You’ve rewatched The Office for the nth time and finished Tiger King… now what? 

There’s a lot of great entertainment out there, but most of it is purely that- entertainment. If your brain feels like it needs some kind of stimulation, we’ve cultivated a fine list of binge-worthy YouTube channels that will also teach you something. 

Full disclosure: this list is the product of many YouTube benders that were absolutely not constructive in any way. Enjoy!

Sailing La Vagabonde

Live vicariously through Australian couple Elayna and Riley and their son Lenny as they move around the world in their beautiful 46ft catamaran. From spearfishing in the Bahamas to sailing with Greta Thunberg through North Atlantic storms, there’s no shortage of adventure here. 

If you’re as obsessed with sailing vlogs as we are, also be sure to also check out:

• Sailing Uma

• SV Delos

• Free Range Sailing

• Sailing Soulianis

Exploring Alternatives

Pandemic got you thinking about removing yourself from society? This channel is for you. Each episode features a home or a person that is living some degree of an alternative lifestyle. Whether that’s building an off-grid cob house, or figuring out how to live off interest so you can retire at 35, there’s a lot to learn from people thinking and living outside the box. 

Sedona Christina

When in need of some zero waste inspo, we watch Christina’s funny and comprehensive vlogs that cover topics ranging from her favorite shampoo bars, to tips for selling clothes online. She also goes into intentional living and veganism, so the videos are never repetitive. We’ve learned a lot of cool zero/ low waste tricks from her and will keep coming back for more.

Graham Stephan

Who knew there is such a thing as addictive finance videos? Graham is a 28 year old investor who has made a fortune through various approaches, which he shares in detail on his YouTube channel. While we acknowledge some videos can be a bit click bait-y, he does a great job promoting personal financial literacy in a digestible way. He gets you excited about being smart with your money, which is exactly what a lot of us need right now.

Jaime O’Brien

If you learn one thing from this channel, it’s how to have fun. Watch Jaime and friends surf big waves, surf weird waves, and surf big waves on inflatable flamingos and couches - couch surfing. It may be a little bit bro-ish, but we stay for the stoke. And it certainly gets us excited for more outdoor adventures in the future.

For more surf:

• This is Livin’

• Happy Waves

• Ben Gravy

• Nathan Florence

Pasta Grannies

Pretty much the opposite of Jaime O’Brien. But watching cheery Italian grannies make pasta gets us considerably stoked about the rewards of the kitchen and makes us momentarily abandon our cultural aversion to gluten.

Are there any good YouTube channels that we should know about? Let us know in the comments!