The world's most visited websites are a revolving door of fresh content. Google, YouTube, and Facebook emphasize up-to-date, accurate information.
Online travel agencies view content marketing as an engine for website traffic. To stay competitive, big OTAs consistently publish content to keep travelers engaged. Blogs, social media, and email marketing all help travelers discover locations and book adventures.
Need some ideas to inspire your content? Here are 101 prompts to attract and convert customers.
1. Year's greatest hits: What's hot this year? Expand on niche topics – top food destinations or this year's top music festivals.
2. User-generated content: People love looking at beautiful Instagram shots. Contact other content creators asking if you can share or license their work. Commission rates may apply.
3. Search Quora: Find questions about travel or destinations and answer them in a post.
4. Mimic popular blog formats: Have a topic that's been overdone? Write it in a different form. Look up article formats, i.e., How To, What, Why, Listicles, Curated posts, etc.
5. Feature a customer story: Interview a customer. Prod for their travel story and what they wish they knew before a trip. Even better, use their trip photos and quote them like a celebrity.
6. Common questions: Does France only have bidets? Can I drink tap water in Armenia? Answer the most common questions about a destination.
7. Search Reddit: Check out local subreddits for common recommendations and topics discussed.
8. Travel blogger feature: Hire a travel blogger with the same customer base. Have them share their experience, unique perspective, and original photos.
9. Research SEO keywords: Use a keyword tool like Moz. Type "best places in [+ a destination]" to see what people search for.
10. Hot destination guide: Create an in-depth guide of a popular place with tips, recommendations, cost of living charts, etc.
11. Off-the-beaten-path travel guide: As with the above, create an in-depth destination guide of a little-known place.
12. Tips from locals: Share insider tips only locals know.
13. Travel news: Keep readers up-to-date on the latest travel trends, topics, and news.
14. Sustainable travel: Share advice on eco-friendly stays, activities, and footprint reduction tips.
15. Photos post: Curate a compilation of travel photography.
16. Videos post: Curate a compilation of travel videos.
17. Niche travel: Brainstorm unique travel topics – LGBTQ+, family, solo… the niches never end.
18. Special occasion ideas: i.e., anniversary getaways, team-building trips, oversea volunteering, budget-friendly voyages.
19. Budget tips: Dish on how to save ca$h while traveling.
20. Cultural festival highlight: Millions travel to participate in events like the Day of the Dead or Bastille Day. Give your customers a reason to join.
22. Travel gear: List the top gadgets travelers love. Need ideas? Check out Amazon's top-rated travel accessories.
23. Travel reviews: Tripadvisor reviews are accessible and often blunt. Type in a destination and compile thoughts on popular activities.
24. Road trip ideas: Not everyone wants to travel on buses and trains. List popular road trips from one of your destinations.
25. Travel itineraries: Plan an itinerary with popular activities and interest points.
26. Seasonal travel guide: Detail seasonal temperature changes, popular activities, and recurring events. What do your customers need to know about a place across its four seasons?
27. Price guide: Knowing how much a trip will cost is important. Talk about the costs of food, accommodation, activities, and more.
28. Play true or false? Play true or false by listing facts and fiction (myths), then ask readers to guess the lie.
29. Expert insights: Will Japan have snow in 10 years? Can El Salvador maintain an economy on cryptocurrency? Have experts weigh in.
30. Event calendar: List all the events in a popular destination from Jan. 1 to New Year's.
31. Travel quotes: Create a listicle of passages that speak to a travelin' heart.
32. Travel fails and how to avoid them: Help customers prepare for the worst and skirt the most common problems.
33. Tour operator spotlight: Get operator pals to share tips on popular activities and the best participation times.
34. Packing checklist: Never let a passport get left at home again!
35. Pre-travel budget guide: Everyone deserves to travel in their life. Help others budget for a big trip with some tips.
36. Historical timeline: Draw a timeline that details a country's history.
37. Travel timeline: Create a timeline detailing the evolution of travel.
38. Emergency guide: Create an emergency travel guide. Include best practices, global emergency numbers, and other resources.
39. What should I wear? Create a dressing guide about dressing customs and share fashion advice.
40. Insights and analytics: For the number nerds, share exciting insights on travel. Write about trends your audience cares about – the cost of living, facts on sustainability, info on the local economy, etc.
41. Gift guides: List popular gifts from a location and where to buy them.
42. Give travel advice: Get readers to ask about travel problems in exchange for your advice.
43. Make a travel playlist: Make a series of songs for long rides on planes, trains, and automobiles.
44. Review a travel app: List and review the apps travelers love.
45. Must-see list: Highlight the top attractions, how to get there, and give advice on when to visit.
46. Photography tips: Travel photos are priceless. Help your clients take better photos, whether it's a selfie or using a tripod.
