As the battle against a worldwide pandemic rages on, most of us with grand plans to travel for vacations have seen such plans evaporate as quickly as a squirt of 70% alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
Firmly grounded in Singapore, I know how it feels like to look at the inches of dust accumulating on our passports and to feel woefully out of practice with the enhanced-Immigration Automated Clearance System (eIACS) at the ICA checkpoints.
Thankfully, I have a solution to quench your wanderlust: YouTube! Here are 7 channels worth checking out that will help you vicariously live out those adventures.
Mark Wiens
For many people, trying out local cuisine and involving the use of our sense of smell and taste during our travels is a big reason why we love travelling. Enter Mark Wiens, a guy who absolutely travels because of food. While he is based in Thailand, Mark’s mission to share his love for food with the world through YouTube knows no limits as he travels extensively to several continents just to scour for food. Mark often takes his viewers to the kitchens to see how to see how food of these lesser-known cuisines are prepared locally and this adds a layer of authenticity to his videos. Most of his fans know him as a chilly addict and his iconic sway every time he eats something worth his foodie approval!
Kara and Nate
This adventurous couple made a goal to travel to 100 countries by 2020. They have since done so and are now living the “van life” across the United States. There are a multitude of reasons why you might never travel to certain places, ranging from some places being too far away or simply having doubts over one’s security and safety. Fret not, this couple have braved the muggings and exhausting 10 hour train journeys so you won’t have to! For those who love travelling off the beaten path, their channel might be worth checking out.
Lost LeBlanc
Beach-lovers and people who like chilling in remote, exotic tropical locations will not be disappointed with Lost LeBlanc. From Bali to Boracay, Christian LeBlanc combines his love for filmmaking with his passion for travelling. For the people that religiously head to Bali 3 times a year to unwind, this is the channel for you!
Sailing La Vagabonde
Maybe one day you would love to retire and sail around the world on a sailboat. Maybe you love the sea but often fall prone to seasickness. No previous sailing experience? Not a problem! Australian couple Elayna and Riley said goodbye to landlubbers and hopped on their boat to travel around the world. This seafaring couple even had a baby while being based on a boat! If you are hunting for glorious tropical sunsets or just wondering what living on a boat travelling around the world feels like, this channel is for you.
Garlen Lo
The events of history shape the world as it is today and travelling allows us to see the last vestiges of those events that still exist. A UK Vlogger of the Year finalist in 2019 and 2019, Garlen Lo‘s channel is a peculiar one on this list as it caters to the history and culture buffs of the world. While one might arguably describe this as more of an educational channel than a travel one, Garlen is an awesome presenter whose inclusion of animation in his videos means facts are always illustrated in an engaging manner. And yes, he may have less than a thousand subscribers on YouTube, but make no mistake, this is a gem of a channel with a ton of quality content.
Expedia
More known for their website and app that facilitates travel bookings, did you know that Expedia has its own YouTube channel with plenty of travel guides?
Look past their videos of popular destinations and you will find quite a trove of videos on places that are less likely to be tourist traps.
Travel Thirsty
For people who cannot stop looking at food, here is another channel dedicated to those who eat with their eyes and can resist the urge to fight their hunger pangs while watching. Travel Thirsty is an all-you-can-only-watch buffet with a focus on Asian cuisines.
It boggles my mind how much content there is on YouTube that combines the best of film making and travelling. Like a teleportation machine (albeit without the ability to touch and smell), I reckon it is an utterly unique way to vicariously discover new places and experiences that have never crossed your mind. Feel free to explore beyond these channels I shared, with YouTube your travel possibilities are only limited by what you can type in that search bar!
