Mallu Traveler: Travel YouTuber, Budget Hitchhiking, Videos and Kerala Style

Quick facts

Who is Mallu Traveler?

Mallu Traveler is Shakir Subhan, a young traveller from Kannur in Kerala, India, who turned a love of the road into one of the biggest Malayalam travel channels on YouTube. Born around 1990, he started posting in early 2018 under the name Mallu Traveler, and it was his hitchhiking and ultra-budget travel videos that gave him his first popularity.

His breakout was a long budget journey from Kerala to Nepal, travelled cheap and largely by hitchhiking — the kind of trip most creators only talk about. He shares the adventures, the struggles and the successes of travelling young and broke, filming the cultures and ways of life he meets without polish. One of his most-viewed videos is a 20-minute ride with actress Manju Warrier, proof of how far a hitchhiker’s charm can carry a camera.

In October 2019 he raised the stakes with a global road trip on his Apache RTR 200, riding through Iran, Azerbaijan and Georgia until the COVID pandemic closed the frontiers in 2020 and sent him home to Kannur. He celebrated his first million subscribers in Dubai, and The Hindu profiled him in September 2019 as a primer for budget travel. Eight years on, the formula is unchanged: real journeys, road trips and authentic experiences.

His YouTube journey

1. Hitchhiking beginnings (2018–2019). Kerala-to-Nepal budget runs build the Malayalam audience; The Hindu profile arrives in 2019.

2. World bike attempt (2019–2020). The Apache RTR 200 global road trip crosses Iran, Azerbaijan and Georgia before COVID ends the run.

3. Scale years (2020–2026). Past one million celebrated in Dubai, then two million; the archive grows to 1,181 videos and 410M views.

What kind of travel content does Mallu Traveler make?

• Hitchhiking diaries. Thumb-out journeys across India and beyond, costs shown.
• Bike road trips. The 2019 world attempt plus regional motorcycle runs.
• Budget breakdowns. Daily spend, food and stay numbers in Malayalam.
• Cultural encounters. Rides, meals and nights with strangers.
• Struggle storytelling. Missed lifts, closed borders, honest failures kept in.
• Diaspora bridges. Dubai celebrations and Gulf Malayali connections.

What he does not do: luxury content, scripted formats or English-first presentation.

Countries and destinations covered by Mallu Traveler

South Asia first, roads beyond:

Signature regions

• Kerala — home base: backwaters, hills and coastal roads.
• Nepal — the breakout Kerala-to-Nepal hitchhiking run.
• Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia — the 2019 bike-trip countries.
• Dubai and the Gulf — milestone celebrations and diaspora episodes.
• India wide — Himalayan and southern road coverage.
• World attempts — frontier-closure stories from the COVID years.

Ride along quietly: Kerala Silent Walk for backwater calm, Varanasi Silent Walk for river mornings, Pokhara Silent Walk for lake light, Kandy Silent Walk for tea hills, Hoi An Silent Walk for lantern streets, Chiang Mai Silent Walk for temple mornings. He thumbs the noisy road; we give you its silent hour.

Check @MalluTraveler videos tab for the newest uploads.

Mallu Traveler videos to discover

1. Kerala to Nepal hitchhiking

• The breakout budget run that built the channel.

2. World bike trip 2019

• Apache RTR 200 through Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia.

3. Ride with Manju Warrier

• Twenty minutes with the actress, most-viewed.

4. One million in Dubai

• Milestone celebration with the diaspora.

5. COVID frontier closures

• The honest end of the world attempt.

6. Himalayan road runs

• Mountain routes on small budgets.

7. Kerala home series

• Backwaters and hills in Malayalam.

Search exact titles; 1,181 videos live in the archive.

Mallu Traveler travel style

• Narration: Warm Malayalam, direct to camera, struggle-first honesty.
• Camera: Handheld, road-level, natural light.
• Sound: Traffic, wind, live roadside dialogue.
• Length: Mostly 10 to 25 minutes, high volume.
• Independence: Solo, self-funded, no press trips.
• Budget: Extreme-budget numbers, hitchhiking-first.
• Ethics: Strangers centred; lifts and meals credited.

Difference: Mallu Traveler thumbs the loud highway; Silent Walk gives you the same road at dawn.

Who is the Mallu Traveler channel for?

• Malayalam speakers worldwide: The reference budget voice in the language.
• Hitchhikers: Real lift-by-lift documentation.
• Bike travellers: Small-bike long-distance proof.
• Budget dreamers: Proof that broke still travels.
• Kerala lovers: Home-state roads and backwaters.
• Not for: Luxury, English-only or scripted content.

Destinations inspired by Mallu Traveler on Global Silent Walks

• After backwater calm: Kerala Silent Walk.
• After river mornings: Varanasi Silent Walk.
• After lake light: Pokhara Silent Walk.
• After tea hills: Kandy Silent Walk.
• After lantern streets: Hoi An Silent Walk.
• After temple mornings: Chiang Mai Silent Walk.

Independent bridges, no shared footage or promotion.

Explore the destination differently

A hitchhiking video runs at highway volume — trucks, wind, shouted negotiations. A silent walk runs at sunrise volume. After a road episode, reset on a Kerala backwater path or a Pokhara lakeside dawn. Use Mallu Traveler to learn the cheap route, then use us to hear the same road quiet.

Start with World Destinations.

Official socials

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MalluTraveler — 2.69M
• Press: The Hindu profile, September 2019
• Community: Kerala diaspora, Dubai milestones
• Output: 1,181 videos, 410M views

In pictures

FAQ

Who is Mallu Traveler?

Shakir Subhan from Kannur, Kerala, filming Malayalam budget and hitchhiking vlogs since 2018.

How many subscribers?

2.69M subscribers with 1,181 videos and 410M views.

What was his first big trip?

A hitchhiking budget journey from Kerala to Nepal.

Did he ride around the world?

He started a 2019 world bike trip through Iran, Azerbaijan and Georgia, cut short by COVID.

What language?

Malayalam, for Kerala and its diaspora.

Reliable for planning?

Strong on cheap routes. Verify visas and borders officially.

Sources

• Official: https://www.youtube.com/@MalluTraveler
• Bio: Shakir Subhan, Kannur Kerala, born ~1990; channel since early 2018
• The Hindu, Sep 2019: budget-travel primer profile
• 2019 world bike trip: Apache RTR 200, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia; COVID return 2020
• Stats: 2.69M subs, 1,181 videos, 410M views; 1M celebrated in Dubai

Data verified October 11, 2026.

Last verification: October 11, 2026.