We have plenty of photos that tell all kinds of stories about our travel experiences. But some stories are as vivid as if they happened just yesterday.
Last updated: September 30, 2024
10 Stories Behind Our Photos: Top Travel Moments
As far as I can remember, photos have always fascinated me. They’ve always had the most profound effect on me, taught me, and told me deeper stories. However, despite my enormous love for visual images, I’ve never underestimated the power of words. The stories behind the photos usually convey the most interesting travel moments, something you can’t guess or speculate unless you get verbal descriptions along the way.
The more we travel, the richer our stories get. Some of them are funny, others are a little bit risky and even dangerous. But none of them are in any way boring. Moreover, as time goes by, I cherish these travel moments, stories, and photos more and more.
THE STORIES BEHIND OUR TRAVEL PHOTOS: THE USA
1. Dealing with Unbearable Heat in Death Valley National Park, California
As much as I want to travel more, see various places, and meet different people, it’s not quite possible. First, traveling can be pretty expensive. Second, there’s such a thing as work obligation. Therefore, to afford our trips, almost every time we travel, especially abroad, it has to be during an off-season.
It leaves us with summers at home. On the other hand, spending most of the summer months in California results in the most bizarre travel stories.
On one particular weekend, wanting to change our routine, we were desperately looking for places to travel to. At that time, we had visited all national parks near Los Angeles but Death Valley National Park. So we decided to give it a try. All was good except that we forgot that the summer was not the best time to go to the driest place in California.
We drove approximately four hours one way and spent no more than five minutes walking along the infamous Mesquite Sand Dunes in Death Valley. The heat was excruciating, the sand was as hot as an oven. Five minutes was all we could handle before running back to our car for safety.
Once back in the car with AC blowing at its maximum level, we bursted into laughter. We could literally die out there. The few pictures we took before leaving the park never let us forget those crazy summer travel stories.
2. Admiring Latourell Falls, Oregon, without the Crowds
In Oregon, Roshan and I had different ideas in mind. I wanted to see moss-covered trees. Roshan came to the state with one intention: to explore fairytale places near Portland. In fact, Multnomah Falls was on top of his list. One of his friends had visited Oregon a few years prior and shared her pictures from that waterfall. Roshan had been awestruck and promised to see that place in person one day.
I, on the other hand, always had to see everything. Thus, instead of going directly to Multnomah Falls, I insisted on stopping at a few other waterfalls on our way. Roshan agreed at first. Yet soon he was begging to skip the last waterfall, Latourell Falls, and go directly to Multnomah Falls.
It was raining all day long. There was no chance we’d go back to see that skipped waterfall. I insisted once again, and Roshan agreed reluctantly. In the end, it was just another 7-minute drive.
Upon our arrival at Latourell Falls, Roshan went first to look at the waterfall. Dylan was already sleeping in his car seat, so one of us had to stay in the car with him. About 20 minutes later Roshan came back. As soon as I saw his face, I could tell he was more than impressed. In fact, he liked it even more than Multnomah Falls.
READ MORE: 4-Day Oregon Road Trip from Medford to Portland
3. Getting Muddy at Queen’s Bath, Hawaii
Among all our insane travel pictures, a few shots I took at the Queen’s Bath are the most cherished. Again only one of us could go down a muddy trail to a rocky beach on the island of Kauai. The other one had to stay with Dylan. Roshan let me go this time, and I’ll be forever grateful for that.
The trail wasn’t that long, but it was slippery and muddy. I saw other hikers covered with mud from head to toes. I did my best to grasp onto any available branches and tree roots in order not to repeat their “greatest falls”.
I was lucky and managed to get to the beach and then back to the car pretty clean, except for my feet and hands. Oh, and my old sandals couldn’t handle this “abuse” any longer and got ripped before I even reached the Queen’s Bath.
I got to the place in time for sunset. Sunset on an almost empty cliff-beach towering over the ocean was everything I could ask for. However, much later after reading stories behind somebody else’s photos on the Internet I found out how dangerous the Queen’s Bath could be. So I can consider myself lucky for such an unforgettable and safe travel memory.
4. Watching Hula Dance in Hawaii
We spent a long weekend on Kauai. On our first day before we left our hotel, I told Roshan that I really wanted to see hula performed by locals. Little did I know that just a few hours later my dream would come true.
That morning we went to see Kamokila Hawaiian Village. After spending a few hours exploring the surroundings and canoeing, it was time to head to our next destination. But first lunch. And while we were eating our lunch in a shaded area, one local woman started to dance hula.
She was giving a performance to a group of elderly tourists sitting in the same area. We were just lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Obviously, I had to take a few pictures and tell our stories from that village to anybody who wanted to hear them.
READ MORE: People that Made Our Kauai Trip So Memorable
5. Witnessing Epic Sunrise in Alaska
Alaska presented us with the most unforgettable travel stories and the most epic travel photos. This might be due to the fact that both Roshan and I had dreamed of visiting this state for a while. On our first morning, we set off on an adventure from Anchorage toward Seward. Apparently, we chose the perfect time to travel to Alaska. It was the last day of summer, and the weather was amazing.
As soon as we left the city, Alaska prepared for us one surprise after another. No, I don’t mean that our tire went flat or we ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere. Natural beauty of Alaska was what made us speechless and grateful for being able to experience it all.
