Live streaming on the go can get pretty complicated. Full-time travel streamers and real-life couple Awkwards_Travel take their viewers to the edge of the world and back again. Tallulah and Gaspard, along with over 38,000 Twitch followers, have seen it all. Every day they take viewers on crazy adventures and let them experience travel as if they were there. Here are five tips from Awkwards_Travel on how to have your best live stream while traveling.
Make sure you have a strong connection
If your internet connection is poor, you won’t be able to stream. Above all else, having a connection is a must have for every live stream. Make sure you have a plan for a good internet connection before you go live. Awkwards_Travel says “As a frequent flyer, you’re already thinking about your budget, the weather, and what you want to do. With streaming, now you add the concern over 4G coverage, speed and availability.” So don’t get caught without a good connection.
Put it all out there
Your audience wants you to be authentic. If you bring them along, like you’d bring a good friend, they will respond positively. When talking about how they stay authentic, Awkwards_Travel says “We’re streaming live for six to eight hours a day, and there’s no Photoshop or a crew fixing our hair between takes. It’s raw and real.”
Do exciting things
Your audience is tuning in to see something out of the ordinary. Go out there and explore and take risks so that you can have an engaging stream. Awkwards_Travel says “We’ve streamed every trip and adventure such as parasailing, swimming with monkeys, getting a traditional Thai tattoo, taking part in the world’s biggest water fight, almost crashing on a Tuk-Tuk ride, eating scorpions and worms and training to become Thai boxing fighters! For us, popular streams will be the ones people will remember.”
Search for the story
No matter where you are, a story is unfolding around you and it’s up to you to capture it. Awkwards_Travel says “In one week we could go from exploring the streets of a new city, trying the weirdest food the country has to offer, or renting a room in the worst hostel anyone has ever stepped foot in just to see how long we will last (spoiler: not long).”
Don’t get discouraged
It’s easy to get down on yourself, but the best part of live streaming is there will always be another stream. Take it as a lesson and make yourself better. Awkwards_Travel says “Sometimes you’ll be streaming something that took weeks to prepare and won’t get the reaction you expected. Don’t get discouraged. Sometimes, while you’re not doing anything in particular the stars will align and your numbers will go through the roof! The best thing you can do in that case is always be ready and enjoy what you’re doing. If you do something you are passionate about then people will enjoy watching it.”
Now that we have the tips to gain confidence in getting out there. Here is some of the magic behind Awkwards_Travel’s biggest live streamed moments.
How they are making it happen
Awkwards_Travel relies heavily on a device called LiveU Solo to maintain a consistent stream when outdoor live streaming. It’s a portable, wireless streaming encoder that allows for live and easy video streaming from anywhere directly to platforms like Twitch, Facebook Live, YouTube, Twitter among others.
“Working with the LiveU Solo made things much easier for us and expanded our travel options,” says Tallulah and Gaspard. With a HDMI video input, the LiveU Solo connects via cellular modems, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet using the company’s patented cellular bonding technology. It has a built-In 3-Hour rechargeable battery and H.264 AVC video encoding up to 1080p 60/50p, which powers Awkwards_Travel’s long-form wireless live streams.
Like everyone producing live video, Awkwards_Travel wants a quality stream. “Many streamers started jumping from phone streaming to a LiveU-powered IRL backpack,” they explained. “We were so impressed with the results, the possibilities, and the fact that it was quickly becoming a standard for outdoor streaming, that we had to get our hands on one.”