Once you’ve gotten a handle on what’s an influencer, it’s time to think about how best to leverage their talent for business. Top travel influencers have become pivotal in shaping dynamic marketing campaigns for businesses looking to leverage their talent.

Understanding the role of an influencer is just the first step; the real game-changer is utilizing their expertise effectively.

In this article, we explore the world of travel influencers, exploring the various platforms they dominate and how partnering with them can significantly enhance your marketing efforts.

What is a Travel Influencer?

A travel influencer is someone who extensively explores various destinations and shares their experiences with a broad audience. They might write detailed blogs, capture stunning photographs, or create engaging videos for platforms like Instagram and YouTube.

Some focus on niche areas, such as luxury travel or eco-tourism, while others might concentrate on a specific region or type of travel experience. These influencers often combine storytelling, photography, and personal insights to inspire and guide their followers in travel decisions.

Their content not only captures the beauty and uniqueness of each location but also provides practical tips and cultural insights, making them valuable resources for travel enthusiasts.

They may also work on other platforms such as Cameo (more on what is Cameo) to connect with followers.

The Travel Influencer Industry Today

Travel influencers have become integral to the social media landscape and a vital marketing channel in the travel industry. These influencers collaborate with hospitality brands, tourism boards, and travel-related companies to promote destinations and experiences.

The unique appeal of travel influencers lies in their ability to create authentic, relatable content that resonates with their followers.

Top travel influencers provide a personal perspective that traditional advertising often lacks, making them valuable partners for brands aiming to cultivate an organic following and increase destination awareness. The travel industry is increasingly acknowledging its influence in shaping trends and consumer preferences.

Why You Should Consider Partnering with a Travel Influencer

Working with top travel influencers can benefit your marketing campaign for the following reasons:

New audiences: Working with travel Instagram influencers and other platforms helps you connect to new audiences.
Awareness: Influencer marketing has steadily become one of the top ways to build awareness for businesses
Organic reach: By partnering with a travel influencer, you have organic reach to new networks rather than using paid advertising
Increase sales: You can gain new leads and close sales by partnering with travel influencers to offer exclusive deals for trip promotions.
Trust: Audiences are more likely to trust the content that comes from their favorite influencer as opposed to advertisements.

Our Methodology: How We Identified the Top Travel Influencers

In the exciting world of travel, influencers play a key role in inspiring adventures and sharing valuable insights. Our methodology for identifying the top travel influencers on social media focuses on a blend of engagement, content quality, and the unique perspectives they bring to travel enthusiasts:

Engagement and Follower Base (10/10)

We prioritize influencers with a strong engagement rate and substantial follower count, indicating their ability to captivate and influence a wide audience.

Quality and Diversity of Travel Content (9/10)

The richness, authenticity, and diversity of the content, including stunning visuals, insightful travel tips, and engaging storytelling, are key evaluation criteria.

Expertise in Travel Niche (9/10)

Influencers who exhibit deep knowledge and expertise in specific travel niches, whether it’s luxury travel, budget backpacking, cultural exploration, or eco-tourism, are highly valued.

Consistency and Frequency of Posts (8/10)

Maintaining audience interest and relevance relies heavily on regular posting and a consistent presence when sharing travel experiences and insights.

Global Reach and Cultural Sensitivity (8/10)

We look for influencers who have a global perspective, showcasing a variety of destinations and demonstrating cultural sensitivity and awareness in their content.

Audience Growth and Trend Influence (7/10)

Analyzing trends in audience growth and the influencer’s ability to set or predict travel trends is a part of our evaluation process.

Authenticity and Relatability (7/10)

Authenticity in sharing real and relatable travel experiences, including the highlights and challenges, scores high in our assessment.

Collaborations with Travel Brands and Tourism Boards (7/10)

The number and quality of collaborations with travel brands, tourism boards, and other industry entities are indicators of the influencer’s credibility and marketability.

Visual and Aesthetic Appeal (6/10)

A strong visual appeal in their content, including high-quality photography and a unique aesthetic style, enhances the influencer’s attractiveness to followers and brands.

Responsible and Sustainable Travel Advocacy (6/10)

Influencers promoting responsible travel practices and sustainability in tourism are given additional consideration for their positive impact.

Storytelling and Inspirational Value (6/10)

The ability to tell compelling stories and inspire others to explore new places and experiences is a significant aspect of our evaluation.

