Backpackers.com

Travel Photo Of The Week: Cagbalete Island, Philippines

Ain’t this shot a beauty?

We love the choice of colours and the tranquillity of the moment… Don’t you just wanna be her right now, wandering slowly down the powder-white beach, time on your side?

Selected from our Flickr travel pool, this awesome shot was taken by regular contributer, Ian Felix Alquiros (we’ve featured his photos before – here and here).

For more great travel shots, visit our travel photo pool on Flickr. Or, even better, send us some of your own!

Useful travel photography tips for backpackers:
TravelPhoto.net – ‘Photo Tips: How To Take Good Travel Pictures’
Photo.net – ‘Hargett’s travel photography tips’
CNN Traveler.com – ‘Photography tips for the traveler’
About.com – ‘Travel Photography 101: How to Take Better Travel Pictures’

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels – book a hostel at thousands of locations around the world.
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers

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Travel Photo Of The Week: What’s The Big Idea?

Sometimes, when you’re on the road, travelling from place to place – a perfect ‘moment’ appears, begging to be captured… and sometimes, just sometimes, you’re lucky enough to have a camera at hand right then and there.

This week’s featured travel photo is of one of those moments: a pair of Indian schoolgirls standing in front of a sign saying ‘Idea™’. If it weren’t for the intruding satchel on the right hand side of the image, it would seem too good to be true (ie that the photographer had set it up on purpose).

The title is perfect: ‘What’s the big idea?’, the colour of the girls’ dresses links them beautifully to the sign behind them, and the expression of the girl in the centre of the photo seems to echo the word behind her. A fantastic capture!

This photo was taken by ‘Hongkiu‘, a contributor to the backpackers travel photo pool. See more of her beautiful travel shots here.

Do you have travel photos you’d like to share with us? If you do, perhaps it’s time to join the backpackers travel photo pool on Flickr and show us your stuff!

Useful travel photography tips for backpackers:
TravelPhoto.net – ‘Photo Tips: How To Take Good Travel Pictures’
Photo.net – ‘Hargett’s travel photography tips’
CNN Traveler.com – ‘Photography tips for the traveler’
About.com – ‘Travel Photography 101: How to Take Better Travel Pictures’

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels – book a hostel at thousands of locations around the world.
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers

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Travel Photo Of The Week: Waiting

Ever feel like life is just passing you by?

This awesome photo has been selected from our travel photo pool on Flickr – to be our travel photo of the week. Why? Because, firstly, it’s a superb capture – it’s rather difficult to get someone standing so still in the foreground, whilst the background flashes by – and, secondly, it’s a reminder for us all to get out and be adventurous, or life really will just pass you by.

The photo was taken by ‘Swirley‘, a regular contributor to the backpackers travel photo pool. See more of her beautiful travel shots here.

Do you have travel photos you’d like to share with us? If you do, perhaps it’s time to join the backpackers travel photo pool on Flickr and show us your stuff!

Useful travel photography tips for backpackers:
TravelPhoto.net – ‘Photo Tips: How To Take Good Travel Pictures’
Photo.net – ‘Hargett’s travel photography tips’
CNN Traveler.com – ‘Photography tips for the traveler’
About.com – ‘Travel Photography 101: How to Take Better Travel Pictures’

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels – book a hostel at thousands of locations around the world.
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers

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You And Your Backpack, Somewhere In New Zealand: mytravelbackpack.com’s 2nd Photo Contest

My Travel Backpack is a website dedicated entirely to photos of backpackers and their backpacks taken in various distinctive locations around the planet. Last year, the site held a competition for the best photo of “You – Your backpack – Somewhere cool on the planet”, with a prize of these cool travel guides for the winner.

Well, this year they’re at it again, and this time you could win a Kelty Tahoma daypack for your troubles. All you have to do is rummage through your shots from New Zealand (you have been to New Zealand, right?) and submit them to mytravelbackpack’s 2nd photo contest. Anyone can participate, and you can enter as many photos as you like, as long as it’s obvious that it’s “You and your backpack somewhere cool in New Zealand”.The contest ends April 1st. For inspiration, check out the photos from last year’s finalists, and, of course, the winning shot.

Related entries:
My Travel Backpack Photo Contest: You And Your Backpack, Somewhere Cool On The Planet
Get Lost: How To Ditch Your Job And Get Travelling
How To Plan Your Round The World Trip
Sticking To Your Budget: Free Things For Backpackers To Do In Europe

Useful (related) links for backpackers:
Hostels in New Zealand – find and book your hostel online
New Zealand.com – 100% Pure New Zealand, travel advice and more.
Backpackers Travel Insurance – cover your trip with comprehensive travel insurance from WorldNomads.

Posted in Destinations, Travel News, Travel Photos | No Comments »

Travel Photo Of The Week: The Unlimited Temples of Myanmar

We just love this shot.

Taken at Bagan, Myanmar, it captures the atmosphere and mystery surrounding the temples of the East… and makes us want to be standing there ourselves right now.

Swiss traveller, Pascal Boegli took the photo, and added it to the Backpackers Travel Pool on Flickr. Check out more of his great shots here.

Do you have travel photos you’d like to share with us? If you do, perhaps it’s time to join the backpackers travel photo pool on Flickr and show us your stuff!

