating online courses.
  • Data analysis and optimization: Utilize analytics tools offered by social media platforms to understand your audience demographics, content performance, and identify areas for improvement.
  • Continuous learning: Stay updated with the latest trends in mobile video production, explore online resources like tutorials, workshops, and communities to refine your skills.

Remember: The key to success is consistent creation, engaging storytelling, and genuine passion for travel. Enjoy the journey, embrace the challenges, and keep creating content that inspires and entertains your viewers.

Don’t miss: 10 Cybersecurity Tips for Digital Nomads

Conclusion:

With the right tools, knowledge, and creativity, you can transform your smartphone into a powerful tool for creating high-quality travel vlogs. Remember, the journey is just as important as the destination, so embrace the learning process and enjoy capturing your unforgettable travel experiences.

Additional Resources:

  • Travel Vlogger Courses: Skillshare , Udemy , YouTube channels like Peter McKinnon , Think Media , and Matthew Encina
  • Mobile Video Editing Tutorials: YouTube channels like LumaFusion, KineMaster, and FilmoraGo
  • Travel Vlogging Communities: Facebook groups, online forums, and subreddits like r/travel vlogging
  • Travel Vlogging Podcasts: The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, The Nomadic Matt Podcast, and The Blonde Abroad Podcast

Start creating today and unleash your inner travel vlogger!

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10 Fantastic Tips for Making Epic Travel Videos on Your Smartphone

10 Fantastic Tips for Making Epic Travel Videos on Your Smartphone

Do you ever think to yourself, “I really wish I could shoot cool travel videos like these
” when you watch videos from popular travel videos of all time by popular YouTubers? Don’t worry, you’re not alone, because many travelers find creating the perfect travel video a little intimidating.

With my filmmaking background, I rely heavily on a DSLR or Mirrorless camera to capture the highest quality videos possible, but these cameras can be difficult to use and learn, as well as quite heavy to carry around all day exploring.

I’ve been making travel videos and narrative short films for nearly ten years, and while I believe that anyone can learn photography, shooting video with a DSLR or mirrorless camera takes practice.

But what if I told you that you can easily create stunning travel videos with nothing more than your smartphone?

When it comes to capturing videos while I travel, I actually prefer shooting videos with my smartphone because it’s much more compact and easier to “get the shot” at a moment’s notice. 

If you’re wondering, “But what about the quality?” There are a few tricks of the trade that will improve the quality of your footage.

Here’s how to make the best travel videos on your phone!

Disclaimer: Peekatthis.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Mistakes You Could Be Making as a Travel Videographer

Want to Learn More About Photography?

Become a better photographer with the  MasterClass Annual Membership . Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by photography masters, including Jimmy Chin, Annie Leibovitz, Tyler Mitchell, and more.

My Smartphone Video Gear 

GorillaPod Mobile Vlogging kit

To get great travel videos on your smartphone, your equipment does not have to be overly bulky. You may have to remind yourself of this from time to time, but there are so many cool things you can do with your smartphone, and packing the right smartphone accessory along for the ride.

Here’s a list of my smartphone travel video gear: 

Travel Videos for On-the-Go

  • Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
  • Lume Cube Mobile Creator Lighting & Audio Kit  or  GorillaPod Mobile Vlogging kit  ( pictured above )
  • Apple Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter
  • GoPro Light Mod for action cameras

The must-have tool for those who work on the go! You can have advanced control over lighting, audio, and mobility with this smartphone content creation kit. This kit is universally compatible with any phone. 

The keyword here is portability. You can create studio-quality content anywhere, at any time, with the  Lume Cube Mobile Creator Lighting & Audio Kit  or  GorillaPod Mobile Vlogging kit . 

Fine-tune the color temperature settings to achieve the desired skin tones and to match any ambient lighting. Apply the add-on diffuser to your Panel Mini for extra soft and flattering light.

Make the Most of Your Equipment 

To get the most out of your smartphone gear, you must first understand what it is capable of! 

Whether you have an iPhone or an Android, I recommend watching a YouTube tutorial or two to learn about all of the features and how to use them. 

I currently have the  iPhone 13 Pro Max , and it has so many different video settings — I can change the frames per second (which means I can create fantastic slo-mo shots), the quality I’m shooting at, take time-lapses, and so much more! 

Using a tripod, such as the  Mobile Creator Stand  (which also functions as a selfie stick), will provide better stabilization than holding the phone by hand.

Here are a few things to keep in mind: 

  • Always ensure that your exposure (AE/AF) is locked. If possible, shoot in 4k. 
  • The standard for cinematic quality is 24 frames per second (FPS).
  • Slo-Mo at 60 frames per second 
  • 120 or 240 frames per second for even slower Slo-Mo

Suggestions for Planning Your Shots

While you never know what you’ll find while exploring, it’s extremely beneficial to go into video creation with specific shots in mind! 

You’ll be able to embrace your destination if you think about it before you arrive, rather than researching and planning while you’re there. No squandering valuable time!

My Top Travel Planning Video Advice 

  • Make a Pinterest board ahead of time with ideas for the location and overall vibes. (This is something I do when it comes to my filmmaking as well.)
  • Think about the type of travel video you’re making: are you vlogging, documenting your travel, or filming first-person? 
  • Determine what kinds of shots you’ll need to tell your story and make sure to mix them up (subjects, landscape with mountains and ocean, slow-motion details, etc.)
  • Begin storyboarding and planning out what shots you’d like to take in specific locations. (look to youtube for great suggestions on how to plan out your shots.)
  • Learn about the lighting you’ll be working with. (Exterior shots will require different setups compared to interior shots.)

Related Article:  What Is Fill Light, and How Can It Help Your Lighting Design?

how to make travel video with phone

Various Types Of Shots To Use

Great travel videos that will make your viewers want to watch, don’t always have to be comprised of breathtaking drone footage. 

What makes for a great travel video is to include the small details along your journey like including details about the journey, from the plane ticket and passports to getting there and everything in between. 

Here are some examples of different types of shots to include in your storyboard:

  • Shots for Establishment 
  • Wide-angle Landscape Photographs 
  • Views of Epic Proportions 
  • Action shots — for example, trying new food, pouring a drink, or splashing water 
  • Tight Shots of Details in the In-Between (Walking to Places, Getting There) 
  • In Slow Motion 
  • Commentary/Reaction

Various Video Formats

This is entirely up to you — there is no right or wrong when it comes to what type of video format to use, and I like to mix it up. 

Immersive : Some travelers would rather let the surroundings do the talking in their videos. This type of filming allows you to explore through your eyes and allows your viewers to share your experiences with limited dialogue. 

This is demonstrated in the immersive Ireland travel videos below:

Limited Narration/Voice Over:  This style of travel video filming incorporates personal reactions or VO alongside landscape shots. This is how I usually do my travel videos. I always try to get a few selfie reactions, but it’s often difficult to narrate my entire trip (especially when traveling alone). So I shoot a lot of footage, get reactions and selfie-style clips whenever possible, and use VO in the editing process to help tell my story.

You can see an example of this limited narration/voice over France travel videos below:

Vlog : When it comes to capturing a vlogging video, there are two ways of filming “Vlogs”, one with full narration and one with narrative explanations but mostly filled in with travel footage. A vlog is when you narrate your experience while being the main subject of the video.

You can see vlogging examples of some Italy travel videos below:

180525 filmingfamilies celiaherrera d 04

Video Preferences

Best Smartphone For Filmmaking In 2021 - Video Recording

Slo-Mo (Slow Motion) 

You can choose between 60 FPS, 120 FPS, and 240 FPS depending on what you’re filming. 

This is related to storyboarding and knowing what shots you want to get. The higher the FPS (120, 240), the slower the video. 

Grid of Composition  

Enable this in your camera’s settings. This will assist you in applying the Rule of Thirds and creating balance in your shots.

Most Compatible Formats 

When shooting footage on trips, I intentionally choose larger file sizes and select “Formats Most Compatible.” Turn this off after your trip to avoid taking up storage space (mainly with videos of your dog
). 

Time-Lapse 

You can shoot time-lapse videos with your phone if you have the time or interest! Place your phone on the  Mobile Creator Stand  and start it up.

Make Your Instagram Posts More Attractive

Video Footage Storage 

Storage is essential! Cross your fingers that you don’t lose your phone while traveling
but it happens, and you don’t want to lose all of the footage you’ve just recorded. 

Option A: Google One Smart Storage 

Google One  offers an online storage platform with 2 Terabytes for $10 per month. I like that it’s “smart,” which means it will upload automatically and you can easily filter through it. 

If you do not wish to pay for the subscription after your trip, save the footage to an external hard drive. However, in my opinion,  Google 1  is an excellent on-the-go storage solution.

Option B: Airdrop, Computer, and Hard Disk 

This takes a little more time, especially if you’re traveling. However, at the end of the day, you can Airdrop the footage to your computer and save it to a hard drive as a backup.

Another great option to add to your travel video gear is the  Lacie rugged external hard drive  for backing up your footage just in case you don’t have access to wifi for cloud-based storage or you have troubles airdropping to your computer.

10 Fantastic Tips for Making Epic Travel Videos on Your Smartphone

Where Can I Find Royalty-Free Music? 

If you have a song in mind for the video, it can help you come up with ideas or transition ideas. But don’t worry if you don’t know what music you’ll be using — you’ll be able to figure that out in post-production. 

Just keep in mind when adding music to your travel video is that its royalty-free music. I have seen some travel videos flagged for music on Instagram which can result in your video being removed. 

Because many people spend hours editing their video to match a beat, I would recommend only using royalty-free music to avoid having it removed or wasting your time.

Here are a few websites where you can find royalty-free music: 

  • Premium Beat  – 5 tracks for $12.99 per month 
  • Epidemic Sound  – It’s a $15/month subscription, but it has a tonne of options! 
  • Videvo.com  – This site offers great free royalty-free music as well as a $25/month subscription option for more music/video (for great b-roll footage) options.

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Making Video Edits

Video editing tips

The magic happens when you edit your footage and splice it all together! It’s also the most difficult part, depending on the software you’re using. 

For Beginners 

Openshot  (PC) – Openshot is a simple video editor that lacks a fancy interface but should suffice for most basic operations. It allows you to quickly cut and merge video files with multiple tracks, add music, create template-based titles, and even experiment with animation (though 3D animation requires the installation of additional software). Drag’n’drop makes it simple to apply filters, effects, and transitions.

iMovie  (Mac) – It’s never been easier to make memorable, cinema-quality videos and let your imagination run wild with iMovie. On the fly video editing or iMovie exploration on your Mac. With the new Magic Movie and Storyboards on iPhone or iPad, you can create your masterpiece from scratch or get help shaping your story.

For Intermediate to Advanced 

Adobe Premiere Rush : Adobe Premiere Rush is available if you have a  Creative Cloud Membership  (for editing photos in Adobe Lightroom). Premiere Rush provides basic video editing features and functionalities — ideal for those who know what they’re doing but don’t need as many bells and whistles as the Pro version. 

Luma Fusion : This is only for iOS, and unlike Adobe, it is not a subscription, but rather a one-time fee of $30. I haven’t used Luma Fusion myself, but the reviews are positive!

For the Advanced 

Adobe Premiere   (Desktop): This is the industry standard and what I use. There are a lot of bells and whistles, and there is a learning curve, but there are so many cool things you can do with it. 

To learn more about  all of Adobe Premiere’s features , I recommend watching as many YouTube tutorials as you can. 

Skillshare  also has some excellent courses!  Check out Skillshare  if you’re interested in Color Grading and delving into the nitty-gritty of video editing.

Check out these lifestyle articles:  

>>> 25 Crucial Life Lessons Everyone Should Learn From An Early Age Part One  

>>>   25 Crucial Life Lessons Everyone Should Learn From An Early Age Part Two

Nomatic

Here are some takeaways from this article on capturing the best travel videos possible:

  • Make a plan and a storyboard. 
  • Prepare your equipment ahead of time. Master your lighting by understanding which settings are best for what. 
  • Use a tripod or selfie stick to keep the image stable. 
  • Get a mix of details and scenery. 
  • Choose royalty-free music. 

That’s all there is to it, folks! That’s it for my top tips for making epic travel videos — all while using your smartphone! 

Do you have any advice or tricks you’ve picked up along the way? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!

📌  Don’t forget to save the blog for later, pin the image below!

About the author: Trent ( IMDB   |  Youtube )  has spent 10+ years working on an assortment of film and television projects. He writes about his experiences to help (and amuse) others. If he’s not working, he’s either traveling, reading or writing about travel/film, or planning travel/film projects.

10 Fantastic Tips for Making Epic Travel Videos on Your Smartphone

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Adventure Travel & Lifestyle Blog

How To Create Quality Travel Videos With Your Phone

Until I recently got a new camera, my previous DSLR ( an 8 year old Nikon D300 ) never had a video recording component, so I always had to improvise when I wanted to make travel videos.

I am partial to a good GoPro video, but I always find myself coming back to shooting video with my phone, for a more traditional feel. I’ve now filmed over a dozen videos that were entirely shot and edited on my phone alone, and most people have never suspected that they weren’t filmed with a regular camera.

I love making travel videos, so I’ve come up with some pretty great techniques over the years, and want to share them with you, just in time for the #travelcutsDOC2016 travel video contest –where you can win $5000 in travel ( learn more at the end of this post )!

Of course, nothing will quite beat the quality of a top of the line video camera, but not everyone has the luxury of purchasing one of their own. This post is simply a guide on how to create quality travel videos with something that almost everyone has– a smart phone ..

Sometimes the best camera is the one you have with you.

Choose the Right Phone

I’m on team iPhone, but everyone has their own preference. If you use an Android, and would be more comfortable with that, go for it ( just keep in mind this guide is referencing iPhone settings, so you may need to figure out your own settings ).

Most phones these days are made with high quality cameras with high megapixels and great resolution.

Change Video Resolution

This is one tip that most people don’t know about, and probably would never even think of–but it’ll change your video quality drastically. Go into settings, scroll down to ‘Photos & Camera’, click on it, and then select ‘Record Video’. Choose the bottom option ( likely 1080p HD at 60 fps ). This option will take up more space on your phone when you record a video ( 200mb per minute ), but the quality will be worth it. Go back and do the same for ‘Record slo-mo’, at 720p HD at 240 fps.

Voila, your quality is already on par with a DSLR.

Shoot Horizontal

Don’t you hate it when you watch a YouTube video and there are two black rectangles on either side of the screen? This happens because the person was holding the phone vertically, as if they were taking a selfie.

Rotate the phone 90 degrees, and hold it like you would hold a regular camera. The screen becomes wider, and your video will now be displayed as a horizontal rectangle.

Also, turn the grid on in the settings ( same place you changed the video resolution ). This will show you that the horizon is level, and your videos will never be lop-sided.

Use a Tri-pod

A tri-pod will keep your phone steady and still while you’re filming, and allow you to move around and watch the subject. You can always pick it up and move it if you need to, but it can be set back down with little effort.

I use a GoPole Base Tri-pod with a GoWorx FreeRide Phone Mount  ( which also pairs perfectly with the GoWorx GoKnuckles for a handheld base ).

Don’t use Zoom

Using the zoom on your phone will drastically decrease the quality, to the point of making it blurry and pixelated. It is best to avoid this, and simply move yourself to get closer to your subject. If you’re worried about being shaky while moving, just stop recording while you move, if you can.

Shooting Mode

The regular video mode is perfect for your main shots, and good to switch back and forth with between the other modes. It’s good for action shots, landscapes, portraits, interviews, indoors, outdoors, and just about everything else in between.

Slo-mo has a great dramatic effect, and tends to fit well with most types of music. It’s good to mix with regular video, or even do a video entirely in slo-mo. A shot of someone diving into water will probably look awesome, but a shot of someone typing on their laptop might not be so interesting.

Here is the first video that I shot entirely in slo-mo, on my iPhone:

Time lapse is great for artistic wide-angle scenes, like clouds moving across a landscape, or traffic on a busy street, but needs to be used selectively. Remember to choose a subject that is already moving somewhat slowly, as it will be sped up substantially in the final product.

Did you know that you can still take a photo while recording a video? Click the white button beside the red one, and the screen will flash like the shutter.

It’s always best to use natural lighting, so just try to be aware where your light is. Pay attention to the direction that it hits your subject, and never point your phone directly at the light, unless you’re making a silhouette. Smart phones do not adapt the light in an attractive way, as DSLR cameras do through a lens. Also, keep an eye on your own shadow, so it does not fall on the subject.

If you’re going to use synthetic light. I’d suggest a Lume Cube , it’s super bright and has an app to connect to your phone. As a last resort, ask a friend to shine their phone’s flashlight on your subject, rather than using the one on your own camera.

Exposure Lock 

Tap and hold before pressing record. This will set the focus where you want it, not where the phone chooses. You can also change it during filming, for example, focus on a sunset in the background first, then focus on a silhouette in the foreground.

Don’t be afraid to try out a detachable phone lens ( basically mini versions of the ones that you put on your DSLR ). For example, the Olloclip 4 in 1 iPhone lens gives you a 10x macro, 15x macro, wide angle, and fish eye lens–which can make for some drastically different effects in your filming.

Cut Clips First

If you’re cutting slo-mo clips, make sure you drag the thick white lines to the ends, to make sure that it is slo-mo all the way throughout the video. Otherwise it speeds up at the beginning and end.

