Document Your Adventures: How to Make Travel Videos for YouTube

Are you ready to start making travel videos but feel confused about what the first steps are to getting started?

Despite the many tools that travelers have at their disposal in the form of cameras, drones, and microphones, many people still don’t know what it takes to make engaging videos. 

The truth is that documenting your adventures for YouTube is not as difficult as you might think. Read on and we’ll show you what you need to do to start making great travel videos. 

Take a Look at What Other Filmmakers Are Doing

Whatever you dedicate yourself to doing in life, it’s best to learn from the professionals before setting out on your own. The same is true for making travel videos. 

If you want to start making videos for travel, the first thing to do is tune in to what the most successful creators are doing. This gives you the opportunity to pay attention to the finer details of how to make adventure travel videos that people will want to watch. 

The obvious best place to start watching great travel videos is on YouTube. But you can also do a search on the internet for interesting blogs related to the aspects of travel that you’re most interested in. Once you’ve found a few blogs that you like, take time to read through them in order to see what kinds of videos they are posting and writing about. 

One important thing to be aware of when you’re watching well-made travel videos is that it’s never ideal to compare yourself to others before setting out on your own. You have to start somewhere. If you hold too high expectations for your work, it’s going to be difficult to get started. 

Get a Plan in Place Before Filming

Imagine that you’re traveling to Rio de Janeiro to film some of the great dancers during the yearly Carnival celebration. What kind of video do you want to make?

Will you narrate the shots? Will you interview some of the dancers? Or will you let the engaging visuals tell their own story without narration?

These are great questions to address before you even start to film. The biggest mistake that beginning travel video creators make is not putting enough time into planning. The good news about this is that once you learn how to plan your videos, you’ll be way ahead of many others who are just starting out. 

In order to do a great job at planning your travel videos, keep in mind that the intro and the outro are important. Therefore, take the time to write out a script or outline for these parts of your videos. It’s surely something you’ll thank yourself for afterward when you’ve reached the editing phase. 

The Equipment You Use for Making Travel Videos Isn’t Important

We live in a world where all you need to do to film great videos is to take out your cell phone. Sure, investing in the best video camera for travel will make your shots look better. But when you’re just starting out to make YouTube travel videos, the most important thing is that you learn how to use the equipment that you already have in the best possible way. 

The problem that many people have who obsesses about getting all of the best equipment is that they get overwhelmed with all of their gear. If you spend all of your time worrying about how to fly the drone and how to level the audio for your wireless microphones, you might get distracted from the special moments that you came to film. 

This is why you should focus on simplicity when starting out to film. Try to use the gear that you already have. Then think about investing in new equipment once you establish yourself as a filmmaker. 

Find the Right Editing Apps 

There are many thousands of apps available for editing photos and videos. If you’re verse in using professional programs like Premiere Pro or Final Cut, then you’ll be able to make some great edits to your films. But the learning curve for these kinds of programs is very steep. 

This is why you should start with easy-to-use programs like Filmora or Adobe Rush. These programs allow you to do important things, such as combining and trimming videos, adding music, and making transitions. And you don’t need to be a pro to do it because they are very user-friendly. 

Also, keep in mind that when you’re filming content, you’re probably going to create a lot of large video files that are difficult to manage. This is why it’s important that you have the right app that will make it easy to compress video. It’s an easy but important process that is easy to do if you have the right app.

Choose Great Music for Travel Videos

The best creators have mastered the process of choosing the right songs for travel videos. Learn from their examples by choosing music that fits the mood that you want your videos to have. The music should be in tune with the tone and the pace of your video. 

Some people pick music before they start to edit their videos, while others add music at the end. Whatever you find your best style to be, do make sure that the songs that you choose are properly licensed before you add them to your videos. 

Start Making Memorable Travel Videos

The problem that many beginning filmmakers have is that they make the process of creating travel videos more complex than it needs to be. If you’re just starting out, remember that you’re bound to have more success if you keep things simple. 

Work with the equipment that you already have. Remember to plan your shots and videos. And choose an editing program that will be easy for you to learn how to use. 

If you’re ready to find out more about travel and filmmaking, don’t forget to check out the Travel section of our website, where you’ll find many inspiring articles about traveling the world.  

Read more: Best Places For An Adventure In Europe