iReport: Why we travel

Ten iReporters show us their favorite travel photo and tell us why it represents an unforgettable trip

19 September, 2011

iReporter L. Craig Smith took this photo on the Norwegian Svalbard Islands in March 2010. The group had just survived a three-day blizzard. “We set out on our expedition to see polar bears in the wild,” Smith recalls. As the sun set, the wind started and within minutes, they were caught in an unexpected blizzard. The temperature dropped to -30 degrees. "We had to dig some people out of their tents," Smith recalls. A small portable stove kept the group warm. The blizzard stopped just as their fuel was about to run out. "We dug out our snowmobiles from under two meters of snow and left."

Romanian iReporter Mugur Vărzariu was traveling in India earlier this year when he had a chance encounter with the Dalai Lama. Vărzariu had just landed in Jodhpur and decided on a whim to grab a bite at the Umaid Bhawan Palace. There he ran into the Dalai Lama and the Maharajah in the lobby. "I was impressed with Dalai Lama, he is the real thing," Varzariu says. "He talked to me three times, when he entered his car and I was taking one last picture he waved at me like I was somebody important. We connected somehow and I was impressed by his energy and his openness."

iReporter Tascha Eipe was swimming with manta rays at Hanifaru Bay, Maldives in August 2010 when she encountered a whale shark. "Out of the blue, a large dark shape floated towards us," she says. "A whale shark! It was feeding, its flat mouth open wide as it swam towards the center of the action. It was bigger than the boat we arrived in." Eipe was caught in a phenomenon known as a "feeding frenzy." Every year between May and November, monsoon currents bring swarms of plankton into the bay. The all-you-can-eat buffet attracts up to 200 manta rays and four whale sharks at a time, Eipe says.

This photo was taken at Camp Alta over Lake Altajarvi in Sweden in March 2010. "My friends and I took the train to Kiruna to try to chase the elusive Northern Lights," says iReporter Kong Yen Lin. The group spent the next few days in a cabin near a frozen lake that lacked plumbing. "We had just finished dog-sledding, and decided to take some chairs and reindeer skins out to the lake to see if we could wait out the lights," Kong recalls. "Sure enough, we saw a strip of green light in the distance that started glowing."

This was the first time "John", a resident of Florida, had seen baby sea turtles. These youngsters were spotted at Hightower Beach in Satellite Beach, Florida. "We heard they normally hatch at night due to the cover of darkness and the seagulls' appetite, but these little ones decided to come out a little early," he says. "There was close to 100 of them."

iReporter Michaël Rheault took this photo from the back of a xe om (motorcycle taxi) in the frenzied Vietnamese traffic. “I had to take the risk of not holding onto my seat and turning back to get the picture, and hope that my driver didn't do anything stupid,” Rheault, a native of Canada, says. “I live in Bangkok and it's the closest thing to perpetual traveling I can get at the moment,” he says. Thai cultural experiences that have amazed Rheault so far include attending a Muslim Charity Fair in Nonthaburi and releasing fish for good karma at Phutthamonthon.

James Cheatham, a resident of Jerusalem in Israel, took this photo of Herdalssetra in Norddal, Norway in July 2006. "I stayed there for a few days, during which I never heard a car, plane or telephone," Cheatham says. "There was no electricity or running water— just a little brook and an outhouse for a bathroom." Cheatham says his trip to Norway occurred during a difficult time in his life. The serene beauty helped him put into perspective what was important in life and what wasn't. "These places showed me there is still beauty in the world despite what I experience," he says.

This photo was taken by iReporter Sherbien Dacalanio on his way to the summit of 2,922-meter Mount Pulag in the Philippines in July 2011. Dacalanio, a novice mountaineer, rode on top of a jeepney along with other first-time hikers for the first leg of the trip, and climbed the rest of it.
He says reaching the summit was a magical moment."The sunrise looks like the sunset, and while the sun is rising, the clouds disappeared," Dacalanio says. "The environment took on different colors."

Deanna Rodrigues from the United States took this photo in Giza, Egypt. She travels to make history come alive for her 10-year-old son. "My son did a school project on Egypt before we left for this trip, which allowed him to better appreciate the sightseeing there," says Rodrigues. She says her globetrotting children have not yet reached their teens but they have visited 11 countries in four continents, including North America, Asia, Europe and Africa. "I hope to take my children to Australia next year and make trips to South Africa within the next few years," she says.

iReporter Keka De traveled with friends from Kolkata to Himachal earlier this year for rejuvenation. De took this photo of her friend during a train ride from Pathankot to the hilly area of Palampur. “During our short trip, we enjoyed a crowded but exhilarating train ride from the plains to the hills, walks and treks along sinewy mountain roads, and drives up to the snowline to view pristine natural lakes,” De says. “The beauty of the hills in the summer rain was more than what we had expected,” says De. “We also made friends on the road and got a taste of the local culture and food.”

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We've all heard the quotes. "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page." Or, "It's not the destination, but the journey that counts."

As lovely as all that sounds, the reality is that when you're traveling, the journey can be a pretty miserable ordeal. Screaming babies on 12-hour flights, hour-long airport security lines or engine trouble in the middle of that epic cross-country road trip.

Yet when you lay your eyes on Machu Picchu for the first time after that grueling three-day hike through the Andes, or dive into the cerulean waters surrounding your villa in the Maldives after 15 hours of airplane hell, it's all worth it.

In this CNNGo iReport, 10 globe-trotting iReporters show us their favorite travel photos, and tell us how the shot represents the memorable journey they took.

This article was put togther by our intrepid iReporters. To join their ranks and feature your own work on CNNGo, head to the CNNGo iReport assignment page, and submit.

Read more on the CNNGo app for iPhone / Android / Nokia now!

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