When you get a sudden urge to adventure, you’ll need more than just a trusty backpack. You’ll need to know how to travel safely and how to get around without spending a fortune. Backpacking influencers are expert travelers who have plenty of tips and advice to help you make your journey a success.
Even if you don’t have any travel plans laid out, these influencers might just inspire you to take flight. Here are 15 popular backpacking influencers to seek out online.
Top 15 backpacking influencers
Derek Earl Baron
Derek’s audience knows him as Wandering Earl — Earl being his middle name. Back in late 1999, Baron headed overseas for a three-month backpacking trip through Southeast Asia. Once he was out on his adventure, he decided to extend his time abroad. Months turned into years, and now Baron has journeyed through more than 100 countries. He’s been to places like Iraq and Portugal, and shares about them on his blog. You can find him on X and Instagram.
Matt Lyons
Matt is a TikTok hiking influencer with over 170K followers where he shares videos about hiking with a comedic twist. He’s also a college student and shares about that as well.
Karl Watson
Karl grew up in a family that loved to travel. He had his first backpacking experience in 2006 and in 2013, he decided to document a journey through four continents. Karl shares his adventure on the YouTube channel Karl Watson: Travel Documentaries which has over 277K subscribers. He also has an Instagram account, which has more than 25K followers.
Operation Adventure
TikTok couple and profile, Operation Adventure, shares adventure and van life via video. Their gorgeous videos will have your wanderlust on high alert. The two are backpacking, hiking and traveling all around the world.
Christianne Risman
Christianne is a travel vlogger who shares her adventures on a YouTube account called Backpacking Bananas where she has just shy of 200K subscribers. She’s also the founder of Solo, an online shop that sells traveling apparel and accessories. She designs products that you can don on a daily basis or use during lengthy trips, such as a lightweight travel towel and bum bag. Her Instagram is also filled with traveling content and has 51K followers.
Kelly Thom
Backpacking TikToker Kelly shares her love for the outdoors constantly. She loves hiking, backpacking and camping, which you can see sprinkled throughout her travel content. She teaches new backpackers and campers what to never forget and other important travel tips, especially as a woman traveler.
Miranda Goes Outside
YouTuber and Instagram influencer Miranda is a top backpacking creator sharing all about the great outdoors. She has over 57K followers on Instagram where she shares tons of backpacking content. She also has 103K subscribers on YouTube following along on her backpacking adventures.
Dan Becker
Dan is a YouTuber who focuses on backpacking in his content. He has 362K subscribers who are all along for the ride. You can find tips on backpacking gear you should or shouldn’t get as well as other hiking and backpacking videos.
Hailey
Hailey is a TikToker who is also a backpacker, runner and girly girl in the outdoors. She has gained just under 13K followers on the app so far. You can find some beautiful hike ideas and other outdoor traveling tips on her page.
Cody and Victoria Blue
Cody and Victoria are backpacking influencers on YouTube and also a husband and wife duo. On their YouTube channel you’ll find adventures and outdoor films. Their videos have attracted 192K subscribers to their channel to watch their epic adventures.
Madison Clysdale
Madison is a TikToker with over 115K followers. She loves hiking, backpacking and being with her dog outdoors. She shares solo and group content that’ll inspire you to start traveling outdoors as well.
Foresty Forest
The YouTube channel Foresty Forest is run by a man who has been living in a van since 2018. He has 375K followers on this channel, but also has a smaller second channel where he shares his hikes. While his content is mostly focused on van life, that life tends to take him into the world of hiking and backpacking throughout Canada.
Backpacking TV
Last but not least is Backpacking TV, a YouTube channel with 126K followers focused on backpacking, of course. Backpacking TV focuses on backpacking instruction, gear reviews, action segments, plus anything else to do with being outdoors.
Working with backpacking influencers
If your business specializes in travel services, a backpacking influencer like the ones mentioned above might be able to help you reach a larger audience. Influencers often have the credibility and communication skills to draw a crowd. But, as you search for the right influencer for your brand, keep your company’s values and voice in mind. You’ll want to partner with an individual who complements your brand’s mission and ideals rather than clashes.
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