The YouTube Guide to Travel

As a travel editor, there are a few things that instantly set off alarm bells in my head, none more so than so-called “travel hacks” that go viral. This stems mostly from my distrust of viral travel advice from TikTokers who, frankly, don’t know what they’re talking about. In my experience, many of these hacks are potentially problematic at best, downright dangerous at worst. But before there was TikTok, there was YouTube, and on YouTube there are content creators who have been peddling travel tips and tricks since before my frontal lobe was fully developed, and certainly before virality was the end goal.

The difference is that there is perhaps no place on the internet — at least as far as video-sharing platforms go — where you’re likely to get more credible, authentic and practical travel content than on YouTube. 

It’s here that you can follow along for years with couples sailing around the globe on a catamaran, solo backpackers traversing entire continents and the children of nomadic families growing up. Where you can find a five-minute clip detailing all the things you shouldn’t put in your checked luggage, or a 40-minute one about what it’s like to stay at Japan’s most isolated hotel. And if you’ve ever wondered about the world’s greatest airplane seat, or wanted to live vicariously through a digital nomad? That’s on YouTube, too.

That’s not to say that all YouTube travel content is created equal. It can take some parsing through to get to the really good stuff, same as every other platform. Fortunately, I’ve gone ahead and done at least some of the grunt work. Below, seven of the best travel YouTubers you, a discerning traveler, should know about.

Family Travel

Best Channel: The Bucket List Family

The Gee family, colloquially known as the Bucket List Family, is the earliest travel YouTube travel channel I can remember following, if not for the travel content than for their adorable kids. Garrett and Jessica Gee started their channel back in 2015 when they made the decision to leave home and travel the world as a family of four and, later, five. Their channel is first and foremost a testament to the fact that you can travel with young children (and full-time at that), but also to all the ways travel can shape them.

Start Here: “Big Sperm Whales Swimming with Little Kids! Underwater Bucket List Family Adventure in Mauritius!”

Travel Advice

Best Channel: Wolters World

Mark Wolters launched his channel back in 2009, following an underwhelming trip to a small town in Italy recommended by a AAA guidebook. In the 15 years since, he’s put out nearly more than 2,600 of what he calls “honest travel advice” videos. From the things you will both love and hate as a tourist, to tried and tested tips and advice, Wolters World is the go-to travel channel for when you need someone to give it to you straight.

Start Here: “90’s to Now! How Travel Has Changed in the Past 25 Years”

Mark’s Favorite Channels: SciShow, John Michael Godier, Cool Worlds, Anton Petrov, Weird History, Crash Course and Extra History. (None of which, I should point out, have to do with travel.)

Digital Nomads

Best Channel: Lost LeBlanc

If you often fantasize about quitting your job and traveling full-time (or at least traveling full-time while you work), but are in desperate need of a little push, Christian LeBlanc’s channel Lost Leblanc offers a real peek behind the curtain into what it’s like — and also what it takes. LeBlanc is, as he puts it, an “ex-accountant that escaped the 9-5” who bought a one-way ticket to Thailand and “hustled to become a travel YouTuber.” If his two million followers are any indication, I’d say he’s done it.

Start Here: “Should You Move to Portugal? (The Digital Nomad Review)”

Historically Misunderstood Destinations

Best Channel: Indigo Traveller

Indigo Traveller is run by New Zealand documentary filmmaker Nick Fisher, and it focuses entirely on misunderstood parts of the planet in an effort to show “the human side of what we read in the headlines.” Sometimes he disproves those headlines, other times he corroborates them. It’s incredibly illuminating, and at times difficult to watch, but feels to me like it should be requisite viewing for an avid traveler.

Start Here: “This Is Afghanistan? (You Won’t Believe It’s Afghanistan)”

Backpacking

Best Channel: Backpacking Bananas

There are dozens upon dozens of channels dedicated to backpacking, but Backpacking Bananas is one of my personal favorites. It’s run by Christianne Risman, and she launched her channel back in 2013 as a way of documenting her travels for friends and family. Today, she’s a full-time travel vlogger and entrepreneur who has backpacked all over Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and more, offering real insight into the lifestyle. You’d be hard-pressed to find a serious backpacker who isn’t aware of Backpacking Bananas.

Start Here (because I’ve also done this pub crawl): “Heli-Pub Crawl Gone Wild: Flying, Boozing and Croc on the Loose!!”

Couples Travel

Best Channel: Oskar and Dan

Oskar and Dan met at school in Gothenburg, Sweden. In 2017, they took their first trip together, to Rome. The couple then made it their goal to travel to more than 100 nations, which ultimately put them on the travel YouTube map (they have since checked all 100 countries off their list). Their content is honest and incredibly wholesome and will have you wishing that you and your significant other could swing a full-on global tour of your own.

Start Here: “Our Disastrous Trip to the Maldives”

General Travel

Best Channel: Drew Binsky

There are so many fantastic travel YouTubers putting out amazing videos at this very moment, and it’s tough to identify the very best, but Drew Binsky is a top contender in my book. He’s been to every single country on Earth and his channel is a mix of “inspiring people, hidden cultures and wild adventures in faraway places.” If it’s storytelling you’re looking for, Drew has it.

Start Here: “Visiting the Tribe that Eats Humans (Papua Island)”