Travel & Photography
Globetrotters Featured Stories from November — Including Boosted Stories and Editor Picks
Travel and reading adventures
Dear Globetrotters,
From wild cheetahs in Namibia to small humble towns in West Virginia, November proved to be another glorious month here at Globetrotters. I and my fellow editors feel like the luckiest humans on Medium to have a publication where so many wonderful writers share so much of themselves and their travels.
Where else can we read about glaciers and climate change in Greenland, heavenly parks in Guatemala, and majestic Asian lions in India? Stories that are rich in description, imagery, and great photography.
What a treat for the senses.
A huge congrats to all of our featured writers from November. Thank you so much for sharing your work with us!
Boosted Stories — November
Often, a lot of extra work goes into crafting a story that winds up getting boosted — care is taken by the writer when creating and editing the narrative, choosing the right words, and understanding the impact of those words.
All that extra work and finesse should be highlighted and celebrated! Plus, these stories provide a lot of inspiration for all of us other travel writers. (Like me!) Don’t you think?
Not to say though, that all such quality stories end up getting boosted. Plenty of great stories do not, this is why we editors also choose to pick extra stories to highlight that did not end up getting boosted for one reason or another. See this list after our list of boosted stories.
Enjoy!
Please do let me know if I’ve missed any boosted stories from November. I do my best to catch them all.
1. Going Back in Time in Shiroka Laka
“While my friend waited for our order to arrive, I ventured out for a short walk. I was itching to be out and about, inhaling the fresh mountain air.”
A well-written story about a delightful visit to a small town in Bulgaria, a lovely hike, and good food. This story was submitted to our monthly challenge, gray.
2. Where Shouldn’t You Go?
“You can always learn a wealth of things by going somewhere new. Especially somewhere controversial.”
This story centers on the importance of keeping an open mind when traveling to countries with governments we may not agree with. Even such countries are merely made up of regular ol’ people and are often well worth a visit.
3. A Journey Through Mesmerizing Black and White Travel Photography
“The majestic peaks, cloaked in a pristine white blanket, felt like stepping into a winter wonderland. As I hit the slopes for skiing, the crisp alpine air filled my lungs, and the beauty of the snow-capped peaks took my breath away, making it a captivating black-and-white memory.”
A magnificently written tour of Europe with amazing photography. Another great story offered to our monthly challenge, gray.
4. Birthday Trip Across the Border
“I walked around the park, taking in the changing color of Fall leaves, a reminder of the changing seasons — both literally and figuratively.”
A lovely visit to Vancouver featuring fall beauty, crying babies to be soothed, baklava and one delicious-looking but too-sweet mojito. So enjoyed this well-written story.
5. I Sat in Rachel Carson’s Chair
“If you stay long enough, the sun will drop before you and sink into the sea. Like Carson, you will sit like a speck in an Adirondack chair on a tiny spit of rock by the ocean, wondering at the beauty of it all.”
An interesting glimpse into the life and impact of a marine biologist whose work was instrumental in the development of the EPA. Too cool. I love stories like this — both educational and entertaining.
6. The Best Place in Central America That You’ve Never Heard of
Sh*t Happens - Lost Girl Travel
“Our guide plunged his fingers into black scorch marks on the walls surrounded by wax drippings of long-lost candles and his fingers deftly smeared the coal across our cheeks. “Cave war paint.” He grinned.”
A heavenly visit to Semuc Champey National Park in Guatemala, including exploring cliffs, caves, waterfalls, and swimming in beautiful blue water. Sounds like paradise.
7. The Cheetah — My Son’s Favourite Cat!
“At the time I was lost for words and I still am now. I find it hard to articulate the magic of the precious moments that we spent with these fantastic felines. So instead, I’ll let my photographs ‘speak a thousand words’.”
And the photographs of this marvelous cheetah encounter at the Okonjima Nature Reserve in Namibia were truly phenomenal as well as the visit!
8. Auckland All Over Again
“I had one last afternoon to hike through the city as an aimless flâneur, following my nose, opening my eyes to see what I might have not noticed from the beginning of my travels.”
The culmination of Tim’s travels to New Zealand — these stories were so fun and interesting to read.
Tim also had this second boosted story from the tail-end of November. Congrats Tim!
