I absolutely love Instagram. I love posting my travel photography and getting feedback. I love finding new photographers to follow. And I love being inspired to see more of the world by seeing the amazing places that people are posting from. I’ve added a lot of destinations to my travel wish list simply because of shots on Instagram.
What Grabs My Eye
There are a LOT of great photographers on the site. But I find myself returning over and over to a handful of accounts. In looking through these right now, they have a few things in common:
- They’re all original. I’m not a fan of accounts that re-post the photography of others.
- The photos are square. I understand that photography generally looks best horizontally, but Instagram is a square format. So post square photos! Some accounts look great with blank space when it’s used consistently (I’m looking at you @alice_gao), but I still like galleries with all square photos.
- There are few, if any, selfies. Selfies are great on Facebook. But on Instagram I want to see photography. Model all you want, but have someone else take the photo.
- The accounts have fewer than 25,000 followers. There are some great mega-accounts, but I like the interaction better with smaller accounts.
- They’re not over-processed, HDR photos. Sorry, but HDR looks fake to me, even if it’s supposed to be closer to how our eyes see stops of light.
- They’re also not over-filtered. The use of a filter should help the photo – vignetting to draw your eye to the center, for example – without being obvious.
- And last, but not least, the photography is great. There are so many of these photos that I wish I had taken!
My 19 favorite Instagram accounts for travel photography and inspiration (in no particular order):
Marta @a_girlwhotravels
I’ve followed Marta since I joined Instagram, then had the pleasure of meeting her in Spain. I love her photos of Florence, where she lives, but luckily her other work is great too since she’s moving to Asia shortly.
Shalee Blackmer @shaleewanders
Great outdoor photography with Shalee inserted into some of the photos in cool, adventurous ways. I really like her perspective.
Matt Long @landlopers
Every one of Matt’s photos is perfect. And he gives more detailed descriptions of each photo than anyone else I follow.
Sabina Trojanova @girlvsglobe
Sabina was one of the first travel bloggers who I followed and it’s been fun watching her Instagram feed develop. A really playful gallery.
Olivia Mair @whereswiwi
An Aussie who always posts incredible images whether she’s at home or traveling. Very helpful when I’ve bugged her for travel advice too!
Susan Portnoy @insatiabletraveler
From wildlife to landscapes to cultural photos, Susan’s photography is amazing. I can’t believe she doesn’t have 100,000 followers.
Joe Diaz @joediazafar
Joe is co-founder of AFAR and a very cool guy and, as you might expect, he travels a lot. Always fun to see where he is in the world.
Cacinda Maloney @pointsandtravel
Cacinda travels more than anyone I know, which says something. One week she’ll be in Latvia, the next week Canada, the next week the Caribbean. And she documents all of it very well.
Stephanie Be @stephbetravel
Every shot of Steph’s is perfectly-composed. Travel photography at its finest.
Leah Davis @thesweetestway
I met Leah on a boat in Spain. I love her eye and the color in her posts.
Caspar Diederik @storytravelers
Caspar’s gallery is amazing – it was really hard to choose just three of his photos to illustrate this post. Masterful travel photography.
Erica Connolly @theonewithwanderlust
I love Erica’s feed. Her travel photography is great, always about the destination and not about her, and there’s a definite magazine/publishing feel. There are so many of her photos that I wish I had taken.
Heather Balogh @acoloradogal
I’m a Colorado guy, and Heather captures my home state as well as anyone. Plus she makes me want to get out and get fresh air, wherever I am.
Rachael @thetravelthread
A fun travel account with a personality. And I love her aerial stuff.
Rachelle Lucas @thetravelbite
An excellent gallery with a fun mix of travel and food.
Katie Dillon @lajollamom
I follow a lot of other family travel bloggers. Katie probably has the best photography of any of them. I like to put my kids in my photos just enough to inspire others, and let people picture taking their own kids to cool destinations. Katie does the same.
Michael Turtle @michaelturtle
A great gallery of photos from around the world, capturing every element of the travel experience.
Inta Fish @curiouscatexpat
Inta’s account is relatively new, but I like the details that she sees everywhere. Perfect exposure and composition too.
Eric Stoen @travelbabbo
Yep, I’m including my own gallery, at least while it meets my small account criteria. Hopefully I’ll be over 25,000 followers the next time I do a list like this and I’ll be ineligible! My goal through Instagram is always to inspire people to travel, with or without kids. I have a lot of travel coming up. Follow along!
Others?
