Emma Chamberlain’s YouTube channel has evolved through several eras, but the one she’s in now is definitely her best. It’s essentially a travel channel now, as she documents her adventures around the world through different walkable cities with her dad behind the camera. She dedicates a video to one city and creates a mini film with still shots and ambient music to invite you along for the trip. Millions of viewers love to watch her explore exciting places like Venice, Italy, or New York City because, no matter where she is, she always keeps it real. It’s fun to watch her marvel at the world around her and talk about how she plans to get around a new place. She’s probably not even aware of all the little travel tips she drops along the way, but her easygoing approach to travel is one to take notes from. If you’re looking forward to some dreamy travel plans in the new year, follow these Emma Chamberlain travel tips for 2023.
Chamberlain’s travel vlogs feel like embarking on an adventure with a bestie, because she’ll stop at a cafe to crack jokes over a coffee or hold up an item in a shop and giddily explain why she’s taking it home with her. She also shares the in-between moments of her trips, like stopping in a grocery store to discover Amsterdam tampons are very different than the ones at home. Emma follows a low-maintenance travel strategy that really is all about embracing everything to the fullest while staying comfortable in her own interests and routines. If you want to take a new cobblestone city by storm Emma Chamberlain-style, check out these vlog tips for your travels in 2023.
1. Ask The Locals Where To Go
In a New York vlog, Emma filmed a “man on the street” bit where she asked random locals for their recommendations, which she said was inspired by what her dad did when they traveled during her childhood. With a microphone, she stopped people on the street to ask where they love to hang out, go shopping, and get coffee, followed by a cut to her following their advice. Despite how intimidating it might feel to spark a conversation with a stranger, she realized how valuable it is, saying, “I ended up in some magical places. I ended up in some awful places too, but funny enough, those were the places that people told me not to go to.” In the video, the answers New Yorkers gave were especially telling because they explained why a spot was so special to them, revealing stories and characteristics of the city. You can always trust their recommendations too, because they take pride in where they live and have a genuine opinion about overrated and underrated things to do.
2. Choose One Food Or Drink To Try Everywhere
If you watch through all of Emma’s travel vlogs, you’ll notice that everywhere she goes she always tries the coffee. While she’s a professional coffee lover (she has her own brand, after all), this is actually a great way to compare food and flavors in different places. In each of her vlogs, she orders a specialty coffee to taste-test, paired with a quintessential snack in that city. So, in Venice she sipped her caffeine with Italian cookies, in Amsterdam she grabbed bread and cheese from a cheese shop, in France she had a croissant, and in New York she dunked with a chocolate chip cookie.
3. Stock Your Hotel Room With Snacks
Emma stocks her hotel fridge with plenty food from city supermarkets or farmers markets. She embarks on a hunt for her next food obsession in local delicacies, which is a great way to expose yourself to the culinary culture of a new place, plus it supports the local economy. While you’re out and about, make sure to pop into a market and try something new, whether it’s a high quality ingredient that’s only available where you’re staying, or a curious snack that you can’t get back home. It’s adds to the overall adventure, is a practical way to keep food on hand to cut down on dining out costs, and can create a sense of “home base” in your hotel room.
4. Shop The Street Kiosks
Sometimes it’s okay to be a little touristy. When it comes to street kiosks, Emma has no shame. She loves to look through all the corny gifts and souvenirs to find cheap gems that carry memories or aesthetics of the place she’s in. Instead of buying random keepsakes, she takes her time to intentionally pick out a new piece she knows she can incorporate into everyday life back home. Whether it’s cool sunglasses she found in Venice or vintage-themed trays in Cannes, she’s always down for a cute deal. “I don’t think I’ve even spent above $30 and I have all these cute little things,” she said in her Copenhagen vlog. She keeps an eye out for “little home decor things” to put around her house, because when she’s back to dreary reality and the item sparks up travel memories, she said, “I can’t be mad anymore.”
5. Stop To People Watch
A lot of the time when we’re exploring an exciting place, we tend to move quickly to our next activity. In Emma’s footage, she often sits in an obscure location and observes the local passersby. Especially in more residential cities, you can learn a lot about the local culture, economy, and overall energy just by stopping to people watch and see all the action unfold. For example, in her South of France vlog, her camera witnesses a light fender bender involving a car and a bike, where both parties barely reacted to the accident. It revealed to her a lot about the place she was in, as she compared it to how a fight might’ve ensued if the incident happened in the US. Shocked, Emma said to the camera, “People here are so chill that that dude just got hit by that car on his bike and he just *shrugs*.”
6. Ship Stuff Home To Lighten Your Luggage
If you’re going to be from home for weeks at a time but find yourself running out of luggage space, an option Emma explores in her Amsterdam vlog is shipping extra weight home. Since she only ever travels with a carry-on suitcase, it’s a challenge for her to limit her vintage shopping, especially when she’s really inspired by a city. On this trip, Emma decided that her luggage stress was keeping her from fully experiencing her travels in the ways she enjoys, so she made room by shipping half of her stuff overseas. This may be a pricey, depending where you are, so it’s up to you if it’s worth it. In Copenhagen, however, Emma found a moment of discipline after finding herself obsessed with colorful, glass decor that would surely break on her return flight. She decided to use them as inspiration for decor dupes back home, instead of taking up unnecessary space in her suitcase.
7. Embrace Everything
One of the biggest takeaways from Chamberlain’s signature travel vlogs is her overall attitude toward what she’s experiencing. Sure, she leaves in quirky bits where she complains about something tiny or feels embarrassed by something she did, but regardless, she makes sure to fully embrace where she is. She walks with an intention of leaving no stones unturned, even if it’s a touristy activity like riding to the top of the Eiffel Tower. In Amsterdam, she walked into a wacky sock store just because she said, “I have to go in, I don’t know why,” and in another scene stating, “I have to do the photo booth.” Travel is all about playing in a new place without judgement, and you never know what new discoveries will spark joy.
Don’t miss a thing
Be the first to know what’s trending, straight from Elite Daily
