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Be My Travel Muse

Solo Female Travel

30 Amazing Photos from One Year of Traveling the World

12/06/2013 by Kristin 26 Comments

As I sit on the porch of an orange-walled, palm tree-fringed guesthouse in Sri Lanka I can’t help but feel thankful for the past 15 months spent wandering around this beautiful planet.

I never could have imagined what the coming year would have in store for me when I sold off all of my belongings and left California with nothing but a carry-on backpack in September 2012.

It was tough, but after looking through hundreds of photos I narrowed them down to the best 30 I took over the past year, starting with the most recent:

1) Yi Peng in Chiang Mai, Thailand 

After missing the opportunity to see this last year due to some misinformation, I finally got the chance to be a part of the big lantern release known as Yi Peng in November.

Pictured here, well wishes for the future are symbolically released into the sky in unison.

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Glittering lanterns in the sky

2) Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Western Ireland was absolutely stunning and a chance to better understand some of my roots.

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The Ireland of dreams

 3) Ravenna, Italy

Several churches displaying mosaics made of tiny pieces of ceramic material make Ravenna in Italy a pretty stunning locale.

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Millions of tiny pieces of glass

4) San Diego, California

I had returned to the States for a couple of months to visit friends and family.  This is a shot of my lovely yogi sister on the day that we started our new travel fitness website.

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Yoga is love

5) Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada

Burning Man has become a permanent fixture in my life. An arts festival that promotes radical self-expression and self-reliance, it now usually takes place in late August to early September in the middle of the desert in Nevada.

This is an art car made to look like a rhinoceros with the Temple of Whollyness in the background.

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An art car and the Temple of Whollyness in the background

 6) Kawah Ijen, Indonesia

Waking up at 2am to take a motorbike to the base, climbing with the stars glittering above me in the sky, viewing the phenomenon of blue flames, then hiking up to the summit for sunrise remains one of my favorite treks and an amazing memory of Java in Indonesia.

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One of the most beautiful things I’ve seen

7) Rinjani Volcano, Indonesia

The three-day trek (this photo below was taken on day one) to Mt. Rinjani volcano on the island of Lombok provided so many stunning photo ops, it was hard to narrow it down to just this photo of the volcano surrounded by a jade-colored lake. 

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The stunning Rinjani volcano

 8) Komodo National Park, Indonesia

An amazing 6 days were spent on a boat in Komodo, going around to the best SCUBA dive sites and spotting everything from mandarinfish to manta rays. 

I’ll never forget this beautiful place.

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One of many awe-inspiring Komodo National Park sunsets

9) Bukit Lawang, Indonesia

The only places in the world with wild orangutans are Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia. 

Bukit Lawang really stole my heart. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows your name after two days, and they never forget it. I felt so at home in my little jungle domicile. I stayed for a week after initially planning on just a couple of days.

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A curious orangutan rewards me with her presence

10) Tip of Borneo in Sabah, Malaysia

The tip of Borneo proved to be the most amazing beach I have ever seen.  I had no idea I’d be so impressed by Malaysia (or heck, that I’d even go to Borneo!).

This was taken on a 4-day motorbike adventure with a couple of buddies I had met in my Kota Kinabalu guesthouse.

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The tip

 11) Mt. Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia

In a totally impromptu move, I ended up climbing Mt. Kinabalu, one of Southeast Asia’s tallest mountains, in just one day.

It was a grueling full 12 hours of climbing up and then back down, and while it is one of the coolest and most character-building things I’ve done, I have my doubts I’ll be motivated to do it twice!

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The tallest climbable peak in Southeast Asia

12) A tea plantation in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Tea plantations always seem to be in the most picturesque areas.

It must be some kind of unspoken rule.

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Are tea plantations ever ugly? Doubtful

 13) Kek Lok Si Temple in Georgetown, Malaysia

The largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, Kek Lok Si is peaceful and gorgeous.

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Loved the feel of this

14) Langkawi, Malaysia

A fun and relaxed beach town in the northern part of Malaysia.

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Langkawi was stunning

 15) Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand

New Zealand was a special place as it’s where my mother joined me for a couple weeks.  It was our first time traveling together with just us two, allowing us to discover that we’re great travel buddies!

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What a sight!

16) Paihia, New Zealand

I’ve never seen so many shades of blue in my life.

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I’ve never seen water like this!

 17) Bay of Islands, New Zealand

The same location as photo #16, but this one has dolphins, and no photo journey could be complete without them.

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Frolicking in the waves

18) Waiheke Island, New Zealand

Just a short ferry ride away from Auckland, Waiheke Island is quiet, serene, and a little more off the beaten path.  This was high on our list of favorites from New Zealand.

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My mother hiking along Waiheke… her hair matches the grasses

19) Auckland, New Zealand

Snapped on the ferry to Waiheke Island.

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The Auckland skyline

20) Anglesea, Australia

I spent two months of this year in Melbourne, Australia.  While there were awesome beaches in the city, Anglesea, a couple hours’ drive away, was unlike any beach I had ever seen.

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Amazing Anglesea

 21) Tonsai Beach, Thailand

My favorite beach in Thailand and one of a few places I returned to during my travels, Tonsai (next to Railay, accessed via Krabi or Ao Nang) is laid back and unbelievably beautiful.

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Tonsai stole my heart

22) Sukhothai, Thailand

I spied a monk in orange in the ancient kingdom of Sukhothai, only to end up later snapping him snapping a photo of me! We then took one together. It was a cool moment.

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A monk in orange in Sukhothai

 23) The White Temple in Chiang Rai, Thailand

It’s hard to find the words to describe this place. You simply have to see it, or if you can’t, this gallery is the next best thing.

