If you’ve ever gone down the black hole of YouTube shows you know that there are a million different channels out there.  Some are ridiculously addictive and others are just insanely ridiculous. We watch a fair amount of YouTube which is partly due to the fact that we don’t have cable or any other streaming devices but mostly because there are some really entertaining vlogs (video logs) out there.  We tend to lean towards watching travel shows and our favorites include great visual footage, helpful information for travelers, and of course traveling on a budget.  

It’s so easy to get sucked into travel vlogs.  They allow you to escape from your life for a short time.  Watching these videos lets you dream of laying on the white sand beaches of an exotic locale.  It allows you to seek adventure or explore ancient temples and ruins without even having to leave your couch.  

But most importantly it gives us something to strive for.  Most travel vloggers on YouTube are just ordinary people like you and me.  They have just made the decision to lead a different lifestyle which may seem completely foreign to most people.   While watching these shows we get the feeling of “if they can do this, so can we!”  

Some of our favorite Travel Vlogs include:

INT AFFAIR

Jen and Rafael have left their 9-5 jobs to travel the world together.  We love this Vlog because they are so down to earth and likable. They give great information on all of the places that they travel to including a breakdown of cost.  They give a lot of tips regarding what sites and attractions are a must see and which ones you can skip. They really cut to the chase to give you the best advice on everything regarding travel in foreign countries including transportation, places to eat, local food and customs.  

LOST LEBLANC

Christian LeBlanc decided very early on in his career to take the leap, leave his steady job,  and pursue his love of traveling. He is a full time traveler who offers great insight about visiting other countries, especially to those who wish to travel to Bali, Thailand, and the Philippines.   He has mastered visual storytelling with amazing drone footage and cinematography.  

WOLTER’S WORLD

A family who has spent decades traveling all over the world gives honest and objective advice about traveling abroad and in the U.S.  They are able to give first hand experience and share their adventures, hidden gems, tips and also mistakes. Their goal is to help fellow travelers have the best travel experiences by offering solid information and practical tips on both the best and worst of traveling.  This is more of a no frills travel vlog that offers very real, straightforward, and helpful information.  

KARA AND NATE

Kara and Nate are a couple from Nashville who originally planned on spending a year traveling the world.  They started their adventure in January of 2016 and have not stopped traveling since! I think it is safe to say that they got the travel bug and realized that this is something that they could do full time. Kara and Nate not only show you the sights but you get a really good idea of what the actual process of traveling from place to place is really like.  They had a goal of visiting 100 countries by 2020 – check them out on YouTube to see if they succeeded.  

Besides the standard travel vlogs we are also slightly obsessed with a few sailing shows. Watch them and you will understand why!

SAILING NAHOA

Ashley and Ben, a couple from Canada,  have left their jobs and sold everything to sail around the world.  They are fun, genuine, and have a great awareness of the different cultures and places that they experience.  You get the sense from them that they are truly grateful for their experiences and that they are positively living in the moment.  

SV DELOS

At first glance you may think that this show is just about a bunch of modern day hippies living on a  boat. Is it true? Maybe, but their sense of adventure and wanderlust is addicting. They have been sailing around the world for the past 10 years.  You can check out all of the places that they have visited, get a sense of boatlife, and view some pretty awesome footage including underwater videography.  

SAILING LA VAGABONDE

Riley and Elayna, a couple from Australia, set sail in 2014 with very little sailing experience.  Since then they have sailed more than 81,000 nautical miles, have over a million YouTube subscribers, and now sail on a beautiful catamaran.  Another big change for them since the start of their sailing adventures is that they now have a baby on board. I think it’s great to see that even with adding another member to their family, they have not stopped doing something that they love.  

It is amazing to us that there are so many people out there who have left their comfort zone and everything that they are familiar with to travel and sail around the world.  Does it just take a lot of courage to take this leap of faith? Or maybe it’s the realization that life is short. While we are busy living our everyday lives it is easy to lose sight of what is truly important.  Sometimes it takes adversity or challenges for us to realize just how precious life is.  

It is easy to get stuck in routine and stay there because it is familiar to us.  Two attributes that we would like to work on in this upcoming year and need to keep in the forefront of our minds are embracing new opportunities and being open to change. 

What are some of your favorite YouTube Vlogs to binge watch? We would love to hear about what inspires you! Let us know in the comments below.