How to Make a Travel Brochure: A Step-by-Step Guide (With Templates)

Making a travel brochure sounds simple until you’re staring at a blank tri-fold template wondering what actually goes in each panel. This guide walks through the whole process — from picking a format to exporting a print-ready file — whether you’re putting one together for a school assignment, a travel blog media kit, or a small guiding business that doesn’t have a design budget.

Quick Answer

To make a travel brochure: pick a format (tri-fold, bi-fold, single sheet, or digital PDF), choose a free tool like Google Docs, Canva, or Adobe Express, research your destination’s key attractions and practical details, map out content panel by panel, write short persuasive copy paired with strong images, and export as a print-ready or shareable PDF. A basic tri-fold takes 1–3 hours to design once your research and photos are ready.

Key Takeaways

• A standard tri-fold brochure uses a single 8.5″ x 11″ (or 11″ x 17″) sheet folded into six panels — three per side.
• You don’t need paid software. Google Docs, Canva’s free tier, and Adobe Express all have workable brochure templates.
• The front panel and back panel do the most work: one has to earn the fold-open, the other has to close the sale (or the assignment’s rubric).
• Practical details — hours, prices, transportation — are the first thing to go stale, so date your brochure or link to a source that stays current instead of printing exact figures you can’t update.
• Printing a small run (25–100 copies) at a local print shop typically costs somewhere between $0.30 and $1.50 per brochure depending on paper stock and color coverage; a digital PDF costs nothing beyond your time.

Step 1: Decide What Kind of Brochure You’re Making

Before opening any software, settle two questions: who is going to read this, and how will they receive it. A brochure for a 7th-grade social studies project, a homestay’s welcome packet, and a tour operator’s rack-card display are different documents even though they all fall under “travel brochure.”

Physical vs. digital

Physical brochures still get picked up and read — travel brochures remain part of how destinations reach visitors in person, at visitor centers, hotel lobbies, and events. They work best when someone will actually encounter them in a physical space: a classroom, a front desk, a booth. They cost money to print and can’t be updated once they’re off the press, so anything time-sensitive (prices, hours, phone numbers) should be kept minimal or replaced with a QR code linking to a live page.

Digital brochures (a designed PDF, shared as a download or email attachment) cost nothing to distribute, can be updated any time, and work well for anything that will primarily be viewed on a screen — a media kit, a class assignment submitted online, or a link shared on social media. The design principles are the same; only the export settings and page count differ.

Tri-fold vs. bi-fold vs. single-sheet

If you’re not sure which to pick, default to a tri-fold — it’s the format both readwritethink.org’s classroom example and most real tourism brochures use, and templates for it are the most widely available in every tool below.

Step 2: Choose Your Tool

You do not need a paid subscription or an enterprise catalog platform to make a good travel brochure. Here’s an honest comparison of the tools most people actually use:

When it’s worth paying for something more: if you’re producing brochures repeatedly for a business and need brand consistency, a Canva Pro or Adobe subscription pays for itself quickly. If this is a one-off — a class project, a single trip keepsake, a first attempt at a media kit — the free tier of Canva or Google Docs is genuinely enough. Platforms aimed at large catalogs or B2B publishing (the kind of tool a hotel chain or tourism board might use to manage hundreds of flipbooks) are overkill for a single brochure and add a learning curve you don’t need.

Step 3: Research Your Destination

This is the step most rushed brochures skip, and it shows. Before writing a word of copy, gather:

• 2–4 signature attractions — the things this destination is actually known for, not a generic list
• Practical basics — general climate/best time to visit, how travelers typically get there, and roughly how long a visit takes
• One or two “insider” details — something a first-time visitor wouldn’t already know (a neighborhood locals prefer, a less crowded viewpoint, a dish specific to the region)
• A map or reference point — even a simple labeled sketch helps readers orient themselves

If you visited the destination yourself, use that — specific, first-hand detail (“go to the overlook 20 minutes before the loop closes to skip the crowd”) is more persuasive and more useful than anything pulled from a generic list. If you haven’t been, pull from official sources: national or regional tourism board sites, national park services, and airport/transit authority pages are more reliable than a random blog and give you information that’s actually current.

A note on prices, hours, and schedules: these change constantly. If your brochure will be printed and handed out over months or years, avoid printing exact prices or hours — use ranges (“open most of the year, closed for the winter holidays”) or point to a website/QR code instead. If it’s a one-time assignment or a brochure you’ll reprint often, current figures are fine — just label them with the date you checked.