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It doesn’t get much more impressive

24) The White Temple, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Bypass the depths of hell to get to the paradise that is the White Temple.

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…and the dark side

 25) Bolaven Plateau, Laos

I still say that Laos is my favorite place I’ve been. It’s so green, rugged, and chock full of waterfalls.

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Powerful

26) 4000 Islands, Laos

A spirit house in Don Det, one of the 4000 islands (I do wonder if anyone has actually counted).

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Spirits live here

 27) Koh Rong, Cambodia

Making all kinds of top ten lists for this year’s must travel places, I’ve got to agree, there’s good reason for all the buzz about Koh Rong.

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Look familiar?

28) Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Most people marvel about the sunrise at Angkor Wat, but I was a massive fan of the sunset.

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It’s the sunset

 29) Wat Po in Bangkok, Thailand

Where it all began.  This was taken in September 2012, just a few days after I left California.

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The humble beginnings

30) Newport Beach, California

My home in the days before I started traveling.  Known for being a pretty posh place, I loved this rare and quirky sight.

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So different to what I’d normally expect

Thanks for taking this journey with me.  It was a real treat compiling these photos and remembering the great times.

I sometimes get asked what camera I use.  I shot all of these with a Nikon D3000 with a 55/18mm lens and a telephoto lens.
 

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I'm Kristin, and my vision of a better world is one where more women are empowered and living out their dreams. Solo traveling is the best method I've found to become the best, bravest version of me. This site is all about how YOU can have the adventure of a lifetime in an easy, fun, approachable way, so that you can feel empowered, too. Want to learn more about me?

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Comments

  1. Jamie says

    12/06/2013 at 10:43 am

    Wow the natural colors in these photos are breathtaking. Malaysia and Indonesia look stunning.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      12/07/2013 at 12:34 am

      They are!

      Reply
  2. Amanda says

    12/06/2013 at 7:31 pm

    Gorgeous collection of photos! You’re making me very excited to finally explore a bit of SE Asia myself soon!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      12/07/2013 at 12:33 am

      Thanks! I’m sure you’ll love it.

      Reply
  3. Andrea says

    12/07/2013 at 8:01 am

    Very cool photos! Indonesia looks amazing.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      12/09/2013 at 12:28 am

      It IS

      Reply
  4. Katie says

    12/07/2013 at 9:58 am

    So amazing! What a great post wrapping up your amazing travels thus far! I need to go everywhere, but your pictures have out Indonesia and New Zealand at the top of my list!

    Reply
  5. Bob R says

    12/07/2013 at 12:50 pm

    A VERY nice selection to cap a very nice year indeed. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Brendan van Son says

    12/08/2013 at 4:25 am

    Love the waterfall shot in Laos… but my favourite for sure is the Monk at the temple. I can’t wait to start exploring Asia!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      12/09/2013 at 12:01 am

      Your going to have photographer orgasms constantly!

      Reply
  7. Alissa says

    12/08/2013 at 9:04 pm

    Great photos, I’m adding all of the Malaysian spots to my travel list!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      12/09/2013 at 12:13 am

      You should! I just loved it

      Reply
  8. Avik says

    12/08/2013 at 9:40 pm

    Nicely captured pics. Hope I can visit all of them someday.

    Reply
  9. Kristin says

    12/09/2013 at 12:27 am

    Thanks Sam!

    Reply
  10. Kylie says

    12/09/2013 at 7:03 am

    Absolutely Stunning Photos!

    Reply
  11. Steph (@ 20 Years Hence) says

    12/15/2013 at 12:24 am

    Lovely photos, Kristin. Even when I have been to some of the same places as you, I still feel like I am seeing them with new eyes when I view your photography. You definitely know how to capture these locations looking their very best!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      12/16/2013 at 2:14 am

      Wow thank you SO MUCH for the kind words!

      Reply
  12. Jimmy Dau says

    12/22/2013 at 11:55 pm

    Beautiful and inspiring shots Kristin!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      12/23/2013 at 4:39 am

      Thank you 🙂

      Reply
  13. Steph says

    02/07/2014 at 6:40 am

    Very impressive indeed.

    Reply
  14. Dallas @ OffToSeeTheWorld says

    02/09/2014 at 11:22 am

    Wow, these photos are absolutely stunning!! It looks like you had an amazing year!

    Reply
  15. 2 tickets to Wonderland says

    06/16/2014 at 9:32 am

    I love the first photo. It’s absolutely amazing! Did you use a tripod for the shot? I read your article How to take great travel photographs and videos and I didn’t detect that you use a tripod. I think it’s inconvenient to take a tripod on our travels and that’s why it’s difficult to shoot in poor light…

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      06/17/2014 at 2:37 am

      None of these were taken with a tripod.

      Reply
  16. Laura says

    11/28/2014 at 8:55 am

    wow! Awesome photos, so pleased to see that my home land New Zealand made 5 of your top 30!! I am currently traveling SE Asia with my husband for 4 months. We are loving it but these photos do make me miss home! Thanks for sharing, love your blog 🙂 Laura

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      11/28/2014 at 9:03 am

      Thank you, Laura! New Zealand is amazingly beautiful and I still rank it in my top 3 most beautiful places I’ve been.

      Reply
  17. Katie @ Katie Wanders says

    05/25/2015 at 4:38 pm

    Gorgeous photos! I shoot all my pictures (almost all) with my Nikon 3100, and my GoPro and sometimes Iphone. I am also a diver who LOVES my gopro for diving.

    Amazing pictures and love your blog.

    Reply

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