Best Travel Vloggers on YouTube

There is something magical about watching people explore the world. It’s far too easy to become stuck in a limited view of the world when we’re trapped in a daily grind.

One of my favorite personalities was (and is) Anthony Bourdain. His anarchist roots, his humble style, and his focus on parts of life that glossier travel shows skipped over sang to me. As someone from a poor background who deals with chronic health issues, travel has always been intimidating, but Anthony’s work helped motivate me to start — even if slowly. I haven’t regretted it once.

One of the best ways, I decided, to figure out where I wanted to go, was to see where other people were going. I also wanted to understand how people travel, what the experience of traveling looks like for them.

Travel vlogging is an interesting space to start with, with some vloggers gaining millions of followers and essentially traveling with their own entourage. Others stick true to a small core of thousands of fans who support them — but, in all cases, there is something unique to experience alongside anyone who sets off to see the world.

Every vlogger I’ve ever seen brings their own personality and individuality into their videos, from the action-packed party lovers, to ordinary folk finding their way in a strange new clime.

I’ve taken care to find a diverse group of travel vloggers or you to enjoy: these are people from all walks of life, various ethnicities, and various cultural backgrounds. For some, the place they live and explore is a new homeland, while for others the goal is to see as much of the world as possible in the time they have. From Scotland to Sichuan, there’s just so much to explore.

kold

Kold does totally incredible, high-caliber travel videography, presenting the world in an action-packed cinematographic format that’s frequently out of this world.

Combined with a huge range of incredible stunts, this makes for a channel brimming with uniquely styled content.

Sam Kolder is a high-end videographer in his day job, so his travel videos don’t come frequently, but when they do arrive they always brim with intense action, vibrant shifting visuals, and an emphasis on style. According to his biographical video “Hey Tim”, Sam’s proclivity toward cinematography found a whole new outlet through his passion for travel, but sadly only after the death of his brother prompted him to grow.

His story is powerful, visually stunning, and moving enough to help anyone who watches his videos think about their own desire for life with a bit more clarity.

Phil Good Travel

Phil Good Travel highlights the growing trend of African-American tourism. Produced by the Matador Network, this vlog series features Phil as he travels Europe, showing solidarity with black travelers and acting as a powerful proponent for positivity and patience.

Phil offers a fun and funny, as well as sincere and powerful travel experience that everyone will enjoy — but which will hopefully make even more African-Americans feel excited about the prospect of traveling the world.

Sorelle Amore

Sorelle Amore has become a millionaire sensation through her savvy business sense and stunning style. She first claimed fame through her noted international travels, getting paid to experience the sights and sounds of the world.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, she turned her sights to other pastures than those abroad, settling down to concentrate on an ethically minded business called Abundantia that she hopes will help the world become a better place.

The Cottage Fairy

The Cottage Fairy mindfulness, nature walks, and a pinch of ASMR-esque introspective conversation all blend into a cottagecore sensibility that is totally transportative.

You’ll feel as if your whole being has absconded to the woodland after just a couple of Paola Merrill’s videos, which feature her daily wilderness lifestyle and her musings on human society.

In a highly energetic tech-centered world, it can be a wonderful balm to center oneself within a natural aesthetic. Paola’s proximity to pure nature allows her to immerse herself in the wilderness, but her artistic videos are a reminded that all of us, no matter where we live, can find a wealth of value in encouraging a more natural and wild environment in our surroundings.

OurSignedWorld

OurSignedWorld is a whole-life vlog for the mixed hearing and deaf couple Courtney and Zach (and their daughter Madison, who is also hearing). Zach is deaf and fluent in ASL and Courtney is a professional ASL translator, so their videos feature a wonderful mixture of ASL and spoken material from Courtney (and Madison), with great subtitles as well for anyone who isn’t yet fluent in ASL.

Their videos are not primarily travel related, but their travels have taken them on long road trips within the United States and a few journeys beyond its boarders as well; the couple also plans to make new travel vlogs in 2022 with feedback from their substantial (nearly 70k) YouTube audience.

Fearless and Far

A travel vlog dedicated to seeking out experiences both intense and frightening, Fearless and Far frequently goes too far for my taste, but oftentimes covers aspects of life in parts of the world that other travel vloggers avoid altogether.

Not for the faint of heart, Mike Corey undertakes experiences that will alarm many, but in doing so he opens the eyes of his viewers to possibilities beyond belief. His point, he reiterates, is not that he seeks out intense experiences because he is fearless — quite the reverse; he seeks out what he fears because he fears it, leaning into what scares him in order to broaden his life’s horizon.

Minority Nomad

Minority Nomad is the name of Erick Prince’s travel vlog, which features him traveling the world in search of new experience and new friends. His goal in life is to be the first African American to visit every single country on Earth and with over 90 down, he’s already making great headway.

Prince’s videos are informative and entertaining, and he frequently hangs out with different crowds than many of the other travel vloggers I’ve seen. His experiences feel very real because he’s hanging out with very real people: one of my favorite videos is of a family barbecue in Romania for Name Day, which opens a really cool window into the lives of the people he’s visiting (and provides a nifty trick for getting a good fire started).

Prince doesn’t confine himself just to travel, either: he does other videos that explore the differences between the United States and the countries he visits, and in one he even recounted how his experience outside the U.S. turned him (a retired soldier and ostensibly pro-gun citizen) into a far more skeptical gun owner. That’s the sort of change I love seeing, and I think it’s exceptionally cool to see a travel vlogger showcase such large transitions in their own life that the experience of seeing other countires has brought about.

Li Ziqi

Li ZiQi holds a Guinness World Record for “The most subscribers for a Chinese language channel on YouTube” with over 16 million subscribers and over 2.4 billion views.

