When it comes to making travel videos, there’s no need to go overboard on the gear. In fact, all you really need is a smartphone and some basic equipment. Here’s a list of what we use to film and edit our travel vlogs, and this list should give you a good idea of what you need to get started. Happy filming!
We’ve bought almost all of our gear from B&H for years now and have always had incredible experiences! Their customer service is amazing, everything ships quickly (we even get free 2 day shipping on the east coast!), and even when we’ve purchased used gear through them everything has been in great shape and exactly as described. Their prices are competitive and they have the best selection of any other store.
If you’re in the market for new camera gear/vlogging gear, we highly encourage you to shop with B&H. Yes, we are affiliates through them, but we’ve shopped with them for years and years before ever becoming affiliates. Check them out! But be careful, there are lots of tempting products on their site. ;)
If you're dreaming of starting a travel youtube channel in 2022, here's what we recommend for travel vlog gear. The Sony A7Siii is our top pick for a travel vlogging camera. It's small and lightweight, making it easy to carry around with you on your travels. Plus, the image quality is superb, so your travel videos will look amazing.
Why we chose the Sony A7Siii: We recently both switched to Sony so if we're going to be using the same camera for photography and videography, we knew there were a few musts for our camera body:
This was our wishlist and the Sony A7Siii checks all these boxes. While there are plenty of other camera options on the market with higher megapixels and solid internal stabilization, this is the only camera in the Sony line that checks all our wishlist boxes. Yes, it comes with a steep price tag, but for us, it was worth the money.
This is a wide-angle lens, which is perfect for travel videos as it allows you to capture more of your surroundings in each shot. It's also a fast lens, meaning it has a large aperture (F2.8), which is ideal for low light situations - like when you're filming indoors or at night.
Why we chose the Sony 16-35mm F2.8 lens: We chose this lens for its wide angle and large aperture. Because we're vloggers, it's not uncommon for us to hold out the camera for talking head shots and having a wide angle lens allows us to get more in the frame than just our heads. On our last camera we were working with a 15mm on a 3:4 crop sensor camera which was equivalent to ~35mm lens on a full frame camera. We have loved having the wide angle lens making it so much easier to get us both in the shot when we're in selfie talking head mode.
This travel vlog microphone is a must-have if you want your travel videos to sound professional. The Sony ECM-B1M is a shotgun microphone that mounts directly onto your camera, so it's super easy to use. Plus, it's incredibly lightweight, making it perfect for travel vlogging.
Why we chose the Sony ECM-B1M microphone: We chose this microphone for its compact size and ease of use. We love that it mounts directly onto our camera and doesn't add any extra weight or bulk to our travel gear. Because it's digital we no longer have to worry about flimsy cords coming unplugged from the camera while recording and ruining the shot.
The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom is a travel drone that's perfect for travel vlogging. It's lightweight and compact, making it easy to transport. While it's not the smallest drone on the market, we compromised on a bit more size for higher quality footage + the special zoom feature which allows us even more variety in the shots we get.
Why we chose the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom: We chose this drone for its portability and 4K camera. We love that it's small enough to throw in our backpack and take with us on our travels. Having the zoom feature gives us a whole new world of possibilities and unique ways to get content.
Note: The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom has been discontinued for the newer DJI Mavic 3 so we’re linking the newer model instead.
If you're going to be using a travel drone for your travel videos, we highly recommend investing in ND filters. ND filters (neutral density filters) help reduce the amount of light coming into the camera, which is especially important when shooting video. This helps to avoid overexposed and blurry footage.
Why we chose these ND filters: We chose this ND filter because it's specifically designed for the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom drone. It's a 4-pack, which means we have a few different options to choose from, depending on the lighting conditions.
The GoPro Hero 8 is an action camera that's perfect for travel vlogging. It's small and lightweight, making it easy to carry with you on your travels. Plus, it has some great video features, like 4K video and super slow motion.
Why we chose the GoPro Hero 8: When we purchased our GoPro this was the newest model on the market. However, since then they've come out with new models that even have a front display screen so you can make sure you're in the shot you're capturing. While our GoPro still shots really well, the front screen is a fun helpful feature but doesn't quite justify replacing ours yet. For now we'll continue using ours until it wears out.
If you're travel vlogging, you're going to want to invest in a Switchpod. The Switchpod is a handheld stabilizer that helps you capture smooth, professional-looking video. Plus, it's incredibly easy to use, making it perfect for travel vlogging tools for on the go.
