When you can’t travel yourself, armchair traveling is the way to go. We’ve collected the top 10 YouTube travel channels to help you explore the world from the comfort of your living room.
They may be one of the most followed travel YouTube channels currently, but I have been a fan of them since their channel was pretty small, and can confirm that whether they have 2 million or 20,000 followers, they always do their best to make a cohesive story out of their vlogs. Their production value is extremely high, with Nate behind the camera and Kara behind the editing, and their personalities are like those of a best friend you’ve been dying to catch up with. Their initial goal was to reach 100 countries, and after four years of travel, they succeeded in that. Now they’ve become vanlifers who occasionally ditch their van to travel overseas. Additionally, they put all of their travel financials on their website so you can figure out how to travel on a budget just like they did.
As an ex-pat living in Paris, Damon shows you the ups and downs of life in the city. He also has some long-form documentary content with topics like visiting his ancestral home in France. What’s special about his channel is how unique his filmmaking style is. He uses a smaller frame than most YouTubers, and colors his videos with a vintage feel that makes it seem like you’re watching an old Hollywood movie as opposed to something current. Even so, the topics he covers are very relevant to life today.
Kraig’s videos are all visual, with very little, if any, talking. He shoots stunning shots of his hikes around the world and uses soft music and the sounds of the hike, like birds singing and shoes crunching leaves, as background noise instead of voiceovers or talking heads. They are truly the most relaxing videos you can watch.
Vanlifers through and through, Eammon and Bec have really documented what it’s like to live out of a van full time while traveling the world. Unlike other vanlifers, they take their van overseas to places like Morocco and Spain. While it took them a while to improve their production value, it’s clear that they don’t hide anything from the camera, and what you see is what you get, which is always refreshing.
Named after their boat Uma, this channel follows the adventures of Dan and Kika as they sail all over the world. What separates them from other sailing YouTubers is that they don’t just spend all their time in the tropics soaking up the sun. Instead, they dare to explore places like Iceland and Svalbard in the dead of winter. They show you the good, the bad, and the ugly of living full time in close quarters on a sailboat, and although it’s tough to create quality content when you’re not on steady ground, they do a great job of capturing their experiences with a steady hand and premium audio.
Have you ever wondered what it looks like to go on an adventure with ultrarunners? Don’t be deceived by the channel name, these guys are in top shape and take on extraneous adventures like running 30 miles through the mountains of Glacier National Park, and biking the 92 miles of the park road in Denali National Park in a single day. While the other channels on this list may feel more professional, their content has a classic YouTube feel. It’s creative and raw, which is perfect for the type of content they film.
It is extremely inspiring to see the life she has carved out for herself on the road as a solo female traveler. She has extensive videos of travels throughout the Middle East, showing that what the world portrays as dangerous countries actually are full of love and life and beautiful places. Her videos are often retrospective and inspiring as well. Currently, she’s overlanding with her Land Rover Defender so if you’re into offroading adventures, she’s the one to watch.
Trent and Allie (and their dog Frank) had the goal of driving their van from the U.S. to the bottom of South America. They achieved that goal right before the pandemic hit, reaching Patagonia in March 2020. It’s great watching Allie learn Spanish as they travel, seeing what it’s like to go from country to country with a dog in tow, and experiencing all the different cultures that make up South America. Trent and Allie are really compelling storytellers, so the content they put out is extremely captivating. Currently, they just finished documenting themselves building their house, which, while not travel-related, was fascinating to watch as well.
If you’re interested in thru-hiking, or just hiking in general, this is probably the best channel to watch. Dixie maintained an exciting daily vlog while hiking the CDT, the PCT, the Florida Trail, and many other long trails. Much like Mediocre Amateur, it has that classic YouTube vibe that makes it feel very personal, but it’s elevated enough so that you don’t feel like you’re watching a home movie from the ’90s. She also has some great tips on things like what backpacking gear to get and how to prepare for your first overnight trip.
The Female Gaze 