We’ve all seen their swoon-worthy pictures. They’re the bikini-clad people lying on a beach in Bali somewhere sipping out of a coconut or snapping photos hanging out of a helicopter. Instagram fame is a funny thing. In the past few years, businesses and travel bloggers alike have recognized the value of marketing themselves on this platform. Some lucky people have even learned how to make a living while traveling the world.
If you know how to use a camera and take good videos, chances are, you’ll gain a pretty good following. We’ve seen Instagram users’ accounts flourish from just a few thousand followers to well over 100k within a couple of years. For the ultimate wanderlust inspiration of your own, we’ve curated a list of some of our favorite travel bloggers you really need to follow.
Travel Bloggers You Should Really Be Following
Okay, here they are. Just a heads up, these pages will give you the full-blown travel bug. After spending an hour or so staring at the warm turquoise waters of Seychelles or watching time-lapse videos of the sun rising in Bali, we’re more than ready to pack our bags. Without further ado, here are some epic travel bloggers you really should be following.
1. Do You Travel (Jack Morris)
Credit: Do You Travel
If you’re on Instagram, you must have seen pictures of this British native and his girlfriend, Gypsea Lust (Lauren Bullen). They’re literally everywhere and have amassed quite the following. Every picture they post looks like a postcard sent from the ultimate honeymoon. Spontaneous dates, exploring waterfalls, and breakfasts with giraffes on a safari.
These two travel bloggers met a few years back on a trip in Fiji. They’ve already traveled to more than 30 countries together. Here’s another whopper. They’re earning more than six figures a year living their dream life. Jack Morris, the face of the blog Do You Travel, has 2.8 million Instagram followers and growing.
Morris revealed he never went to college and cleaned carpets for a living. Afterward, he lived out of a backpack for four years before he finally got a house with Lauren at the end of 2016. She recently moved from her home in Australia and now, they’ve got a sweet luxury jungle house in – you guessed it, Bali. “We met in March 2016 whilst on a job together in Fiji. We got on so well from day one and were inseparable throughout the whole trip, said Morris. “On our last night in Fiji I asked her to come to Bali with me, she said yes and we've been together ever since!”
2. Gypsea Lust
Credit: Gypsea Lust
In 2017, Travel and Leisure reported travel bloggers Jack and Lauren were making well over $100k a year, averaging between $7,500 to $9,000 per sponsored Instagram post. How can we hop on board? Have you dreamed about becoming an Instagram star too? Travel bloggers Do You Travel and Gypsea Lust have some advice. First, use Adobe Lightroom to edit your photos, not Instagram filters. It also helps to invest in a professional DSLR or mirrorless camera. Their camera of choice is the Canon 5D Mark IV. Second, plan out your posts ahead of time. People are more likely to follow a consistently-themed feed than one that seems scattered and unorganized.
Their entire feed is filled with jaw-dropping destinations, all of which seem to be a magically uncrowded paradise. So how do they get these pictures? And how do they find all these off-the-grid wonderlands? Morris and Bullen credit their finds to word of mouth, Instagram, and a little Pinterest research. Their goal is to visit at least one new country a month.
To avoid crowds and get the best photos possible, Gypsea Lust and her man get up early. We mean really early. Here’s a heads up. If you want to get solo photos in places like the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Eiffel Tower, or Angkor Wat, you should be there an hour after sunrise. An added plus, you’ll get all the beautiful soft, diffused light of the early morning hours.
3. Beautiful Destinations
Credit: Jason Charles Hill
Okay, so Beautiful Destinations isn’t just a couple of casual travel bloggers. It’s an award-winning creative agency and the largest travel community on social media. Everything they post is absolutely breathtaking. Their mission is to celebrate all the beauty the world has to offer and to change people’s opinions on travel for the better. Besides just visiting a place, the staff of Beautiful Destinations dives wholeheartedly into the local culture.