Post Production

I like to keep it simple, and my favourite post production app is iMovie. In the past, I paid for and downloaded the app because I liked it so much, but luckily these days it comes pre-installed on your iPhone. It has everything you need to edit a travel video together, including trimming clips, transitions, effects, titles, music, and more. It’s straightforward, easy to use, and can all be done right on the phone that you used to shoot the clips to begin with. Hassle Free .

Here is another travel video that I shot on my iPhone and edited on iMovie:

There are plenty of video editing apps out there, so if you’re hoping for a little more creative editing ( filters, etc. ), just browse around the app store and try out different apps to see what you like.

One of my favourites for making things look a little more professional, in terms of templates is Canva’s Video Editor . I’ve used the Canva app’s photo story templates for my job as a social media marketer for a long time, but the first time I tried the new video function, I was hooked. I’ve literally been using it daily to create quick little vids for events etc, and recently started upping my Tiktok game with cool themes, interesting titles, and beautiful fonts on top of my own videos. The free account was great, but I’ve been overwhelmed with how many amazing options there are for graphics, fonts, images, templates and so much more, since I got a pro account. So worth it.

Win $5000 in Travel With Your Travel Video

So, now that you know how to make a great travel video, here’s an amazing reason to start shooting right now..

The travelcuts Travel Docs Film Fest will be taking place October 6 in Toronto, and you have between August 18th and September 15th, 2016 to submit your very own travel video into the contest.

Last year, travelcuts asked travellers to submit a short video of their travels, for the chance to win a $2,000 travel gift card and some great camera gear. This year, they’re ramping things up and giving you the chance to WIN $5,000 IN TRAVEL !

Contest info:

  • Videos should be 2 minutes in length. Anything less than 1:30 will be disqualified and anything longer than 3:00 will be disqualified.
  • Ideally, videos will be 1080p and H.264 MP4 ( best quality and most compatibility ).
  • Entrants will be required to upload their videos to YouTube.
  • Entrants must be Canadian ( excluding QC ) and must be 18+ ( but in order to attend the event, they will need to be 19+ as of October 6, 2016 ).
  • All music used in videos MUST be appropriately licensed–Use only public domain content or original pieces. If videos do use copyrighted music, licensing proof is required.

The Film Fest will be taking place October 6 from 7 – 9 PM at BrainStation, 460 King St. W., in Toronto.

Your options are practically limitless. For a prize this awesome, they want you to have advance notice and get the best shots possible. So, bring a camera with you wherever you travel this summer, and take the best footage of your life.

Don’t forget, video submissions open on August 18th. Good luck and happy travels.

It’ll be worth it.

NEED A LITTLE INSPIRATION?

About Seattle Dredge

Seattle is Lake Erie born, Lake Ontario educated, and is now living on Lake Huron. And no, she's never been to Seattle. After studying geology in Toronto, Seattle spent several years travelling the world on a full time basis, from Colombia, Morocco & Iceland, to Nicaragua, Jordan & the Philippines--and just about everywhere in between. Eventually, Seattle settled in Southampton, ON, and now spends her days going on local adventures, while continuing to pursue photography & videography around the Bruce Peninsula, and of course regular trips abroad.

for reading

July 21, 2016 at 7:48 am

Thanks for sharing this informative idea about making a video about travelling I enjoyed the all tips.

July 27, 2016 at 3:14 pm

If you really want to take quality videos with a smartphone (which is possible with a good enough camera phone like the lg g3), you will want to have some sort of stabilization, either a motorized gimbal, or a weighted stabilizer. That is unless you are doing tripod / static videos

October 29, 2016 at 12:46 pm

Shooting horizontally has definitely helped me improve the quality of my travel videos dramatically. At first, it just feels so unnatural to hold the phone sideways haha!

November 3, 2017 at 11:58 am

Pinning this because it was SO HELPFUL! I was messing around with my iPhone settings last week in the Bahamas and put it on 1080 and the quality was amazing but I did notice than I ran out of storage alotttttt faster. But these tips are great as I recently started vlogging in addition to my travel blog! Thanks for the help again!

-Diam http://www.fromdiamwithlove.com Diam recently posted.. What to Pack for a 4 Day Cruise to the Bahamas

May 11, 2018 at 3:23 am

Thanks for informing me the beautiful steps to record a special memory. Thanks for sharing a quality tips with us. usually i plan for a trip in regular basis and i am thankful to you for this exciting knowledgeable information.

May 17, 2018 at 6:37 am

Hi, Thanks for all the great tips and how-to’s in this article


October 25, 2019 at 7:13 am

Hi Seattle, It’s really useful how-to guide about travel videos! Thank you so much! I like your blog! Vitaly recently posted.. Best Action Camera 2020

February 7, 2020 at 12:10 am

Thanks for sharing the post. This post helped me to learn some new tips to create a quality video with a phone. Keep posting. Please let me know for the upcoming posts. Stephen Alex recently posted.. Apple iPhone 11 Pro reviews and best price in India

July 18, 2020 at 11:54 am

I have never tried an iPhone before for video making. But I will definitely try these tips for my upcoming video. My work mate is usually my laptop. To complete my articles and do video editing I need a high performance laptop. I have listed some cheap high performance laptops on my website: https://laptopunder500.com/best-laptops-under-300/ . The best part about these laptops is that they all are inexpensive and light in weight which lets you take it wherever you travel. Thank you for giving this detailed review of video making tips using an iPhone.

July 27, 2020 at 12:22 am

Yeah when your phone can do so much now, I think investing some in accessories is a good idea 🙂 Jared James recently posted.. Emotion Stealth 11 Angler Review: As Strong as it Gets

September 14, 2020 at 2:28 pm

I recently bought a Tri-pod, and oh my, it improved the quality of my videos great!

October 15, 2020 at 2:31 pm

Thanks for this info article but I think before making a travel video we need a good smartphone. If I don’t have a good smartphone then what to do with the travel video???

July 30, 2021 at 5:02 am

About to Shoot my first outdoor vlog. Thanks for the basic get started tips 🙂 So excited to see the output. Going to use Filmic App for video shoot, you have any other suggestions too? for video recording app?

Robin Robin recently posted.. iPhone Face ID Not Working after iOS Software Update? How to Fix?

August 28, 2021 at 3:35 am

I take photos only on my iPhone love the pictures the image processing is outstanding and really far better than a basic DSLR, videos are also great and still, I’m taking photos on my iPhone, recommending iPhones for startup photographers. If you are the one among them then start with your iPhone. Thank you.

September 9, 2021 at 4:57 am

That’s a great article. thanks for sharing

January 20, 2022 at 2:37 am

I only take pictures on my iPhone that the image processing is outstanding and really much better than a basic DSLR, the videos are also great and still, I am taking photos on my iPhone, recommending iPhone for startup photographers. If you are one of them, start with your iPhone. Thanks. Kamali Culpepper recently posted.. Revising and Marketing my Short Film: How you can too!

April 11, 2022 at 2:27 pm

I only take images with my iPhone since the image processing is exceptional and far superior to that of a basic DSLR, the movies are also excellent, and I continue to take shots with my iPhone, suggesting iPhone to aspiring photographers. Start with your iPhone if you’re one of them. Thanks. M R Mamun recently posted.. Fenix 6 pro sapphire titanium

December 13, 2022 at 10:45 am

Hi, I”m a vlogger . i want to buy a phone to make video. please suggest me something better

December 13, 2022 at 10:59 am

Which phone is better for make video?

April 11, 2023 at 6:56 am

Use the right settings: Adjust your phone’s settings to get the best quality video. Set the resolution to the highest possible setting and adjust the exposure and white balance to ensure that your footage looks great.

Edit your footage: Once you have recorded your footage, edit it to make it look its best. Use editing software to trim your footage, add transitions, and enhance the colors and contrast.

December 1, 2023 at 9:44 am

Didn’t realize changing video resolution could make such a difference! Excellent guide for capturing travel memories with a phone. The contest sounds amazing too.

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How to Make a Travel Video in 3 Easy Steps with Ideas & Pro Tips

  • how to make a travel video

how to make travel video with phone

There are very few categories that offer as much possibility for rich and engaging storytelling as that of travel. Beautiful locales, thrilling adventures, and gripping anecdotes provide a whole lot of content fodder for travel creators and brands! 

But that doesn’t mean that making travel videos is a piece of cake. Far from it. In addition to having the technical know-how and an eye for detail, you also need to know how to weave a story around the content you shoot – and for this, you need to constantly ideate and execute. So if you’ve been wanting to make it in the travel space and are wondering how to make a travel video, this article is just what you need. 

In the following sections, we will be taking you through everything you need to know about creating travel videos in addition to sharing some of the best ideas you can get started with. If you already have something in mind and would like to get started right away, you can sign up for a free account on InVideo and start bringing your travel videos to life. 

Create cinematic travel videos

Without spending hours on editing

Create cinematic travel videos

Here’s what we will cover:

1. The basics of how to make a travel video 2. Top 7 travel video ideas 3. Pro tips to create travel videos

Let’s dive in.

1. Basics of making travel videos:

While making any video you need to go through the steps of ideating, planning, and executing. But when you’re carrying these steps out in the travel video space, you need to hone several other skills in addition to that of filmmaking, such as time management, thinking on your feet, and acting quickly. So to help you get better at making travel videos let’s take a look at what you need to do.

A. Planning and pre-production

A lot of people believe that planning is an optional step when it comes to creating travel videos because the activity of traveling in itself is so unpredictable. But if you’re looking to create travel videos that leave an impact, planning and pre-production are absolutely indispensable to the process. 

Planning for a travel video includes everything from ideation and scripting to location scouting and storyboarding. But all of these processes look very different from how you would do these for regular videos – for the sole reason that there is a huge amount of uncertainty that comes with the process of travel. Filmmaker Aidin Robbins explains the process of planning very well in this video:

Here’s a short outline of how you can go about it: 

(1) Ideation

Ideating for a travel video begins with deciding upon a location and then figuring out in what light do you want to present that location. Do you want to create an educational video on the place or showcase its culture or is there a particularly interesting story about the place that you want to bring to light? Your answers to these questions form the basis of your idea.

(2) Research

Once your idea is ready, you want to go ahead and gather as much information as you can about the place – through blogs, youtube videos, personal anecdotes, and even interviews. You want to look up images and videos to get an understanding of what the place looks and feels like. This is super important in helping you plan out your shots later.

(3) Outlining

Once you have the idea and your basic research in place, you want to create a rough outline of the flow of your video. This is where the storytelling aspect kicks in. Mind you this is not a full-fledged script because that isn’t really possible at this stage. With the outline, you want to ask questions such as how do you want to start your video? What is the hook? How will the story flow and how will it end? Here is also where you want to cite any references for creative inputs and ideas.

(4) Plan your shots

Now this is not something that you have complete control over. However, having a basic understanding of how your story flows as well as the shots and angles that will complement the scenes in your story is super important. This will allow you to be mindful of the kind of shots you take. You can create a shot list of the basics that you want to cover so that even if unprecedented events happen, you can still get decent shots from your trip. You can also create a storyboard to help with this process but that is not mandatory.

(5) Figure out your equipment

Depending on the location you’re traveling to, how long you plan on being there, what your living situation is going to be like and other important factors, you will have to decide on your equipment. You will require a professional camera with a few different lenses, a gimbal to take moving shots, a good on-camera microphone to record audio, and also preferably a drone to get cinematic aerial footage. Check out this blog for a complete list of the kind of equipment you will need. 

B. Shooting your travel videos

When shooting travel videos you want to think about what that place represents and what emotion it evokes. That is what you want to capture in your shots. The best travel videos are ones that make the viewers feel like they’re traveling with the creator – and generating that emotion is only possible if you know what elements of the place you want to capture in your footage. This holds true even for vlogs – scout the place before you begin filming to get the best shots. 

Keep your list of shots from the planning stage handy to ensure you get everything you need. And ensure you capture shots from the journey and not just the place itself b because unless you’re taking your viewers on a journey, it doesn’t evoke the kind of emotion you want it to. 

Another thing you want to ensure is simply shooting a lot! In most cases, less than 1% of your footage will make it to the final cut. But for that to happen, you want to ensure you have enough footage, to begin with. The worst feeling is to come back after the trip to edit your video only to realize you missed out on getting good shots. For a more in-depth understanding of how to shoot your travel videos, check out this guide by Parker Walbeck 

Of course, a lot of your travel video story is also refined during the editing process , which is what we will be looking at in the next section. 

C. Editing your travel videos

If you’ve planned right and shot according to the tips we shared above, your editing process will be all smooth sailing. But as we’ve already discussed, creating travel videos is different from creating other types of videos, which is why you need to pay special attention to different elements. 

When you’re editing a travel video, in addition to having great clips, you also have to pay close attention to your choice of music , the sequence of your shots in the final edit, the pacing of the video, as well as the transitions and text you use. An editor like InVideo makes this easier because it already has most of these features inbuilt – allowing you to access and use them at the click of a button. 

Travel videos appeal to people’s wanderlust, which means you want to focus on recreating that emotion while editing. Again, you need to go back to your script and storyboard here to first get an understanding of the kind of emotion you want to convey – are you making a fun holiday video or are you showcasing the culture of a place? In each connotation, the editing style is going to be vastly different. For a fun, festival video, you will have upbeat music, fast transitions, and creative text whereas, for a documentary-style video of a destination, you will probably prefer more acoustic music with mellow tunes, simple transitions, and minimalistic text. 

Here’s a video by popular travel creator Lost LeBlanc explaining his process of editing a travel video: 

Now your editing process will depend heavily on the kind of software you choose to edit on. If you already have some video editing experience and have a robust enough system, you might want to choose professional software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro. 

But if you’re just starting out, you want to use an editing tool that will let you create stunning edits with ease. This is where InVideo comes in. With an extensive library of over 5000+ templates along with ready-made assets like animated text boxes, stickers, call to action, music and sound effects, stock footage, transitions, and more, InVideo makes it super easy for you to edit your travel videos.   

2. 7 ideas you can use to create your travel videos:

Now that you have a fair idea of how to go about creating travel videos, let’s take a look at some top-performing travel video ideas to kick your travel video creation into high gear. 

Idea #1 - Start your own travel vlog

Travel vlogs are a great way to start your travel video journey. As a travel vlogger, you can start recording your trips, talking to the camera and your viewers, sharing your feelings about your trip, your first impressions, your expressions as you try various food items in real-time, and more. The best part is that travel vlogs don’t even need to be professionally edited. They can be shared even live in real-time, as viewers expect travel vlogs to be raw and real in many cases. 

For example, Mina, an American travel vlogger, shares her vlogs from various places she visits across the world. Check out this video of her experience at the Zen capsule hotel in Japan. 

Travel vlogs allow you to build your brand, find a niche as well as work towards earning opportunities. 

Idea #2 - Create helpful how-to travel guides

You don't have to strictly do videos about your trips. You can create video guides for travel enthusiasts or creators as well. You can share tips, ideas, and knowledge with your tribe through beautifully crafted videos. 

For example, check out travel YouTuber Sorelle Amore’s videos. She helps viewers create content like her through travel guides. She also inspires you with stories on how to live free and abundant as she does. Check out this video where she shares tips to travel on a budget.

If you want to create travel videos with a message, you’ll get lots of inspiration on Sorelle’s YouTube channel . Meanwhile, you can create your own travel tips and tricks video using this fully customizable template from InVideo : 

Use This Template  

Idea #3 - Share unique or strange travel experiences through your videos

Your travel videos can become a medium for you to share your personal, unique, or strange stories. You might have experienced unique events across your trips. You might be into tasting local, but strange food, trying out local dresses, and more. All of this can be a part of your travel videos. 

For example, YouTuber Mike Corey’s mission is to conquer his fear of the unknown by traveling to strange and unique places and experiencing uncomfortable events. Check out this video on Mike’s camping experience at a place called Satan’s Castle in Turkey. 

These videos are a glimpse into Mike’s methods of overcoming fear and insecurity. Whether you too want to overcome a personal fear, or you’re looking to create unique travel videos, you too can share strange stories, experiences, and events you met on your journey in your videos.  Not only will this make your videos more interesting, but you’ll also get attention for doing something different. 

Edit and create your own quirky video about strange travel facts with this World’s Deadliest Snakes template.

Use This Template

Idea #4 - Share food stories and reviews in your travel videos

If you are a foodie and love tasting new delicacies while on the go, you can make travel videos about food and culture. Your videos can provide viewers with a peek at different food cultures, cooking methods, and flavors across the globe. 

For instance, YouTuber Mikey Chen travels to various countries and eats all the local food he can get his hands on. You too can similarly marry your two interests - travel and food. Check out this video where Mikey shares updates on his quarantine meals during his latest visit to South Korea.

Mikey’s videos are not just about his interests and passions. He has also successfully created merchandise around his content and sponsors various brands and products through his various YouTube channels. If you love to sample different food items, you too can create videos like Mikey, focusing on the food during your trips. 

Customize this video to create your own exploration of food and culture across the globe! 

Idea #5 - Spread your message of positivity and love in your travel videos

You can create travel videos about love, friendship, and positivity you come across on your trips. Share stories of how people across the globe are all linked by a common thread of compassion and good can be found everywhere. 

