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The Best Instagram Travel Accounts to Follow

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Best Instagram Travel Accounts

Last year I did a quick blog post on my favorite Instagram accounts and wanted to update it with some of the accounts that I’m now following and really enjoying.

This time I put more time into developing this list. I’ve looked through over 800 galleries to see which accounts were the most inspiring from a travel perspective. Of course that’s subjective, but the accounts that jumped out at me had the following in common:

  • They include people. Travel is about destinations, experiences and people. Looking through some beautiful accounts, you would think that these photographers didn’t see a single individual in any of their travels. Put yourself in your shots to add perspective to the scenery. Photograph the people you find, whether up-close or in context. But don’t avoid photographing people. Travel’s not like that.
  • But there aren’t too many up-close shots of their faces or their kids’ faces. Personality-driven accounts are fine, but I don’t find them as inspiring from a travel perspective. And I think it’s slightly creepy to like photos of other people’s kids – photos that are more about showing the kids than the activity or destination. It makes it harder for me to picture myself or my kids in that same location.
  • They include the place names when they post.
  • They have their real names on their accounts. Instagram is social. When I’m commenting or writing back and forth with people, it’s nice to know who those people are. There are a couple of accounts that I really like that I didn’t include on this list because I don’t know who the person behind them is. Be proud of your photography! Tell me who you are.
  • There are no more than 2-3 photos a day. Nothing makes me unfollow an account faster than seeing several photos back to back in my live feed.
  • There are no quotes. Great photos from amazing destinations inspire me. Cheesy quotes about why people travel don’t.
  • There are no reposts. I like original content.
  • The galleries are consistent regarding their use of blank space.
  • There aren’t too many ads or product placements. It’s distracting looking through a great travel account and then seeing several close-up photos of a watch.

These accounts all meet these criteria, with maybe a sporadic exception. They’re all smaller accounts (under 50,000 followers at the time I posted this) and have over 100 photos posted. There are several accounts with only a few photos that have the potential to be great, so I’m watching those for next time. And I’m not including the accounts that I had on my first list, although I still like and follow all of those. In no particular order, my favorite travel accounts as of right now:

Alana @paperplanesblog

A consistently beautiful account featuring life in Thailand.

 

Juliana Dever @cleverdeverwherever

Juliana is one of my favorite people. I like her mix of destinations and personal photos, and she always travels deeper – her interviews with locals (on her website) are excellent.

 

Rob and Natalie @loveandroad

A slight exception to my rule of including names on accounts, except that I’ve met Rob and Natalie so I know the people behind the account. A couple of very adventurous Brazilians in very cool places.

 

Victoria and Katja @globetotting

An excellent account run by two moms who travel with their kids more than I do! The photos are rarely about the kids – rather, I can picture my kids in those locations. And I haven’t taken my kids to Cuba yet so I’m jealous!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEBh1lVgJfY/?taken-by=globetotting

 

Meredith Braden @meredithbraden

A designer and photographer in Berlin. I love the consistent feel of her gallery – a great use of light and a distinctive style.

 

Anne @ anne_elizabeth

I met Anne last year in line at a food truck in Spain. I love following her travels, and she’s one of the best travel writers I know.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAQ8gouqIux/?taken-by=anne_elizabeth

 

@aworldtotravel

I almost didn’t include this account since I don’t know who’s behind it (c’mon people, use your names!) but I love the photography and the mix of destinations. Consistent travel inspiration.

Lina and Dave @divergenttravelers

I met Dave and Lina while hiking in the Spanish Pyrenees. A very cool couple with excellent photography who go to adventurous destinations.

 

Lori Sorrentino @travlinmad

I like Lori’s gallery a lot, and I always love when her photos pop up in my feed. And I wish I had taken this one!

Alex Stoen @alexstoen

Alex and I travel together at least once a year to photograph and I’m consistently impressed by his ability to photograph people. Check out his entire gallery – it’s amazing!

 

Lavi Nair @laviwashere

Excellent, inspiring destination photography, and Lavi puts herself in the photos just enough so that you have a feel for her fun personality.

