Travelling is exciting. But what if you don’t have the funds to do so every week? Or what if you want to find the next vacation destination that’s perfect for you? The answer is - vloggers. In 2026, travel creators don’t get to the top by filming pretty views (because everyone does that). So, how do they grab attention? And which travel vlogs on YouTube are worth following? Let’s find out!
1. Kara and Nate
We’re starting strong with what is considered to be one of the most influential travel vlog channels on YouTube. Kara and Nate began their journey in September 2016 and have since grown into a global travel channel with over 4M subscribers on their page. What started as a simple goal (to visit 100 countries) quickly evolved into something much bigger. And what numbers they’ve brought!
Early on, their channel leaned heavily into classic backpacking content, but as the channel matured, so did the content. Beyond YouTube, they’re widely known for popularizing van life and off-grid travel. Their custom-built vans, tiny homes, and unique accommodations (nobody can forget glass igloos or the remote cabins they’ve been in) consistently pull in millions of views, even when the destination itself isn’t traditionally ‘exotic’.
Kara and Nate have mastered the balance between cinematography (aka making their videos pretty) and practical advice for would-be travellers. One week, you’ll see a train journey through Africa, the next - you’ll get a brutally honest breakdown of van build costs or why a destination wasn’t worth the hype. Their average uploads regularly land in the 500K-2M views range.
What about Memberships, affiliates, and brand deals? In short, they don’t rely on YouTube Memberships, which is why they have it turned off. Instead, they have one of the cleanest monetization ecosystems in travel YouTube.
They have: affiliate marketing (travel gear, booking platforms, etc), selective brand deals, digital products, and partnerships tied mainly to travel planning and lifestyle tools.
2. Drew Binsky
We’re moving on from cinematic family-friendly adventures to something more daredevil-ish. Drew Binsky started his journey around 2017 and has since become one of the most recognizable faces in travel content with millions of followers across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Here’s what VidIQ approximates:
His format is algorithm-proof and adventure-packed. He’d been to dangerous places like North Korea, Belarus, Iraq, and so on. His videos are relatively short, entertaining, and emotion-first. He shares his own experiences, talks about the cultures he visits with respect, and honestly gives everything a try.
His content is perfect to be re-clipped into Shorts, where many of them reach millions of views, even without heavy editing or production. What about Memberships? Well, he doesn’t lean on them. Therefore, they aren’t turned on. However, he does take brand deals (especially education platforms, language apps, or travel tools) and has affiliate promotions (often tied to the topic of his channel).
3. Mark Wiens
Now, let’s talk about the food travel vloggers. Mark Wiens started his YouTube journey in the early 2010s and steadily built one of the most recognizable travel-food vlogs on the platform. Today, his channel sits at 11,5M subscribers and a whole library of videos that consistently pull views. Let's see the numbers:
Mark has eaten everywhere, from Bangkok street stalls and Tokyo sushi counters to rural villages and remote markets. Unlike high-gloss food television, Mark’s content prioritizes authenticity.
What about the alternative monetization? Well, Memberships aren’t pushed. But, again, brand deals (with travel, food, or tourism-related partners) and affiliate links are abundant.
4. Best Ever Food Review Show
Best Ever Food Review Show had turned food into a full-scale entertainment format. Launched in the mid 2010s and fronted by Sonny Side, the channel has grown into one of the largest and most recognizable food-travel brands on YouTube, with millions of subscribers and videos that routinely pull seven-figure views.
Every episode is designed to feel like a separate experience. You’re not watching to decide where to eat next; you’re watching to see something unusual, something you’ve never seen before.
Why does this channel perform so well on YouTube? First, the show doesn’t compete with quiet travel vlogs. It sits closer to entertainment-first content, like how some TV shows in the past did it. Second, the content is presented through contrasts. So, luxury vs survival meals, expectations vs reality, rich vs poor food. Each episode sets up a question that the viewer can find their own answer to.
