Top 10 Indian Travel Influencers on YouTube
“By travel agents partnering with influencers, they can gain a level of trust. People trust influencers like they trust their best friend.”- Jade Broadus
(Co-founder and CEO, Vidooly)
Travel is no longer a luxury, with several hotels and airlines offering a range of services catering to a vast diaspora of travellers. The number of domestic and international travellers has been upward, further encouraging the emergence of top travel influencers in India. A lot of these social influencers have turned their passion into their profession. Their extraordinary visuals on YouTube with updated and relevant information and tips have led to a growth in their followers who pay heed to their advice. These influencers share their favourite travel destinations and hacks on their virtual agency – social media.
Here is the list of The top 10 Indian travel influencers on YouTube that are sure to spark your adventure spirit:
1. Varun Vagish
2. Harish Bali
3. Ankit Bhatia
4. Priyanka Chandola
5. Tanya Khanijow
6. Jatt Prabhjot
7. Nishit Sharma
8. Mohammed Salim Khan
9. Tripoto
10. Radhika Nomllers
Dr Varun Vagish is a PhD holder in Mass Communication who worked as a journalist, academician, and PR professional. An incurable case of travel bug led to Varun quitting his job and taking up travelling full-time. A wish to share his experiences with others led to the birth of “Mountain Trekker”, his Hindi YouTube channel.
This Indian travel influencer has visited a mind-boggling number of countries and their cities, towns and villages. Suppose you wish to visit these places but cannot do so, no worries. A virtual tour is available on Mountain Trekker.
What do Serbia and its villages look like? Did you know about the existence of a Ram Quila in Serbia? Are there unmanned border crossings in some countries? Wondering what volunteering abroad looks like? Is it a good option for those who wish to travel for free? Varun even shot a video about which countries are open to tourism during the pandemic as per your nationality and the government website detailing the necessary information.
With his virtual travelogue, Varun aims to promote eco-friendly and rustic tourism. He has collaborated with Booking.com and Worldpackers. A national awardee by the Indian government for promoting tourism, Mountain Trekker is one travel influencer you must follow for all your travel needs!
“Visa2explore” is the brainchild of Harish, who had, on a whim, decided to tape his family trip to Mussoorie on his mobile. What started as a channel with low-quality videos and audio now hosts premium quality videos. Harish agreed to train his colleague in videography and editing to shoot these videos. He now has a whole team at his disposal, ensuring we are treated to impressive visuals.
Harish takes us on tour across the length and breadth of India. This travel influencer in India has a series of places he visits, split into episodes. It’s like a travel series and could give the OTT platforms a run for their money! His under half an hour episodes include the place, must-visit destinations, local cuisine, how to reach there and where to stay.
Are you planning to visit a particular town or hill station? Switch on visa2explore, choose the series and voila! All the required information and tips are in your possession! Harish’s childlike curiosity and enthusiasm make the videos a lot more fun to watch!
Ankit is what we call a “travelling filmmaker”. His travel videos look like a movie filled with exceptional visuals and impeccable narration. His professionally edited films are a treat to watch. The music playing in the background adds to the overall charm of his stunning videos.
Ankit’s magical uploads make you feel like you too are in the boat with him watching dolphins in the Maldives. Warm yourself up during winter with a trek to Korigad fort in Lonavala. Explore the less-visited but gorgeous North Goa. A video on the OPPO ambassador’s Dubai tour with Visit Dubai has been uploaded for your referral.
Ankit conducted live Q&A sessions and talked about quitting his job to follow his passion. Those looking to learn about filmmaking and travel vlogging must pay a visit to his channel. You will find videos talking about how to edit photos, create cinematic intro titles, what to incorporate in your travel videos to raise their appeal and more there.
This Indian travel influencer has collaborated with several brands like – Tripoto, Vivo India, Storyblocks, Tripver, Madhya Pradesh Tourism, Epidemic Sound and Honda Cars India.