9. Meandering Through Old Kyoto
10. Meeting the Asiatic Lion in the Wild
“Then, we saw there were two.
For some time, they sat together in the grass, both playful and majestic. Oblivious to our presence or absence. Yet we sat with them too.”
The story of the majestic lions, and other amazing wildlife, of Gir National Park in India with amazing photos.
11. Trekking in Slovenia: Alpine Beauty
“Our last day of trekking started out with a crispness in the air that beckoned us. We were ready. My feet were freshly bandaged and the morning was stupendous.”
A great hike, local wine and one cute dog. Hiking in Slovenia couldn’t sound anymore delightful than this!
12. The Journey Is Just a Long Way of Coming Home
“As we reach cruising altitude and the sun finally starts to outpace us, I witness its dying light from high above the Earth. I realize while this day and this journey are both ending, in another place the sun is rising, and in that sense, another journey is also beginning.”
Travel is awesome, but sometimes the feeling of coming home is even better, especially if you’ve been away for a while, as Matthew captures exceptionally well here.
He also had all these other boosted stories. Wow! Talk about knocking it out of the park! Thanks for all the wonderful writing, Matthew!:
13. A Blessing in Shangri-La
14. Learning to Write in the City of Light
15. Scenes from the Doorstep of Tibet
16. Travel In The Age Of Entitlement
“It’s like people are either blissfully ignorant or have willfully forgotten that travel is a privilege, not a right, one that has been afforded to us thanks to something I like to call the ‘roulette wheel’ of geography.”
Entitlement is never good, in any form, but especially when we are traveling. Being a thoughtful traveler is important, as Paul well points out.
Paul also had this awesome boosted story in November:
17. Losing My Mind On The Trans-Mongolian Railway
18. The Name of This Quaint Town in Netherlands…
“Soon I reached an expansive market square, the hub of most activities in Gouda. It was the day of the Cheese Market, and it was a fairy tale setting, with farmers and traders in traditional costumes and horse-drawn carriages attempting to transport prospective buyers and tourists back in time.”
Can anyone read this story and not get ravenously hungry for some delicious Gouda cheese? A lot of interesting facts here as well about this quaint town.
Congrats! Vickey had this second boosted story — a lovely monochromatic exploration of India. Such artistry in travel photos.
19. India Trip: Odisha in a Gray Monochrome
20. Love, Loss, and Laughter in the Hills
“The American small-town front porch, a relic from a bygone era, is still widely used in Hinton, especially in the older parts of town where living outside in full view of the neighbors was the way of life.”
A story of an ordinary small town in West Virginia on an ordinary day, filled with vivid descriptions and well-told snapshots of life. Absolutely loved this story!
21. Greenland’s Shifting Baselines
“After battling the storm for almost two days, the roaring winds and raging seas faded almost as quickly as they began. Like a gaslighted lover, I began to question my recollection of the last 48 hours.”
Fascinating travels to the glaciers of Greenland and attempting to document climate change, with amazing photography.
22. A Gray Day in Budapest
“But it wasn’t always gray. Occasionally, the sun would peep through the clouds, and I’d sit and inhale the sunshine until it disappeared a few minutes later.”
Rain, a rooftop pool and plenty of prosecco. Hmm? Makes for an interesting combo, and a great story. Always love when editor stories get a boost!
23. The Last Holiday With My Grandpa
“Once the time has come to say goodbye to a loved one, you’ll never think of any time spent with them as a mistake. It’s about those trips you didn’t take, those will make you cry. And it’s not about the family gatherings. It’s about one-on-one time. The days when true memories are made.”
Anne had all these boosted stories in November! Wow. Don’t we just love her and her wonderful travel tales and photos. Especially endearing though, was the story above about her late grandpa.
So lovely and poignant. Definitely makes me miss my own grandparents something awful! 🥹
24. When Reaching Your Goal Wasn’t the End Result but the Time and Energy Invested Wasn’t Wasted Either
25. Finding Golden Treasure on the Old Miner’s Track
26. Where the Hiking Trail Dropped into a Deep Gorge and a Glacier-fed Lake was Shining Between the Mountains
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:
Michele:
I am so impressed with the writing this month here at Globetrotters that it is no wonder that so many were boosted. But, as JoAnn said, not every story gets boosted, and even some that I think are more than boost-worthy.
