Rating my Vacation Vlogs
I'm a sentimental person with bad memory. I take pictures and videos of the things I do and places I go because I truly will forget. When I travel, I go the extra mile to film the trip and assemble a full-on video afterward to preserve the memories. There are so many little details I don't want to lose, and luckily we have the cameras and digital storage options nowadays for me to indulge in memory-keeping.
The goal is to produce vlogs that let me not only recap the trip, but remember how I was feeling at that moment in life — the faces, the inside jokes, the liveliness of a younger me. Something I actually enjoy watching back. Since I've made a number of these (after a record amount of trips in the last few years), I want to get better at the craft. As I prepare for an upcoming international trip — my first one post-baby — I've been rewatching and critiquing each of my travel videos. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Type I: Voiceover vlogs
Voiceover vlogs are insanely time-consuming but the most rewarding. I usually write the script after returning from the trip, so telling stories based off — and paced by — whatever footage I have is a real challenge. I also have to record my cringey voice and mix the narration and music so one complements the other. But at the end, it's worth it because I get to actually tell a story.
And because I'm the one writing and telling them, these vlogs feel like time capsules of how I felt during the experience. There's an added layer of emotion behind the pretty shots that moves everything forward. Since I'm not great at cinematography and color grading yet, and only have so much time to dedicate to getting shots while on vacation, storytelling can rescue shaky, blurry, meandering clips — the ones shot during spontaneous run-and-gun moments.
My latest voiceover vlog is this 45-minute long video documenting our Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu. Naturally, hiking the trail is a journey and a story in itself, so although this story was chronological, I used voiceovers and varied pacing to keep it interesting.
👍 The music choice added depth that complemented the magic and beauty of the nature setting. And since the bonus hike portion came after reaching our destination of Machu Picchu, I changed the mood of the video entirely into something funny that juxtaposed the arduousness of the hike. The talked head clips we filmed during the hike added a visceral feeling to the storytelling, especially the mic’d up portion. And I worked hard on graphics that showed the progress of the hike.
👎 Spent a LOT of time editing this video (~ 10 full days). Wish I had a more camera stabilizer for the shots because walking and filming is a whole lot of shakiness. Also wish I had a camera that can shoot log to fully capture the beauty of the Andes Mountains.
⭐ 4.5/5. Pretty darn enjoyable to rewatch.
My most watched video on Youtube for whatever reason, Mexico City was a vlog I worked hard on. I was still editing in Adobe Premiere at this time, but tried my hardest to color grade and add interesting graphics.
👍 It was my first time using a paid music library, so I was able to use music to pace the video. The Dia de los Muertos track was SO. GOOD.
👎 In the editing room, the shakiness of my Sony vlog camera frustrated me to no end. Premiere’s image stabilization feature could only rescue so much, so you’ll see over-smoothed jello effects applied to certain clips that make me cringe.
⭐ 4.5/5. A fun rewatch with good pacing. (And great outfits.)
My first video that got some attention on Youtube, the Bangkok vlog recapped a trip I didn’t really plan.
👍 Looking back, I appreciated that I took the time to manually add subtitles. Also liked how some of the actual sound from the video came through even when overlaid with music.
👎 The structure of the story wasn’t anything special. And I ran out of footage to use in certain portions, so had to supplement with photos.
⭐ 3/5
An extension of the Thailand trip that started in Bangkok, the Pattaya segment felt more relaxed. The vlog reflects that.
👍 The Sanctuary of Truth segment! I found this cinematic track on Artlist and knew it was the perfect soundtrack to showcase my favorite attraction in Pattaya. I also like how the stock footage kicked off each segment to establish a sense of place. Wondering how I’d be able to get similar establishing shots without specialized equipment.
👎 The storytelling wasn’t very personal; it mostly just recapped what we did during the trip.
⭐ 3/5
Since I loved this trip to Kyoto, you could tell the extra love I put into this one.
👍 At the time, this was the my proudest vlog work. It was also my first voiceover, which carried the story in a way I’d never been able to do before.
👎 Music was meh, since I was using bad royalty-free stuff I manually scoured Youtube to find.
⭐ 4/5
My first voiceover vlog, created while I was quarantined at home mid-pandemic.
👍 The voiceover was the only way I was able to salvage this sparse assortment of clips.
👎 Didn’t film very many clips. Especially since the iPhone didn’t yet have 0.5x lens.
⭐ 2.5/5
Type II: Vlogs with subtitles
If voiceover vlogs are the gold standard, these are the runner-up. Sometimes I tell the story through subtitles because, honestly, recording my voice is too much work — especially if I'm editing at work or while the baby is sleeping. 🤫
This trip was more personal (and short) so I wasn’t planning to make this video at all. But when I came up with a story about that connected these three mini trips, suddenly the film came together with a sentimental slice of life feel. What a great way to assemble these random clips I took during our meandering travels.
👍 The story is heartfelt and relatable. Music was 🔥. Ruthless cuts were necessary.
👎 No notes. Grandmas are perfect.
⭐ 4.5/5
I think this video was meant to be a lazy vlog but I added subtitles during editing, just because I already had written content to pull from in my blog post. The subtitles allow for chaotic ADHD storytelling and added commentary on specific clips, which voiceovers don’t suit.
