creative travel nature

What is Creative Travel?

Posted on Last updated: April 21, 2024

Have you heard of the term ‘Creative Travel’ before? This type of  hands-on travel, also referred to as ‘experiential travel’ or ‘immersive travel’ (and sometimes even ‘transformative travel’), is a form of tourism focusing on experiencing a particular place by actively and meaningfully engaging with ts history, people, culture, food and environment.

WHAT IS CREATIVE TRAVEL?

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• CREATIVE TRAVELLER'S HANDBOEK

WHICH ACTIVITIES TO DO ON YOUR TRIP?

Travel without leaving home, where to travel next, discover unique travel gear & gifts in our shop.

CREATIVE TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD

QUICK LINKS Creative Traveller’s Handbook

Whatever activity you participate in, the ultimate ‘goal’ in creative travel is to understand the culture , people and/or history of a place more deeply by connecting with it actively, rather than just visiting it passively.

Creative travel doesn’t just have to involve activities that feature a certain creative form of arts and crafts , such as making pottery in Japan or going painting in the mountains of Switzerland, but it can also focus on local food , or other forms of travel that is inspirational and/or helps your understanding of yourself or the world around you .   You can think about learning a language or a typical local sport on location, or activities such as local cooking classes, photography workshops or festivals you can participate in… But there is so much more!

In this post, I explain you more about this travel style and will give you tips of creative activities all around the world. 

Happiness is a state of activity – Aristotle

The Travel Tester loves to review different types of tours and activities around the world.

From well-known tourist attractions to bucket list experiences and from guided tours to self-guided visits of historical places, interactive museums, viewpoints, local events and much more… if it looks interesting to us, we’ll test it!

No matter where you’re going, with our reviews you’ll know exactly where to find fun activities!

Even though the term ‘experiential travel’ is already mentioned in books since 1985 and ‘creative travel’ was coined by professor Greg Richards and Crispin Raymond in the early 2000s, this type of travel seems to have become more and more popular in recent years.

Especially among Millennials , where experiencing something new is often preferred over travels that leave you feeling rested and recharged, creative travel offers a wide range of interesting activities to choose from. 

According to the Creative Tourism Network (more about them at the bottom of this post), creative travel is considered “a new generation of tourism”, that offers visitors the opportunity to “develop their creative potential through active participation in courses and learning experiences, which are characteristic of the holiday destination where they are taken”.

Whether you travel alone, as a couple or with a family or group of friends, there are many activities around the world offered in the creative tourism industry, such as educational courses and workshops and creative experiences where you get to learn different art forms or even adventure activities where you interact with the local nature and people in a fun, yet authentic way.

What would you like to experience? 

Now, I love a good Bucket List when I see one, but at the same time I also feel strongly that travel isn’t just about ticking activities and popular sights of a list just to be ‘done’ with a destination. What about you?

There are so many more experiences you can have on the road that let you truly connect with the culture, people and nature of a place – experiences that will let you learn and share skills, bridge cultural gaps and leave you with a sense of fulfillment that snapping a selfie in front of a famous landmark just can’t do… and those we call ‘creative travel activities’.   

While creative travel is really something that you can do all around the world, there are some countries that have included creative experiences into their overall marketing and are a bit ahead when it comes to providing activities, workshops and other hands-on cultural experiences and I love to share them with you.

With the help of personal travel experiences of my blogging colleagues from all over the world, I aim to compile the ultimate list of creative tourism ideas from Africa to Asia and Oceania and from Europe to all corners of the Americas:

01. You Learn New Skills

For me personally, this is one of the best benefits of creative travel. The more you see and experience, and the more people and places you encounter, the more ideas you will have to fuel your creativity . Get out of your comfortzone, try new things and you’ll be amazed by what you will learn!  

02. You Understand Other People Better

When was the last time you truly engaged with someone else’s culture? Travel is the number one way to expand your world and interact with people that live and probably think in a different way than yourself. Many creative travel experiences make you slow down, which gives you the time to ask questions and hear other people’s stories.

03. You Develop Patience 

Creative travel teaches us to constantly adapt to new situations, to be observant and to be ready for any changes… all in an environment that is completely unfamiliar to us. You develop patience and problem-solving skills, that go hand in hand with creative thinking, which will always help you further in life. 

04. You See the Beauty of the Earth

While you might think that all creative activities can be done in any location, even at home, participating in these experiences in another countries adds the benefit of seeing our planet in a completely different way. Painting with a mountain view, playing sports overlooking oceans or rivers, picking fruits in gorgeous orchards, our earth is a beautiful playground! 

05. You Get to Know Yourself Better

Self-awareness is a skill that’s indispensable in anything you do, whether you are traveling, working, studying or playing around. Getting to know your limits and talents through creative travel, you will become better in taking initiative and act on -and fulfill- your life goals.  

Of course, it will take some time to gather all  of the world-wide activities for you (and I might never fully get there, but I hope that what I’ve compiled for you so far inspires you to think outside the box and choose hands-on activities on your next trip yourself. If you did, please let me know about it, I would love to hear it!    And if you’ve found new activities that you feel would make a good addition, leave a comment below, so I can include it for future travellers seeking to get to know a certain destination, rather than just rushing through it.    Safe (and Fun) Travels! 

You don’t always need to be physically on the road to enjoy the beauty of destinations from all around the world!

From vintage travel posters to beautifully displayed souvenirs and home decor items inspired by your favourite places and from travel journals and crafts to exploring world recipes, music and dance.

With our creative articles you’ll get some fresh ideas on how to bring the world closer to the comforts of your own home.

MORE ABOUT CREATIVE TOURISM

If you are looking for more creative tourism examples, then make sure to head over to the website of the Creative Tourism Network, as they are a fantastic source of information and inspiration for your upcoming travels. 

The Creative Tourism Network is the international organization for the Creative Tourism development worldwide. They offer consulting and training to tourism professionals and also host the Creative Tourism Awards to reward projects, companies and destinations that foster the new generation of tourism with the active participation of tourists in creative activities.

www.creativetourismnetwork.org

CREATIVE TRAVELLER’S HANDBOEK

My travel blogger friend Elena wrote a wonderful book about creative travel that I can highly recommend reading. In this inspiring handbook, she answers not only the question who creative travel is for, but she gives practical tips on how to be creative on your own travels and how to plan your next creative trip down to all the details.

Read my Full Review of the Creative Traveller’s Handbook >>

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21 EPIC Travel Hobbies for Every Type of Traveler (2024)

By: Author Mitch Glass

Posted on Last updated: December 31, 2023

Most people think of hobbies as something you do at home. 

Playing guitar, woodworking, or painting — these are things you leave behind when you step on the plane, right?

Not so fast.

Many normal hobbies can be turned into travel hobbies.

Traveling hobbies make travel even more fun. And if you’re on the road long term, they can keep you sane. One of my backpacking hobbies even helped me meet my wife while abroad!

So, whether you’re a seasoned backpacker or are planning your very first trip, choose one of these awesome travel hobbies to take your adventure to the next level. 

Table of Contents

Creative travel hobby ideas 

Outdoor travel hobbies, cultural traveling hobbies , travel-related hobbies you can do at home , which traveling hobbies are right for you, epic travel hobbies for every type of traveler.

Most of the best travel hobbies can be broken down into four categories:

• Creative hobbies
• Adventurous hobbies
• Cultural hobbies
• Travel-related hobbies you can do at home

You can skip to the section that looks most interesting to you. Or better yet, choose one hobby to pick up from each category.

Travel is an excellent way to unleash your creative side. Best of all, most creative travel hobbies are easily portable, making them the perfect outlet to document your adventures.

1. Photography  

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. Everyone loves some fun holiday snaps, but if you really get into it, photography can change your entire travel experience.

You don’t need to invest loads in a fancy camera (unless you want to). Most recent smartphones are more than enough to get started. Use what you have, and don’t let a lack of professional equipment stop you from starting.

Youtube is a great resource to learn new photography skills. You can also take a bunch of awesome photography courses on this platform for free. 

2. Sketching

Sketching is like photography on steroids. 

Snapping a photo of a beautiful mountain is one thing. But enjoying its majesty for extended periods, focusing on all the details while carefully drawing the scenery—now that is a landscape you’ll never forget.

Don’t expect masterpieces as a beginner. Your first drawings probably won’t be anything to write home about. 

But even if they’re ugly, they’ll still be special. Plus, practice makes perfect.

When just starting, it can be tricky figuring out what to draw and how to practice. If you’re feeling “artist’s block”, search for drawing idea inspiration online. 

Start by carrying a simple pencil and sketchbook in your backpack. If you get hooked, you can upgrade to other art supplies.

Alternatively, you can carry an iPad (or other tablet) and make digital sketches.

3. Journaling

A journal is a traveler’s best friend.

Disciplining yourself to write every day isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. I like to quickly jot down the events of the day, but more importantly, write out my thoughts and feelings connected to those events.

Over the years, these memories start to fade. And if you have a journal full of all your adventures, you can relive them whenever you want.

You can up your travel journal game even further by adding in sketches, artwork, watercolors, and even unique souvenirs (e.g., boarding passes, postcards, etc.). 

In addition to my personal journal, I also carry around a “Friend’s I Meet” journal. Whenever I make a friend, I ask them to draw a picture of the memory we had together, then sign it. 

It’s one of my most prized possessions.

4. Videography and blogging

Videos capture the moment better than photos. There’s no question about it. 

In fact, that’s one of the reasons we started our Youtube channel . We were trapped on a remote Cambodian island during the pandemic, and we wanted a way to relive our adventures when we’re old and wrinkly.

One thing led to another, and now our channel earns a nice passive income each month — Win-win!

The same goes for this blog. It started as a hobby, and eventually morphed into an awesome travel-friendly job .

But even if you never earn a cent, you can use a blog like a versatile, virtual journal.

You can add images, videos, journal entries…whatever your heart desires (although you’ll want to leave out private details). And unlike a physical journal, you won’t have to worry about losing it or getting stuck in an unexpected rainstorm.

This definitely isn’t the most portable traveling hobby. But if you can cope with lugging a small musical instrument with you, it can certainly be one of the most sociable. 

If you’re musically inclined but aren’t keen on hauling around an instrument, you’ve got options. 

Why not hire a local music teacher to give you lessons on a traditional instrument from the region? This can be a fantastic way to immerse yourself in a culture and practice your language skills.

If playing music isn’t your thing, you can still turn music into a travel hobby. For example, when in Cali, Colombia — the Salsa Capital of the World — hit up a salsa show like Delirio. Or if you’re headed to Vienna, consider a night out at the opera. 

Look for opportunities to experience the local music scene wherever you go.

Got a taste for adventure? Whether you’re an adrenaline junky or simply love getting out in the fresh air, these outdoor travel hobby ideas will spice up your trip.

What could be simpler than going out for a walk? 

Even if your idea of a “hike” is just a stroll around the neighborhood you’re staying in, you’ll be surprised what jumps out at you when you’re exploring on your own two feet. 

But maybe a leisurely traipse through the local market doesn’t cut it for you. 

Some of us are crazy enough to spend hard-earned vacations sleeping on the ground out in the wild. There’s nothing quite like wondering whether every small noise you hear is a hungry animal looking to chew on a meaty hiker.

If you fall in love with hiking, it may turn into even more than a hobby. Many travelers plan their entire itineraries based on trekking opportunities. 

This is especially true in the United States, where there are an estimated 57.8 million active hikers . This is no surprise considering the vast hiking infrastructure and stunning national parks.

But international hiking trips are also popular with adventurous travelers.

We traveled to Chile with the sole purpose of hiking the O trek in Torres del Paine, Patagonia. Was it the most comfortable travel experience in the world? Definitely not.

We almost starved to death. My wife cried daily. And a stomach bacteria in the water gave me the squirts for three weeks.

Nevertheless, I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world. 

Tip: Don’t forget to download offline maps like Google maps and Maps.me before you go traveling. Google maps once saved me from getting lost in the desert! AllTrails is another must-have for hikers.

7. Kayaking

Kayaking is one of the most underrated travel hobbies. 

You obviously can’t pack a boat with you in your backpack. That’s silly.

But you can rent them near many touristic bodies of water.

It’s an awesome way to experience beautiful scenery from a different perspective. 

You can also choose different levels of adrenaline — from hardcore whitewater canoeing and kayaking to lazily floating around a calm lake.

If you’re lucky, you may even bump into some cool animals along the way.

8. Wildlife watching

I never appreciated wildlife watching until I started traveling.

Growing up, my only experience was school field trips to the zoo (which in retrospect is a little depressing). But spotting wild beasts in their natural environment is a whole different ball game. 

Whether you’re bird-watching in Colombia, safari-ing in Africa, or exploring untouched nature in the Galapagos Islands, mashing travel with animals is a great way to give purpose to your trip. 

You could even make a bucket list of all the animals you want to see in the wild, then choose your destinations based on where you can find them.

9. Diving 

Diving opens up a whole new world to explore when traveling — the underwater world. 

This is a traveling hobby I recommend everyone try. The longer you wait to get your diving certification, the more destinations you’ll miss where you could have gone scuba diving. 

Two of the top (AKA cheapest) to get certified are Koh Tao, Thailand and Roatán, Honduras. I did my Open and Advanced certifications back-to-back on Koh Tao, and I can’t recommend it enough. My travel partner loved it so much that she seriously considered switching career paths to become a scuba instructor.

So this hobby could potentially turn into a full-fledged travel job. 

You could also combine it with another hobby on this list — photography. Here are the world’s best dive destinations for underwater photography.

That said, it’s not for everyone — it can be a bit stressful for some people — but you’ll never know until you try. 

Just watch out for sharks (Kidding! …kind of).

If scuba diving intimidates you, you could also try your hand at snorkeling and free diving. Sometimes you don’t need to go deep to see awesome stuff.

10. Stargazing

Stargazing might well be the easiest hobby on this list. Ever looked up at the night sky? That’s it, you’re stargazing!

There’s more to it though. 

If you take the time to understand what you’re actually looking at, it’s pretty fascinating, especially for space nerds (myself included).

When you travel to different parts of the world, you see different constellations. To help you identify them, you can use free apps like Star Chart (there’s a bunch of similar apps as well).

To take it to the next level, travel to destinations known for little light pollution. Once you get an unpolluted glimpse of the Milky Way, it may even inspire you to try your hand at night photography. 

Cultural hobbies help you immerse yourself in the local culture. Instead of thinking of them as hobbies, think of them as a foundation for your travels (which begs the question, is traveling a hobby in and of itself? Hmm…). After all, if you don’t get a taste of the local culture, why bother traveling across the planet in the first place?

11. Language learning

If you can only choose one cultural hobby, this should be it.

Learning the basics of the local language is your portal to unique, unforgettable opportunities. 

Sure, you can probably survive with just English, but it’ll be a superficial cultural experience. 

Even the most broken attempt at speaking the local tongue will endear you to the locals. It allows you to venture to areas where English isn’t commonly understood, and that’s where the best travel memories are made.

Make it a goal to learn the basics wherever you go. Greetings, numbers, foods, directions, bartering skills (“That’s expensive! How about __?”), and of course, how to ask for the bathroom.

To learn even more, consider taking lessons in your destination. I once did a 5-week homestay with a local family in Guatemala while taking daily lessons. Immersing myself made my Spanish “click”, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget.

12. Dancing

Nowadays, this is my go-to travel hobby. I never expected it to be, but as I passed through Cali, Colombia, I figured it’d be a waste not to take a salsa class while in the Salsa Capital of the World.

That one class turned into two. Which turned into several hundred, property investments, and the love of my life.

Now we scope out the salsa scene wherever we travel. We’ve even started planning trips specifically to learn different dance styles (tango in Argentina, bachata in the Dominican Republic, etc.)

It’s the perfect way to immerse yourself in a culture, make friends with locals, learn a new skill, and stay fit on the road.

Don’t be the traveler who flies across the globe just to eat the same chicken wings and pizza you can get at home (unless you’re in Italy, perhaps).

Eating traditional food from different countries can be your travel hobby.

In fact, many travelers have built successful blogs and Youtube channels doing exactly that — traveling to new places with the sole intent of tasting all the yummy foods.

And it’s not all about yumminess. It can also be an adventure.

Maybe you make it your travel goal to try all the most “exotic” foods — crickets, spiders, alligators, frogs. This obviously isn’t a vegetarian-friendly hobby, but these experiences always turn into crazy stories to share with friends and fam.

