Virtual Trips: Five YouTubers I Follow
Whether researching a journey or just living vicariously, these are the channels I watch regularly.
When it comes to travel, I am big on internet research. I love hardcopy guidebooks and travelogues and read them religiously, too. But before I go somewhere, I like to look for videos and blog posts from people live there or have been there recently.
I also did this for Berlin before we moved.
Videos especially give you an everyday street-level look at where you’re headed. One walking tour YouTube video took me right in front of the building where we now live.
One thing I’ve learned is that I get a better feel for the destination from people who live there or have a longer history at a place rather than from professional travel writers or bloggers/vloggers.
And, when money is tight or we can’t take the time away from work or school, I still tune in to see what life is like in other places. I may never visit all of the best food stops in St. Germain. And I almost certainly will never live in a narrowboat on an English canal.
But I can put on a video of a two-hour summer walking tour of the Amalfi Coast when it’s the dead of winter in Berlin and dream a little.
Here are five YouTube channels I follow for travel inspiration as well as a break from the everyday.
Suitcase Monkey
OK, so the husband and wife team behind Suitcase Monkey are professional travel vloggers. And they’ve filed trips from all over the globe—Iceland to Japan. But they call London home and some of their best videos are of the English capital.
From the best markets to visit, to the best ways to watch the Changing of the Guard, this was a great channel to find before we took our first visit to London this past June.
Les Frenchies
Colleen and Antoine are a French/American couple who moved from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Paris, France in 2021.
The couple now run a tour agency and advise Americans and others who want to visit France. Their channel is full of great, practical travel tips and advice. And a lot of humor.
Kris Atomic
Kris’ channel is really more of a personal journal documenting her and her partner’s life on a refurbished English narrowboat.
Along the way they capture the scenic beauty of the English countryside, as well as stops at various local pubs, thrift stores, book shops and more.
They are another one of my virtual vacation watches.
Follow My Travels
I’ve been following Follow My Travels before we even moved to Germany. He lives in Amsterdam and most of his videos are walking tours of different parts of the Dutch capital city and other places in the Netherlands.
See what Amsterdam is really like in summer, winter, spring and fall.
ProWalk Tours
A sunny video walking tour of Rome or Venice (or Istanbul, Kyoto, or Miami …) is often playing in our house during the dark German winters. If I can’t go there, at least I can make some informed future plans.
This channel is also my first stop when researching a travel destination.
What sets these tours apart are the map overviews of the area covered plus inclusion of captions that offer tips or historic details about the sites featured in the video tours.
These are my top 5 Youtube channels for travel tips and inspiration. Do you follow anyone I don’t know about? Leave a comment below and let me know!