Did you know that companies pay influencers to travel?
Traveling to exciting destinations for free, being pampered, treated to nice meals, and getting paid to do it sounds too good to be real.
But, many influencers get to do this! It sounds like a dream job, right? You wouldn’t be surprised to hear that not many people get paid to travel, but influencer travel marketing is actually on the rise.
If you follow many big influencers on Instagram, you’ve probably noticed some sponsored trips with gorgeous photos here and there.
Companies have seen huge success with sending popular influencers on trips, and more companies keep testing it out.
While the trips aren’t cheap, many of them cost the same or less than buying a video or magazine ad.
Sponsored trips grab attention on social media, and brands are all about building their social followings. Though influencers usually need massive followings to get paid to travel, there are plenty of companies that pay smaller influencers too.
It takes work, the right marketing strategy, and the right pitch to the right company to pull it off, but you too can get paid to live that travel fantasy!
Here are 10 companies that pay influencers to travel.
1. Revolve
The clothing company Revolve is famous for sending groups of the most popular Instagram influencers on lavish trips. Past destinations include Thailand, Croatia, and Bermuda.
The company plans extravagant meals and activities for the influencers to provide them with plenty of Instagram-worthy shots to promote their clothing.
The trips have become a popular phenomenon, and have no doubt made the brand some money.
Revolve has an easy application link on its website for influencers to join their Affiliate Program. If you want the possibility of being selected for a trip, there’s a place to start.
2. Boohoo
Boohoo is another clothing brand that’s seen massive success through Instagram influencer marketing.
Last year the company took a large group of influencers to a beautiful resort in Mexico. The influencers acted as models for the spring break campaign sale and were featured in multiple lookbooks for Boohoo.
3. Benefit Cosmetics
Benefit Cosmetics sent a group of British influencers on a trip to the Maldives islands where they stayed in a gorgeous resort on the water.
They sent a large number of US influencers to the Amangiri Luxury Resort in Utah. Both trips were to promote their BADgal BANG! mascara and both garnered tons of social media attention.
4. Tarte Cosmetics
Tarte Cosmetics has taken Youtube vloggers and Instagram beauty gurus all around the world to places like Bora Bora, Turks and Caicos, and Kauai.
Influencers are able to generate content by going on luxury adventures like snorkeling, zip-lining, and boat rides.
They ask influencers to use the hashtag #trippinwithtarte on their photos, which makes these trips all the more popular.
5. Fresh
In late 2017, Fresh cosmetics paid a group of influencers to fly to Cambodia for their launch of a lotus range of products.
The influencers were able to see lotus flowers, a key ingredient of the products, in their natural habitat and show an authentic experience to their followers.
6. Ritz Carlton
Travel influencers and other influencers often seek out free hotel stays where they travel. The Ritz Carlton is one hotel company that offers these sponsorships.
The Ritz Carlton is known for its luxury, and it partners with both micro and macro influencers of the same niche.
7. Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
This hotel company partners with macro and micro-influencers of multiple niches. With unique properties all around the world, Fairmont offers free stays, amenities, and activities in addition to paid promotion.
They have engaged in year-long campaigns in order for influencers to show in-depth what the company can offer.
Fairmont Orchid partnered with popular YouTube vlogger FunForLouis by sponsoring a trip to Hawaii.
By exploring beautiful destinations near the hotel, he was able to showcase experiences made possible by staying there.
Fairmont also partnered with liketoknow.it, an app where users can reserve travel and buy products through photos of Instagram influencers. By leaving links to the app, fashion influencers promote their stays at Fairmont hotels on Instagram.
8. Crystal Cruises
Crystal Cruises sponsored trips for several fashion and travel influencers.
The luxury Los Angeles-based company offers cruises all around the world and took smaller influencers to Europe and Brazil. After the campaign, the cruise line’s Instagram page had grown 126%.
9. Uniworld Cruises
This river cruise company recently started U by Uniworld, which is testing out the concept of millennial river cruising. The company noticed a generation gap in the appeal of river cruises.
So they built ships and crafted activities catered to millennials that want to explore cities around the world by boat, and sponsored groups of influencers and bloggers to share their experiences.
10. Visit California
This non-profit company that develops marketing strategies to inspire state travel ran an ad campaign called “Catch the Winter Wave.”
In order to showcase California’s winter activities, they sponsored trips for popular photography and travel influencers to travel all over the state.
The campaign resulted in gorgeous photos and increasing interest in California’s lesser-known areas.
Whether you’re a fashion, travel, beauty, or entertainment influencer, there are brands that can pay you to travel. While it takes work to find the right company to partner with, the incredible experiences are worth it and look all too enticing.
Additional Articles You May Be Interested In:
- How To Become A Full-Time Influencer
- 7 Aesthetically Pleasing Travel Bloggers On Instagram
- How To Take Great Photos On Your Phone
- 5 Ways To Network As A Micro-Influencer
- How To Create A Killer Content Marketing Strategy
Fiona Morgan is currently a blogging intern at LadyBossBlogger. She attends Asbury University in Kentucky and is studying journalism with a minor in art. Fiona has an interest in blogging and a passion for using writing to help others. Her hobbies include traveling, biking, painting, and photography.
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