For example, Phil, a black dude traveling all over Europe creates videos to promote positivity, love, and break barriers, in association with the Matador network. His videos show him going to various countries and cities and connecting with people, smashing stereotypes in the process. Check out this video on a Black traveler’s guide to Milan.

His videos offer a unique perspective, showing us how a black guy approaches and mixes with the European people. Just like Phil, you can take your viewers through the various places you visit, taking in the sights, eating the local food, and doing fun things across the city. You too can create your travel videos sharing your unique perspective, message, or narrative. All you need is a different way of looking at the world!

Idea #6 - Create 1-minute videos highlighting a city (or any place)

Create one-minute videos of a city or a place your visited and loved. You can feature time lapses, unique shots, and more to make these videos look relatable. These videos can be really helpful to viewers who actually want to travel to these cities and countries as they give a glimpse of the destinations and their highlights. They can also be fun to watch, keeping in mind the short attention spans of most people today.

For example, Cailin from YouTube channel Travel Yourself is known for is her “City in a minute” video series. Cailin shares the highlights of the city (or any place), the culture, the food, and any other relevant information, all in a minute. Check out this video by Cailin featuring Israel in a minute.

Show off your impressive travel highlights in your own 1-minute (or longer) video with this themed slideshow template.

Idea #7 - Share video tour reviews, advice, and answer questions 

If you are wondering how to make travel videos and are looking for inspiration to start, you can begin by doing reviews of local services, food reviews, restaurant or homestay reviews, and more. Share updates on the key points of a trip, give information on how to reach your destination, what does the trip involves, what is your itinerary, the cost, and more. Your videos can also answer the most frequently asked questions about a place or a trip.

For example, travel YouTuber Christianne started vlogging her journey as a response to commonly asked questions about her trips across the globe. Now she shares everything from life updates to travel itineraries and experiences in the form of travel videos. Check out this video by Christianne featuring Medsailors (a cruise trip) in Croatia.  

Edit and customize this template to create your own travel advice video, including details of the trip for prospective travelers.  

3. BONUS: Pro tips while making travel videos

If you want to create stunning travel videos, that make people stop scrolling, you’ll need to do your homework in terms of planning your trip and other aspects. In the section below, we share some super actionable tips that make it possible for you to make your travel videos more impressive and engaging. 

Tip #1 - Understand your gear

Before you set out to capture beautiful locales and happening adventures, you will need to know how to capture them. Understanding your equipment is essential to getting the best output. Know and practice using your camera and mic in various different settings to know what kind of output it yields.

Study your equipment ’s manual to know how to use different controls. You don’t want to miss capturing a beautiful moment because you were fumbling with the controls on your camera. 

Tip #2 - Refine your gear

When you’re starting out it is easy to get swept up by cool gadgets and the latest camera, but the truth is you don’t need a whole bunch of equipment to film good videos. As you hone your craft, refine your gear simultaneously. Your aim should be to be able to travel as light as possible while getting the best quality of the footage.

You can do this by first understanding your style of filmmaking and then sticking to gear that helps you achieve that the best. For instance, if you’re someone who primarily uses wide-angle shots in your travel videos, you might not need to carry multiple macro or telephoto lenses.

The thing to note here is that this kind of refinement comes with practice and experience. So don’t beat yourself up about not getting it right on the first go. 

Tip #3 - Capture as much of the journey as the destination

As we’ve mentioned before, travel videos are about showcasing the journey. Even if you’re making a tips and tricks video, if you can make people feel like they’re part of the process – your videos will do much better. This means capturing shots that depict the journey – hiking to the top of the hill, taking a cab to the temple, walking to the restaurant, and others like it.

Tip #4 - Film the people of the place

Yes drone shots of the ocean and close-ups of the forest leaves are beautiful, but the real essence of a place lies in its people. A lot of travel creators don’t realize how crucial this element is. Capturing life and emotions and depicting that in your story is one of the best ways to evoke feelings of belongingness in your viewers and this is not something you want to miss out on.

For instance, check out this video on one of the oldest cities in the world, Varanasi, India, by YouTuber Ben Mikha, depicting the local people and everyday life. It makes the viewer feel like they are a part of the chaotic and vibrant landscape as well.

Tip #5 - Shoot more than you think is necessary

As we had mentioned above, roughly 1% of all your footage is likely to make it to the final edit . This means you need more than enough legroom to play around and experiment with. Even if you feel something is unnecessary at the moment, capture it because you will not truly know if something is unnecessary unless you bring it to the edit table.

Tip #6 - Organize your footage on the go

Unless you’re on a weekend trip, not organizing your footage on the daily is a huge mistake. Since you will be shooting a lot, if you fail to organize on a daily basis, it will become a mammoth task to have to sift through the entire media from your trip at the end.

Tip #7 - Carry enough storage and battery

This means memory cards, hard drives, and battery backup. The worst thing to happen while filming is having your memory cards or battery run out preventing you from filming what you need to. Keep multiple memory cards, hard drives, and power banks to ensure your filming goes as smoothly as possible. 

Create inspiring travel videos easily

With 8 million+ stock assets

Create inspiring travel videos easily

Wrapping Up

So the next trip you decide to go to, make sure to carry all the necessary equipment and plan your itinerary before you set out. With a little effort towards finding the best locations and angles to shoot from, you can create stunning travel videos that draw viewers in. If you are planning to create a travel video channel or brand, you definitely want to check out this ready reckoner of top video ideas that you can create in the travel space. Use these video ideas to craft engaging travel videos in 2022. 

If you have any questions or want to continue the conversation, hop over to the InVideo community and learn from 25K other marketers and video creators just like you! Or check out InVideo’s YouTube channel to learn more video editing hacks and tricks!

And, if you’re looking to create thumb-stopping videos in minutes (even if you’re not a PRO)- sign-up for a free account on  InVideo.io  today.

This post was written by  Upasna  and edited by  Adete  from Team InVideo

Let’s create superb videos

Let's Roam Explorer

How to Make a Travel Video: 15 Tips to Help PERFECTLY Capture Your Adventure

We’re teaching you how to make a travel video, including capturing quality footage, developing a comprehensive story, and creating an interesting edit. 

how to make travel video with phone

Making a great travel video is so much more involved than turning on your camera or iPhone and pushing record. Whether you are starting a YouTube channel or you are just making a memorial of your family vacation, you want the absolute best quality video footage to remember your trip by. In this guide, we are going to dive into how to make a travel video or vlog for beginners. We’ll focus on basic tips to create quality video footage, a comprehensive story, and an interesting edit. 

Stop for Scavenger Hunts During Your Travels

Let’s Roam creates app-guided adventures for explorers in hundreds of cities around the world . These scavenger hunts , art walks, pub crawls , or ghost hunts combine competitive spirit with interesting trivia and photo ops. Each one offers a fantastic and unique experience! Find one in a nearby city , or download an Explorer Pass and try them all.

How to Make a Travel Video

1. pick your destination.

If you are making a travel video for personal memories, you likely already have a destination in mind. If you are making a professional video for YouTube, you may need to do some keyword research first and find a location that ranks highly in the SEO world. Using something like Google’s Keyword Planner can be very helpful for ideas.

2. Decide What Kind Of Video You Want To Make

There are several different types of travel videos that might interest you. The best way to figure out what type of video you want to make is to watch a lot of travel videos. Hop on Youtube or Vimeo and get to watching. Don’t just watch for entertainment value though, pay attention to things you like and don’t like. Do you like the videos with live narration or do you like voiceovers? Do you like YouTube videos with music and beautiful b-roll footage, or do you really like videos focused on information? There is no right or wrong answer, just preference. 

Types of Videos to Consider

· Travel Vlogs – Vlogs or video blogging is a form of videography that is very personal. Generally, they are informal, based on reality, and require limited editing. They are often filmed in selfie-mode and have a friendly vibe. They rely on the audience trusting the vlogger and experiencing the destination through their eyes.

· Travel Guides – Travel guide videos focus more on what to do in a destination, for instance, “Top 10 Things To Do In Chicago.” They are focused on delivering information on the place, instead of personal information. These videos generally take more planning, require you to shoot much more footage, and take longer to edit. They can be highly SEO-driven though and produce a high number of views. 

· Niche Videos – If you are making a family memoir, then this doesn’t apply so much to you, but if you are getting into professional video making, you need to find your niche. Do you want to focus on food, culture, or adventure? Think about your target audience and your passion! If you make videos about what you love, it will translate to your audience. They will feel your excitement and connect to your channel. 

3. Write A Story

It is important to have a story in mind. You may film your whole trip and have great footage, but it can be really hard to put it together into something that makes sense. It is actually much easier to take some time before filming and figure out what your storyline is. This will help you decide what to film, what order to film in, and how to organize your video clips. If you are planning on posting your video professionally, keeping viewers’ attention is huge! You may have beautiful footage, but if people are bored with you, and your story is all over the place, you will lose them. Pulling people into an organized and interesting plot, keeps them hooked and coming back to see where you will take them next!

4. Decide What You Want To Film

Once you have a story in mind, begin to line out what exactly you want to film. This will naturally go along with your travel planning. What do you want to see? What are your interests in your target destination? Start with a general list of sights. Organize them into an itinerary that makes sense travel-wise. Then, begin to think about how you want to film them. 

Again, go back to what others have done. While you don’t want to copy anyone else’s work (it’s always best to be creative and original), you can get great ideas from those who have gone before you. Think about angles, specific shots, pans, and what information you would like to present. Do you want to just have great footage and do a voiceover later? Do you want to present the information in vlog style, taking the viewer along as you go? Perhaps, you want each family member to have a part? Do you just want it to be natural and let what happens happen? Again, there is no wrong answer, only preferences.

We recommend making a list of exactly what video clips you want to get. It doesn’t have to be technical or use formal, filmmaking language, as long as you know what you mean. It can be scratched on a napkin or kept in a formal Google Spreadsheet, whatever fits your style! For instance, if you are filming the Eiffel Tower, you may make a list something like this:

  • Slow pan up from bottom to top.
  • Slow pan down from top to bottom
  • Still view floating by from river cruise
  • Panoramic pan from the top
  • Long view from Champ-de-Mars
  • Distant view The TrocadĂ©ro
  • Zoom in from a distance
  • Close-up still footage of twinkling lights at night
  • Time-lapse at sunset as lights come on.
  • Zoom out focusing on lights

5. Gather Your Equipment

The best equipment to use is the equipment you have! If you are making a family memoir or just starting out on YouTube, don’t worry too much about getting professional equipment to make travel videos. Actually, the learning curve is quite steep on some professional camera equipment, and you will find that your video quality is not as good as it is on your iPhone, GoPro, or point-and-shoot camera. So, don’t feel like you need to go spend a fortune on equipment. If you would like to snag a starter camera, the Canon PowerShot G7X Mark III is a great one. It has an articulating screen so you can keep an eye on what’s in your frame, a lightweight structure, and it takes great footage.

6. Use Multiple Cameras And Angles

One of the most important aspects of making a good travel video is making it visually stimulating. The same pan from left to right, the same eye level shots over and over, the same focal length throughout, makes for a visually boring video. Spice it up. Cinematic videos use footage from all different angles, above, below, the side, from the bottom up, etc! Get creative, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to use it! If you are planning on using the film for social media, then you need to consider what apps you will be using and film the scene in the correct orientation. For instance, you need a horizontal orientation for YouTube, but you are going to need a vertical orientation for your marketing on Instagram.

If you are traveling with family members or a partner, each of you carry a camera. This allows for multiple views, of the same subject, that you can splice together in editing software to create an interesting clip. Also, two creative brains are better than one. Your partner may see something in a different way than you do, and catching as many viewpoints as you can will help you create a video that many different kinds of people will enjoy watching. 

Some cameras are better for specific footage. For instance, a DSLR camera is great for still footage, they are difficult to stabilize when moving heavily. GoPros are better for stabilization in active situations. Obviously, for aerial views, you need a drone. It may be easier to catch an unexpected moment on your phone. Use it all!

7. Keep It Steady

Video stabilization and sound are nemeses of travel videographers. They are the hardest two things to control. While most cameras and expensive lenses have internal stabilization, you will find that large cameras are still very hard to stabilize. If you are considering making YouTube your career, consider a gimbal for your camera. This will allow you to move and walk and talk, without shaky footage. Use a tripod or set up your camera on a steady surface when you want to do a monologue. Use a GoPro with stabilization when doing something active. When doing a pan, something as simple as holding your breath can make a huge difference. Most of all, when you turn on the camera, think about what you are shooting. Don’t just turn it on and slap record. Think about the composition. Think about your body stance. Get set, and then shoot. 

8. Over Film Everything

You can never have too much footage. Film it, then film it again. You may think you got good footage, and then you get to editing and realize that it is overexposed, the sun is blocking out everything, or you didn’t allow it to focus well. You may find that you thought you were recording and you weren’t. All these things happen. So, we recommend filming the scene, rewatching it on your screen or phone, adjusting for mistakes, and then refilming it. You may have to film a certain thing multiple times. This isn’t always possible, but when it is, take the time to film it a few times. There is no such thing as too much footage.

9. The Camera Is Not As Fast As The Eye

Remember your camera is a machine. Depending on the quality of your camera, it can take time to focus. When you begin a vlog or monologue, give it 5-6 seconds to focus before your begin talking. When you are panning a landscape, go incredibly slow, as the camera is having to refocus multiple times on the way through to keep sharp. You can speed up the footage in your video editor. Make sure you give it time to focus.

10. Follow The Light

Lighting is of utmost importance in filmmaking. Before you begin filming, do a test. If you are vlogging, make sure your face isn’t under a shadow. Shooting into the sun will often produce starbursts in your footage. Low light footage often looks noisy. Sometimes just turning around the other direction, or turning on a lamp, will completely change your video quality. 

If shooting in the middle of the day, your camera will tend to overexpose the footage. Remember that it is much easier to brighten something in post than it is to correct overexposure. Err on the underexposed side. You may need to manually adjust this on your DSLR or mirrorless camera when filming in direct sunlight. 

11. Offer Some Information

We find that the best videos give us a behind-the-scenes take on your travel experiences. People want to know what they are looking at. Why is it important? Don’t overdo it. You don’t want to bore people but bring in some historical, cultural, or experiential information to keep the audience interested. If you are making a video for your own memoirs, this is how you are going to remember your trip, so include funny things that happen, how you feel in the moment, and what is going on behind the scenes. These are your memories, make them personal, and include the information that will help you remember the best parts of your trip. 

12. Organize Your Footage

When shooting on several cameras, organization is key. You need a single place to bring together all your footage. We recommend investing in a good hard drive. Solid-state drives are more expensive, however, they are more sturdy for being thrown in and out of your travel backpack. We also recommend backing up your footage in multiple places.

Once you get all your footage in one place, begin to watch and label it. If you have 5 pan-ups of Mount Rushmore, label which one you think is the best. If you want to use a number system to grade the quality, that’s great too. Label your videos with descriptive names, letting you know what they are for future use. For instance, do not label your footage, “hot air balloons in Cappadocia.” Label it, “best left to right slow pan of blue balloon,” and put it in the “Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride” folder. The more descriptive the better.

If filming an entire vacation or work trip, you will have footage from several different locations and sights. Break down your footage into appropriate folders. You want to be able to find it quickly! If you know what videos you are going to make for YouTube, separate the footage by video title, keeping all the footage for each video together. This may mean you have footage from several places in one folder. 

If you are making a montage for personal use or you aren’t sure exactly what travel videos you are going to make yet, then separate them by location. We find that setting up multiple layers of folders and being as precise as possible takes a lot of time at the front end, but saves you time in the long run. Whatever system you decide to use, use it consistently.

13. The Magic Is In The Post

While getting good footage is obviously important, so is putting it together in a way that makes sense, flows smoothly, and provides visual and audio interest. There is no way we can cover all the ins and outs of editing in the scope of this article, but here are a few general concepts to think about.

14. What Editor Should You Use?

What video editor you use depends on a lot of things, like what equipment did you film on? If you filmed on your phone, and you only have your phone, then you are going to use a video editing app like InShot . If you are filming primarily on an iPhone, then you may want to use iMovie. 

Using multiple cameras to produce a full-length travel video or vlog for YouTube or Vimeo, requires true video editing software. Which one you choose, depends on your equipment and your editing style. Many PC users like Adobe Premiere Pro. Those who really want control over every detail of sound and color grading may like Davinci Resolve . Adobe is quite expensive, prone to crashing and freezing, and export issues. We wouldn’t recommend it or any expensive software for beginners.

Adobe does make a web-based video editor called Premiere Rush that is free and has a medium level of control, allowing you to splice video, color grade, and improve the sound. It has premade graphics and allows for adding text and video transitions. It’s a great editor for beginners! Davinci is not as user-friendly, but it does offer incredible control and is free. Mac users tend to use Final Cut , which again might be too expensive if you are just starting out or making videos for fun.

· Add Music

Music can make or break your video. Take some time to find music that fits the emotion of your footage. Find something upbeat for your intro. Make sure that music used when speaking is turned down and doesn’t have too many lyrics or crazy beats that make it hard to understand your words. You want your music to add emotion and interest to your video, not distract the viewer. It should be present, but not overpowering. 

