6 Travel and adventure magazines to fuel your daydreams

Daydreaming about far away places is a lot easier with a little help. I dig into magazines left and right, whether I'm looking to learn something or browse through photos of beautiful locale's I'll probably never see. Here are some online and print publications to check out if you like traveling and adventure!

1. National Geographic

How many of you have at least one stack of these yellow-bordered issues somewhere in your life? My elementary school librarian let me into the staff section so I could wander among decades of Nat Geo and pick out topics I wanted. I ended up reading them all. Whether you're interested in global politics or how cultures have evolved over time, the stellar reporting and memorable photos never cease to educate and amaze.

2. High Country News

High Country News' tagline "Know the West" sums up their content: Everything Western U.S. This publication has stunning, meaningful photos and illustrations that show glimpses into life in the region. Articles include topics like water use, pollution, wildfires and Indigenous rights. (Bonus: There is often work from environmental journalist Krista Langlois and artist/environmental journalist Sarah Gilman, both of whom are incredible writers.)

3. Adventure Journal

You never know what you'll find when you open Adventure Journal, from essays on accidents in the mountains to photo series on the best elements of Summer. You'll like this pub if you're into first-person stories on remote human-powered expeditions like kayaking, bike packing, and more. Plus, there's often fun art from sketches to watercolors that set the scenes for the unique stories.

4. Sidetracked

Sidetracked shares inspirational stories from travel and adventures. The images bring you directly into the stories, and the emotional endeavors on the page speak right to my adventurous heart. This mag is less science, more personal essay. Each story is a short memoir featuring activities like bike packing, spear fishing, and returning to ancestral homelands.

5. Orion

Orion Magazine covers nature, culture, and the environment. I like their book reviews on outdoor and travel-adjacent tomes, plus interviews with authors! From features to poems, Orion contributors descriptive language is colorful, rich, and sometimes even musical. It's easy to get lost in a good way.

6. Hakai Magazine

If you're stoked on science, you'll dig Hakai Magazine. They focus on coastal life from wild horses living on islands to ways climate change affects deltas and dams. The long-form features (often 3,000-5,000 words) show broad pictures of topics with history, current happenings, local knowledge, and expert information all in one story. Dig in if you like deep dives!

What adventure and travel magazines do you love?