Before reaching Seward we had to pull over multiple times to get closer to nature and take some photos. But the images of sunrise along Seward Highway were our favorite. Needless to say, I’ve never ever taken so many pictures and collected so many stories like that time in Alaska. If I had to choose my favorite travel moments for that year, a trip to Alaska would definitely be one of them.
6. Hiking to Devil’s Bridge in Arizona
One of the highlights of our latest visit to Arizona was hiking to the Devil’s Bridge. The Devil’s Bridge Trail is one of the most popular hiking routes in Sedona. It’s quite long and can be a bit challenging, especially when climbing rocks almost at the end of the trail. With that being said, it’s not an activity that suits everybody.
We ventured to the bridge in the morning after having difficulties with finding an empty parking spot. The first thing that grabbed our attention was the amount of people hiking along the same path. The farther we went, the busier the trail was becoming.
But the biggest surprise awaited us at the Devil’s Bridge itself. Many people had already lined up by the bridge by the time we got there. Some of these people went all the way there just to take a picture on the bridge. We got in line too and patiently waited for our turn to take the photos on the bridge. Yet that was probably the least favorite part of the entire hike.
THE STORIES BEHIND OUR TRAVEL PHOTOS: EUROPE
7. Collecting the Stories Behind Our Photos in Paris, France
No doubt, the Eiffel Tower is one of the main reasons millions of people visit the capital of France every year. While it was not the only place we wanted to see in Paris, it was definitely not the last on the list. I strongly believe that everybody needs to see the Eiffel Tower when in the city. Everybody needs to get those personal and maybe not so unique stories behind their Paris photos.
We visited Paris in March. You’d expect early bloom and nice spring weather. In reality, though, it was unseasonably cold. But Paris was Paris, and we couldn’t miss any opportunity to explore it.
This picture doesn’t really have a long story (except for Dylan falling asleep as soon as we got there), but it’s still one of our favorites. Do you see those smiles? This is exactly how we felt at that moment. No staged and forced smiles. Just pure joy of exploring one of the most romantic cities in the world.
READ MORE: 20 Photos to Inspire You to Visit Paris
8. Braving the Strongest Wind at Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
You can’t really visit Ireland without seeing some of its gorgeous landscapes, hills, and pastures. Exploring the country beyond its major cities, such as Dublin and Galway, was my primary goal. To bring this plan to life I booked a guided tour to the Cliffs of Moher.
At that time, I didn’t know much about this place except for the fact that it was one of the most visited attractions in the country. Yet I made sure to read each and every story behind every picture of the famous cliffs I found on the Internet. All set and ready? Not exactly.
The Cliffs of Moher
The place blew my mind literally and figuratively. This picture might be misleading. But the true story behind this photo is unforgettable. And it’ll forever remind me who or what is in charge at the Cliffs of Moher.
The moment I got off the bus, the strong wind became my permanent companion and guide. It forced me to go where it needed me to go. If it thought I was going way too fast to enjoy the beautiful Cliffs of Moher, it slowed me down. I often had to stop and wait for the wind to pass. Only then I could resume walking for a few minutes until the wind forced me to stop again.
The truth is, I’d never experienced such a strong wind in my life before. At some point, when I was trying to get down the hill, the wind pushed me from the back harder than I expected. Unable to withstand it, but not willing to fall on a muddy lawn, I started to run as fast as I could.
A few seconds later I managed to stop. Good thing, I didn’t fall. Bad thing, my legs were covered with mud almost up to my knees. And as it was becoming normal at that time, I had to wait, balancing myself in order not to fall, until the wind changed its trajectory, and I could walk again.
None of this would have happened if it was raining. Luckily, it was sunny and absolutely gorgeous despite the strong wind and cold weather.
READ MORE: 10 Excellent Day Trips from Dublin
9. Watching Pigeons in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
The stories behind any travel photos can be very different from what you see. They might be a continuation of your bravest experiences and depict some of your happiest travel moments. Some pictures, like this one, don’t have the most interesting stories. But you love them because they remind you of your feelings at that very moment.
I walked through Dam Square in Amsterdam a few times. It’s always been a good place to observe the locals. This morning, however, a flock of pigeons stopped me in my tracks. These birds didn’t seem to be afraid of anybody. Quite the contrary, it felt that they enjoyed human company.
It was such a beautiful scene that I had to stop and simply enjoy it. They say don’t forget to stop and smell the roses. At that moment, I couldn’t do anything better than to slow down and watch the pigeons.
THE STORIES BEHIND OUR TRAVEL PHOTOS: CANADA
10. Taking it Easy at Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver
Like many of our earliest trips, our visit to Vancouver was short. But by that time, we had already mastered how to take most of the time we had and learned how to enjoy our adventures abroad with a baby. Yet Vancouver, British Columbia, was a different story.
On our second day in Canada, we decided to visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Dylan, however, didn’t want to do anything. He cried non-stop and didn’t want to eat or sleep. We hoped by the time we got to our destination, he’d feel better.
No, nothing changed. Thus, instead of enjoying the bridge before the crowd arrived, we sat near a park’s cafe, drinking hot chocolate and waiting for Dylan to wake up (he finally managed to fall asleep). We were still able to walk across the bridge, but only around noon.
The best lesson and story behind this photo was to learn to enjoy our travels even when everything goes wrong. This situation reminded us that we couldn’t control every part of our adventures. But we could still find something special to cherish and remember years later.
