How Travel Creators Get Sponsored Trips (With a Pitch Template)
Who sponsors creators, what they want in return, how to pitch hotels, tourism boards and travel companies — and how to work with Deshraah.
28 September 2026 · 6 min read
Sponsored travel isn't about follower count alone. Brands pay — in stays, trips or money — for an audience that matches their customers and content they can reuse. A 5,000-follower trekking account with good engagement can land a trek before a 50,000-follower lifestyle page does.
Who sponsors travel creators
- Hostels, homestays and boutique hotels — usually a free stay for reels, photos and a review
- Tour and trek operators — a free spot on a fixed departure for coverage of the trip
- State tourism boards — hosted familiarisation (fam) trips, usually by invitation
- Travel gear and apparel brands — products for content, sometimes paid campaigns
- Airlines and booking apps — mostly large creators, paid campaigns
What they want back
- Usable content: vertical reels, raw clips and photos they can repost
- Proof of reach: your insights for the last 30 days — reach, saves, shares and audience cities
- Something specific: a reel that shows the stay or trip, not just you
- Reliability: posting when you said you would, and tagging correctly
How to pitch
- Start small: independent hostels and homestays reply far more than big hotels
- Pitch 4–6 weeks ahead, never 'I'm arriving tomorrow'
- Send 2–3 links to your best related reels
- Offer a clear package: e.g. 2 reels, 5 stories and 15 edited photos
- Follow up once after a week, then move on
A pitch template
Hi [name], I'm [your name] — I make trekking and budget-travel reels for [audience, e.g. 18–30 travellers from Delhi NCR] on Instagram (@handle). My last trek reel reached [X] people and was saved [Y] times. I'm planning to be in [place] around [dates] and would love to feature [stay/trip]. I can deliver [2 reels + 5 stories + 15 photos] within [7 days], with your tag and a link in stories. Here are two recent examples: [links]. Would you be open to hosting me?
Always disclose
If a stay or trip was free, say so — tag it as a paid partnership or write 'hosted by' in the caption. It's required by the Advertising Standards Council of India's guidelines for influencers, and audiences trust creators who are open about it.
Working with Deshraah
We host a small number of creators on our treks and weekend trips each season, and we run a free giveaway anyone can enter. If your audience plans trips to the Himalaya or the Sahyadris, send us your handle and two recent reels on WhatsApp and tell us which trip you'd like to cover.