We’ve been blogging and traveling for over 5 years now, and one of the best decisions we ever made was purchasing our drone.
It has transformed our travel content.
As well as our standard blogging camera, we now always travel with our drone.
Taking a drone traveling with you is an incredible way to capture the best moments from your trip.
And create memorable keepsakes to look back on for years to come.
Perfect, regardless of whether you are a fellow blogger like us, or just using your drone for personal use.
Just check out this YouTube video Cazzy recently put together.
Below, we will take you through the best travel drones currently on the market, as well as tips & tricks on how to pick the best one for you!
Want a quick answer? Our top pick is the DJI Mavic Mini 2.
Here are important things to look at and consider before making your final decision on which drone to buy.
Drones can be anything from extremely lightweight to more heavy-duty. Think about what you need and factor in the size before buying a travel drone, as it can affect how you pack for your trip. Remember that you have to carry it around, so heavier drones can make flights or trips more difficult.
Additionally, the weight of your drone will tell you whether you need a license to fly it. The heavier the drone, the stricter the licensing laws.
On a similar note, pay attention to the size and shape of the drone, as this determines how much space it takes up in your luggage. It’s okay to get bigger drones when you can afford the space.
If you’re on a backpacking trip, we’d recommend the Mavic Mini or Mavic Air as they are more compact.
Think about how much time and effort you’re willing to put into learning how to fly the drone.
The premium drones make flying a drone so much easier.
Features like obstacle avoidance help prevent you from messing up and losing your drone. Of course, these are usually more expensive.
The battery affects how long your drone can fly before it runs out of power. 20 to 30 minutes is the most common limit, but some budget drones may only be able to fly for 5 minutes.
How long do you need to fly your drone for? How often will you be able to recharge your batteries? Consider drones with the highest flying time and shortest charge time.
What will you be using the footage for? Typically speaking, smaller drones aren't quite as high quality but are perfect for most travellers just looking for footage of their trip.
Meanwhile, if you are creating vlogs and editing footage, higher quality can make a huge difference to your end result.
How expensive are the replacement parts of your drone, and how easy can you get them abroad? Some brands may be more difficult to service in certain countries.
It's often best to get spares for most things before a trip. Many remote destinations will be extremely hard to find replacement parts
Weight: 249g
Dimensions (folded): 5.5 x 3.2 x 2.2 in
Battery life / flight time: 31mins
Max speed: 35.79mph
Picture quality: 12MP
Video quality: 4K
Experience Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Our number one choice is, of course, from DJI. we recommend getting the Mini 2. Perfect regardless of your drone experience, and fantastic if you are just starting out and looking for something robust yet extra affordable. Weighing in at only 249g, this drone doesn't require FAA registration to operate, although you will still need a license for commercial purposes.
This is what makes this drone our top pick for travel purposes. In terms of spec, it is not quite as powerful as a couple other drones from DJI (such as the Mavic 3). For for general travel purposes it offers more than enough, but is more compact and lightweight, so is overall a better choice.
Overall, it is an incredible drone, and a much upgraded replacement to the famous DJI Spark. What we love the most is its ultra-portability. Imagine, you can fit the Mini 2 inside your jacket pocket when folded! Don’t worry, as the 12-MP camera can still give you high-quality photos and 4K videos.
It also has a pretty solid battery life of 30 minutes, as well as the essential safety features and access to the DJI Fly app. This includes the FlySafe geofence system to prevent you from flying in restricted areas and avoid legal conflicts. Definitely a plus when you’re travelling somewhere new!
Of course, being this small means the DJI Mini 2 has to forego some additional features. It has no obstacle avoidance or a hyperlapse mode. Plus, this drone may not be the best one to use in harsh weather conditions, as you may lose it more easily.
"I bought the DJI Mini 2 having never used a drone before – but my lack of experience was not an issue, as the DJI Mini 2 is very user-friendly, intuitive, and astoundingly tough for such a lightweight piece of kit.
Admittedly I have had some pretty catastrophic crashes while flying the drone, yet the DJI Mini 2 has remained remarkably unscathed. This is testament to its fantastic durability. As a travel and adventure blogger, I use the drone mostly for landscape photography and videography.
It delivers exceptional quality on both these fronts, even in relatively hostile conditions. I also love that the long flight time means I can spend a bit longer perfecting my shots, which does take the pressure off."