Our approach to identifying the top travel influencers focuses on recognizing individuals who share engaging and informative travel content while also inspiring and educating their audience about the world.

We strive to showcase influencers who are genuine, knowledgeable, and influential within the travel community. These top travel influencers play a significant role in promoting global exploration and fostering cultural understanding.

Top Travel Influencers to Work With

If you are not sure which travel influencers to work with, we’ve put together a list of some of the top influencers in the space and the social media channels they are popular on to help make the selection process easier.

But before we get started, here’s a quick comparison of top influencers, highlighting their main niches, platforms, and orders according to number of followers:

InfluencerNicheMain Social Media ChannelFollowers

Chris BurkardLifestyle & Nature PhotographyInstagram3.8M

Murad OsmannExotic LocationsInstagram3.5M

Lauren BullenWellness TravelInstagram2M

Jack MorrisDreamy EscapesInstagram2.5M

Bucket List FamilyFamily TravelYouTube1.39M

Angelica BlickFashionable TravelInstagram1.1M

Fearless and FarEpic AdventureYouTube1.05M

Brian SkerryMarine PhotographyInstagram942K

The Poor TravelerBudget TravelFacebook800K

Atlas and BootsOutdoor TravelBlog250K

Expert VagabondAdventure TravelInstagram, YouTube140K (IG), 60K (YT)

Curb Free with Cory LeeWheelchair-Accessible TravelFacebook28K

Breathe Dream GoSlow TravelFacebook14K

Bucket List Family

The Bucket List Family is known for their successful Youtube channel focusing on family travel vlogs, such as their experiences with forever wandering as a family.

Niche: Family traveler content

Main Social Media Channel: YouTube, @thebucketlistfamily

Followers: 1.39 million followers

Lauren Bullen

Lauren Bullen runs a travel Instagram account with an emphasis on wellness, and Elsa, her twin sister’s Instagram account, focuses on leading a healthy lifestyle.

Niche: Wellness travel adventures

Main Social Media Channel: Instagram, @gypsea_lust

Followers: 2m

Brian Skerry

Brian Skerry is an amazing, world-renowned photographer for National Geographic that documents his tropical and ocean adventures on his Instagram feed for others to enjoy, including destinations around the world.

Niche: Marine photography

Main Social Media Channel: Instagram, @brianskerry

Followers: 942k

Expert Vagabond Travel Blogger

Run by Matthew Karsten, his blog features adventure travel and photography since he loves visiting crazy places. It documents his experiences, travel tips, as well as scenic photographs from his many trips.

Niche: Adventure travel and digital nomad lifestyle

Main Social Media Channel: Instagram and YouTube, @expertvagabond

Followers: 140k followers on Instagram, 60k followers on YouTube

Fearless and Far

Fearless and Far is a top travel YouTube influencer. His YouTube channel is focused on adventure, food, and experiencing new cultures.

Niche: Epic adventure travel

Main Social Media Channel: YouTube, @MikeCorey

Followers: 1.05 million

Atlas and Boots

Atlas and Boots was named a top best travel blogger and travel writer. They extensively document their trips to exotic destinations, including research and background on the destinations coupled with landscape photography.

Niche: Outdoor travel

Main Social Media Channel: Blog on website

Followers: 250k

The Poor Traveler Travel Blog

If you’re looking for an influential traveler in the budget travel niche, The Poor Traveler would be a great place to start. They’ve been featured in numerous famous publications for their budget-conscious approach and free travel guides.

Niche: Budget travel

Main Social Media Channel: Facebook, The Poor Traveler

Followers: 800k

Chris Burkard

Chris Burkard is a successful travel influencer who is also a professional photographer. His on showcasing breathtaking natural shots from all over the world, such as a beautiful landscape, an amazing beach, and other gorgeous locations. His social media feed also includes lifestyle, surf, outdoor and more for the places he’s been to, such as Costa Rica, Kazakhstan, and many others.

Niche: Lifestyle and nature photography

Main Social Media Channel: Instagram, @chrisburkard

Followers: 3.8 million

Breathe Dream Go

Slow travel is another growing niche, and Breathe Dream Go. Their travel blog is geared towards creating mindful travel guides for the travel enthusiast. Breathedreamgo has worked with major travel brands on her unique travel experiences around India as well as other parts of the world, such as Canada and Asia, on social media platforms.

