My name is Jon Collins and I am a keen explorer originating from a small town on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia. After studying in Sydney I have converted very much into an urbanite, working as a sustainability consultant in the city and adventuring into nature as much as possible in my free time. After growing up in a small town, I had a need to understand what existed in different corners of the planet. I spent my time trawling through National Geographic magazines and looking over an atlas, trying to understand how life could differ so greatly across oceans, on top of mountains, deep in jungles and on sweeping desert sands. My inspiration to travel is to understand the similarities and differences of human life across geographical scale; absorbing as much information about humankind whether it is race, religion, culture or cuisine. At the end of the day, we are all human, and the beauty of travel is those small moments when you are able to see a glimpse into someone else’s world which you once thought was so different, but see just how similar it is to your own.
Read MoreA MONTH IN INDIA BY EMMA SCHWARTZ
My name’s Emma, I’m 26 and currently live in Washington DC. I was a senior in high school the first time I used my passport and stepped off a plane in Zambia. We flew through a rainbow right before landing, and walked down the runway in the clouds - I fell so hard for travel right then and there. For me it wasn’t just a travel bug, it was a lifestyle and a mindset I grabbed onto and have yet to let go of. Traveling for me was initially about stepping outside of my comfort zone. And then at some point it actually became my comfort zone. Traveling isn’t just about being in a new and different faraway place – it’s sometimes what it takes to remember the little and most basic things I forget to do when stuck in the complacencies of everyday routine. I’m happiest in motion, bare feet, dirty hands, counting coins, carrying my weight, dealing cards and playing charades.
Read MoreALBERTA, CANADA BY DAVEY GRAVY
My name is Dave Lieske, but I go by Davey Gravy. I am a visual artist that lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I typically work with fiber, creating hip hop imagery and lyrics by cross stitching. I should note, I don’t consider myself a photographer - I just enjoy taking photos of what’s in front of me with my phone. This past year I have been traveling around my city and province more often and have made an effort to document its visuals. My interest in taking photos came from meeting people who take photography seriously. They plan day-long trips to the Banff area and familiar/unfamiliar parts of the city to explore, capture beauty, and build community. I was very interested because they were making places I’d visited on the daily look amazing through their photos and I wanted to do the same.
Read MoreAWARD WINNING PHOTOGRAPHY WITH CAM COPE
My name is Cam Cope; I’m a 29-year-old Australian travel journalist and photographer. I regularly contribute travel features to a range of print and online publications, present on travel photography philosophy and in 2015 I’ll be kicking off a brand new series of photo-workshops that I’m really excited about. When I’m not sailing in Patagonia, riding horses with nomads in Mongolia, lurching on the back of a truck in the Bolivian Andes, deep sea fishing in Samoa, hitch-hiking in the Canadian arctic, island hopping in Indonesia, scaling volcano craters in Vanuatu or out bush exploring Australian Aboriginal culture, I can usually be found at home base in the most livable city in the world (if you believe the Economist): Melbourne.
Read MoreA MISSIONARY'S TALE BY NICK SWANEPOEL
My name is Nick Swanepoel and I was born in Kenya. My mother came from England after the war and my father came from South Africa. My first travel experience was when my dad and I drove down from Kenya to South Africa in 1961; I was just 12 at the time! The nine-day trip took us through Tanzania, Northern Rhodesia (Zambia today), Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and finally South Africa. At one point while crossing the Serengeti in Tanzania at about midnight, an eland jumped into the road and we hit it with our Land Rover, bending one light that shone on the trees instead of the road! I am really not a great adventurer, yet I have experienced the most incredible adventures.
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