Why we chose this Switchpod: We chose the Switchpod because of its portability and ease of use. We love that it's small enough to fit in our pocket and that it adds minimal weight to our backpack. Before the Switchpod was on the market we used the Gorillapod which some people love, but for us it was clunky, didn't pack very small, and incredibly frustrating (especially to Sara). This Switchpod is the only handheld tripod stabilizer we've been able to agree on and we both love it!
For travel vlogging, you're going to need a laptop that's powerful enough to handle video editing. We recommend the 16" MacBook Pro with M1 chip. It's lightweight and portable, making it perfect for travel vlogging. Plus, the M1 chip is incredibly fast and powerful, making video editing a breeze.
Why we chose this laptop: We chose this laptop because of its fast speed and power. However, we've come to love it for its incredibly fast speed and ease of use. The M1 chip makes has allowed us to edit at a much faster speed than on Chris' previous Macbook Pro which was 6 years old when we replaced it. It was an expensive upgrade but very needed and worth every penny!
Adobe Premiere Pro is a video editing software that's widely used by travel vloggers. It has a ton of great features and it's relatively easy to use, making it perfect for travel vlogging.
Why we chose this video editing software: We chose Adobe Premiere Pro because it's the industry standard for video editing. The 4k editing is fantastic and allows us to render our videos in high quality. We also do a good bit of motion graphics which we create in Adobe After Effects and it's much easier to keep everything in the Adobe ecosystem vs. creating motion graphics in After Effects them sending them to Final Cut. Years ago Chris learned to edit videos in Final Cut but later switched to Adobe. Both are strong platforms so it comes down to personal preference which one will work best for your style and workflow.
New to video editing and want to learn more? Checkout our Make a Video Masterclass HERE!
When you're travel vlogging, you're going to need a place to store all your video footage. We recommend getting a portable SSD hard drive. SSD hard drives are much faster than traditional hard drives, making them perfect for travel vlogging. Plus, they're small, lightweight, and more durable than traditional hard drives making them easy to carry with you on your travels.
Why we chose this portable SSD hard drive: SSD hard drives are more expensive than traditional external hard drives, but the durability of a SSD is worth the extra money. When we're traveling and moving around a lot, having a peace of mind that if we drop the hard drive, it won't lose all of our hard work is awesome. (Note: You still need to back up all of your work!) We've used two different SSD hard drives: this G-Drive by SanDisk and this other one by SanDisk. They both work great, we usually pick hard drives based on what the better deal is when we need to buy a new one.
As travel vloggers, you're going to need a good camera phone. We recommend the iPhone 13 ProMax. It has an incredible camera that takes fantastic video and photos!
Why we chose the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max: The iPhone has always been our go-to phone for years and the new iPhone 13 Pro Max is no exception. We splurged for Sara to get the iPhone 13 Pro Max when she upgraded from her iPhone 10 because of the better camera and bigger screen. The more that platforms such as Instagram and Youtube are prioritizing shorter, vertical oriented content, the more a good camera phone comes in handy for content like Instagram Reels, Youtube Shorts, Instagram Stories, and more.
Every travel vlogger needs a good light to brighten those shots when natural light isn't enough. We recommend the Lume Cube 2.0. It's a small, lightweight, and powerful light that's perfect for travel vlogging. Plus, it has a built-in battery, making it easy to use on the go.
Why we chose Lume Cube: We chose the Lume Cube lights because of their size and portability. The built-in battery is also a huge plus as we don't have to worry about lugging around extra batteries in an already crowded gear bag.
We have two (2) Lume Cube 2.0 and one (1) Lume Cube Panel Pro.
We’ve tried a lot of backpacks over the years, but a few months back our friend introduced us to Boundary Supply and this backpack will forever be Chris’ favorite. It’s far more comfortable than other backpacks we’ve used to haul gear around and this one was MADE for photographers/videographers. With detachable inserts for carrying your camera and laptop plus pockets galore, this bag is incredibly versatile and easy to use.
A good set of noise-canceling headphones is essential for video editing. Not only do they help you focus in loud planes and busy coffee shops, but good sound quality helps you craft quality videos by editing sound and music in your videos. These Bose headphones are always in our backpack! We both have a pair and we always make room for them when we're on the road and vlogging.
So there you have it – all of the gear we use to travel vlog. We’ve tried to include a little bit of everything here, from cameras and drones to editing software and microphones. Of course, this is just what works for us and your setup may vary depending on your needs and budget. What gear do you use when you travel? Let us know in the comments below!
