Travel Vlog Shot List Template
The hard part of a travel vlog is that you cannot go back. You are in the place once, usually for a short time, usually tired, and the shots you do not get are gone permanently. Everything else in filmmaking is fixable in a reshoot. This is not.
This list is deliberately front-loaded with the shots people most often come home without: the arrival, the establishing wides, and the ordinary texture of a place that makes an edit feel like somewhere rather than anywhere.
The shot list
Before you go
- 01Packing — bag, gear laid out, list being ticked
- 02Piece to camera: where you are going and why
- 03Tickets, passport, departure board
- 04Leaving home — door, street, taxi
The journey
- 05Airport or station wide
- 06Window seat view — take-off, landing, passing landscape
- 07Interior of the transport, including you in it
- 08Arrival hall, first sign in the local language
- 09Stepping outside for the first time — the light, the heat, the noise
Establishing the place
Film these on the first morning. Light is better and you still notice things a local would not.
- 10Wide of the skyline, coast, mountain, or main street
- 11The single most recognisable landmark, wide and close
- 12Street level from a fixed position while life moves past
- 13Above — from a roof, hill, window, or drone
- 14The view from your accommodation
- 15Morning: streets waking up, shutters, deliveries
- 16Evening: the same street after dark
Texture and detail
- 17Local signage and typography
- 18Market stalls, produce, colour
- 19Doors, windows, paint, decay, architecture detail
- 20Transport that is specific to the place
- 21Hands exchanging money, food, tickets
- 22Animals, birds, street life
- 23Weather — rain on the ground, heat haze, wind
Food and drink
- 24The dish arriving at the table
- 25Overhead of the full table
- 26Close on the food, steam, texture
- 27You taking the first bite and your genuine reaction
- 28The place itself — the restaurant, the stall, the person cooking
You in the place
Solo travellers systematically under-film themselves and regret it. Set the camera down and walk.
- 29Walking away from a locked-off camera into the scene
- 30Walking towards camera
- 31Sitting, looking out at the view, from behind
- 32Wide where you are small in a big landscape
- 33Piece to camera with the location clearly behind you
People and moments
- 34Anyone you meet — with permission, and get their name on camera
- 35A conversation, even a short one
- 36Hands of someone making or selling something
- 37Crowds, from a distance
Closing
- 38Last night reflection to camera
- 39Packing up
- 40The place from the departing transport
- 41A final wide of somewhere you will not see again
Tips for this kind of shoot
- Film the establishing wides on day one. If you leave them until the last day, the weather will make the decision for you.
- The arrival reaction is unrepeatable. Get the camera out before you look up.
- Batteries and cards in your day bag, not the hotel. The shot you miss is always the one on the way somewhere.
- Ask permission before filming people, and film them properly once you have it. A half-hearted stolen shot is worse than no shot.
Use this list on your next shoot
Storeyz keeps your shots in story order for planning and regroups them by location for the day — then you tick them off on your phone as you get them.
Questions
What do most people forget to film on a trip?
Arrivals, transport, and the ordinary texture of the place. Everyone films the landmark. Almost nobody films the walk to it, which is the footage that makes an edit feel like a journey.
How do I film myself when travelling alone?
Locked-off camera plus movement. Set it down, walk into and out of frame, and film the same action twice from two positions. A small tripod and a remote or timer covers almost every solo shot on this list.