If you’re traveling with friends, it’s also fun to all choose something different from the menu without knowing what it is.

Eating at small local joints can feel intimidating, but they often have some of the best, most authentic food. Just make sure to choose a place where you see a lot of locals eating. If it’s empty, think twice. 

And if you’re not quite that adventurous, you can also find food tours that will take you to all the best spots — places you’d never find alone.

We tried a Bangkok street food tour and a tour to find the best food in Athens, Greece — and both were scrumptious.

14. Cooking

Cooking is one of the best backpacking hobbies — and you may even pick it up without even trying.

If you stay in hostels with communal kitchens for long enough, you’re guaranteed to meet travelers from all over the world with mad cooking skills.

When you see someone whipping up a delicious-looking dish, it’s the perfect excuse to introduce yourself. You’ll not only add a new recipe to your repertoire, but you’ll also add a new friend. 

Apart from hostels, you could also make it your hobby to take cooking classes in each country you visit. During my very first backpacking trip, I took a Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai — and I’m still using some of those cooking skills six years later.

15. Collecting cool stuff

There’s nothing quite like trawling through the local markets and shops in different countries. You never know what you’re going to find. 

Souvenir hunting (in local markets) not only requires you to dip into local culture, but you’ll also come away with a cool travel do-dad that forever reminds you of your trip. 

You can visit markets without knowing what you’ll find. Or you can hunt for a specific type of item. For example, my wife used to always buy picture frames from each destination. Now we have nowhere to store hundreds of picture frames, so we switched to magnets. 

Another family member collects license plates from each destination, which make cool decorations. 

Unless you choose a small item, souvenir collecting is best for short trips. If you’re traveling long-term, it’s best to either (1) save your shopping until the end, or (2) give gifts to friends you meet along your journey.

16. Wine tasting

If you’ve got “finer tastes” (I’m not sure why people say that), you can mix wine and travel for a buzzing hobby.

I never really appreciated wine until visiting the Concha y Toro vineyard near Santiago, Chile. It was quite fascinating. 

And no two vineyards are the same. 

You can imbibe your way around the world, visiting top wine regions like France, Spain, New Zealand, California , and even South Africa . 

Then, whenever you buy a wine from a certain region, it’ll remind you of your trip.

The pandemic threw a wrench in many of our travel plans. Fortunately, there’s plenty of travel-related hobbies you can do at home to inspire and prepare you for your next adventure — whenever that may be. 

17. Scrapbooking 

It can be hard to throw away travel memorabilia like ticket stubs, receipts, and foreign money you forgot to exchange. Some people call it hoarding. I call it nostalgia. 

If you’re inundated with bits of random travel paper, scrapbooking might be your thing. 

It’s an awesome hobby to unleash your creativity to design beautiful memory books of your adventures.

Nowadays, most people just have hard drives crammed full of pictures they rarely look at. But a scrapbook on your coffee table is a surefire way to keep your experiences fresh in your mind.

If you share them with house guests, you may even inspire them to take an adventure of their own. 

18. Reading

If you can’t go there just yet, reading about a destination is the next best thing. 

In fact, it’ll even enhance your experience once you are able to travel there. It allows you to experience a destination at a deeper level.

For example, when visiting Cambodia, I read a heartbreaking book about the Khmer Rouge genocide. 

Whenever we were traveling overland by bus, I looked out at the countryside and could imagine everything that happened there back in the 70s.

Whether you read history books or fictional tales based on a certain destination, it’s bound to inspire your next adventure.

19. Planning your next trip

What better way to get over the lockdown blues than planning your next trip? 

A recent study shows that travel planning during COVID lockdowns reduced stress and increased happiness among respondents. 

Even if the trip is a year away, simply the act of planning and anticipation can boost your mood.

Heck, you don’t even have to book anything. Simply researching different destinations and dreaming of the places you could go and the routes you could take can be enough to cheer you up.

That said, if you’re itching to get out of the house, a short getaway to a nearby town or attraction can give you the same feelings. You don’t have to jetset across the world for an adventure — there are plenty to be had in your own backyard.

20. Learning outdoor skills

You don’t need to go any further than your backyard to unleash your inner Bear Grylls.

Upgrading your camping chops is a great way to temporarily scratch the travel itch. And when you do finally get the chance to travel, you’ll be armed with skills for a new type of adventure. 

To get your feet wet, find a hiking trail near your house that allows backpacking. Stock up on outdoor gear — a lightweight tent, sleeping pad, cookware, etc. — and head out into nature for the night.

If you’ve never done anything like that before, it might be best to rent or borrow gear. Then if you like it, you can invest in your own and eventually work your way up to longer, multi-day treks all over the world. 

21. Meditation

Meditation is a hobby that will benefit anyone who tries it.

It’s the perfect antidote to the unpredictable times we live in. It also can enhance your travels. 

Meditation teaches you to be more mindful. It’s the practice of living and experiencing the moment.

So instead of going through the motions in life, you start to become more aware of each moment — the feel of the ground under your feet, the cool breeze on your forehead, the smell of fresh pine in the forest.

You can bring this new awareness into your next trip for a more fulfilling and memorable experience.

Odds are something in this list that stood out to you. 

If not, you may just be overwhelmed with options (or just hard to please). 

In that case, just choose one and get started. Sometimes you never know you love something until you try it.

That’s exactly what happened to me with salsa dancing. Before traveling to Colombia, I didn’t even know what salsa music sounded like. 

But after stepping out of my comfort zone and taking some classes, everything changed. I not only stumbled on a lifelong travel hobby I can do while traveling the world, but I also scored a smokin’ hot Colombian wife <3

If you’re stuck, just choose something your current destination is known for. If you’re in a hippy town, try meditation or yoga. If you’re on an island known for diving, grab your scuba certification. And if you’re ever in Cali, Colombia — hit me up so we can hit the dance floor.

Mitch is your typical nomadic backpacker. Or at least, he was . But after stopping in Colombia to take “one week” of salsa lessons, his life took a sharp left turn. He met a cute Colombian girl in dance class, fell in love, and got married. Over half a decade has passed since he left his career to travel the world as a digital nomad, and he’s never looked back.

Nowadays, he’s the blogger behind Project Untethered — where he runs an awesome email newsletter and Youtube channel teaching adventure-craved wanderlusters how to escape the rat race, earn money from anywhere, and build an “untethered life”.

His advice has been featured in Forbes, USA Today, Yahoo, MSN, Reader’s Digest, Condé Nast Traveler, and more.

Mitch's Travel Recommendations: Travel Planning Resources - Everything you need to plan your trip on one convenient page. Going Cheap Flights Newsletter - Get flight deals from your airport up to 90% off sent straight to your inbox. Safetywing Insurance - This cheap travel insurance has saved me over $15,000 in medical bills. Booking.com - Book accommodation without adding your credit card (in case you need to cancel). Trusted House Sitters - Take care of pets in exchange for free (sometimes luxury) accommodation. Flexjobs - Find remote jobs without having to sift through crappy ones. Skillshare - Free trial to take unlimited classes that teach digital nomad skills. Wise - Send and receive money abroad cheaply (great for freelancers).

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Creative Travel Tips: Discover More of a Destination and Yourself

January 23, 2023 by Guest

This post was contributed by Elena Paschinger of CreativElena . She is the author of The Creative Traveler's Handbook .

What do you like to do? Hobbies? Crafts? Maybe, you want to try something new. That's one of the best reasons for creative travel.

When was the last time you did something for the first time? If “too long ago” is your answer, then you might be in need of the very inspiration creative travel can provide.

But what is it and why should you include creative activities in your travels?

The simple answer is: Creative travel allows you to experience the soul of your destination. Learning local crafts and methods, using local resources, being taught by local experts, takes you into your destination in a unique and powerful way.

You can read more about great destinations for solo travelers here .

Table of Contents

What is Creative Travel?

Creative travel is:

• carving my own unique piece of pounamu of New Zealand greenstone, with the help of a traditional Maori tutor.
• learning how to dance the tango in Buenos Aires in a typical Casa Milonga.
• cooking a three-course meal with charming French chef, Marthe Brohan in her private home in Paris.

Experiences such as these have the power to change you forever.

Creative travel goes beyond the typical boundaries of a fleeting “been there, done that” tourism exchange. It is the warmth you feel when you enter a family home anywhere on the planet and cook and share a meal with locals. It is the heat of the tango as you try to keep up with the pace of your instructor. It is the leap of joy when you finally wear your hand-carved souvenir round your neck. It is absolutely mind-blowing.

Here Are My 10 Tips to Travel Creatively

• Change “I cannot do this” into “I never thought I could!”  What sounds like the utmost barrier to expressing your own creativity while traveling – the fear of failure – is actually the greatest opportunity you have. After all, who is there to judge you when you travel solo? Your tutors, the local people, will cherish you, and you will find that the happiness of achieving something “you never thought you could” is simply overwhelming. Not to mention the admiring looks and the recognition you get from your friends and family back home, when you reveal your new skill with a child-like sense of pride on your face!
• Social media makes it easy to research creative travel opportunities in advance and stay in touch.  It has been almost a decade since I first started creative traveling around the world. The Internet, with blogs and social media in particular, has made researching creative travel organizations and tour operators easy. It has also made it very easy to stay in touch with creative people you meet on your travels. You can continue networking, sharing, and exchanging ideas.
• Let the locals guide you to achieving your full, creative potential.  There is one common trait in all the creative people I have met with over the past few years on my creative trips around the world: they all share a passion. They live to tell their story. Very often, they are the story, and invariably, as a solo traveler, you will be drawn into the magic of writing your own story with them. Local tutors are there to facilitate your individual experience, to provide the setting for creativity to happen and express itself, so that you become a part of their story in return. As such, the experience you have has the power to transform you – the single greatest achievement you can have on any trip.
• Join a festival with lots of art and creativity on display!  One way to overcome any misconceptions you have that you’re “not creative” is to explore the local art scene as part of a cultural event or festival where creativity is celebrated. This could be anything from interactive workshops with local people teaching you everything from crafts, pottery, weaving, or cooking to designing your own jewelry, making music, or joining a wine or beer tasting. It is a way to blend in with the crowd and experience firsthand the benefits of creative travel.
• Organizing your creative trip well minimizes risk and unexpected outcomes.  Though I only spent six days in the city of Buenos Aires, I spent almost six weeks researching and organizing my creative stay in the city, including everything from a street art graffiti tour on one day to a cooking class and tango lesson on another. I did this via email and social media, contacting all partners beforehand. The other option I had was to contact a specialized tour operator such as ANDA Turismo Responsable. Reassurance from operators and prior organization always pays off, especially when it comes to new destinations or unfamiliar experiences.
• Birds of a feather flock together: Creative travel helps like-minded solo travelers meet. Creative travel not only allows you to meet unique local personalities, it also connects you with other solo travelers who have similar interests. Do you have an interest in learning how to carve a wooden statue using a chain saw? Perfect: Creative Tourism Austria provides exotic, hands-on workshops such as these. Do you want to dig deeper into traditional Aboriginal art? Then connect the dots by doing your own dot-painting workshop at holy Uluru (Ayers Rock) mountain with a group of Aboriginal artists.
• Take a fresh look: Use creativity to change your perception of an established travel destination.  You might have been to Austria, Thailand, or New Zealand before and found amazing scenery, warm-hearted people, and delightful cuisine in all of them. But have you taken the time to really engage with the people you met and what you saw? Creative travel is so much more than our stereotyped, classroom learning. It is a way of understanding and engaging with the local culture and its people in the most authentic way possible – by active participation in the unique skill set of people in your host destination. Why not take a watercolor painting course, sketching in the Salzburg mountains as part of an organized hiking tour, cooking on the waterside balcony with the chef of your hotel resort in Thailand, or harvest the very Paua shells you are to carve into a unique souvenir at a New Zealand beach?
• Allow creative travel to challenge stereotypical thinking.  Your attitude is key. Do you think that the Tango is only for machos wanting sex with any woman traveler? Forget it: real tango goes way beyond its common misconceptions of eroticism, and is a most beautiful dance. Do you think all Austrian women dance to the Sound of Music in Dirndl dresses? That's a film. The reality is that women often make their dresses and you can learn how to make one as well. Experiencing the creative side of a culture gives you a real feel for what it is like to be in a particular place, contributing to the positive economic and social forces tourism can have on the societies we visit.
• And finally, if everything I’ve written above doesn’t move you, here is my last tip : Dare to be different . Go solo to a creative destination. Honestly, please do. You are never really on your own. There is nothing to fear when creating something new. And there is no better way to connect with new travel companions than a hands-on, entertaining, creative workshop that also makes a difference to the locals you meet by respecting their cultural beliefs and supporting their economy.

Follow Your Interests

Follow your passion. If you love art, try making some. If you are wild about wine, take a course on tasting, go and work in a vineyard, or learn how to make quality wine yourself. If you're passionate about food, take a cooking course in the origins of your favorite cuisines.

Follow your inspiration. Who, after watching the film Ghost , didn't think that pottery would be a hobby to take up? Film, books, poetry: all of these can inspire one to a creative trip.

Where to Find Creative Travel Opportunities Around the World

“So tell me this, Elena: Where can I do creative travel around the world?” This is the tip you have all been waiting for. Now, if there was to be a complete directory of all creative destinations around the globe, I would be certain to share it with you right away! As the concept is still evolving there is no such directory but a good starting point is the International Creative Tourism Network . It includes destinations from Morocco to New Mexico, Brazil to Cyprus, Spain to Quebec, and more.

You see, creative travel really is for you to enjoy! Last but not least, I have these wise words for you:

“I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.” (Confucius)

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Publisher Janice: info @ solotravelerworld.com

Editor Tracey: tracey @ solotravelerworld.com

Sales Simon: simon @ solotravelerworld.com

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21 Creative Travel Journal Ideas & Prompts for Your Next Trip

February 29, 2024

Journaling is a great way to make the most of any trip. Here are some of our favourite creative travel journal ideas.

Travel Journal Ideas

Photos and videos aren’t the only ways to capture your travels. A travel diary can help you enjoy the trip you’re on and help you relive all those memories once you’re home. After all, how often do you look back through your phone’s photos?

I’ll be honest. Completing a travel bullet journal is something I often dream about more than I manage to complete, particularly when travelling with young children. But over the years, the travel journals I have managed to complete have brought me great joy and prompted my ageing brain to remember sights, smells and tastes more vividly than ever.

So, don’t get hung up on making it pretty and perfect. Just concentrate on enjoying your trip and use these travel journal ideas to deepen that enjoyment. Don’t let them turn into one more burden or chore to complete!

What is a Travel Journal?

A travel journal is whatever you want it to be, baby! Or in more standard talk:

A travel journal is a personal, written account that documents an individual’s experiences, observations, and emotions during their journeys. It serves as a dedicated space for recording details such as daily activities, cultural encounters, and reflections on the places visited.

Typically, travel journals include a mix of narratives, anecdotes, and practical information. Whether handwritten or digital, a travel journal is a valuable tool for preserving travel memories, fostering self-reflection, and creating a tangible record of one’s explorations and discoveries around the world.

Although, don’t think you need to write reams. We’ve plenty of creative travel journal ideas if writing doesn’t happen to be your thing. We’re all about the easy way to fill those travel journal pages.

Where to Find the Perfect Travel Journal

The romantic in me says that the best travel journal is found on the road. But the practical side of me knows that it’s easier if you pick one up before you go.

In my experience, you want a book that will stay flat when you fold it open and ideally have a tie or piece of elastic to hold it together again, to stop things falling out.

I also like travel journals with a space for a pen as that makes it more likely that you will actually have a pen with you when the time comes to write. In my experience, the best way to make sure that something happens is to remove as many obstacles as possible.

Personally, I prefer blank pages but I know that many prefer grids or lines. And I’ve never got to grips with a digital journal but if they work for you, then great!

A hard cover can protect from the bumps and bruises of life on the road but, then again, a soft cover is lighter to carry around.

Here are some lovely travel journal examples you can find on Amazon:

• Vegan Leather Beechmore Travel Journal
• Adventure Travel Journal with Prompts
• Moleskine Hardcover Travel Journal

Note: if you buy through any of the links on this page, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Why Bother Keeping a Travel Journal in the First Place?

Firstly, because it’s fun! However, keeping a travel journal also has a number of other benefits.