Weight: 249g
Dimensions (folded): 145×90×62 mm
Battery life / flight time: 30mins
Max speed: 35.79mph
Picture quality: 12MP
Video quality: 4K
Experience Level: Beginner/Intermediate
The DJI Mini 3 Pro is the perfect upgrade to the Mini 2 with some more advanced features including an impressive larger sensor and a brand new object avoidance system (this is a BIG upgrade!) with sensors on its front, back, sides, and underneath! Considering this is a mini drone, it has excellent battery time of over 30 minutes.
Even with all of these new features, the Mini 3 Pro still manages to come in at under 250g which is vital if you are planning on flying your drone in places like the UK, which has a weight limit on drones.
Personally, we still love our Mini 2 and at roughly half the price of the Mini 3 Pro, does 90% of the same things and is more than any amateur drone-user would need when traveling.
However, if you want the best of the best and to make professional travel videos, then it’s worth spending a few hundred dollars more and getting the 3 Pro. For everyone else, the Mavic 2 will suffice perfectly, though it’s unclear how long it will remain in stock in stores and online until phased out.
Bottom line: If ever I lose or break our Mini 2, then THIS is the drone I will be upgrading to.
Weight: 895g
Dimensions (folded): 221 x 96.3 x 90.3mm
Battery life / flight time: 46mins
Max speed: 46.98mph
Picture quality: 20MP
Video quality: 5.1K
Experience Level: Professional
The DJI Mavic 3 is potentially the best professional-level drone on the market right now for travelers.
Despite the size of this drone, it is surprisingly light and folds down into a manageable size. If you are looking for high-quality photos and video footage but don't mind too much about the size of your drone, the Mavic 3 might just be the one for you.
While this drone is larger than the drones above, it is not too heavy to travel with, it actually weighs under 900g!
This is not the most user-friendly drone on the market so you may struggle to operate it as a beginner, its target market is definitely leaning towards intermediates, with the ability get more professional through experience using this drone.
The Mavic 3’s dual camera is the main feature of this drone and is part of what makes it stand out. The first camera is 20MP with a four-thirds sensor, allowing you to take outstandingly high-quality photographs with just this camera alone.
While its second camera has what's called a telephoto lens and while it doesn't have manual control, it has a 28x Hybrid Zoom capability, making it perfect for getting those close-up photos, when you can't get close up!
If you are looking to get some really high-quality photos and videos and if this is not your first ever experience with drones, the DJI Mavic 3 would be a great choice for you.
Bottom line: If you want a drone with more advanced features than the Mini series, and can perform far better in windier conditions, this is the go-to drone.
Weight: 595g
Dimensions (folded): 7.08 x 3.82 x 3.30 in
Battery life / flight time: 31 mins
Max speed: 42.5mph
Picture quality: 20MP
Video quality: 5.4K
Experience Level: Beginner/Intermediate
The DJI Mavic Air 2S is considerably smaller and lighter than the Pro 2, which makes it the ideal choice if you’re looking for something more compact. We recommend this drone to immortalize your remote adventures and long-term travels, as its weight of only 595g makes it easy to travel with.
The drone camera quality is still laudable, thanks to the 20MP, 1"-type CMOS sensors and lens that is equivalent to 22mm. This means you can shoot open vistas with the Mavic Air 2S.
In addition to 3-axis gimbals, its RockSteady EIS will give you extra-stable and steady footage. This can be useful if you are recording outdoor activities that are faster and rougher.
Even better, it can capture 5.4K/30p video for an extremely detailed result! It’s an overall excellent drone with premium obstacle detection and avoidance, as well as automated flight and safety features.
While it comes with a useful app for editing photos, it does limit it only to outputs of 1080p or less. Not to worry, as you can still transfer them onto your computer and use other editing software.
Weight: 320g
Dimensions (folded): 9.6 × 2.6 × 2.5 in
Battery life / flight time: 25mins
Max speed: 33mph
Picture quality: 12MP
Video quality: 4K
Experience Level: Intermediate
Another small folding drone that is perfect for travelling is the Parrot ANAFI. In fact this drone is one of our top choices for the best DJI alternatives.
This portable drone weighs just 320g and measures just a bit longer than an average phone, making it a brilliant choice for longer travels and backpacking trips.
One annoying thing about drones is they can be quite loud, but the Parrot ANAFI is incredibly quiet. It’s actually one of the quietest drones out there, thanks to its light and wide propellers!