Her softly pastoral videos feature Li’s life living and working on her grandmother’s rural farm, as well as her explorations of other elements of rural Chinese life. She visits local businesses that create traditional foods, shows her followers how to make peach blossom flower crowns, and offers a startlingly gorgeous view of rural Sichuan life.

None of her videos feature interviews, or even talking — the only conventions is that between Li and her grandmother, overheard in the background, with the sounds of nature and gently flowing ambient music blending to create the primary soundscape.

Truly enchanting, with many of her videos taking on a fictionalized fantasy theme that reminds me of playing Skyrim: pastoral meditation at its best.

Kakibot’s Edinburgh Adventures!

Kakibot’s Edinburgh Adventures! features awesome travel videos mostly centering on Scotland and Edinbrugh where Kat and her partner Simon live and explore. Their videos sometimes range farther afield, however, with forrays to Kat’s country of origin (Czech Republic), and locations in Asia.

Simon and Kat create really lovely, heartfelt, content including fun and informative reviews of businesses they visit (in which they showcase incredible amounts of tasty food).

Kat dives into some of the geeky elements of her life (something I wish far more travel vloggers would do!) and she creates neat Scotland-themed art (such as the awesome Edinburgh pin that my fiancée bought me as a present).

Their blog is one of my favorite discoveries so-far.

Deaf Wanderer

Deaf Wanderer is the work of Chris Haulmark, a deaf man traveling the world with the goal of inspiring others without hearing to do the same. “A lot of people thought I couldn’t solo travel as a deaf person,” Chris said. “I showed them that I could.”

But Chris didn’t stop with travels. In 2018, he ran for a seat in the Kansas House of Representatives, and since then, has continued to campaign actively for progressive issues and deaf-friendly legislation around the country. He might not be actively creating travel vlogs anymore, but his incredible store of travel videos from years prior makes his channel a font of wealth for anyone interested in the deaf experience abroad.

Kellee Edwards

Kellee Edwards has been called “The Most Interesting Woman in the World” by Outside magazine… and for good reason! Kellee is a travel expert, a licensed pilot, and the host of Travel Channel’s Mysterious Islands — making her the first black woman to host her own travel series on a major network.

Kellee has devoted most of her time to her main pursuits and her Travel Channel series, but she still puts up new content on YouTube from time to time, and it’s always spectacular. Her signature style is pure Indiana Jones: she flies herself to her destinations, she climbs mountains, she dives into deep ocean waves — Kellee’s experiences in the world are certain to inspire everyone to take their life into their own hands and forge their own path through the world.

CupofTJ

CupofTJ is the “Cutest Travel & Food Show” that invites people to see new places through the lens of food! TJ Lee started out with a passion for exploration and nummy cuisine, and has built her channel into an incredible world-romping experience as geeky and silly as it is profound. From Indonesia, to Peru, to the Czech Republic, TJ has been all over, and her journey continues weekly!

“If you have a lifestyle you want to create for yourself, whether that incorporates travel or not, you have to dive in head first and just commit to it,” Lee said. “It’s going to be super rocky, it’s going to take a lot of time, but it’s going to be so worth it.”

And her channel makes this abundantly clear. If you’ve ever needed a little lift to get you through your week, or maybe even out of your old life and into a life you’re excited to live, TJ’s channel just might be the thing that helps you get there.

The Bucket List Family

The Bucket List Family decided to give up everything considered “normal” and instead live their dream, which just happened to be traveling the entire planet with their three very young children, experiencing life in its rawest, most vibrant form.

They journey from country to country on a never-ending adventure, exploring the world and inspiring millions of people in their wake.

Their adventures allow their viewers a unique perspective on life as a family — their high-functioning communication skills, passion for exploration, and earnest love and care for one another always shines through, and their kids are frankly adorable. This is the sort of thing that might just change your life if you let it sink in.

The Endless Adventure

The Endless Adventure is the vlog of Eric and Allison, a young couple who traded in the dream of steady paychecks at normal jobs for the far more preferable dream of experiencing life the world over in all its myriad intricacies and joys.

They’ve been traveling for over six years, now, and their COVID-19 project was the conversion of an older camper RV into a delightful tiny home for their next grand tour.

Their videos are sweet, earnest, fun, and highly relatable. As they figure out life on the road together, their viewers get the chance to see a different experience of living, and might just be inspired to follow suit.

Ashley Smith

Ashley Smith is a flight attendant who travels all over the world, which makes her the perfect person to host a travel vlog!

Not only is her experience of travel pretty unique from others on this list, with a fascinating look into elements of her professional life, but she is constantly on the move through the air, living a “high life” like no other.

Her channel also features a number of “travel adjacent” videos that concentrate on everything from the “real life” of a flight attendant, to hair and beauty tips for travelers, to packing hacks for people constantly on the move. That content alone, from a professional traveler like Ashley, is worth a good binge.

Dream Big, Travel Far

Dream Big, Travel Far is the traveling couple Cazzy & Bradley. They’ve been running their excellent little travel vlog for five years, but it wasn’t until the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that they decided to spend lockdown converting a van into a camper, so they could travel the world.

Cazzy and Bradley have landed in a number of cool places, and their experiences traveling are sweet and simple, with a relaxed, personal style that is easy to appreciate.

Converting a van into a living space and then responsibly traveling during the middle of a pandemic is no easy feat, but these two go at it with passion, managing to have incredible experiences and showcase their ingenuity in the process.

Hi there! I’m Odin Halvorson, a librarian, independent scholar, film fanatic, fiction author, and tech enthusiast. If you like my work and want to support me, please consider subscribing!