Kara and Nate

Early Life and Background

Kara Weaver Buchanan, born February 27, 1991, and Nathan "Nate" Buchanan, born March 20, 1989, grew up in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Kara, raised by her parents Kevin Weaver and an unnamed mother, was a cheerleader and loved kids, leading her to earn a bachelor’s and master’s in Child and Family Studies from the University of Tennessee. Nate, whose parents’ names aren’t shared, was entrepreneurial early on, getting a bachelor’s in Entrepreneurship and Management and a master’s in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the same university. High school sweethearts at Beech High School, they started dating in 2002 and bonded over a shared love for adventure, sparked by Nate’s knack for using credit card rewards to score cheap flights. Their 2013 honeymoon in Belize ignited their passion for travel, setting the stage for their future.

Rise to Fame

Kara and Nate launched their YouTube channel, “Kara and Nate,” on December 9, 2015, posting their first video, “FIRST VLOG EVER: 20+ Hours to Tokyo,” on January 4, 2016. What started as a way to document a one-year trip turned into a full-time gig. Their goal to visit 100 countries by 2020, achieved in December 2019, drew millions with vlogs like “We Slept on the Side of a Mountain” (over 5 million views). When the 2020 pandemic halted international travel, they pivoted to U.S. van life for two years, living in a customized van. Their Instagram (@karaandnate) and TikTok grew with travel tips and snippets, while their authenticity and Nate’s editing skills, inspired by Casey Neistat, made them travel vlogging stars.... Show More

Early Life and Background

Kara Weaver Buchanan, born February 27, 1991, and Nathan "Nate" Buchanan, born March 20, 1989, grew up in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Kara, raised by her parents Kevin Weaver and an unnamed mother, was a cheerleader and loved kids, leading her to earn a bachelor’s and master’s in Child and Family Studies from the University of Tennessee. Nate, whose parents’ names aren’t shared, was entrepreneurial early on, getting a bachelor’s in Entrepreneurship and Management and a master’s in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the same university. High school sweethearts at Beech High School, they started dating in 2002 and bonded over a shared love for adventure, sparked by Nate’s knack for using credit card rewards to score cheap flights. Their 2013 honeymoon in Belize ignited their passion for travel, setting the stage for their future.

Rise to Fame

Kara and Nate launched their YouTube channel, “Kara and Nate,” on December 9, 2015, posting their first video, “FIRST VLOG EVER: 20+ Hours to Tokyo,” on January 4, 2016. What started as a way to document a one-year trip turned into a full-time gig. Their goal to visit 100 countries by 2020, achieved in December 2019, drew millions with vlogs like “We Slept on the Side of a Mountain” (over 5 million views). When the 2020 pandemic halted international travel, they pivoted to U.S. van life for two years, living in a customized van. Their Instagram (@karaandnate) and TikTok grew with travel tips and snippets, while their authenticity and Nate’s editing skills, inspired by Casey Neistat, made them travel vlogging stars.

Videos and Content Style

Kara and Nate are YouTubers, travel vloggers, and entrepreneurs known for daily travel vlogs, van life adventures, and travel hacking tips. Their YouTube channel covers unique experiences like a North Pole polar plunge, survival challenges in Panama, and exploring India’s bustling cities. Videos blend Kara’s lively storytelling with Nate’s thoughtful planning, creating a fun, relatable dynamic. They post on their main channel and a secondary one, Daily Drop, for travel hacks. Instagram features stunning travel photos, while TikTok offers quick adventure clips. They’ve launched Fare Drop, an app for cheap flight alerts, and sell merch like travel journals. Their content, shot with high-quality gear like Sony cameras, inspires wanderlust and practical travel know-how for fans aged 18–45.

Achievements and Recognition

Kara and Nate’s channel earned a YouTube Gold Play Button and won the 2018 Shorty Award for Best in Travel. They hit their 100-country goal in 2019, celebrated with a documentary, “100th Country Documentary,” and have taken 78 flights across 32 airlines, circling the globe five times by 2023. Their businesses, Fare Drop and Daily Drop, a newsletter for travel rewards, have grown their brand beyond YouTube. X fans call them “the ultimate travel inspo,” praising their transparency in sharing income reports. ‽post:0 A 2024 Professional Hobo feature highlighted their savvy use of credit card points, saving them over $20,000 in travel costs. They’ve been featured in Forbes and Distractify for turning travel into a thriving business.

Personal Life

Kara and Nate live in Nashville, Tennessee, when not traveling, with no kids or pets as they focus on their nomadic lifestyle. Married on June 15, 2013, after dating for over a decade, they’re inseparable, with Nate’s daily coffee deliveries to Kara a fan-favorite detail. Kara stands at about 5 feet 6 inches, Nate at 5 feet 10 inches, and both have light brown hair and blue eyes. They love coffee (Kara’s obsessed), hiking, and trying local foods, with Nate into skydiving and bungee jumping. Their tight bond, rooted in their high school days, shines through in videos, and they stay connected to family, often posting about Kara’s dad.

Impact and Future

Kara and Nate have inspired countless fans to chase travel dreams, showing how to explore the world on a budget with travel hacking. Their honest vlogs, from sleeping in Antarctica to van life, make adventure feel doable, with X fans saying they “make you want to book a flight." They’ve built a community of travel lovers, sharing tips on cutting costs and embracing new cultures. Their 2020 statement supporting Black Lives Matter after George Floyd’s death showed their commitment to inclusivity. Looking ahead, they plan to keep traveling, possibly tackling new goals like visiting every U.S. state or growing Fare Drop. With their knack for storytelling and business smarts, Kara and Nate are set to stay leaders in travel vlogging, encouraging others to live boldly.