TripVlogger Wall of Fame

Burkina Faso is not a popular destination, like most African countries, but it is nevertheless a fascinating and safe place. Tripfilms gave me the opportunity, not only to experience it, but also to bring images that, I hope, will make other people want to go off the beaten track.   [more...]

Burkina Faso is not a popular destination, like most African countries, but it is nevertheless a fascinating and safe place. Tripfilms gave me the opportunity, not only to experience it, but also to bring images that, I hope, will make other people want to go off the beaten track. Burkina Faso is all about its people; you arrive in a small town in the middle of the Sahel desert, and you do not speak their language, but the next thing you know, there are people getting out of their mud houses to give you a drink and a camel to ride for free - with a 10 second crash course. There are some who are scared to go to Africa, because, most of the time, images that we see from there are images of devastation. But, Africa is so much more than that, and Tripfilms give me the opportunity to bring a part of that beauty into film. Seeing the world, discovering another culture, being challenged by totally different ways of living, that is what Tripfilms offers to do.   [less]

I am a Producer/Director based in London and Glasgow. I have lived in many countries, and am also fluent in English, Hebrew and Arabic. I run my production company, Code 81 Films, which has produced a few short films, travel shows for TV and a feature documentary.  

Someone said, "Tell me what you hate and I'll tell you what kind of person you are." I hate failure...  

I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon, ventured deep into Mammoth Cave, viewed a total eclipse of the sun in the dead of winter on the frozen landscape of Manitoba, Canada and have seen a monument built to honor a bug in Enterprise, Alabama (the Boll Weevil). Each one of these experiences only pushes me to see more, too.   [more...]

I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon, ventured deep into Mammoth Cave, viewed a total eclipse of the sun in the dead of winter on the frozen landscape of Manitoba, Canada and have seen a monument built to honor a bug in Enterprise, Alabama (the Boll Weevil). Each one of these experiences only pushes me to see more, too. One of the most memorable travel assignments I ever had was working with a British event company (Lonestar Group, U.K.) in Cascais, Portugal. While there I got the chance to do a travelogue on what I was told was a fairy tale city of castles. My friends took me to Sintra, Portugal and I found their descriptions of this enchanting place completely accurate. With camera in hand I followed their stories to the different castles, churches and places of interest, letting my imagination follow their leads. I love making TripFilms because it lets me take my friends, and whoever else wants to go, along for an adventure that’s limited only by our imaginations. Where to next?   [less]

I frequently work a documentary editor, which tends to mean lots of hours in front of the computer screen. So getting out and making these short films is a nice change of pace for me - kind of like taking a bike ride around Manhattan. I started making films in the documentary program at Stanford and, after 10 years in the Bay Area, moved to New York in 2003.   

David Gacs was born in Australia and has lived in Chile, Argentina, Denmark and currently lives in NYC. He studied Digital Media at The College of Fine Arts in Sydney and works as a filmmaker and video editor. When he’s not trying to pay his rent he writes and directs short films.   

Dustrotter is a series of short travel videos I shoot and put on the web. The whole point is to really show people there is quite a bit out there.  

Brandon Follett and Amy Johnson are the creative team behind Boise-based Earthworm Envy, a Web site that offers omelet reviews from around the world, essays, poems, blogs, links to like-minded local organizations and short documentary films on everything from Thai "ice cream" to the Cambodian legacy of John F. Kennedy’s hair.  

While filming a scene in Piazza San Marco, Venice, I felt just like Tippi Hedren in Alfred Hitchcock’s "The Birds" - Hillary and I had the brilliant idea to have her run towards me, breaking up a formation of dozens of pigeons who were quietly resting on the square. As she ran, a wave of at least three dozen angry, scared pigeons bolted towards me, either bumping into me or missing me by a few inches. I screamed at the top of my lungs amusing quite a few tourists that were around us. We actually did two takes of this - the end of the first try was ruined by my camera shaking like crazy as the pigeons darted in my direction!   

