Travel & Photography
Globetrotters Boosted Stories and Editor Picks From December
A resplendent month of travel reading adventures!
Dear Globetrotters,
Another month and year has come and gone and here we are well into 2024 already. Where does the time go?
Ah whatever, time to escape back into great travel writing, don’t you think? There is the sheer joy of vicariously living through someone else’s travel adventures, and then there is the alluring tease of ‘oooo, I gotta go there someday’ or ‘uh huh, been there and loved it as well’ or, sometimes even, ‘wow, not sure I would have done that, but I loved reading about it anyway!’.
And then there is just the sheer joy of writing done well — like music to the mind — writing that simply makes you feel more alive and connected to the world around you. This is what we aim to feature here at Globetrotters, and is the reason why we continue to advocate for publishing quality stories that we all love to read.
A note about engagement
One thing we editors love to see is that you are acknowledging your commenters. Out of all of the many stories that get published every day here on Medium, as well as elsewhere on the internet, if someone has taken the time to read and comment on your work don’t you think that’s just the most remarkable thing ever? The least you could do is clap, right? Replying to comments, I would say, is even better though.
Not that you need to reply to everything or feel like you need to be disingenuous, and you need not engage with the spammy scammers that buzz around at times. But, the best part of writing on Medium, and Globetrotters specifically, is that we are a community. In time you just might find that building camaraderie is an even better reward the money… ok, maybe!
Just do your best, that’s all we ask!
Boosted Stories — December
These are more or less in chronological order except in the case where an author had more than one boosted story. Please do let me know if I’ve missed any from the month of December. I do my best to catch them all.
1. Revolution and Resilience: The Story of Cluj-Napoca’s Fight for Democracy
“This experience was not just about observing history; it was about becoming part of a narrative that continues to evolve, where every voice can contribute to the chorus of progress and every action can ripple through the fabric of society.”
A story about joining in on a protest for change in Romania, and how the aftermath can often lead to interesting insights.
Wren also had this second boosted story in December. Congrats!
2. Venetian Nights: Unveiling the Magic of Carnevale and Unexpected Adventures
3. My First ‘Proper’ Hike Was a Real Eye-Opener
“And the best part? We did this together. Exactly a week after our wedding day, we’d gone on this incredible, unscripted adventure. It represented a truly extraordinary start to our life as husband and wife, and we’ll have those memories for the rest of our lives.”
Hiking in beautiful Yosemite National Park proved to be a perfect start for two newlyweds.
4. My (Not So) Glamorous Day as an Extra on a Hollywood Movie Set
“The props man handed out paraphernalia to make us look more reporterly. I ended up with a camera in my hand and wondered if I was being typecast. Knowing that my gear was all Nikon, my wife joked about it being a Canon camera.
“Are you going to be ok holding a Canon camera?” she teased.
“That’s the acting part,” I replied.”
Being an extra in a movie? Don’t we all have that little pipe dream? Charles shares just such an adventure in this fun story.
5. Mystical Walks
Oksana Kukurudza's Sunflowers Rarely Break
“I remember my first glimpse of that stunning ancient city carved into a mountain, thinking this city was built to revere the gods and the gods must be around its street corners and hiding in its ruined buildings.”
Beautiful spiritual hikes like this can often be much better than going to any church, and can make for some stellar travel writing!
6. Ten Days of Silence
“The mind is like the ocean. As one delves below the surface level of the mind, one observes currents and secrets there, and a stillness that is not accessible at the surface. Journeying deeper reveals even more mysteries, realities, and even another world.”
I think it’s fair to say that most of us wish we were a feather in Matthew’s cap and along for the journey, yet reading his captivating stories are just the next best thing.
And he had all these other boosted stories in December. Couldn’t happen to a better person. Congrats Matthew!
7. How Teaching English Took Me Across Morocco
8. A Few Things We Can Learn from Bears
9. A “Free Trip to Chefchaouen”
10. The Amitabha Autumn Night Light Show in Kyoto
“I confess I was prepared to be underwhelmed, even cynical, at the monks’ exploitation of their monastery grounds for the sake of tourists’ loose change. But the garden took my breath away. I was charmed, I was captivated, I was walking in an autumn wonder land.”
Enjoyable descriptions of this Japanese light show, and its spiritual significance, by Tim!
He also had this second boosted story. Too fab! Congrats Tim.
11. In Kyoto: A Quiet Walk in a Bamboo Forest
12. Searching for Contrast in Morocco’s Blue City
“Blue walls, blue stairs, blue doors, blue windows. Everything is blue. And in every shade imaginable, azure, cobalt, cerulean, indigo, sky blue.
The colors were even more distinct when next to another color for contrast, orange and yellow were the obvious choices, orange and yellow flowers, and even orange cats.”
Don’t go to this city if you don’t thoroughly love the color blue! I could deal with it for a visit, but I don’t think I’d want to live in such a blue city myself.
