Inspiration Ahead: Meet The Instagram Stars of Travel

Rosalyn Wikeley sieves through the cocktail selfies to pick out ten extraordinary travel Insta-stars helping hordes of followers mentally escape.

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Inspiration Ahead: Meet The Instagram Stars of Travel

Lucy Laucht

Lucy’s polished aesthetic is the stuff of heavy coffee table book reverie. She beautifully captures psychedelic snaps found in the landscape, moulding them into her own clean style and occasionally adding herself into the mix. From the chilly peaks of Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain to portraits of priests in Rajasthan, there’s a Slim Aarons, Wes Anderson, National Geographic medley at play here. @lucylaucht

Calsnape

Vancouver based Callum Snape, adventurer, and travel and landscape photographer takes full advantage of his country’s rugged beauty. From resting in a hammock pinned to Athabasca Glacier in Jasper National Park to capture the frozen gas bubbles of Abraham Lake, Callum’s account will make you want to book a one-way ticket to Canada. @calsnape

Expedition Earth.Live

This handsome couple navigates the world in their Jeep, taking photos of breathtaking landscapes (and them in their Jeep) as they go. The concept may sound simple but many of their captions carry the same erudite weight as a National Geographic article. @expeditionearth.live

Paul Nicklen

This renowned wildlife photographer, filmmaker and marine biologist pulls regular stints for the National Geographic, capturing the imagination of his enormous Instagram following with evocative pictures of nature’s beauty as well as its plight. His Antarctica shots are mesmerising and his proximity to the wildlife he’s filming is utterly hair raising. @paulnicklen

Lebackpacker

Belgian born Johan Lolos is a self-taught photographer and wilderness junkie. It all started for Johan with the National Geographic publishing his Australia photography, prompting him to go full time as an outdoor photographer. Now Toyota’s 4×4 ambassador, Lolos embarked on a project entitled ‘Peaks of Europe’, scaling mountains from Scotland to Greece (and back again) with heart- racing Instagram posts along the way. @lebackpacker

Alison’s Adventures

Touted by Time Magazine as the ‘female Indiana Jones’ and by Oprah as ‘The Oprah of travel’, conservationist, explorer and TV host Alison Teal spent her childhood travelling to far-flung corners of the earth with her photographer parents. Her knack for tapping into ancient cultures and gently taking followers with her thus ensues, and she’s harnessing Instagram for her sustainability missions with honourable panache. @alisonsadventures

The Travel Project

Couple Charlie Wild and Jess Last quit their day jobs to travel the world off-grid, using nothing but Instagram’s travel community to guide them. Since starting in India, the couple has shared a wealth of non-tourist experiences with their followers, from meeting the tattoo-faced ladies in Mindat playing the flutes with their noses to teaching Tibetan refugees English. A distinctly modern take on exploration. @the.travel.project

Chris Burkard

Famed for his epic landscape shots and films, Chris started out snapping surfers on the beach while living in his car. His striking open landscape work is now hankered after by the big brands from Apple to American Airlines. Chris keeps his followers hooked with wild, open space photography that brings home the humble contrast of man vs nature. You’ll want to hang his snowy peaks and underwater shots all over your walls. @chrisburkard

Colin O’Brady

Having just completed a marathon across Antarctica (932 miles over 54 days), American professional endurance athlete and adventurer Colin O’Brady is not in it for the perfect shot, nor the consistent posts. In fact, his approach to content reflects the raw, untamed surroundings he seeks to explore and conquer through endurance challenges. If you’re after a travel account that keeps you on the edge of your seat, look no further. @colinobrady

Jarrad Seng

Australian photographer and filmmaker, Jarrad Seng superbly captures nature’s savage beauty (often with aerial images and drones) from Iceland’s volcanic river to Antarctica’s penguin colonies. He cut his teeth photographing live musicians, touring with Matchbox 20 and Passenger, and an interest in travel photography naturally followed. Seng lives life on the edge, occasionally quite literally, perching on the edge of skyscrapers for the ‘gram. @jarradseng

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