5 Best Places to Sell Your Travel Photos and Videos

Picture this: you’re scrolling through your photos after an amazing trip to Bali, admiring those stunning sunset shots and vibrant street scenes you captured. What if I told you those photos sitting on your phone or camera could actually put money back in your pocket? If you’re already passionate about travel photography or videography, why not make some extra money from it?

While building a full-time income from stock photography is challenging and requires dedication, earning some extra cash from your travel adventures is entirely achievable. Think of it as a way to help fund your next adventure while sharing your unique perspective with the world. The best part? You’re likely already creating this content during your travels, and now you can monetize it.

Best Websites To Sell Your Travel Photos and Videos

1. Vecteezy

Vecteezy stands out as our top recommendation for a few compelling reasons. What sets Vecteezy apart is their transparent approach to contributor relationships and their industry-leading 50/50 revenue split, which is better than most competitors who offer contributors a smaller cut.

Perhaps most importantly, Vecteezy offers something almost unheard of in the stock media world: they actually pay contributors for free downloads. If you choose to make your travel photos or videos available for free download, Vecteezy will still compensate you for each download. This is a game-changer compared to popular free platforms like Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay, which offer great exposure but zero financial compensation.

The platform accepts both photos and videos, making it perfect for travel content creators who work across multiple media formats. Their review process is thorough but fair, and they provide clear feedback when submissions need improvements. Vecteezy also has a growing user base actively searching for authentic travel content, which means better visibility for your work.

2. Shutterstock

As one of the largest and most established stock media platforms, Shutterstock offers unparalleled reach. With millions of customers worldwide, your travel photos and videos have the potential to reach a massive audience of buyers looking for authentic travel content.

Shutterstock operates on a tiered earning system where your commission percentage increases based on your lifetime earnings on the platform. New contributors start at 15% for photos and 20% for videos, but can earn up to 40% as they reach higher earning tiers.

The platform is particularly strong for travel content, with buyers frequently searching for destination photos, cultural scenes, and authentic travel experiences. Shutterstock also offers excellent analytics tools that help you understand which types of content perform best, allowing you to optimize your future uploads. Their mobile app makes it easy to upload and tag content directly from your travels.

3. Envato Elements

Like Vecteezy, Envato Elements operates on a subscription model. Rather than individual sales, subscribers pay a monthly fee for unlimited downloads, and contributors earn based on the relative popularity of their content.

The earning potential on Envato Elements can be substantial for popular content, as you receive a portion of subscriber fees based on how often your content is downloaded relative to the entire platform. This means a single popular travel video or photo collection could generate ongoing passive income as long as it remains in demand.

4. Depositphotos

Depositphotos offers a balanced approach that combines competitive commission rates with a user-friendly platform experience. Contributors can earn between 34-42% commission on sales, with the percentage increasing based on your exclusivity level and total earnings on the platform.

The platform is particularly welcoming to newer contributors, with a relatively straightforward approval process and helpful resources for optimizing your content. Depositphotos has a strong presence in international markets, which can be advantageous for travel content that showcases diverse global destinations.

5. Adobe Stock

Adobe Stock benefits from seamless integration with Adobe’s creative software suite, which millions of designers and content creators use daily. If your potential buyers are already working in Photoshop, Illustrator, or Premiere Pro, they can license your content without leaving their workflow.

Contributors earn 33% commission on standard licenses, with the potential for higher earnings on extended licenses. The platform’s AI-powered tagging suggestions help optimize your content for search, and their contributor insights provide valuable data about market trends and buyer preferences.

Tips to Get Started

• Focus on authentic moments over staged perfection. Buyers increasingly want real travel experiences, not overly polished tourist shots. Capture local life, genuine interactions, and the true character of destinations.
• Master your keywords and descriptions. Success in stock photography is as much about discoverability as image quality. Research popular search terms and be specific but comprehensive in your tagging.
• Shoot with commercial use in mind. Avoid brand logos, trademarked products, and recognizable people without model releases. Focus on timeless scenes that won’t become dated quickly.
• Diversify your content types. Don’t just upload your best shots. Include detail shots, different angles, and various compositions of the same subject to maximize licensing opportunities.
• Study what sells. Spend time browsing these platforms to understand what travel content performs well. Look for gaps in coverage for destinations you plan to visit.
• Consistency is key. Regular uploads perform better than sporadic large batches. Aim to upload new content weekly, even if it’s just a few high-quality images.
• Quality over quantity. It’s better to upload 10 exceptional images than 50 mediocre ones. Each platform has limited review resources, so make every submission count.

Remember, building a meaningful income from stock photography takes time and persistence. Start by treating it as a fun way to monetize your existing travel hobby, and you might be surprised at how those small earnings add up over time to help fund your next adventure.