Abigail Hopewell

I have cultivated a semi-regular habit in my evenings to watch a 10-20 minute YouTube video as I am winding down from the day. Having followed and then unfollowed a number of channels over the years, there remains a few which I have stuck with and they continue to impress, entertain, educate and inspire me.

I tend to be drawn to content which focuses on travel, simplicity and minimalism, nature and living ‘the good life’, productivity/personal development. All served with a good dose of lightness and gentle humour…

I list some of my regular go-to channels here. I recommend them all, for different reasons. If any of the channel descriptions intrigue you then do check them out and if you like what you see then please share the love by subscribing.

Travel

1. The Endless Adventure – I have followed this channel for about 6 years now. A YouTuber (who I still follow, but they don’t make this list!) recommended them and I have been hooked ever since. Eric and Allison have travelled all over the place, but since the pandemic they renovated a 1970s RV and have been spending more time in the USA. I love their mini food reviews of restaurants they visit, and they are just an all round entertaining and lovely couple.
2. Travel Beans – Eric and Allison introduced me to Alex and Emma about a year ago when they did a joint YouTube video together. This British couple also transitioned to campervan/RV life in the last few years and decided to purchase an old RV in the USA. After I’d been following them for about a month or so they made a video which went viral. It was both shocking and compelling – watch it here!!

Lifestyle etc.

1. The Cottage Fairy – I can’t remember how I came across this channel but I am truly hooked. Paola makes the most beautiful, calming and thoughtful content – all centred around simple, rural country living in Washington state, USA with her husband. She shares her art, crafts, homemaking, pets and storytelling with such grace and thoughtfulness. I always feel relaxed and often inspired by her content.
2. Matt D’Avella – I first came across Matt all the way back in 2015 when he directed the popular film documentary Minimalism, which after a long stint on Netflix is now available for free to watch on YouTube. Since then Matt has developed his own successful channel which explores a range of personal development-related topics. He’s funny and informative, and a clever filmmaker.
3. Nick Keomahavong – Nick is a Buddhist Monk who was a practising Psychotherapist in LA before giving it all up for monkhood in 2018. Nick’s voice and manner is calming and he provides a wealth of insight and education on Buddhism and mental health. I value his reminders on the practices and benefits of cultivating a Buddhist approach to life.
4. Wild She Goes – Mariana is an inspirational woman. She lives on her own in a remote corner of Italy practising self-sufficiency, learning DIY, fostering gorgeous dogs, making and selling beautiful jewellery/crafts, with doses of travel here and there in between (often in a campervan – are you spotting a theme?!). I love her videos, and am in awe of her achievements and courage. I live vicariously through her videos. All power to you, Mariana!

If you end up following any of these please let me know in the comments. And now you know the sort of thing I am drawn to, are there any YouTube channel/s you would recommend to me?!