Such as…

Memory Enhancement:

• According to a study published in the journal Memory, the act of writing helps to consolidate and enhance memory. By documenting your experiences, in your own travel journal, you’re more likely to remember details of your journey. And that fits with what I learned when I was studying Neuroscience at Cambridge.

Stress Reduction:

• A study by the American Psychological Association suggests that expressive writing can help reduce stress and promote overall well-being. Journaling about your travel experiences allows you to process emotions and relive positive moments.

Increased Cultural Awareness:

• Research conducted by the Cultural Intelligence Center indicates that keeping a travel journal can contribute to the development of cultural intelligence. Writing about local customs, traditions, and interactions with residents fosters a deeper understanding of different cultures.

Reflection and Personal Growth:

• Psychologist James W. Pennebaker’s research on expressive writing reveals that reflecting on experiences through writing can lead to personal growth and self-discovery. A travel journal provides a space for introspection and learning.

Enhanced Creativity:

• Again, the busy American Psychological Association suggests that engaging in creative activities, such as writing, can boost cognitive function and creativity. Documenting your travels in a journal encourages creative expression.

Capturing Details:

• Studies on eyewitness testimony indicate that people tend to forget details over time. Keeping a travel journal helps in preserving the specifics of your experiences, ensuring a more accurate recollection later on. Not that we hope you’ll end up in court. More, that we hope you’ll remember the highlights of your trip.

Improved Communication Skills:

• Journaling encourages the practice of effective communication. Documenting your thoughts and experiences helps refine your ability to articulate ideas and stories.

Digital Detox and Mindfulness:

• A study by the Pew Research Center found that 85% of adults in the United States use the internet. Keeping a physical travel journal offers a break from screens, fostering mindfulness and a deeper connection with your surroundings. Little details can bring about a big sense of calm.

Goal Setting and Achievement:

• Again, the good old American Psychological Association notes that setting and achieving small goals, such as completing a journal entry each day, can boost motivation and self-esteem. A travel journal provides a structured way to set and accomplish writing goals.

Legacy and Sharing:

• According to a study by Ancestry.com, 77% of adults believe it’s important to preserve their family history. A travel journal can serve as a legacy, allowing future generations to gain insights into your experiences and perspectives.

So, how about that? Not just a pretty page after all.

21 Gorgeous and Creative Travel Journal Ideas

OK, let’s get to the fun part! Creative travel journal ideas!

Collect Ticket Stubs

Ticket stubs may not seem so glamorous at the time but they’re one of those travel journal ideas that’s quick and easy to do, with great rewards later on. If you find yourself too busy on the trip, just shove (ahem, collect) them as you go along in one envelope. Once you’re home, you can then arrange them in a scrapbook or bullet journal along with notes and photos.

Carry Some Lightweight Supplies

It’s easier to keep up with your travel diary if you have the right tools with you. No-one needs to carry about an entire artist’s briefcase but a few pens, pencils and a roll or two of washi tape can help make it manageable.

Not sure what washi tape is? It’s like sellotape only comes with a pattern and is much more forgiving when unrolling and using it. You can pick up some washi tape here . It’s a great option to make sure things don’t always fall out along the way.

Brush up on Some Writing Tips

A travel diary shouldn’t feel like homework. But it will be more rewarding to write and definitely more pleasurable to read if you brush up on some writing techniques before you go.

We run a range of writing courses to get you started, including:

• Freelance Writing Masterclass
• Write Better, Write Now
• The Writing Boost

So, whether it’s a quick weekend away or a road trip journal that spans several months, you’ll feel more confident about what goes into your own travel log.

Pick up Some Postcards

This is one of my favourite creative travel journal ideas.

Now, we’re not talking about standard tourist postcards here (although, obviously, that’s fine if that’s what you want to do. It’s your travel diary, right?!)

We’re talking about flyers and postcards for art galleries, live music, exhibitions and special events. Business cards from cafes. Anything you saw and enjoyed and which gave you a taste of the place.

Collect the Cash

Spend more than a few days in a destination and the local money soon becomes a background event that you stop noticing. But when you’re back home, it’s a connection to the place.

So, if you can spare some of the lower denomination notes, it’s a great idea to tape a few into your travel journal.

Keep the Maps

You know those maps that are folded back and forth, torn, soggy and scribbled over? Keep them! It’s amazing how quickly you forget the detail of a place but a scribbled note and the white fluff along a folded map seam brings it back right away. New places, new maps.

Make the Food to Go

At the risk of sounding like a hoarder, look out for sweet wrapper, chopstick wrappers, beer labels and more that really fit the local food you had in a destination.

I always look out for local flavours in particular, so this method of scrapbooking (sounds better than hoarding) works well for me.

Flower Press Stress

Sometimes, pressing flowers or leaves works wonders. And, sometimes, it just makes a mess. This is one of those travel journal ideas that you need to do just right: ideally with a big patch of sellophane rather than just a strip of washi tape.

Be careful, though. Some countries, most notably New Zealand and Australia, are very strict about flowers and seeds crossing their borders. Probably best to avoid this if you plan on heading there.

Sketch Skills

Small sketches and beautiful drawings can really bring a travel diary to life. If you can draw, that is.

If not, never fear. While we can’t all be the best at everything, we can all master a few basic techniques.

It’s a good idea to just relax and have a go.

Learn the Lingo

As everyone knows, with a few local phrases, you’ll get a better reception wherever you go. Yet, with age, it’s alarming how quickly that knowledge fades.

Write down those phrases while they’re fresh! It’s a fun way to nurture those brain cells.

Stick in Those Lists

Have you used a packing list? A leaving the house checklist? A bucket list? To-do list? If so, stick them in! They’ll be surprisingly interesting to look at come the end of your trip. Don’t let your trip planning go to waste!

And if you don’t? Check out our collection of packing lists and pre-travel checklists here .

Use Some Travel Journal Writing Prompts

When inspiration fails, fall back on these. Don’t worry if you feel cheesy. No-one has to read this but you.

Travel Journal Prompts Before You Go

• Outline your expectations and goals for the upcoming journey. What do you hope to achieve or experience during this trip?
• Share your pre-trip excitement and any pre-travel rituals or preparations you engage in before embarking on a new adventure.
• Detail the research you’ve conducted about the destination, including its culture, history, and notable attractions. What aspects are you most eager to explore?
• Reflect on any pre-trip concerns or uncertainties. How do you plan to address them or prepare for potential challenges?
• Describe the anticipation you feel about trying the local cuisine. Are there specific dishes you’re looking forward to sampling?
• Outline your itinerary and the key activities you have planned for each day. What landmarks or attractions are a must-see for you?
• Consider the local customs and etiquette of the destination. How do you plan to respect and engage with the local culture?
• Share your thoughts on the packing process. What essentials are you making sure to bring, and what strategies are you using to pack efficiently?
• Reflect on any language barriers you might encounter. Have you learned a few basic phrases or expressions in the local language to enhance your experience?
• Write about your overall mindset and emotions as you approach the trip. What are your hopes, fears, and anticipations for the upcoming adventure?

Travel Journal Prompts For on the Road

1. Describe your initial impressions upon arriving at your destination. 2. What local cuisine or dish did you sample, and how would you rate your experience? 3. Reflect on a memorable encounter with a local resident or fellow traveller. 4. Share a moment when you stepped out of your comfort zone during your journey. 5. Detail the sights, sounds, and scents of a particular place that left a lasting impression on you. 6. Write about a unique cultural tradition or festival you experienced during your travels. 7. Describe a hidden gem or off-the-beaten-track location you discovered. 8. Share a humorous or unexpected anecdote from your trip. 9. Reflect on a challenging situation you encountered and how you overcame it. 10. Write about a place that surpassed your expectations and why. 11. Document a day spent exploring nature, whether it’s a hike, day at the beach, or wildlife encounter. 12. Discuss the impact of local art, music, or architecture on your overall experience. 13. Capture the essence of a local market or shopping district you visited. 14. Reflect on how the local history and heritage influenced your perception of the destination. 15. Write about a moment of tranquillity or relaxation during your journey. 16. Share your thoughts on the transportation methods you used and any interesting experiences. 17. Describe a sunrise or sunset that left you in awe. 18. Document a day focused on immersive cultural experiences, such as workshops or language classes. 19. Write about a place you’d love to revisit and explore further in the future. 20. Reflect on the personal growth or insights gained from your travel experiences.

Travel Journal Prompts for Once You Get Back

• Reflect on the overall experience of your journey. Did it meet, exceed, or differ from your initial expectations?
• Capture the emotions you feel upon returning home. What aspects of your routine are you excited to resume, and what do you miss from your travels?
• Share your favourite moments from the trip and how they contributed to your overall satisfaction.
• Write about any unexpected discoveries or surprises that occurred during your travels.
• Reflect on the impact of the journey on your perspective and personal growth. In what ways do you feel changed or enriched?
• Describe the local cuisine that left a lasting impression on you. Are there any dishes you wish you could recreate at home?
• Outline any challenges you faced during the trip and how you successfully navigated them.
• Consider how the cultural experiences have influenced your worldview. What lessons or insights will you carry forward from your travels?
• Share your thoughts on the souvenirs or mementoes you brought back. Do they hold special meaning or memories?
• Write about your plans for future travels. Are there destinations you’re now eager to explore based on this recent experience?

We hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of creative ways to catalogue different places and, more importantly, what they meant to you.

For all we’ve talked about the benefits of travel journaling, the important thing is that it’s fun. Don’t let your travel journal become a chore. Like all goals and tools, it’s just a way to help you fall even more in love with life.

Journal entries should make you think or make you smile. And that’s enough.

Why not bookmark this article on creative travel journal ideas on Pinterest for later?

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Why not pin these creative travel journal ideas on Pinterest for later?

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Experiencing nature through a creative lens

Join basketball player Kevin Love and Nat Geo photographer Kris Graves on an inspiring photographic journey through the wild spaces of Portland, Oregon.

For as long as NBA all-star Kevin Love can remember, basketball, photography, and mental health challenges have been constants in his life. Love, whose personal struggles with anxiety and depression inspired him to promote mental health awareness among athletes, says that taking photos, particularly in natural settings, is a creative, therapeutic outlet that helps him stay focused on the present.

“My dad [former NBA player Stan Love] had that curiosity, which was passed down onto me,” says Love, recalling that his father always carried a camera or camcorder to capture memories of his travels, which included touring with his younger brother Mike , a founding member of The Beach Boys . Over the past few years, Love has followed his father’s lead by photographing landscapes while traveling around the world to play basketball. “I feel like I'm the late-great Anthony Bourdain of basketball in a way because I just love to document everything,” he says. I think it's a good way to look back and say, ‘There was a life well-lived there.’”

To perfect his craft, Love regularly seeks out advice from professionals, such as National Geographic photographer Kris Graves . The two recently met up in Love’s home state of Oregon to experience nature through a creative lens in Forest Park , a leafy, 5,200-acre urban oasis of firs, ferns, water, and wildlife located on the northeast slope of Portland’s West Hills. As they walked beneath the forest canopy, the two took photos, which they were able to transfer immediately to Graves’ new Dell XPS 13 with the Intel® Evo™ platform. Carrying the light, ultrathin, and fast (thanks to Intel's faster i7-1165G7 processor) laptop in his backpack makes it easy for Graves to review and edit photos in real time, helping ensure he’ll have a wealth of quality images to choose from before moving onto the next location.

Unlike Love, who spent his childhood surrounded by trees and water eight miles south of downtown Portland in Lake Oswego, Graves says he “grew up without nature” in Queens, New York. Only when Graves started traveling as an adult, he adds, did he encounter the beauty of national parks and other wild places. That discovery ignited Graves’ love of landscape photography. “My mom and dad would never go to a national park,” recalls Graves, who is based in New York and California. “When I said I was going to Glacier National Park, they were like, ‘There's bears there. Why would you do that?’ I told them, ‘Well, there's bears there. That's why I'm going to do that.’"

Exploring outdoors has taken Graves to places he’s never been before (including, as it turned out, closer to a grizzly bear than he would’ve liked) and afforded him the freedom to photograph the ordinary in extraordinary ways. His abstract nature photographs go beyond the obvious, visualizing nature from new and unexpected perspectives.

“I want to capture something I’ve never seen before,” says Graves of his approach, while showing Love how to reimagine the typical straight-on, wide-lens waterfall shot by freeze-framing the tumbling water and blurring out the background. His technique allows Graves to be more mindful when creating art. Similar to Love, he sees photography as a way to stay in the present moment, something Graves says he achieves by “zoning out and getting lost in the work.” He explains, “Today, I’m just walking and not actually thinking about anything else besides making the photographs… It’s why I do it. Photography is complete mediation to me.”

As they walk, Love uses the tips Graves shares to put his own unique spin on the environment around him. Capturing more abstract images of the familiar trees and water features in Forest Park is especially appealing to Love, who says, while he finds comfort in all nature, he’s particularly drawn to the cool, damp woods of his native Pacific Northwest.

“I ground myself in nature every morning…try to take my shoes and socks off, put my feet in the grass, and just feel it. Even when it’s raining outside, I feel the water, take in whatever I can around me, and understand there’s a lot of beauty.” Explains Love.

Graves encourages Love to be prepared to capture the beauty that surrounds him every day, no matter where he happens to be. “My process is to have your camera on you at all times and, when you see something that you’ve never seen before, make that photograph,” says Graves. “Then, make it again from a different angle and do it over and over and over again until you can't even think about making another photograph of that scene.”

In the first hour of their walk, Graves estimates he made 300 photographs in hopes of getting one or two shots he likes. “If I can make one photograph in a day, I’d be the happiest person ever,” he says, adding that he’s not usually that lucky.

To find his ‘perfect shot’ in such a massive collection, Graves counts on the photo- and video-editing capabilities of the new Evo-certified Dell XPS 13. In addition to making it possible for professional photographers like Graves and amateur photographers like Love to instantly review and edit images in the field, the XPS 13 is Graves’ go-to tool for tightly editing in post-production.  

“The Dell helps me be creative...,” says Graves, opening his laptop to show Love the extraordinary moments they’ve captured. “Having a computer that runs fast, works all the time, and has a beautiful, colorful screen, gives me the opportunity to do whatever I want, whether editing photos or making a 4K video. I can make anything with the Dell.”

Discover more ways to nurture your own natural creativity with Dell .

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Creative Nature Photography: 13 Tips to Help Get You Outside the Box

For some of us, there’s nothing that can compare with spending a day, a week or a lifetime photographing the wonders of nature and the outdoors. There’s also nothing quite so disappointing as coming home with nature photography shots that just don’t reflect the emotions we felt while we were there.

If that happens to you more often than you’d like, you may be doubting your photographic skills. Chances are, however, that the problem isn’t with your skills, but more about your mindset.

It’s not uncommon to fall into creative ruts in photography, so in this article I’m going to offer a few creative nature photography tips and suggestions for making more engaging nature photos. The common theme you’ll notice in these tips is an emphasis on creativity, rather than technical expertise.

Creative Nature Photography Tip #1: Forget the Postcard Shot

Have you had someone tell you that your photo belonged on a postcard? If so, you can probably assume that it was meant as a compliment. When it comes to your mindset out there, however, consider looking for just the opposite.

I touched on this in my previous article in reference to landscape photos. It holds just as true for wildlife and any other nature photography. If you’re trying to capture the same kind of photos as everyone else, you need to kick-start your creative muse.

#2: Embrace Chaos

The outdoors isn’t a structured, orderly environment. If you want to depict it and its inhabitants accurately, you’ll need to be willing to occasionally let go of order. Nice, straight lines and uncluttered scenes are great, but they rarely exist on their own.

Jumbled, chaotic compositions are effective if that’s how the scene should “feel”. Lots of blurring indicates a flurry of motion. Perspective distortion is a wonderful way to indicate height or depth.

Start thinking about some of the things you try to avoid in your photos as creative tools.

3. Capture What You Can’t See

The wind is invisible, but you can see its effects on leaves, water, fur and other things. The sound of waves crashing against rocks can’t be photographed, but the force that causes it can. Desert heat can’t be felt in in a image, but distortion caused by heat waves can indicate its presence.

All of the examples above are excellent ways for viewers to connect to your photos. When you’re capturing wildlife and nature, use all of your senses. Consider ways to show viewers what those senses are showing you.

You’ll be impressed with the life this will breathe into your photos.

