How to Write Quality Travel Captions for Instagram
Scratching your head trying to come up with the perfect travel caption for Instagram? We hear you! It’s a ton of fun to create travel content on the road, but before you hit publish, a quality travel caption is key! Funny, meaningful, informative, or just downright cool captions add a layer of creativity to your posts. Whether or taking photos, here’s our guide to writing a strong travel caption for Instagram.
Why are Instagram Captions Important?
Even if your visuals speak for themselves, there are several reasons why quality captions are key:
- Captions encourage engagement and interaction from your audience. People who read your caption may appreciate the extra dimension it brings to your post and drop a “like,” comment or question.
- Captions can increase dwell time by providing valuable additional information and context to your visual story.
- Using relevant hashtags make your posts more discoverable. Hashtags help other people find your post, and it helps the algorithm categorize your post and share with others who might like it, too.
- You can express your personality and brand through your style of caption. If you're struggling to find your brand or need further guidance on how to put your stamp on your social content, check out this blog on .
- For video, adding on-screen travel captions for Instagram reels allows you to narrate your content visually. Overlaying captions or adding text-on-screen are helpful storytelling tools when your audience’s audio is turned off.
How Long Can Instagram Captions Be?
Instagram captions are limited to 2,200 characters. Try out different caption lengths to see what engages best with your audience. Perhaps you get a lot of engagement when you write short travel captions, or maybe your posts perform best when you type out a novel. Experiment and see what works for your feed.
Many creators are wise to the fact that big blocks of text can be a chore to read, so use your spacing wisely and include paragraph breaks and new lines for easy reading if you opt for a longer caption. Remember, Instagram truncates your caption after the first 125 characters, so your audience will have to click “more” to see the rest. Put your most compelling hook at the top of the caption to invite your audience to read the full story.
What Font Does Instagram Use for Captions?
Instagram uses Sans typeface for captions. However, if you’re looking for a way to stand out, you can switch up the style of your text. Many creators use alternative fonts by using a font generator tool. You can type in a phrase and the software will share some stylish options utilizing Unicode symbols. You can find bubble letters and cursive and italics and more. Just copy paste the resulting text into your Instagram captions, bio and IG stories to add some flair.
You can design any part of your caption or the whole caption, but not hashtags. Mix and match, but be careful not to overdo it. If your caption is hard to read, your audience will scroll on by. Within Instagram Stories, creators already have a selection of font styles to express themselves, so whether you’re going for a cursive or typewriter vibe, you’ve got options! Of course, you can also customize the color of the font or background. Take some time to experiment with the styles built in app.
Types of Instagram Travel Captions
There are a lot of different types of travel captions to consider based on the content you’re posting. Perhaps you want to post a photo dump from your trip and you just need one witty line for a caption. Or maybe you want to create a carousel highlighting your top 5 things to do, showcasing a photo from each recommendation and a written description matching each slide in the caption below.
From inspirational quotes to one word comments, here are some ideas to get you started:
Nature-focused
Outdoorsy folks and brands have a field day creating nature travel captions for Instagram, pointing to stunning scenery, adventure activities, wildlife photography and more. Collect travel quotes that inspire you, such as, “The mountains are calling and I must go,” John Muir. Then, add in hashtags, perhaps a mix of larger tags like #nature (820M posts) with medium tags like #naturephotography (249M posts) and small tags like #offthegrid (1M posts). To get your gears turning, try:
- On mountain time
- Walking on the wild side
- Choosing the scenic route
Short or One-Word
Sometimes, a word or phrase is all you need. Short posts create intrigue and mystery, sometimes opening up a question that lets your audience answer for themselves. A short caption shows of creativity and wit. See what you can come up with writing a short caption, 5 words or less, such as:
- Vibes.
- Nailed it.
- Chasing Dreams.
- Vacay.
- YOLO.
Funny
Sprinkling in funny travel captions for Instagram will make your posts memorable and might inspire audience interaction. Whether you’re dropping something subtle or laugh-out-loud status, infusing a little humor via a pun or joke into your next caption is welcome, such as:
- Do not disturb.
- Tropic like it's hot!
- Life’s a beach
POV
Everyone loves a little sneak peek behind the scenes. Adding a POV themed caption to your Instagram Reel is a growing trend. POV stands for Point of View, and sharing a simple POV statement as text on screen over a vertical video is a great strategy for inviting your audience in. Give it a try, with POV statements like:
- POV: You’re out-of-office
- POV: You’ve landed in paradise
- POV: You’re on airplane mode
Inspirational
You can never go wrong with inspirational travel captions. Collect inspiring sayings and mottos whether in a book, movie, or from your favorite feed. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- "Not all those who wander are lost." — J.R.R. Tolkien
- “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” ― Susan Sontag
- “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” ― Maya Angelou
You can also share stories from your own travel experiences to inspire your audience. Perhaps you’ve finally made it to a destination that was on your bucket list since you were a kid, or maybe you want to share how you faced a challenge, like a fear of flying or traveling solo.
How to Take Insta-Worthy Travel Content
You know what pairs nicely with a good caption? Insta-awesome travel content! When you’re ready to hit the road and here are a few tips to documenting your own adventures through photos and videos.
Consider the Story You Want to Tell
Decide what are the most important parts you want to share. Perhaps you want to narrow in on one specific moment, like a sunset, or maybe you want to create a recap of your whole trip, or what about focusing on one aspect like the best food in a destination? Having a framework for your story will help you identify what to shoot and what not to shoot.
Aim for a Variety of Footage
Get the shot! And then, move on! Explore new angles so you have lots of options in the edit. Try putting your camera up close to your subject or backing up to get an extra wide shot. Lower your camera to the ground or climb tall to get a birds eye view.
Plan Ahead for Various Types of Instagram Posts
There are important differences in aspect-ratio whether you are posting a photo or video to your feed, as an IG Reel or story. Consider recommended dimensions for different types of Instagram content. While in-feed posts were once only square (1x1) on Instagram, it is certainly possible to post a landscape shot (1.91x1). However today, most static posts are best framed portrait (4x5) because you take up more vertical space on the screen when scrolling—you get more screen time.
Keep in mind, a thumbnail of the center square (1x1) will be displayed on your wall. For Instagram Stories and Reels, aim to rotate your camera so you can create vertical videos (9x16) at the highest quality, that way you don’t have to reframe your horizontal content. Remember, the thumbnail for your reel will be a square 1x1 on your main feed and a vertical 9x16 thumbnail on your reels tab.
Find your Light!
When traveling, time of day is key, especially when shooting outdoors. Always identify your main light source—what direction is it coming from and how intense is it? Shooting at sunrise or sunset when the light is warm can make a scene really magical, compared to shooting at high noon when the light is bright and the shadows are strong.
Pay Attention to the Basics
When it comes to composition, of course you’ll want to frame your subject using the rule of thirds, consider leading lines, symmetry, you know the drill. This can sometimes be tricky when you are creating content for multiple platforms—perhaps shooting a horizontal thumbnail for YouTube and a vertical thumbnail for Instagram Reels—you may need to reframe the shot a few different ways in the field to avoid frustration trying to crop the shot later.
It’s in the Bag
And remember, no matter where you’re traveling to, your gear matters! Having too much gear can really weigh you down, and not having the right gear can limit your creativity. If you’re ready to get started with the camera in your pocket, you might need a light to accompany you on your adventure. And choose one that offers the right balance between size and weight, artistic control, and quality, and of course, pick one that matches your budget. Having your gear dialed takes planning and practice.
Now that you’re ready to post your incredible travel content, get creative, dazzle your followers, and appease the algorithm with a compelling caption. You got this!
Share