Did I miss your gallery? Please comment below. I’m always looking for new inspiring photographers to follow. And I may already follow you but because of the timing of posts I miss a lot of what you upload. I fully admit that there are great galleries out there that could be included and aren’t. This list is a start!
2016 Update
I’m still following and enjoying all of these accounts, and I’ve updated this list whenever accounts changed names. I also came up with a list of 25 other accounts that are perfect for travel inspiration. That post is here.
NOTE: All photos are taken from the Instagram galleries of the listed accounts and ownership remains with the photographers. I am happy to remove any upon request.
Thanks for sharing this! Beautiful pictures. Check out @beyondvoyage too!
Thanks Eva – I will!
Thanks so much for the mention! There are actually people on this list that I don’t yet follow so will do!
Absolutely Katie – I love your posts!
Thanks for the mention! Saw some other great accounts on here that I will definitely check out.
Thanks for the inclusion, Eric! I was going to say that you are the only person I know that travels more than me! ha ha Well, we both love adventure and the open road!
Wonderfully put together this post, like how they are selected and great to bring awesome new accounts to my feed, lovely selection. Thank you for putting it together.
Hi! I am mesmerized by @whereswiwi! Cannot believe I had not heard of her before! I’m mostly curating my gallery with landscape photography and the occasional shot of Boston, MA where I live. @wanderlustwandermust
Wow thanks so much Cristina, I’m thrilled you enjoy my gallery!
Great post! We write about Family Travel too and have been featured on a few lists – come say hi! https://instagram.com/travelwithbender
We’ve been travelling with our kids for the last 3 years non stop. At 5 &6 they have done 57 countries. Look forward to connecting. Erin
Thanks Erin – I’ve always followed your blog and FB page but for some reason wasn’t following you on Instagram. I am now! Great gallery!
Thanks so much Eric for including me in this list of incredible photographers!!! My main aim is to inspire people to travel so this is just such a thrill for me, thank you!
Interesting list. I could spend all day on Instagram. Thanks for the recommendations, some new, some old friends. While I specialize in equestrian travel, my feed is a combination of all of my travels. @nancydbrown Tag your horse pictures #writinghorseback
Thanks Nancy – I’m following you now. A great, colorful gallery! I always wish I had more red pictures to intersperse in my feed – makes it more interesting. Yours works really well.
Thanks for helping me find some great new accounts to follow, Eric. A list of real winners! I’m putting a lot of effort into IG right now and growing nicely. I hope you will check out my gallery. @nomadwomen
Thanks Donna. A perfect example – you were one of the first Instagram accounts that I followed, but the timing of your posts never lines up with when I’m able to check my home page feed, so you slipped off my radar. I’ll pay closer attention!
Thanks for that comment, Eric. I appreciate it!
Question: What time do you generally check your feed? I am still trying to figure out the best times to post.
Great list Eric! It is always nice to find some of the best out there and you captured them. We have been focusing on IG more and more because it really does seem to be a great source for engagement and we connecting with our friends and followers this way. You can see our latest from Vienna and now Budapest on our page at https://instagram.com/whatboundaries. Safe Travels!
Thanks Cheryl – great global feed! I agree on the engagement. It’s kind of pure – just about photography and community, not about links or driving other web traffic. Safe travels as well!
Great list, I’m always looking out for more travel inspiration on Instagram! Take a look at mine @delishdirection, I did an “Alleys of Italy” series last week.
Thanks Prachi – I’m following you now, and off to Italy next week so perfect timing!
Thanks! And I’m following you too. Have a lovely time in Italy; I look forward to seeing your pix 🙂
Beautiful galleries, thanks for sharing!
I am an italian travel blogger and I have an instagram account dedicated to my travels, you find me as @vologratis. 😉
Thanks for the note Andrea. We’re in Greece right now, per your recent photos, and are off to Italia next week. I’m following you literally and on Instagram!
Great list. I’m already following some you mention (including yourself!) but not all, so it’s good to have a few new images in my feed.
Of course everyone thinks their own feed is great and I’m biased too! 😉 https://instagram.com/kathmandubeyond/
Thanks Kirsty – I love your account!
AWESOME compilation!
Agree with your definitions as well. Some all-time favorites of mine are listed here (Sabina, Steph and Caspar to start with).
Taking your offer, here’s our Instagram travel account. You might like it as well 🙂
http://www.instagram.com/aworldtotravel
Thanks Inma – great photos! I’m following you now.
Love this list, some good friends on here. Feel free to check me out, @MrScottEddy, I love the inspiration that Instagram brings to the whole social game.