4. Get Closer

Robert Capa once said, “If your photos aren’t good enough, then you’re not close enough.” Although Capa was a combat photographer, there are times when these words apply to your nature shots.

The intricate shape and structure of a single leaf or blossom can be even more captivating than an entire tree. The eye of an animal may tell a story that can’t be seen from a distance. Getting close to a seashell on the beach will let you use its surroundings to convey a sense of scale.

You don’t have to shoot macro photos to follow this tip, although it’s one good possibility. Just be willing to narrow the field of view when it brings out something that might otherwise be missed.

5. Back Away

You knew this was coming next, didn’t you? What a clever photographer you are!

It’s easy to become so caught up in capturing a nature subject that you forget about its surroundings. Those surroundings can sometimes tell a story of their own or simply enhance the one you’re telling. See the bigger picture before – or after you move in for the close shot.

How do you know when to go with the wider view? Remember, you’re telling a story. If the surroundings add context, include them.

6. Pay Attention to Negative Space

This is closely related to the previous tip, but worth a separate look.

Negative space is loosely defined as “anything in an image that isn’t the subject.” You’ll find lots of discussion and even arguments about its meaning. The important thing, though isn’t how you define it, but how you use it.

This space can be used to indicate scale, give moving objects somewhere to go, balance compositions and avoid a cramped feeling, just to name a few uses. Always consider it and use it when it adds to your nature photography.

On the other side of the coin, don’t be afraid to eliminate the negative space when you want to emphasize confinement.

7. Shoot for the Illusion

Nature gives us some wonderful optical illusions. A shadow cast by a plant, animal or rock can provide an unexpected (mis)representation of that object. A reflection can be just as deceiving., especially on a moving or uneven surface.

While you’re surveying a scene, consider how you might be able to confuse viewers enough to encourage them to look closer. This can be a very powerful connection.

8. Focus Selectively

One habit that a nature photographer tends to develop is shooting for maximum depth of field. That’s a habit that you should occasionally break.

A wider aperture and very careful focusing can isolate your subject or part of it in unusual and effective ways. You can use it to “see through” foreground clutter or blur out distractions in the background . You can even work those bokeh effects to create a little bit of altered reality.

Longer lenses tend to have shallower depth of field, to give you more creative latitude with these ideas.

If you’re interested in mastering the technical side of nature photography, be sure to check out our article on the ideal camera settings for nature photography .

9. Bring Your Own Background

Some of the best nature photos aren’t completely natural. I’m not suggesting you should go out there and “fake it” but there will be times when you can build a more interesting shot with a little preparation or improvisation.

A piece of poster board or colored charcoal paper can isolate a subject nicely without doing any damage to the environment. This can be a good option for shooting flowers without cutting them and similar situations. You can do the same with small animals, insects, etc. if you can keep them in the frame.

Use this with the selective focus tip above along with your imagination to get even more creative.

10. Play With Refraction

While we’re on the subject of backgrounds, let’s discuss a technique that’s become a bit cliché, but it’s fun and popular, so it’s worth mentioning.

You can create interesting nature images with natural or placed drops of liquid by focusing on the refracted image of something behind those drops. You can also use other transparent globes or other shapes. If you’re so inclined, you can purchase acrylic or glass spheres specifically for this purpose.

The methods and various effects you can achieve are far beyond the scope of this article. If you’re not opposed to some special effects, you can get incredibly creative with this idea, so do some research.

11. Try an Impressionistic Approach

You may be able to create an interesting image by rendering a natural scene in a way that only hints at its contents. Like using optical illusions, this can draw viewers into an image by simply encouraging them to look closer.

There are several methods you can use, including softening the overall focus, shooting for extremely high contrast, or shooting through a textured filter or object. You can, of course, use post-processing techniques to achieve the effects, too.

A word of caution: this technique is very easily overdone.

12. Go Abstract

Some photographers push the altered reality theme even further by creating completely abstract images with subjects in nature. Others insist that this places the images in a different genre and refuse to follow suit.

Which group is right probably isn’t important. What matters is whether you find it interesting and worth your time and effort. If so, there are more than enough natural subjects with interesting shapes, textures, colors and contrast to keep you busy for years.

13. Work the Light

Don’t forget to pay attention to that wonderful natural lighting.

When working with static subjects, try finding a camera angle that lights them from behind for silhouettes or to give translucent objects an inner glow. With a minor adjustment, you can create rim lighting.

Golden Hour sunlight can give your images those nice, warm tones. The low angle of the sun can also create long shadows that can be used in your compositions. Look for interesting patterns created by the midday sun filtering through trees. Play with lens flare .

Learn to use the light as another creative tool.

Nature photography is a wonderful genre with literally a whole world of subject matter. It’s also one of the most popular niches. That can make it difficult to create images that stand out among the thousands out there.

Creating outstanding nature photos is often a matter of creative thinking, rather than producing technically perfect images. The tips in this article are designed to help fuel that creative process. They’re not intended to be meticulously followed, but as a launch pad for your own unique ideas.

What’s your favorite creative nature photography secret? Share it with other readers in the comments!

Dana is a writer, photographer and educator with a diverse background and over 25 years of experience. Born in Arizona and raised in Colorado and Texas, he developed a serious interest in photography when film was the available medium. An avid outdoorsman, he honed his photography skills in the wilds of Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Oregon and northern California.

Now located once again in the Texas Panhandle, Dana enjoys photographing nature and the night sky although his experience covers many fields. He currently writes photography and photo editing tutorials for several sources and manages social media and blogs for lens and software manufacturers. You can view a small sample of Dana's photos here: https://pixels.com/artists/dana+crandell

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Get off the beaten track and discover the diverse landscapes of the Northern Territory.

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If you like your vacations with a dose of adrenaline, a smattering of exhilaration and a spoonful of the unknown, there’s plenty in the Territory to keep you on your toes. On four wheels or two, on the water or in the air, atop 100-horsepower or one-camel-power, prepare to be re-energised by the not-so-sleepy NT. Given the terrain and sheer size of the landscape, visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to getting off the beaten track – the only question is how you want to get there. [GC1]  

On the ground

There’s no shortage of operators offering guided tours on quad-bikes, four-wheel-drives, camels or luxury coach. If you’d prefer to go it alone, hire a vehicle and get tips from the many experienced local guides.

See nature up close by setting out on one of the many diverse walking trails in the region. Choose from short morning strolls to multi-day treks taking in tropical rainforests, desert landscapes, steep escarpments and rocky chasms.

For some real perspective, or just to get dropped off at a seriously remote camping spot, consider taking a charter flight in a small plane or helicopter. Slow things down (and cut down the engine noise) by joining one of the hot-air balloon rides around Alice Springs.

In the water

Whichever way you arrive, you’ll eventually want to cool off beneath the cascading waterfalls and pristine springs, billabongs and rivers found across the NT. Always adhere to local advice on where and where not to swim.

If you want to stay on top of the water, canoes and kayaks are available for hire. Alternatively, join a cruise to get a look at the many jumping crocodiles roaming the Territory’s waters.

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Travel can take us far on land, but experiences take us even further in imagination. We believe journeys are made up of the small moments – the haunting tunes of a local song, the enticing smells of a spice market, the sunset during a jungle safari or the brilliant light of a thousand diyas at the bank of an ancient river. Our love for travel has led us into the furthest corners of the region to capture and curate such experiences for you. From the intimate to the grand, from the colourful to the cultural, from the slow-paced to the adrenaline-pumping

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42 inspiring & unusual travel words (besides wanderlust).

We’ve all tried to find words to describe a travel experience, and sometimes nothing seems to quite explain it right.

I love discovering new ways to express myself, and over the years I’ve slowly collected the below list of creative travel words that are either not commonly used in English or are from another language or are words that describe travel emotions we go through much better.

If you’re a bit of a Pinterest addict like me you might have heard some of these alternative words for travel before, but hopefully, some are new.

After all, we could all use some other words for wanderlust!

These are just a few of my favourite words associated with travel.

As someone who writes about travel all the time, I love finding new words for travel and to describe travel experiences.

Everyone knows wanderlust, but are there words for wanderlust in other languages, or even just another word for travel too? 

I first wrote this post back in 2015 with just 24 new travel words that I had found over the course of the year while I was living abroad in Spain .

Since then I’ve come across many more so I’ve updated it to include the new ones!

Each travel word definition has been written in my own words, with a photo of my own, and examples from my own experiences. 

I hope that you’re able to learn some new words for travel (that aren’t wanderlust but are other words for wanderlust!) and be a bit inspired by them like I have been!

The unusual travel words you need to know:

Resfeber  (n), origin – swedish.

The tangled feelings of fear and excitement before a journey begins.

This is one of the most popular words associated with travel and all over Pinterest!

We’ve all felt this. That jolt in your heart when you book your flights, or when you tell your family and friends what you’re about to do.

Now that feeling has a word you can use!

This feeling is for new travellers and old alike. I still feel it when I embark on new journeys, especially before I moved to Spain to teach English .

Fernweh (n)

Origin: german.

Farsickness. An urge to travel even stronger than wanderlust.

That feeling you get when you’ve been home too long and you ache to be out into the world again.

Sometimes you don’t know where you want to be, but you know that it’s away. Sometimes you know where, and you want to get there as quickly as possible. This is that feeling.

I’ve had a serious case of the post travel blues , and felt this to the extreme!

It’s one of my favourite words related to travel, since it really does describe how I’ve felt on so many different occasions.

Origin: French

To drift unplanned, led only by the landscape and architecture around you.

The idea that even if you drift you will end up falling into a path that is lined out for you by your surroundings. This could describe life overall, but it also describes small journeys.

When you’re wandering through a new city and you just happen to wander on a path that takes you to great discoveries.

This happened to me in Stockholm, when I went to the archipelago and saw absolutely nothing of the city, and again in Lisbon where we made no plans and just let the city show us where to go.

This is a travel word I’ve seen less often, probably because many of us love to plan our trips, tick things off a bucket list and not miss out, but sometimes if you just allow yourself to wander you’ll find the most unexpected and best things of your trip.

Numinous (adj)

Origin: latin.

Feeling both fearful and awed by what is before you.

I don’t know why but there’s something intriguing about finding Latin words for travel. Maybe it’s because it’s not a language we really use anymore, but it forms the basis for so much of ours now.

There are quite a lot of words for travelling that are Latin based, or that we can turn into a word associated with travel.

Firstly referring to divinity, but I think it is a wonderful way to describe how you feel when you see things that are so amazing you’re not sure whether to be amazed or realise your own insignificance in the world. It’s the magical feeling when you see something truly awe-inspiring, be it the scenery before you, or just something amazing falls into place when you’re travelling.

Visiting the rice terraces of China was that moment for me.

Schwellenangst (n)

Fear of crossing a threshold to embark on something new.

Ok so this German word isn’t traditionally a word related to travel but it could be used as one of those words to describe a travel experience now.

Maybe referring literally to a door, but a great way to explain that feeling you might have before deciding to set out on a new journey.

Did you make the right decision? Those questioning feelings now have a name. I thought I might have made a mistake in moving to Spain but really, it was just this feeling of fearing something new.

Strikhedonia (n)

Origin: greek.

The joy of being able to say “to hell with it”.

A popular Greek word associated with travel!

This is what you can do when you decide to quit everything, stop making excuses , and explore the world.

Something you say when you book your flights or you decide to do something on your journey that you wouldn’t normally do. You’re travelling, who cares right?!

Now you have a word related to travel for that awesome feeling.

A wandering or roaming journey.

An unpredictable idea, desire or action.

Travelling without knowing the destination, and it doesn’t matter.

I got completely lost with friends in the Alpujarras in southern Spain , and it didn’t matter one bit. This is another Latin word for travel that we should definitely bring back into our vocabulary!

Sehnsucht (n)

A wistful longing and yearning in the heart for travels that have been and travels to come.

When you’re not travelling this can be an overwhelming feeling, or when you think about the travel you’ve done and you wish you could relive it all over again.

This feeling is why you need to make the most of every moment! It’s why the more you travel, the harder it gets .

This is one of those other words for wanderlust that we could use instead, although not as easy to say I admit!

Eleutheromania (n)

The intense desire for freedom.

This is probably one of the closest words to explaining wanderlust in different languages. People often say that travelling makes them feel free, and eleutheromania is the desire for this feeling.

We seem to find freedom in other cultures, or just in being outside the norm, and when you stop travelling, you crave it again.

I think this is what led me to make the crazy decision to move abroad for the first time at 16 !

Definitely one of my favourite other words for wanderlust and a firm favourite on Pinterest when you look for travel words.

Livsnjutare (n)

Origin: swedish.

Someone who loves life deeply and lives it to the extreme.

Someone I try to be. One that takes chances, takes risks, and always chooses the adventure .

This other word for travel could be used in place for wanderluster, nomad or traveller.  We could all stand to appreciate what we have and make the most of life, and so this is an inspirational travel word! 

Sturmfrei (adj)

The freedom of being alone and having the ability to do what you want.

Travelling solo can be especially rewarding because it’s all up to you. You can make your travel journey exactly how you want it to be. No compromises, no one else to please. Just you and the road.

You might meet amazing people when you travel , but being on your own is real freedom.

This isn’t traditionally a word associated with travel either, but instead with being in a place alone or without supervision from your parents, so like when they leave you at home for the weekend as a teenager.

But isn’t that slightly giddy feeling of being able to do whatever we want similar to how we feel when we travel? No one’s watching, so you can be who you want and let go!

Solivagant (adj)

Wandering alone.

The kind of traveller many of us are. Solo travel has exploded so much that it is no longer out of the ordinary.

As most solo travellers know, you’re not alone for long as you make your friends on the road . But sometimes, it’s the wandering journey you take alone that is the most rewarding.

This is a word for someone that travels a lot or someone on a solo journey.

It’s definitely a popular description amongst travel bloggers too!

Saudade (n)

Origin: portuguese.

Nostalgia and the love that remains. A desire to be near to something or someone distant.

This is a travel word for after your journey ends and you just want to be back where you were, or with the people you met on the way. It’s the feeling that’s left after it all ends.

It’s what makes you want to return to your favourite place , even if you know it might not be the same. Part of the definition of this travel word is also about looking forward positively to the future!

Origin: Japanese

An awareness of the universe that triggers emotional responses too deep and mysterious for words.

That feeling when it’s dark and you look at the stars and your wonder for all the things in the world wells up inside of you.

I felt like this when I saw the northern lights in Iceland during the wintertime . It was the most amazing experience and if I had any word to describe it then this would be it!

Acatalepsy (n)

The idea that it is impossible to truly comprehend anything.

Acatalepsy is a word that we can associate with travel. 

Can you truly understand your travels, the things you see, and how they affect you?

Sometimes it takes time to process how travel might have changed your life, and sometimes we never truly know why we take the journeys we do and what they’ll mean for us until afterward.

We can reflect on amazing travel moments , but never fully know their impact until much later! 

Origin: In doubt

The realisation every person is living their own vivid life.

I stumbled across this word and fell in love with the meaning, as it’s something I sometimes think about. How each person’s life is as full of different connections, memories, and possibilities as my own.

Although research tells me Sonder may not be a real word, the concept is beautiful and I think it can be a word closely associated with travel.

When we’re travelling we realise how everyone is living their own different and vivid life, sometimes close to our own and sometimes on a completely other level!

Trouvaille (n)

Something lovely found by chance.

A street, cafe, an experience stumbled upon by luck.

I love when this happens in my travels. A moment drinking coffee under a lemon tree in the south of Spain , a garden or a lake or a swimming hole discovered with no one else around.

I love finding alternative words to describe a travel experience, and this is a great one! It’s so important to appreciate the little things, especially when we come across them in an unexpected way. 

Origin: Danish

The cosy feeling you get while you’re enjoying the good things in life with friends.

When you’re out for a meal with people you met during your travels , and you feel content and right.

That feeling that you’re right where you’re meant to be.

This isn’t traditionally associated with travel and has become much more popular in recent years as a word describing a Danish way of living.

This word is now much more popular and well known than when I first wrote this post when I was an expat ! When I first came across it in 2015 I’d never heard of it before at all!

And I love that.

To me, it sounded like a word to describe the experiences I’d had while travelling, when I’d met an amazing group of people and we were enjoying a shared meal together at the end of an awesome day of exploring.

Origin: The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows – John Koenig

Awareness of how little of the world you’ll experience.