If you are posting your video anywhere on social media, you must make sure that you use only royalty-free music. There are paid platforms like Epidemic Sound , Bensounds , or Soundstripe that most YouTube professionals use. Good royalty-free music is generally not free to use. However, most of these subscriptions do have a free trial period. 

· Go Easy On The Transitions

Creative video transitions can add to the visual interest of your video. However, you are not making a Powerpoint presentation, so use transitions, especially premade ones, sparingly. Instead, think about transitions when you are filming and use a camera drop, hand to the camera, or spin to transition from one clip to another. Be creative and think it out beforehand. 

· Pay Attention To Consistency

When making a travel video, remember that the goal is to create a story. As much as possible, the viewer should not be able to tell when you switch cameras. Part of great editing is to adjust your color and sound to be consistent throughout the video. It takes some practice and a lot of time. So, be patient with it. It’s good advice to take it slow. When necessary, step away for a while and come back and look at it with fresh eyes. Your software will likely need to catch up anyway.

15. Be True To You

If we can offer one piece of advice, especially for those entering the YouTube world, it would be to stay true to yourself. Not only will it make you more successful, as you will attract true fans that want to engage and invest in your channel, but you will be happier with your content. There is nothing worse than watching a video you made 6 months ago and being embarrassed about how fake it feels. You should identify with your own creations. Make it beautiful. Tell a good story, but above all, make sure it is true to who you are!

Closing Thoughts

While this guide is nowhere near comprehensive, we hope it gives you a good foundation to start. Video making is an art, and it takes time to learn. Just like any art form, you need to practice. It will take trial and error. It will involve experimenting and failures, but that is half the fun! 

What are your favorite videography tips? Let us know in the comments!

Want to get ahead of the game on filming new destinations? Check out our list of “ Emerging Travel Destinations”, and get there first!

Does your new adventure include traveling with a partner? Check out our guide on “ How to Travel As A Couple: Tips For An Amazing Adventure. “

Frequently Asked Questions

Making a great travel video starts with capturing fantastic footage. Composition, lighting, and stabilization are things to think about. Include info like travel tips and historical facts to add interest!

These 15 tips for producing travel videos will help you ensure that you capture your adventure in a fun and professional way

Picking what to shoot is an important part of making a travel video . Consider doing a tour or a city scavenger hunt of your destination. This will allow you to get a glimpse of the local attractions.

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how to make travel video with phone

How to Film a High-Quality Travel Video with Just an iPhone

October 17, 2019 4 min read

How to Film a High-Quality Travel Video with Just an iPhone - Movo

Travel videos are one of the most common projects new photographers take on because there is so much potential for great shots. Between unique landscapes and unusual activities, travel vlogging makes for visually appealing content. If you’re interested in starting your own travel vlog series, you’ll need to invest in an all-in-one vlogging kit for your iPhone . The video quality on our mobile devices has come a long way and can create professional-grade content. For new photographers and videographers, this is a huge advantage because you don’t need to drop hundreds of dollars on a fancy camera—you can simply use your mobile device. Before you start shooting your new series, here are some tips on filming high-quality travel videos.

Use the Manual Settings

Though your phone can take great shots in automatic mode, when you use the manual settings , you’re able to focus on specific aspects of a shot to make it more appealing and impactful. For photographs, you can get that blurred background effect that makes photos crisper and gives a greater sense of depth by taking advantage of portrait mode. This feature only comes with the iPhone 8 Plus and newer models, but it can capture the perfect close-up shot for your travel blog. In portrait mode, you can also adjust the lighting setting from natural lighting to stage lighting. If you have an older iPhone model, you can still create this same effect by getting the camera very close to your subject and press on the screen to focus on that one object.

To take advantage of other manual controls that are standard on DSLR cameras, you can download a number of high-quality apps that will display settings like aperture and exposure. Using these settings will help you to focus in on the details of the landscape while traveling.

filming with iphone and gimbal

Invest in a Vlogging Kit for iPhones

Although your iPhone is the most important piece of equipment for filming, if you want to make some truly impressive travel vlog videos, you’ll need a few other items to elevate the overall quality. The two biggest issues when shooting video on an iPhone are audio quality and stability. With your vlogging kit for iPhone, you’ll get an external microphone that can greatly improve sound quality. If you’re trying to create something impactful and the sound is vital to your video, you want to ensure that your viewers can hear what’s going on. Muffled or distant-sounding audio can take viewers out of the experience and make your videos appear unprofessional.

You’ll also get a stabilizer in your kit, which is key to taking steady shots. No matter how hard you try, it’s nearly impossible to hold your camera completely still–especially if you’re trying to film travel videos while moving or engaging in an activity. This is why a stabilizer is so important . It will help to hold the camera still, making it easier for your viewers to see what’s happening in the shot and, again, giving it a more clean, polished appearance.

Bring a Charger with You When You Shoot

This may seem like a simple tip, but it’s extremely important. When you’re spending all day capturing videos on your phone, your battery is going to be drained. The last thing that you want is to have your phone die right as you’re about to get that perfect shot. Fully charge your phone before you begin shooting and bring a charger with you so you don’t have to miss out on any great footage. For travel vloggers, investing in a portable charger is a smart idea as you’ll probably have a hard time finding electrical outlets during your travels. The portable charger will allow you to re-up your battery on-the-go and get right back to shooting.

wide angle landscape photo of hiking trail

Purchase a Wide-Angle Lens

Just like DSLR cameras, iPhones have the ability to use different camera lenses. The new iPhone 11 in particular offers an ultra-wide angle lens for shots with incredible detail. You can purchase a number of different lenses for different effects, but the wide-angle is probably the most important . As a travel vlogger, you’ll likely be shooting a lot of landscape and scenery shots. These are always more effective and stunning when shot with a wide-angle lens as you are able to get a larger view and a better sense of place. If you’re looking for an all-in-one bundle that includes a wide-angle lens, check out the SmartCine Smartphone Video kit .

Create Top-Notch Travel Videos

Travel vlogging is a fun project that can result in truly amazing content. If you enjoy traveling and want to start documenting your experiences with professional-looking videos, purchase some essential smartphone video accessories and start exploring the world around you. Remember how to use your most important equipment for a more high-quality appearance and try to use your videos to convey a feeling or sense of place to your viewers.

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Create travel videos that inspire wanderlust.

Learn how to plan and execute a video of your globetrotting expeditions. Get pro tips and advice to make stunning travel stories out of your adventures.

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Immortalize your travels with a video.

Travel videos are a great way to document your trip, tell a specific story for a client, or just share the sights and sounds you experienced with the world. Whether you’re exploring the pyramids of Egypt, the skyscrapers of New York City, or the tropical waters of Thailand, learn how to  make a video  of your trip that you’ll want to watch over and over again.

Prepare for your trip.

When it comes to making travel videos, any time spent planning is time well spent. The preparation phase might not be as fun as filming or traveling, but it will help you make the most of your time, and it’ll give you the best chance to come away with the footage you need to make the best travel video you can.

Gather inspiration.

The first step is to research your travel destination and find inspiration. If you’re going on an expedition to Antarctica, this could mean finding out how to dress for the weather. If you’re going to Barcelona in Spain this might include looking up architectural points of interest. Logistics, location scouting, and getting familiar with the local culture will all help you plan your trip and your video.

“I find travel inspiration on social media,” says photographer and videographer Tiffany Nguyen. “So whether it’s Instagram, Pinterest, or a blog I saw, I usually have things bookmarked into a folder on my phone.” Next, Nguyen pins the different locations she wants to visit on Google Maps and color codes them in order of priority. “That way I can plan out a route, and I am not wasting my time jumping from point A to point B,” she says.

A travel video collage of various images from locations in Egypt

Map your story.

After you’ve done your scouting, start to visualize the narrative arc of your video. This process is also known as  storyboarding . Your storyboard could be as simple as loose sketches, or it could describe the sequence of your video shot by shot. “Video is very time consuming and the window when you have good light is very small, so it’s important to have a good game plan,” says Nguyen.

One advantage of going through the storyboarding process is that you realize what shots you’ll need for your video. Now you can write a  shot list  to help you keep tabs on what footage you have and what you still need.

“If you have a strong storyboard and shot list, it’ll be a lot easier for you to put the timeline together and create the sequence for the video,” says Nguyen. “The most important part is being able to tell a story. You may have a bunch of epic clips, but if you don’t know how to tell a story and put it all together, it falls apart.”

Working with a client.

If you’re working with a client, the pre-production process is almost identical, except that you’ll likely be given creative direction or a certain script to follow.

“It all starts with research. I have a client meeting, and then I sit down with my producer and we figure out how we’re going to execute this project. Then I write the script,” explains videographer Bevan Waite.

“The script dictates the next series of preparation documents, which would be the shot list, the call sheet, and any travel logistics that need to be organized. All of these organizational documents reference the script and ensure there’s an allotted time and location for every aspect of the script to be executed,” says Waite.

Find the focus of your film.

From the moment you start planning to the final edit you make, the most important thing to do is keep the big picture in mind; let it drive all your decisions as a filmmaker.

Another way to think about this is to ask yourself what your goal is, what the purpose of your video is. Are you making a travel guide for the Amalfi coast, a documentary of your road trip through Scotland, or a sponsored travel adventure through the Amazon rainforest? Or do you simply want to make an epic travel video as a keepsake of your trip?

Once you have your overarching purpose figured out, the rest of the planning, filming, and editing process will fall into place much more easily. Whether you’re a  vlogger  who wants to show their subscribers a day in Bali or a blogger who wants to add a video component to your post about the best way to see the Grand Canyon, there’s no limit to what you can do with the video format and a desire to explore.

“Some trips I totally fly by the seat of my pants. And that’s okay; sometimes you can schedule time to not know what the next thing is,” says Waite. “But it’s always a good idea to have that larger vision in the back of your mind, so you know what you’re trying to accomplish.”

Aerial view of a desk with a drone, laptop, camera equipment, and an orange cat lying on it

Pack your camera bag.

Now that you’ve got your vision, it’s time to pack your bags. The best strategy in the gear department is to keep your kit as minimal as possible. “Especially on travel shoots, where you’re going to four or five different locations a day, you want a really compact, organized camera bag. That’ll allow you to move more easily,” says Waite.

Mirrorless cameras  are your best bet for cutting the bulk without sacrificing image quality, but you can use whatever camera you have that can film video. If you’re making a video for a client, it’s a good idea to bring two camera bodies so you have a backup in case one breaks, gets stolen, or gets lost.

“You don’t want to have a huge camera, because that draws attention to you and makes it hard to capture candid moments,” says Nguyen. GoPros and other action cameras are always a good idea to bring, since you can mount them anywhere and they take up virtually no space.

Finally, consider bringing a  drone  for those stunning aerial shots. “I love having aerial footage in the intro of my videos,” says Nguyen. “An aerial clip grabs your attention right away.” If you do decide to bring a drone, make sure you’re licensed and can legally fly in your chosen location.

“I almost always carry multiple lenses,” says Nguyen. “I have a wider lens, like a 16–35mm, and I also have a couple prime lenses.” While prime lenses are less versatile in  focal length , they are more compact and their image quality is often superior to zoom lenses. To round out her kit, Nguyen brings a telephoto zoom lens, which allows you to capture subjects you can’t get close to. These lenses also create a beautiful compression effect for your scene.

But if you want to go minimal, a solid midrange zoom lens such as a 24–70mm can make a great all-in-one kit.

A photographer standing in front of a sunset holding a camera on a tripod

Stabilizers

Nguyen also recommends using a gimbal or other stabilization system. “This is how you’re going to get those smooth cinematic shots,” she says. “When you capture videos with the gimbal you have more usable footage versus a handheld shot, since a lot of those shots can be really shaky and unusable.” 

How much does gear matter?

Don’t let gear get in the way of what really matters: the journey itself. Most cameras with video capability can film exceptionally high-quality footage, even an iPhone. The difference is in the story you tell and how you choose to tell it. Your audience isn’t going to be dialed in to pixel differences, but they will care about craftsmanship and how well the story captures their attention.

Three pyramids in the desert at sunrise

Tips for filming your video.

Pay attention to light..

Light is one element you should always look out for, since the quality of your light will determine the look and feel of your video.  Golden hour  is a favorite time for most photographers and videographers, as the soft, warm, directional light close to sunset is flattering for subjects.

“If you have outdoor locations you want to visit, go there at the beginning or end of the day, and then go to your indoor locations in the middle of the day,” advises Waite. “That way you’re still getting a good quality of light inside the buildings, but you’re not getting that harsh daylight outside.”

Vary your shot types.

Consider the variety of  shot types  you’re collecting as you travel. Just like a favorite food, it may be delicious, but if it was the only food you could eat you’d soon grow tired of it. In the same way, “if you just have static shots or all gimbal shots, the video won’t be as enticing to viewers,” says Nguyen. Wide shots, detail shots, candid moments, lively action shots contrasted with still tripod shots, and time lapses are all shot types you can use to keep your video interesting.

Embrace the unexpected.

When traveling, things are bound to go sideways or veer from your plan at one point or another. Try not to get discouraged when you can’t eliminate all unknowns during your trip. Part of the beauty of travel is your encounter with the unexpected. As long as your camera is ready to roll, you’ve got the opportunity to capture one-of-a-kind footage as the scene unfolds.

“Being able to think on your feet is a very essential skill to have as a filmmaker,” says Waite. “No matter how much prep you do before a shoot, you’re always kind of making it up as you go.”

Get consent from the people you film.

If you’re doing commercial work, you’ll want to make sure you’re squared away legally when it comes to showing people’s faces. The last thing you want is to run into any legal issues down the road, so make sure you get consent or a model release right after you’ve filmed them.

“That’s something you want to be upfront about,” says Nguyen. “Most of the time, if you let them know what you’re doing, I find that people are open to it and think it’s really cool.” 

More travel vlog tips here .

Edit with the story in mind.

Back it up asap..

The first thing you want to do after a day of filming is back up your footage onto a hard drive. If you can, have at least two backups of the footage, because you never know what could happen.

Once your footage is safely stored and organized, go through it and start to pick your favorite shots. Pull those clips into the video editor of your choice. Nguyen uses Adobe Premiere Pro.

View overlooking a rocky valley

Make your cuts cohesive.

Now that you’re ready to put it all together, pull out your storyboard again. This is going to be the difference between a clip montage and a story. While it may not be a feature-length documentary, every travel video has a story arc, even if it’s just a chronological retelling of your steps.

“It’s always good to have a bigger picture of what you’re doing in the editing room, rather than just putting a nice video clip next to another nice video clip,” says Waite. “Even if it isn’t clear to other people, as long as you know there’s an inherent structure to the way you’re doing things, I think that’s good enough.”

Waite likes to group similar shots together to create mini-scenes. “If the  establishing shot  is a drone shot of the ocean at sunrise, the next two to five shots should be of that same scene, shot in different ways,” Waite explains. No matter how you sequence your film, always do it with intention. Think about how your clips connect to each other and work together to move the viewer through the story.

How long should my video be?

That depends on what type of video you are making. “For regular Instagram posts, I find that 45 seconds is the sweet spot,” says Nguyen. “It’s really hard to create a video in just 30 seconds because usually I have so much footage. And I find that one minute is a bit too long, because usually the travel videos you see on Instagram are fast paced.”

Other platforms like a  YouTube channel  or IGTV are better suited for longer stories, but longer doesn’t necessarily mean better. As long as the story supports the length, you should be good. Just keep in mind that the longer your video gets, the more likely your audience will lose focus, so if you want a long video make sure you’ve got a compelling story to back it up.

Don’t forget sound.

Between voice-overs, interviews, and ambient music that complements your video, audio is one element that can really elevate your video. Collect sound bites from some of your filming locations to use alongside their respective video clips. Whether it's rainforest sounds in Brazil, water lapping at the beach in the Philippines, or even Los Angeles traffic, sound activates another sense and helps immerse the viewer into the scene.

Balance client expectations.

When you work for a client, Waite’s advice is to “put your own creative spin on it as an editor. But go with the direction you’ve been supplied.” It can be tricky at first to strike this balance, but the chances are your client hired you because they like your unique style or personality, and it’s okay to let that show in your editing.

Begin your journey as a travel filmmaker.

There’s a lot to keep in mind as you start to make a travel film, but the most important thing to remember is to relax and enjoy the journey. Don’t worry about being technically perfect so much that you don’t immerse yourself in your location and culture. Your passion and perspective will be much more noticeable than which gear you used or how big your budget was.

“Be shameless and just go for it,” advises Waite. “It’s all about self-confidence. When it comes down to it, it’s really just organization, vision, execution, and editing. None of those steps is rocket science. People can make careers out of just one of those steps.”

From Turkey to Tuscany, Peru to Prague, or New Zealand to Norway, wherever you may find yourself, you’ve got all you need to get out and film your own epic travel video.

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The Epicurean Traveler

Inspiring Cultural Exploration Through Culinary Travel

Camera on a stabilizer records a beautiful view at twilight

How to Make a Travel Video: 10 Tips for Beginners to Create Compelling Travel Videos

Are you interested in learning how to make a travel video? Maybe you’re hoping to become the next big travel content creator, or perhaps you are an intrepid traveler seeking a way to share your travel memories with friends and family back home.

In this guest post, the pros at the online video editor InVideo share 10 practical tips for making travel videos that grab interest and engage your audience. With these 10 actionable tips for beginners, you can inspire wanderlust among your friends and followers through your own engaging travel videos!