 

Natalie DiScala @nataliediscala

I met Natalie on the Bangkok Metro. Her feed has a lot of lifestyle-type photos, but she’s always traveling with her husband @johnnyjet so she’s in some very cool destinations. Her gallery is remarkably consistent, with her photos of flowers and food having the same feel as her beach or city photos. And I wish I had taken this photo! I may steal the idea…

 

Georgette Jupe @girlinflorence 

I found Georgette’s website far before I got into travel writing – a perfect resource for what to do in Florence. Her photos every day take me back to my favorite city. Take a look at her gallery and tell me that you don’t want to book a trip tomorrow!

 

Fabio @fabionodariphoto

Perfect travel photography. I particularly like his Venice in Motion shots. His website (fabionodariphoto.com) is excellent as well.

 

Anjuli Waybright @anjuliglobal

Fun photos from a wide variety of (mainly close to the water) locations.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEUmuoRiLbn/?taken-by=anjuliglobal

 

Chris Graber @chrisgraber.photography

I don’t know Chris at all, but all of his photos are perfect, and he doesn’t shy away from photographing people. He should have 50 times as many followers!

 

Kristin Luna @lunaticatlarge

I love Kristin’s gallery – travel meets fun. She brings more joy to her photos than anyone else I follow.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFnRZR6AIsz/?taken-by=lunaticatlarge

 

Jenny Singleton @jennyfaraway

I love the colors in Jenny’s photography, and I love that the first photo in her gallery shows a stack of travel magazines. Then she’s off around the world.

 

Flora @florabaker

Simply a perfect travel account. I love when Flora’s photos pop up in my feed.

 

Toccara & Sam @forgetsomeday

I came thisclose to leaving Toccara and Sam off this list since I wish they had more people in their photos, but I hassled them about it when I met them in Bangkok, and want to do so again here! I love their gallery though.

 

Laura Bell @lauraalycebell

An Aussie who has a gallery full of brilliant shots using early morning and late afternoon light. I’m guessing she’ll have a lot more followers than me next time I do one of these lists!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFbGGjAmThC/?taken-by=lauraalycebell

 

Kirsty & Mark Bennetts @kathmandubeyond 

I really like their street photography – the colorful scenes they notice when walking around.

 

Tigran @jrrangertigran

So this isn’t a travel account per se, but here’s why you should follow Tigran: I would put money on him being the Secretary of the Interior within 20 years. He’s only in 5th grade but he’s been to over 70 US National Parks, he’s met with members of Congress and the Secretary of the Interior, and he helped Michelle Obama plant the White House garden last year. Plus the National Park Service has turned him into a cartoon character! If you follow him now, you’ll be able to watch his progress towards overseeing all of the nation’s parks, and you’ll be able to tell people that you’ve followed him since he was a kid.

 

Eric Stoen @travelbabbo

Of course I want to mention my own gallery. I’ll be posting the rest of the year from Sri Lanka, Ireland, Hungary, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the UK, France, Dubai, Oman, Bali, Sydney and Alaska.  Follow along!

 

Who Did I Leave Out?

I learned about several of the above accounts because of comments on my last Instagram Travel Account post, so if you want me to check out your gallery and follow you, please comment below. And it’s entirely possible that I missed some accounts that I love just because they didn’t pop into my head when I was doing this, so I’ll try to get you next time.

And if you really want to kiss up, you can follow my son @ojaimoai and comment on his photos. He’s been to 34 countries now, is getting serious about photography and is addicted to Instagram. Just sayin…

 

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Comments

  1. Lori says

    Wow, what an honor to be included on your list Eric, thank you! I especially like your thoughts – and agree – that good travel photography is more about the place than the photographer. That’s something I love most about your work. Thanks again, and for highlighting some really cool IG travel photography!

    Reply

  2. Mara says

    Hi Eric! Since you’re definitely my biggest inspiration, I can’t not comment. I’m new at blogging and fairly new on Instagram. I currently blog about family experiences and adventures in and around Southern California with a little travel thrown in. My goal is to travel more with my family. I love your blog, writing and photography! Thanks for the constant and daily inspiration. I look forward to following you on all your upcoming travels! And, I followed your son on Instagram. He’s doing a great job! You know what they say, like Father like son.

