YouTube and YouTubers

I’m writing this post whilst the UK is still in a pretty restricted ‘lockdown’.

Content creators produce their content for different reasons. For some, it’s a hobby, but for many, it’s a job and primary source of income. The difficulties this has caused those who rely on it for an income have been numerous. Yet many of them have continued to produce enjoyable content. For the type of content I enjoy - travel and van life, this has proved to be extremely difficult. Creators get a small income from people viewing their content, so we felt it was important to continue watching, not just for our own entertainment but also to support them at this difficult time., politics, history, how to do - whatever you want to do, reviews on products. It's there. Search for it, and you’ll most likely find it. It’s a truly brilliant resource and I find it amazing that it's free, (although you’ll probably need to tolerate some adverts). But don't let adverts put you off as they can be skipped after just a few seconds. There is also an advert-free premium version of YouTube, which you can pay for, but I have never felt the need to subscribe to that.

To do this personally, I turned my attention to developing my website and started writing these blogs. Helping me with this was something we’ve done for a number of years now - viewing YouTube content. Margaret and I came late to the YouTube revolution, thinking it was for youngsters and not realising the subjects covered on it would encompass our interests. But what a discovery it has been since we started using it. You can find videos about almost any subject and the production quality of much of this is good. Whether it is about something mechanical, technical, a hobby, religion, politics, history, how to do - whatever you want to do, reviews on products. It's there. Search for it, and you’ll most likely find it. It’s a truly brilliant resource and I find it amazing that it's free, (although you’ll probably need to tolerate some adverts). But don't let adverts put you off as they can be skipped after just a few seconds. There is also an advert free premium version of YouTube, which you can pay for, but I have never felt the need to subscribe to that.

Throughout ‘lockdown’ YouTube content creators have continued to produce content, but like TV and film producers have found, this has been difficult. This has been due to the restrictions placed on people worldwide throughout the pandemic - self-isolation etc. Yet despite these difficulties, the content has continued to be available, both new and of course historic.

Content creators produce there content for different reasons. For some, it’s a hobby, but for many, it’s a job and primary source of income. The difficulties this has caused those who rely on it for an income have been numerous. Yet many of them have continued to produce enjoyable content. For the type of content I enjoy - travel and van life, this has proved to be extremely difficult. Creators get a small income from people viewing their content, so we felt it was important to continue watching, not just for our own entertainment but also to support them at this difficult time.

We are thankful to the time and effort content creators put into their work. Video creation is far from straightforward and takes a great deal of time. It involves planning, filming, editing, processing and all the publicising which is required through social media etc. It is very time consuming and requires dedication from those who do it. We have benefitted (and continue to do so), from the hard work of those who make content. Our YouTube channel subscription is Iarge. In the remainder of this blog, I want to share just 5 of these, in the hope that you may share in some of the pleasure we have gained from them.

The 5 I’ve chosen are among our particular favourites. I have listed them in alphabetical order, rather than our top 5. I have added the link to each channel at the bottom of my description. Just copy and paste the link into your search engine and you'll be taken to the channel.

1. Andrew Ditton

Andrew was one of the first channels we watched. He is principally a caravanner who along with his doggy companion (Dougal), has many interests. The main one of these being Scotland, where he now lives. But he also looks at minimalism, caravanning tips and ideas, reviews, kite surfing, mountain biking, railways and of course travel. Andrew also writes and produces video content for magazines and other media and organisations. He produces excellent quality videos, which are informative and enjoyable.

https://www.youtube.com/user/andrewjditton

2. Bob Earnshaw

Bob, his wife Jenny and their West Highland Terrier Poppy have produced many videos. He is a motor caravanner who travels mainly in the UK. He produces travel vlogs, product reviews, hint and tips and is a very keen motorhomer who visits shows and reviews motorhomes and caravans. He is very knowledgeable about things related to motorhomes and his channel is well worth taking a look at.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZQ5DSOjFao4NcpDgyvX_3Q

3. The Expawers

Sarah, Nick and their doggies - Charlie and Dizzee are The Expawers. They live in Spain and have an elderly motorhome called Vinnie. They are seasoned travellers who over the past few years have travelled extensively in Europe in Vinnie. Their channel is mainly travel-related but offers tips on van life and cooking. They produce 2 videos a week, which again are of good quality.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCasvDNJLIODOEO1YBNKBnGQ

4. John and Mandy On Tour

John and Mandy, along with their dog Cooper, became motorhome full-timers late in 2019. Since then, they have travelled to Spain and Portugal returning to the UK just before lockdown. John is also known as ‘Gadget John’ and loves his tech. Their channel shows much about their travels, with hints and tips for van life included. John is also very keen on upgrading his motorhome and has videos on some of the things he has done. The channel also has features on cooking, with Mandy demonstrating motorhome (or caravan) friendly recipes. John is a fount on wisdom on many motorhome and tech-related subjects and he does regular Q and A videos, where he welcomes viewer questions.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFcfBrwRNNkvyYKXxZ4HH1g

5. Tread The Globe

Chris and Marianne have set themselves the target of trying to visit every country in the world either by backpacking or in their motorhome Trudy. They’ve been doing this for almost 2 years now and have already visited many countries. At the present time, they are trying to drive around the world, but since March have been in Istanbul waiting for the virus to subside. Their plans have had to be changed and they intend to spend some time now travelling around Turkey, rather than pushing on into Russia and Mongolia as they had planned. They are an incredibly upbeat and enthusiastic couple, who seem to have coped with this major setback to there plans remarkably well. Most of their content is travel based covering many themes from conservation, diving and travel hints and tips. They own a house in the UK, which is rented. The income from this and YouTube etc, fund there travels. They are very open about the costs of their chosen lifestyle publishing monthly accounts. The channel is good entertainment and their enthusiasm is infectious.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFcfBrwRNNkvyYKXxZ4HH1g

These are just 5 of our favourite YouTube channels. There are many more, which I’ll share in future blogs. I hope you enjoy the suggestions and get as much pleasure from them as we have had. Remember, YouTube and subscriptions to YouTube channels is free. Whatever, your interests I’d urge you to take a look at YouTube and support the people who spend so much time creating content for all.

Thanks for reading this blog. I hope you’ve found it helpful and will give you another entertainment option as we ease out of ‘lockdown’.

If you have your own channel favourites, tell me about them and I’ll take a look at them.

Please share the blog with your friends, its beginning to grow and I’m thankful to all who have helped with this.

THANK YOU