When you’re staring at the departures board and wishing you could go to all of those places at once.

It’s possible that the more you travel the harder it gets , and this is one of the reasons why. You can live abroad to try and travel more, but there’s still only so much to be seen.

This travel word is a little different in that it isn’t from another language but instead from a book.

However, it is another word that describes travel in that you’ll never reach the end of your exploration.

Travelling just makes you realise how much of the world there is still to see, and fuels your wanderlust even more!

Novaturient (adj)

A desire to change and alter your life.

This word for travel lovers describes the feeling that pushes you to travel.

When you know you’re not living the life you could be and there must be more out there for you.

It’s time to go and find it . I’ve never regretted travelling or moving abroad , even alone . It’s this knowledge and this feeling that makes me keep doing it!

Yoko meshi (n)

The stress of speaking a foreign language.

Literally translates to, “a meal eaten sideways”, and how I felt about speaking Spanish when I moved to Spain!

When people would tell me to “just start speaking” and it’s really not that easy.

Can you really learn a language just by moving abroad ? Maybe not, but you can try. Just be prepared for this feeling that you now have a travel word to describe!

Selcouth (adj)

Origin: old english.

Strange and uncommon, the way you see things when you travel.

Everything seems different and foreign, and it’s a good thing. We travel to seek out the things we don’t have at home .

This is another word that we can make into a word for travel, even though it doesn’t traditionally mean that.

It is one I could kind of see myself using to describe the odd things I’ve come across while travelling!

Eudaimonia (n)

The contented happy state.

That bursting feeling in your chest when you travel when it all feels right. The constant change in travel often puts our senses in overdrive and the highs are higher than ever. 

Learning to dive on the Great Barrier Reef was one of the best experiences of my life, and I won’t soon forget this feeling.

This Greek word is actually related to a philosophy that has been translated as meaning happiness or well-being, but I think that it’s the way we often feel when we travel, so it’s a word for travel lovers too!

Coddiwomple (v)

Origin: english slang.

To travel purposefully towards a vague destination.

When you have an idea of where you’re going, but it doesn’t matter how long it takes to get there.

The road doesn’t have to be a straight one. In fact, sometimes it’s better when it’s not .

I love this travel word because I can imagine an old English gentleman discussing his latest “coddiwomple”!

Flâneur (n)

Someone who strolls aimlessly but enjoyably, observing life and the surroundings.

This is what I love to do when I get to a new city, or through the countryside .

When we travel we seem to have fewer worries in general, allowing us to place ourselves more IN the moment.

Plus walking a city and people watching is a great way to learn about a new culture! It’s also a lovely way to spend a romantic date !

Nefelibata (n)

“Cloud-Walker”. One who lives in the clouds of their own imagination, or who does not obey the conventions of society, literature or art. An unconventional person.

Probably the way people have described me on occasion!

For those who don’t travel, or don’t know how to begin, the idea can seem fantastical and unconventional.

But these days there are so many people breaking free of “cubicle” life and working as digital nomads with the world as their office, working different travel jobs ,  saving to move abroad , or taking a year off to travel. Phil and I now work for ourselves and travel as we like (with kids!).

It may be unconventional to some, but for the rest of us, it’s life.

Brumous (adj.)

Origin: english.

Of gray skies and winter days, filled with heavy clouds or fog.

This may be a travel word you only use if you travel to the United Kingdom, especially in Scotland (it’s not the weather though, you just need the right clothes !)

It’s well known as the land of rainy days and fog, and I’ve experienced first hand.

However, I visited the Isle of Skye , one of the beautiful places in the UK, in the wind and rain and it was no less amazing. So really, I don’t mind if I have to describe some of my travels this way.

Vorfreude (n)

The joyful, intense anticipation that comes from imagining future pleasures.

When we book a new trip and in the time before we go, this is the way we often feel.

We can think about the people we’ll meet , and all the exciting things we’re going to experience.

I love watching movies about places I want to go and then imagining myself there too, which is basically this feeling!

Commuovere (v)

Origin: italian.

Heartwarming, something that stirs and moves you.

I love finding new words that don’t translate into English. This one is a prime example of a word that is difficult to explain, but the best I can do is heartwarming, something that moves you to tears in a good way.

Maybe you’re wondering how this relates to travel… crying?!

Well, I’ve definitely shed a few tears over travel, from the good to the bad, and I’ve definitely been moved and awed by the things that I’ve seen.

Peregrinate (v)

Travel or wander around from place to place.

A pretty simple word that we could use to describe our travels and yet it seems to have fallen out of favour. “We peregrinated around the Scottish Highlands .” It works right?!

Nemophilist (n)

Origin: english.

A haunter of woods, one who loves the forest and it’s beauty and solitude.

There’s something magical about walking through the woods, and even more so in a foreign country.

When I lived in Canada on a study abroad one of my favourite things to do was wander through the huge forests there. So much so my new friends and I once got lost for 8 hours…

Querencia (n)

Origin: spanish.

The place where you are your most authentic self, from where strength is drawn, where you feel at home.

I’m so excited to have a Spanish word, after learning Spanish while giving in Spain.

This word comes is related to the verb querer , which is to want or desire.

It can be associated with bullfighting, as it is also the name for the area of the bullring where the bull takes its stand, but I like to think of it more as a travel word, of course.

Komorebi (n)

The sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees.

If you’re on those forest walks when you’re travelling like above, then this is hopefully what you’ll see!

Another unusual word that doesn’t translate directly into an English word, but one that describes a beautiful sight.

Hireath (n)

Origin: welsh.

A homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was. The nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past.

Homesickness isn’t quite the right translation for this beautiful Welsh word, it’s more than that. It’s one of my favourites though as I often reminisce about my previous travels and times in my life.

It’s strange to think back to times like our babymoon in France , and how we had no idea what was ahead of us. As much as I love our life now I sometimes wish to live those times again!

Smultronställe (n)

Literally “place of wild strawberries” a special place discovered, treasured, returned to for solace and relaxation; a personal idyll free from stress or sadness.

When I went to Luleå in the north of Sweden in summer we discovered wild strawberries growing on an island in the middle of the archipelago.

That’s what I think of when I see this word because what better place to be? These are often the kind of places we discover when we travel.

Mångata (n)

The reflection of the moon on the water.

Something I only seem to see or see the most when I’m travelling.

It reminds me of being by the sea, of the Full Moon Party in Thailand and of the early darkness when I lived in the Gold Coast, Australia, where this photo was taken!

Photophile (n)

Origin: possibly english or greek.

A person who loves photography and light.

This one is a little in dispute. It could originate from the word for organisms that love light, “photophilic”, but have been adjusted to fit with photographers too.

Or, it could come from the same origins as “hodophile” in that “phos” means light and “philos” means friends. I can’t find concrete evidence either way, but that’s the beauty of finding new words!

Photophiles carry their camera wherever they go, and many travellers now do the same.

I used to have an old point and shoot camera, and then I stuck to mostly iPhone before finally getting a “proper” camera. I’ve been testing it out in Spain at places like the Alhambra , and in Portugal around the streets of Lisbon .

But there was nothing quite like the midnight sun in Luleå last summer.

Dépaysement (adj.)

Feeling that comes from not being in one’s own country. Being out of your element, a fish out of water.

Living abroad has often made me feel like this , especially in the early days.

Sometimes we can idealise moving abroad and not realise how it will affect us , but eventually, a place will feel like home, even if it’s a different concept of home than before.

Hodophile (adj.)

“Lover of roads”. One who loves to travel.

Does this travel word really need an explanation?

There’s something magical about setting out on a trip with the open road before you. My absolute favourite was driving across the Nullabor in Australia! It’s one of the longest straight roads in the world.

Cockaigne (n)

Origin: an english word with french origin.

Imaginary land of luxury and idleness; the land of plenty.

This word originates from a medieval myth, a land of plenty where society’s restrictions are defined and the harshness of life in medieval times does not exist.

Although we’re not in this time anymore, we could use this word to describe our ideal land of plenty now. One where people are not persecuted for their religion or race, one where equality reigns supreme, maybe one we will all be able to travel to one day?

Wayfarer (n)

Someone who travels, especially on foot.

Maybe not as unusual a word as some on this list, and one that you may already know. I considered making this my blog name when I started blogging !

It’s a word that makes me think of older times when people travelled in a more whimsical way that had nothing to do with social media. You went wherever the wind took you!

Absquatulate (v)

Origin: north american english.

To leave without saying goodbye.

Invented in the US in the 1830s as a word that sounded vaguely Latin, to make it seem older.

It means to make off with someone or something without announcing you’re going! The way many of us might feel we want to leave for our travels. No fuss, please!

Have you heard of these travel words and would you use them? Do you think they explain things better than we usually can?

If you liked them, pin them!

Sonja - Migrating Miss

Sonja is from New Zealand but now lives in Scotland with her husband and two little boys, after having lived in 5 other countries along the way including the USA, Australia, Canada, and Spain. Travelling has always been her passion and she has now made it her full-time job and worked in the industry for the last 8 years. She shares her living abroad experiences and best tips to make your travel experiences the best they can be!

55 thoughts on “ 42 Inspiring & Unusual Travel Words (Besides Wanderlust) ”

Amazing list! Looking to impress a number of my fellow travelers with this list now!

I swear some of them can be worked in to normal conversation! Others may be a little different but it’s so nice to have words that describe those travel feelings.

Sonja, that’s a great one!! Sharing it all over now:) love all the words and the idea of such a post:)

Thanks so much Monika! I have been sitting on all of these for a long time. They are saved all over my phone and written in personal journals, so I thought it was time to share!

I’d add: ecdemomania <3

That’s a good one I didn’t have! I’ll have to add it to the next list 🙂

I absolutely love these! I so often find myself having a hard time describing my deep seeded need to get away, always be moving, or travel solo. The long pause and struggle I have to express the answer to “why” when asked about my journeys can feel very awkwardly isolating, and not in the good way of standing alone on a mountain top or wandering an empty desert. I like to feel all alone in the world sometimes but other times, I want to be a part of something, a community, and understood. Seeing words like you have dug up to share in this post do just that. The fact that there are words in so many languages to describe exactly how I feel, means that I am not really alone, even when I have been on a road with no signs of humans for days!

Thanks Bethany! You are definitely not alone! I too loved discovering that there are words that actually describe how I feel when I can’t even really describe it myself. It means that there are other’s that have felt like this, and so much so that whole words have been created for it. I hope you find a way to explain how you feel and why you want travel and movement in your life. All the best x

Wow, I love these, thank-you!

Thanks! I’ve been collecting them for awhile, I love finding out about different words that we can use to explain our feelings, not that I would end up actually saying most of these!

Your list of words is awesome! But Germans actually don’t use “sturmfrei” in the context of traveling. It’s being said when your parents have left home for one or more nights so you can invite friends and party. 😉 it’s not a description about how we feel, it’s more a description of the situation itself. I definitely like your interpretation – hopefully it’ll become a part of travelers diaries.

Thanks Josi! It’s good to know the real meaning behind the word. I like the idea of trying to adapt it as a travel word too, so fingers crossed others see it like you too! 🙂

Thank you Sonja, This was a fun list. I doubt I will be able to work them into my vocabulary. I don’t think I can even pronounce most of them. Perhaps it would be fun to have a follow up post that included the pronunciation of each. You clearly have comfort with many languages. I envy that. Happy Trails to You, Michelle

Haha no they are not exactly everyday words! I think a few may be easier than others, but anyone actually understanding them is the problem! I love the idea that sometimes other languages can explain things better than English though, and I do find it fascinating in learning Spanish that things are not always a direct translation. The use of words can be so different! Happy travels to you too!

I loved reading these words! Thanks for finding them and creating the pin for them! What an excellent way to express our traveling emotions!

Thanks so much! You’re most welcome :). I have to admit I don’t use them a whole lot in my blog writing, but I just love them!

I love your words. Thank you.

Thanks for your comment!

This is a great list, I enjoyed it! Thanks. However, I just want to correct a minor detail. While I was reading along, I got surprised by the word “onism” as I am Danish and has never in my life heard of this word before, whereas “hygge”, the other Danish word on your list, is very commonly used. I looked up “onism” on the internet and found that it comes from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows which is a compendium of invented words written by John Koenig. I suppose it is made as a combination between the words “monism” (Greek?) and “onanism” (English?), so there is nothing Danish about its origin (at least not that I could find) x

Thanks Ida! I tried to research everything as much as I could (hours in fact haha) and I’m not sure how I ended up with that one! I’ll take another look but I suspect I’ll find the same as you and change it! Thanks again 🙂 x

I loved reading this post and found myself relating to almost every one! ? Thought the accompanying photos were perfect too. It’s given me inspiration for a new travel/art journal …

Thanks so much! It makes me really happy to hear I’ve given someone else inspiration 🙂 🙂

Wow !! Love them.. I was actually looking for a new word which would describe my travel agency. I think I should be able to come up with something using the list of words, u’ve mentioned in this post.

That’s great I’m glad they’re able to help you! Best of luck.

Thnx a lot for giving this sort of knowledge about the words who r completely new to me. Keep posting these words along with their meaning it helps a lot.

Thanks dea… It perfectely helped me to explain my inner feelings , but some words have difficulty in pronouncing . I wrote down every word in ma notebook for future description pf my Travel Thanks alot yaar <3

Hi, I would like to know if there is a word for this feeling describes below,

‘I feel at home when I’m travelling, but when I’m actually at home, I feel weird.

I don’t think wanderlust is the word, can you please help me?

I’m sorry I’m not sure! I only know these words and the other post I did about unusual travel words. It’s possible something exists though and I’ll keep an eye out since I love finding unusual words 🙂

Was looking for travel words from Greek origin, and have found it, thanks so much. Love your page as well, maybe we see each other on the road sometime 🙂

Thanks so much! I’m glad they’re useful 🙂

So who copied who? 🙂 https://www.theintrepidguide.com/travel-words-that-describe-wanderlust-perfectly/#.WjWJFCPMwmo

Great list!

OMG!!!! Thanks for bringing this to my attention!!! I can’t believe how similar some of the wording of this is!!! 🙁 🙁 🙁 I first published this in early 2016.

Thank you for compiling such a great list! I may be incorrect, but shouldn’t ‘Vagary’ be listed as a noun rather than a verb?

It appears it’s listed as a noun now to mean something unpredictable but it came from the verb to wander!

So great to see Eleutheromania included in the list, passionate about freedom!

One of my favourites!

This is a very impressive, creative and original list. Will revisit many times. Thanks for sharing 🙂

42? How did anyone even get to this comment section? I had to scroll for 2 days just to get to leave this comment. This is really outrageous. 7 would have been plenty. We are internet users here, not book readers.

Two days well spent I’m sure 😉

When one is confined within the four corners of the home, because of the pandemic, this list is very encouraging! Thank you Sonja, many of the words here describes various emotions I have already experienced. Two more weeks of lockdown, I have time to do a project, finding my travel photos that match the words :).

Love this post! I’m feeling so much fernweh at the moment <3

Same here!!

Thank you so much for these! At this time of great challenges in the world, it is comforting to know that I can read the wonderful words you have compiled to capture all the positive feelings travel evokes. Slainte!

I couldn’t find all of these travel words anywhere else. You know, I am gonna bookmark it right away. Thanks for sharing these travel phrases. I love it. Looking forward to reading more of these informative articles 🙂

Amazing read. Needed these for getting a travel domain name. Bookmarked this post already. It’s very useful. Looking forward to reading more of these awesome travel blogs.

Ha ha what a random post! Learned so many new words from this, excited to casually *drop* them into my conversations

Haha so many! I mean, half I think I’ve never said but it’s fun to learn their meaning and find words that can describe the things we feel and think when we travel x

Wonderful article, it must have taken a lot of work to put together so many words 🙂

Thanks! I collected them over a few years and then reworded in my own words :).

Nice article. Thanks for sharing these travel phrases. Looking forward to reading more of these informative articles .

Stunning article, loved to read. will read more for sure…

Was very helpful article

I love this list of inspiring words for travel! I’m always looking for new ways to explore new places and this list has given me some great ideas.

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The 24 best nature near Moscow

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4 moscow zoo, 5 alexander garden, 6 sokolniki park, 7 ostankino television tower, 8 moscow state university, 9 moscow city, 10 all-russian exhibition center, 11 muzeon park of arts, 12 patriarch's ponds, 13 museum-estate arkhangelskoye, 14 hermitage garden, 15 afimall city, 16 zvenigorod, 18 family park skazka., 19 moskva river, 20 azimut hotel, 21 the rink, 23 fishpoint, top searches in moscow, popular road trips from moscow, what's the weather like in moscow.