Moreover, this drone offers beautiful 21MP photos and 4K videos, which are complemented with a 3-axis hybrid stabilization and up to 3x digital zoom when recording.
However, this drone doesn’t have any safety features, which means it is less than ideal for beginners who have never flown a drone before. It’s also a shame that you have to make additional purchases to unlock the different intelligent flight modes.
Despite that, the Parrot ANAFI is also the only portable drone with a 180-degree camera that can point upwards. This lets you take footage of the drone flying uphill, for instance, and experiment with various creative angles. So, it’s perfect if you’re looking to take more cinematic shots!
Weight: 1006g
Dimensions (folded): 17.3 x 4.92 x 11.89 in
Battery life / flight time: 20 mins
Max speed: 35mph
Picture quality: 12MP
Video quality: 4K
Experience Level: Beginner
If you document your travels, you’re probably familiar with GoPro. But did you know that they make more than just action cameras? The Karma Drone, for example, is another one of their popular products.
It’s on the heavy side at 1006g, which means you do need to register with the FAA before flying. However, it does come with the GoPro Hero 5 4K camera, so you can be sure that you’ll get world-class image results. This includes 12-megapixel CMOS 1/2.3-inch sensors and the ability to capture 4K video.
Note that you must unscrew the propellers to fit the drone into its case. While it will take only a minute, this can be an inconvenience if you’re travelling quickly. It also doesn’t come with collision detection or auto landing features.
With that said, the Karma Drone has tight controls that lets you fly it into small crevices, and even indoors! It also boasts excellent stabilization and a rather silent operation.
Unfortunately GoPro have officially discontinued the Karma drone and its accessories. In order for your Karma controller to connect to the drone it will need to have the most recent software update. If you purchase a second-hand Karma drone or haven't yet updated yours, you can factory reset your device and it will reset with the new software.
While we still recommend Karma drone as it is a great option, you may struggle to find the drone and its spare parts online now that it is no longer sold be GoPro.
Weight: 520g
Dimensions (folded): 6.8 x 4.1 x 2.2 in
Battery life / flight time: 26 mins
Max speed: 44mph
Video quality: 4K
Experience Level: Beginner
The Holy Stone HS720 is arguably one of the best travel drones in its class, boasting a 4K camera and intelligent flight feature, as well as an excellent shock absorption. Even better, the camera can turn 90° to give you a variety of angles.
It’s also one of the most affordable alternatives, making it an ideal choice for beginners. In terms of battery, you can get 26 minutes of flight, which is truly impressive. The Holy Stone HS720 is equipped with a superb 5G internet connection which allows you to explore the landscape in real-time.
What makes it an even more perfect drone for beginners is the built-in LED display on the transmitter. Not to mention that the integrated app is easy to navigate and use. This drone is also quite lightweight at just 520g!
It does have some drawbacks, including a frustratingly long charge time of seven hours. The charger that comes with the Holy Stone HS720 is known to be quite unresponsive.
This can be a hassle if you are moving a lot when you travel and cannot find enough time to charge the drone. Of course, you can always purchase spare batteries for backup. Or pick up a portable power station so you can charge batteries when on-the-go.
Overall, at a price point of just under $250, you get a LOT for your money! And that even makes this an affordable backpacking gift for that traveler in your life.
Weight: 3016g
Dimensions (folded): 9.3 x 2.63 x 7.13 in
Battery life / flight time: 17 mins
Max speed: 40.3mph
Picture quality: 12MP
Video quality: 4K
Experience Level: Intermediate
Not many drones come with waterproof features, so if this is something you’re looking for, the SwellPro Spry is the right drone for you.
It can go as deep as 1 metre underwater without breaking. Which is useful to know if you plan on flying in a lot of water-risky environments. Such as stunning shots across lakes, rivers, or ocean surfaces. Not to mention you can even land and take off from water!
The drone itself is the heaviest on this list, weighing just over 3kg! It gives you 12MP images as well as 4K videos, which you can store on an external SD card.
While it can resist rainy conditions and up to 10m/s of wind, we still recommend that you fly it only during good weather. This will help you keep the drone working and functioning for longer.
Additionally, the Swellpro Spry is easy to fly and perfect for beginners. One thing that could be improved is its relatively short battery, which lasts only around 17 minutes. This can be a deterrent if you’re planning long adventures during your travels.
