SkiftAds of the Week: Scotland, Gecko Tours, Carnival Cruises, and Newfoundland

Whether you’re daydreaming about taking a quiet, calming vacation or scheming ways to get back out into the world, this week’s roundup of travel video ads has something for you.

There are so many components of a video that are meant to evoke a certain emotion from the viewer, but the audio is certainly one of the most important. Trying watching these videos with your eyes shut and you’ll probably feel the same as if you watched the ads with eyes wide open.

For all of our SkiftAds of the Week collection, check out our archives here.

[vimeo 57638457 w=640 h=360]

Fun, loud, and enlightening – this video is everything that it should be for a tour company whose slogan is “May your heart be light, your step swift, and your stories f*cking epic.” Geckos Adventures runs trips to countries around the world, 11 of which were featured in the above video that mashes up images of tourists, locals, wildlife, and the cars, buses, and boats we take to see it all.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBylLaBO1Ek]

There’s no doubt that Carnival Cruise UK‘s ad isn’t just a little cheesy, but who hasn’t wished for something as simple as a #SwitchOnFun button to fix a lull in their life? Anything looks better than what Carnival pits itself against in this ad including traffic, grocery shopping, and bland dinners. Unfortunately, most booking processes aren’t as easy as a push of the button.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMnjLyaTWlM]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1QSZ_iexoY]

Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, considers itself a ‘belt-notching destination’ as the easternmost point in North America, and through these videos does a successful job of showing, rather than telling, travelers why.

The first video is part of the province’s 2013 national tourism ad campaign and focuses on the ‘first sunrise of the continent’ leading into a series of illuminating shots of sun light waking up the region’s building and homes. The second video is a longer, more comprehensive survey of where the Atlantic meets the coastal towns. Calming, rejuvenating, somewhere most people wouldn’t mind spending this weekend.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBFlzKBcDhk]

VisitScotland has deemed this the Year of Natural Scotland. In this ad exploring the actual means of getting around, the Scandinavian country readily recognizes tourists might not think to visit and sets out to tell them why they should reconsider. There’s an element of serenity portrayed in the slow transition of imagery and the speaker’s thick Scottish accent. This video is just one in a series that explores the country’s landscapes, animals, and activities all ending with, “Surprise yourself. Visit Scotland.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfybEEWnYSI]

And in case you didn’t get your fill of adorable Shetland ponies in cardigans yesterday, here’s a  behind-the-scenes look at Vitamin and Filva during their posh photo shoot.