Third, they have a global ambition. The channel travels into regions underrepresented on mainstream YouTube and highlights special cultural moments.
What about monetization? The channel works more like a media company, with Memberships being off. Brand deals are present and carefully integrated into their content. Merch plays a meaningful role.
5. Bald and Bankrupt
Launched in the late 2010s, the channel quickly made a name for itself and gained millions of subs, pulling consistently high view counts. Bald and Bankrupt is one of those channels where a simple dude is doing simple things, which holds its immense charm.
He shows locations in all their glory, without adding some excitable fluff on top. It’s just what it is, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes misunderstood. Bald’s on-camera style is a bit different from his colleagues. He speaks to locals, stumbles through language barriers, but tries to build a genuine connection.
Monetization-wise, Bald and Bankrupt follows a very similar path to the creators discussed above. Ad revenue is the backbone, with brand deals being rare and selective. Memberships aren’t on.
6. Indigo Traveller
Started by a New Zealand creator, Nick Fisher, Indigo Traveller built its rep by traveling to countries most audiences are conditioned to avoid. With millions of subscribers and consistently strong long-form performance, the channel pulls in numbers:
Nick visits destinations that carry heavy geopolitical or media baggage, places labeled unsafe, unstable, or off-limits. Instead of leaning into ‘how dangerous this place is’, he focuses on the people, how to respect them, and calls to our humanity and empathy. He paces the video like a journalist, entering with widely held assumptions that he slowly dissipates throughout the video.
There are no Memberships on this channel, but there is a Patreon open if his viewers would like to support his channel, which he promotes. Brand deals and affiliates are there as well, the latest one being for Canva Pro (aka a brand related to travelling and tech). Overall, the brand deals are selective and always on-topic.
7. Lost LeBlanc
Founded by Canadian creator Christian LeBlanc, the channel is a solo backpacking vlog that’s also an aspirational travel brand. The channel shows popular tourist destinations, affordable means of travelling, and their own journey of visiting 100 countries. The numbers here speak for themselves:
The production is clean, the color grading is warm, and the traveling itself is framed like a genuine adventure. There are no questions about whether or not what he is doing is safe, because the whimsy and hope follow LeBlanc wherever he goes.
From a growth perspective, Lost LeBlanc mastered platform-native evolution early. Christian adapted quickly to Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. Monetization is there, no Memberships, but plenty of Sponsors and Partners. Brand deals are frequent guests on his channel. They are thematic, of course. What’s even more interesting is that he has courses and education products that extend beyond YouTube.
8. The Bucket List Family
Founded by Garrett and Jessica Gee, the channel exploded after a bold, almost unthinkable decision: selling their belongings, pulling their kids out of traditional schooling, and committing to full-time travel as a family. What followed was millions of subs across YouTube and social media:
From the very beginning, their vlogs centered on shared experiences, including swimming with whales, visiting remote villages, learning from different cultures, and allowing their children to be active participants.
How does The Bucket List Family monetize? Well, Memberships aren’t there as well. Seems to be a theme with travel vlogs, doesn’t it? But, they do have numerous brand deals (all related to travelling). They have their own merch, and there are plenty of affiliates from one video to another.
9. Yes Theory
From the very beginning, this channel was built around a simple idea: seeking discomfort. That might sound counterintuitive, which is why it’s so smart! Yes Theory shows the complexity of human nature and plays well into the natural curiosity of the viewer. Just look at the numbers!
What makes Yes Theory different is that the destination they choose is never the point. The story always centers around people, vulnerability, and, ultimately, discomfort. Their structure is incredibly complex, but the viewers keep watching.
Monetization is not through the Memberships. They get their income through AdSense, merchandise, and brand partnerships. Moreover, they sell books and offline experiences that extend beyond YouTube.