Thanks Scott – am following you now, so you’re one closer to 100k. Very cool!
🙂
Thank you for the great list. Always looking for great travel accounts to follow 🙂 Thanks for your offer – here is mine http://www.instagram.com/jeanatravels
Happy travels to you!
Awesome – another family travel account! Following you now on IG and FB.
Thanks so much for sharing these, Eric – lots of new accounts I didn’t know of previously and am duly blown away by!
I’ve recently stepped up my Instagram game, so if you’re keen to take a look its @florabaker. I’ve got a lot to learn from these guys!
Thanks for the comment Flora – I’m following you now. And congratulations on the NGT win! I’ve seen people posting about it in several FB groups. Very cool!
Love these, Eric! I’m already following some of these IG accounts, others are completely new to me. All are inspiring!! Happy for folks to stop by at https://instagram.com/anitasfeast/
Thanks for the comment Anita – great gallery! Just liked a bunch of your photos. It’s been too long since I’ve been to Switzerland. I need to get back!
Thank you so much for the kind words and inclusion in this piece Eric! Love the accounts you chose and plan to follow each and every one.
Great list! There are a few here that are new to us – thanks for heads up! We also write about family travel and you can find us on Instagram here https://instagram.com/globetotting 🙂
Hi Katja – yep, I follow you everywhere. I love your website!
Ah, thanks! That means a lot 🙂
THANK you a million times for including me on your list! What an honor! 🙂
Absolutely Erica – you have one of my favorite galleries. Just saw your TBEX shots. I wish we had met in Lloret! Will you be in Bangkok or Fort Lauderdale? Would be fun to go out shooting.
What amazing pictures! As a travel writer Instagram is my favorite social media platform. I follow quite a few of these on Instagram & on Facebook. I hope you get a chance to check out my Instagram feed @thesophislife!
Thanks Nadeen – I’m following you now!
What a great list. Yeah, the images are stunning and I will be following some of those soon. Thanks for sharing.
Great list, Eric!
Thanks for some great new recommendations – so nice to see so many others out there and sharing good stuff. I’ve been following your feed since I started blogging full time last year – what treasured experiences you’ve given your kids! Would love for you to check out my IG at Travlinmad!
Cheers!
Lori
Great photos Lori!
Thanks for this list! There are plenty on here whose accounts I already loved (like Erica’s) but I also added a few new ones to my follows, too =)
P.S. I’m https://instagram.com/lunaticatlarge/!
Thanks Kristin – following you now. We have a bunch of friends in common and I was seeing you in Angie’s photos from the Caribbean, but for some reason hadn’t found your IG gallery before.
Thanks Stu – following you now. I’m jealous of your polar bear shots! I need to get up north at some point.
Amazing.. Don’t miss this one: https://instagram.com/fabionodariphoto/
Gorgeous photos!
Hey, thanks for the great post! It is so hard to find the right instagrammers to follow an you got them all in one spot! These photos are so incredibly inspiring, thanks for such a great list of photographers!
https://instagram.com/mytravelcollage/
Thanks Ana – I love your feed. Following you now!
Also check out @davidsbeenhere on Instagram! He’s been traveling for over 8 years and has an awesome web show!
Nice list 🙂 check out my new account: laurievoyage
Thanks Laurie – following you now. I’m jealous of Borobudur. I’ve wanted to go there for years!
Great list! Check out Josh’s work when you have a chance. He just passed 20k followers and I may be a little bias, but I think his shots are amazing!
instagram.com/travelwithbender
Thanks Erin! I’ve followed you/Josh since I got onto Instagram. Just need to go into your gallery more often.
Lots of inspiration in this list, thanks for sharing!
I just started developing my account with pics form 50+ countries, check it out:
https://www.instagram.com/bonatravels/
Cheers!
Thanks Carmen – great photos! I’m following you now.
This is a FANTASTIC list! I was only following about half of them. I was thinking the same about Susan’s! Her work is incredible. Thanks for sharing Eric.
Such an inspiring list! I just followed all of them. I love how you gave the reasons for why you loved each one.
I would love it if you had a few moments to take a look at my gallery and let me know what you think. I’m an aspiring travel blogger, amateur photographer, have way less than 25k followers and all of the photos are taken by me (except for maybe the occasional inspirational travel quote).
https://www.instagram.com/wellcaffeinatedtraveller/
Thanks so much!
Beautiful photos Lynne and a great-looking gallery. Perfect exposure, color and contrast. Following you now!