When Ginger Gentile first came to Buenos Aires in 2002, she thought she would stay for a few months to learn Spanish and participate in grass roots social organizations. She never thought that her stay would be extended indefinitely or that she would become a filmmaker.   [more...]

When Ginger Gentile first came to Buenos Aires in 2002, she thought she would stay for a few months to learn Spanish and participate in grass roots social organizations. She never thought that her stay would be extended indefinitely or that she would become a filmmaker. Ginger fell in love with Buenos Aires~its cafes, 24 hour bookstores, thriving theatre scene, and passionate people~and found that while money was scarce, art was abundant. Her original plans of following her History degree from Columbia University with a law degree were exchanged for the idea of studying anything she wanted to. . . experimental theatre, dance, painting. While she loved to act, she realized that her passion is directing film. After studying and learning trial by error, she began to direct her own short films. In 2006, she did the camera work for UPA: Una Pelicula Argentina which won best film in the Buenos Aires Film Festival and edited its trailer. She has also made over 40 short travel videos for various companies, educational videos, commercials and behind the scenes videos of independent films. Currently she splits her time between working on fiction films (yes, she has three screen plays in the works) and filming and editing documentary films. Ginger is also beginning to look into the possibilities of making movies for classroom use in Argentina.   [less]

After returning from a two-year, 13-country adventure in 2007 (during which we shot travel videos using a rather crude point-and-shoot), we thought we’d be ready for a break from travel. Six months later, we were itching to hit the road again. Enter TripFilms, with an offer to send us on assignment to Guatemala and Belize.   [more...]

After returning from a two-year, 13-country adventure in 2007 (during which we shot travel videos using a rather crude point-and-shoot), we thought we’d be ready for a break from travel. Six months later, we were itching to hit the road again. Enter TripFilms, with an offer to send us on assignment to Guatemala and Belize. We eagerly repacked our bags and in February 2008 set off for Central America, brand new HD camera in tow. We started in the western highlands of Guatemala, where we were captivated by the colonial city of Antigua and the beauty of Lake Atitlan. After a stopover in the massive market of Chichicastenango, we explored bat caves, limestone pools, and ancient Mayan temples in Lanquin and Tikal. Across the border in Belize, we made a beeline for the laid-back island of Caye Caulker, where we dutifully complied with the locals’ official motto: "Go Slow." Follow our adventures as we climb volcanoes, eat raw coffee beans, troll for cave spiders, and drink pina coladas on the beach. Thanks for watching!   [less]

Hailing from the rainy city of Seattle, this duo is constantly pushing the limits of adventure travel. Riding mountain bikes to Mt. Everest base camp, flipping off a cruise ship on the Yangtze River, illegally crossing into North Korea, trying to ride motorcycles from Bangkok to Singapore in two weeks (having previously never been on motorcycles), camping in downtown Beijing during the Olympics, and eating goat penis are some of their exciting and informative trips caught on film. In Deep Films is currently based in Qingdao, China... wait, isn’t that the beer capital of China?  

It’s been great fun making the little films for Tripfilms. They’ve provided me with a good excuse to get out and about and do some exploring. It’s sometimes a challenge to squeeze everything into a very short time, but they're a wonderful snapshot of a place and time.  

I look at my camera as a conversation tool. I use it to meet people. Because without fail, when you carry a big camera, people always want to know what you’re up to, which makes it hands-down the best way to meet locals and hear their stories. Filmmaking opens doors to one-of-a-kind experiences and brings more purpose to my crazy adventures. Enjoy the journey and remember that it’s not just about the memories we make, but the stories we share while we’re making them.  

The camera gives me a reason to document how much I love experiencing the world. Whenever I travel, I try not to be a tourist, but instead find ways to experience the place as the locals would. I’m just as happy skiing a glacier in New Zealand, trekking through a jungle to people watching in a town where I do not know a lick of the language. I roll with the spontaneity of traveling and my favorite joy is meeting the locals on the way.