13. A Puja in Sikkim
“At some point in the afternoon, I felt an odd connection between myself and everyone else in the room. The chanting created a sort of audial standing wave. I could make it stronger by humming along, especially when the chant flattened into the characteristic ‘om.’”
Brad’s stories are always a treasure trove of history and engrossing travel experiences, like this story of Buddhist spirituality in India.
Brad also had this second boosted story in December. Congrats!
14. Birds at the Edge of The World
15. The Spirit of Africa
“The African spirit is about the people, the environment and how the two coexist. It is complex and yet simple. Live in the moment and share the joy of life with others.”
A beautiful story about falling in love with a place and it’s people. It’s true, while we may travel to many different locales across the globe, some will just be more special for certain reasons.
Anne also had this second boosted story from December. Whohoo!:
16. Waking up to the Sounds of the Wilderness
17. Piecing Together The Past In Old Travel Photos
“Travellers in the 60s were a crazy bunch and I’m pretty sure my dad was one of the craziest, travelling from Wellington to London by van. That’s right, a van, with four wheels and not a hint of a propeller to get him across those big blue things we call oceans.”
Reading this well-written story was so incredibly poignant as Paul lost his father around the same time that I lost my mother… what a wonderful tear-jerker!
Paul also had this second boosted story! Delish!
18. The Life And Death Of A Lao Party Town
19. My First Solo Trip That Could Have Gone So Wrong
“Most of us don’t share our lives with more than a handful of intimate people and here she was, sharing the not-so-general details about her life with a stranger she met 10 hours ago at a bus stop. At that very moment, she made me family!”
What a great story this was. Many people write about solo travel but few as well as this. And how refreshing it was to read of the rare showing of great hospitality.
20. Mulled Wine in a Makeshift German Pub
“I am not very religious, but what I do like about these few weeks is the fact that they mark the end of one year and the beginning of another. Every year, good or bad, needs to be given a proper send-off. Likewise, a new year deserves a grand welcome.
To me, it is this positivity that symbolizes life.”
The photos were just as enticing as the written story of mulled wine and Christmas markets in Germany.
21. What Emeralds and Ants Have in Common
“One gets to learn a lot of random things when visiting a foreign country. Reading about them on the Internet is not the same as getting to experience them first-hand. The impact is so much stronger onsite.”
Wonderful descriptions of two things that would seemingly be completely unrelated. I love learning random interesting stuff, don’t you?
Ms. Cosmic also had this second boosted story from December:
22. Understanding Cartagena’s True Vibe
23. The Path to Inner Peace in India, Himachl Pradesh
“Time lost its grip in this sanctuary. Days melded seamlessly into one another, their passage marked solely by the resonant chime of a bell — breakfast, teatime, lunch, teatime, dinner. Opportunities to laze by the pool, try my hand at fishing, or plunge into the lake peppered the unhurried cadence of each day.”
Fabulous travel writing that literally seems to jump off the page and into the mind? Oh yes, this story of a retreat in Kangra Valley did just that.
Anna also had these two additional boosted stories from December. Congrats!
24. McLeod Ganj, India: In Search of the Dalaï Lama
25. Hong Kong: Sacred Peaks of the New Territories
26. From Volcanoes to Waterfalls, Iceland Stirs the Spirit and the Soul
“On Day Three of our tour, we drove through valleys so green they made me think of leprechauns concealed behind moss-covered hillocks. Rivers sliced across the landscape, some foamy and gurgling, others placid and quiet, their shiny waters curling, narrowing, and broadening as they dissected lush fields.”
No other wonderfully descriptive story about Iceland has made me feel more like I was there or that I really need to visit one day than this one.
27. Escaping Danger: A Spiritual Encounter in West Virginia
“Then it struck me that I may never find God in any one of these buildings, ever. Because, you see, He is not usually there — He is a Globetrotter.
A Globetrotter who is permanently traveling.
Traveling with you and with me.”
Who didn’t love this well-told suspenseful story featuring weird creepy locals? The end was really just priceless though.
28. Pradakshina — A Sunrise Walk Around Arunachala
“I practice wide-angle vision, focusing on a point far ahead, activating the peripheral vision. It’s a good way to all at once walk and pray and be aware of yourself and everyone else and everything else and every sound within and without your visual panorama.”
An interesting, engaging, and educational story of a spiritual walk in India.
29. Listening To Mother Nature Through the Trees of Life
Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages
“The wind felt nice while we gazed upon the land as the train picked up steam — pulling away from the hustle and bustle of civilization, our eyes would be glued to the landscape. We were mostly hoping to see giraffes, zebras or elephants — but we were surprised and thrilled when we started seeing the baobab trees whizzing past us.”
The amazing wonder of nature and iconic trees is alive in this story of Jill’s travels through Africa.
30. From the Old Silk Road
“A thousand traders must have exchanged words, debated prices, and enriched their merchandise. A thousand students must have discussed theories, discovered new books, and feigned intellect. A thousand families must have shared food, woven folktales, and lost children.”