Disclosure:   This beginner’s guide on how to make travel videos contains affiliate links. When you click on or make a purchase via one of these links, I may earn a commission. 

For the last two years, we were faced with travel restrictions as the world grappled with a global health crisis. Now that many restrictions are being lifted, those of us itching to travel are making plans for our next vacation.

Perhaps more than ever, we want our vacations to be memorable, and we want to share those travel memories with our friends and family through social media. The best way to capture and revisit the moments of a great trip is to create travel videos.

While we may shoot every thrilling activity, scenic view, and delicious meal during the trip, editing travel videos prudently will make them more engaging for your friends, family, and social media followers.

Now, let’s look at some of the practical tips for making a great travel video!

1. Choose the Right Camera for You

Whether you want to start a travel-centric YouTube channel or simply share your trip memories in Instagram reels with your friends, the first step to creating travel videos is acquiring the necessary camera gear. Most importantly, having the correct equipment to create great travel videos begins with choosing the right camera for you.

For example, it is better for those who are not familiar with aperture and shutter speed to opt for a camera with user-friendly automatic settings. Instead of investing in an expensive DSLR like professional travel videographers may use, beginner-level travel video creators can opt for a compact or mirrorless camera that captures high-resolution video at a lower price point.

Therefore, we recommend the Sony ZV-1 for beginner travel vloggers. It’s an excellent camera for shooting travel videos for several reasons.

First of all, this camera was specifically designed with content creators in mind. Therefore, it comes with a 3-inch LCD flipscreen, which is handy when recording yourself. Secondly, the automatic exposure tracks faces to ensure you or whomever you are shooting is well-lit. Third, image stabilization reduces camera shake as you walk around landmarks, national parks, and historic sites on your travels while recording 4K high-resolution video. 

At a time when short and full-length feature films have been filmed on smartphones , you may already have your go-to travel camera in your hand as you read this post. In particular, the Sony Xperia 1 III is highly rated for video recording, and Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro and larger iPhone 13 Pro Max offer professional-level capabilities for capturing both travel videos and still photography.

2. Use an Easy Tool for Editing Travel Videos

So many video editing applications for mobile devices and traditional video editing software programs are on the market these days. You may be overwhelmed with the options and wonder which is best for editing travel videos.

For beginners, there is an awesome easy video editing software . It’s a powerful tool with filters, effects, templates, stickers, and more to streamline the video editing process. With this video editor, you can make travel videos to share across various platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

how to make travel video with phone

3. Watch Travel Videos for Inspiration

Making travel videos may not be as easy as you might have thought! So, first, watch existing travel videos on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or other social media platforms to gather ideas.

By watching other travel content creators’ videos, you’ll be inspired to create your own while learning some tricks for framing beautiful shots.

4. Pick Your Favorite Platform

Every website and social media platform has its own video specifications that you need to follow before uploading your travel videos. Hence, it is good to select the platform first before you start your hard work.

Before you even begin shooting your video, you should become acquainted with your desired platform’s specifications. Then upload some videos to test how the platform performs. 

5. Prepare Your Camera Settings

Once you have practiced shooting videos at home and are ready to take your trip, you’ll want to keep your camera settings ready. Changing a photo setting while you are traveling can be cumbersome. Therefore, having two memory buttons set to 4K and 25fps will be a good idea.

Camera on a stabilizer records a beautiful view at twilight

6. Plan Your Travel Video Shoots Ahead of Time

When creating a travel video, planning your shoots ahead of time is key.

Most importantly, you need to think about when to shoot for the optimal natural light. Early mornings and just before dusk — often called the golden hour — are usually best for getting breathtaking shots.

Also, as you plan your travel shoots, keep in mind that shooting too little footage will not let you have enough shots when you begin to edit videos after your trip.

At the same time, overshooting will make your task of editing videos lengthy and cumbersome.

Striking the right balance will take some practice, but, don’t worry, you will get there soon. 

7. Tell a Story Through Your Travel Videos

Storytelling is the best way to keep your audience engaged with your travel video. After you complete your trip , try to find a common thread and weave a story out of it.

Of course, the places of historical importance will have their own stories, which you can include while editing videos after your trip .

While you are traveling, record some short clips of the locals and the people you meet during your trip. You can weave their voices and commentary into your video for an interesting contrast to your own voice. This also gives your viewer a break from listening to your voiced-over monologue for the entire video. 😉 

8. Keep Video Clips Short and Sweet

Your audience likely has a short attention span , and social media users today move from one post to the next very quickly losing interest faster than a goldfish!

Therefore, you want to keep your travel videos concise and attention-grabbing. For a platform like Instagram, your travel videos should be 90 seconds or shorter and easily understood without sound.

Instead of capturing everything from your vacation in one video, you can create shorter travel videos highlighting various parts of your trip. 

how to make travel video with phone

9. Shoot Your Travel Video Using the Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is taught in most photography classes, and for good reason. It’s a cardinal rule of both photography and videography.

Usually, in videos, your main subject should not fill the entire frame. Instead, think of your shot’s frame as being divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Rather than placing your subject in the center of the shot, you want the main object, person, or animal set off to the side. The photo above is a prime example of this concept.

10. Add Music to Your Travel Video

Lastly, though you want your travel video to tell a story, that is not always accomplished with explanations and voiceovers. Using music will help your viewers emotionally connect with your video.

Therefore, when you have captured the scenic beauty of a destination, it is often better to infuse background music that syncs with the video’s theme.

Final Thoughts on How to Make a Travel Video

Before you book your flights and hotel rooms for your next vacation, begin practicing shooting and editing videos at home. For example, you can take a local day trip and shoot the entire day’s activities keeping the rule of thirds and short clips in mind.

Then, using the video editing platform we shared, get to the work of editing videos . It will require a good amount of practice before you master the art of creating engaging travel videos, but with the tools and tips mentioned in this post, you will be on your way.

Bon Voyage and happy shooting!

Find More Travel Tips!

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What are your best tips for making a travel video?

Please share your thoughts and tips in the comment section!

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Whether you’re capturing holiday memories of your trip, or you secretly want to launch a career as a travel videographer, simply tapping the record button on your iPhone isn’t going to guarentee a high quality video.

For budding phone videographers, there are two main factors that are going to dictate how good your videos are. The first is the quality of footage.

The newest technology will always be the best way to guarentee you’re shooting the highest quality footage, but anything that is capable of shooting in 4K, 120fps/240fps high speed or slo-mo videos will work well.

The second is the quality of editing that goes into your video after it’s been shot. With these two points in mind, we’ve put together the following tips for making and editing awesome travel videos on your iPhone.

How to Make and Edit Awesome Travel Videos on Your iPhone

Think about what you’re going to film.

It’s important to think about what you’re going to film in advance. The best travel videographers have a plan in place, and an idea of the story they’re trying to tell before they actually land.

Getting home with hours of footage and no idea of what you wanted in the first place means your video is going to lack focus and you could have missed really key angles or shots that would have told your story.

Think about the types of of video you often seeing on YouTube: the tasty food , beautiful scenery, people doing fun activities, or hot locations. These often have a focus and a story, and it’s usually been planned and researched in advance.

Deciding what you’re going to shoot also allows you to film multiple angles of one scene. This gives you options when it comes time to edit, and you can choose the best scenes which tell a more vivid story.

Take Full Advantage of iPhone Features

Simply tapping the record button doesn’t mean you’re producing a video that holds anyone’s attention. There are a huge range of features on the iPhone for making video footage more interesting (timelapse, slow motion etc), so take full advantage of these.

There are also a huge range of external accessories that allow you to improve or alter the footage you’re shooting, so experiment with different accessories and see if you can find a unique style.

That said, you can definitely over-do it with features too, so it’s important to keep a good balance, and not go crazy with effects or trying too hard to be creative. Here are some shooting tips:

When shooting with your iPhone ...

➡  Don’t film in portrait. If you want to be able to use your footage in other projects, it’s important to shoot your videos horizontally. Whether your video is finally displayed on a TV, computer or YouTube, it will be viewed in landscape.

➡ Don’t use zoom function . The zoom on your iPhone is digital zoom instead of optical zoom, which is going to cut out the details and lower the video quality.

➡ Remember to lock your exposure. To make sure your shot is sharply focused, frame your shot, tap the screen on the area you want focused and hold it until AE/AF lock box appears to lock your exposure.

This will ensure that your final video isn’t blurry and out of focus, even if it’s continuously adjusted according to the movement.

➡ Make use of time-lapse and slow motion.  A little bit of time-lapse or slo-mo footage added to your video can give it a professional touch. But it depends on what you’re filming, for example, a shot of someone surfing will be super great in slow motion, but will be too quick for a timelapse.

➡ Try a tripod and external lens. If you’re aiming for a professional look, try to shoot with a tripod to keep your iPhone steady, and attach a variety of lenses like a fisheye, macro, telephoto or wide-angle lens to amplify your creativity and achieve a larger variety of shots.

Edit Your Footage Down to Around 1-3 Minutes

No one (except maybe your mom) wants to watch hours of footage of you traveling. Most travel videos include a variety of splendid scenes, which only lasts a few seconds, and the total length won’t be longer than 3 minutes.

This requires a lot of editing skill, not only trimming, cropping, and merging, but also more advanced video processing skills like stabilizing, compressions, adjusting, and applying effects.

To that end, VideoProc is a nice choice which edits, converts, resizes and adjusts iPhone videos, as well as footage shot by GoPro, drones, and DSLR cameras.

The name VideoProc is derived from “video processing”, to  suggest that it covers a whole workflow of video decoding, transcoding, compressing, adjusting and encoding.

It’s never been easier to edit your footage; you have editing options like trimming, cropping, rotating, applying effects, stabilizing, de-noising, syncing audio and video, adjusting color, and speeding up or slowing down the video from 0.1x to 16x etc.

And VideoProc also allows you to convert iPhone video into any format and resize 4K/HD iPhone video by up to 90% without quality loss. With the support of hardware acceleration, you can even achieve a 47x real-time faster speed for 4K video processing.

Add Music to Your Video

Nothing polishes up and take a new look of your video than music. It really can make or break the end product.

Yet the thing with music is that you can’t use your favorite song without permission from the creator.

So if you don’t want your travel video taken down from YouTube because of a music copyright violation, you can go to YouTube Audio Library to get free music to add to your video.

It’s Time to Share Your Travel Video

When you’re happy with your polished travel video, it’s time to share it to your audiences.

Don’t let it sit on your hard drive, just upload to either YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or Vimeo to tell everyone how amazing your holiday was (in 3 minutes!!).

CAMERA GEAR WE PERSONALLY USE FOR VIDEO. CLICK PHOTO ↓

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how to make travel video with phone

Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind  Waking Up Wild ; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.

Having visited 50+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.

how to make travel video with phone

Glad you enjoyed the post :)

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I am planning to level up and up videos on my Lets Talk Madrid blog. Wish me luck. Hope to create beautiful videos after taking all your advices in this article.

Glad the post was helpful for you Ernesto :) Good luck!

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15 June 2021

Tips for how to make a travel video that stands out.

Tips for How to Make a Travel Video That Stands Out

Dreaming about how to make a great travel video and not sure how to start? Travel videos are excellent ways to breathe life into your holiday photos and memories. And, let's face it: videos attract a lot more engagement on social media than photos these days. You only have to check out social media trends for 2021 to see that everyone, from friends and families to brands and their marketing arms, is creating videos to share with and entertain their audiences.

Videos can make us dream of our next holiday, they can inspire new plans, or they can just help your followers get to know you better. Whether you're into adventure videos, interviews, photomontages, or a first-person, pared-down production, here are some easy steps to create your own amazing travel video. 

Learn from other travel videos

Remember the saying "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"? If you have some social channels you already love to follow for their footage, especially travel videos, now is the time to get inspired. Watch the videos that do really well, either getting lots of likes or thumbs up, or engagement from viewers. Get an idea of what all these have in common and what features you'd like to use in your own videos.

You can also watch some reputable creative travel videos like the documentaries produced by National Geographic to get ideas of stories and angles you can take with your own productions (at a much lower scale, of course!)

Have a story

The single most important trick to making a shareable and memorable travel video is to link it to a story. Whether it's a quick account of your first-person impressions of where you are, or a bird's eye view of a flyover over a mountain forest, ask yourself: what's the story and what will my viewers take away from this video?

Research travel video ideas upfront

This is a tip that will not only help your video do well on social media, but will also make you more efficient. Before you head to the place you're planning to film, do your research about the area, what other good travel videos were done there, what angles you'd like to capture, and so on. Consider your itinerary for the day: will you stay in one place or move around? And how will you shoot that?

Move from the travel video ideas to the execution by sketching out how you'll make each frame stand out. You might use more than one camera or just your phone. Knowing all this in advance will save you lots of time and will give you awesome footage.

Plan a shooting schedule

Following on from the tip above, once you have your story and your travel video ideas are fleshed out on paper, make yourself super-efficient by drafting a schedule. It doesn't have to be a professional, Hollywood-style shooting timetable, it can literally be a 2-line sketch! But having it on paper will focus you on getting the best shots for your film. 

Pick the best songs for travel videos

Having a musical background makes your video more fun and engaging and it can sometimes alter the mood completely. Think about your favorite movie soundtracks for travel scenes, or nature sounds you can overlay onto your video with a good video editing app. In a pinch, just search for "songs for travel videos" online and refer back to your inspiration channels as well. You can also use your video editing app to get additional ideas for background music.

Make a creative travel video with color and depth

To really make your travel video stand out, add some extra focus points that take it from just an overview of a place to a more vibrant and engaging piece of filming. For example, if you're traveling through an Italian village with an open-air market, go beyond filming a wide-angle shot of the stalls and zoom in on the colorful vegetables and fruit.

You can make your video more unique with close-up shots, details, and one-of-a-kind angles focusing on stand-out elements of your trips.

Make it funny

Another way for your travel video to stand out is to make people laugh. We're not suggesting you become a comedian, but the best funny travel videos manage to capture interesting - and comical! - moments in their destinations. This will mean you have to be spontaneous and capture funny moments as they happen, then share them with your followers. So, keep your eyes open for shots that will generate some laughs!

Have a mix of content 

For your social media channel, diversity is key to keeping your audience engaged. Whether you're posting your travel videos to YouTube or TikTok, avoid always shooting the same style of video. Mix landscape views with close-ups, scenes with you talking to the camera with interviews, and make use of music and transitions to keep your viewers entertained. 

Enhance your travel video with clever editing

This is where a good video editing app can help you make amazing travel videos even from your phone. To make your video even better, add some effects and writing to convey additional information you may not think is coming out clearly. You may also want to use some of these travel video transition ideas: chapters or headings, music intros, cut effects, etc. There's so much you can do post-filming, so make the most of it!

Be consistent / have a theme

You might think this clashes with the idea of having a mix of content - it doesn't! Being consistent is all about defining your "why" : what's your channel about and what are you sharing your videos for? Do you want to offer a new perspective on classic destinations? Are you looking for the quirkiest food venues? Do you want to become a world-class one-minute interviewer?

Whatever theme sounds good to you, weave it into your videos to develop your unique brand. 

Play with durations for different social media platforms

You don't need us to tell you that you can't expect the same results with a 10-minute YouTube video as with an Instagram story. But then again, if you focus on providing short snippets of life in a new destination, one-minute travel videos are ideal and you should post them to TikTok or Instagram. Adapting for different platforms will allow you to either focus on one type of content only, or diversify as much as you'd like. Play around with durations until you find what suits you the best.

Remember your audience

When shooting a travel video, think of who it's for: are they interested in the experience, the scenery, the people? Depending on the audience, you may alter the style and look of your travel footage. You could also repurpose your content and use a video editing app to cut parts of your footage into new travel videos dedicated to specific audiences. 

For example, assume you've shot lots of footage from a city break in Paris and you realize you could make a one-minute travel video with the "best of" scenes as well as an in-depth video about the cathedrals or restaurants or the music scene... All of a sudden, you have different videos from the same footage, addressing different audiences, and widening your reach.

Whether just starting out or looking for fresh ideas about how to make a travel video, this guide should give you some inspiration for creating new and engaging content you can be proud of . And, remember: start sharing, see what works, and adapt as you go along!

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How to Make a Great Travel Video (Without Any Previous Experience)

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Jamie Ditaranto

Jamie Ditaranto is a traveler in a love triangle with writing and photography. Follow the drama on Twitter @jamieditaranto and Instagram @jamieditaranto .

Ditaranto joined SmarterTravel in 2015. She loves ecotourism, cities with history, and discovering local hangouts. Though she likes all the continents equally, she holds a special place in her heart for rainy little islands.

Her work has also appeared online at USA Today, Huffington Post, Business Insider, and other publications. You can check out her photography on her website .

The Handy Item I Always Pack : "My instant camera comes in handy for giving instant gifts to new friends."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience : "Befriending penguins in Antarctica."

Travel Motto : "You have to get the hard places out of the way first."

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat : "On short flights, the window. For long flights, the aisle."

Email Jamie at [email protected] .

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When you go on a great trip, sometimes it’s not enough to tell people about it—you want to show them, too. And in our increasingly digital world, the best way to do this is with a video. Travel videos—when done well—have the power to inspire and share stories in an emotional and immersive way. They also make wonderful keepsakes that encompass all the best memories from your experiences.

