OUR PROGRAM FOR TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHERSTrade for travel
Every El Camino trip travels with a photographer — one of our favorite parts of how we've built this company.
A professional assignment, not just a free vacation
We're a small business by design — we run a limited number of small-group trips each year, and each one is highly curated down to the smallest detail, including who joins us behind the camera.
"Being chosen to travel with us means being chosen with the same care we bring to everything else on the trip."
How it works
Every photographer who joins us receives an all-expenses-paid trip to the destination — in exchange for documenting it, professionally.
What you get
Flights to and from the destination
Transportation throughout the trip
Lodging for the full itinerary
Food and full access to all activities
What we ask
Come prepared with professional gear
Share images and video with the group along the way
Represent El Camino throughout the trip
Follow our Code of Conduct and shared guidelines
It's a professional assignment, not just a free vacation with a camera. If we move forward with your submission, we'll share the specific deliverables for that trip, since they vary from trip to trip.
While on the trip, our photographers travel throughout the country with the group — forming bonds, seeing the destination, sharing meals and experiences alongside everyone else. They're welcomed, and invited, to jump in the water, try the food, dance the salsa, and take in everything the destination has to offer.
Why Photographers Do This?
We hear from photographers at every stage of their career, and each is drawn to the program for their own reasons. Some are pulled in by the destination itself, or the chance to experience a place they might not otherwise travel to. Some are working to build out their portfolio or break into the travel industry.
We're proud of the work we do with our photographers, and even prouder of the relationships that come out of it. Many come back to do it again year after year, because it's a kind of travel experience they wouldn't get on their own.
Part of the group
An El Camino trip is a communal experience. Our photographers are part of that group for the week — an extension of our brand on the ground — and we hold them to the same traveler values we hold everyone else to.
Interested?
We understand this program might not be for every photographer, and that's okay. If you're interested and think you'd be a great fit, we'd love to hear from you.
Send your portfolio to info@elcaminotravel.com
with the subject line "Trade for Travel."
We receive far more portfolios than we have trips to offer in a given year, and we run a very limited number of small-group trips annually. If your work feels like the right fit, we'll reach out — you won't need to check back in.