On Instagram you can find plenty of everything luscious in travel: extravagantly idyllic pools, staged shots of beaches, suspiciously well-lit wine al fresco, and, it must be said, abs. There are thousands of travelers who compete for likes by offering glimpses of their adventures on the photo-sharing app every day. We’ve chosen 21 Instagram users who go beyond the usual envy-inducing snapshots, and who do so in a way that Instagram rewards—i.e., they're as gorgeous as their adventures. Some of the folks you'll see on the following pages are true shoestringers, and some have converted pretty pictures into cash through partnerships (Frommer's has no relationships with any of them). But whether they’re showing us it's possible to take a family on an eternal road trip, being a well-paid style role model in Cuba, or encouraging confidence to travel solo in China, they each share a unique outlook on how to elevate your life through travel, and look good doing it.
Originally from Nigeria, Asiyami “Gold” Wekulom documents the simplicities of everyday life in other cultures. As a creative director and fashion designer, Wekulom journeys to remote spots in search of creative inspiration. When she partners with companies to increase their publicity, she often does it with principles in mind, like when she joined with Merit Goodness, a “cause-based fashion brand” to encourage students in inner-city public schools to stick with education and find funding for college.
Cassie De Pecol dreamed of exploring the globe, and she figured out a way to keep lack of funds from getting in the way. What started as a few thousand dollars from a few babysitting gigs grew into roughly $200,000 in sponsorships and investments to send her around the world. In 2014, she created Expedition 196, her mission to visit every country. In a mere 18 months, she hit country 195 and was credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the first woman to visit every nation on the planet. Her account follows her continued, well-funded travel.
Justin Walter found travel motivation in the long-running reality show Survivor, which prompted him to take his first big trip to Australia. Since surfacing from Down Under, Walter has backpacked along mountains, beaches, and glaciers. His lively, happy Instagram photos reflect a yearning for new experiences. Reminiscent of his love for Survivor, Walter now hosts adventure shows and writes for television in between trips.
When the clock strikes 5 p.m. on Friday, Alvaro isn’t sticking around at the office. He takes advantage of every free moment from his job in finance to explore the world. He teaches us that traveling doesn’t mean not working. It’s all about balance and taking advantage of time off from the rat race.
Check out more about Alvaro's travel here.
Hannah Rheaume says she believes in one thing through and through, and that's staying on the sunny side. Her positive worldview shines through in her photographs. Though she’s lived in Maine her whole life, that hasn't kept her from exploring the good eats and local fashions of towns unknown. You won't glean many tips from her captions, but the upbeat spirit that makes for the best kind of traveler is in every image.
When traveling is a perk of the job, how could you not share your experiences? Tamara began her career as an Emirates flight attendant in 2013. Since then, she’s visited well over 60 countries. The unique, multicontinent flight network of her employer takes Tamara to places many travelers might not put on their itineraries, such as Petra, Jordan or Yumul Al Quain, United Arab Emirates. She's gone paragliding over Cape Town and has chowed down on crickets in Cambodia. Tamara was a featured “Globalista” in a National Geographic video series highlighting employees of Emirates, which in turn sponsors a small group of inquisitive individuals (including Tamara) to travel and tell their stories. What a life, right?
Hawaii native Devin Brugman is a swimwear designer and the co-creator of A Bikini A Day, a blog created to connect travelers around the world through a common love for two-piece swimsuits. (And, of course, to garner huge numbers of clicks, likes, and gawps.) The site came to fruition in 2012 when Brugman and partner Natasha Oakley boldly jumped on a plane with nothing but a suitcase full of bikinis. The duo has since been featured in publications such as Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar. Instagram loves skin, and Devin is all about showing it.
Canada native and videographer Sam Kolder travels the world—usually shirtless, often on a sponsor's dime, and sometimes with the band The Chainsmokers—with a showboater's eye for adrenaline-spiking adventure. And, of course, to have a great time. A favorite Kolder meme is incredible cityscapes seen from precarious perches on rooftop ledges; he once posted a short video where he did a backflip off a roof into Justin Bieber's pool. Yeah, it's that kind of lifestyle.
When the 9-to-5 life wasn’t doing the trick, this Englishman ditched his job to head to Bangkok. No return ticket, no plan, no rules. Since then, Jack Morris has visited 45 countries and counting. He usually forgoes geotagging (labeling the location of his images) to prevent overrunning them with tourists. Instead he photographs hidden gems he stumbles upon in his explorations. Originally traveling solo, he is now accompanied by his equally gorgeous soulmate, Lauren, whom he met in Fiji. As you do.
