Top 5 fastest ways to travel in Minecraft (2022)

Traveling in Minecraft can be done quickly with the right methods (Image via Mojang)
Traveling in Minecraft can be done quickly with the right methods (Image via Mojang)

Minecraft worlds are fairly large and can take quite some time to travel through. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to travel in the sandbox game, some of which are significantly faster than others.

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Players don't lack options for traversing their Minecraft worlds, and there are plenty of unconventional methods that players can consider if they're tired of walking, sprinting, and bunnyhopping about. Riding animals certainly helps, but there are even faster tricks to ensure that players reach their destinations quickly.

With so many travel methods available in Minecraft, it can be tricky to list off the effectiveness of each. However, it doesn't hurt to examine the fastest options as of version 1.19.

This article reflects the personal views of the author.


Fastest means of transportation in Minecraft 1.19

5) The Soul Speed/Soul Sand Combo

Soul Speed is useful, but only where soul sand exists (Image via Mojang)
Soul Speed is useful, but only where soul sand exists (Image via Mojang)

The Soul Speed enchantment can be obtained in Minecraft by bartering with Piglins within the Nether. This particular boot enchantment can increase a player's movement on foot by a maximum of 61.5% at Rank III. This is undoubtedly helpful for players as they travel, but it's somewhat limited unfortunately.

Soul Speed is only activated when a player moves over soul sand/soul soil blocks, which are typically only found in abundance in the Nether. While you can create walkways out of soul sand or soul soil within the Overworld or the End, it's still a long-term project that's situational at best when better alternatives exist.


4) Minecarts

Minecarts can really zoom around with the assistance of powered rails (Image via Mojang)
Minecarts can really zoom around with the assistance of powered rails (Image via Mojang)

Minecraft players have likely ridden a minecart at some point in time, but they may not know the full scope of just how fast these blocks can move. If a player can lay down sequential tracks of powered rails using iron and gold ingots and redstone dust, minecarts can move at considerably higher speeds.

Furthermore, you can implement down-sloping inclines and diagonal tracks to maximize a Minecart's speed and hit a top speed of 8 meters per second.

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It can take a lot of resources to lay down a large network of tracks, but once you do so, it becomes an incredibly helpful way to travel around your world.


3) Nether Portals

With the right placement, Nether portals can be an incredible way to traverse the Overworld (Image via Mojang)
With the right placement, Nether portals can be an incredible way to traverse the Overworld (Image via Mojang)

Nether portals certainly fulfill their jobs of getting players to the Nether in Minecraft. However, with the right placement of a portal in the Nether, a player can emerge a vast distance away from where they entered the fiery dimension. This is due to the compressed nature of the Nether, where a block traversed within is the same as traveling eight blocks in the Overworld.

This means that, with a few mathematical calculations, you can place a portal in the Overworld and place another one in the Nether that drops you right on top of the location you wish to travel to.

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Even if you don't necessarily want to use Nether portals to travel to exact locations in Minecraft, they're still excellent ways to travel over massive distances in a short period of time.


2) Boats on ice blocks

Taking a boat over ice or blue ice blocks can be useful (Image via ilmango/YouTube)
Taking a boat over ice or blue ice blocks can be useful (Image via ilmango/YouTube)

Minecraft players have likely noticed that sliding across ice blocks is pretty fun, and you can pick up some serious speed from doing so. If you place a boat on ice blocks, it essentially becomes completely frictionless and can slide at remarkable speeds. On standard ice, a boat can move at a staggering 40 blocks per second, and this speed increases to a whopping 72.7 blocks per second on blue ice.

Since boats are fairly easy to build in Minecraft and ice can be harvested in large amounts with Silk Touch tools, you can have a fast travel system built fairly quickly.


1) Elytra

A few firework rockets can see you speeding over the world incredibly quickly with your Elytra equipped (Image via OMGcraft/YouTube)
A few firework rockets can see you speeding over the world incredibly quickly with your Elytra equipped (Image via OMGcraft/YouTube)

Found in the End after the Ender Dragon has been defeated, Elytra remains one of the best ways to travel in Minecraft. While you can't move quickly by simply jumping off high places and gliding, it can get extremely fast when firework rockets or enchanted Tridents get involved. Elytra can hit a top speed of 33 meters per second when rockets are continuously fired mid-flight.

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Furthermore, using a Trident enchanted with the Riptide III enchantment can cause Elytra flight to hit a maximum speed of 125 meters per second. It requires practice, but when done correctly, Elytra can take Minecraft players to the border of their worlds in record time. While this does require rain to work effectively, it's still a remarkably fast method.