IShowSpeed visits the Great Wall of China outside Beijing during his 2025 China tourIShowSpeedOne day this spring Darren Watkins Jr., the 21-year-old livestreaming sensation better known as IShowSpeed, reached Dominica, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Maarten by plane, boat, jet ski and dune buggy. The 12-hour livestream in the Caribbean included all the normal features such as people following him, last-minute changes to the schedule, people shouting his name and Watkins rushing from one location to another. This time, however, Expedia's yellow branding could be seen everywhere.This journey was the first public step in a series of agreements naming Expedia as IShowSpeed's official travel partner. Rather than having Watkins take part in a pre-written advertisement, Expedia was folded into the travel videos he was already producing for his large online audience.Speed on Sentry Hill in Sint Maarten, at the Rainforest Adventures Rockland Estate attraction. Soualiga Sky Explorer chairlift is near the launch area for the Flying Dutchman zipline.IShowSpeedWatkins, has a total of 184 million followers on social media. He was placed eighth on Forbes' 2026 Top Creators list and the company estimated that he earned $30 million between March 2025 and March 2026; Rolling Stone also referred to him as the most influential creator in 2025. For Expedia, the attraction is obvious since Watkins is already in a position to reach the young, global audience that travel firms strive to connect with.Watkins began posting gaming videos in 2016 when he was still a child in Cincinnati. For years, almost nobody watched. That changed around 2021 when clips of his explosive reactions during NBA 2K and Fortnite streams spread across TikTok. The games gradually became secondary to Watkins himself. Soccer, celebrity collaborations, and increasingly ambitious livestreams followed. Then travel opened up a different world for him. “I think I really realized it when I started traveling more and saw how different the energy was everywhere I went,” Watkins tells me in an interview. “Gaming will always be part of me, but when I travel, anything can happen. I’m meeting people I’ve never met, trying things I’ve never done, and seeing many places for the first time. The best part is how people from that country come out and show me their culture.”IShowSpeed with members of the Kalinago community in Dominica’s Kalinago Territory.IShowSpeedHis trips through Africa, China, India, Europe, and the United States bear little resemblance to traditional travel television. There is no polished host, carefully timed itinerary, or slow reveal of a hotel suite. Watkins runs through markets, jumps into street celebrations, takes on physical challenges, and attracts crowds that can swallow the entourage traveling with him. The point is not to tell viewers where to stay or eat. They watch because even Watkins often does not know what will happen next.That also makes him an unusual choice for a company like Expedia. Global travel campaigns are usually built around control. Watkins has built his career on the opposite. “The biggest thing was they understood what I do,” he says. “They weren’t trying to turn me into something different or make the streams feel scripted. If I’m traveling, I want to experience the place and let whatever happens happen. Expedia understood that from the beginning and they’ve been amazing to work with.”IShowSpeed in jet boat as part of Expedia campaignExpediaThe partnership began in April with the four-island Caribbean marathon, streamed live on YouTube and Twitch. Watkins moved by air, land, and sea while fans followed in real time. It was messy, fast, and far from the glossy island imagery most travel brands favor. That was the idea. Lauri Metrose, chief communications officer at Expedia Group, tells me the company wanted the partnership to feel like Speed, not Expedia trying to remake him. “We've stayed grounded in authenticity since day one.”For Watkins, making travel feel possible is personal. “For sure. Growing up in Cincinnati, I wasn’t thinking I would be traveling all over Africa, Asia, Europe, everywhere. Many of these places felt far from my life. Now I’m actually there, meeting people and seeing things I had only seen online before. That’s why I want people watching, especially younger kids, to see that the world is much bigger than wherever you are now. You never know where life can take you.”IShowSpeed dressed in traditional Mongolian attire during his visit to Mongolia.IShowSpeedExpedia has built a complete sales funnel around that audience. Exspeedia.com lets fans watch footage from Speeds' trips, explore the same flights, hotels, and activities, vote on future destinations, and book trips themselves. Customers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico can also enter for a chance to meet him on a future tour. Instead of disappearing after one sponsored post, the partnership follows Watkins from destination to destination.In June, Expedia pushed the idea further with Going Places With IShowSpeed, a 90-second shoppable film linking viewers directly to flights, hotels, and activities featured on screen. Influencers have sold the dream of travel for years. Expedia is testing whether that moment of inspiration can lead directly to a transaction. Metrose says the company does not see creators simply as a marketing add-on. “We see creators as an important booking channel for Expedia as they increasingly influence travel decisions."IShowSpeed during a visit to Mantenga Cultural Village in Eswatini in Africa.IShowSpeedCan Livestreams Sell Travel?The early numbers are getting attention inside the industry. Expedia says the Caribbean livestream reached more than 400 million people across social platforms. In the days that followed, searches on Expedia rose 70% for St. Maarten, 50% for Guadeloupe, and 35% for Dominica. Those are Expedia's figures, and searches are not bookings, but the jump suggests viewers did more than watch. Watkins says even he was surprised by the reaction. “It’s crazy to me. I don’t go somewhere thinking, ‘I’m about to make everybody travel here.’ I’m just showing people what I’m seeing in real time. But when you hear that people watched the stream and then started searching for those places, that’s powerful. A lot of people watching me might never have thought about going to some of these countries before. If I can show them somewhere new and make them want to see more of the world themselves, that means a lot.”Expedia is chasing a larger change in how younger travelers choose where to go. The company cites research showing that 57% of Gen Z and millennial travelers use social platforms to plan trips, while fewer than 10% start on a traditional travel website. By the time a young traveler arrives at a booking site, the destination may already have been chosen on TikTok, YouTube, or a livestream. Expedia wants to be part of the trip before that decision is made.IShowSpeed waits for a flight during his Caribbean tourIShowSpeedThere is still a gamble in giving this much visibility to someone whose appeal depends on being unpredictable. A livestream has no edit button. Crowds can get out of control and plans change. The moments that make Watkins compelling are often the same ones a corporate marketing department would try to avoid. Watkins says he would not have signed on if Expedia wanted to tame any of it. “Well, my community would know when something isn’t me. That’s why I’ve mentioned how great Expedia has been to work with because they didn’t try to change anything. The second it feels like a commercial instead of my stream, it doesn’t work, so I’d never work with anyone who tried to change me or how my streams play out.”That tension may be why the partnership is worth watching. Watkins has shown that millions of young viewers will follow him across countries in real time. Expedia is betting they will follow him one step further and book the trip. Watkins has a bigger itinerary in mind. “My goal is to visit every country on earth. It may take awhile but we’ll get there.”MORE FROM FORBESForbesThe 15 Best Off-Grid Destinations For 2026, Per Lonely PlanetBy Jim Dobson