Aside from worrying news and disinformation, social media can provide uplifting tales of togetherness and hope, as well as some much-needed escapism while many of us are on lockdown. Instagram in particular gives us a chance to travel vicariously — to get lost in beautiful landscapes, to peer into destinations and gaze in wonder at the adventures that await once we are all free to explore again.
So bucket lists at the ready: These Instagram accounts will help you fill the void in your travel schedule.
Haarkon Adventures (@haarkon_)
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If you’re feeling starved of nature then feast your eyes on the green-laden squares of the Haarkon Adventures Instagram account. Run by U.K.-based couple India Hobson and Magnus Edmondson, the pair share snaps of green spaces as they travel the world. From Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay to the lush Scottish Highlands and Thailand’s subtropical plant life, the account delivers a vital dose of green. Having published a Japan-focused book, “Haarkon Adventures Japan,” images of the country often feature in their feed.
National Geographic Travel (@natgeotravel)
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Since the first edition of National Geographic Magazine was published back in 1888, the society has been sharing stories from across the planet. Today, National Geographic Travel shares globe-trotting tales with tens of millions of followers via its Instagram account. Providing an educational insight into various cultures, landscapes and destinations, the images are as striking as they are adventurous. Scrolling through their collection is enough to stir even the most well traveled.
Girl Eat World (@girleatworld)
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Food and travel go hand in hand (obviously), which is why the mouthwatering delights snapped and shared by Girl Eat World are so inviting. Created by Melissa Hie who “absolutely loves eating,” the idea for the account came from Hie’s dislike of selfies and her awkwardness in asking strangers to take her picture during solo trips. Girl Eat World’s feed is a hunger-inducing onslaught of food being held aloft on a backdrop of alluring views, most recently featuring Japanese snacks such as oyaki (stuffed dumplings) at Matsumoto Castle and ice cream in the Japanese Alps.
Luke Abrahams (@lukecabrahams)
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Decadently detailed and overflowing with texture and color, travel journalist Luke Abrahams’ Instagram images will indulge your travel urges. Posting aesthetically opulent visuals of spiral staircases and regal settings alongside low-key local lanes and flower-clad European shopfronts, the account is just the right balance between real life and reality-escape.
Maya Beano (@mayabeano)
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Maya Beano’s Instagram provides a luxe lens through which to see the world. Born in Jordan, Beano now works as a research scientist in the U.K., but her journeys far and wide result in an account full of snowy, sun-blushed glaciers, wide-open skies and valleys carpeted in blooming wildflowers. Her stylized vision of faded mauves and pastel pinks invites followers to dream of far-off places and feel the freedom of discovering somewhere new.
Train Vision (@train_vision)
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Showcasing the charm of train travel — and Japan’s fascination with railways — Train Vision posts photos of locomotives weaving their way through cityscapes and across countrysides with captivating results. Whether glowing in the sunset, chugging under cherry blossom or through snowy peaks, these photos of trains are surprisingly appealing to look at and will leave you wanting to reserve a window-seat ticket as soon as possible.
International Space Station (@iss)
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Making travel an out-of-this-world experience, the International Space Station’s Instagram account gives us all the chance to gain perspective. Through its awe-inspiring selection of space-scapes, the ISS shows us what our planet looks like from above with a touch of science and learning thrown in to boot: See the aurora australis from 430 kilometers above the Indian Ocean during a “starry nighttime orbital pass,” or glimpse the spider web-like network of lights illuminating Earth’s cities. There are also plenty of pictures that give insight into what life is like aboard the space station.
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