I had so many many thrilling and memorable moments filming for Tripfilms in various locations in Southeast Asia. One is taking a private helicopter above Angkor Wat to get some aerial shots. I had never been in a hellicopter before, and the adrenaline of the flight, combined with the mind-blowing ancient scenery from above, and the throngs of cheering locals gathered to witness the spectacle and wave at us from the ground as we took off, made for a totally exhilerating travel memory I’ll never forget.   

Miles Roston’s films include Make It Real (to me), 14 Million Dreams, and (S)ix (D)ays (I)n (A)ugust. His book, Taking Away the Distance, is being published in the USA December, 2007. In Australia and New Zealand, it is called Kevin’s Questions and has just been released.  

After graduating college I set my sights on world travel, destination: Spain. I had three weeks to see as much of Spain as possible and a clear set of destinations. I started in Madrid and headed north to Asturias. I visited the gorgeous city of Oviedo, pushed my way through crowds of underage club hoppers in Gijon and went on a quest to find the town of Hevia, my ancestral homeland.   [more...]

After graduating college I set my sights on world travel, destination: Spain. I had three weeks to see as much of Spain as possible and a clear set of destinations. I started in Madrid and headed north to Asturias. I visited the gorgeous city of Oviedo, pushed my way through crowds of underage club hoppers in Gijon and went on a quest to find the town of Hevia, my ancestral homeland. Flying clear across the country, I headed east to Barcelona for a few nights of revelry in the Gothic Quarter and marveled at the world famous architecture. Then it was back to Madrid on a culinary mission to find the best vegetarian eatery in the entire city. I took a day trip to Segovia, spent a weekend in Sevilla and one night in Morrocco, at a tiny riad in Marrakesh. Along the way, focused my camera on the places I stayed, the things I did and more importantly, places I ate. It was a crash course in european living and I loved every minute of it. The best part? If it weren’t for TripFilms, i couldn’t have done half of it.   [less]

What do you want to be when you grow up? That is the question faced by all as we embark on that awkward struggle from teenager to adult. Believe me, I spent too much time trying to answer that question. I spent some time fighting forest fires before moving on to my "career" as a carpenter. But upon reflection, these were just "jobs" -- my true "profession" is traveling.   [more...]

What do you want to be when you grow up? That is the question faced by all as we embark on that awkward struggle from teenager to adult. Believe me, I spent too much time trying to answer that question. I spent some time fighting forest fires before moving on to my "career" as a carpenter. But upon reflection, these were just "jobs" -- my true "profession" is traveling. Since I was a kid I have had "wanderlust," or "itchy feet," or whatever you want to call it. Those other jobs were just a means to fund my true passion. In 2004 I decided it was time to dedicate myself to my profession, and Videography was a natural fit. I could go to all the places I love to go and share my stories in a new way. I hope you like my work and I hope you enjoy sharing my adventures. Travel on! ~Michael   [less]

Stand up! Capturing something authentic with elements of not been done beforeness or at least fun, is my aim. Life is too short to be all crazy aloof though... It is hard enough trying to get an idea across when you are spelling it out, let alone trying to be all art for the sake of arty or funny but probably only funny in my own heady. I have a challenge- to make videos that are simple, clear, unique and STILL interesting. Also- My presenters rock!   

Looking to lay on the beach, drink a margarita and party the Mexican night away? Then Los Cabos might be the destination for you. James Knott explores this desert paradise at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.   [more...]

Looking to lay on the beach, drink a margarita and party the Mexican night away? Then Los Cabos might be the destination for you. James Knott explores this desert paradise at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. Los Cabos has two main towns with two distinct personalities. If you are looking for party central then head to Cabo San Lucas for some epic late night fiestas. If a more casual, traditional Mexican town sounds appealing to you then stay to San Jose del Cabo. Either way, you will have access to miles and miles of pristine beautiful beaches, ample doses of sun and lots of great Mexican cuisine.   [less]

There’s a difference between traveling, and traveling while you’re making Tripfilms: you finally have the motivation to do something new or explore something you normally wouldn’t...every single day of your trip. Why? Well, quite frankly, it helps to get paid when you’re having fun! Although I had been to Puerto Rico before, never had I strayed from the beaches and cities until I visited under the Tripfilms wing.   [more...]