“Positivity, inclusion, vibrancy, and color are at the center” of their brand. They strongly believe the world is a better place when people experience new cultures, leave their front doorstep behind them, and see the world. Besides traveling for pleasure, they also work with some of the biggest brand names, governments, and charity organizations to create detailed social-first storytelling.
Among their past and current clients include Microsoft, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, Airbnb, Philippines Department of Tourism, MGM Resorts, Tourism Ireland, Forbes Travel Guide, Food and Wine, Travel + Leisure, and more. Keep an eye open. They’ve been hiring. We don’t know about you but we think traveling for a living is hands down the world’s coolest job.
4. Captain Potter (Sam Potter)
Credit: Captain Potter
This Kauai native has certainly made a name for himself among travel bloggers. The mountains, ocean, and world around him have all become an integral part of his personhood. Sam takes stewardship seriously; he appreciates cultures from all over the world. After being locked on a small island in the Pacific, he realized an impetus to travel. His love for creating has brought him around the globe.
When you travel, you’re always being introduced to new things, sounds, mountains, the ocean, the people who surround you. And you’re left better for it. It’s not just your home. It’s who you are. A large part of what he wants to change about the travel industry is going just for a trend.
The secrecy of a place is what keeps it magical – respecting the land, protecting traditions.
Whenever Sam meets someone new and finds himself in a new place – if it’s quiet and there’s no one around, he does his part to keep it that way. It’s so important to enter with respect and the knowledge that now that you found this place, you have a responsibility to it. Make sure it never loses its magic. Keep the quiet places quiet. Follow along on his adventure via the Captain’s Log on YouTube and be sure to check out his page on Instagram.
5. Emmett Sparling
Credit: Emmett Sparling
Meet the adventurer and photographer Emmett Sparling. His vibrant photos and videos are nothing short of love at first sight. This crisp and surreal photography tells the story of a young man who’s come a long way in developing his skill set and seen some of the most magical places on earth. If you take a closer look though, you’ll see something else. There’s a lot to this Vancouver creative. Somehow, he’s managed to carve out a distinct image for himself among the millions of travel bloggers.
A Little Backstory on Emmett Sparling
Coming from a family of photographer’s Emmett first picked up a Canon 7D when he was young and learned from his mom. For the first two years of his endeavors, he dabbled in microphotography. He kept working on his skills until he could afford his own camera, opting for the Canon 6D. From there, he developed a professional skill set very quickly.
At the time, he was doing a lot of portrait work and landscape photography wasn’t really something he’d given much thought. After traveling for countless fashion shoots, Emmett began to discover that his passion lies in exploring and capturing the beauty of the great outdoors.
He loves the challenge that landscape photography presents. Places that were once remote have become popular tourist destinations within just a few years due to social media and television series (think Game of Thrones and Dubrovnik). Since these locations are photographed so often, capturing and presenting them in a unique light can often be a challenge.
However he does it, Emmett’s photos give off an effortless ease. One of the most challenging ventures he has done so far is shooting the Rainbow Mountain in Peru. To catch a unique shot, he woke up with friends before the first break of day, hiking through the hills to capture a 5 AM sunrise. To put this in perspective, they had to hike up at midnight in -10 degree weather at an elevation of 16,000 feet. You’ve got to be dedicated to get the shot. And we’ve got to say, Emmett’s passion shines through his work.
With 262k Instagram followers and counting, this twenty-something is certainly on the rise. He can often be seen traveling with friends and other influencers including Charly Jordan, Timothy Sykes, Sam Kolder, and Maggie Keating.
Gather Inspiration from the Best Travel Bloggers
Now that we’ve told you all about the best travel bloggers, there’s only one thing left to do. Get on Instagram. Take it from us, checking out the style of people you admire is a great way to get a little inspiration of your own. While these travel bloggers’ lives look dreamy, a lot of hard work goes into what they do. Content creation takes time and a lot of patience.
What are your goals? We encourage you to do something tangible to make them a reality. Write down a list of what you want and how to get there. The first steps might seem small but they make all the difference. If you have any questions or comments for us or just want to say hi, leave us a message below.
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