Whether you’re looking to scroll through stunning photos of envious locales for a little mental vacation or are hoping to find some useful inspiration for a future adventure, Instagram is overloaded with photography from amazing world travelers. To make it easier, we narrowed it down to the 11 best accounts for stunning travel photography. Their impressive photos and exciting travels will have you itching to buy a plane ticket.
Top Instagram Accounts for Travel Inspiration
1. Alaska Airlines @alaskaair
Surprise! The Alaska Airlines account features beautiful shots and videos from high in the sky. Alaska Air’s instagram is full of stunning landscapes shot from plane windows and destination photos courtesy of travelers all over the country. Perfect if you’re looking for US travel inspiration or just want to appreciate gorgeous high-flying views without the cramped leg room.
2. Local Milk (Beth Kirby) @local_milk
This globetrotting writer, cook, photographer, and stylist travels the world cooking, blogging, and hosting photography and cooking retreats. Whether it’s ‘grams of the rural Japanese countryside, ancient Venetian canals, or Kirby’s own Tennessee kitchen (worthy of an Anthropologie catalogue,) you’ll drool over moody pictures featuring her impeccable eye for natural light. If you’re looking for an artistic, atypical travel photographer with a love for thoughtfully-produced food and design, Kirby is your lady.
3. Chris Burkard @chrisburkard
As a professional travel photographer with a penchant for stunning landscapes, Burkard’s photos are jaw-dropping in both scale and detail. From the bottom of deep caves in Utah to the top of a mountain in Iceland to alpine lakes in Austria, Burkard travels to remote locations and snaps unforgettable photos. Perfect for the outdoor-inclined or anyone who appreciates rich, high-contrast “Earth porn.”
4. Young Adventuress (Liz Carlson) @youngadventuress
A cheery, bright-eyed wanderer, Carlson’s insatiable curiosity has led her to nearly every corner of the world before she even hit 30. She is currently based in New Zealand and continues to travel to rustic and urban locations, like snow castles in Finland, seaside hotels in Dubai, and the frigid Canadian wilderness. Compared to adrenaline junkies or high luxury travelers, the Young Adventuress makes travel feel approachable for almost any wannabe traveler.
5. Kirsten Alana @kirstenalana
If it is luxury travel you’re wanting, look no further than NYC-based travel photographer, Kirsten Alana. Though she touts herself as a “lifestyle and luxury travel photographer,” her Instagram commonly features as many envy-inducing poolside cocktail shots as it does heartfelt moments with locals that offer a genuine human portrait of foreign locations.
6. Daniel Kordan @danielkordan
This outdoor adventurer and landscape photographer snaps photos that are worthy of any Mac desktop background. His stunning photos offer glimpses of exotic and isolated locations (like sparkling night skies above Lake Baikal in Siberia) as well as jaw-dropping shots of more everyday locations (like warm sunsets over grassy Tuscan hills.) Anyone who appreciates dazzling high-contrast landscapes and cityscapes will love Kordan’s Instagram and, if you get REALLY inspired to jet set, he teaches photography workshops all over the world.
7. The Planet D (Dave and Deb) @theplanetd
Dave and Deb are the “everyman’s” travel guru. These amiable award winners believe “adventure is for everyone,” not just hardcore athletes and people with fat wallets. That said, their Instagram is far from average. Their stunning photos make destinations all over the world seem both remarkable and obtainable, appealing to travelers of every kind. Best of all, Dave and Deb are full of great travel advice and inside tips.
8. Cole Rise @colerise
For a more minimalist approach to travel and nature photography, check out Cole Rise. His shots, ranging from old world castles to sun-drenched desertscapes, imbue even the most dramatic settings with a unique sense of calm and beauty. He makes world travel seem downright peaceful; just sit back and relax while you scroll.
9. Murad Osmann @muradosmann
Osmann’s Instagrams feel less like travel photography and more like works of art. His gorgeous shots of his wife, Nataly Osmann, (they created #followmeto, now arguably an internet sensation) offer one-of-a-kind glimpses of exotic locations and highlight architecture, fashion, and culture. Osmann is perfect if you’re looking for artful eye candy and a little something extra from your travel photos.
10. Mark Wiens @migrationology All about the food!
If your motivation for travel is eating as much food as you can in exciting new places, Mark Wiens’s Instagram is for you. He’s all about the food. He posts beautiful shots of exotic cityscapes, too, but it’s his mouth-watering food photography that will keep you coming back for more, like tables spread with Jordanian delicacies and steaming street food in Jakarta.
11. U.S. Department of the Interior (@usinterior)
Yes, believe it or not, one of the most delightful Instagram accounts you’ll find belongs to a government agency. But if you’re expecting dry, bureaucratic captions and mediocre photography, you’ll be glad to know the Department of the Interior has none of that. Their photos highlight America’s national parks, offering glimpses of wildlife and landscapes both beloved and under-appreciated. From stunning shots of Zion canyons to an adorable peek at sleeping baby bears (seriously!) their posts are surprisingly funny, educational, and will inspire nature lovers to get out and see the abundance of natural beauty the U.S. has to offer.
This article was written by Katie Vaughan.