Niche: Slow travel

Main Social Media Channel: Facebook, breathedreamgo

Followers: 14k followers

Murad Osmann

Murad Osmann is arguably one of the most prominent Instagram travel influencers out there and commands a large audience. He started the famous trend of the ‘follow me’ travel shot that went viral. His followers on Instagram range in the millions, and he’s known for his amazing locations and aesthetic sense. His content took off as local brands started approaching, and his feed now features some of the most coveted hotels.

Niche: Exotic locations coupled with a unique sense of photography

Main Social Media Channel: Instagram @muradosmann

Followers: 3.5 million

Curb Free with Cory Lee

Curb Free with Cory Lee takes a different approach to travel blogging compared to others on the list. Cory’s travels feature his experiences of traveling in a wheelchair and shining a light on wheelchair-accessible travel for others. He has been featured on numerous TV shows and publications for his approach to travel.

Niche: Traveling in a wheelchair

Main Social Media Channel: Facebook, curbfreewithcorylee

Followers: 28k

Angelica Blick

Angelica Blick is a travel blogger and successful fashion icon. As an Instagram travel influencer, she’s created a brand around travel and breathtaking fashion designs. Her feed features fantastic shots of the tropical world, fashion shoots, brand deals, and more. She’s also the recipient of Veckorevyn blog awards for her travel content.

Niche: Fashionable travel

Main Social Media Channel: Instagram, @angelicablick

Followers: 1.1. m

Jack Morris

Jack Morris is another major travel blogger who has created a massive following. His photos are all about dreamy escapes to far-flung locations and showing the warm culture of the destinations he visits. He’s one of the biggest travel bloggers and is consistently growing his following.

Niche: Travel

Main Social Media Channel: Instagram, @jackmorris

Followers: 2.5 million

What Makes a Good Travel Influencer

If you’re uncertain about how to identify the most suitable travel influencers for your brand, here are some key factors to consider during the selection process:

Number of followers: Look at the number of followers they have and whether there is consistent growth
Engagement: They might have large followings, but how engaged are they? Look at the number of views for videos, likes on Instagram, and comments to get a sense of engagement.
Brand ambassador and partnership: What kind of content do they post, and what brands do they usually work with? That will give you a sense of whether they can help your marketing campaign and their experience.
Content: What type of content do you want to put forward (e.g., travel posts on Instagram or experience-driven long-form content), and is that compatible with the travel influencers’ offer?
Feedback: You should ask travel influencers you’re considering what kind of feedback and metrics they have gotten with past marketing campaigns and how a partnership could benefit both of your brands.

How to Work with a Travel Influencer

There are many ways that you can get started and work with a travel influencer, depending on your needs and budget:

Contact the influencer directly through their Instagram page using the direct message feature or contact information mentioned in their bio
You can leave a comment on their Instagram posts asking them to check their messages to ensure they see it
Based on the initial outreach response, you can ask them about different packages or deals they offer and provide more information on what you’re looking for and your timeline.
After both parties have approved the content, deliverables, and timeline, you can create a contract that summarizes the discussion and outlines the deliverables.
You can choose to do check-ins at different time points during the campaign to ensure that things are running smoothly and have a debrief at the end to understand metrics and deliverables.

Who is the best travel influencer?

Jack Morris, known on Instagram as @jackmorris, is recognized as one of the top travel influencers. With an impressive follower count of 2.5 million on Instagram, his account reflects his international appeal and success.

Morris is known for his captivating imagery and engaging storytelling, which bring to life the various destinations he visits.

His content not only showcases scenic beauty but also often includes personal anecdotes and travel tips, making his account a go-to source for inspiration and information for travelers around the world.

Which travel influencer has the most followers on Instagram?

Among Instagram’s travel influencers, Murad Osmann @muradosmann stands out with one of the largest followings, boasting 3.5 million users. Osmann gained fame for his iconic “#FollowMeTo” photo series, where his partner leads him by hand towards various global landmarks.

His unique approach to travel photography and storytelling has not only garnered a massive following but also earned him accolades from prestigious publications like Forbes.

His influence extends beyond just large numbers, as he continuously inspires and shapes the way people perceive travel through his innovative and visually striking content.

Image: Depositphotos

This article, “Must-Follow Travel Influencers Sharing Incredible Journeys” was first published on Small Business Trends