Meet The Londoner. Her impeccable fashion sense, taste for good eats, and endless traveling make for a prolific Instagram feed. Her eye for wonderfully natural lighting highlights sensations worldwide from the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. to the snow-capped mountains of Austria. While her well-visited blog originally started as a sort of newsletter for close friends, it’s evolved into a lifestyle guidebook for those seeking inspiration. Mostly, it just makes us jealous.
Adam Gallagher is a model and fashion blogger, so you know how this is going to go: Decked out in classic duds, Gallagher explores different countries for photo shoots and paid advertising placement with names like GQ. Even if most of what Gallagher does is styled and funded by marketing types, his posts brim with sharp taste and a masculine intensity while offering a nostalgic take on early 20th-century style—witness him strutting down the streets of Havana in all white or pretending to write on an old-fashioned typewriter at a Tanzanian game reserve. Sharing his travels on his well-known blog, I Am Galla, Gallagher posts his current location to let followers know what destination he might highlight next. We don't doubt that he's inspired the vacations of more than a few trend followers.
At the other end of the glamour spectrum, Brianna Madia lives a simple life with her husband, her two pups, and an orange 1990 Ford E350. But not everything about this setup is easy. From sleeping in Walmart parking lots to recycling dirty clothes, it takes a different kind of patience to reap the benefits of exploring the open road. Her photos and captions take you to the moment they were captured, making a storybook of her adventures. Barefoot, natural hair, and goofy smiles—van-dwelling doesn't look all that bad.
We see a lot of travel Instagram users with a similar story: Quit my job, bought a one-way ticket, aren't I an inspiration. JP did just that. Having dropped everything for full-time travel, he now posts pictures. But there's a difference. JP reaches corners of the world that some of our other favorites have yet to see. He dives into the culture of Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, which he says is his favorite. He eats and smiles with new friends, greeting everyone from children to soldiers. His friendliness is the difference—and a sign his interest in travel comes from the right place.
Cherine Gibbons hasn’t let having kids keep her from extreme adventuring. Calling themselves the Expeditioners, she and her husband have embraced parenthood as a way to make travel even more rewarding. Together, the family camps, kayaks, hikes—everything the couple did before son Mikio’s arrival. They show followers how little ones can always be a part of the fun, while at the same time, they're making a future adventurer out of Mikio. He even has his own Instagram account: @mikioorion.
It's not complicated: This Brazilian website brand manager travelers to various spots in the world, from Petra to Manhattan to the national parks of Brazil (pictured above), and he poses in front of them, sometimes shirtless. We don't mind the simplicity of @bernardovillasboas. After all, just look at that view.
You don’t have to literally growl when you pronounce her account name, but it gives you the right idea of how Christine Ka'aloa successfully travels alone as a woman. She hopes to inspire others to put the grrr in solo travel, cultivating confidence in places that put her far out of her comfort zone. She defines grrr as “finding empowerment as a traveler by navigating cultural diversity while experiencing the bizarre, foreign, frightening, and oftentimes, funny.” If you've never tried solo travel before, Ka'aloa's goofiness will make you feel like having an adventure isn't too tough to do.
A blend of Barbie and hippie, Rachel Jones loves to look good while traveling—her feed is distinguished by gently washed-out colors that make everyone appear to be standing in perfect lighting at all times. She gets around, from Slovenia to Goa, and not just to the fashion-model places like Bali (although she's been there, too—and surfed).
As he treks along on his never-ending world tour, Ian Ellis always has those at home in the back of his mind. He says he wants to inspire Americans to “catch the travel bug,” ditch the all-inclusive, and diverge down the path less traveled. When he began his explorations, he noticed that Europeans travel liberally and often, and that motivated him to urge Americans to do the same. His supersaturated images—you'll love the ones covering Indonesia—have something in common with the theme of his travels: going bold.
An entrepreneur, Jeremy jumpstarted a swimwear line printed with his travel photos. The swimsuits have grown into a brand, Beautiful Destinations from Orlebar Brown. While traveling isn’t always just business, it's a novel twist to turn your vacation photos into a product you can sell to fund more vacations. This Instagrammer's pretty pictures are the reason he's able to go anywhere at all.
Check out more about Alvaro's travel here.
Nastasia wasn't always an ideal traveler: Before finding her groove on the road, she challenged her parents on an arranged marriage and later survived a severe back injury. Now her photos telegraph fearlessness and strength, especially to women out on their own. She also has a blog, Dame Traveler.