Weight: 568g
Dimensions (folded): 10.0×12.3×5.0 in
Battery life / flight time: 20 mins
Max speed: 86.9mph (capped at 31mph as standard)
Picture quality: 12MP
Video quality: 4K
Experience Level: Intermediate/Advanced
The DJI FPV Drone is a bit of a wild card on this list, as it's not strictly designed for capturing photos and videos. Instead, it’s incredibly fun to fly! This drone comes with amazing FPV goggles for the best first-person perspective. You can imagine yourself flying as you operate the drone! Just check out their promo video!
Not to mention that the controller looks like a traditional video game remote control. In addition to a sleek race-car design that’s ready to fly from the box, it also doesn’t weigh too much at just 795g.
On the downside, it does have a short flight time of just 20 minutes (realistically a bit less). The cost is also another factor which you might want to consider before buying. Much more than a typical travel drone, though very much in a class of it's own!
We would recommend the DJI FPV Drone for recreational flying and for those who are looking for a bit of fun. If your focus is to produce professional-quality travel photos for travel blogging or vlogging, you would be better off with some of the other drones on this list.
Weight: 1388g
Dimensions (folded): 1ft diagonal
Battery life / flight time: 30mins
Max speed: 45mph
Picture quality: 20MP
Video quality: 4K
Experience Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Finally, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is also an excellent choice when it comes to choosing the best travel drone. It weighs 1380g, has a 28-minute flight time, and offers 12.4-MP images as well as 4K videos.
We recommend this drone for both recreational and semi-professional users, as it’s considered a consumer drone despites its professional-grade image quality.
Additionally, it has great navigation accuracy as it uses both the American GPS and GLONASS satellites. This can be a crucial factor for those who will be travelling with the drone.
We also love that it has a smart return-to-home system, which can map out and memorize the drone’s flight route in real time. It will automatically avoid obstacles too!
While it does come with a gimbal for stabilization, there is no built-in protection. Some users have also said that the gimbal screeches whenever they’re turning it on and off. Plus, having a built-in display screen would have been nice.
"As a photographer, capturing stunning images of my travels is extremely important to me and the DJI Phantom 4 Pro does this exceptionally well. This is also important as I sell prints of my photos and the quality needs to be good enough to enlarge the photos while maintaining the high quality.
I’ve been extremely impressed with the detail and the colours this camera is able to capture and it is ideal for people who take their photography seriously. While it isn’t the smallest drone on the market, I like that I can still fit it into a backpack and carry it round with me all day."
When traveling with a drone you want to keep your kit light and to a minimum, but you need to have a few essential drone accessories in your travel bag at all times.
Polarizing filters are often used in travel photography and videography to darken skies, manage reflections, or suppress glare from the surface of lakes or the sea.
We recommend using these filters when you want to make the clouds pop, highlight any wet surfaces, or capture rainbows.
ND filters are used to equally change or reduce the intensity of all wavelengths, or colors, of light. They basically reduce the amount of light you let into the lens, which is useful for when you’re shooting in harsh light conditions.
An ND filter can improve your aerial photography, especially when you’re shooting in the midday sun and still want to capture the view. It has no effect on the color, contrast, or sharpness of your image.
Recording in 2K or 4K will eat into your storage space, so it’s best to invest in a high-quality SD card with a large storage capacity and the ability to handle 4K footage.
If you buy a cheap SD card that is not compatible with 4k footage, then there won’t be any space to store your 4K footage. It would be a shame to miss out on excellent shots just because of this!
We recommend using either Samsung Evo or SanDisk Extreme Pro for use in your drone. We have a 128GB version of either of these in our drone at all times. The worst thing you want is to have the perfect shot lined up, with your drone a mile away, and then to find you have no space left to record!
We recommend getting a drone travel bag, as this will make storing and carrying your drone during your journeys much easier. They’re good for keeping everything in one place, including spare batteries, chargers, and other accessories.
Check out our round-up of the best camera backpacks you can currently buy. Many will be large enough to store, not just your camera, but also your travel drone. The same goes for many of the best laptop backpacks too.
Alternatively, check out our Solgaard review. These guys produce a range of awesome backpacks specifically for digital nomads. Offering up plenty of space for travel tech (like drones) as well as specific compartments for clothes and other travel gear.
If you’re travelling with a drone, it would be a good idea to pack some extra batteries. While DJI products offer some of the longest battery life on a drone, you still won’t want to run out.