Priyanka, more famously known by her YouTube channel name, the ‘DesiGirl Traveller’, uploads videos on places and food and shopping. After all, if we travel to a place and don’t indulge in the local food or street shopping, have we even travelled?
She visited Leh and Ladakh in December. December! It was 29 degrees Celcius there! She has travelled to Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Spiti valley, Rohtang Pass, Solang valley, Bhutan, Nepal, Jaipur and other hidden gems. Delhi is known for its various street markets displaying the latest trends and styles. Tourists and residents alike flock to these for some budget shopping therapy sessions. A whole playlist on this travel influencer’s YouTube channel is dedicated to the numerous street shopping destinations in the Capital city. Check out her Events/Fairs playlist to know about the various colourful melas, film festivals, auto expositions and all held in India. She has even covered Mountain Goat’s expedition to Kalpa.
She hopes to spark your love for travel with her virtual tours loaded with all the required information.
Tanya prefers solo travelling and has been on several epic adventures. Her advice for those looking to pursue full-time travel is – to plan out the details. She saved up for 6-7 months before quitting her successful corporate job favouring travelling. Great piece of advice, Tanya!
Wondering what a road trip to Kerala looks like after the lockdown? Planning an Mt. Everest trek? Tanya gives you the necessary details, including budget, itinerary, tips and more. Part of India’s seven sisters, Nagaland has often mesmerised its visitors and left others curious about it. This Indian travel influencer has documented the beautiful state of Nagaland, its people and its culture, so you need not wonder about it. If the Ziro Festival of Music isn’t a part of your bucket list, it will be soon after you have watched Tanya’s playlist on it.
Tanya collaborated with OYO to mention the often asked question – “Where do I stay in Delhi and which places to visit?” If you are wondering the same, blindly trust Tanya – the local Delhi girl! Her other collaborations include – GoPro India, Indica Surf School, KarnatakaTourism, MakeMyTrip, Manali Igloo Stay, Kerala Tourism, Realme, and more.
Before you visit Tanya’s digital channel, keep a diary and pen handy with you. You will be compelled to take notes while surfing through her various curated playlists!
A software engineer by profession, Prabhjot surprised everyone with his decision to create a web series on his bike travel expeditions. For those who love bikes and travelling, Prabhjot must be on your watchlist.
His channel is filled with his experience of travelling to several places via bike and car. Based in Delhi, Prabhjot took his bike on several road trips – Jaisalmer, Rishikesh, Dehradun, Rann of Kutch, Munsyari, Goa, Shimla, and more. On his bike, this travel influencer in India has even travelled to Kathmandu, Nepal! He cautions you against overspeeding as it’s dangerous and could lead to severe injuries.
Prabhjot is knowledgeable about bikes and maintaining them, which every biker must know. His running commentary in the videos adds to the overall feel of the ride.
This travel influencer’s YouTube channel features beautiful destinations backed by excellent filmmaking that will get you to hop on the travel wagon. He spent time watching YouTube videos, learning the art of video making and all the aspects involved in vlogging before plunging into this world.
Most of us think there’s nothing much to see in Indonesia beyond Bali. Very rarely do we hear about someone visiting any other island. Nishit’s 4 episode web series proves us wrong. There are so many exciting places to visit. You can watch the sea turtles swimming at Turtle Point. Did you know about the sunken ship at Wreck Point? It reminds us of Titanic.
Have you wondered about the people and culture of Kazakhstan, a country in Central Asia? It’s home to some stunning grand canyons and has a fort built in a desert! Planning to visit Sikkim but unsure of the itinerary? Or maybe you are having second thoughts about visiting Manali in the winter! Whatever your confusion, Hopping Bug manages to make it hop away.
He has collaborated with Epidemic Sound, Royal Orchid Central Shimoga, KarnatakaTourism, Meghalaya Tourism, Goibibo, and more. Keep travelling and sharing stunning videos with us, Nishit
MSK had had a topsy-turvy life before he settled into the role of a travel influencer. Only when MSK enrolled in an acting school that he get interested in filmmaking, which later translated into vlogging. He spoke about his journey at a TEDx event where he mentioned how a small habit could change your life. His talk is aptly titled “The Power of Imagination”, which you can watch to learn a few valuable lessons here.
