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Crack the code on travel content: The Science of Wanderlust

With AI content increasing, new research from Expedia Group Advertising reveals which creative elements and ad formats resonate with travellers.

author
Angelique Miller

April 6, 2026

Travel marketers work hard to craft compelling stories, but they're fighting for attention throughout a long and complex trip-planning journey and their message or format could fail to land. With campaigns requiring heavy planning, budget and time, there isn't room for campaigns to fail to inspire travellers to book flights, purchase activities or reserve rooms.

 
So what really drives travellers to book? Particularly in a media environment that is saturated with content and increasingly crowded with AI-generated images, video and text?
 
By conducting industry-leading investigate this summer, Expedia Group Advertising cracked the code on what truly captures the hearts and minds of travellers to reveal the science of wanderlust. The findings reveal a formula for identifying different traveller archetypes, their unique content preferences, and how to build the perfect travel content to reach them, redefining travel marketing in an AI-driven world.

 

The research combined emotion-reading and eye-tracking technology from Expedia Group's lab with an in-depth global survey of more than 7,000 respondents. Conducted in July and August, it revealed six key elements that create the most effective travel content.

The anatomy of the perfect ad

Every choice and every dollar, matters as AI changes brands' searchability. The findings revealed six critical elements that make content resonate with travellers:

1. Video reigns supreme
Watchable content

71% are influenced by video versus 24% by static images; 59% said content they saw on YouTube positively impacted their decision-making.

2. Authenticity builds trust
Authentic

When asked which messaging elements build trust, travellers selected transparency (52%), followed by clarity and confidence (46%) and authenticity (45%).

3. Clear narratives drive engagement
Narrative-driven structure

Content with an impactful beginning, a compelling middle and clear call to action at the end captures attention and drives comprehension. Even beautiful visuals failed to deliver when the messaging was not clear.

4. Optimal pacing matters
Designed for attention

When it comes to video, scenes lasting 2-9 seconds provide optimum balance for understanding and recall. Fast cuts and rapid scene changes prevented participants from understanding the narrative and the destination.

5. AI enhancement, not replacement
Enhanced with AI

While 64% of travellers have noticed AI-generated content, 41% say they prefer it with human input. Less than half are comfortable with AI-generated influencers or fully AI-generated visuals and travel articles.

6. Representation resonates
Representative and relatable

Content where people saw themselves represented was more relatable and memorable, with 34% saying inclusive messaging made them trust a travel brand.

The framework for creating effective travel content

Bringing these insights together, we've developed the WANDER framework, a roadmap for travel marketers to create content that truly resonates with today's diverse and discerning travellers.

Expedia Group Advertising

WANDER framework

  • Watchable content
  • Authentic perspectives
  • Narrative-driven structure
  • Designed for attention
  • Enhanced with AI
  • Representative and relatable

 

Partner with us to create content that resonates with travellers.

Learn more

Destination traveller archetypes

The study gave us insights into different traveller archetypes preferences, with respondents selecting their typical type of trip. The results showed insights into each archetype's preferences in travel content – including format, imagery and tone.

Beach travellers

Images of pools and spas
Relaxing tones

Amusement park travellers

Short-form video
Social media

Adventure travellers

AI-wary
YouTube

City escapists 
Long-form video
Food content

Cultural connectors

Content that amazes
Online travel sites

Luxury travellers

AI content
Influencers

Variation by market and generation

The research also broke down inspiration preferences by nationality and generation.

Younger generations prefer influencers

Gen Z (66%) and Millennials (65%) turn to social influencers and platforms for inspiration, contrasting with Gen X and Baby Boomers, who rely heavily on online travel sites for inspiring travel content.

Younger generations feel the most emotive

Both positively and negatively towards travel content compared to calmer Gen X and Baby Boomers.

Natural wonders inspire most

When it comes to imagery across all generations and above any other image type.

Navigating the future of travel marketing

For brands trying to reach travellers, the stakes have never been higher. Creating content that truly inspires wanderlust is critical, at a time when attention is the most valuable currency. And with Expedia Group Advertising's enhanced targeting capabilities like demographic and behavioural signals, you can pinpoint your audience and ensure your ads reach the archetypes you're appealing to.

 

Expedia Group Advertising is partnering with destination marketing organisations like GoTürkiye, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation, Jamaica Tourist Board and VisitPanama, to bring these campaign insights to life. By leveraging Expedia Group Advertising's travel media network, these partners are creating visually compelling, end-to-end campaigns, designed to reach travellers at every stage of their journey.

Act on these insights with Expedia Group Advertising

Watchable content

  • Tap into Expedia Group Advertising's travel media network to extend your content through our offsite capabilities on channels like YouTube, CTV and OTT.
  • Work with our in-house creative team, E Studio, to create compelling short and long-form videos.
  • Use homepage video ads to capture traveller attention on our sites and apps.

Authentic perspectives

 

  • Use Travel Shops to create shoppable shopfronts promoting your brand or destination and collaborate with select travel influencers to sponsor collections.
  • Create social-media friendly video packages through our creative partner, Beautiful Destinations.
  • Partner with a rich network of high-performing content creators to showcase your brand to widespread traveller audiences through Expedia Group's Ambassador programme.

Narrative-driven structure

  • Work with our team of data and travel marketing experts to understand your target audience and their unique behaviours.
  • Leverage our in-house creative experts to build engaging content that resonates with them, with a compelling narrative and clear call to action.
Create compelling videos with E Studio.
Reach travellers early in their journey with a personalised Travel Shop shopfront.

Designed for attention

  • Get real-time insights from our Ad Client Success team to ensure your campaign is getting maximum attention, plus detailed post-campaign reporting to guide future strategy.
  • Lodging partners can use our visibility boosting tools like TravelAds Sponsored Listings and Accelerator to show up prominently in search results.

Enhancing with AI

  • Lodging partners can use our new AI-powered features on TravelAds to boost performance:
    • Automated bidding tool: maximises visibility while keeping costs efficient.
    • Hero Image Selection: AI choices the most engaging visuals to boost clicks. Partners who use this feature have seen an average 7% increase in engagement.*
    • Guided Recommendations: now with predictive Budget Insights to help hotels plan smarter and perform better.

Representative and relatable

  • Tap into the strategic expertise of our advertising teams to identify, plan and target selected traveller demographics and build inclusive messaging.
  • Lean into our 70+ petabytes of first-party data and 175+ targeting parameters to reach these travellers in the most effective and efficient way.**

Ready to elevate your travel advertising game?
Speak to us today and let's create content that doesn't just sell trips — it ignites wanderlust.
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Headshot of Angelique Miller
Angelique Miller

Vice President, E Studio, Expedia Group

 

Angelique is the Vice President of E Studio, leading brand partnerships and integrated marketing programmes at Expedia Group globally and overseeing Expedia Group Advertising’s full-service, in-house commercial creative team. She has over 15 years’ experience at the forefront of global creative advertising teams within media and technology organisations such as Disney and ESPN, blending creative vision and strategic commercial acumen to drive impactful results. Her passion for storytelling is the cornerstone of her approach, aiming to weave engaging content and creative narratives that inspire travel and resonate with travellers around the world. Originally based in New York, she now resides in London with her husband and two children.

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