Travel is the best education but also the best way to make memories for a lifetime. Exploring the world will make you a better and happier person. Experiences that are way out of your comfort zone will make you feel alive. This is a list of the 30 most amazing things I only experienced because I traveled around the world. Go out live your dreams, don't dream your life or at least start realising that everyone can travel and gather experiences, it is the simple question of how much you are willing to sacrifice to realise your dreams.

It is the most asked question on my social media channels for sure! How do you afford to travel for so long? Understandable! My Instagram profile literally says how many days I have now been continuously on the road and as of March 2021 that is 3,000 days. So how to afford to travel the world? This is my story...

How many times did you hear people saying: I want to travel the world and get paid for it. But how many people do really get paid to travel? Hardly anyone! Yes there definitely are a few exceptions, but reality tells us that those people are exceptions. I am not telling you it is impossible, but don’t fool yourself by reading blogs saying: everyone can get paid to travel the world! That is definitely not true!

This Dutchie met Tom during the second Traveltomtom Nambia group trip he organised to Namibia in the summer of 2021. I was always jealous of the pictures he posts on Instagram, even unfollowed him every now and then when I was not able to travel myself because of my work (oops 😉 ), but in the end I was always coming back to his page.

Too curious about his new adventures. When he announced his group trip I decided I wanted to live these adventures of him in real life, instead of via his camera lens. So despite Covid, I jumped on an airplane to the beautiful Namibia and “came as a follower, left as a friend”!

In the ever-evolving landscape of travel and tourism marketing, it's astonishing that some clients still underestimate the power of TikTok. Therefore, let's dive into a case study of my recent trip to Saudi Arabia that reveals just how impactful this social media platform can be when it comes to destination and tourism marketing.

Prepare to be amazed by the potential of TikTok!

The Case Study: Traveltomtom TikTok videos take Saudi Arabia by Storm

I recently embarked on a journey to Saudi Arabia, a rather one this time as it was a last minute trip that was pushed into my busy travel schedule. The main event was World Tourism Day in Riyadh, but I also traveled to AlUla to see Bruno Mars in concert, went on a helicopter ride and had many more adventures along the way.

On my trip I met a lot of people in the business: Tourism Board representatives, PR agency representatives, General Managers of well-known luxury hotel brands, Marketing and Sales directors and other professionals in the tourism industry. Something that caught my attention during these meetings is the lack of trust and confidence in using TikTok as a marketing tool for tourism.

Therefore I decided to put TikTok to the test as a destination marketing tool. Over the course of just seven days, I posted a total of 39 videos about various aspects of my travels, from luxury hotels and tourist attractions to cultural events and local restaurants.

The results were nothing short of astounding and here is my case study of all the content I posted on TikTok during my trip to Saudi. The first piece of content was uploaded 3 weeks ago, the last piece of content included in this case study was uploaded just 2 weeks ago.

• Total views: 7.2 million
• Total posts: 39
• Average views per video: 185,000

Now, let's break down these numbers by category:

• Hotels: 740,000
• Tourist attractions: 2.8 million
• World Tourism Day event: 510,000
• Other Events: 630,000
• Cultural activities: 680,000
• Restaurants: 290,000
• Others: 1.5 million

As you can see all aspects of traveling have been highlighted.

Just to be clear, posting 39 Tiktok videos in 1 week was NOT part of the campaign I was participating when visiting Saudi. It was my own decision to post 39 videos.

But this is also where some travel influencers differentiate from the others. I post content, because I am passionated about it, because I love to create engaging content and see and analyse the outcome. All to grow my channel with organic and authentic content. This way I grew my TikTok account account to almost 1 million followers.

Best and least performing video

Back to the case study and now let's highlight the best performing and the least performing video

The video that truly stole the show was a 9-minute, 56-second vlog of my visit to the Al Nassr game at the Alawwal stadium in Riyadh. In fact, it was my longest video I have ever uploaded to TikTok.

