For a long time, drones were big and bulky, and taking them with you on your holidays was impossible. To take the best travel drones with you on a plane was very difficult, if not actually impossible. But times have changed. Drones are getting smaller and lighter with every new generation. The smallest of them even fit in your back pocket. And even though drones have become smaller, the technology and camera quality has become more refined.
These days, you are not depending on a plane to see the earth from a birds view. When you travel with a drone, you get the chance to see the world from above, which is absolutely amazing! The pictures and videos you can shoot with a drone are absolutely breathtaking and will definitely step up your holiday photo game. We love to have our drone with us when we travel. During our 9 months in Asia, we shot some great pictures with it.
A drone picture of one of the islands we saw on our Halong Bay Cruise in Vietnam
A drone picture of the White Dunes in Mui Ne / Vietnam
The beautiful view with a drone over the tea plantations in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
To help you decide which drone for travel you should buy yourself, we created this article to present to you the 10 best travel drones currently on the market.
10 Best Travel Drones – The Contenders
| Drone | Image | Resolution | Weight | Range | Air Time | Price USA | Price Rest of World |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJI Spark | 1080p | 300g | 2000m | 15 Min | Check Current Price | Check Current Price | |
| DJI Mavic Pro | 4K | 734g | 7000m | 26 Min | Check Current Price | Check Current Price | |
| DJI Mavic Air | 4K | 430g | 4000m | 21 Min | Check Current Price | Check Current Price | |
| Yuneec Breeze 4K | 4K | 385g | 1000m | 12 Min | Check Current Price | Check Current Price | |
| Hover Camera Passport | 4K | 242g | 20m | 10 Min | Check Current Price | Check Current Price | |
| Parrot Anafi | 4K | 320g | 4000m | 25 Min | Check Current Price | Check Current Price | |
| GoPro Karma | 4K60 | 1006g | 3000m | 20 Min | Check Current Price | Check Current Price | |
| JJRC H37 Elfie | 1 MP | 58g | 40m | 8 Min | Check Current Price | Check Current Price | |
| Zerotech Dobby Selfie Drone | 4K | 200g | 100m | 8 Min | Check Current Price | Check Current Price | |
| Wingsland S6 | 4K | 230g | 100m | 10 Min | Check Current Price | Check Current Price |
The Best Travel Drones
DJI Spark
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Let’s begin with the best travel drone we have in our own Travel Photography Setup, the DJI Spark. The DJI Spark is in our opinion one of the best affordable drones and we are more than happy with it. With a take-off weight of only 300g and its small size, this mini-drone is very light and easy to carry around. In fact, we carried it in our small backpacks during our 9-month trip around Asia.
The Pros:
- The DJI Spark can be navigated using three different controls: With your smartphone, with an optional remote controller (recommended) and by gesture control
- There are many different intelligent flight control options which give you a lot of creative options for movies or pictures. Our favourite mode is the “Dronie”. The DJI Spark slowly flies away from you while filming and keeping the focus on you. It can do this in a straight line or even in circles. Also, the panorama function and the ActiveTrack technology are pretty impressive
- Compared to its big brothers DJI Mavic Pro and DJI Mavic Air, the Spark is a lot cheaper. This makes it one of the best affordable drones with camera on the higher end of travel drones
- It is relatively easy to navigate the DJI Spark. With its automatic hover technology, it’s easy to keep it in the air. Also, the flight autonomy sensors make sure that you don’t crash into obstacles
The Cons:
- Most noteworthy, especially compared to other drones, is that the DJI Spark only takes pictures in a 1080K quality. Don’t get us wrong, the pictures still look amazing, but if you want to print your photos on posters, then the quality is definitely too low
- Because the DJI Spark is so small and light, its usage is very limited in the wind
- The navigation with the phone is not very convenient. Because of that, it is almost mandatory to get the controller. This is available for purchse, but it adds to the overall price of the drone. We recommend buying the “Fly More” Bundle as it is better value than buying the drone and controller separately
Conclusion:
If you can live with the fact that the DJI Spark “only” shoots in a 1080K resolution, then the DJI Spark can be one of the best drones to buy for your next holidays. Because the price is comparatively low and the quality of the drone is very good, the value of the DJI Spark is great. This fantastic little drone will definitely enrich your next holiday pictures.
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DJI Mavic Pro
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Before there was the DJI Spark, there was its big brother, the DJI Mavic Pro. At the time of its release, the DJI Mavic Pro was probably the first compact semi-pro travel drone. It’s a lot smaller and lighter than its predecessor model “Phantom”. Also, you can fold in the propeller arms, which makes it perfectly suitable for travelling. The DJI Mavic Pro is superior to the DJI Spark in most aspects except two. First, it is bigger and heavier than the Spark. Second, it is quite a bit more expensive than its smaller brother.
The Pros:
- The 4K camera stabilized by a 3-axis mechanical gimbal delivers highest quality footage
- The DJI Mavic Pro has the longest flight time of all the listed drones in this article
- This drone has a range of about 7000 meters!