10. Eva Zu Beck
This is another channel that rose to fame by showing extreme environments and psychological resilience. With millions of subscribers and some of the most intense travel content on YouTube, Eva Zu Beck occupies a niche that shows an extreme side of traveling, the adrenaline-seeking adventures told in a calm and almost reflective manner.
Her videos do have that National Geographic (™) style of storytelling. This is definitely not high-paced, active content that some people put out there. Viewers get the insights most and foremost.
What about the monetization? Well, since this channel is closely tied to National Geographic, you won’t see any Memberships turned on. However, there’s Patreon, there are brand partnerships, and books with NG merch sprinkled on.
11. FunForLouis
Louis Cole built FunForLouis as a documentation of his life. The channel started as a habit to film everything, which propelled him towards fame eventually. Since it emerged during YouTube’s formative years, his daily travel vlogs quickly became something the audience longed for. And the numbers don’t lie:
The consistency, at the time, was his selling point. The channel showed an unusual and somewhat radical lifestyle, which involved intentional living and open talks about mental health.
But what about additional monetization? You’d be surprised to hear, but this channel has its memberships turned on, offering the following perks:
Brand deals appear on the channel, but not as often. There’s also minimal reliance on aggressive funnels or merch.
12. Hey Nadine
Created by Nadine Sykora, her channel is better described as extremely friendly and human. There’s little ‘creator-special’ enthusiasm, just genuine curiosity about whatever place she’s visiting, and truly helpful advice packed in. Hey Nadine is less about the shock value and spectacle, and more about how to travel smart. And people love it:
Her humor is light, her editing is clean and simple. The focus stays on learning through experiencing things.
Her monetization includes Memberships that offer these perks:
Brand deals are frequent guests on her channel, and so are affiliate links. Additionally, she sells her merch and e-books to share her experiences and teach other people about better preparations for travelling.
13. Wolters World
Now, let’s talk about another channel that puts the experience at the forefront of its channel - Wolters World. Created by Mark Wolters, the channel breaks down the difficult and uncomfortable parts of travelling, bringing them into the light and explaining how to avoid some of them.
Mark centers the moments of friction, the culture shocks, the different social norms, the expectations vs reality, local habits that clash with tourism, and so on. He explains why these moments exist and tries to prepare as many people as possible for them. And yes, because of that, the retention remains strong.
Memberships are enabled and offer several-tiered benefits, such as:
Brand deals and affiliate links are often featured on his channel, especially in the channel’s description. They often promote traveling services and special creators’ equipment.
14. Sailing La Vagabonde
What started as a modest sailing experiment by Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu, Sailing La Vagabonde has evolved into its own unique travel format. Every episode is filled with adventures: storms, mechanical failures, and victories. And people love it:
They show all the great moments of their travel experiences as well as the ugly behind-the-scenes moments, what it takes to travel the world on a boat with two adults and kids. They talk about parenthood at sea, show their relationship, show off their impressive skills, and talk about the environment.
From a monetization standpoint, they’ve gotten their model figured out. No Memberships, but there’s an active Patreon page, where fans can leave their donations if they wish to do so. They often engage in brand partnerships, but their main income comes from a mixture of ad revenue and merch/side projects.
15. Flying The Nest
Another family-friendly travel channel. Created by Australian couple Stephen and Jess, it started with a simple concept: document full-time travel as a married couple. The early hook of Flying The Nest was simple: two people with one shared goal of seeing the world together. Over time, it had spread to their kids as well.
Viewers weren’t just in for beautiful destinations and the travel itself. They followed the milestones of the couple: their marriage, creative burnouts, slowing down, pregnancy, and the following parenthood while traveling.
Flying The Nest is very brand-safe, which is why they get plenty of brand partnerships and don’t exactly rely on the support of fans.
16. Backpacking Bananas
Now, let’s mention one of the underrated channels with excellent content - Backpacking Bananas. Professional-level filming, great content. What’s not to like? The two creators, who are a couple, inspire like-minded people to travel.
