Ones to Watch: Travel vloggers
Curated by Megan Collins, Cultural Anthropologist, Generational Expert and contributor to the MTD blog
The winter chills have thawed, sunshine is filling the air, and wanderlust stirs within many of us as Spring and Summer, the quintessential travel seasons, beckon. Whether you crave the freedom and self-discovery of venturing off on your own, or the camaraderie and shared experiences of a carefully curated trip, a travel vlogger is capturing the essence of your ideal adventure.
This month, we wanted to spotlight travel vloggers who are captivating audiences with not just breathtaking destinations, but also a glimpse into the frontiers of travel trends including solo travel, influencer-led group trips, and empowering young people (especially women) to travel the world.
Ella Marie Travels
IG @ellamarietravels | TT @ellamarietravels
“If you don’t know me, hi I’m Ella and I travel full time,” starts Ella Marie’s first pinned TikTok video. From mud bathing in Costa Rica to seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland to staying in a treehouse in Colombia, the British vlogger has followed in the aesthetic footprints in the sand of many a travel creator before her. What sets Ella apart is that she is prone to solo travel but also offers group trips that she bills as “once in a lifetime yet affordable.” Not only is she building followings through SFV content on both TikTok (112k subs) and Instagram (79.6k subs) she’s leaning into an interesting new trend of influencer-led travel and retreats that deliver on a growing desire for IRL community.
Lexie Alford
IG @lexielimitless (1.1 M subs) | YouTube 496k subs
In 2019, at just 21 years (and 177 days) old Lexie Alford became a Guinness World Record holder for being the youngest person to travel to every country in the world. Since then, Lexie has continued to travel and share it all via her blog and across her social media channels. She is currently working on writing a book and–very smartly–has made a preview available to anyone who subscribes to her newsletter. Now that’s some good digital strategy!
Emma Top
IG @emmaatop (60.4k) | TT @emmaatop (102K) | YT @EmmaTop (326k)
Emma is a Boston based creator who has been making content on YouTube since 2014. Her YouTube channel really hit it’s stride when she went to college and catapulted to it’s heights with her Semester At Sea move in vlog 4 years ago. Since then, Emma has continued to explore her passion for adventures and leaned into being a travel creator going to many places including Paris, Thailand, and Egypt. What’s more, Emma is an ambassador with EF Ultimate Break, a modern online Travel Agency that caters to young people (18-35). The site facilitates all inclusive group trips handling all accommodations and flights and even offering payment plans. For creators like Emma, their ambassador program allows them to work with influencers in a democratized way than traditional “influencer brand trips” while also giving them the tools to learn about being a content creator.