Proven travel business ideas, backed by real ad data

Why ads prove an idea

People save all year for trips and nights out, and they spend freely on anything that makes them easier or better. Travel also comes round again every year, so a good product or service gets bought again. That makes it a rewarding category to build in, and a crowded one.

A simple way to find what works is to follow the money. Meta ads cost money every day they run, so a brand that keeps one ad live for a year is telling you that ad pays for itself. These four travel brands do exactly that.

1. A travel pillow that fixes one complaint

Trtl sells a travel pillow built around one complaint every flyer knows: your head dropping forward as you fall asleep. It also sells other travel comfort essentials.

It has run more than 450 ads in close to 30 European countries, as well as the US, Canada and Australia. Its longest ran for more than a year and is a simple before and after, restless flights and neck pain, then deep sleep.

TrtlInnovative travel essentials for comfortable journeys

Open report

2. A carry-on case packed with features

NOBL Travel sells luggage, led by an all-in-one carry-on with a front laptop pocket, built-in charging, a hidden cup holder and a phone mount. Each feature fixes a small airport annoyance.

It has run more than 500 ads, in the US, the UK and seven other European countries. Its longest have been live for more than ten months and open with a customer review rather than the product.

NOBL TravelPremium luggage and travel accessories

Open report

3. An app that fills restaurants at quiet times

First Table is a booking app that gives diners 50% off their food bill for taking the first or last tables of the evening. Diners pay a small booking fee, and restaurants fill seats that would otherwise sit empty.

It advertises in ten European countries, and its longest-running ad stayed live for more than eleven months. That ad is a parent's own video about eating out early with the kids, not a studio shoot, and many of its other ads are local food creators showing what they paid.

First TableRestaurant booking app with discounted dining deals

Open report

4. A cruise agency that sells themed trips

Paramount Cruises is a UK cruise agency that builds tailor-made packages around cruise lines it does not own. Its ads sell trips with a theme, like a Mediterranean cruise with Barcelona Grand Prix tickets or Mardi Gras in New Orleans, with flights, hotels and transfers included.

Its longest-running ad has been live for more than 14 months and sells no cruise at all. It asks people to join a WhatsApp list to hear about the best deals first.

Paramount CruisesLuxury cruise vacation packages and bookings

Open report

What their ads have in common

Three moves come up again and again in these brands' longest-running ads.

They name the annoyance. Trtl puts the problem it solves straight in the headline: “No more head bobbing on flights!”

They put the deal in words people already know. First Table opens its longest-running ad with a question every parent understands: “Better than kids eat free?”

They build a list before they sell. Paramount Cruises asks for a subscribe, not a booking: “If you want to be the first in line for amazing offers, just follow this link to subscribe.”