What makes a good travel photo is really in the eye of the beholder. To each of these international travel photographers, 2021 in particular had its own parameters for what defined meaningful travel. When asked to reflect about the year’s best trips and the images that captured them best, several themes emerged: nature (and particularly water), reconnecting, and slowing down to take it all in.
While some stayed closer to home and others ventured to far away places, each felt the heightened emotions and novelty of seeing someplace new, or returning to someplace long missed. Here are their best travel photos and memories of the year.
Emily Nathan
My most memorable image of the year, explained: We have been based in the Bay Area, but with my son’s school district closed to in-person school for all of last year we had the chance to live a life elsewhere (the dream so many consider on a vacation but never actually live out). For most of last winter we had the luck to live on the Big Island which truly feels like a home to us now. Our work and school lives were online (and my normal career on hold) but our home life was outdoors, underwater, and on the coral and lava beaches. Sunsets were a ritual most days, we stayed up for meteor showers, tracked whales, listening to their breath from the shore, and greeted our turtle friends with slow swims. This image from February is still my phone’s lock-screen. You can spot my husband and son in the distance walking on the shore. And the Big Island has unmatched wild sunsets.
A travel tip or recommendation: I chronicled a bunch of my favorite Big Island activities for PRIOR and cannot tell you the number of times I have sent the link to that story to other travelers visiting for the first time.
This year, traveling felt... Like life. We were living in other locations which is a totally different pace that we all loved.
Next year, I look forward to... Well, I hope to see more of the world safely back traveling, and if I may, I do have a book coming out in April, hundreds of gorgeous pages about the ocean and sustainability.
Marianna Jamadi
My most memorable image of the year, explained: This image was taken in late summer shortly before 10pm in Central Finland. It captures the serenity and lingering summer sunsets that stretch into late evenings during this time of year in Finland, known as the "Land of a Thousand Lakes.” This photo brings me back to my childhood, when we visited our Finnish family and spent several summers on rowboats under the setting sun.
A travel tip or recommendation: Make time to explore Finland's capital, Helsinki, and be sure to sweat it out then dip into the Baltic Sea at Löyly for the complete Finnish sauna experience.
This year, traveling felt... Like my favorite old sweater that was packed away for a season. A familiar warmth that I had greatly missed and was happy to be back in the arms of.
Next year, I look forward to... Traveling slower, staying longer, and hopefully visiting family abroad that I haven't seen since the pandemic in Indonesia and Australia.
Philip Nix
My most memorable image of the year, explained:
These images encapsulate a brief but beautiful escape from the madness of New York City and up to Bear Mountain State Park during the height of the pandemic. In the midst of lockdowns and mandates, my girlfriend and I felt we could use some time away, somewhere quiet, or at the very least somewhere with a bit more nature. Upon arrival we were met with crowds of people flocking to the mountain, but we found ourselves at a less-traveled trail entrance where a descending hiker recommended the route—but only if we were ready for a steeper climb. What followed was a thrilling, exhausting, and somewhat treacherous hike, climbing chain ropes, and encountering deer that could only be described as mythical. We had heard that on a clear day you could see the Manhattan skyline from the top, but that day the city remained distant and shrouded in clouds. Honestly, it made it even better.
A travel tip or recommendation: Show up early to beat the rush, pack snacks, and have fun. There are also a variety of incredible, historic towns in the area you can visit like Beacon, Coldspring, and Peekskill.
This year, traveling felt… Hectic and exciting. Touching down in some of the new locations I went to brought back that rush that I had missed. People are traveling back to so many places after the hard-earned wait and you can really feel the energy, so I just have to get used to being around crowds again!
Next year, I look forward to… Traveling through Europe is one thing, with Italy at the top of the list. I absolutely love exploring new and remote places, meeting local characters, and having delicious food (and coffee) along the way. There are so many unique stories to be told through travel and by deeply diving into a culture, and I'm incredibly excited about the new friends and partnerships that will result from that.
Katie McKnoulty
My most memorable image of the year, explained: I took this photo at the Balata dei Turchi, the closest thing there is to a beach on the island of Pantelleria, floating between Tunisia and Sicily in southern Italy. There are no beaches on the island, only universally agreed upon swim spots where people sprawl out over the black volcanic rocks, swimming and snorkeling to cool off. This year was all about traveling closer to home—which is Marche, Italy for me. This island, with its unique mix of North-African and Mediterranean influences and at times harsh but always captivating nature, felt exciting and new.
A travel tip or recommendation: On Pantelleria, I’d strongly recommend renting a scooter or dune buggy at the airport. Navigating the island this way intensifies the immersion into nature. You see and feel up close to the steam coming from the volcanic rocks, the wildflowers and zibibbo grapes growing by the roadside, and the beautiful earthen dammusi houses. The best place to stop as you’re driving around the island is the Mirror of Venus Lake formed in the crater of an extinct volcano. It's the island’s free and natural, open-air spa, where you can lather the healing thermal mud on your skin and bake in the glorious sun.
This year, traveling felt… incredibly special because we’ve all had so little of it. The novelty of a new experience was heightened, moments seeing something new felt unbelievable and so joyous.
Next year, I look forward to...
Next year I’ll leave Italy for the first time in over two years! So instead of heading somewhere new, I’ll clear my backlog of essential trips, to visit the people I’ve missed during this time, and do a health tune-up. This will include visiting my friends in Paris and London and flying home to Brisbane, Australia to spend time with family. Hopefully, I’ll fit in a stop in Southern India on the way to spend a few days eating in and wandering Kochi city before a two-week panchakarma retreat in an Ayurvedic retreat center I know and love.
Gemma Cagnacci
My most memorable image of the year, explained: This is my son having a moment and taking it all in as we travelled by boat up the Mekong River from Cai Be to the border town of Chau Doc in Vietnam—carefree and big eyed. Not only did this end up being of our favourite trips we have taken while living in Vietnam, it also was the last trip we took before a military controlled lockdown was to take place a couple of months later, after Covid case numbers increased dramatically in Saigon. (We were not allowed to leave our homes for over six weeks, not even for food. It was an intense time and our world became dramatically smaller—it was intense!). For me this image not only represents one of our most memorable trips as a family, it also evokes the real sense of freedom and discovery we had at the time, and something we didn't realise would be taken away a few months later. Now on the other side of that lockdown, this image has me excited for more adventures around Vietnam and beyond as we now return back to normal life.
A travel tip or recommendation: I feel the whole Mekong Delta area is incredibly underrated—it's so full of life, the friendliest people, lush villages dripping with fruit and coconuts and floating markets! I highly recommend visiting the region and in particular the river town of Chau Doc on the border of Vietnam and Cambodia. If you can travel there by boat, up the Mekong River, even better! In Chau Doc I recommend grabbing a coffee or a local craft beer from Boke Station, a very cool cafe in a gorgeous old colonial style building and near the bustling local market. Be sure to also catch the ferry to the Cham village across the river. The modern day Cham people are a Muslim minority group in Vietnam and it is incredibly interesting learning about their history and culture in the area. There is a lot to discover and learn about.
This year, traveling felt… very limited, as borders in Vietnam are still closed, however we are relishing this opportunity to do more localised travel and see as much of Vietnam as possible!
Next year, I look forward to… finally visiting our families in Australia and New Zealand now that borders are reopening! And hopefully a trip to Taiwan or Borneo—postponed trips from 2020 we have been hanging out for.