This video garnered a staggering 1.3 million views within just two weeks. It received nearly 100,000 likes, 2,000 comments, 7,000 saves, and was shared 5,000 times. This one video alone already showcased the power of TikTok and when you scroll through the comments you can easily understand why. Uncountable people are stating it is a dream to travel to Saudi Arabia and watch Cristiano Ronaldo play for Al Nassr.

Even the least-viewed video in my Saudi Arabia TikTok series managed to reach 30,000 views, with 500 likes, 14 comments, 36 saves, and 37 shares at the time of research.

And here's the best part: TikTok videos continue to steadily grow by another 15-25% in the months after their initial posting. Which means that the Traveltomtom videos about traveling to Saudi Arabia are on track to reach nearly 10 million views over the next few months, averaging around 250,000 views per video.

Why TikTok is the Ideal Destination Marketing Tool

I've always stressed about the importance of taking TikTok seriously when discussing marketing strategies with clients. Having built a following of almost 1 million on TikTok, I've learned what truly works on the platform. TikTok provides a unique space for reaching a new audience and a platform where you organically grow when posting quality content.

Traveltomtom has found the ideal mix of being funny and cheeky, while delivering informative content that aligns with the client's goals and adheres to their guidelines.

Unlike Instagram, where overposting can be overwhelming, TikTok encourages a more dynamic approach to content sharing. Posting 39 pieces of content on Instagram in just 6 days would be unheard of. Not a single creator would agree to this or would ever do this, It would completely destroy his or her channel.

Butt on TikTok, it's not only possible but also incredibly effective. TikTok is not necessarily about showing your content to your followers, the majority of your content will actually be shown to non-followers. This in contrast with Instagram algorithm that works totally the opposite.

Traveltomtom is truly convinced that TikTok and destination marketing are a match made in heaven, and it's high time for Tourism Boards to give TikTok the prominence it deserves in their marketing strategies.

Short case study of my Instagram posts

A short recap of the content I posted on Instagram from the same trip to Saudi:

Reels

• 3 reels with a total views of 960,000 views
• 33,000 likes
• 650 comments

Photos

• 2 phots with an average reach of 100,000
• 21,000 likes
• 225 comments

Stories

• 60 stories with 25,000 views average per story
• Total views approximately 1.5 million

The Instagram stats of my trip to Saudi are not bad at all of course and it definitely shows why clients give importance to content on Instagram.

Unfortunately the Instagram stories are not visible in the feed anymore. They are hidden behind the button of my Saudi Story Highlights. Which is an extra task to open and it is not easy to scroll through it compared to the feed on my TikTok profile.

Comparing the total views on Instagram to the views on TikTok leaves us to the simple conclusion that TikTok has generated 3x more views than Instagram for this specific campaign for Saudi Arabia.

Reminder: Traveltomtom decided to post on his own title about traveling in Saudi, the official deliverables for the Saudi campaign were not even a fraction of the total pieces of content that have been posted.

TikTok's Impact on Travel and Tourism

A recent survey conducted by MGH highlighted the undeniable influence of TikTok on the travel and tourism industry. The statistics speak for themselves:

• 60% of TikTok users expressed interest in visiting a new destination after seeing a TikTok video about it.
• 35% of U.S. TikTok users, roughly 52.5 million people, have traveled to a new destination after watching a TikTok video about it.
• Millennials, in particular, are influenced by TikTok for their travel plans, with 45% of TikTok millennials aged 25-44 having traveled to a new destination they discovered on TikTok.

But it's not just about destinations; specific resorts, hotels, and attractions also benefit from TikTok's influence. For instance, 32% of users have booked stays at resorts or hotels they discovered on TikTok, and 28% have visited attractions they saw on the platform. This makes it clear that TikTok is a force to be reckoned with in the tourism industry.

Here is the link to the survey.

Leveraging TikTok for Destination Marketing

TikTok's simple yet effective algorithm revolves around making engaging content and as soon as people start engaging and watch your video longer than average TikTok will start showing it to audience that the they think will be interested. From there on it can snowball. Utilizing trending hashtags can drive more views of course, but also adding a location is important.