This is especially crucial if you’re shooting somewhere really beautiful, or waiting for a perfect shot. So, charge your drone and bring extra batteries with you at all times.
Alternatively, pick up a portable power bank that you can use to recharge batteries whilst you use your spares. Check out my Jackery review for more info on the top brand out there.
The gimbal is one of the most important components of a drone, as it ensures you can have stable and beautiful shots every time.
Having a gimbal cover and clamp can protect this mechanism from dust, water, or bumps as you travel. Make sure you get the best one that can be easily removed and put on.
Not all countries allow you to fly a drone, and some countries won’t even let you bring a drone INTO the country. So, do your research beforehand and find out if you need to pre-register your drone, or even obtain a license to fly.
For example, when we were backpacking through Central America, we couldn’t bring our travel drone into Nicaragua because it’s totally illegal. We had to leave it in a hotel in El Salvador to pick it up on our way back.
When traveling, the best time to visit a site is usually in the morning or evening, when it's less crowded. Not only that, but you’ll have access to the best lighting, which will in turn produce better footage.
If you’re flying your drone in busy tourist locations during peak hours or seasons, then there’s a high chance that other travel drones will be around. This could lead to a drone accident.
Plus, some people just don’t like the idea of a drone capturing them on camera. So be considerate when you’re droning!
If you turn up at an attraction and there is a “no drones” sign, then respect it. This is often the case with a religious site or area of interest.
Droning there could land you a large fine and your drone being confiscated. Plus, it then puts a bad name on the rest of us who drone responsibly.
It’s obvious, but having a drone lets you immortalize your best travel moments like nothing else. Most drones can shoot in 4K and bring your footage to life, whether that’s in video or picture form.
This is an easy yet dramatic way of transforming your storytelling. You can use the footage to share with family and friends back home, for your travel blog, or even just to look back later on.
Just a heads up, to edit top quality travel videos with your drone footage, you'll need to buy a laptop with enough power to manage video editing software. For a look at which laptop we use, and other choices available, check out our guide on the best laptops for travel.
A drone also gives you a unique perspective. You can see your car traversing a winding path during road trips, or yourself as a tiny speck in the vast landscape.
Wherever you are, shooting with a drone lets you experience the moment twice. This time, from a completely different point of view.
Finally, one of the greatest benefits of getting a drone is its ability to travel places you can’t physically go to..
Personally, we’ve flown our drone to the forest surrounding Sri Lanka’s famous Nine Arch Bridge (above), across the dramatic cliffs of Scotland's remote islands (above), and even into the volcano crater of Mount Bromo in Indonesia (above).
We can’t stress how wonderful it has been to be able to fly our drones into these areas. It allowed us to see things we otherwise wouldn’t see, and everything looks more powerful and beautiful from a bird's-eye view.
The DJI Mavic 3 has the overall longest flight time of 46 minutes. This is crazy impressive for the image quality it offers, and can be a major plus point when you are travelling to remote outdoor places where you want to capture as much as you can with limited batteries.
DJI is hands-down the best brand to buy a drone from. Not only are DJI drones excellent quality, but they continue to innovate and develop many of the most unique features and technologies we love about modern drones.
You can get a drone anywhere between $20 and $20,000, or even beyond, depending on the type and quality of the drone. A decent travel drone is around $500, but a popular model like the DJI Mavic Pro costs just below $1,000.
One of the biggest reasons why drone batteries die so fast is the power required to keep it afloat. You will use up more energy when you make lots of sudden turns, as the drone needs to defy its momentum.
If we had to recommend one travel drone for beginners, it would be the DJI Mini 2. It’s extremely lightweight and portable, making it perfect for all sorts of travel and adventure, while offering professional-grade results. This drone also comes with a beginner-friendly app for control and editing.
As you can see, there are tonnes of choices when it comes to picking the perfect drone for you.
It’s also nice to know that an awesome drone doesn’t have to break the bank.
Any drone above would be perfect for casual hobbyists and those taking it travelling only a few times a year.
But if you do want to delve into the realms of creating videos and starting your own YouTube channel, then a slightly more premium one may be for you.
If money isn’t an issue and you want something truly beginner-friendly, then DJI is hard to beat.
Now over to you …
Which travel drone do you think you will go for?
Are there any other drones out there you think might deserve a place on this list?
Drop a comment below and let me know!
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