Car-free travel represents an important growth opportunity for Olympic Hiking Company and an increasingly relevant option for visitors who want to experience the Olympic Peninsula without renting or driving a vehicle.
Olympic Hiking Company received a Lodging Tax Advisory Committee marketing grant through Visit Port Angeles to create a short video promoting a car-free travel experience from Seattle to Port Angeles. The company also wanted a versatile visual asset that could strengthen this section of its website, support social media marketing and help prospective customers better understand the journey.
Making a Complicated Journey Feel Simple
Travel may look spontaneous on screen, but telling a clear and compelling transportation story requires careful coordination.
Most visitors to Olympic National Park arrive by car, so the public transportation route from Seattle to Port Angeles is not yet a well known journey for many potential travelers. The video needed to explain multiple modes of transportation while still feeling like an inviting adventure.
The production also required coordinating transportation schedules, talent, lodging, dining, shopping and outdoor experiences within a tightly structured day. Maintaining a flexible and collaborative relationship between the client and producer was essential as schedules, weather, travel conditions and production needs evolved.
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Characters: A couple of friends (fictional travelers) meet at the Bainbridge ferry terminal. They’re casual, relatable, and excited.
Scene:
Morning in Seattle. Arriving at the ferry terminal.
Quick shots purchasing ticket, boarding, getting settled into journey.
Narrator/VO: “Escape with me as I venture from Seattle to Olympic National Park, without a car.”
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Scenes:
Watching the Seattle skyline fade into the distance.
Smiles, conversations, the sense of starting something new.
Narrator/VO: “No ferry line, no traffic. Just a 35-minute cruise across Puget Sound. Complete with amazing skyline and mountain views everywhere.”
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Scenes:
Travelers hop onto the Strait Shot bus. Paying the driver, interior cozy window views and views along the way.
Scenic glimpses: Hood Canal Bridge, Olympic foothills rolling past.
Travelers laughing, pointing out scenery.
Narrator/VO: Once we got to Bainbridge we grabbed snacks in the terminal, then hopped onto the “Strait Shot” bus for Port Angeles. Ten bucks, comfy seats.
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Scenes:
Views of mossy forests, water falls and Lake Crescent.
A guide leading the way, encouraging camaraderie.
Group laughter, waterfall pose.
Narrator/VO: “Endless moss, old-growth forest, and that roar of the waterfall at the end.”
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Scenes:
Check into the Red Lion with harbor view.
Strolling the pier and downtown, eating pizza at Barhop, getting ice cream at Welly’s.
Evening sunset dinner, clinking glasses, warm smiles.
Narrator/VO: “When the tour finished, we wandered downtown Port Angeles for a pizza at Barhop and a treat at Welly’s. After a great night stay downtown at the Red Lion, on the waterfront.”
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Scenes:
Buying souvenirs at Moss.
Travelers sipping coffee at Silver Lining Café, reflecting on the trip.
Boarding the return bus, as it departs Port Angeles.
Narrator/VO: “No car. No stress. Just adventure.”
Building the Story Before the Trip Began
Olympic Hiking Company had already refined a strong itinerary through years of leading day trips and working directly with visitors. My role was to translate that operational knowledge into a concise, first-person travel story.
I proposed using a scripted first-person voiceover to guide viewers through the experience. Developing the narrative before filming gave the production a clear structure and allowed us to focus during the shoot on capturing strong destination-marketing visuals rather than trying to build the story afterward. Click on the (+), on the left, to read the storyline for our journey.
This previsualization was especially important because the client also requested specific footage for the hero banner and other prominent sections of their website. We identified the key locations, actions and visual moments in advance so the footage could serve several purposes beyond the primary video.
The project also highlighted the broader visitor experience by incorporating regional partners, including transportation providers, accommodations, restaurants, shops and outdoor destinations. Having these elements helped position the journey as more than a way to reach Port Angeles. It became part of the adventure itself.
Coordinating Every Step of the Journey
Planning was central to every stage of the project, from the script and travel schedule to talent coordination and the shot list.
Because the finished video would serve both the tour operator and the destination marketing organization, key preproduction and postproduction decisions were reviewed by both entities. This ensured the final piece supported Olympic Hiking Company’s customer needs while also aligning with Visit Port Angeles’ broader destination-marketing goals.
Working with a small crew allowed us to move quickly, remain unobtrusive and adapt as the day unfolded. At the same time, the advance planning gave us enough structure to capture the full customer journey and produce a cohesive 90-second marketing video.
Day 1 – 13 hours
6:00am: Production crew Depart Bainbridge Ferry Terminal
7:55am: Ferry to Downtown Seattle – film way finding moments
9:00am: Participants arrive – begin filming journey experience
9:35am: Catch Seattle–Bainbridge ferry with participants
10:20am: Board Strait Shot bus
12:15pm: Arrival in Port Angeles
12:45–5:45pm: OHC half-day tour (with filming buffer)
6:00–7:00pm: Red Lion hotel check-in, pizza at Barhop, walk downtown, sunset on the pier
Day 2 – 3 hour
10:00am: Shopping at Moss
11:00am: Brunch at Silver Lining Café
12:30pm: Film participants boarding bus back to Seattle
Turning Inspiration Into a Customer Journey Tool
The result was not simply a promotional video. It was a versatile communications tool that supported marketing, clarified the customer experience and made a less familiar way of reaching the Olympic Peninsula feel accessible and achievable.
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The video performed well on social media, generating strong engagement and encouraging viewers to share it with their networks.
As a customer journey tool, the video’s length and carefully selected scenes gave prospective travelers a clear sense of what to expect, helping build confidence in the experience.
The primary goal was to reduce customer questions, and staff reported receiving fewer inquiries the following season.
Explaining a complicated travel process through words alone can be challenging. Video helps simplify expectations, clarify each step and reduce the uncertainty or anxiety travelers may feel when planning an unfamiliar journey.
Operationally, the video proved highly effective.