Are you a travelholic who loves sharing your adventures on Instagram? It’s not enough to just share some snaps of your locale. If you want to keep your audience engaged, you’ll need to shake things up and share different types of content. If you’re fresh out of ideas, these 20 travel Instagram Story ideas will keep your content calendar full.
20 Travel Story Ideas For Instagram With Examples
1. Plane Ride
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With travel, the journey is half the fun. Why not share it with your followers? Share snaps of your plane ride. Show the view from your window and a teaser of where you’re going, like in this Instagram Story below.
You can tag your location and add fun stickers to bring the story to life.
Even if you don’t have a window seat, you can still share snaps of the cabin, your bags or your gear.
2. Airport Departure
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What’s more exciting than hopping on a plane and traveling somewhere across the country or the world? When you’re ready to depart from the airport, share a photo of you waiting at the gate. Be cryptic. Take a photo of your luggage, tag your location and add some text, like “byee” or “farewell.”
Posts like this create intrigue. Your followers are sure to ask you where you’re headed.
Some other creative ideas for airport Instagram stories: showcasing your boarding pass, enjoying lounge relaxation, sharing your flight meals, exploring layover activities, flaunting your travel outfits, counting down to your destination, and capturing the ambience at the gates.
3. Sunrises / Sunsets
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There’s something magical about sunrises and sunsets, and they are great content for Instagram Stories. Whether you’re hiking to catch a stunning view, climbing a mountain or just relaxing by the sea, snap a photo or take a video of the sunrise or sunset.
Add an inspiring quote and share your location.
The more breathtaking the view, the greater the engagement you’ll receive.
4. Top 5 Beach Destinations
Are you beach hopping this summer, or have you traveled to some of the world’s most beautiful beaches? Share your top picks in your Instagram Story.
Create a mashup of photos or videos of your favorite beaches, and be sure to tag their locations. Creating engaging Instagram stories at the beach can capture the essence of your seaside experience. Here are some ideas:
- Shots of the waves, shoreline, and expansive sky
- Activities like volleyball, surfing, paddleboarding, or building sandcastles
- Beachside refreshments, seaside cafés and restaurants
- Underwater moments, such as snorkeling, swimming, or playful splashes
- Sun bathing on a towel, hammock, or beach chair
5. Top 5 Restaurants
Seeing the sights is fun, but eating is just as fun and a big part of the travel experience. When you’re traveling through cities, share your top 5 favorite restaurants with your followers.
Share photos or videos of the food and atmosphere. Don’t forget to tag each location and mention the restaurants in your posts. Let’s see what you can capture in a story at a restaurant:
- The diverse offerings on restaurant menus
- Show fantastic selfie spots
- The luxurious ambiance of the restaurant
- Your dining table and chairs for meals
- Capture shots of the dishes you’ve ordered
6. Top Amazing Spots
If you’re an avid traveler, you’re sure to have a few gems or special spots that you’ve come across in town. Share these top amazing spots with your followers. Whether it’s a hole-in-the-wall restaurant or a breathtaking view in town, your followers will be dying to see more. Some of Mind blowing Spots to explore:
- Panoramic mountain peaks
- Volcanos and Forests
- Ancient ruins and undiscovered caves
- Underwater coral reefs
- Jungle or desert safari
- Majestic icebergs
7. Postcard or Real Life
Some locations are just picture-perfect. Amalfi is a great example. You can take videos of these locations or even hunt down the locations on postcards and show them off to your audience.
8. Walk Around Town
Walking around town and exploring? You have endless opportunities to turn this into a story. Simply take pictures or videos of:
- Hidden gems that you found
- Cute stores
- People that you meet along the way
- Funny signs
- Anything
9. City Skyline
Social media users love cities. Show them the skyline of the city that you’re staying in and it will be a major hit. Here are some ideas on what you can include:
- Weather conditions—rain, fog, snow, or a clear blue sky
- Cityscape during times of the day—dawn, daytime, sunset, and night
- Dazzling lights of buildings, bridges and streets at night
- Create time-lapse videos of the city skyline
- Show buildings such as skyscrapers, religious places, monuments, stadiums, etc
10. Food Prices at Your Destination
Where are you in the world? Walk into a supermarket or go to a restaurant and make a video about food prices. People are always enticed to watch videos that show how cheap or expensive food is around the world.
11. Train Journey
Train rides allow you to see areas of a location that you would never experience otherwise. Show off the local scenery, the food you’re eating, sitting with friends and anything else you want. Get inspiration by searching train life on Instagram.
Some more story ideas related to train journey:
- Create a video of entering and exiting the train
- Train arriving at the platform or saying goodbye to the train from the platform
- Showcase how you pack for a train journey
- Share interesting facts about the train or train station
12. Driving Around the City
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Driving around the city is always fun. Show some of the most popular sights and bring your followers along for the ride with your story. Think of:
- Driving around Hong Kong
- Driving around Barcelona
- Etc.
13. Hiking
Heading to the Blue Ridge Mountains or another great hiking spot? Show yourself hiking. Create a story of yourself walking through the trails, being out of breath and overlooking the waterfalls that you hiked to with your followers on the edges of their seats.
14. Local Nature
Any time you spot an exotic bird, cute deer or even a bumblebee sleeping on a flower, create a story about it. People are always hooked on nature stories because they’re animal lovers at heart.
15. Local Events and Celebrations
Going to Germany at Christmas time? Show the local markets. Malta in August? Show their local celebrations and fireworks shows. Help your followers imagine that they’re walking with you, experiencing the local events and celebrations at the same time.
- Story countdown to an upcoming local event or celebration
- Live performances of local artists, musicians, or dancers
- Cultural and historical background of the event or celebration
16. Traveling on a Budget
People love to save money. Take a hint from all of those YouTube channels that are flooded with views with titles like:
- $20 a day in Rome? Let’s Go.
- What does $5 get you in Ireland
- I traveled 3,624 miles with €0.01
- Walking tours, public transportation, or ridesharing
- Low-cost attractions like parks, public art installations, or free events
- Visit vibrant local markets for affordable items
- Part-time work to increase travel fund
- Spending the night while traveling on a bus or flight
17. Famous Local Dishes
Did you know that over 75% of people travel for food? Sure, they want to see beautiful places, but people want to eat well, too. Show them the local area and eats – especially street food or local specialties.
18. Road Trip Highlights
You’ve collected a ton of great photos and videos. Why not turn them into a road trip highlight reel? You can create a collage of the top destinations, show yourself passing the town center and exploring the local area.
19. Hotel or Airbnb Tours
Are you going to a super cute Airbnb or hotel? Show your followers the room, the views and even “check in” with them right on your story. You’ll get so many ideas from the best airbnb channel. Check out these instagram story ideas:
- Tour of your room and nearby attractions
- View from the window of your room
- Highlight the hotel’s dining options
- Any activities or amenities like pool, spa & gym
- Attending any social events organized by the hotel
20. Traveling with a Pet
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And for our final travel Instagram Story ideas, we have traveling with your pet. People absolutely adore animals, and they drive crazy engagement. You can get some inspiration from hikingwithpets, or you can:
- Hike with your pet
- Traveling with a pet by bus or car
- Let people give your pet “free hugs”
Go out. Travel. Take pictures. You’ll grow your channel organically with these awesome story ideas.