47. Etiquette guides: Some destinations have strict rules or cultural etiquette. Save travelers embarrassment from committing a faux pas.
48. Pose a challenge: Let's say your target customers love coffee. Challenge them to try three different cafés while on vacation.
49. Traditional foods: List traditional foods from a location and recommend restaurants.
50. This vs. That: Let customers weigh options. Help customers decide by comparing items, places, people, things, etc.
51. Thought leadership: Give your hot take on personal beliefs around travel and tourism.
52. Respond to a published article: Have a contrary view of a popular article? Have commentary to add? Respond to it in a new post.
53. Original research: Compile a travel-related study and report your findings.
54. Ask your readers: Ask your audience what they'd like to read.
55. Then and now: A look at a location in the past vs. today.
56. What's happening where? Report on current news in a country or continent.
57. Case study: Outline a problem and solution involving travel. For example, How to visit Switzerland with $100. Who wouldn't read that?
58. Pros and cons: The good, the bad, and the wow factor of a place! Give a subjective or unbiased view of an experience or destination.
59. Live like a local: Let readers peek into a day in the life of a local.
60. Best travel blogs: List your favourite wanderlust-inspiring blogs.
61. Talk trends: Use Google Trends to search a location or travel topic and see what comes up.
62. Expand on an old topic: Take a published article and find a part to elaborate on.
63. Travel styles: List all the travel styles and how they differ – luxury, budget, family, etc.
64. How to learn a language: List all the ways customers can learn to communicate before a trip.
65. Nutrition travel guide: Healthy eating is challenging on the road. Create a food guide based on different diets and nutritional needs.
66. $X/day post: Write about how a visitor can enjoy a location based on different budget amounts.
67. Travel agent secrets: A magician never reveals his tricks, but maybe you have a share-worthy secret.
68. Guilty pleasures guide: Know a place with the best selfie spots or ice cream buffets? Make it a guidebook!
69. Wild facts: List the most mind-boggling facts about a destination.
70. Luxury vs. budget: Show a side-by-side comparison of a budget vs. luxury stay.
71. Run a contest: Want more than website visitors? Contests can engage an audience and move them closer to booking. Create a contest with prizes and tell readers how to enter.
72. Two truths and a lie: Make up a believable lie and discuss two obscure facts. Ask readers to guess the lie.
78. Travel satire: Share your sense of silliness by spinning a travel tale.
79. Travel gifs: Instead of using still photos, play with gifs as a visual element in a blog post.
80. Pop culture: List the fun and freaky pop-culture facts about a destination.
81. Love letter: Charm the amorous. Script a love letter to or about a romantic place.
82. Updated piece: Things change. Update an old article with new facts about a destination.
83. Local community list: Help customers ask questions from locals, expats, and visitors. Compile a list of local Facebook and Slack groups your customers can use for insider information.
84. Popular post roundup: Already have live content that attracts visitors? Round up your most popular or most viewed content into a single post.
85. This day in history: Pick an important event. Explain its significance and why it's not to miss on one of your trips.
86. Old photos of people: The Way We Were Reddit community has over 1 million members, with new images posted daily. Share photos documenting people from the past in popular destinations.
87. Old photos of places: Like the previous, share old photos of iconic landmarks juxtaposed with today.
88. #Travelhacking: This topic is popular with travel reward members. Share your best travel hacks for collecting and redeeming points and rewards.
89. #Travelhacking plugins: List all the free plugins that help increase travel rewards.
90. Ethics and travel: Is travel sustainable? How can I reduce plastic waste while traveling? Discuss hot-button topics.
91. Glossary of terms: OTA, PMS… what?!? Create a glossary of terms for confusing industry jargon.
92. Famous picture how-to: Create an article to help customers recreate famous images in iconic places.
93. Stars' homes: Create an infographic of all the countries different celebrities own homes.
94. Seven wonders of the world: Jump on the chance to highlight your trips to the world's top man-made wonders.
95. Hot topics: Speak about hot issues on travel – i.e., COVID-19, AI for travel, safe female travel.
96. Current events: Massive street party breakout in Tibet? Talk about events around the world to help travelers stay informed.
97. Get controversial: Is tourism harmful to cities? Should we get more vacation days to travel? Talk about controversial topics around travel and tourism.
98. Travel quiz: Make a Buzzfeed-style quiz like this one.
99. Travel tech 101: Teach readers about technology like online travel agency (OTA) platforms.
100. Travel restrictions: Create regular updates on countries and places restricting travel.
101. Detail your data: Pack mentality is the theory that we make decisions based on consensus. Leverage your data to influence decision-making. Where are most travelers headed this? How much do families spend on average? Where's your most booked destination wedding resort?
Do more by creating less! Check out this article on 3 simple ways to expand with the content you've already created.