How to Make a Travel Video

You don’t have to be a professional to make a travel video, either. Here are some tips for planning, filming, and editing that will help you create great travel videos, even if you don’t have any previous experience.

To Make a Travel Video, First Get the Right Equipment

Any great travel video begins with a packing list. Before you set off for your destination, make sure you’re bringing along everything you need to get the shots you want. First, decide what kind of camera to use. Whether it’s the camera in your phone or a more high-end model, there are lots of options to consider depending on your trip.

If you want to make a travel video with high-quality images, look into bringing a  DSLR camera  or even a  handheld camcorder  or  point-and-shoot camera . If you know you’ll be on the move during your trip or want to capture underwater footage, a  GoPro  is a great all-purpose camera perfect for capturing big adventures. And if you’re not looking to invest a lot in camera equipment, you can always just use your phone. Smartphone image quality is constantly improving, and there are plenty of ways to  improve on that quality , too.

Additionally, if you suspect you’ll be recording a lot of audio, or will be shooting in windy environments, it might be a good idea to invest in a high-quality  external microphone .

Protect Your Equipment

When you’ve decided which sort of camera you’ll be using to make a travel video, you’ll need the right stuff to protect it during your travels. There are plenty of  small camera bags  that will do for any number of cameras, but if you’re going pro and planning on bringing a lot of equipment, consider buying a separate carry-on designed to organize and pad your equipment, like  this sturdy bag  from Ape Case.

If you’re planning to do all the shooting on your GoPro, the  VentureCase  from GoPole will keep your camera and accessories dry and organized.

Know Where You’re Going

Spontaneous travel is fun, but if you know you’ll want to make a video to document your adventures, it helps to know where you’re going. Before you leave, make sure you have a rough itinerary of where you’ll be and when you’ll be there.

Not only will this help you plan out your final video, it will also give you the opportunity to research what you’ll see when you’re there. Check weather reports to determine when the best time to shoot will be and look up images of each destination to start planning the shots you’re likely to get when you’re there. Time of day also plays a big factor when it comes to getting the perfect shot. For example, if you want to capture silhouettes on the  Charles Bridge in Prague , it’s better to visit during the less-crowded sunrise hour.

To Make a Travel Video, You Need to Create a Shot List

Figure out what you want to record at your destination. Most people tend to pull out their cameras instinctively (e.g., whenever they see something interesting). But to make a travel video, it’s smart to plan some of your shots ahead of time so you can get all the footage you’ll need.

If you know you’ll be visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris, for example, you’ll want more than just a shot from the top. Here’s an example of a list you might make for this specific experience:

  • Establishing shot of the Eiffel Tower from street
  • Shot of the base of the Eiffel Tower
  • Shot of purchasing your ticket
  • Shot of taking the elevator to the top
  • Panning shot from the top overlooking Paris

It might mean more work, but you’ll be thankful you have all that footage when you sit down to edit your travel video.

Narration in a Travel Video

Consider incorporating narration to help tell your story. There are two ways to do this—during or after your trip. If you want to make your narration a part of your video, remember to talk while you record or shoot selfie-style and let your audience know what you’re doing. (“Here we are at the Grand Canyon!”) You can even turn the camera on your travel partners and ask them to tell the camera what’s happening in the moment.

If you choose to wait, adding narration after the trip is over is also a great way to reflect on your travel memories. All you need to do is write a script and record. Think of this as an opportunity to really organize your story. (“Little did we know what was waiting for us around the corner.”) For an extra challenge, try to incorporate both types of narration when you make a travel video.

Another way to liven up your travel videos is by bringing people into them. Just make sure to ask for permission before you start recording. Travel guides, locals, and even your travel partners all make great subjects for interviews. Shots of people are a good way to mix up your footage, and you can even edit their voices over certain shots. For example, if your travel guide is describing the history of a landmark, this is a great time to cut right to your footage of it.

Time Lapses

Time-lapses are mesmerizing to watch and easy to do, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be shooting time lapses on your trip. Many cameras, including your smartphone, have time-lapse functions that you can take advantage of. All you need to do is set your camera in a steady place and wait. It’s not always necessary, but it’s helpful to have a tripod handy for filming time-lapses. If you don’t have a tripod, just make sure you have a flat surface where you can place your camera or phone.

To make the most out of your time-lapse, look for moving scenes, whether that be a busy town square or a vivid sunset. Personally, I like to incorporate time-lapses into my trip by setting up my camera at a restaurant or anywhere I know I’ll be sitting for a long period of time.

Editing Your Travel Video

When the trip is over and you’ve recovered from your  post-travel blues , it’s time to sit down and look over your footage. Focus on the moments that stand out and cut anything that didn’t come out as well as you hoped. Unless you documented something truly magnificent, the world doesn’t need to see your blurry or shaky footage. When you’ve figured out which clips you’ll be using, sit back and think about the story that you’re trying to tell and how you can use some of the above techniques (narration, time-lapses, etc.) to bring that story to life.

When it comes to software, there are plenty of  free video-editing tools  you can use to put your video together. Some, like  Windows Movie Maker , come with your computer, or for Mac users, iMovie is available at the  Apple Store .

If you’re willing to pay for your editing software, programs like  Adobe Premiere  or  Final Cut Pro  are a great way to give your videos a professional edge. There’s a bit of a learning curve with these programs, but many tutorials are available online.

Every epic travel montage needs the perfect song, but unfortunately you might run into trouble if you try to upload your video to a public platform without securing the rights to the music you’ve selected. Websites like  Facebook  and  YouTube  will often remove videos if the videos use music that falls under copyright.

The best way to share your video with your friends and the rest of the world is to look for royalty-free music. This is music available online that you can download and use for free. Just make sure to credit the original source. There are plenty of websites to find this kind of music, like  Bensound  or  Sound of Picture.  And if you insist your video is incomplete without your favorite song, you can always try to  purchase the rights  or just keep an unpublished version for your collection.

More from SmarterTravel:

  • 10 Instant-Print Cameras Recommended by a Travel Photographer
  • Nikon Coolpix W300 Review: An Adventure-Proof Camera for Underwater Video
  • 10 Gorgeous Hotels Made for Instagram

Jamie Ditaranto is a writer and photographer who is always looking for her next adventure. Follow her on Twitter @jamieditaranto .

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2017. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

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How to Make an Epic Travel Video on Your Phone?

how to make travel video with phone

Traveling has always been a passion of mine, and I'm sure many of you would agree that creating social media video content from your travels has become an essential part of today's world. But how do you create those captivating and eye-catching travel videos? What apps are the best to use? And most importantly, where can you find them?

In this article, we'll delve into the answers to these questions and provide you with a comprehensive guide to creating stunning travel videos. By the end of this article, you'll have a clear understanding and a well-defined vision to bring your travel vlogging dreams to life.

How to plan your travel video? (Choosing a concept)

Before you start filming your travel video, it's important to have a clear plan in place. This will help you stay on track and ensure that your video is well-organized and engaging.

Here are a few steps to help you plan your travel video:

Choose a concept.

What is your story going to be about? What do you want to show your viewers? There are many different concepts you can choose from, such as:

  • A day in the life of a local
  • A tour of a city or region
  • A hidden gem or lesser-known destination
  • A cultural experience
  • A culinary adventure
  • A historical site or landmark
  • A natural wonder
  • A personal journey

Once you have chosen a concept, you can start to narrow down your focus. What are the key elements of your story? What are the most important things you want to convey to your viewers?

Do your research.

Before you start filming, it's essential to do your research. This will help you get a better understanding of your destination and plan your logistics.

  • Learn about the history and culture of the place you are visiting.
  • Research the best time to visit and what to pack.
  • Find out about local customs and etiquette.
  • Look for exciting things to see and do in the area.

Create a shot list.

A shot list is a list of all the shots you need to film for your video. This will help you stay organized and ensure that you don't forget any important shots.

  • Start by breaking down your story into scenes.
  • For each scene, list all of the shots you need to film.
  • Include the type of shot (wide, medium, close-up), the camera angle, and the movement.

Pack your gear.

What gear do you need to film your video? This will depend on your budget and experience level.

Here are some essential pieces of gear:

  • Editing app

how to make travel video with phone

4 tips for recording materials for the final video

Here are the top 4 tips for recording materials for the final video:

Tip 1 : Use a high-quality camera.

how to make travel video with phone

If you can, invest in a high-quality camera that will shoot in HD or 4K resolution. This will ensure that your video looks sharp and professional. Even if you don't have a high-end camera, you can still shoot great footage with a smartphone or a point-and-shoot camera. Just make sure that you use the best settings possible and that you keep your camera steady.

Tip 2 : Use a tripod.

how to make travel video with phone

A tripod is an essential piece of equipment for filming a travel video. It will help you keep your shots steady and avoid shaky footage. If you don't have a tripod, you can improvise by using a pile of books or a stack of rocks.

Tip 3 : Use a microphone.

how to make travel video with phone

A good microphone will help you capture clear audio, which is essential for a travel video. If you don't have a microphone, you can try using your smartphone's built-in microphone. However, the quality of the audio will not be as good as if you used a dedicated microphone.

Tip 4 : Shoot in good lighting.

Good lighting is essential for making your travel video look its best. Try to shoot in natural light whenever possible. If you are filming indoors, make sure that you have enough light to illuminate your subject. You can also use a lamp or a light diffuser to help create a more even lighting situation.

Here are some additional tips for recording materials for the final video:

  • Get a variety of shots . Don't just film close-ups of your subject. Get a variety of shots, including wide shots, medium shots, and close-ups. This will help to keep your video visually interesting.
  • Film from different angles . Don't just film from one angle. Film from different angles to give your video a more dynamic feel.
  • Use slow motion and time-lapse . Slow motion and time-lapse can add a creative element to your travel video. Use them sparingly, though, as they can also make your video seem slow-paced.
  • Record sound effects . In addition to your voiceover, record sound effects from your travels. This can add a sense of place to your video and make it more immersive.
  • Use a variety of transitions . Transitions can help to connect your shots and keep your video flowing smoothly. However, don't use too many transitions, as this can make your video seem choppy.

By following these tips, you can record high-quality materials for your travel video. With a little planning and effort, you can create a video that you are proud of and that your viewers will enjoy.

How to edit a travel video for TikTok, Reels or Shorts?

Once you've captured all your amazing travel footage, it's time to put it all together into a captivating video. Editing your travel video can be a fun and rewarding experience, allowing you to showcase your adventures in a creative and engaging way.

Getting the Materials Together Based on the Selected Concept

Before diving into the editing process, it's essential to gather all the necessary materials, including your recorded footage, music, sound effects, and any additional visual elements like graphics or text overlays. Ensure the materials align with your chosen concept, ensuring a cohesive and impactful narrative throughout your travel video.

Use a Powerful Editing Tool for Travel Videos

While there are plenty of video editing apps in the market, Zoomerang stands out as one of the most powerful yet easy-to-use editing apps. Zoomerang is a versatile video editing app that offers a range of features designed explicitly for creating engaging videos.

how to make travel video with phone

Its AI-powered Text-to-Video feature enables you to transform your written travel stories into captivating videos with just a few clicks. Additionally, Zoomerang provides a diverse selection of video styles, from ToonYou and Lyriel to Photoreal and Flat 2D, allowing you to match your visual style to the unique atmosphere of your travel destination.

Choosing the Music for the Travel Video

Music is an integral part of any travel video, setting the tone and evoking emotions that resonate with the viewer's experience. Zoomerang provides infinite options of AI-generated music, ensuring the right vibe for your travel content.

Additional Tips for Editing Travel Videos

  • Use storytelling elements : Engage your viewers by incorporating storytelling elements like narration, captions, or text overlays.
  • Highlight key moments : Prioritize the most captivating and memorable moments from your travels, ensuring they stand out in the final video.
  • Maintain a consistent aesthetic : Choose a visual style that complements your travel destination and maintain it throughout the video.
  • Proofread and polish : Before sharing your video, carefully proofread any text overlays or captions and ensure the overall editing is polished and professional.

By following these tips and utilizing a powerful editing tool like Zoomerang, you can transform your travel footage into captivating and share-worthy videos that capture the essence of your adventures and inspire your audience to explore the world around them.

how to make travel video with phone

With the power of smartphones, video editing apps and templates , creating stunning travel videos that capture the essence of your adventures is easier than ever before. By following the tips and techniques outlined in this guide, you can transform your travel footage into captivating and share-worthy videos that inspire others.

Remember, creating epic travel videos is a journey of exploration and creativity. Embrace the process, have fun, and let your passion for travel shine through your videos. With dedication and a little bit of editing magic, you can produce videos that will inspire others to embark on their own adventures.

Happy travels and happy editing!

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Every Steph

How To Make a Travel Video for Beginners

By: Author Stefania Guglielmi

Posted on Last updated: January 1, 2023

Categories Blogging

Wondering how to create a travel video that looks super professional, but don’t know where to start? Check out this guide on how to make travel videos for beginners!

Morocco. Land of contrasts, of mountains, of sand dunes, and chaotic cities. Land of spices and smells and sounds. It’s one of those places where you would like to capture every little detail, because everything looks so different and exotic. And so I tried, and this is the result: check out Morocco in one minute.

I’m not an expert videographer. I recently got into video to add more entertainment to my blog posts (and to do something with the millions of clips I’ve accumulated over 4 years of traveling around the world). Now I’m hooked, and when I visit a new destination I always carry my gimbal and tripod with me, so that I’m prepared for shooting a video if something captures my attention.

When I first started, I knew nothing about video making and video editing, and if you read online it does seem daunting at first. There’s so much to learn! When it came the time to choose an editing software, i needed something that was easy to use, something that was aimed at beginners.

I came across Filmora video editing software , I checked out the free version, and realized it was perfect for me. Beginner-friendly, yet with so many options of effects and transitions that it was easy to create a professional-looking video.

In this post, I’m going to show you in detail how to add audio to the timeline, how to add special effect to the video, how to adjust audio levels and so on on the Filmora editing software.

But first, let’s start with some basic tips for beginner videographers like us.

Table of Contents

How to Make a Travel Video: 7 Tips for Beginner Videographers

These tips come from the tens of videos I’ve watched on YouTube before starting out (I suggest you to take a day to learn as much as you can as well). Most big Youtubers agree on the following 7 tips for creating cool Youtube travel videos. Let’s see them.

how to make travel video with phone

1| Have a Goal and Stick to It

If your question is “how to become a travel videographer?” , ask yourself a few questions before going on. First of all, is videography what you really want to do? And what is your goal with it? Do you want to start a or grow your Youtube channel, do you want to create videos for clients, you want to up your Instagram stories game, or you want to add videos to your blog? Have a goal and keep it in mind. Ensure that you have a passion for it and that you are not just simply wandering into videography. Having a goal at the beginning will act as a rudder to keep you focused. It will steer you back on track when this new challenge gets tough.

Are you prepared to spend hours and hours watching videos, reading guides, and practice with both your camera and video editing software? Make a decision that you intend to learn videography. Acknowledge that this is a serious profession or a hobby that requires precision. A common mistake many beginners do is assume that recording videos is a mere simple task that involves pointing the camera to the subject and pressing record. If you intend to shoot like a professional, then be prepared to learn all you can on videography.

2| Get Some Basic Equipment

Now that you have decided to become a travel video maker, it is important to start with the right basic equipment. As a beginner, you might get overwhelmed by the vast choice of equipment options in the market, but you don’t need to worry about getting the very best equipment the market has to offer.

Videography equipment is typically a bit on the high side of prices, which is why it’s better to start with the more affordable, less technical professional equipment. Cameras and lenses, especially, are usually the most expensive of all the basic equipment you will need, but again there is no need to get to the latest camera or lens in the beginning stage of learning to become a videographer. Start with the cheaper, affordable brands while sticking to quality. Try to find the balance within your budget.

Some of the basic must-haves should include a DSLR video camera, a tripod or a gimbal stabilizer or shoulder mount rig, headphones, a good microphone to capture quality audio, memory cards, extra batteries, and (optionally) an external lighting system. However, it’s all flexible. I’ve seen incredible videos made with the latest smartphones, which means you could potentially just get away with your phone, a gimbal, and a microphone. If you’re on a budget, start with these few things.

3| Steady Does It

How to make a good travel video? One rule: be sure to use support for your camera. You will find that it’s not easy to hold the camera and breathe normally without having your shots moving with every breath. Use a tripod, a gimbal stabilizer, or a shoulder mount rig to help keep your shots steady like a professional.

4| Get Creative

how to make travel video with phone

Regardless of the type of video being created, allow yourself to get creative. Videography is an art and as such, you should treat it like one. Get creative with the setup, scenery, shots, editing, and every other aspect of the entire creation. Watch tons of videos to get inspiration for your own videos and don’t be afraid to try new things out.

5| Have a Plan Before the Shoot

Prepare for each recording by planning. Visualize in your mind what the final result will look like. Be your own director. When it comes to how to make a travel vlog or video, visualizing beforehand will allow you to know exactly what you want so you don’t waste time on set trying to figure out how to proceed.

6| Practice, Practice, Practice

how to make travel video with phone

To become good at videos (or at anything else in life, really), you need to practice often. Learn from other professionals in your community or online. There are thousands of how-to videos on YouTube you can start with. Apply what you learn and keep practicing.

