Can non-travel brands use travel UGC? Absolutely. Learn why summer is one of the best times to create authentic creator content, explore travel UGC ideas for different industries and see how brands can make products part of everyday summer moments.
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Summer is one of those times of year when content almost creates itself. Your feed suddenly fills with airport coffees, beach bag essentials, hotel room tours, road trips and "pack with me" videos. People naturally document more of their lives, and that creates a huge opportunity for brands.
The mistake is assuming travel UGC is only relevant if you're selling flights or suitcases.
Some of the strongest summer content actually comes from brands that have nothing to do with travel at all. Skincare routines filmed in a hotel bathroom, supplements packed into a carry-on, a favourite drink on a picnic or trainers worn while exploring a new city. The location isn't the story - it's the lifestyle around it.
So if you’re planning on creating travel UGC this summer, ask yourself: "Where does our product naturally fit into someone's summer?"
When people go on holiday, they create entirely new routines. They pack differently, eat differently, get ready differently and often discover products they end up buying again long after they've unpacked their suitcase.
That's what makes summer such a valuable time for creator marketing.
Summer gives brands a chance to show products exactly where they're designed to be used. A moisturiser is the product someone reaches for before a day out in the sun. A protein bar becomes a hiking essential. A reusable water bottle appears on a train journey. A pair of sunglasses becomes part of a creator's holiday outfit.
These are the moments audiences recognise because they've experienced them themselves.
One of the biggest misconceptions we see is brands thinking they need creators jetting off to Santorini or Bali to create summer content.
Some of the most relatable travel UGC actually comes much closer to home.
A weekend in Cornwall. A picnic in the park. A music festival. Camping with friends. A road trip to the coast. Even a day exploring a nearby city. For brands, that actually opens up far more opportunities. You're not relying on creators booking expensive holidays, and the content often feels more accessible to your audience too.
When brands think about travel UGC, it's easy to write a UGC brief that focuses on where the content should be filmed. But it’s more effective to brief the moment instead.
Instead of asking UGC creators to "film this on holiday", think about the moments your audience is already searching for or sharing themselves.
Getting ready
On the move
Summer lifestyle
After the trip
These ideas immediately feel more native to TikTok and Instagram because they're built around behaviours rather than products. Your product simply becomes part of the story instead of interrupting it.
Looking at customer reviews is often one of the easiest ways to understand how people naturally describe your product, which is exactly why we recommend using customer reviews to write better UGC briefs. Pair that with a clear UGC brief and the right creator, and you're much more likely to receive content that feels genuine from the first draft.
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Another mistake brands make is treating travel UGC as content for just social media only.
That same asset could become a paid social advert, appear on a product page, support an email campaign or even be turned into a shoppable experience on your website. Because the content is built around real life use rather than a seasonal promotion, it often keeps performing long after the holiday has ended.
This is where brands get the most value from creator marketing. Instead of commissioning new assets for every channel, they're using UGC video ads, shoppable UGC videos and a consistent UGC content production strategy to extend the life of every creator shoot.
The best thing about travel UGC is that very little of it actually expires.
A creator unpacking their suitcase in July could still inspire someone booking an autumn city break. A skincare routine filmed in Spain doesn't suddenly become irrelevant in September. Even something as simple as a "pack with me" video can be reused months later because the behaviour behind it hasn't changed.
That's why we encourage brands to think beyond a single seasonal campaign. Every creator video should become part of a growing content library that can be reused across paid ads, social media, email and ecommerce whenever the moment is right.
A dedicated UGC platform like Twirl makes that process much easier. Instead of treating creator content as one-off deliverables, you're building a collection of authentic assets that can continue creating value long after summer is over.
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With summer now officially here, creators have a summer full of holidays, plans and exciting moments ahead. As they capture and share those experiences, brands have a unique opportunity to become part of the story in a way that feels natural, relatable and authentic.
Twirl is your go-to partner for UGC. Whether you're a brand, agency or a UGC creator, we bring together 7000+ talented creators to produce authentic, scroll-stopping content for ads, websites, emails, and social channels.
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