I was asked this question on another forum I participate in. In particular, the question was what do I need to start making travel YouTube videos. I thought my reply might be helpful to folks in here.
A GoPro Hero 7 ($399 MSRP) or a YI 4K+ ($199 MSRP)
A Program To edit videos with. (There are good free ones so try different ones until you find one you like)
Audacity - For recording/cleaning up voice overs/audio (free)
A quality microphone if you are going to do voice-overs/narration
A powerful enough computer to edit videos. Usually, a mid-range laptop (i5 or above) is fine for a beginner. Don't buy one of those portable/tablet-style computers as their CPUs and VPUs are designed to save power/run without a fan not edit videos. You do need lots of storage. I'd go with an SSD as a primary drive and then add a large portable storage drive.
Learn to use your camera and editing programs. Take some videos around where you live and try and edit them into something presentable. If you are going to talk on your videos, it is easier to add the narration in after you shoot the video rather than talking as you shoot the video. You end up with a more professional video that way and you don't have to reshoot your video if you made a mistake.
If you don't like how your voice sounds, write a short script of what you want to say in your video and hire a cheap voice over guy on Fiverr. (estimated cost $10 -$20 per-video)
Questions: Can I use my cell phone camera?
Yes, if you have an expensive smartphone with a good built-in camera you can take a decent video. However, keep in mind you are shooting a travel video which means you are moving around. The action cameras I listed have image stabilization which most cell phones do not. They also have all sorts of mounts that work with them, so you can shoot a video as you are walking down the street and you won't have to try and hold your cell phone away from your body in your hand.