His adventures are one for the record. Being denied permission to board his Andaman flight because he was unable to produce a negative COVID test report (we are sure many people have faced confusion about this); fined by the police for not wearing a seatbelt; camping on a private beach; riding his motorcycle on a magnetic hill(!); and more. This Indian travel influencer’s 7-day Mumbai-Delhi-Manali-Rohtang Pass-Tosh trip is beautiful, and you will wish you were accompanying him!
MSK loves travelling on a bike as this provides him higher chances of meeting new and exciting people on the way with whom he can chat and share their stories. Check out his Ahmedabad-Dungar Hill bike ride video, where he meets a local riding a bike carrying around 100kgs!
This YouTube channel features breathtaking pictures and awe-inspiring travel stories and travellers, Tripoto is on a mission to make as many people as possible fall in love with travelling. Whether you wish to travel within India or visit UAE, Europe, Singapore, Thailand or any other place you can think of, Tripoto serves it to you on a platter. Not a fan of bucket lists? Tripoto has one ready just for you! Pack your bags, don your shoes and start ticking off the places mentioned!
You know someone’s doing their job right when they have organically formed a community that share their travel videos on the channel. The playlist consists of diverse stories – a trek to Kedarnath, catching fresh snowfall in Shimla, capturing the beauty of Kerala through a drone, a man cycling from Manali to Leh alone, and many more. Check out the playlist for some wholesome and inspiring travellers.
They are encouraging you to go out and travel and do it mindfully. How? Eco-tourism! Their collaboration with Morris Garages India shows you how to travel while being conscious of the environment. You will learn how to reduce your carbon footprint and get to meet those who are consciously minimising their impact. The series is fittingly named “Green Escapes”. Another series they have filmed with MG is “India at Extremes”. These ones are for all the adventure junkies out there.
Radhika doesn’t believe in living an average life, so she quit her Corporate Finance job to pursue travelling full time. She is a professional nomad who realises the importance of sharing relevant and superior quality content.
Wondered what it feels like to stay in the middle of a cardamom and coffee plantation in Munnar? Did you know that the village Malari is said to have existed since the Pandavas? The last village and outpost near the Indo-Tibetan border, Niti, is a must-visit. Must you have heard about the experimental town Auroville in India?
This Indian travel influencer has had varied experiences on her travels, like skiing in Gulmarg, seeing the world’s 2nd most extensive mangrove forest right here in our beautiful country, scuba diving and more. If planning isn’t your forte, don’t worry! She has also mentioned the itineraries of her trips which you can follow or tweak.
Radhika wants to inspire more people to travel and offers several tips and hacks on her channel. Whether you are a first-time solo traveller, looking to turn full-time travel into your profession, feasibility of working from the mountains, etc.
Some of Radhika’s notable campaigns have been – the Melbourne Tourism Board on their #VisitMelbourne campaign; Treebo Hotels – Old Manali property; High Mountains – Ladakh trip and Stay on Skill – Promotion of Camping Kona, Dobhi, Manali
The tourism sector has seen a continuous rise due to the changed mindset of the new generations. Millennials and the later generations have different sets of priorities. While the older generation sees owning a home as a priority, the millennials don’t. They believe in investing in experiences such as travel rather than investing in gold or fixed assets. This has further boosted the travel and tourism sector, which has started offering budget options.
Like any other industry, an increased number of social media followers look online for their travel needs. They search for travel destinations, modes of transport, accommodation, tours and packages, everything online. And who serves them all this information? The top travel influencers in India on YouTube! These influencers can become the best storytellers for your brand and can greatly help you in leveraging YouTube influencer marketing strategies.
Being a leading influencer marketing agency, we at Confluencr, have encouraged this trend and we have built our community of travel dreamers who would love to share their passion with others and help brands do the same. If you wish to discuss these modern travel agents and develop an engrossing itinerary, reach us at [email protected].