From early on, the channel positioned itself as a travel operating manual for independent explorers. We’re talking budgeting, packing systems, safety tips, cultural etiquette, and even solo female travel.
Now, let’s talk monetization. This creator doesn’t have their Memberships turned on, but they do have other means for their viewers to support the channel:
All the needed links are right below each video, which makes it super easy to find.
17. Gabriel Traveler
Gabriel Morris built his channel around a philosophy of staying curious. Most videos open with a simple premise of walking through a city, exploring a neighborhood, riding public transportation, or talking about the realities of the place he’s visiting. People like his content; the numbers are proving this much:
His videos are simple; he films alone and narrates his experiences calmly. There are long walking sequences, minimal cuts, honest reflections, and repeated visits to less-hyped destinations.
Monetization is pretty similar to what the Backpacking Bananas channel is doing. Aka no Memberships, but there’s a Patreon page and other additional funnels as in the example:
18. Harald Baldr
Another example of a channel that doesn’t shy away from attending places that other creators might have avoided is Harald Baldr. With millions of subscribers and some of YouTube’s most confrontational travel content, Harald occupies a very interesting niche of such content.
His pacing is fast, and edits are minimal. Since he keeps talking to strangers, there’s no predicting how some of those conversations might go. This spontaneity hooks the viewers and keeps them watching.
Now, let’s talk monetization. It follows a very simple path: ad revenue with some other funnels sprinkled in, pretty much like the other travel vlogs we’ve discussed above. His Memberships are on and offering the next perks:
Brand deals are pretty rare and selective. No heavy merch promoting, and occasional partnerships with well-known brands.
19. The Endless Adventure
Created by Eric and Allison, The Endless Adventure builds an episodic travel series by working with the human sense of curiosity and longing for discovery.
They attempt to try every item on a menu, sample street food by price tiers, explore convenience stores, and rank experiences. They balance their discoveries with their humor and genuine willingness to try as many new things as possible.
Their memberships are turned on and offer the next perks:
Ad revenue is strong because they’re a very brand-safe channel. Therefore, they often collaborate with brands and get affiliate links, as can be seen in the descriptions under their videos.
20. Kinging-It
Created by Welsh couple Craig and Aimee Makepeace, Kinging-It succeeded by not taking the travel itself too seriously. They have their fun with it. We’re talking van life mishaps, budget challenges, full-blown life resets, missed plans, or even something as simple as bad weather. Let’s look at what approximate numbers it puts them:
They’re very funny and chaotic, which is what sets them apart from so many other creators. Their on-screen chemistry is very interesting to observe from an outside perspective. Even when things go wrong, they find a way to move forward, all with humor.
Memberships are on and offer these perks:
Brand deals are there, and so is channel-special merch. Affiliates are rare guests on their channel.
21. Samuel and Audrey
The last channel under our review is also a food-related travel content, Samuel and Audrey. It features a couple that travels around the world and try the cultural food. Sounds simple, right? But it’s rather hard to make it into entertainment in an overly-saturated market. Fans love it, but they do deserve more subscribers:
These two introduce the city or neighborhood, set a clear focus on what food they’re going to eat, then walk, taste, and explain. They perfectly complement each other, and together, they create a cozy dynamic that feels like you’re observing your friends.
There are no YouTube Memberships involved, but they do have a Patreon (and Buy Me a Coffee) page, where their viewers can contribute and help their favorite creators. They do have other funnels and blogs, which they show in their videos’ descriptions.
What We’d Adapt From These Channels
Well, first of all, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make travel content. Some of the channels mentioned above are literally backpacking around the world. Have your channel focused on something, an aspect within travelling, and concentrate on that until you’re big enough to branch out.
The winning structure is almost always:
Hook problem → friction → mini-resolution → bigger promise → payoff
If you need help adapting formats or creating and promoting something completely your own, call the AIR brigade!
We have helped over 3,000 channels, so we can help you with any YouTube-related problem or question you might have!