Melissa Rach had my favorite story from the challenge and it was also one of my favorites from the month of November. Solace in Gray: Southeastern Arizona.
I love this part from her story: “For some, solo travel is a black or white concept — hate it or love it. But for me, it’s a gray area. Depending on where I’m traveling, there can be a broad spectrum of experiences when alone.”
Adrienne:
I can honestly say there is not a single story in Globetrotters in November that I didn’t love, including my own. 😉 I think we’ve all upped our writing skills to always write engaging stories appealing to all types of travellers. I have a few favourite writers and I adore everything they write but if I had to pick a favourite, it would be Keith Peters’ The Enchanting Beauty of Kanarra Falls. I also loved alexjstockton’s My First ‘Proper’ Hike Was a Real Eye-Opener — I was with him and his new wife every step of the way.
“It’s tough to put into words exactly how I felt when we took in that first view. The sheer scale of everything around us, plus a genuine sense of achievement, presented me with a sense of clarity that I don’t think I’d experienced before. I suddenly felt this overwhelming sense of completion, like all that mattered was right in front of us. All I could think about was where I was. If anyone ever manages to bottle that feeling, they’ll make a fortune.”
Anne: A unique model of tourism by PY Lee
Some destinations on this planet are just a little harder to get to and they are a lot different than others. Bhutan is a country protecting its own people from the floods of tourism in a very unique way.
While the country certainly has stunning landscapes and a long history to learn about, traveling in Bhutan also gives some insights about the people. How they live and which rules they need to follow.
"It just didn’t make sense to me, until I realized that wearing traditional attire for tour guides and drivers was mandated by rules. This, I was to discover, was just one of the many rules in this hidden kingdom in the Himalayas." - PY Lee
Jillian: The Ethics of Travel in a Police State by Oksana Kukurudza's Sunflowers Rarely Break
I sat and counted the stories that we published in Globetrotters in November and that count is 187. Yes, 187 unique and individual stories — all so different, yet similar in that they share the thread of travel.
I had a really hard time choosing a favorite this month but my decision rested on the fact that I think this author deserves more recognition for her writing as she writes from many off-the-beaten-track places. Oksana Kukurudza's articles come from Tasmania, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Patagonia, parts of Africa, and of course, Ukraine — amongst others.
She often writes about the state of our planet and the insights about the environment that she gains while traveling. She also studies a country's politics and has a deeper understanding of the goings on in many places that the average tourist would not pick up on — telling me that she is a very observant and astute traveler. Oksana wrote 5 articles for Globetrotters this month! Head to her profile to see what else she writes, and please check out her story about Tibet which is linked above.
I would also like to give a special shout-out to Manas Patil I met an Indonesian Lady in Himachal, India, Andrew Masa 24 Hours of Heartache in Cambodia, Greyson Ferguson The Travel Memory I Left Behind, Brad Yonaka Its Always Thanksgiving When I Travel and Joe Guay The Cats of Italy Are Judging You. These articles also made it onto my favorites list in November:)
JoAnn: About That Time I Ended Up Harvesting Rice with Dao Women in Vietnam by Pablo Tovar
OMG, there were so many truly lovely stories this month! Loved youssef belmkaddem’s amazing tour of a coffee plantation in Bali, as well as this story by Joe Guay about cutie cats in Italy.
Thoroughly enjoyed, also, reading Kenny Minker’s explorations of German heritage in Peru and Kris Fricke’s amazingly fun travels in Columbia with his chica linda.
This story by Pablo Tovar though, captivated me from start to finish with his stunning photos and descriptions of a small town in Vietnam:
“Afternoon in Sin Ho. The dim streetlight cast a gentle glow over the buildings. The crisp, mountain air, the narrow alleys filled with barking noises, and the earthy smell reminded me of Cocoyoc, the small town in Morelos where grandpa had a summer house.”
Great job and thanks for these lovely stories!
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 Spiritual Sites.
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: Jillian Amatt — Artistic Voyages, Michele Maize, Anne Bonfert, and Adrienne Beaumont.
Happy travels to you!
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