- The Mavic Pro is easy to fly with the included controller. Also, it has an obstacle avoidance system which will prevent crashes
- Like its brothers Spark and Mavic Air, the Mavic Pro has also various intelligent flight modes which allow you taking some amazing shots
- You can fold in the propeller arms
The Cons:
- The price is definitely in the upper range. But with the quality of the DJI Mavic Pro, this is not unsubstantiated
- Even though the Mavic Pro is small, it’s still one of the bigger models of this list
Conclusion:
The DJI Mavic Pro is still one of the best photography drones for travelling if you have the required money and the pack-space. The quality of its footage is amazing and you can keep it in the air for a long time. Flying with this drone will definitely bring you loads of fun!
DJI Mavic 2 Pro and DJI Mavic 2 Zoom
Recently, DJI released the upgraded version of the Mavic. Or better said 2 versions! They improved the camera quality, added some fantastic new smart modes and made the pictures look brighter than with the old version. While the Mavic 2 Pro scores with 10-bit HDR video, a built-in Hyperlapse mode and adjustable aperture, the Mavic 2 Zoom has a built-in 2x optical zoom lens.
If you want the best consumer drone on the market, you’ll have to decide for one of those two drones. They do come with an increased price though. If your budget is not that high, then you’ll be better off with the DJI Mavic Air.
Click here to buy the Mavic 2 Pro if you are shopping from the US
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Click here to buy the Mavic 2 Zoom if you are shopping from the US
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DJI Mavic Air
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The DJI Mavic Air is at the time of writing this article the best portable travel drone on the market. DJI took the technique and the foldable rotor arms from the Mavic Pro and the small size from the Spark and improved them. Consequently, this is the perfect drone for travelling.
The Pros:
- First of all, the DJI Mavic Air is cheaper than the DJI Mavic Pro
- The DJI Mavic Air shoots in 4K, which is a big upgrade from the 1080p of the DJI Spark
- There is a built-in, near-perfect obstacle avoidance system
- The drone weight with all the amazing tech in it still not more than 430g. Furthermore, it has foldable propeller arms which make it even more compact for travelling
The Cons:
- To make the Mavic Pro more compact, the drone suffered in airtime and flight range
- Despite that, the DJI Mavic Air has almost no flaws
Conclusion:
If you want to buy one of the best-rated drones on the market, this is your best bet. The DJI Mavic Air is the perfect love-child between the Mavic Pro and the Spark. Great footage, smooth steering, very compact. If we didn’t possess a DJI Spark already, we’d definitely go for a Mavic Air, as it is one of the coolest drones on the market.
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Yuneec Breeze 4K
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The Yuneec Breeze 4K is one of the best selfie drones for an affordable price. While it lacks a gimbal for serious aerial photography, it still shoots in a 4k resolution. In our opinion, it is more than a selfie drone and perfect for beginner drone pilots who don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a drone.
The Pros:
- Affordable price.
- Various intelligent flight modes like “Selfie Mode” or “Follow Me”
- Easy to navigate
- Lightweight
The Cons:
- No gimbal for serious aerial photography
- Airtime is only 12 minutes
- The flight range is only 1000 meters
- It has no digital image stabilization at 4K. This will make the videos shaky
Conclusion:
While the technique and power of this small travel drone don’t reach the level of the top products on this list, the affordable price and the beginner-friendly navigation make the Yuneec Breeze 4K an interesting choice for a drone novice. Also, it is one of the best drones under 300$.
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Hover Camera Passport
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The Hover Camera Passport is probably one of the best travel drones in terms of compactness. You can fold this great drone down to a cuboid with the size of 182x132x33mm. The clever design even won several prizes and awards and puts this drone into the category of “cool drones”.
The Pros:
- Most noteworthy is the super compact design
- Affordable price
- Stable in the air
- Shoots in 4K quality
- It has a “Follow Me” mode
The Cons:
- It has no image stabilizer for 4K videos
- The battery life is only 10 minutes
- The control distance is only up to 20 meters
Conclusion:
While the Hover Camera Passport is not suitable for flying long distances, it is still one of the best portable drones for selfies on the market. It is the best travel drone for people who mainly shoot selfies but still want a great quality and a good resolution.
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Parrot Anafi
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When Europe’s biggest drone manufacturer Parrot built the Anafi drone, they had the insect anatomy as an inspiration. The Parrot Anafi is a proper rival for the DJI Mavic Air and one of the best-rated drones with camera on the market. Above all, there is one thing that really differentiates the Anafi from all the other drones. The camera, which is mounted on the front of the drone, has the novelty possibility to shoot film pointing upwards.