There’s a difference between traveling, and traveling while you’re making Tripfilms: you finally have the motivation to do something new or explore something you normally wouldn’t...every single day of your trip. Why? Well, quite frankly, it helps to get paid when you’re having fun! Although I had been to Puerto Rico before, never had I strayed from the beaches and cities until I visited under the Tripfilms wing. This time, I went to 15 different restauSays:s, saw countless towns, cities, beaches, roads, and sights, and tried things like hiking the rain forest, kayaking (in spirit) in a bioluminescent bay, roaming ghettos on foot, and even watching some cock fights. My trip would never have been as exciting as it was had I not been constantly asking myself, ‘What’s something that the viewers have never seen before?’ More times than not, it was something I had not seen or done either!   [less]

I’m a Dutch documentary film director combining 2 passions: making films and travelling. Tripfilms gives me the opportunity to show the best from the places I visit to a worldwide community. Do you like to get to know the places like the locals know? Do you want to taste their food, live in their atmosphere and get the best out of a city you can in some days? I see it as my aim to show it to you, so please watch to my contributions on tripfilms.com

When TripFilms told us we were going to Oahu to shoot a series of well... Trip Films, we were very excited. It doesn’t get much better than working with the love of mylife in Hawaii. But, there was one problem... I was nervous about leaving my kitties home for ten days without us. They seemed just as anxious as we were. Sashimi, who is in Part 1 of the Hawaiian Adventure, wouldn’t get out of our suitcase.   [more...]

When TripFilms told us we were going to Oahu to shoot a series of well... Trip Films, we were very excited. It doesn’t get much better than working with the love of mylife in Hawaii. But, there was one problem... I was nervous about leaving my kitties home for ten days without us. They seemed just as anxious as we were. Sashimi, who is in Part 1 of the Hawaiian Adventure, wouldn’t get out of our suitcase. Luckily, we found a great sitter who eased all of our worries. Oahu was awesome. Although we were constantly filming, we did find some time to enjoy ourselves. We stayed in five hotels while we were there, so we were also on the move quite a bit. The weather was a bit spotty at times. When it rains there, it does it in short spurts. So you can be walking down the street in the sun, and all of a sudden it’ll start pouring. We happened to be in Oahu during the "rainy season." The good thing is that it’s so warm and sunny as soon as the rain stops that you dry off right away, so for the most part everyone just ignores it. Nonetheless, we still managed to get in some great beach time. A highlight of our trip, which we didn’t include in our videos, was getting to see some of the locations for the television show Lost. We are huge fans of the show, so it felt a little surreal seeing these places up close and personal. We were lucky enough to get a guided tour from a local. Another cool thing was finally getting to see a whale! (If you saw our San Francisco road trip videos, you saw that we were really disappointed when we didn’t get to see any.) We went on a catamaran ride, which included free drinks. The crew told us to yell out if any of us sees any marine life, so that everyone on board could see. Well, I had the honor of spotting a whale. It was my first time seeing a whale in person.This was also my first time seeing giant sea turtles. All in all, Oahu is an amazing place to visit. The people are friendly, the sun is shining and there’s something for every kind of traveller. So take our advice, if you’re visiting Oahu, don’t just stay on the beach, there’s a whole island of adventure waiting! -Mariessa aka The Urban Explorer   [less]

I love seeing different places. I put cream and sugar in my coffee, not Splenda and skim milk. I like to read menus and manuals. I tend to judge people who walk around with yoga mats, though I practice pilates. Am a terrible speller.  

A wanderer with a videocamera and an open heart.