👍 Found Portuguese music, and loved the richness it adds.
👎 Kind of boring because I included practically every clip I shot. Not everything is worth showing, and I need to learn that.
⭐ 2.5/5
This trip had its highs and lows, but the vlog follows the exact same pace, which gets boring.
👍 I liked the chapters I created when telling the story of all the things we did in Paris, to make it more interesting that a plain daily diary. And obviously loved the French music.
👎 Too much museum footage I don’t really want to watch back.
⭐ 2.5/5
Type III: Lazy vlogs
I call these "lazy" vlogs because they're essentially a chronological assembly of clips from a trip. Not works of art, but slapped together with varying degrees of care for the sole reason of making something out of existing footage.
Not every trip makes for a clean, put-together story. Sometimes we get sick and don't see or do much. Sometimes I'm too uninspired to shoot. Other times I hated the trip and don't care to make a vlog. And sometimes a whole year has passed and I don't remember enough to write a voiceover reflection.
But that doesn't mean the editing can't be fun. These are my attempt at making something even when the motivation wasn't there.
👍 The location labels in both English and Chinese.
👎 Storytelling was nothing special.
⭐ 2/5
👍 The music was great, and created the pace for the editing. I especially loved the Wii-inspired music I found for the day we visited the Nintendo museum.
👎 The whole vlog was a series of montages, so it felt like the actual video never started.
⭐ 3/5
I spent all my energy on the Inca Trail vlog, so Cusco was an afterthought.
👍 My sister got the idea from TikTok to film us walking in different backgrounds, and immediately that became the intro. The music and sound effects made the intro really fun.
👎 The rest of the video was not so inspired, lol. Especially when I ran out of clips toward the end.
⭐ 2/5
This is an example of a bare bones videos. Clips cut to some music. Maybe a title card. Maybe some subtitles here and there. The lack of effort is obvious haha. It was our babymoon and I was tired.
👍 Adding subtitles.
👎 Not that exciting to rewatch.
⭐ 1/5
A segment of our honeymoon, this video was edited more than a year after the trip had concluded.
👍 The Old Enough bit. The moving illustrated graphics.
👎 A meh rewatch.
⭐ 2.5/5
Personally really enjoyed this trip but the editing is pretty lazy. Although I did try to use a certain song as the soundtrack for a joke but ended up redoing it all because it was too cringey.
👍 How the pace of the music reflected the our slow-paced travel. And the Olympic speed climbing bit.
👎 Not that exciting to watch unless you were on this trip.
⭐ 3/5
It was a crazy week in London where we jam-packed a ton, so organizing by day chronologically was still pretty exciting. Each chapter started with a vlog shot on location to provide context.
👍 Fun little flight intro that was a story in and of itself. Had a lot of fun picking out music to match what we did on each day. Also probably one of the few times I use non-instrumental music.
👎 Most of this was iPhone-shot so I wish I had higher quality footage.
⭐ 3.5/5
My first vacation vlog.
👍 Not bad for being the first video.
👎 Music choice was annoying. Acts like a highlight reel rather than a story.
⭐ 2/5
👍 The tripod shots I managed to get.
👎 The mukbang felt lengthy and not exciting, haha. Clearly not my favorite type of Youtube content.
⭐ 2/5
👍 Debussy set the tone for a peaceful reflection on a peaceful weekend.
👎 Nothing really happens? Kind of feels like a fever dream rather than a vlog.
⭐ 2/5
Improving
Even though I gave these videos some harsh ratings, I wouldn't actually change a thing. The artistic decisions made during filming and editing are reflections of a past me that I'm grateful to have documented.
Ultimately, vlogs are a recreation of my memory of a trip. They help me remember the exciting moments I invested time and money in, and give me a way to archive those memories in an entertaining form. Vlog-making has also become another medium for exercising creativity — and I want to get better at it. A few things stand out as I look back:
I typically sequence stories chronologically, group by similar activities, or segment days into chapters. It's predictable and boring at times — there's no arc. Everything feels the same all the way through.
Music is everything. A great piece motivates me to edit something worthy of it.
Fun graphics take more work, but make the videos more fun to watch.
The 40+ minute Inca Trail vlog was a beast of a video to edit.
Some things I want to try going forward:
Before the trip, write a script or rough treatment for a specific story or bit.
On the trip, work from a mini shot list — establishing shot, minimal title card, close-up detail, cinematic wide — to get real visual variety. Pose everyone for a moving "family portrait." Use a tripod more. Hold shots longer and slow down the action.
After reviewing the footage, challenge myself to build a story that isn't just a daily diary.
Open with a highlight reel hook instead of airport footage.
Record more in-the-moment talking-head vlog, but jot bullet points before hitting record so it's not rambling. More feelings, less matter-of-fact recap. Why we took this trip, not just what we did.
Try a slower pace. Get comfortable with lingering shots and music.
As much as I want to invest more into vlog-making, I accept that I'm not trying to make a film when I go on vacation. I'm living life as it happens, I don't need to script everything to perfection. (That's why I never liked traditional filmmaking; starting with a script makes everything too rigid and predictable.) I'm trying to find a happy medium. At the end of the day, the most important audience is still just me.
I've been rewatching and critiquing every travel vlog I've ever made, and here's the good, the bad, and the ugly.