Step 4: Plan Your Layout, Panel by Panel

This is the part every competing guide skips: an actual, fillable breakdown of what goes where.

Tri-fold content template

Digital / single-page template

If you’re building a digital or single-sheet brochure, condense the six panels above into three visual sections stacked vertically: hero section (image + destination name + tagline), body (attractions + practical info, side by side or in a grid), and footer (contact info/CTA + one closing image). The content is the same — only the fold disappears.

Step 5: Write the Copy

Good brochure copy is short, specific, and skips the clichés. A few concrete rules:

• Lead with a concrete image, not an adjective. Instead of “a breathtaking natural wonder,” write what makes it breathtaking: “a 300-foot waterfall you can walk behind.” Specificity does the persuading that adjectives can’t.
• Keep sentences short. Brochures are skimmed, not read start to finish. One idea per sentence.
• Every attraction entry gets one job: make someone want to see it. Cut anything that doesn’t serve that (long history lessons, generic praise).
• End with a clear call to action. “Book your trip,” “Visit our website,” “Plan your visit at [source]” — whatever fits your purpose, make it explicit rather than implied.
• Match tone to audience. A brochure for a family destination reads differently than one for a solo backpacking route — decide this before you write, not while editing.

Step 6: Design — Color, Images, and Typography

• Color: Pick a palette that matches the destination’s actual character, not a generic “travel” look. Warm oranges and blues suit a beach or desert destination; greens and browns suit a forest or mountain trip. Keep the palette to 2–3 colors plus a neutral, and use an accent color consistently for headings or calls to action so the eye knows where to look.
• Images: Use the highest-resolution photos available — a brochure lives or dies on its imagery. If you don’t have original photos, use properly licensed stock images or official tourism-board photography (many boards make press images available for editorial use — check usage terms first). Avoid stretching or cropping low-resolution images; blurry photos undercut everything else you did well.
• Typography: Use no more than two fonts — one for headings, one for body text. Keep body text large enough to read easily (10–12pt minimum in print), and use bold or a second color for section headers rather than a third font.
• White space: Resist filling every inch. A cluttered brochure is harder to skim than one with breathing room around each section — readwritethink’s classroom checklist (“are there maps? photos? bulleted lists?”) is a good gut-check here: mix formats so no single panel is a wall of text.

Step 7: Export and Print (or Publish)

Printing costs and paper stock

For a small physical print run, expect the following rough ranges (actual pricing varies by print shop and region — get a quote before committing):

Glossy paper makes photos pop but shows fingerprints; matte is easier to write on and less reflective under lighting. For a one-off school project, home printing on regular paper is fine — save the paper-stock decision for a brochure that will actually be distributed.

If you’re printing at a copy shop, ask specifically about bleed (extra image area trimmed off after printing, so colors reach the edge with no white border) and whether the file needs to be in CMYK color mode rather than RGB — most design tools let you export in either, but CMYK is the standard for print and will match colors more accurately.

Digital export settings

For a digital/PDF brochure: export at a resolution meant for screen viewing (72–150 DPI keeps the file size reasonable), embed your fonts so formatting doesn’t break on someone else’s device, and add basic PDF accessibility if you can (a tagged title and alt text on images) so screen readers can navigate it.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping the audience question. A brochure trying to appeal to everyone usually persuades no one — decide who you’re writing for before you start.
• Overloading one panel. If a single panel needs three paragraphs to explain, split the content or cut it — brochures reward brevity.
• Using low-resolution images. A stretched, pixelated photo undermines an otherwise well-written brochure faster than anything else.
• Printing information that will go stale. Exact prices, phone numbers, and hours are the first things to become wrong — use ranges or a QR code to a live page instead.
• Ignoring the fold. On a tri-fold, forgetting which panel appears first when folded (usually panel 6, the “back cover”) means your strongest hook can end up hidden inside.
• No clear call to action. Readers who finish a brochure with no obvious next step rarely take one on their own.
• Copying a competitor’s structure wholesale. A template is a starting point — the content and examples should reflect the actual destination, not a generic checklist.

