Why Squarespace for travel sites?
One of Squarespace’s pluses is the easy use of images, which are vital to any travel site. The Fluid engine editor allows you to add all shapes and sizes of images and makes them easy to place just where you want on your site. You can drag them around your site with Fluid Engine until you are happy with the layout. In our own example - our Coffee Shop / Cafe Squarespace template you can see multiple images at use.
There are a good few templates out there within the Squarespace ecosystem that would be used for a travel website. I have hand-picked the best ones out there to save you a lot of time searching.
Here are 7 of the best travel Squarespace templates:
#1 VS Design Travel template
The first one I found and caught my eye was this template on Etsy by VS Design Studio. It’s quite a straightforward design, but that works well with these kinds of sites. Within Squarespace, you can, of course, heavily edit the design to your liking. This template is solid and easy to change to your own brand.
#2 Olivia
Ley Studio have produced this stunner that would be definitely more suited to a female traveller. The light, airy design has a calming feel to it and is a very well put-together Squarespace template. The typeface is very well chosen and really works well with this design. The characters have an organic feel and it fit in the with the rest of the design elements. If you’re a woman and you want a beautiful website to tell the world about your travels, or are a travel business, this would be a great choice.
#3 Sojourner Template
The clever guys at Knapsack have a sub-brand named Storysite, and they have produced an element Squarespace theme. The whole thing about Storysite is that it’s based on Donald Miller's Storybrand messaging framework. Storybrand is a fascinating structure to follow and the latest 2.0 book, which I have recently read is a cracker. So, useful for putting together copy for websites. This theme follows the framework strongly, and that’s no bad thing as Storybrand has shaped many successful design businesses.
#4 Caicos
Another Etsy template, and this one would be perfect for that smallish travel agent who wants to get their customers to imagine themselves on a holiday of a lifetime. There are curved parts of this design, and it differentiates this template from others. The curves break up the hard lines found on 99% of websites. They add a flowing effect to the design and are a great addition.
#5 Hoxton
The first of two templates from Avila Creative. This template has a really punchy and authoritative impact. The string type and dark images give it style and class. You would have to swap out the images with your own, of course, but it gives you a strong base and structure from which to work. This Squarespace template would be suited to a younger and stylish traveller or travel agency. One to consider for sure.
#6 Stella
Ley design has a second template featured here after their first feature Olivia. This template is along a similar style with a light and airy feel to it. The soft colours set a relaxed tone. With white-space aplenty, it feels like a quality template. A great addition for new and upcoming travel agents.
#7 Montreux
This template is my kind of design. Simple and effective, with not a lot going on. One of the secrets to design is removing as many elements and this template certainly does that. I love the dividing lines throughout the design. It breaks up the sections well, so the visitor to the site is in complete control of where they direct their attention. Last but certainly not least, this Avela template is well worth checking out.
The secret to travel sites?
Imagery is key to most sites in a variety of genres across the web, but for travel sites the images and picture used are critical. In the minds of people, you want to transport them to beautiful places in which they can vividly imagine being there. As a travel agent you have access to many images through the sellers of the holidays. Take your time with the selection and get someone who has design and visual experience. A good eye for choosing photos and putting them into a Squarespace template helps a lot.