Take a stroll and contemplate life and history with this beautifully well-told story.
31. A Marriage of Convenience in Cambodia
“We discussed our disappointment over dinner. She had a suggestion.
“There is one obvious solution,” she said. “We could get married. Not really married, of course, but we could pretend.”
It sounded like a good idea to me.”
Well-illustrated locales, a bit of history, and a fun and engaging story… it can happen! A simply great tale.
32. The Breath of the Glacier
“All around me, I hear the dripping of tiny rivulets and also the roar of a nearby tumbled waterfall plummeting into the gravel and boulders below.
The glacier pulls at you. It breathes. It seems alive somehow. It creaks and groans and occasionally pops off like a rifle, slicing the stillness of the air.”
A simply stunning snapshot of kayaking the majestic glaciers of Alaska.
33. Snow Monsters of Zao, Japan
“Despite the wind-chapping cold, the gondola run is best done at night, to take advantage of the illumination light show. Coloured floodlights light up the snow monsters so thickly covered in snow they now looked more like giant shrimp tempura dipped in candy floss reds and blues and greens.”
Positively otherworldly. I had no idea these interesting formations even existed.
More Great Stories
Editor picks
It’s true, not every great story gets boosted for one reason or another.
Here are just a few we handpicked for you:
Anne: “The Healing Power of the Sedona Vortex” by Michele Maize
I have my saved list of favorite reads which I go through at the end of each month to then select my favorite challenge entries or the picks for the ‘Stories You Shouldn’t Miss’ series, yet this month it left me almost empty for the final choice.
All selected stories were boosted, so not free for me to pick in this post as we try to highlight the ones that have not gotten an additional boost. But there was one left. The one from co-editor Michele. I don’t know why hers wasn’t boosted and it really touched my soul.
“Once we arrived at the vortex area, I felt a strong pull to sit and ruminate. I was immediately happy and calm, which put me into a great meditative state. I was able to meditate longer than usual, with no monkey mind creeping in. It was the most incredible feeling and left me wanting more.”
Jillian: Our Spiritual Secret Weapon? The Cemetery by Joe Guay - Dispatches From the Guay Life!
Joe takes us to an unusual place to find peace and tranquility. As my partner and I travel, we tend to find solace in cemeteries as well. They aren’t a place where one thinks to go to, but they have their own interesting beauty and charm all the same.
“I’m not trying to be bleak — it can just bring peace and help center you when overly worked up about some injustice or indignity. Your problems aren’t anything new under the sun. Eighty percent of the folks residing here now had the same emotional and physical struggles. Maybe worse — handicapped in a world before ramps and wider bathroom stalls. And it can help us reclaim our now, and to be back into this moment right here.”
Michele: The Best And Worst Of Humans Is Found At The Giant Sequoias by Tara Torres
This is one of those stories that I feel needs to be shared and read by many. We, as humans, are destroying our planet little by little. We might think we are better than the next but we are all doing something destructive in our own ways. One thing that I believe we should stop doing is cutting down these amazing trees that Tara speaks of.
Tara writes about the fires in California and the destruction of the trees, thankfully she got to visit and see these beautiful sequoias, and some famous ones in particular.
“Someone once asked where I want my ashes scattered after I die. Among the sequoias, I said without thought. They will look out for me, and I will watch out for them as they hopefully continue to grow for another thousand years after I’m gone.” — Tara Torres
Adrienne: Exploring a Norse Ruin in Greenland by Dan Carlson
It’s not often we read stories from Greenland and this one is one of the best. I love finding out about the history of a place through archaeological evidence and Dan reflects on how the early settlers lived (and died) here to how he lives his life.
JoAnn: Kata Tjuta — Nature’s Rockstars of a Land Down Under by DJ Hopkins
“Reflecting on the timescale of human life on this planet, it occurs to me that we don’t own this Earth; it’s more like we’re renting with a long lease and an unknown landlord.”
Loved this story of visiting a part of Australia that reminds me a lot of Arizona. Immensely enjoyed the writing and the photos.
Story recaps
Each week, our editors put together a recap of stories so that everyone can get caught up on their reading: STORY RECAPS — Globetrotters.
Challenge stories
Each month, we host wildly popular travel writing challenges. This month, our challenge is on Signs:
You can catch up on reading challenge stories here: MONTHLY CHALLENGE — Globetrotters.
Spotlight stories
If you haven’t yet, introduce yourself to our travel writing community by writing your Writer Spotlight Story.
Check out prior stories and say hello to each other here: WRITER SPOTLIGHT STORIES — Globetrotters
Thank you to everyone for being here and congrats to both the viral story writers and those who got more modest views and reads! We love you all!
Thank you as well to my fellow awesome editors: Adrienne Beaumont, Jillian Amatt — Artistic Voyages, Michele Maize, and Anne Bonfert.
Happy travels to you!
Follow Globetrotters on Medium
Know someone who loves reading great travel stories? We encourage you to share these stories through email and on social media.