The Pros:
- The Parrot Anafi has an amazing flight time of 25 minutes per battery
- Anafis camera is able to film upwards. This gives the possibility for some great, unique shots
- It’s cheaper and lighter in weight than the DJI Mavic Air
- It has some great Intelligent flight modes
The Cons:
- There is no obstacle avoidance hardware, so you have to be really careful how you fly
- While the Anafi has officially a transmission range of 4000 meters, several reviews said that you can’t fly it more than 600 meters away without disturbances
Conclusion:
The Parrot Anafi is a great rival to the DJI Mavic Air and definitely one of the best 10 drones for travelling. Especially with the cheaper price, it is a very attractive offer. That said, the Anafi is not the perfect drone for a beginner because of its lack of an obstacle avoidance system. However, it’s still one of the best travel drones on the market.
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GoPro Karma
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With the GoPro Karma, GoPro tries to expand to the drone market. The Karma comes with a GoPro Hero camera which is attached to the drone with a gimbal. Consequently, this gives all your photos and videos you shoot a fisheye look. With more than 1000g, it is also the heaviest of all the best travel drones on this list.
The Pros:
- The GoPro Camera is detachable. Because of that you basically get two products
- As you use the GoPro Hero as a camera, the quality of your filming material is very good
- The included remote control is probably the best of all the drone remote controls at the moment
- Furthermore, in the bundle, you get many items, and one of them is a camera stabilizer which is attachable to the drone, helmet or can be handheld
The Cons:
- The GoPro Karma is heavier than 1000g
- All your videos and pictures have a fisheye effect
- Weaker in general when compared to the similar DJI Mavic Pro
Conclusion:
If you’re a fan of the GoPro fish-eye photo and film style, then the GoPro Karma might be one of the best drones for travel for you. As the GoPro camera is detachable, you can perfectly use it for other adventure activities. Also, the bundle you get when buying the GoPro Karma has a really great value, especially because of the included gimbal.
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JJRC H37 Elfie
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The JJRC H37 Elfie is from a technical view the weakest drone in this list. Therefore, it is also the cheapest drone of the 10 best travel drones. With the 4 arms folded in, it is not bigger than a large smartphone and weights only 58g. This makes it one of the lightest and best drones under 200g. in this article. You control the drone with an app (available for ios and android phones). Even though the JJRC H37 Elfie is comparatively small and cheap, it still includes an altitude hold and a one-key return.
The Pros:
- The most compact drone on this list. The H37 Elfie is very small and light. This makes it perfect if you don’t have a lot of packing space
- This drone is comparable cheap and perfect for people who just want to take a cool selfie every now and then
The Cons:
- Camera quality is low resolution, so picture quality is not very good
- The flight time is only 8 minutes
Conclusion:
The JJRC H37 Elfie will definitely not win any prizes for technical advancements. But because of the very low price and the super small size, we still include it in our list of best travel drones. Finally, this is one of the best selfie travel drones and recommendable for everyone who’d like to take occasional dronies (selfie taken with a drone).
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Zerotech Dobby Selfie Drone
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The Zerotech Dobby Selfie Drone is a mix between a high-class amateur drone like the DJI Mavic Air and a selfie drone like the JJRC H37 Elfie. This smartphone-controlled drone weights only 200g and is foldable, so you can carry it in your back pocket. It shoots in a 4k resolution and films in a 1080k resolution. All these features make it one of the best foldable drones for travelling.
The Pros:
- The Zerotech Dobby is responsive to hand gestures and voice commands
- It uses a 3 axis image stabilisation software to help stabilise videos
- This drone offers different intelligent flight modes like the “Selfie Mode” or the “Burst Mode”
- The Dobby is with 200g one of the lightest drones of our list
- It comes at an affordable price
The Cons
- Control range is only 100 meters
- The flight time is only 8 minutes. Other reviews even said that it is more like 5-7 Minutes
Conclusion:
This little selfie drone comes with an almost unreserved recommendation for everyone who wants to have an upgrade from a pure selfie drone, but don’t want to invest in the likes of DJI or Parrot. The only thing that really lets this drone down is the short flight time. That said, it’s still one of the best budget drones for travelling.
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Wingsland S6
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The Wingsland is another drone in the mid-price range. Most of the specs are almost the same as the Dobby, except the slightly longer flight time. The main difference is, that the S6 is currently one of the thinnest selfie drones on the market. This makes it one of the best compact drones out there. It’s the perfect travel drone for your back pocket.
The Pros:
- Above all, the Wingsland S6 is one of the slimmest travel drones on the market
- The Wingsland S6 is very light, only 230g
- Many intelligent flight modes
The Cons:
- Like the Dobby, the Wingsland S6 has only a very short flight time
- This drone has a relatively short control range
- A bit more expensive than the Dobby
Conclusion:
The Wingsland gets often compared with the Zerotech Dobby Selfie Drone. This is mainly the case because they are both in a similar price range and have similar specifics. If you can afford it, we recommend upgrading to a DJI or Parrot drone. If you can’t afford it, you have one of the best mid-range travel drones in form of the Wingsland S6.
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We hope that with this post, we helped you to get an overview over the best travel drones on the market. We absolutely love our travel drone and are sure, that you will have a lot of fun with yours too 😀
