My Favorite Travel Photos And The Stories Behind Them

Time for a little travel throwback today. I know 90% of the time my blog posts are detailed guides or resource type content. But sometimes you just want to be a person and not only a resource, you know. So today, I wanted to connect in a different way and share my favorite travel photos and the stories behind them. I promise not all of them are selfies! 😀

My Favorite Travel Photos And The Stories Behind Them

Photobomb level expert – Cappadocia, Turkey

I love this photo so much that it is the background on my laptop.

It was a happy accident too. One quiet morning in Cappadocia, I was chilling out by myself on the top of a hill getting some content for a separate video that I was making. This stray dog just kept following me around non-stop. It actually took forever to get the shots I needed and I was getting a bit frustrated.

It walked away for a bit and I decided to get a quick selfie facing the gorgeous sunrise and balloons, then before I knew it the dog was back. This time, instead of jumping or knocking over my camera, it just sat next to me and we had a quiet moment sitting there watching the view. It made for an awesome selfie!

More info: Here are my guides for planning a trip to Cappadocia.

Babys’ first selfie – ‘Eua, Tonga

I took this photo while swimming with whales in Tonga and every time I see it I just think it’s so beautiful.

The moment was a bit scary because being up close with something that huge, especially a protective mother, was really intimidating.

I don’t think I realized how huge whales were until I was swimming next to one but it was certainly humbling.

While watching these two whales, I saw the balance of the curious baby wanting to see what I was and the protective mother wanting to shelter her baby. Baby would come out and get close, then the mum would take a fin and steer it closer for safety. It was amazing to see the relationship playing out and how universal the actions were.

More info: Here are my guides on how to plan a trip to Tonga and swim with whales.

Smoking lion – Amakhala Game Reserve, South Africa

This one is another happy accident.

I have other photos of lions that are much better in a technical sense, but this one is my favorite because the cloud of smoke just adds a little magic.

It was first thing in the morning on a game drive and we could hear this lion calling from far away. The ranger explained that the pride had split up the day before and they were ‘contact calling’ to check in with each other and get the group back together.

The sounds were echoing around us then we finally caught sight of her. It was so cold but my frozen hands managed to get my camera out and snap this pic of her mid-call.

More info: Here are my guides on how to plan a safari trip to South Africa.

My Viking queen dream – Vardø, Norway

This photo is pure happiness to me and it’s one of my favorite travel photos of myself ever.

To say the weather was intense the day I visited Drakkar would be an understatement. It’s such a short hike but in that extreme weather with cold that was burning my skin through three layers of clothes and wind that was pushing me around easily, it felt like forever. Many times along the way I thought “aahhhh so this is how I die.”

Once we finally reached Drakkar, it was all worth it. I couldn’t smile too much because the wind would hurt my teeth, but my inner Viking nerd was on full display just long enough to snap this picture of pure emotion.

More info: Here is my guide on how to visit Drakkar.

Flying in style – 30,000 ft

The girl from Humpty Doo flew business class.

This photo is really nothing special but I love it because I honestly never thought I would ever fly business class in my life. I always walked by it on my way to cattle class wondering what it must be like, but just didn’t seem like it would be in the cards for me.

Until this awesome moment happened on my birthday. I had saved up credit card points for ages and tried to redeem them for an upgrade but the online account kept giving me error messages. I figured there were no more seats, but for whatever reason I went to the Emirates desk to do a double check. Low and behold, that hunch worked out because the lady got me upgraded with my points on the last business class seat available.

So I flew from Dubai to South Africa on my birthday in comfort, watching The Lion King, and getting buzzed off one mojito since I’m a one drink wonder.

Spooky snow globe – Bolzano, Italy

Doesn’t this look like the creepiest snow globe ever?

I snapped this one while at a Krampus parade in Italy where people dressed up as these scary creatures run through the streets chasing and scaring people.

If you ever get the chance to go to one of these festivals, they’re pretty awesome. But also terrifying if the Krampus creatures target you – which they definitely did to me! A solo female traveler is an easy target it seems.

This one doesn’t have a particularly cool story, it was just a fun festival and I think the photo turned out really cool.

More info: Here is my guide on what to expect at a Krampus parade in Italy.

Outback nights – Northern Territory, Australia

I love taking night photos but they are on another level in the outback. It’s pitch black, there’s a million mosquitos, and you’re just hoping not to step on a snake or something scary.

Most of the photos I love are the ones that have been hardest or require the most effort because it makes the end result so much more rewarding.

This one took about two hours of filming to get the movement of the stars and a whole lot of mosquito bites. There was even an unexpected bushfire in there – that’s the orange glow which I think adds a nice layer to it. The end result is this cool nature portrait of the middle of nowhere.

More info: Here are my guides on planning a visit to Darwin, Northern Territory.

Moroccan nights – Marrakech, Morocco

This one reminds me on an incredible night. I took it while sitting on a rooftop in Morocco completely by myself.

The sun was going down, the air was starting to cool, and the call to prayer was echoing all around me. There was a huge spread of Moroccan food laid out on a table nearby and I was feasting like a queen.

My camera was set up with my phone as a remote and, in between mouthfuls, I would change the settings and take a shot. Trying to capture the colors as close to what my eyes were seeing.

I love creating so getting the photos was fun, but it was also just a peaceful, serene solo night out there.

More info: Here are my guides on planning a trip to Marrakech, Morocco.

Above the clouds – Mt Pilatus, Switzerland

I think this was the first place I went where I thought “it’s just too beautiful to be real.”

To be honest, I don’t think the photo quite does it justice but I guess it’s just a sentimental reminder of that moment for me.

A reminder of seeing a place that looked like something out of a Nat Geo magazine. You know like something that you know exists somewhere but you’d probably never get to see it.

Being there in person to see the incredible Swiss Alps peaking above the clouds, with mountain goats climbing nearby and clouds constantly moving around me was surreal and unforgettable.

More info: Here are my guides on planning a trip to Mt Pilatus and Titlis from Lucerne.

Meeting The Undertaker – Dallas, Texas

You know there had to be something wrestling related in here, right?

Maybe the best solo trip I’ve ever done was to live out my childhood dream and attend a WrestleMania.

Not only did I get to see the show, but I also got to meet The Undertaker who is a legend in the world of wrestling. It was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been in my life. While I waited in line nervous chatting with everyone around me, I was trying to think of the perfect thing to say and the perfect handshake. I only had one chance to meet him so it had to be perfect.

Then when I got to actually meet him it all went out the window and my brain short circuited and reverted to the default dorky self.

Still the coolest moment ever.

More info: Here’s an article I wrote for Huffington Post about going to WrestleMania.

Camp Pineapple – Oahu, Hawaii

This is just a happy travel photo because it’s of cool memories getting the gals together for camping trips in Hawaii.

The photo is just a GoPro selfie I took after we got our tents up, and is nothing special. But the memories of the times there are what is special.

Sitting by the fire at night, snorkeling all day, lots of girl time, and lots of wildlife to swim with.

Just a lot of fun memories, and to me, that’s what travel is all about. The moments. Not the perfect photos. In fact my favorite travel memories aren’t in photos at all. But I’m happy to be able to share some of these with you today.

More info: Here are my guides on things to do in Hawaii.

Follow me on Instagram for even more travel photos and tips.