    Reply

    • Eric Stoen says

      Thanks Mara! I had seen a lot of your photos so I was surprised I wasn’t following you. I am now. You and I have the same philosophy on how we show our kids related to the destination. Keep traveling!

      Reply

  4. Toccara says

    Ha ha! I started reading through what you loved about the accounts you selected, got to the first bullet point, and thought… well, we won’t be included! BUT you featured us anyway! Thank you so much. We’re honored! I will do my best to include people into more of our shots, as I know it helps with perspective and you’re right, it’s more realistic! What a great list of IG accounts to follow. I’m already following some of those mentioned here, and now I have a few more to add to my follow list!

    Reply

    • Eric Stoen says

      I’m glad you found this post Toccara! I had barely started promoting it yet. Hopefully I’ll run into you again somewhere in the world this year. Work on the people!

      Reply

  6. Anne says

    Hi Eric,

    Thank you for the inclusion and the kind words!
    I have to say that although it is an honor to on any list such as this, it means a lot coming from you. Your travel photos are some of my favorite on the web.

    I can’t wait to see what the beauty of the world you and the others capture next.

    Cheers!

    Reply

  10. Kristin of Vacation Couple says

    Wonderful list! Consistently finding travel inspiration is a hard task sometimes but you’ve helped my creative flow – you rock. Thank you for sharing these great accounts!

    Reply

    • Eric Stoen says

      Hi Brianna. I’ve followed you since the beginning and like your photos, but when I looked at your gallery I had to go down too far to see people in your photos (other than you). That’s why you didn’t make the final list. It’s just my personal preference, but for pure travel inspiration I want to see people. I liked your Ecuador photos, but the people who live there are colorful. If you had shown them interacting with you and their scenes, like you did on your website, I think your gallery would be stronger.

      Reply

  14. Jenny says

    Wow, Eric, thank you so much for including me! I feel so honoured to be on this list, and am rushing off to follow all these other accounts because it sounds like your criteria for a good one and mine are pretty much the same!

    Reply

  15. Gemma I Two Scots Abroad says

    Kirsty and Mark are killing it with the colour! I agree, it’s tough to find accounts which are consistently decent. I’ve been putting a power of work into our IG over the past three weeks (after we were hit by the lull) and would love any feedback if you are on the prowl again! Nice post, I do love Instagram

    Reply

  16. Flora Baker says

    Thanks so much for including me in your list, Eric! There’s some fantastic accounts I’d never seen before now, too – so I’ve got some following to do :p

    Reply

  17. Natalie Deduck says

    Eric, thank you so much for featuring us.
    Was reading your post trying to find new great accounts to follow and stumble on our photo. What a good surprise!
    And thanks for the tip, maybe we should put our names on the IG instead of Love and Road. 😉
    Cheers and happy travels!!
    Nat

    Reply

    • Eric Stoen says

      Hi Nat! It’s funny – I get annoyed when I get featured on these sorts of lists and immediately get an email encouraging me to share it on all of my social media. At that point I think it’s more about driving traffic than about really highlighting things that you like. So I went in the opposite direction and didn’t contact anyone about this, unless it was easy to do in the course of normal Instagramming – responding to a comment, etc… Maybe I should be more proactive!

      Happy travels as well! Hopefully we’ll cross paths again soon.

      Eric

      Reply

  18. Lavi Nair says

    Thanks so much for featuring me, Eric! Your photos are such an inspiration to me and I love seeing the awesome places you take your kids! I love the various styles in the accounts you chose and am so happy I have some new ones to follow now! 🙂

    Reply

    • Eric Stoen says

      Thanks Kristin! Yes, would love to meet. The AFAR Ambassador community is a small one – would be great to see you at an AFAR event if not elsewhere.

      Reply

  22. Eric Stoen says

    Sorry Josh – I didn’t really let anyone know they were on the list until today. A few people had randomly discovered their inclusion when I did the post.

    Reply

  23. Georgette says

    I too am on the fashionably late train but honestly, thank you so much for including me in this very awesome list (now I have loads of new people to follow too!). I truly respect the way you look at instagram, which is similar to the way I feel about it too, I want to see people occasionally in someone’s feed, have it feel more authentic, actually KNOW where the said location etc. It makes a difference to the account feeling human as you noted. I hope I won’t miss you the next time you guys come to Florence!

