Most of us don’t have the chance to travel around the world overseas to Japan, Burkina Faso or Italy. So, a lot of us turn to watching other people travel! We can often find popular YouTubers like Zoella, various Buzzfeed personalities, and even the Paul brothers(I know, ugh) vlogging as they visit Orlando or Tokyo for vacations and events. The problem with that is that because the vlogs are more about them and not the destination. So, here are the top four lesser-known YouTube channels to visit to satisfy your wanderlust!
1. Local Adventurer
Formerly known as TheFu or TheFu Music, this travel vlog is primarily comprised of the brothers Jacob and Joshua Fu, Jacob’s wife Esther, and Josh’s girlfriend Macy, as well as some other YouTube, friends, and family members. They started off as two brothers who made cover music videos, performed original songs, and made Q and A videos. Jacob later took over their second channel and renamed it Local Adventurer, documenting his travels with his wife, Esther, as Josh kept their main channel going with the same music videos and other tidbits from his life. Recently, they rebranded with Jacob rejoining Josh on their newly renamed main channel, now also known as Local Adventurer. Here, they frequently release videos listing top places to go in certain areas, such as the top 11 dessert places in NYC, as well as vlog their travels, such as Josh and Macy’s date night to Springs in Orlando, Florida. Their videos are calming and informative, and they only have about 102,000 subscribers, meaning they engage with their audience and are accessible unlike many other large travel vlogs. Tweet them or comment on their videos, and they are happy to answer your questions and feedback. Plus, their side channel, the first Local Adventurer manned by Jacob, already has hundreds of travel vlogs already up to binge!
2. ShibSibs
Chances are you heard about this channel, or at least the owners of this channel, if you follow figure skating or kept up with the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, even though they barely reach above Local Adventurer, with only roughly 165,000 subscribers. The top figure skating duo in the United States and the third best in the world, Maia and Alex Shibutani are constantly on the go, traveling from city to city and country to country to attend big events and perform in various shows. Alex, the older brother of Maia, is mainly the one who shoots and edits the videos with the help of Maia, who is usually the onscreen talent. What makes their channel unique is that their vlogs display what only the top athletes in the world see; Polo Ralph Lauren photoshoots, speaking on panels at KCon in Los Angeles, and, of course, footage of other countries like Japan and Switzerland, accompanied with the generic shots of the view out of airplane windows. Coupled with lighthearted sibling antics and occasional adorable home videos of them as children this travel channel, much like Local Adventurer, is intriguing and will bring a smile to any viewer. The only downside to this channel is that because of their busy and hectic schedule, they don’t always post regularly and when they do it is often a spurt of videos. Silence smattered with a video here and there, and another spurt of videos, again and again. Despite the inconsistency, however, their videos are worth the wait. In the meantime, following their other social media(most notably Instagram and Twitter) takes you on less detailed exhibitions of their adventures. Also like the Fu brothers, they actively respond to you if you tweet them or comment on a new video.
3. TFIL
I’m not sure if this really qualifies as a “lesser-known” travel vlog since this YouTube channel has almost two million subscribers, but I’ll include it anyway since I don’t think he’s widely known as a YouTuber. Run by former Vine star(R.I.P. Vine) Elton Castee, TFIL focuses on Elton’s travels and adventures with his friends. While Local Adventurer is more of an “exploration” and “recommendations” channel and the ShibSibs is mostly a “come along with us” channel, TFIL’s main focus really is the adventure. Elton has been on insane thrill rides in New Zealand, ridden camels at the Great Pyramids in Egypt, stayed overnight at Aokigahara Forest(the “Suicide Forest”) in Japan, and scuba dived with sharks…many times. This channel also comes with his crazy antics with other former Viners such as Sam Golbach, Colby Brock, and Gabbie Hanna. Mostly involving staying overnight in amusement parks, reportedly haunted places like abandoned military hospitals, and simply trolling around at home. Elton includes a lot of drone aerial footage and uploads frequently. Whether you’re feeling nostalgic for Vine or just want to see action and adventure in other countries, you should subscribe to TFIL.
4. Jack Harries
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Jack Harries? From JacksGap? From Jack and Finn? But Tiffany, they’re famous! They have millions of subscribers! They’re known for being twins on YouTube!” And I’m telling you, “EXACTLY!” They’re known for being twins, so what happens when only one twin takes over the channel? That’s exactly what happened with JacksGap, now renamed “Jack Harries”. Although the videos are uploaded very infrequently, there are still plenty of travel videos to watch that have been uploaded already. Jack’s videos’ primarily focuses on soul-searching, humanity, and things like mental health and global warming. Although he rarely frequents his YouTube channel anymore, Jack posts constantly on his Instagram, so if you want more updates from him, go follow him there.