What Are Travel Now Stories?
In today’s fast-paced digital world, travelers are searching for instant inspiration—and destinations that capture their attention with immersive, visual storytelling are the ones that win. Travel Now Stories, powered by CrowdRiff, provide a dynamic way to showcase your destination’s must-visit experiences, sparking wanderlust and driving action. These vertical, multimedia stories are designed to highlight a region’s unique offerings through a combination of visuals, text, links and audio. These stories offer a great way to engage potential visitors, and they are optimized for web and social media.
A key benefit of Travel Now Stories is their integration with Google search. Once published on a destination’s website, the stories are indexed by Google, enhancing the brand’s online visibility and ensuring that travelers can easily discover engaging content during their trip-planning process.
Google’s Focus on Short-Form Content
The increase in short-form video content has dramatically influenced how travelers search for inspiration online, and they now look more to social media to plan trips. To stay ahead of the trend, Google Web Stories prioritize visually compelling, short-form content in search results. Travel Now Stories are a key way to target travelers who are actively planning their next trip.
By leveraging CrowdRiff’s tools, destinations are able to track the performance of their Travel Now Stories on Google Discover and Google Search. These metrics offer a valuable look into audience engagement and clicks.
Where to Find Content Ideas
A great starting point for creating successful Travel Now Stories is the annual Visit California content calendar. By aligning content with the state’s seasonal campaigns, destinations can produce timely and relevant stories that resonate with travelers. Highlighting local festivals, cultural celebrations and unique experiences is the best way to capture a traveler’s attention.

Screenshot from visitcalifornia.com.
How Does Visit California Use Travel Now Stories?
Visit California collaborates with CrowdRiff to enhance the visibility of California destinations through the California Now Asset Curation Platform. This partnership enables destinations to:
- Share curated assets and stories across marketing channels.
- Streamline content-sharing processes among partners.
By participating in this initiative, destinations are able to leverage Visit California’s expertise and resources to elevate their own marketing efforts.
Visit California also shares the stories on their own website in a frequently updated block on their homepage.
Examples of Travel Now Stories
At Verdin, we have used Travel Now Stories for our destination clients to:
- Showcase hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path attractions.
- Highlight seasonal activities like wine harvest festivals or key events.
- Provide itinerary-style content to help make trip planning a breeze.
These stories not only inspire potential visitors but also create a connection with the destination.
Beyond Travel Now: Maximizing Story Content
The value of Travel Now Stories extends beyond being published on the web. Destinations can repurpose this content for:
- Social media campaigns: Share snippets of stories on platforms like Instagram and Facebook to drive traffic back to the website.
- Email marketing: Include links to stories in newsletters to keep subscribers engaged.
- Paid advertising: Use stories as creative assets in digital ad campaigns targeting specific traveler segments.
Why Collaboration Matters
Partnering with Visit California and utilizing CrowdRiff’s tools allows destinations to amplify their storytelling efforts. By working together, DMOs can access a wealth of resources, expand their reach and ultimately drive more travelers to explore everything California has to offer.
By embracing the power of Travel Now Stories and fostering collaboration with Visit California, destinations can stay ahead in the ever-evolving travel marketing landscape, ensuring they remain top of mind for travelers worldwide.