You don’t need to be traveling to some exotic places to practice and learn how to shoot a travel video. Start in your backyard. Be annoying with your camera next time you meet your friends. Interview a family member, take shots of your town and make a video out of it. Just practice.

7| Editing Takes Time

After every recording, be sure to take some a lot of time editing the raw product. Some things can be missed during the recording but can be fixed during editing. Quality videos are the products of proper planning, execution, and editing, with editing playing a crucial part in the outcome.

Some editing programs are quite overwhelming, at least at first, but the one I’ve been using, Filmora, is made for absolute beginners who’ve never touched an editing program before. I mean, if I can use it and come up with decent travel videos (and I’m faaar from being good with technology), anyone can! Keep reading to see how to edit your Youtube videos with this travel video editing software.

How To Edit Travel Videos with Filmora

As I told you before, learning how to edit a travel video with Filmora is very easy. You can totally learn by yourself by playing around with the software, but for saving you time here it’s a guide with video screenshots to the main actions you’ll perform on the travel video editor Filmora when editing your travel video. You’ll learn almost all you need to know for making travel videos + a few travel video editing tips. Check out also this very good post about how to edit YouTube videos.

How to Create a New Project

Creating a new project is obviously the first step to start creating a travel video, and with every other step you’ll see, is a beginner-proof one.

When you open Filmora, the first thing you’ll be asked is what size you want your video to be. You’ll generally use the Widescreen aspect ratio for horizontal videos for Youtube, your blog, etc., the Instagram aspect ration for square videos for Instagram and Facebook, and the Portrait ratio for vertical videos for IGTV, Instagram Stories and more.

Select the desired size and click on New Project .

If you’re already working on a project on Filmora and want to start a new project (maybe you’ve got a flash of inspiration all of a sudden!), go on the top menu and click on File -> New Project and select the size of the new video.

How To Import Footage

To create a video, obviously we’ll need to import our own footage.

Make sure you’re in the Media page, and that My Project is selected. Click on Import Media Files Here and select the footage you want to import from your laptop.

To keep the footage better organized, you can also right click on My Album and Rename and type a new name for the album.

How To Add a New Folder

Where you’re in the first creative phase of your video creation, you might have tens of clips laying around. I like how Filmora makes it easy to keep the material organized with a system of folders inside your project.

From inside your existing folder, click on the Add a New Folder icon at the bottom left corner of the My project tab. A new folder will be automatically created. Click on it to rename it to your desired name, then simply repeat the process above to import footage from your computer to the new folder.

How To Trim Footage Before Adding It To The Timeline

Sometimes you might want to trim footage before actually adding it to the timeline, especially if you just want to use a few seconds from a longer clip. In the My Project tab, select the folder that contains the clip you want to use. Now select the desired clip , which will open up on the right. See those two braces on the right under the clip? Place the playhead where you want your clip to start and click the left brace , then place the playhead where you want your clip to end and click the right brace . The clip is now cut.

Now click again on the clip you just cut on the My Project tab, and it will be automatically inserted in the Timeline. Drag and drop the clip in the desired position on the timeline.

How To Add Footage To the Timeline

Adding footage to the timeline is very simple. Once you’ve imported the footage from your computer, simply click on the clip you want to add and …done! Can’t be any easier.

How To Trim Footage in the Timeline

If you have already imported a clip to the Timeline and want to trim it, the process is very easy. In the Timeline , simply drag the clip to the exact point where you want to cut it.

Otherwise, you can also place the playhead in the Timeline in the point where you want to cut your clip, and click the scissors icon on top of the Timeline.

How To Add Audio to the Timeline

Now, before you actually start editing and inserting effects, you’ll want to choose a soundtrack and add it to the Timeline. When making a travel video, the right music is everything!

Once you’ve chosen a soundtrack, in your My Project tab click on Import -> Import Media Files , and select the music file.

Now, to add it to the Timeline, click on it. It will play in the screen on the right, and you can trim it by using the two braces icons like we did above for the footage. Now take the trimmed audio file and drag it to the timeline , and position it where you want it to play.

How to Adjust Audio Levels

Filmora makes it extremely easy to adjust the audio level to the desired volume. On the Timeline , go to the Audio section and simply drag up or down the volume for the desired video clip. This way, you can easily regulate the volume clip by clip, for example by turning down the volume when someone is talking.

How To Add an Effect

Filmora offers all kinds of effects and transitions to spice up your video, and it’s very easy to add them to the timeline. To add an effect, move the playhead on the timeline to the point where you want to add an effect. Then click on Effects , located on the upper left corner of the My Project tab, and voilà!

In case you are curious, the effects and transitions I added to my Morocco video are in order:

00:05 – Sunflower and Chromatic aberration effects 00:25 – Box Turn 1 transition 00:27 – Blurry Roll 2 transition 00:29 – Blurry Cross 3 transition 00:31 – Cross Roll 8 transition 00:32 – Blurry Roll 3 transition 00:35 – Purple Lomo effect 00:37 – Fisheye Roll transition 00:39 – Blurry Roll 2 01:05 – Box Turn 2 Transition 01:07 –  Chromatic aberration effect 01:11 – Sunflower (also at 1:12 and 1:14)

How To Export a Video

So, you’ve watched and re-watched the final and everything looks perfect? Great! It’s time to export it and share it wherever you want.

Click on the Export button on the upper right corner in the My Project tab. Now it’s the time to rename your project if you still haven’t done so by renaming it in the Name field. Then you need to choose the Resolution of your video. I find 1920 x 1080 to be enough in almost every case. Don’t touch anything else and click on OK and then Export .

And there you go, now you’ve got a cool travel video that looks super professional!

Why Filmora?

Filmora is a such an easy tool to use once you learn the basics, much easier than other software like Adobe Premiere Pro, which I would only recommend to advanced videographers.

It’s also very affordable – the 1-year license costs $44.99 for Mac and $39.99 for Windows, while the Lifetime license costs $59.99. Filmora is a freemium product, which means it also has a free version which, however, places a watermark on your videos. I suggest downloading the free version, try it out, and if you like it buy directly the Lifetime version, it’s a lot more convenient!

DOWNLOAD FILMORA HERE

I can’t wait to see your travel videos! Leave here a comment with the link to your Youtube videos made with Filmora and I’ll go check them out.

Stefania Guglielmi

Stefania Guglielmi is the founder of Every Steph. Originally from Bologna, Italy, she's been traveling full-time since 2016 and has visited over 50 countries across 6 continents. She believes sustainable travel and luxury travel can go hand in hand and has been advocating for responsible tourism since 2014. Stefania's advice and travel experiences have been featured in important publications such as Business Insider, Refinery29, and Yahoo Money.

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Saturday 25th of May 2019

This looks pretty amazing , Thanks for sharing such an useful Information :)

how to make travel video with phone

How to Take Better Travel Photos With Just Your Phone

Boost your travel photography game with these nine smartphone accessories.

Designed with capabilities to take great photos on the go without the heavy, bulky body seen on traditional cameras, smartphone cameras have become one of the best ways to capture memories. Whether you’re traveling to a new city, exploring beautiful landscapes, taking portraits and selfies, or hoping to capture some wildlife shots, your phone can be a fantastic option for taking impressive photos, particularly with upgraded features like RAW shooting, night and portrait modes, and self-timers. In addition to a quality smartphone itself, there are plenty of accessories specifically designed to help you get the best shots — and they happen to make excellent travel companions. From compact travel tripods for taking long exposure shots and selfies, to high-quality lenses that attach directly to your phone’s lens, these accessories can boost your smartphone travel photography game.

Best Tripod: Joby HandyPod 2

Buy at Bhphotovideo.com

Buy at Shopmoment.com

Why We Love It

It’s very compact and lightweight.

What to Consider

The legs don’t extend, so it’s a fixed height.

We love the tiny but mighty Joby HandyPod 2 for a travel tripod that’s portable but stable. Tripods are one of the best photography tools to have on hand, especially when traveling. A tripod is useful for reducing shaking, which can make your photos (particularly long exposure photos) blurry. The long exposure setting on your smartphone can help capture waterfalls with a dreamy effect, or nighttime images like the northern lights. Tripods also come in handy when setting the self-timer on your phone. Shooting a time-lapse video? No problem with this tripod. It’s pocket-sized and easy to carry around in your backpack or purse when exploring — just pull it out and enjoy a quick set-up when you need it. Since it holds cameras up to 2.2 pounds, it’s perfect for smartphone photography. Want to switch effortlessly between portrait and landscape mode? The smart push-button mechanism allows you to do this fast, so you don’t miss the shot. The legs don’t extend, but they do have rubber feet so you don’t have to worry about the tripod (and your phone) slipping and crashing to the ground. The built-in ball head is compatible with most tripod accessories.

Best Tripod Mount: Moment Tripod Mount for MagSafe

It works with any tripod.

If you have an iPhone 11 or earlier model, or a Pixel or Samsung device, you’ll need to either purchase the stick-on adapter or a phone case with magnets built in.

Make annoying phone clamps a thing of the past with the Moment Tripod Mount for MagSafe, which works with virtually any tripod. This mount makes using a tripod fast and easy, and you won’t have to fumble around to set it up. Its lightweight and compact design makes it easy to travel with and it’s extremely user-friendly as well. The magnet is strong, so you can feel secure about your phone staying attached and safe. If you have an iPhone 12 and onward, the built-in MagSafe means you don’t need a special case or attachment to use this tripod mount. It doesn’t get in the way of your phone lens when shooting via wide angle, either.

Best Flash: Godox LEDM32 Smartphone Mini Light

Buy at Amazon.com

It clips right onto your smartphone.

The on/off switch can be hard to see in low light.

We love the budget-friendly Godox LEDM32 Smartphone Mini Light for its ease of use, compact size, and functionality. For low light situations, this external light is a lifesaver for taking smartphone photos thanks to its 32 high quality LED beads. Whether you’re indoors or taking photos in the evening, this device adds soft lighting to help improve the quality and exposure of your images. The battery life is impressive, lasting up to 45 minutes on a full charge and another amazing feature is that the brightness is adjustable so you can tailor it to your needs. It shines best from 1.6 feet away from the subject and is fantastic for both photo and video, providing more natural-looking illumination than a typical flash.

Related: The 10 Best Portable Photo Printers for 2024

Best Bluetooth Remote: Moment Bluetooth Remote

It has a long battery life.

Though this remote allows you to step away from your phone for photos, we don't recommend doing so in crowded settings.

Compatible with both iOS and Android, the Moment Bluetooth Remote is our top pick when it comes to remote shutters. Using a wireless shutter is fantastic for creating sharper photos as well as eliminating shake when taking long exposure images. We love the compact size and included attachment cord so you can clip it to your bag, tripod, or even your key ring. Perhaps the most impressive is the distance you’ll be able to activate your shutter from though. Take a photo from up to 32 feet away using this bluetooth remote (but be sure to keep an eye on your phone when you're that far from it!). With its simple to use design, budget-friendly price point, and easy portability, you can’t go wrong with this smartphone photography accessory.

Best Phone Lens: Moment 58mm Tele Lens

It lets photographers shoot up to six times closer than using a smartphone alone.

To achieve the 6x closer shot, you’ll need the Moment Pro Camera app.

Our top pick for a stand-alone extra lens to attach to your smartphone is the Moment T-series Tele 58mm lens, which allows you to zoom up to six times closer to your subject. As a standard, it also sits twice as close to the main camera lens of your phone. This allows for sharper shots versus using the zoom on your smartphone, which diminishes the resolution. Fantastic for landscape, wildlife, and portrait photography, this lens definitely elevates your smartphone photo game by offering more flexibility without sacrificing quality. Video will also benefit thanks to a beautiful bokeh effect and an overall cinematic vibe. This lens is easy to use, as it features a straightforward mounting process and quickly twists off. This lens is compatible with most phones, but it’s wise to consult the description before purchasing.

Best Lens Set: Moment T-series Mobile Lens Starter Kit

It comes with three versatile lenses and a lens cleaning pen.

Make sure you're choosing the correct kit for your phone model.

Amp up your smartphone photography game with the Moment T-series Mobile Lens Starter Kit, featuring a trio of awesome attachable lenses as well as a mounting system and lens cleaning pen. Having a clean lens can really make or break a photo, so that should always be your first move before shooting. We love that you can customize your kit based on your phone model and lens preferences, which range from a 14mm fish-eye lens to a 58mm tele mobile lens, wider Anamorphic lenses, and a 10x macro mobile lens great for shooting flora, fauna, textures, and insects. A rear lens cap is also included for added protection to your phone.

Best Mini Ring Light: Lumecube Ring Light Mini

Buy at Lumecube.com

It produces light with even coverage.

It doesn’t come with a bag for carrying.

Sometimes a good ring light is all you need to elevate your video and photo game, and the Lumecube Ring Light Mini is the perfect portable accessory that ticks all the boxes for soft, even lighting. Whether you’re vlogging, shooting product imagery, or just in need of extra lighting for indoor photos or a zoom call, this light adds flattery to almost any situation. We love how versatile this mini ring light is thanks to an extendable stand that spans 16 to 40 inches and a 180 degree rotating mount that allows you to tailor your angle and even shoot top-down images and video. Brightness and color can easily be adjusted with user-friendly controls, and the included mounting options just make it even more versatile.

Best Grip: ShiftCam ProGrip Mobile Battery Grip

It has a built-in power bank.

The higher price point makes it more of an investment.

To avoid dropping your phone when taking photos and videos, the ShiftCam ProGrip Mobile Battery Grip is here to help. We really like that it can charge your phone while in use, and provides a much better ergonomic grip on your phone, making it feel more like a camera. The straightforward set-up makes using it a breeze and you can easily switch between landscape and portrait modes with the adjustable grip. The grip has a Bluetooth shutter built-in for quick and easy shooting so you don’t have to tap your phone’s screen while using. The cold shoe mount and tripod connection make this a flexible accessory for adding lighting and microphones or attaching to a tripod.

Related: The 20 Best Protective Phone Cases of 2024

Best Suction Mount: Casely Grippy Silicone Suction Phone Mount With MagSafe

Buy at Getcasely.com

The suction cups hold strong.

It can be difficult to relocate or change position because of the ultra-grippy suction cups.

Enjoy hands-free shooting with your smartphone using the Casely Grippy Silicone Suction Phone Mount, which uses MagSafe technology. Compatible with iPhone 12 and higher models, the magnet sticks directly to the back of your phone so you can attach the suction cups to any clean, flat surface such as a mirror, windows, etc. The hold is strong and secure, so you don’t have to worry about your phone falling while shooting. If you want to forgo a tripod for traveling, you can still enjoy the benefits of mounting your phone for still shots and video using this handy silicone suction phone mount that’s super compact and lightweight — as long as you have a surface to stick it to. The fact that it comes in five different colors is a bonus.

Best Kit: ShiftCam SnapGrip Creator Kit

Buy at Kohls.com

It has a variety of features making it a versatile all-in-one tool.

It works without an adapter for iPhone models 12 and up.

With amazing functionality and a line-up of helpful features, the SnapGrip Creator Kit is our top pick for an all around solid kit. For content creators looking to raise their photography and video quality, a multifunctional kit like this can be exactly what you need. The MagSafe connection offers a secure hold, and the 180 degree pivot system makes it easy to shoot in landscape or portrait view, while included light provides four levels of brightness. We love that it also has a built-in wireless power bank, so you don’t have to drain your phone battery while shooting. The grip helps you hold your phone steady, and the wireless shutter button on the grip makes it easy to snap a photo without having to touch your phone’s screen. A small tripod with a rotating ball head is included as well, and it allows for a full 360 degree range of motion so you can choose the precise angle you want.

Tips for Taking Better Photos With Your Phone

Consider lighting .

It goes without saying that lighting is one of the most important elements of photography. When shooting with smartphones, correct lighting is even more crucial since phone cameras aren’t as capable as mirrorless or DSLR cameras. The flash on smartphone cameras can only do so much, so it’s wise to consider purchasing a compact external light that projects soft lighting for your photos or videos. Other great attachable lighting options include the tiny Joby Beamo Mini LED which has a range of up to 3.3 feet, is waterproof and shockproof, has a magnetic back, and is tripod/clamp mountable. In general, the goal is to get the most natural looking light, and adding an external light can help to achieve this for smartphone photography.

Prioritize stability 

Don’t underestimate the power of stability when choosing smartphone photography accessories. A stable camera, whether it’s built into your phone or not, will take the sharpest images and help reduce potential blurry photos and even allow for selfies, group photos, and long exposure shots. Having a travel tripod, selfie stick, grip, or clamp can help achieve the most stable photo and video results. 

Understand the specs and settings

It’s important to understand the standard settings of your smartphone’s camera and which ones you can adjust to improve the quality of your photography. For instance, if using the iPhone 15, you can change the Megapixels to 12, 24, or 48 in your camera settings, with 48 providing the highest resolution images. Additionally, use “tap to focus” to keep your chosen subject as sharp as possible. If you hold down when using this setting, you can also lock the focus area so it doesn’t automatically move in the middle of composing your shot. This is particularly important when shooting in portrait mode, since the mode is meant to blur the background area that’s not in focus. The “grid view” can help you line up your photos, too. 

