Let me start by saying that I am not a “travel blogger” but travel has always been deeply woven into my content. The dream I made come true in my journey was to become this nomadic entrepreneur… so I wanted to share one of the key experiences that made my dream a reality, kept me visible on the timelines and eventually (and indirectly) got me paid. Some of the brands I have worked with in the travels space include Jetblue, United, Marriott Bonvoy, Best Western, and Toyota / Lexus.
Most people think travel influence starts with paid brand deals.
I promise you it does not…
It starts with access.
With trust.
and in my case with something called a FAM trip.
So if you have no idea what a FAM trip is….
FAM is short for familiarization. A FAM trip is when a tourism board, hotel, airline, cruise line, or experience-based brand invites you to experience their product firsthand so you can understand it well enough to tell its story. Not like a tourist. Like a partner.
That distinction is everything.
You’re not there to be impressed. You’re there to observe how a place moves, how a brand shows up, how moments are designed to feel. FAM trips exist because travel brands don’t want generic promotion. They want perspective. They want to see how you notice details, how you frame experience, and whether your storytelling feels aligned with their values.
In many ways, a FAM trip is an audition that never announces itself as one.
There are different kinds of FAM trips, even if they’re rarely labeled as such. Some are destination-led, where tourism boards host creators to highlight culture, food, history, and local experiences. Others are hotel-driven, often tied to new openings or rebrands. Airline FAMs are usually more selective, built around route launches, service philosophy, or cultural campaigns. Cruise FAMs are immersive by design, testing whether you can tell a story over days instead of moments.
Each one is less about exposure and more about evaluation.
And here’s the part that needs to be said clearly.
Yes, the long-term goal is paid work.
But FAM trips are often the way in.
They create social proof that money can’t buy early on. They put your name on internal lists. They show brands how you operate under real conditions. When treated casually, they stay one-off experiences. When treated like paid gigs—clear communication, thoughtful content, on-time delivery—they quietly turn into leverage.
Travel brands watch how you show up. They notice whether you respect timelines, whether your captions reflect understanding, whether your visuals are usable beyond your feed. When you approach a FAM trip with the same seriousness you would a paid campaign, you give brands confidence. And confidence is what unlocks budgets.
That’s exactly how it worked for me.
Years ago, I said yes to a FAM trip to Quito, Ecuador. I wasn’t calling myself a travel influencer. I wasn’t pitching brands. I was simply curious and deeply in love with travel as a way of understanding the world. I showed up present. I paid attention. I told the story honestly.
That trip did more than give me content. It helped me land paid work with my favorite airline. It also gave me insight into how travel brands think—what they value, what they notice, and what they remember. More unexpectedly, it helped me see a future I hadn’t considered yet. Being immersed in aviation culture, service, movement, and storytelling helped me realize that travel wasn’t just something I enjoyed. It was something I wanted to build a life around.
Not long after, I became a flight attendant.
That FAM trip didn’t give me a check.
It gave me the opportunity to change my life.
And clarity is often the most valuable thing early on.
For creators who want to step into travel, FAM trips are often the most realistic entry point. Tourism boards like Brand USA, NYC Tourism + Conventions, and Quito Turismo regularly collaborate with creators who understand place-based storytelling. Boutique and lifestyle hotels—Ace Hotel, Kimpton, and others—often move faster than people expect, especially when you pitch specific, usable content ideas. Airlines like JetBlue and cruise lines such as Virgin Voyages also run structured media and creator programs, usually through PR agencies that manage long-term relationships.
The common thread is this: none of these brands are looking for perfection. They’re looking for professionalism. For consistency. For creators who understand that travel is about experience, not just aesthetics.
FAM trips are not about free trips.
They’re about learning the dynamics of the travel & hospitality ndustry.
If travel keeps calling you, pay attention to that. Start closer than you think. Smaller destinations. Regional boards. Less obvious opportunities. Treat every hosted experience like the paid work you want it to become.
Because sometimes the first step into travel influence doesn’t look like influence at all.
It looks like social proof.
Handled with intention.
Speaking of intention… I intentionally try to make sure I give you all the tools you need to take action when it comes to my Siembra Lessons. Today I will ask you to subscribe so that you can get access to a list of Travel boards and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) as well as my personal templates designed to get their attention.