It depends on when you visit! We've compiled data from NASA on what the weather is like in Moscow for each month of the year: see the links below for more information.

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Kigali, Rwanda, Is One of East Africa's Most Stylish Cities — Here's Where to Eat, Drink, and Shop, According to a Local

Pierra Ntayombya, a fashion and design executive in Kigali, shares her guide to her home city.

Philippe Nyirimihigo/Courtesy of Pierra Ntayombya; Chris Schwagga/Courtesy of Haute Baso

Kigali is often seen as a stopover for safari-goers embarking on a gorilla trek . But Rwanda’s capital is worth an extended stay to explore its thriving art scene, boutiques, and inventive bars and restaurants. 

Just ask Pierra Ntayombya, the former CEO of Haute Baso , a fashion house and interiors studio in Kigali. Her work has taken her across the continent, as she’s shown the brand’s pieces at fashion weeks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Lagos, Nigeria. This spring, Ntayombya founded Ruks House, a creative consultancy, where she works with designers and brands to aesthetically enhance their spaces. 

Read on for Ntayombya’s guide to the city she calls home. For a home base, Ntayombya’s preferred hotel is the upmarket Kigali Marriott Hotel .

Start the Day

“The design at the cafe  Kivu Noir is phenomenal, and they have the best coffee in Kigali. For brunch, it’s Le Petit Chalet , where the desserts are amazing.”

Chris Schwagga/Courtesy of Haute Baso

“I adore the ceramics shop Laini Studio , and always stop in at Wood Habitat , an upmarket furniture store. And, because I change my apartment constantly, it’s great to go to Haute Baso and get a piece or two to refresh my space. I also have everything created by Chris Schwagga, a designer and photographer who leads the interiors studio Mwinda .”

Food and Drink  

“The best night out is at Meza Malonga , a chic spot led by chef Dieuveil Malonga that focuses entirely on ingredients found in the region. The result is inimitable: eggplant tartare with moringa leaves, perfectly prepared Rwandan beef, and spice-crusted shrimp from Kenya. For drinks, Poivre Noir makes the city’s best gin and tonics. I also like the distillery Imizi Rum , which makes fewer than a hundred bottles a month.”

Courtesy of Laini Studio

Sweet Treat

“At Kunda Gelato , I like the hibiscus and lemon flavors.” 

Art and Culture

“My favorite gallery at the moment is Forty Second Space . It’s Pop art with a Rwandan twist. I’m also a fan of KomezArt , a virtual gallery that hosts many of the country’s top artists and will ship internationally.” 

Courtesy of Umwero

Nature Escape

“I often take my son for a walk in the new Nyandungu Eco-Park , and the view from Mount Kigali is still my favorite in the city.” 

Further Afield

If you are venturing outside of the capital, two of Ntayombya’s favorite hotels are Singita Kwitonda Lodge , situated just on the edge of Volcanoes National Park where tourists go gorilla trekking. “The design is so thoughtful, and it’s just beautiful," Ntayombya says. "They use so many local artisans and materials.”

On the other side of the country, near Nyungwe National Park, which has one of the oldest rainforests in Africa, is One&Only Gorilla's Nest . "There’s nothing that compares. It is the freshest air you’ll ever breathe. It’s so vast, it’s so lush. It’s pristine. I love it so much.”

A version of this story first appeared in the February 2024 issue of  Travel + Leisure  under the headline "Capital of Cool. "

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20 Cities That Make The Perfect Travel Destination For Nature Lovers

Posted: February 28, 2024 | Last updated: February 29, 2024

While some may look for a getaway to a bustling city there are plenty of others who prefer the great outdoors. There are certain qualities to look for in a pleasant nature spot such as air quality, access to recreational activities, and the overall landscape.

Beautiful nature can be found almost anywhere, but there are some cities that need to be seen in person. So whether you want a relaxing stay at the beach, a cozy trip to the mountains, or a sun-filled desert adventure, these are the best cities for nature lovers.

Boulder, Colorado Brings The Sunshine

The high altitude city of Boulder, Colorado is surrounded by wondrous mountain peaks and sandstone slabs called Flatirons. Many outdoor enthusiasts come to Boulder to take in the view and participate in various recreational activities such as cycling, hiking, and rock climbing.

The landscape is picturesque during all months of the year with over 300 days of sunshine. Even during the snowy months, it's common for the day to become warmer, so hikers can climb atop the trails of the snow-capped mountains. There are also over 60 parks and 151 public trails, so people can see nature at all angles.

See Nature In Seattle, Washington In An Unexpected Way

There's a reason why Seattle was nicknamed the Emerald City. It's because they are able to have fresh greenery all year-round. Even though Seattle, Washington is one of the most populous cities in the United States it manages to have a lot of nature.

One of the most popular places to take in the outside world is the 534-acre Discovery Park. It's filled with fresh wilderness, meadows, beaches, bluffs, mountain views, gigantic trees, and more. Those who prefer to see nature in a unique way may want to take a hot air balloon or helicopter tour of the city.

Portland, Oregon Has One Of The Largest Urban Parks

There are several areas to explore nature in Portland, Oregon. It's situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountains, which makes for numerous outdoor options. Forest Park happens to be one of the largest urban forests in the United States and includes over 80 miles of hiking trails with greenery and river views.

Portland has about 40 other state parks and eight beaches all wrapped up into only 5,100 acres, so there is plenty of space to view nature and not feel surrounded by other people.

Explore The Many Landscapes Of Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland, New Zealand was rated one of the top three most livable cities in the world and that may be due to it's superb natural landscape. The city is a perfect balance of urban and country with everything being a short distance from beaches, islands, hiking trails, and more.

It's easy to find lush rainforests, black-sand coves, vineyards, deep green forests, and sparkling bays. Many travel experts recommend going to Waiheke Island, Mount Eden, Rangitoto Island, and the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Movie fans may also want to check out the Hobbiton Movie Set where The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies were filmed.

Enjoy These Seasonal Activities In Provo, Utah

One of the most scenic cities in Utah is Provo. It's situated between the Wasatch Mountains and Utah Lake, which makes for an abundance of outdoor recreational activities. People can go biking and hiking during the spring and summer and downhill and cross-country skiing during the winter.

Provo Canyon has top-rated nature and parks according to Trip Advisor because it offers plenty of room for people to fish, raft, practice archery, go on picnics, and more all while taking in the waterfalls and tall mountain ranges. There are about eight state parks and four beaches to soak up some sun as well.

Don't Miss This Famous Event In Albuquerque, New Mexico

The weather in Albuquerque, New Mexico is usually pretty comfortable in the spring, fall, and winter, but summers can be hot and dry. Those who are there during the autumn get to see the coveted Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta where hundreds of hot-air balloons are flown over the Rio Grande Valley.

Similar to Boulder, Colorado, Albuquerque also experiences around 300 sunny days per year, which provides outdoor enthusiasts with ample opportunities to spend their days in the sun. Some of the best places in Albuquerque to explore nature include the La Luz Trail, ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden, and Elena Gallegos Park.

How To Get Some Solitude In San Francisco, California

On average San Francisco, California gets 15 million visitors a year. They aren't only there to check out the city views, but also to explore the numerous natural areas including the San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Glen Canyon Park. Since the city is overcrowded these spots are able to create the illusion of some solitude.

A trip to San Francisco wouldn't be complete without visiting Golden Gate Park. It is one of the largest urban parks in the world and is 20 percent bigger than Central Park and filled with lush green trees and adventurous hiking trails.

Spot Some Bald Eagles In Vancouver, Canada

Colossal mountain ranges and clear blue water can be found in any direction you look in Vancouver, Canada. Both the mountains and the beaches are only a half-hour away from the downtown area, which makes it easy to get the best of the city and great outdoors.

Vancouver has a ton of public city, regional, and provincial parks to get people closer to nature. For example, Brackendale Eagles Provincial Park is the best place to spot bald eagles during the winter and Kitsilano Park comes with sandy beaches, grassy fields, an outdoor swimming pool, and basketball and tennis courts.

Alexandria, Virginia Has A Ton Of History

According to Choice Hotels, Alexandria, Virginia is one of the most walkable cities in America. It makes up part of the Washington D.C. area along the Potomac River and is filled with tons of historic sites including the 17-mile Mount Vernon Trail that ends at George Washington's house (pictured).

There is a total of 940 acres of parks and recreation areas with about 20 state parks and 19 nearby beaches. Nature lovers should also check out the Dora Kelley Nature Park where they can explore the preserve by going on the trails, visiting animals, or taking environmental classes.

Dive Right Into Jacksonville, Florida

Those who come to Jacksonville, Florida should expect to be spending a lot of their time at the beach. Of course, Jacksonville is also home to the largest urban park system in the United States with over 450 separate parks for people to enjoy.

Some popular outdoor activities include camping, fishing, surfing, and paddleboarding. This Florida city offers plenty of wildlife at the beaches, marshes, waterways, and woodlands. One spot that will get the attention of any adventure seeker is Timuncuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. It has over 46,000 acres where people can learn about 6,000 years of human history and see the salt marshes, coastal dunes, and more.

How Madison, Wisconsin Was Formed

Madison, Wisconsin sits on an isthmus, which means it's completely surrounded by water. No matter where someone is in the city they will almost always have a clear view of the gorgeous blue water. The ancient landscape in Madison was actually formed by glaciers many years ago.

Travel experts urge visitors to come in the warmer seasons because the winters are usually cold and harsh. During those spring and summer months, people can go swimming at the lakes, take a stroll through the Olbrich Botanical Gardens, hit the trail at Cherokee Marsh, or gander at the "prairie-style" architecture.

The Must-See Wonders Of Reykjavik, Iceland

Reykjavik, Iceland almost looks as if it came out of a storybook. The landscape is unlike most places around the world because of the deep canyons, mighty glaciers, volcanoes, lava fields, waterfalls, and more. One of the most thrilling sights is the Northern Lights.

These are the results of solar particles entering the earth's magnetic field at high atmosphere. The lights usually appear as green, but can also change to purple, blue, orange, red, and pink. Those wanting to see them in person should visit Iceland from September to March because the nights are longer.

Minneapolis, Minnesota Has The Best Public Park System

The City of Minneapolis states that people are never further than six blocks from a park, which is something that can be difficult in urban areas. Minneapolis isn't short of waterfalls, lakes, and trails that are in place to keep people active and healthy all year long.

The Trust for Public Land mentioned that Minneapolis also has the best public park system in the country. There are also plenty of opportunities for people to educate themselves on the natural wildlife at places such as the Minnesota Zoo or the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory.

Manchester, New Hampshire Came A Long Way From Its Beginnings

According to The Crazy Tourist, Manchester, New Hampshire is the 23rd best city to live in America. It centered in the middle of the New England area and began as a small mill town. When people spend their time outdoors in Manchester they usually choose to go to the lakes and rivers.

Lake Massabesic is one of the most beautiful lakes in New Hampshire and a fun spot for water activities such as kayaking, fishing, and paddleboarding. There are also several hiking trails where people can stretch their legs and look for some rare birds.

The Many Places To Explore In Reno, Nevada

While Reno, Nevada may be famous for having multiple casinos and hotels, it actually is surrounded by a lot of nature. It makes up part of Lake Tahoe where people often go to ski during the colder months and participate in water activities during the warmer months.

Those who love animals may want to see the almost 20,000 wild mustangs and donkeys that live along the highways. If you've ever wanted to go to the moon, the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field resembles meteors with 20 inactive volcanoes. Also, be sure to check out the Sand Mountain Recreation Area where massive sand dunes were formed during the last ice age.

People From All Over Come To Willemstad, Curaçao

Willemstad, Curaçao is a Dutch Caribbean island known for its pastel-colored colonial architecture and 38 crystal-clear beaches. Visitors from all over the world come to snorkel and dive into the water to see the diverse marine life. The majority of Willemstad is actually undeveloped, which means there are plenty of outdoor areas where you won't be crowded by others.

Not only do they have some secluded beaches, but their national parks are also worth seeing. Christoffel Park is the largest national park and wildlife preserve in Curaçao and has tons of cacti, rocky terrain, and dramatic cliffs.

Discover What The Desert Has To Offer In Phoenix, Arizona

When in Phoenix, Arizona it's almost impossible not to notice the towering cacti. The hot, dry climate mixed with the Southwestern landscape makes for a nature-friendly area for everyone to explore. One of the first places to go is the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve, which has tons of desert wildlife and hiking and biking trails.

More experienced hikers may want to go to Camelback Mountain at the Echo Canyon Recreation Area. The trails are made of sandstone and hikers often see tons of animals such as rabbits, snakes, lizards, birds, antelopes, and squirrels.

John Muir Loved This Part Of Juneau, Alaska

Juneau is the capital of Alaska and is known for its grand mountainous views that stretch around the entire city. It's mostly become a port city for cruise ships but features many famous attractions and recreational areas. Fishing fanatics will love the Auke Bay Recreational Area equipped with great water spots, covered picnic areas, and a sloping gravel beach.

Those who want to see a real Alaskan glacier should head over to the Mendenhall Glacier in Tongass National Forest. It dates back 3,000 years ago during the Little Ice Age and was a favorite spot for John Muir.

Kauai, Hawaii Was Formed Over 70 Million Years Ago

It's a little tricky to see the Na Pali Coast in Kauai, Hawaii in person, but it can be done. The coastline is tucked away and can only be reached by helicopter, catamaran boat, or a vigorous hike through the lush green cliffs. Na Pali Coast was formed by volcanic eruptions over 70 million years ago.

The tropical landscape on Kauai sets itself apart because of the vibrant flora and fauna surrounding the island. After the Na Pali Coast, the white-sand beaches of Poipu and the deep valleys of Waimea Canyon are perfect places to see what nature has to offer.

Singapore, Malaysia Is The Greenest City In Asia

According to the Environmental Performance Index, Singapore, Malaysia is the greenest city in Asia. Singapore is an island surrounded by rich greenery and makes an effort to be environmentally conscious, especially due to its high population density.

People who want to see some nature don't even need to leave the bustling city because there are numerous green buildings. For example, the Gardens by the Bay and the Jewel Changi Airport have vertical gardens that are almost 200-feet tall. Also, the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is one of the few forests left in Singapore with over 840 different plants and over 500 animal species.

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Local nature guide wants to put Malaysia on the map for birdwatching

Saturday, 15 Jun 2024

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Tourism malaysia encounters challenges in domestic tourism promotion efforts, two men extradited from malaysia for alleged involvement in malware scams against singaporeans.

Wilson’s bird-of-paradise is a beautiful specimen. — Photos: ANDREW SEBASTIAN

Witnessing the courtship and nesting of Sarawak’s state bird, the rhinoceros hornbill, is just one of the many spectacular birding experiences of nature and wildlife guide Andrew Sebastian.

“Most people think hornbills are frugivores (fruit eaters), but during a birding tour, I once saw a male rhinoceros hornbill bring in a snake into its nest ... we gawked at the whole episode,” shared Sebastian, who dedicates his life to promoting sustainable eco and wildlife tourism in Malaysia.

Sebastian, 54, has been leading birding tours for many years now and is still deeply passionate about his job even after 18 years. It all started while on vacation at Pahang’s popular Fraser’s Hill, where he caught sight of a striking red bird called the red-headed trogon.

“I gazed in awe when the bird came into my view,” he said.

Sebastian, who is now the president and CEO of Ecotourism And Conservation Society Malaysia (Ecomy), then began learning more about birds and the hobby of birdwatching or birding, and subsequently started doing his own bird-themed tours.

“I was a senior staff of the Malaysian Nature Society, the nation’s oldest organisation focusing on the studies and conservation of or natural heritage, for nearly 20 years before I started Ecomy in 2015,” he said.

Through Ecomy, Sebastian and a few friends ran the “KampungKu” project, in which they work to support local communities living in and around protected areas.

“We train the youths to be nature guides. About a year ago, we established a school for the Bateq community in Kampung Kuala Atok (Pahang),” he said, adding that they also built solar and piping systems at the Orang Asli villages.

They even won The Star-Gamuda Golden Hearts Award in 2016 for their social enterprise work.

