Every year millions of people go on their vacations and take hundreds of pictures. Most of these pictures will end up un their computers hard drives to be forgotten there. Travel photography is just as demanding as any other subject in photography. I am not going to talk about the obvious things like composition in photography or lighting. Instead we are going to focus on other things like the story and subject of your holiday travel pictures.
When shooting monuments or architecture try different angles of the shot. If the monument is the main subject of photograph, then try to get closer and wait for the people to pass by, in other words take your time. Another way would be to include people in the in the foreground, that will make the photo appear to be more lively and interesting. Frame your picture so that it would include a couple of locals or crowds of tourists. Frame your picture without the distractions, if there is a sign blocking the view move somewhere else where you will have a clear shot. Remember that you don't have to include everything in the picture.
When taking nature pictures time is essential. Don't shoot on midday either do it in the morning or late afternoon till evening. Frame your picture with some interesting objects in the foreground. for example if it's a beach for sure there will be some boats or beach chairs or rocks that would look nice in the foreground. Nature might seem easy subject for photography, yet it is one of the most difficult. As always take your time walk around and find something that will make the picture stand out. When taking pictures of animals wait for them to show some animal behavior.
Take pictures of people. This might sound obvious, but in fact it might be harder than it sounds. The easy way out would be that at the monuments there are many street artists and they will not mind you taking pictures of them as long as you will pay them. Taking pictures of the ordinary people is harder as you can never know how the person will react. Mostly they will not mind, but it is always better to ask before. When taking pictures of people look for stereotypes, look for someone that is the stereotype of how people think about that country. For example in India look for women in saris and rickshaw drivers or street salesman.
Every photograph tells a story of some sort of story. That is also your task when taking travel photos - think before you take the picture what is this photo going to be about. A good picture tells it's story without words. Think about what you want to show with your photographs and only then take the picture.