The power of Traveltomtom content on TikTok is that it is always a unique piece, not a single other creator is able to produce the same piece of content. Why? Because Traveltomtom always shows himself in the video and basically talks to his audience through what is happening around him and expresses his feelings about the situation he finds himself in.

This ensures that every piece of content of Traveltomtom is unique and authentic!

Incorporate TikTok into Your Destination Marketing Strategy

With the incredible results I achieved during my trip to Saudi Arabia, I'm convinced that TikTok is a game-changer in destination marketing. So, whether you're promoting a luxurious resort, a quaint bed and breakfast, or an entire city or country, TikTok can help you reach and inspire millions of potential travelers.

But only if you find the right travel creators and influencers that actually create engaging content that makes your product come the best way and gets other travelers inspired.

Don't overlook this powerful tool - embrace TikTok and take your destination marketing to new heights!

TikTok is not just a platform for the younger generation; it appeals to a diverse demographic. As we are already experiencing the post-pandemic travel boom, now is the perfect time to showcase your destination on TikTok, inspiring travelers and making it to their bucket list.

Thanks for being interested in my travel packing list. In this blog I will give you a little insight into what I carry around on my travels around the world, which suitcase or backpack I use, when I decide to use which one, how much I decide to carry around, etc.

I have written this blog purely for those who are all asking what gear I use when traveling, so this is not a typical list of all travel accessories the standard travel blogs recommend you to take along. Too much bullshit on those travel gear packing lists anyway if you ask me.

Happy to hear that you are interested in the Traveltomtom Group Trips. Here is where you will find reviews, videos, recaps and announcements about upcoming group trips.

Those who sign up for the Group Trip Newsletter below will get notified first!

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Traveltomtom Group Trip news will only be published on Instagram AFTER blog readers had a chance to sign up, so don't miss out on the latest news on drop your email address above. Don't forget to verify your email address after signing up.

Traveltomtom Group Trips done in 2021:

• Namibia 🇳🇦 - April ✅
• Namibia 🇳🇦 - July ✅
• Uganda 🇺🇬 - August ✅

SADLY Traveltomtom felt like putting the group trips on hold back in 2021 due the ongoing uncertainty regarding CØV$D. Ever since Uganda in August 2021 there has not been organized a Traveltomtom group trip so far. That however can change any moment.

These are Traveltomtom group trip ideas for the future:

• Tanzania 🇹🇿 - Climb Kilimanjaro
• Nepal🇳🇵- Everest Base Camp
• Trans Syberia Express 🇷🇺
• Western Mongolia 🇲🇳
• Iran 🇮🇷
• Brazil 🇧🇷 - Amazon
• Turkey 🇹🇷 - Climb Mt. Ararat 

Just keep an eye open on the newsletter or my social media channels! 

More about Traveltomtom

• How I afford to travel and became a Travel Blogger
• Tips for traveling the world on a budget
• How to make money from a travel blog
• Traveltomtom Gear List | What do I bring on my travels?

You know I am all about off the beaten path and may be you know as well that Iceland is the last country in Europe I have not been to yet! So there we go…. February 2020 it is! A winter trip to Iceland ticking off another thing from my bucketlist: seeing the Northern Lights and you can join!

Finally it is back again on popular demand: Traveltomtom Group Trip.

Exactly a year after my first group trip to Iceland, I am excited to announce that I will host another group trip and this time we are going to Africa! Where exactly? NAMIBIA!

One year after my short group trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights I finally hosted another group trip. This time no snow and cold weather but the opposite, only sunshine and warm temperatures.

Namibia was the perfect destination to travel to during the pandemic. A bunch of cool people that had never met before were super excited to discover a new country. No one had been to Namibia before and for many it was their first visit to Africa.

The more I travel to off the beaten path countries, the more I start questioning myself do I really want to visit every country in the world? Life is short and it is me who is always says do more of what makes you happy. Is visiting Niger, Burkina Faso and countries like that really what I want?

What is actually making me happy at the moment? Where do I want to travel? Do I wanna travel solo? What has more priority, my business or pleasure? Or is it just one of those travel dips that I am suffering from?