    Reply

    • Eric Stoen says

      Hey Georgette! I’ll be back in Florence November 3-8 with my roommate from when I studied in Florence years ago. Would love to meet if you’re around.

      Reply

  24. Magdalena Whitney says

    Hi Eric!
    I just found your blog. I can’t believe I hadn’t read it before. It’s great.
    I too have been traveling with our 2 sons for 14 years. Literally since they were months old. We have been to 38 countries where we submerge ourselves in the culture by renting apartments most of the time and not only seen the major cities but also the villages. The best part has been seeing the world through their eyes as babies, toddlers, young children, older children, tweens and now full teenagers. All different stages have thought us very different life lessons.
    I see you will be going to Oman. We did a road trip of the country and we found it fascinating! The natural beauty of Oman is specatcular, really. Do not miss the opportunity to go to Wadi Shab. The hike to it and the swim to the keyhole cave are simply amazing.
    I started a blog about 18 months ago. It’s called Four Whitneys One World.
    I hope you visit our Instagram gallery.
    https://www.instagram.com/fourwhitneysoneworld/?hl=en

    Happy travels!
    Magdalena Whitney

    Reply

    • Eric Stoen says

      Thanks Magdalena! Your travels sound great. I completely agree with everything.

      In Oman we’re restricted and to one area and are going mainly because of a very cool kid activity to do there (stay tuned!), but hopefully next time we’ll get to Wadi Shab.

      I like your IG feed. You’ve been to a lot of my favorite places, and I can’t want to go to Borobudur in September. I think your gallery would be stronger if you let Instagram simply crop your photos to square. Your colored borders in varying sizes distract from your photos. There are some I’d love to re-post but the borders are problematic. Just my opinion.

      Reply

    • Eric Stoen says

      Your account is great! Following you now. Would love to see your names on your account – to me that makes it far more personal and easier to relate/connect.

      Reply

  27. Sharon says

    I like your blog but I think you should also include people of colour on your blog. Maybe there is none you find interesting but it’s good to see diversity. You show diverse people in your photographs. I am a black traveling mum, I know this wasn’t deliberate but maybe something to think about for future posts as your followers grow so do the diversity of people coming to your site.

    Reply

    • Eric Stoen says

      Wow, this is the strangest comment I’ve ever received. I’m white. My kids are white. This website is my own personal blog about traveling with my kids. I’m not planning on adopting any kids, so my website will continue to show non-colored travels. There’s no way around that.

      As for my periodic Instagram roundups, I only pay attention to the criteria I list, and very few accounts that I highlight are personality-based accounts. White, black, Indian, Asian, etc… – I don’t care. All I look at is the quality of the photography presented.

      Reply

  28. Donna Meyer says

    This is a powerful group you have rounded up here, Eric. I follow most of these accounts already, but there were a couple of new ones to add. I found your point about including people in photos interesting and realize I almost never do. I shoot a lot of details. Perhaps I should start looking for more people shots. Anyway, I hope you wil consider my account for your next update of this post. https://www.instagram.com/nomadwomen/

    Reply

    • Eric Stoen says

      Hi Donna – I always enjoy seeing your photos come through my IG feed. Don’t change anything because of me! You have a really good interaction with your followers and people obviously like what you’re shooting, so if you like details, stick with that.

      Reply

  30. Jean Farrell says

    Thanks for this! I just followed every single one of these accounts (including your son’s), only one of which I’d already been following. When my daughter looks through travel photos with me, she always prefers photos with people because “they show the life in the place, not just the place” and I wholeheartedly agree.

    Reply

  31. Paul Healy says

    Hi Eric, Great list, I’m going to spend a couple of hours checking them out properly. I also need to include more photos of people, just need to find some good looking models!!

    Reply

  32. Jose Manuel says

    Olá (Hi) Eric, José from Portugal. Another great and useful article. Obrigado (thank you).I hope to see in the near future more from Portugal in this beautiful travel blogs.

    Reply

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