Useful travel photography tips for backpackers:
TravelPhoto.net – ‘Photo Tips: How To Take Good Travel Pictures’
Photo.net – ‘Hargett’s travel photography tips’
CNN Traveler.com – ‘Photography tips for the traveler’
About.com – ‘Travel Photography 101: How to Take Better Travel Pictures’

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels – book a hostel in Myanmar
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers

Posted in Destinations, Travel Photos | No Comments »

Travel Photo Of The Week: The Colosseum, Rome

This week we feature this beautifully captured shot of one of the most visited of man-made landmarks on the backpacking trail, Rome’s imposing Colosseum.

No visit to Italy’s capital is complete without taking a look inside this impressive structure, built way back in the 1st century AD for the purpose of housing the bloodthirsty gladiatorial games for which Rome became so famous (or infamous).

The colosseum is beautifully lit by night, as this photo so clearly depicts.

Taken by Jennifer, a member of the backpackers travel photo pool on Flickr. Check out more of her photos here.

Do you have travel photos you’d like to share with us? If you do, perhaps it’s time to join the backpackers travel photo pool on Flickr and show us your stuff!

Useful travel photography tips for backpackers:
TravelPhoto.net – ‘Photo Tips: How To Take Good Travel Pictures’
Photo.net – ‘Hargett’s travel photography tips’
CNN Traveler.com – ‘Photography tips for the traveler’
About.com – ‘Travel Photography 101: How to Take Better Travel Pictures’

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels – book a hostel in Rome
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
ItalyGuides.it – guide to visiting the Colosseum

Posted in Destinations, Travel Photos | No Comments »

Travel Photo Of The Week: Hookah Kitty

It’s not often that we get to highlight photos quite like this one. It’s taken in what appears to be a hookah stall in Cairo, Egypt – a familiar sight when backpacking – so it qualifies as a travel shot… (right?).

As for the kitten…? Well, wouldya look at that face? Enough said.

This cuter-than-normal-but-we-like-it photograph was taken by asami kawada, a member of the backpackers travel photo pool on Flickr. Check out more of his photos here.

Do you have travel photos you’d like to share with us? If you do, perhaps it’s time to join the backpackers travel photo pool on Flickr and show us your stuff!

Useful travel photography tips for backpackers:
TravelPhoto.net – ‘Photo Tips: How To Take Good Travel Pictures’
Photo.net – ‘Hargett’s travel photography tips’
CNN Traveler.com – ‘Photography tips for the traveler’
About.com – ‘Travel Photography 101: How to Take Better Travel Pictures’

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels – book a hostel in Egypt
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers

Posted in Destinations, Travel Photos | No Comments »

Travel Photo Of The Week: Colourful Kayaks On PhiPhi Island

Nothing like starting a day off with a dash of colour, and this week’s featured travel photo certainly has more than enough of that.

Taken recently on the island of Phi Phi in Thailand, a favourite backpacker haunt, and site of some of the most beautiful, crystal clear (warm) waters you can imagine, the image (we think) evokes the warm, sunny feeling of fun about to be had – all day long. * sigh *

We’ve featured photos by Ian Felix Alquiros before and here he is again, making us jealous, again. Check out more of his great travel photos here.

Useful travel photography tips for backpackers:
TravelPhoto.net – ‘Photo Tips: How To Take Good Travel Pictures’
Photo.net – ‘Hargett’s travel photography tips’
CNN Traveler.com – ‘Photography tips for the traveler’
About.com – ‘Travel Photography 101: How to Take Better Travel Pictures’

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels – book a hostel in the Philippines
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers

Posted in Destinations, Travel Photos | No Comments »

Travel Photo Of The Week: Sweet Ice Syrups, Bangkok

Something all backpackers are likely to experience at some point in their travels, especially if they go somewhere so foreign that even the alphabet looks like it’s from another planet, is being faced with a choice like the one pictured here.

Who knows what’s in each of those colourful jars, but as they’re all syrups for sweet ice drinks, at least it’s way safer (we imagine) than ordering something you can’t see (there are some pretty weird Thai foods that could end up on your plate if you don’t know what you’re ordering).

This photo was taken by ‘Adam Cathro‘, a member of our backpackers travel photo pool on Flickr. Check out more of his beautiful photos of Thailand here.

Do you have travel photos you’d like to share with us? If you do, perhaps it’s time to join the backpackers travel photo pool on Flickr and show us your stuff!

Related stories:
‘Travel Photo Of The Week: Bo Kaap, Cape Town‘ (Backpackers.com)

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Travel Photo Of The Week: Boracay Sand Castle

There’s nothing quite like having a bit of fun in the sun, is there? Hours spent on a beach, soaking up the sun (after slapping on a litre of sunscreen, naturally, especially if you’re anywhere near South Africa or Australia) – it’s all good.

Some of us might muck about a bit and come up with a sand castle that looks a bit like this fine specimen. The more determined (and less alcoholically challenged) might even come up with something like this one.

But, let’s face it, most of us are probably only going to manage something a bit like this, knowing that it will ultimately, eventually, just get washed away.

Only the very very dedicated folks, with nothing much else to do, are going to come up with masterpieces like this one, this one and this beauty.

Wow, we got a bit carried away there! All of this came from this week’s choice of favourite travel photo, as chosen from our backpackers travel photo pool on Flickr.

It’s taken by a new member, ‘scuba_dooba‘ and we think it has that ‘wish you were there’ feel about it.

Do you have travel photos you’d like to share with us? If you do, perhaps it’s time to join the backpackers travel photo pool on Flickr and show us your stuff!

Related stories:
‘Travel Photo Of The Week: Bo Kaap, Cape Town‘ (Backpackers.com)

Posted in Destinations, Travel Photos | No Comments »