Sample Content: A Filled-In Example

To make this concrete, here’s how the panel template above might be filled in for a fictional composite mountain-town destination — use it as a model for your own research, not as content to copy directly:

• Front cover: “Ridgeline Falls — Where the Trail Meets the Sky” over a photo of the falls at golden hour.
• Inside left (intro): A two-sentence overview of what makes the town distinct — its elevation, its hiking access, its small-town character.
• Inside center (attractions): Four short entries — a waterfall hike, a scenic overlook, a historic downtown strip, and a lake for kayaking — each with one sentence of specific, sensory detail.
• Inside right (practical info): Nearest airport and drive time, best months to visit, a simple hand-drawn-style map with the three main attractions marked.
• Back left (stay/eat): One budget option, one mid-range option, one splurge option, plus a locally recommended restaurant.
• Back cover (CTA): “Plan your visit” with a website and QR code, and one final striking photo.

Tools and Resources Checklist

• Destination research gathered (attractions, practical info, one insider tip)
• Format decided (tri-fold, bi-fold, single sheet, or digital)
• Tool chosen (Google Docs, Canva, Word/Publisher, Adobe Express/InDesign)
• High-resolution images sourced and properly licensed
• Content mapped panel by panel
• Copy written and trimmed to essentials
• Color palette and fonts chosen (2–3 colors, 2 fonts max)
• Call to action included on the back/closing panel
• Time-sensitive details replaced with ranges or a QR code, if printing
• Exported correctly (CMYK + bleed for print; embedded fonts + reasonable file size for digital)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a travel brochure?

A travel brochure is a printed or digital document — usually folded into panels — that introduces a destination, highlights its main attractions, and gives readers enough practical information to plan or imagine a visit.

What’s the standard size for a travel brochure?

Most travel brochures use a standard 8.5″ x 11″ sheet, folded into thirds for a tri-fold or in half for a bi-fold. Larger promotional versions sometimes use 11″ x 17″ paper folded the same way.

Can I make a travel brochure for free?

Yes. Google Docs and Canva’s free tier both include usable brochure templates, and printing at home costs only the price of paper and ink if you don’t need a professional print run.

What software is best for a travel brochure?

For most people, Canva offers the best balance of design quality and ease of use for free. Google Docs is faster for a text-heavy or last-minute assignment. Adobe InDesign is worth learning only if you’ll be making brochures regularly and need precise print control.

What should I include in a travel brochure?

At minimum: a destination name and hook on the cover, an introduction, 3–4 top attractions, practical details (getting there, best time to visit), a place to stay or eat, and a clear call to action or contact point on the back panel.

Should I include prices in a travel brochure?

Only if the brochure will be updated or reprinted regularly. For anything with a long shelf life, use price ranges or point readers to a website instead of printing exact figures that will become outdated.

How long does it take to make a travel brochure?

Once research and photos are ready, a basic tri-fold typically takes 1–3 hours to design in a tool like Canva or Google Docs. Research beforehand can take longer depending on how familiar you already are with the destination.

What’s the difference between a tri-fold and a bi-fold brochure?

A tri-fold uses one sheet folded into three panels per side (six total) and suits a destination with multiple attractions or sections. A bi-fold folds once into two panels per side (four total) and works better for a single attraction or a simpler message.

How do I make a travel brochure on Google Docs?

Open Google Docs, check the template gallery for a brochure or newsletter template (availability depends on your account settings), then replace the placeholder text and images with your own content, keeping the panel structure intact. Export as a PDF when finished.

Do I need professional photos for a travel brochure?

No, but the photos need to be high resolution and relevant. Original photos (yours or properly licensed) are always stronger than generic stock images, since they give the brochure a first-hand, specific feel that generic images can’t.

How much does it cost to print travel brochures?

For a small run (25–250 copies) on standard gloss or matte paper, expect roughly $0.20–$1.50 per brochure depending on quantity and paper stock — get a quote from your specific print shop, since pricing varies.

What is bleed, and do I need it?

Bleed is extra image/color area that extends past the trim line, so that when the page is cut, there’s no unintended white border at the edge. You need it any time a color or image is meant to reach the very edge of a printed page — most design tools let you set it in the document/export settings.

Final Takeaway

A good travel brochure doesn’t need expensive software or design experience — it needs a clear structure, specific content, and one clear reason for the reader to act. Pick a format, choose a free tool that fits your skill level, research the destination properly, and fill in the panel template above. The brochure that gets read is the one that respects the reader’s time: short, specific, and easy to skim.

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