Although the “auto mode” works a fair amount of the time, utilizing the manual controls like exposure settings and shutter speed to get better results in certain situations allows you to get even more creative. When you tap to focus and lock it, you’ll see a little sun (brightness) icon that you can slide up or down to choose the right exposure for your image. The other way to access this and other manual controls is in the hidden menu, seen when tapping the down arrow on the top of your screen in camera mode. The plus/minus icon controls exposure. If you have a single shot that requires different exposures (say, for the sky and subjects or foreground), try shooting in HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode which will blend several images together, yielding the best results. Also in this hidden menu are the controls for burst mode (you can take 10 quick photos at once), flash, self-timer, and more.

You can also change your iPhone’s shutter speed (which controls how long the shutter is open and affects movement in your images), but you’ll need an additional app like the Camera +2 or Slow Shutter Cam . For instance, if you’re taking a photo of a pet, child, or quick action, you’ll want a faster shutter speed to avoid blurry images. If you’re trying to capture something in very low light, like the northern lights, or want to slow down movement of water for that dreamy effect, you’ll need a slower shutter speed. 

Your phone will likely automatically choose “night mode” in low light settings, but you can turn it off if it makes your photo look too unnatural.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is RAW mode on my phone?

RAW mode is many photographers’ go-to setting, as opposed to JPEG. The difference is in compression, file size, quality, and overall editing ability. JPEGs are compressed files that don’t take up as much storage room on your phone, but allow for a lot less flexibility when editing, and ultimately aren’t as high-quality. For most purposes like social media, websites, and small prints, JPEG is just fine. If you want the ability to fine-tune edit, have more control over the final image, and potentially produce bigger prints, shoot in RAW format — the images produced are uncompressed and much larger, but are more detailed. To change this setting on your iPhone, open the camera app, and in the upper right corner, click RAW so the line going through it disappears. You can also go into your settings and choose Apple ProRAW under Camera and “photo capture.”

Can I print large photos taken with a phone?

The megapixels your phone has and the mode you're shooting in (JPEG or RAW) will determine how large of a photo you can print without it appearing blurry. Photos up to 11 x 14 inches will print just fine, but if you want to print 24 x 36 photos and larger, you may end up with lower resolution and noise (grainy appearance). Generally, most newer smartphones should be able to print images up to 16 x 24 inches. Still, it’s best to use the 48 megapixel setting, and, if you shoot in RAW, edit the image and export it at around 300dpi (dots per inch) for the best results, in which case you can likely print up to 24 x 36 inches with little issue. 

There isn’t a setting to figure out pixel sizing in your photo, but you can use math. Take a look at the info box which displays the image’s metadata. This will show how many megapixels a photo was taken in and the long and short edge in pixels. Now, you can divide the longer edge of the photo, (say it’s 3,000 inches) by the longest edge of the print size you’d like (let’s say 18 inches) to find the ppi, which should be at least 240 for high quality results. In this case, the photo comes out to 166ppi, and printing something big wouldn’t come out very clear. However, you could print something up to 10 inches on its longest size (so an 8 x 10 print), which would be of high quality. Another easier option is to upload the file to a site for ordering prints to find out if the image resolution is too low to be printed clearly.

How do I edit photos taken on my phone?

There are many photo editing apps, and the built-in editing tools for the iPhone 15 are pretty great for basic edits. But if you’d like to do more, like remove something from an image, enhance clarity, or brighten up the background or subject, then Adobe Lightroom is your best bet. The mobile Lightroom app is quite intuitive and makes editing photos on the go a snap.

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

A travel photographer herself, T+L contributor Lauren Breedlove used her personal experience with smartphone photography as well as research to curate this list of the best portable phone accessories for smartphones based on her findings.

Related: The 14 Best Portable Chargers of 2024

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Travel + Leisure / Kristin Kempa

What to know about viewing and recording the solar eclipse with your cellphone camera

Here is what to know about recording the total solar eclipse in the u.s. safely with your cellphone and capturing the best photos. hint: eclipse glasses aren't solar camera lenses..

how to make travel video with phone

You won't want to miss next month's solar eclipse because there won't be one like it for another two decades.

The stunning phenomenon marks the first full eclipse in the U.S. since 2017. The total solar eclipse on April 8 will have a larger diameter than the last as the moon will be a couple thousand miles closer to Earth, according to NASA .

The astronomical event will be partially visible in all 48 contiguous states and will be the last total solar eclipse to occur until Aug. 23, 2044 , according to NASA. Some parts of the country will even be able to experience full totality as the eclipse enters through Texas and eventually exits in Maine .

Whether you're observing the event partially or totally, you'll definitely want something to remember it by. Here is what to know about recording the eclipse safely with your cellphone and capturing the best photos.

How to get them: Warby Parker offering free solar eclipse glasses ahead of 'celestial spectacle'

How to photograph a solar eclipse with a phone

You'll need to have the right solar filter in front of your cellphone camera to protect both your device and eyesight, according to Carly Stocks, a Utah-based astronomical photographer who talked to USA TODAY on Friday.

The filter must be made specifically for solar viewing, Stocks said. She also emphasizes the need to place a filter that is larger than the lens itself and to keep it on at all times if you're in a location where the eclipse is only partially visible. She recommends purchasing a small 4'' x 4'' sheet of the Thousand Oaks solar filter.

Do I need solar eclipse lens during totality?

If you're observing the sky in a location where the total eclipse is visible, you'll have a moment when you can take off the solar lens entirely and capture unfiltered images.

"During totality, you can remove all filters," Stocks told USA TODAY. "If you're looking with the solar glasses and you don't see anything, then it's safe to look at it during that time."

Stocks warned that totality only takes place for two to four minutes.

Can I watch the solar eclipse in selfie mode?

With a proper solar filter you can capture the sun with the front camera lens during the solar eclipse but it won't make the best selfie.

Stocks said the camera will have trouble focusing on both you and the sun but recommends taking a photo focusing on each and blending the two together with editing software.

Can I use eclipse glasses as a solar lens?

NASA advises against using eclipse glasses or handheld viewers with cameras. Instead they recommend using a special solar protector and to seek service from an astronomy or other expert before doing so.

Where can you view the solar eclipse?

The total solar eclipse will cross North America, including Mexico and Canada. It will debut in the U.S. when passing through Texas around 1:27 p.m. CDT and eventually end in Maine at about 3:35 p.m. EDT.

Totality is expected to last around four minutes and 28 seconds , a record, along the eclipse path. Several major cities, including Dallas and Cleveland, will be in the direct line of darkness.

Here are the states where totality is expected to occur on April 8:

  • Pennsylvania
  • New Hampshire
  • Small parts of Michigan and Tennessee

How to take a great solar eclipse photo?

For those trying to capture the best eclipse content, Stocks has some tips. She recommends visiting a flat area where a 360-degree sunset is visible and taking a panoramic picture or video of the horizon.

She also recommends taking pictures of solar eclipse projections, such as a tree leaf, the ground or the people around you. However she recommends you're prepared for when the time comes because it'll be over fast. Using a tripod can also prevent the inevitable shakiness when the time comes.

"You think, 'Oh, I'm gonna be like, super prepared, but it is a big rush," she said. "So you want to have a plan and practice."

How to make a do-it-yourself eclipse viewing projector

Here's how to safely make an eclipse viewer and the best way to use it:

  • Get a cardboard box, a white sheet of paper, tape, scissors and piece of aluminum foil.
  • Punch a pinhole into the aluminium foil.
  • Tape it over one side of the box.
  • Tape the white sheet of paper to the inside of the other side of the box.
  • Stand with the sun behind you.
  • Light will stream through the pinhole and project a crescent sun onto the white sheet of paper in the box.
  • Look into the box through another hole you cut into the box to see the projected image.
  • Do not look at the sun through the pinhole.

Contributing: Janet Loehrke and Ramon Padilla

  • Electronics
  • Smartphones

The SIM Card Is Going Away. That Might Be Annoying.

A person holding a phone displaying a "Set Up Cellular" task.

Most people rarely think about SIM cards, the tiny plastic circuit boards inside cell phones that contain the phone number. And soon no one will be thinking about them—the days of the physical SIM card are numbered.

Phone makers, led by Apple, and wireless carriers are making the move to embedded SIMs, or eSIMs, which are essentially digital cards that let you activate a new phone number through a carrier either locally or internationally. Newer iPhones sold in the US don’t support physical SIM cards at all.

Meanwhile, Google is now prompting Pixel owners to move their phone numbers to eSIMs, and Samsung’s latest flagship phones often default to eSIM when you buy your handset from your carrier. Embedded SIMs promise to make your life easier for international travel and switching phone numbers, among other benefits, but they can also be frustrating to use. Here’s what you need to know.

What is an eSIM?

SIM cards, which have been around since the 1990s, were once the size of credit cards but are now the size of a pinky nail. The gold contacts that occupy one entire side of the especially small nano SIMs allow your phone to talk to the embedded chip, which contains your subscriber ID. An eSIM does the same job, but you can’t remove it from your phone.

In the age of big SIMs, it was common to store contacts on the card as well, which allowed you to move your address book along with your phone number. Now that everyone has the internet on their phones, there’s no reason to do that, as your contact list lives in the cloud. Today, SIM cards serve only to store your account information, and that’s a minuscule amount of data, small enough to be downloaded to an eSIM over even the weakest internet connection.

How eSIMs make life easier and more secure

Traveling is simpler, because you can activate multiple numbers on the same phone. In the past, only those phones with room for two SIM cards, also known as dual-SIM phones, could have multiple phone numbers. Such devices were rare in the US, but eSIMs have now changed things because they’re fully programmable. For instance, current iPhones support eight stored eSIM phone numbers and two active ones, so if you’re traveling, you can simply download a new SIM to your phone. And if you change carriers or just want to change your number, you can do that as many times as you want, though how simple the process is depends on your carrier and your smartphone manufacturer. If you have multiple numbers or travel frequently, an eSIM should make your life a lot easier.

An eSIM can make it harder for attackers to steal your phone number. For many people, their phone numbers have increasingly become a key identifier, as a way to receive two-factor login codes and password-reset links. If your phone is lost or stolen, the ease with which a person can remove its physical SIM card becomes a security issue. Once someone moves that card to another phone, they own your phone number for all intents and purposes. A determined fraudster with control of your phone number can do a lot of damage in a short time. And as for your phone, without a SIM card, tracking it or remotely resetting it becomes difficult. With an eSIM, in contrast, there’s no card to take, so your phone number is subject to fewer risks . And if your phone is locked with a password, no one has any way to transfer that SIM to another device.

But eSIMs can cause new frustrations

If you break your phone, the eSIM is also toast. That means you can’t transfer it to a new device. With traditional SIM cards, you can simply remove the card from your broken phone. You can then plug the card into another phone and be up and running in mere moments, and you never have to sit on hold for assistance while you do it. With an eSIM, you’ll probably have to talk to your carrier about your busted phone.

Carriers have more control over eSIMs. Using a nano SIM works the same way on every phone: Stab the SIM drawer with a pin, pull the card out, and slot it into a different phone. The process for downloading an eSIM is anything but universal. For example, buying a new phone from your carrier should make the eSIM transfer seamless and instant, but if you buy an unlocked phone or you just want to use a different device that you already own, you may have to sit on hold with your provider or deal with other inconveniences.

Downloading a new eSIM is still hit-and-miss. If the built-in download menu fails, you’re at your carrier’s mercy. Apple, on iPhones, is the closest to standardizing the use of eSIMs; when you buy a new phone, if your phone number isn’t automatically transferred during setup, you can go to the cellular settings to download it manually. All major US carriers support this process. Some Android phones, such as the Google Pixel models, include a transfer tool, but it often gives people error messages telling them to contact their carrier. For Verizon and T-Mobile Android phones, you may have to call customer service (on a different phone) and read off a 15-digit phone identifier. Meanwhile, AT&T has a self-service website where you can log in with a PC and scan a QR code with the phone to download your eSIM. If you don’t have another phone or a PC handy, you might not be able to move your eSIM phone number.

eSIM can’t stop phone-number theft at the carrier level. Keeping your phone number on a non-removable eSIM is helpful should you lose your phone, but that isn’t how most people get scammed. The most common way criminals compromise phone numbers is with “SIM jacking.” That’s when the attacker convinces (or pays) a carrier employee to transfer your phone number to a device that they control. Moving to eSIM doesn’t prevent this tactic—your carrier needs to enact and enforce good security practices, and carriers sometimes miss the mark by giving outsourced customer service too much control over your account and not requiring a PIN or password for SIM changes.

Get ready for eSIMs

Even if you prefer to use a physical SIM card, that may not be an option the next time you buy a phone. Apple doesn’t sell any current-gen iPhones in the US with a SIM slot, and it’s only a matter of time before the same happens with Android. Transfers and activation still run into some inconsistencies on Android, but Google has started rolling out a more functional eSIM-transfer tool that should work even with phones from different manufacturers.

The pain points will decrease as eSIM becomes the default way that everyone manages their phone number. eSIMs offer real benefits, too.

It just might be a little annoying when you first make the switch—and you won’t have a choice.

This article was edited by Arthur Gies and Caitlin McGarry.

Meet your guide

how to make travel video with phone

Ryan Whitwam

Further reading

Several SD Cards we tested.

The Best SD Cards

by Eleanor Ford and Justin Krajeski

After extensive research and testing, we think the 64 GB SanDisk Extreme Pro is the best SD card for use in digital cameras or other devices.

Various travel gear items laid out on a yellow background.

The Best Gear for Travel

by Wirecutter Staff

We put in another year and tens of thousands more miles of travel to test the best travel gear—and we stand by last year’s choices alongside a few new picks.

how to make travel video with phone

How to Sleep Well (or at Least Better) While Traveling

by Christine Ryan

Our sleep and travel editors recommend gear for coping with travel-induced insomnia, vetted through hours of testing and years of personal experience.

how to make travel video with phone

Bug Control Gear That Actually Works

by Harry Sawyers

Here are the pest repellents and traps that experts agree can effectively keep bugs away.

My 91-year-old grandmother still travels internationally and gardens. These are her other secrets to longevity.

  • My 91-year-old grandmother loves making new friends and is always talking to strangers.
  • She calls her friends all the time and travels often, and even takes international trips.
  • Her busy social life and love of new adventures both contribute to her longevity.

Insider Today

Longevity is a gift. I've been very fortunate to see three of my grandparents reach their 90s , and while two have passed, I was able to celebrate my grandmother's 91st birthday last September.

When I tell people about my grandmother and her zest for life , it is always received with surprise, shock, and awe. She travels, she gardens, she keeps a robust social calendar, and shows no sign of slowing down.

She is always making new friends and talking on the phone

My 91-year-old grandmother, who we lovingly refer to as 'Grosi,' loves to chat. She can spend hours talking on the phone or chatting with people she meets at the airport, cashiers at Macy's, you name it. She is always looking to strike up a conversation and find a way to cheer up a stranger. Once, when we were traveling together and our flight was delayed , I looked around to find her seated next to a family, asking them about their lives, and passing time by making new friends.

Related stories

We recently got her a cellphone so we can be a part of the family group chat, where she uses the talk-to-text feature to drop in long messages to the family. Whether it's with her sisters in Switzerland or with me on a Tuesday night, she's always on the phone, catching up and sharing stories. One of the secrets to her longevity is these connections. She's always having new experiences, making new friends and getting new stories to tell along the way.

She loves hosting people, and treats everyone with kindness

I grew up less than an hour away from Grosi, and every time I would visit, the house would be filled with conversation, music, and a lively attitude. During the summer, she hosts parties and lunches at her house, constantly having a seemingly revolving door of friends and family to come over and visit. Stories, BBQ and napkins are passed around the table with Grosi at the helm, telling tales of our family, summers passed and laughing.

She has the best attitude, is always in good spirits, loves to garden , and feeds the birds that come to her house in the morning. I've never heard her say a mean word to anyone; she treats everyone she talks to with kindness, respect, and humor.

She still travels internationally

In addition to having a robust social calendar locally, she travels both domestically and internationally. Most recently, we celebrated her 91st birthday in Las Vegas . When she's not at home on the phone talking with her friends and family, she travels to Austin, Asheville, and Las Vegas, and then travels to Switzerland to visit family. She's usually on the move, expanding her horizons and constantly having new experiences. When we travel together, I see how many friends she makes along the way.

With so much being written about today's loneliness epidemic and its impact on the general population, I look to my grandmother as an inspiration to stay connected to old friends and new. She is connected to everyone and everything, calling internationally, staying up to date with friends and family and asking them about their days. Her horizons only expand and never shrink, and she's inspirational to watch, always looking to learn something new, meet a new friend, or have a new travel experience.

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    Here are a few platforms to find royalty-free music: Premium Beat — 5 tracks per month for $12.99. Epidemic Sound — It's a subscription of $15/month, but it has a ton of choices! Buy royalty-free music on iTunes and then import it to your editing software.

  6. 10 Fantastic Tips for Making Epic Travel Videos on Your Smartphone

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    Choose the bottom option ( likely 1080p HD at 60 fps ). This option will take up more space on your phone when you record a video ( 200mb per minute ), but the quality will be worth it. Go back and do the same for 'Record slo-mo', at 720p HD at 240 fps. Voila, your quality is already on par with a DSLR. Shoot Horizontal.

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