What Is a Travel Brochure?
A travel brochure is a folded, printed piece designed to promote a destination, trip, or travel service — persuading someone to visit a place or book a trip by combining photography, key facts, and short, appealing copy. You’ll see travel brochures used by tourism boards, travel agencies, hotels, and tour operators, as well as as a common school project format for students learning to research and present information about a country or region.
A travel brochure is a specific type of brochure — the folded, unbound printed format also used for products and services — just focused specifically on travel and tourism content. If you want the fuller breakdown of how brochures differ from other folded formats like pamphlets, see pamphlet vs. brochure: are they different?
What Does a Travel Brochure Include?
A strong travel brochure typically covers:
- A destination overview — where it is and what makes it worth visiting
- Key attractions and activities — landmarks, experiences, or things to do
- Practical details — best time to visit, how to get there, or general travel tips
- Photography — images that do a lot of the persuading, often more than the text
- A map — especially useful for orienting a reader unfamiliar with the destination
- Contact or booking information — for travel agencies or tour operators specifically
Not every travel brochure needs every item on this list — a school project brochure might skip booking info, while an agency brochure might skip a full destination overview in favor of package pricing. The common thread is that everything included is meant to make someone want to go.
What Does a Travel Brochure Look Like?
Most travel brochures use a tri-fold format: a single sheet folded twice into six panels, which is why it’s such a popular choice for this kind of content — enough panels to organize an overview, a few highlights, and practical details without overwhelming the reader. A standard sheet size is 8.5″ x 11″, though larger sizes like 8.5″ x 14″ or 11″ x 17″ are used when there’s more content to fit. You can see how the standard tri-fold format breaks a single sheet into six panels if you want the exact panel dimensions.
How to Make a Travel Brochure: Step-by-Step
1. Choose Your Destination and Angle
Decide what the brochure is actually selling — a country, a city, a specific trip package, or a single attraction. A narrower focus almost always makes for a stronger, more organized brochure than trying to cover an entire country in six panels.
2. Research Your Key Facts and Highlights
Gather the practical details and the “why visit” highlights before you start designing — trying to write copy and search for facts at the same time usually leads to a disorganized brochure.
3. Plan Your Panel Layout
Sketch out which content goes on which panel before you touch a design tool. A common tri-fold structure: front cover (destination name and hero image), inside panels for highlights and practical info, and a back panel for contact info, a map, or a call to action.
4. Choose Your Photos
Photography carries a lot of the persuasive weight in a travel brochure, so prioritize a few strong, high-quality images over a large number of mediocre ones.
5. Design and Write Your Copy
Keep the writing short and vivid — travel brochure copy works in phrases and short sentences, not paragraphs. Use headers to organize each panel so a reader can scan the piece quickly.
6. Add a Map
A simple map — even a hand-drawn or simplified one for a school project — helps orient the reader and is one of the most expected elements of a travel brochure.
7. Proof and Finalize
Before printing, double-check your panel order and fold direction. It’s an easy step to skip, but a brochure with panels in the wrong order reads as confusing rather than persuasive. Export as a print-ready PDF once everything checks out.
Making a Travel Brochure for a School Project
If you’re building a travel brochure as a school assignment, the process above still applies, with a few adjustments:
- Pick a destination you can actually research — a specific city or region is easier to cover well than an entire country.
- Include a map and at least one key fact per panel — teachers commonly look for a mix of geography, culture, and practical travel information.
- Handmade is fine — a folded piece of paper or poster board works just as well as a digital design if that’s the assignment, as long as the panel structure and content are organized clearly.
- Cite your sources — if you’re using facts or images from other websites, keep a note of where they came from, since many assignments require it.
FAQ: Quick Answers About Travel Brochures
What is the meaning of a travel brochure? A travel brochure is a folded, printed piece that promotes a destination, trip, or travel service using photography, key facts, and short persuasive copy.
What does a travel brochure include? Most travel brochures include a destination overview, key attractions or activities, practical travel details, photography, a map, and contact or booking information where relevant.
What format is a travel brochure usually in? Most travel brochures use a tri-fold format — a single sheet folded twice into six panels — though other brochure fold styles work too depending on how much content you have.
How do I make a travel brochure for a school project? Pick a specific, researchable destination, plan your panels before designing, include a map and key facts on each panel, and cite your sources — a handmade version works just as well as a digital one.
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