The Ecomy website (https://birdsmalaysia.my/) has also mapped out a collection of birding sites in the country, with ample information on birds for birdwatching enthusiasts.

Additionally, Sebastian wrote the e-brochure called Malaysia Birdwatching Paradise for Tourism Malaysia, in hopes of raising awareness on the importance of preserving our natural ecosystem, and to promote Malaysia as a destination for birdwatching.

Sebastian has always been fascinated by the beauty of nature, which was what inspired him to become a nature guide. His love for nature largely stems from his experience “growing up” in the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM).

“My father was the chief clerk at FRIM. So it was truly a privilege to be able to spend my childhood among towering trees, with occasional sightings of wildlife in the forest,” he said.

A bird’s paradise

Today, Sebastian frequently goes on bird-focused tours in places such as Kuala Selangor and Pahang’s Bukit Tinggi, Fraser’s Hill and Taman Negara. These trips generally last between one and 21 days, depending on the clients’ preference.

Sabah’s verdant natural landscape makes the state perfect for birding endeavours, too.

“Places like Kinabalu Park, Tambunan, Mount Trusmadi and Sandakan are my go-to destinations,” said Sebastian, whose passion for birds has also taken him to other parts of the world, including Argentina (Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve in Buenos Aires), Australia (Royal Park and Phillip Island Melbourne), England (Rutland Water) and Colombia (El Dorado ProAves Reserve).

But even after having explored various regions, Sebastian says that Malaysia remains one of the world’s most megadiverse places. Our vast tropical rainforests have a wide variety of ecosystems, providing extensive hotspots for birding.

“Among the natural habitats found here are mangroves, lowland forest and highlands, as well as peat swamp,” he said.

Also, apart from endemic birds, some of the species in Malaysia are migratory birds from as far as Russia, China and Mongolia. These birds fly here during the winter period in their original habitat, which is between October and March, to enjoy our warmer climate.

“The birds are instinctively driven to migrate due to the harsh and cold conditions,” Sebastian explained. “Tropical Malaysia serves as an ideal stopover for them to rest and look for food.”

One of his personal favourites is the Wilson’s bird-of-paradise that hails from neighbouring Indonesia. The brown, red and yellow-feathered bird has unique features: a bare, bright blue head and a curly tail.

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Tags / Keywords: Mount Trusmadi , Red-headed Trogon , Rhinoceros Hornbill , Wilson's Bird-Of-Paradise , Ecotourism And Conservation Society Malaysia , Ecomy , Mangroves , Lowland Forest , Pahang , Sabah , Kuala Selangor , Bukit Tinggi , Birding , Forest Research Institute Malaysia , FRIM , tourism , birdwatching , niche tourism

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Here It Comes: Another Hot Summer in Europe

Extreme heat and other weather challenges are in the forecast this summer, and travel advisers, tourists and local officials are getting prepared.

By Ceylan Yeğinsu

Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent, is headed for another scorching summer, meteorologists warn. And travelers, once again, are heading to the hot spots.

Last year, large parts of southern Europe experienced prolonged periods of extreme heat with temperatures reaching 118 degrees and lasting up to two weeks or more. The sweltering conditions upended vacations throughout the summer season as visitors collapsed from heat exhaustion at crowded tourist sites, and wildfires led to evacuations in Greece, Italy and Spain.

“Our computer models are in good agreement that it’s going to be another unusually hot summer, especially during late July through August,” said Todd Crawford, vice president of meteorology at Atmospheric G2 , a weather and climate intelligence firm based in Manchester, N.H. The company expects the magnitude of the heat to be similar to 2022, the hottest summer ever recorded in Europe, with the most anomalous heat projected in the south, in popular countries for travelers like Greece, Croatia and Italy.

Since 1991, Europe has been warming at twice the global average, and 23 of the 30 most severe heat waves in Europe since 1950 have occurred since 2000, with five in the last three years, according to the World Meteorological Organization. The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said several factors contribute to the continent’s vulnerability, including the proportion of European land in the Arctic — the fastest-warming region on earth — and changes in atmospheric circulation.

Yet despite the forecast and increasing trend of excessive summer heat, demand is still high for destinations where temperatures reached 100 degrees or higher in recent summers. Overall, U.S. demand for travel to Europe has increased since last year, according to the travel site Hopper . Rome, Paris and Athens are among the most searched cities out of billions of annual searches for summer vacations on Kayak and Expedia.

“The destinations are being booked again, and what really characterizes people is how quickly they forget and push back negative experiences,” said Stefan Gössling, a professor who researches tourism and climate change at Linnaeus University in Sweden. “People who were caught in life-threatening situations like the wildfires may reconsider where they travel, but for the broader population, we are not yet seeing a big change in decision-making because of the heat.”

Green spaces and heat officers: Cities adapt

As the summer approaches, popular destinations that were hit hard last year are working on protocols to make residents and tourists safe and more comfortable. In 2021, Athens became the first European city to appoint a chief heat officer to oversee those efforts. One of the first steps was to categorize heat waves by severity, like hurricanes, as an early warning system for the potential impact on human health. It is also naming heat waves to emphasize their potential risks.

“Heat is a silent killer and projections for the coming years show that it will only get worse, so we are redesigning our city and making changes to adapt,” said Elissavet Bargianni, the chief heat officer for Athens. Beyond raising awareness, the city plans to implement additional measures, which include increasing the number of green spaces and creating cool public areas.

For visitors planning to visit Athens this summer, Ms. Bargianni advises using the Extrema Global app that calculates the coolest route for getting from point A to point B according to the current temperature and density of the trees. The city already has several air-conditioned cooling centers that are free.

During last July’s heat wave, the Acropolis was forced to close between midday and the early evening to protect visitors after some of them collapsed from the heat. The ministry of culture could make the same decision this year, Ms. Bargianni said, if the heat is severe.

Heat and tours: Travel advisers get creative

Travel advisers are also factoring heat into flexible itineraries. In cities like Rome, Barcelona, Paris and Athens, they are scheduling sightseeing in the cooler morning and evening hours, and arranging air-conditioned transportation.

“We tend to do activities and tours in the morning, then stop for lunch, and in the mid- to late afternoon you either go back to the hotel to sit by the pool or go to the beach,” said Gary Portuesi, a co-managing partner at Authentic Explorations, a New York-based travel company that specializes in Europe.

If clients insist on taking midday tours, the company will work with local partners to make the experience as comfortable as possible. “If there is a six-hour tour, for example, they will cut it down to four and take them to an air-conditioned gelateria for a break,” Mr. Portuesi said.

It is not only the heat that travel advisers have had to grapple with, but also other unpredictable weather events. Last summer, while some parts of the continent were hot and dry, others were cold and wet. “There was a period during the summer peak when it was hotter in the Dolomites than it was in Sicily,” said Jennifer Schwartz, the Italy-based partner of Authentic Explorations. “The most important aspect of our job is to set expectations about the variables and guide people instead of saying it’s too hot, don’t come.”

Heat insurance?

To help travelers book with more confidence, Sensible Weather, a Los Angeles-based start-up that provides a weather guarantee for vacations and outdoor experiences, has recently added high heat protection to its coverage. When booking through a Sensible partner, travelers will be able to add daily protection and if the temperature exceeds a threshold — usually set between 90 and 100 degrees — they can claim reimbursement. Currently, the insurance is only available in the United States, but, the company said, will gradually be rolled out in Europe and elsewhere.

“The goal of the company is to cover everything that can ruin a trip, and usually it’s rain, but temperature is number two,” said Nick Cavanaugh, the company’s founder who was developing the product while caught in a heat wave in Barcelona last year.

Customers do not need to cancel their trip in order to be reimbursed. Those on package tours are reimbursed for the average daily rate of their entire trip for each day that surpassed the heat threshold. “Our customers can still go on their vacations, but if it’s too hot for some hours of the day and unpleasant to go outside, you can hang out in the air-conditioning and we will reimburse you,” Mr. Cavanaugh said.

Heading to cooler climes

Some travelers who were caught in Europe’s heat waves last summer are seeking cooler destinations this summer in places like Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland. Flight searches for Tromsø, Norway, for example, have increased by 85 percent over 2023, according to Kayak.

Joanna Walker, a 43-year-old recruiter from Boston, was caught in a blistering heat wave with her family in Italy last July and vowed never to return during the summer. She said she had been advised to travel during the shoulder season, but couldn’t because her children were in school.

“We couldn’t even cool off in the pool because there was no shade and the water was hot,” Ms. Walker recalled. “We wanted to see the sights in Florence and have long lunches in the piazzas, but instead we were stuck in our overpriced villas under the air-conditioning.”

This year her family has booked a tour of Norway’s fjords in July, where temperatures linger in the high 60s. “It’s going to be a different vibe to Italy for sure, lots of nature and not as much history, but at least it will be cool enough to experience something.”

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Ceylan Yeginsu is a travel reporter for The Times who frequently writes about the cruise industry and Europe, where she is based. More about Ceylan Yeğinsu

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Extreme Weather Maps: Track the possibility of extreme weather in the places that are important to you .

Heat Safety: Heat waves are becoming increasingly common across the world. Here is how to keep yourself and your loved ones cool, hydrated and healthy .

Tornado Alerts: A tornado warning demands instant action. Here’s what to do if one comes your way .

Flash Flooding: Fast rising water can be deadly. Here’s what to do if you’re caught off guard , and how to prepare for a future flooding event.

Evacuating Pets: When disaster strikes, household pets’ lives are among the most vulnerable. You can avoid the worst by planning ahead .

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The Best in Travel, From New York’s Fifth Avenue Hotel to a River Lodge in Bhutan

A host of world-class properties that take luxury stays to breathtaking new heights..

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The Big Idea: Alone in a Crowd

Don’t bother buying a hotel. There’s no need now, as it has never been easier to enjoy the feeling of your own private resort (if temporarily). Call it an owner’s lodge, a royal villa, or the principal’s home: The must-have of the moment is a mansion-size, hotel-run lodging that has access to all of the amenities but keeps you far away from fellow guests.

This trend is influenced by a permanent shift in travel patterns. According to Black Tomato’s Sunil Metcalfe, bookings for eight people or more increased by 35 percent in 2022 compared to 2019. Such group travel now makes up almost a third of the company’s bookings. “The private-villa and private-staff trend that was massive during Covid is on the wane, but what’s stayed is a desire for private residences within desirable hotels,” he says. Adventure specialist Gray & Co. has seen a similar shift: In 2023, multigenerational travel had doubled.

Properties from urban centers to beach resorts are adding offshoots primed for such buyouts: Oslo’s Sommerro offers the smartly named 11-room Villa Inkognito . At Caiman, the resort-cum–wildlife preserve in Brazil’s wetland Pantanal region, the private villa Baiazinha sleeps 12. And on Lizard Island, in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the deck of the Lizard House overlooks a beach David Attenborough is said to have called one of his favorite places in the world.

Need more than just a single structure? Not to worry. Fiji’s Kokomo Private Island has five residences with three or more bedrooms, each perched on a hilltop. At Long Bay Villas on Anguilla, you can book a trio of homes separately or together. One&Only’s new Greek property Kéa Island , meanwhile, looks more like a village of luxury homes than a hotel. And in Africa, the luxury-safari realm’s move toward micro camps, such as Botswana’s North Island Okavango or Tarkuni Homestead (on South Africa’s Tswalu game reserve), is also driven by this trend.

On St. Barts, Eden Rock takes this a step further, offering a catalog of 200 privately owned homes dotted around the island. The program is so successful it has spawned both clones (local rival Hotel Le Toiny has its own portfolio of over a dozen) and expansion. Eden Rock operator Oetker is now offering a similar service along the Côte d’Azur. It’s a reminder of that well-worn piece of financial advice: Why buy when you can rent?

Safari Camp: Loapi, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa

You wouldn’t expect to stumble upon six cutting-edge glass, steel, and canvas structures in the middle of the Kalahari Desert. Unless perhaps you’re within Tswalu, South Africa’s largest private game reserve. The Oppenheimer family, which owns it, has been restoring these lands since 1999. While conservation and sustainability are top of mind here, so are privacy and high design. Loapi , the aforementioned collection of micro camps, is the third and newest addition to this 282,000-acre reserve. It offers a private guide, a butler, and a chef who can cook everything from tapas to curries to freshly baked bread.

The views from the rooms and outdoor terraces are staggering: Grassland and red soil meet the low mountains that jut upward into a cerulean sky. The interiors are stunning, too, appointed with intricately carved wood-paneled walls, cork ceilings, and coffee-colored rounded bouclé couches that beg for a post-safari nap. From $2,428 per person

Beach Resort: Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, Hawaii

When news spread that the posh Rosewood brand would resurrect Hawaii’s beloved Kona Village resort , which was decimated by a tsunami in 2011, there was both celebration and concern. Could the laid-back vibe guests returned for year after year be re-created? By the time it reopened last July, it had Wi-Fi, plus a striking new spa improbably built into the lava flow and a sea-to-table restaurant with an outstanding selection of white Burgundy (both impressive additions).

But the soul of the place lives on at the restored Shipwreck Bar, a beached schooner-turned–watering hole that belonged to the founders. The vessel, where Jim Morrison once infamously consumed a record 21 mai tais, miraculously survived the storm. (Staff joke that the only thing stronger than the drinks is the boat itself.) Take a seat and listen closely enough, and you can overhear guests reminiscing about stays here as long ago as the ’60s. It’s proof that even with modern upgrades, the place can still transport you to the Hawaii of another era. From $1,800

Luxury Adventure: Shinta Mani Mustang, Nepal

You don’t have to leave the remote grounds of Nepal’s Shinta Mani Mustang , the third property in architect Bill Bensley’s eponymous hotel collection, to feel immersed in the culture of this ancient mountain kingdom. Guests can join a monk in the on-site puja room for sunrise chants or partake in a healing session with the resident amchi, an 11th-generation doctor of traditional Tibetan medicine. The surrounding powder-dusted peaks are perfectly framed in each bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the yak-fur-lined bar serves local apple brandy, and the restaurant’s nine-course momo tasting menu schools guests in the region’s staple steamed dumplings.

But hotelier Jason Friedman, a partner in the project, intended the 29-suite retreat to be a cushy base camp. Guests can enjoy immersive excursions, such as a trek to a medieval village believed to be the last place in Mustang where the pre-Buddhist religion of Bon is still practiced, or a lunch of Thakali curry cooked in a local home. The real luxury, Friedman says, is getting to explore a region few people have ever seen. From $1,800

Natural Immersion: andBeyond Punakha River Lodge, Bhutan

If you’ve traveled to andBeyond’s African camps, you know to expect the unexpected: Makeshift bars set up near watering holes frequented by elephants and zebras; picnics arranged in the bush as giraffes graze in the distance. So how does the seasoned operator transport that experience to the Bhutanese countryside? At first glance, andBeyond Punakha River Lodge ’s six sumptuous, tentlike lodgings may seem familiar to safari-goers, but the ethos is distinctly local. There are no game drives here; instead, tours lean into the Himalayan kingdom’s rich history and Buddhist traditions: archery lessons, treks to sky-high temples, and visits to secluded mountaintop villages, all surrounded by snowcapped peaks. But (spoiler alert) the surprises continue—a breakfast spread overlooking a temple might await you at the end of an early morning hike, lunch can materialize on a cliff surrounded by colorful prayer flags fluttering in the breeze, and drinks appear on a sandy riverbank as the sun sets over the 17th-century Punakha Dzong monastery. Suites from $890

Historic Conversion: La Palma, Capri, Italy

The long-delayed two-and-a-half-year gut renovation of Capri’s oldest hotel , which dates back to 1822, was finally completed last summer. And it was worth the wait.

The 50 or so rooms and suites were reimagined by interior designer Francis Sultana in a palette of pale sherbets. They have every possible amenity—yes, that’s a branded bath pillow—and guests receive a generous gift every night at turndown, from cookies to night masks, as is typical at Oetker-operated hotels. The configurations of the rooms differ wildly, but the splashiest is the 861-square-foot La Palma suite. Social butterflies will prefer the smaller suites on the second floor (numbers 110 to 115) whose terraces have direct access to the new pool.

