When it comes to holiday photos, Instagram is undoubtedly a modern day postcard; a place where your friends and family can keep up with your trip whether they like it or not. From pretty palm trees and striking sunsets to cocktails overlooking city skylines, if you haven’t posted it on Instagram, it didn’t happen right? To make your Instagram photos even better this year, here’s 5 tips to make sure your holiday snaps stand out wherever you’re jetting off.

1. THINK OF YOUR POSTS AS A JOURNAL

Okay, so when it comes to what to snap, the list is endless and depending where you’re travelling to, from Marrakech to Miami, you’ll have endless options based on your destination, but in case you need some inspiration as to what to document, here are some Instagram favourites:

• At the airport – from standing with your suitcase outside the airport entrance like allthe influencers do, to a quick snap of your passport before you board, this is the photo to announce you’re off on holiday.

• Breakfast love – holiday breakfasts are the best, from a plate of traditional pastries in Paris to a rainbow bowl of fruits in Florida, set that table up with a coffee and juice too and you’ve got a winning snap.

• Flat lay – with all your holiday essentials perfectly set out in the sand. Basket bag. Check. Towel? Check. Sunnies? Check. Book? Check. Shells or tropical flowers? Yes, you’ve nailed it!

• The explorer – holidays are all about new experiences and a photo to show off your inner explorer can be anything from you swinging over the jungle canopy to hiking to the top of a mountain.

• Pool day – no matter if you’re dipping your toes in the pool or frolicking on a flamingo inflatable, is there any better way to show your living your best life on holiday?

• Selfie time – take this in the golden hour when the sun is just starting to set. Known as ‘magic hour’ by professional photographers, there’s no better light to capture your gorgeous holiday glow.

• Hotdog legs – predictable? Yes. Great for showing off your tan? Definitely. Wait until your nearing the end of your holiday when you’re a bronzed goddess and don’t forget to get the beach in the background too.

• Sunset – wherever you are in the world, if there’s sun, there will be a sunset and these can make for some of the most spectacular holiday photos – #nofilter required.

• Cheers! – One of our favourite things about travelling is trying new food and drink and so a photo of you in a ‘cheers’ pose with coconuts, cocktails, ice cream cones, (delete as appropriate) is an effortless way to show your indulging.

• Winging it – an out of the window, over the wing plane shot is the perfect way to end your trip and let your followers know that you’re heading home and back to reality.

2. IT'S ALL IN THE ANGLE

Ever taken 100 photos of the same thing only to be disappointed it doesn’t look as good as in real life? It’s all in the angle. So, if you take 100 photos, move around whilst your snapping and then select the one that stands out the most on your camera reel. The angle will mean the composition changes, the light changes and more and it’s these little things that have a big impact on the final frame.

3. FIND YOUR FILTER

It’s no secret most photos on Instagram are edited or filtered to the max and whilst Insta itself has some in-app features you can use to beautify your photos, apps like Lightroom and VSCO take things to a whole new level to make sure your holiday pics look amazing. Find a filter or edit you love and stick to it for a totally insta-worthy feed that will encourage people to hit follow.

4. CAPTION IT

So you’ve taken the perfect snap at the perfect angle and filtered it to look even dreamier, great, now comes the holiday Instagram caption, but what if you can’t think of anything to say? Have no fear, a quick Pinterest search of ‘holiday quotes’ or ‘travel quotes’ will bring up some fail safe options for when the heat has got you feeling lost for words. Here are a few of our faves…

• Good times and tan lines
• II need vitamin sea
• Sunshine on my mind
• And so the adventure begins
• Not all those who wander are lost

5 . ALL HAIL THE HASHTAG

If you care about engagement, then spending a little time on your hashtags will see your likes and comments go crazy. Aim for hashtags that are actually related to what’s in your image and choose more niche ones for better visibility. Of course you can add in things like #holiday but with over 199 million posts, your post won’t get a look in so search for related hashtags like #vacayvibes instead. 

So there you have it, your holiday Instagram photos are going to look incredible! We’ve got one more tip for you though and it’s an important one. Remember to live in the moment and don’t just ‘do it for the gram’ – Instagram snaps may last forever but your holiday won’t so make the most of your time away and embrace every moment. After all, as somebody once said, ‘travel is the only thing that will make you richer.’ #truestory