On an island where sandy beaches are rare, La Palma’s greatest asset is off-site: Its shore club, Da Gioia, is a time- warpishly fabulous hangout offering a jolt of dolce vita glamour, even in midsummer while crowds throng nearby. Book the private cove, which can accommodate up to six people and is thankfully close enough to the restaurant to keep the rosé flowing. And spend at least one evening at the nightclub in the basement, Anema e Core. The branded tambourines you’ll use to tap along to the house band are the best souvenir. From about $2,677

Updated Classic: Maroma Riviera Maya, Mexico

Interior designer Tara Bernerd brought her swaggering style to the multimillion-dollar reimagining of this property , the first of Belmond’s historic North American hotels to benefit from the deep pockets of new owner LVMH.

She met the challenge magnificently. Checking into one of the 72 rooms or villas, decorated in a style best described as Mexican midcentury modern, feels like staying at the beachfront home of a sophisticated friend. The airy spaces are heavy on earth tones, with dashes of turquoise and yellow on details such as the floor tiles—made, like 80 percent of the decorative elements, right here in Mexico. The suites are jam-packed with thoughtful touches, too: Take the branded sunglass-cleaning cloth, or the minibar and its full cocktail-making set, plus unisex cotton caftans (not robes) to wear in the room or on the beach.

The Curtis Stone–helmed restaurant, Woodend, is fine, but the food’s just as good at the hotel’s own all-day spot, Casa Mayor. Make sure to order its Catch of the Day in Molcajete, a tart, corn-studded ceviche of locally caught fish. Better yet, make it two. One won’t be enough. From $1,095

Renovation: Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia

In 2020, wildfires incinerated nearly half of Kangaroo Island, the hardscrabble, beautiful landform off the coast of South Australia. Its premier property, Southern Ocean Lodge , was razed; after nearly four years of renovations, it reopened in December. It’s a credit to the architect, Max Pritchard, that few realize this is a close replica of the original. Suites—the only room category—still project like a tentacle from version 2.0 of the airy, central great room. And a sense of residential comfort still dominates. There are books everywhere. The dining room doesn’t take reservations. (Guests simply call ahead to say when they’d like to eat.) The central bar is self-service. Want wine? Just walk into the cellar and take what you like. At oversize resorts, they call this sort of thing “all inclusive,” but here, it’s just easy, the way it would be at home.

Veterans will notice discrepancies. There are now 25, rather than 23, rooms. The bar is longer. There’s a new four-bedroom suite overlooking the lodge. What hasn’t changed are the daily guided excursions through this resilient landscape, rich with penguins, seals, koalas, and of course, kangaroos. From about $2,200

Aegean Retreat: Avant Mar, Paros, Greece

Don’t be surprised to see general manager Anna Asimakopoulou floating around this small property in the heart of Naoussa, her shaggy dog, Athena, trailing behind her. Like Mrs. Madrigal of 28 Barbary Lane, she’s equal parts warm and firm, which helps the 38-room property stand out from many of its rivals, where service is slapdash at best. Catch the eye of any staffer, and they’ll smile and offer to help without missing a beat.

Its design looks inward, centered on a 180-foot pool—don’t miss the chance to take a selfie or two at the infinity-edged end nearest the ocean. It’s a new build, which allowed extra amenities to be squeezed into the compact footprint. Matsuhisa Paros, Chef Nobu’s restaurant at the hotel, reopened in June, but there’s also an all-day bakery serving homemade Greek pastries right by reception. A gin-and-tonic-focused bar called the Bridge, the newest addition to the property, offers views of the Aegean and the nearby Naoussa port.

As for the rooms, the best will be one of the seven with a private plunge pool, each of which has a superb view over the beach and to the town beyond. From $772

Local Charm: Violino D’Oro, Venice, Italy

Think of this 32-room hotel , which opened in November, as a contrast to the bombastic names that dominate the hotel scene here—one powered by a generosity that only family-run properties can offer. (The jars of candy in the lobby are, dangerously, regularly refilled.) Owner Sara Maestrelli painstakingly restored a trio of buildings minutes from Piazza San Marco, and the gemlike result acts as a tribute to traditional Italian crafts. There’s glass everywhere, from elaborate Murano-blown chandeliers to the keepsake-like key fobs; the headboards are upholstered in custom fabrics by local textile house Rubelli. Even the gold-leather menu holders are made-to-order by Consani e Giannini.

Rooms 21 and 22 don’t connect, but they do share a discreet private staircase, so they’re perfect if you’re traveling in a small group. Or you can dispense with superstition and book room 13, Maestrelli’s favorite, which sits at the heart of the hotel, with its own private terrace hidden from the hubbub below. And yes, there is a golden violin, though it’s easy to overlook, in a glass vitrine right by the entrance. From $865

City Chic: The Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York City

For those craving a cozy antidote to sprawling anodyne luxury, the charming Fifth Avenue Hotel has opened its doors at long last. Owner Alex Ohebshalom and designer Martin Brudnizki have transformed a 19th-century McKim, Mead & White building, plus an adjoining new 24-story glass tower, into a colorful and kaleidoscopically eclectic take on clubby Manhattan hotels of yore. This is hospitality with a point of view—specifically, Gilded Age New York through a heady psilocybin buzz. Rooms hum with color, pattern, and texture, from pink and pistachio-mint walls to hand-painted bone china to a Murano-glass chandelier dangling a rainbow-hued harvest of fruits. Several of the 43 suites come with terraces; the sprawling Flaneur penthouse includes an outdoor soaking tub and Japanese garden overlooking the skyline.

The experience is one of dreamlike intimacy—the feeling that at the end of an ornate, Alice in Wonderland hallway sits your own Flatiron pied-à-terre with 24-hour butler service and an on-demand martini cart in the evenings. In true high-low N.Y.C. fashion, the seductively chic Portrait Bar offers both osetra caviar and a hot dog au poivre. Or head upstairs to Andrew Carmellini’s eponymous café, buzzing with Art Deco glamour, where the longtime star chef continues the reverie, serving his impeccably elevated Italian fare beneath a pair of soaring sculptural trees. From $895

Mark Ellwood

British-born, NYC-based Mark Ellwood is Robb Report's editor-at-large. He has lived out of a suitcase for most of his life, covering luxury in all its forms across the world. Among his favorite…

Paul Croughton

Paul Croughton is the editor-in-chief of Robb Report. He was the launch editor of the British edition of Robb Report in 2016, before moving to New York in the summer of 2018 to take over the American…

Josh Condon

Josh Condon is Robb Report's deputy editor. A former staffer at Details, Gear Patrol, Road & Track, The Drive and Cargo, he has written about the men's lifestyle space for the New York Times, Esquire…

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Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute

“connecting people, place and community”

Palouse Nature Center

Welcome to the palouse nature center.

Visitors are always welcome at the Palouse Nature Center!  Located at 1040 Rodeo Drive in Moscow, Idaho, our 26.2-acre Nature Center is open dawn to dusk 7 days a week. Enjoy many unique features such as:

• Nature Trails
• John Crock Learning Nursery
• Sustainable Living Projects
• An EV charging station
• Reservable Pavilion, Greenhouse, and Artist Studio
• A Universally Accessible Pathway
• Outdoor Art

EV Charging at the Nature Center

Thanks to a generous donation from a local PCEI supporter, you can now find an electric vehicle charging station featuring three chargers at the Palouse Nature Center! The public is invited to come charge Tesla or non-Tesla electric vehicles anytime, 24/7. There’s no cost to charge, but we appreciate all donations toward electric use. Payments can be made with credit or debit cards online , and cash or checks can be deposited in the donation frog across the parking lot.

Find PCEI’s charging station on Tesla’s website as well as on the app PlugShare . While your vehicle charges, take a walk around the Nature Center or have a picnic under the trees. We’re grateful to the donor who made this charging station possible!

How to Get Here

From downtown Moscow by car: Head north on Main Street past Moscow Building Supply. Turn right on Rodeo Drive, cross North Polk extension and continue on Rodeo Drive to the end of the road.

From downtown Moscow by bike or foot: Head north on Main Street. Turn right on ‘E’ Street and head east. Turn left (north) on Polk Street and continue until Rodeo Drive. Turn right onto Rodeo Drive to the end of the road.

Click here for a PDF of the Palouse Nature Center map.

Feed the Frog

“Feed the Frog” the next time you visit and we’ll put your donation to good use to maintain and improve the Palouse Nature Center. Thank you for your support! Give us a call at 208.882.1444 or email [email protected] if you have any questions.

Headquarters:

1040 Rodeo Drive

Moscow, ID 83843

*Please do not mail donations or correspondence to our street address. USPS will not deliver them .

Mailing Address:

PO Box 8596

Contact Us:

Phone: (208) 882-1444

Email: [email protected]

The Palouse Nature Center and Rose Creek Nature Preserve are open to visitors 7 days a week, dawn to dusk. Office hours vary due to the nature of our work. Please call or email if you need to meet with a staff person.

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Black reel tv awards unveils 2024 nominees: nat geo’s ‘genius: mlk/x’ tops the crop with 14, daytime creative arts & lifestyle emmy awards: ‘downey’s dream cars’ & buddy valastro score gold; more emmys for ‘the kelly clarkson show’.

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Lynette Rice

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Downey’s Dream Cars on Max and Christian Cooper of National Geographic’s Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper were among the winners Saturday night the 51st Daytime Creative Arts & Lifestyle Emmys.

Held a day after the Daytime Emmys at downtown Los Angeles’ Westin Bonaventure Hotel, the Creative Arts & Lifestyle awards honored legal/courtroom dramas, travel/adventure programs, and arts and culture shows, as well as lighting and technical direction specialists and costumers, cinematographers and hairstylists.

Multiple winners Saturday also included Nat Geo’s Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory , Netflix’s Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones , and Netflix’s African Queens: Njinga .

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See the complete list of winners below.

LEGAL/COURTROOM PROGRAM

Judy Justice (Amazon Freevee)

Executive Producers Randy Douthit, Scott Koondel

Co-Executive Producer Amy Freisleben

Supervising Producer Victoria Jenest

Line Producer Yusufu Henry

Senior Producers Matt Pomfret, Marisa Van Den Borre

Coordinating Producer Jeff Kueppers

Segment Producers Jave Galt-Miller, Luci Kwak, Melanie Manooki, Milena Rhodes, Alan Stein

Co-Supervising Producer Cybil Jordan-Malachi

Host Judge Judy Sheindlin

Co-Hosts Whitney Kumar, Kevin Rasco, Sarah Rose

TRAVEL, ADVENTURE AND NATURE PROGRAM

Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory (National Geographic)

Executive Producers Drew Jones, Anwar Mamon

Senior Producer Jennie Hammond

Series Producer James Brickell

Producer Will West

Co-Producer Bertie Gregory Line Producer Ashley Lorenzo-Feldman

INSTRUCTIONAL/HOW-TO PROGRAM

Hack My Home (Netflix)

Executive Producers Ross Breitenbach, Nicole Elliott, Ming Lee Howell, Christian Sarabia

Co-Executive Producers Anne Hill, Cody Shelton

Supervising Producer John Lewis

Line Producer Jeff West

LIFESTYLE PROGRAM

Downey’s Dream Cars (Max)

Executive Producers Emily Barclay Ford, Susan Downey, Robert Downey Jr ., Dave Larzelere, Todd Lubin, Chris Mazzilli, Jay Peterson, Kyle Wheeler, Benjamin Wood

Coordinating Producer Paola Espinosa

Supervising Story Producer Louis Waxman

Producer Kyle Bedell

Story Producers Steph Baca, Alexis Freitag

Line Producers Chris Hansen, Samantha Nestor

Consulting Producer Kirsten Korosec

ARTS AND POPULAR CULTURE PROGRAM

Oprah and “The Color Purple” Journey (Max)

Executive Producers Tara Montgomery, Brian Piotrowicz, Oprah Winfrey

Co-Executive Producer Brad Pavone

Supervising Producers Colleen Dunnegan

Producers Fatima Elswify, Kareka Green

EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PROGRAM

Leveling Lincoln (PBS)

Executive Producer Arden Teresa Lewis

Producers Rita Cofield, Tinks Lovelace, Kimberly Woods

DAYTIME SPECIAL

Culture Quest: Ukraine (PBS)

Executive Producer Ian Grant

Senior Producer Ian Levasseur

Creative Producer Nata Zhyzhchenko

Consulting Producers Trevor Hyslop, Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta

SHORT FORM PROGRAM

The Dads (Netflix)

Executive Producers Jon Marcus, Dwyane Wade

Director Luchina Fisher

CULINARY HOST

Buddy Valastro

Legends of the Fork (A&E)

DAYTIME PERSONALITY – NON-DAILY

Christian Cooper

Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper (National Geographic)

WRITING TEAM FOR A DAYTIME NON-FICTION PROGRAM

Reconnecting Roots (PBS)

Head Writers Dave Boyd, Ryan Estabrooks

Associate Head Writers Joel McAfee, Gabe McCauley

Writers Josh Childs, Emma King, Asia Mechikoff, Ben Oddo, Julian Vaca, Wesley Vis

DIRECTING TEAM FOR A SINGLE CAMERA DAYTIME NON-FICTION PROGRAM

Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones (Netflix)

Director Clay Jeter

DIRECTING TEAM FOR A MULTIPLE CAMERA DAYTIME NON-FICTION PROGRAM

The View (ABC)

Director Sarah de la O

Associate Directors Janean Elkins, John Keegan, Craig Viechec, Christopher Wayne

Stage Managers Rob Bruce Baron, Paul Tarascio, Edward Valk

OUTSTANDING MUSIC DIRECTION AND COMPOSITION

Music By Steve Gernes, Tyler Sabbag, Duncan Thum

ORIGINAL SONG

“We’re Home”

Composer & Lyricists Heidi Feek, Dillon Hodges, Mandy McCauley

LIGHTING DIRECTION

The Kelly Clarkson Show (Syndicated)

Lighting Designer Darren Langer

Lighting Director John Daniels

TECHNICAL DIRECTION, CAMERAWORK, VIDEO

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade (ABC)

Senior Technical Directors John Diperna, Travis Elkins, Tony Martin

Director of Photography Rick Siegel

Tech Managers Billy Butler, James Coker

Camera Operators Deb Brozina, Chris Ferguson, Ricky Fontanez, Shaun Harkins, Travis Hays, Tom Hildreth, Jill Sager, Fed Wetherbee, Ryan Balton

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Cinematographers Bertie Gregory, Sam Stewart

SINGLE CAMERA EDITING

Drive with Swizz Beatz (Hulu)

Lead Editors Max Rosenfeld, Lauren Staller

Editors Sujit Agrawal, Jared Aston, Ben Bolton, Jordan Browne, Katie Covell, Sherman Pascoe, Lyric Ramsey, Ashley Rath, Matt Valdez

MULTIPLE CAMERA EDITING

TrueSouth (ESPN/ABC/SEC Network)

Editors Joe Canali, Timothy Horgan, Dave Lynch

OUTSTANDING LIVE SOUND MIXING AND SOUND EDITING

Audio Engineer James Slanger

Monitor Mixer Bob Lewis

Front of House Mixers Omatali Beckett, Eddie Marquez

Pre-Production Mixers Danny Cruz, Jeff Hickman, Rosa Howell Thornhill, Jennifer Vannoy-Rounsaville, Bryan Smith, Marilyn Vigilante

Pre-Production Music Mixers Rachel Orscher, Kevin Shannon

SOUND MIXING AND SOUND EDITING

Re-Recording Mixer Phil Detolve

Supervising Sound Editor A. Josh Reinhardt

Dialogue Editor Graham Barclay

Sound Effects Editor Louie Recinos

MAIN TITLE AND GRAPHIC DESIGN

Searching for Soul Food (Hulu)

Graphics Producers Carson Hood, Kristen Pritchett

Designers Eun Sung Do, Paolo Garcia, Sohyun Park

Creative Director Mark Thompson

Animators Addy Afzali, Liu Chia-lung, Carl Dempsey

African Queens: Njinga (Netflix)

Casting Directors Olissa Rogers, Christa Schamberger

ART DIRECTION/SET DECORATION/SCENIC DESIGN

Art Director Warren Gray

COSTUME DESIGN/STYLING

The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)

Costume Designer Jeresa Featherstone

Wardrobe Supervisor Anabel Shuckhart

Wardrobe Stylists Lucy Flores, Jennifer Johns, Patrice Johnson

Costume Stylists Ross Fuentes, Gail Mosley, Angelo Santos

HAIRSTYLING AND MAKEUP

Hair and Makeup Department Head Gale Shepherd

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