Photography has always been my hobby, and I’ve enjoyed partaking in it while we enjoy our nomadic lifestyle. One of my favourite things to do is to roam the streets of a foreign land during the blue hour just after sunset when the sky is still slightly lit, but the lights are on, enhancing the cityscape.
I’ll admit that this past year I seemed to have slowed down a bit in my picture taking, but even so, the following are my personal favourite photos from our travels in 2025 through 31 countries, in chronological order. Each group of photos is preceded by a link to our original blog post with even more photos!
Cameras:
Sony a7iii with Sony 24-105mm G-master lens, or 14mm Laowa lens
The National Museum of Art of Guatemala in AntiguaThe Arch of Santa Catalina in Antigua, with Agua Volcano in the background looming over the city. I like this photo because it combines the local life and history with the impressive scenery.In Antigua, GuatemalaThe view from our Bogotá, Colombia apartment after sunset, where the streets became virtually devoid of people soon after the sun went downStreet art peaking through umbrellas in Bogota
At Huacachina, Peru, a desert oasis surrounded by high sand dunesThe impressive library in Arequipa, Peru, at the Recoleta Convent and Museum with 25,000 volumes dating from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. It was very cool being alone in an ancient library, perusing old texts and hand-drawn renditions of world history… but maybe that’s just me.This baby llama foraging by the road caught my eye on our way to Sillustani, Peru15 minutes after coming across the llama, I came across this local dog guarding the road leading to Sillustani on the hilltopAt Umayo Lagoon, PeruThe cable cars in hilly La Paz, Bolivia do the same job as a metro line in other cities, taking people all across the city on the multiple lines that crisscross the city. It was pretty cool riding cable cars up and down the peaks and valleys, then through the middle of a city.One of the indigenous Chola in her traditional bowler hat and shawl passing by a street market in Copacabana, Bolivia. Chola (or its diminutive cholita) was originally a derogatory term applied to Aymara or Quechua women with mixed (Spanish) ancestry. Historically a marginalized group, the younger generation has reclaimed that heritage as a badge of honour.Machu Picchu, Peru
Machu Picchu is a bit of a slog to get to, as it’s located in the middle of Peru in an out-of-the-way place. We weren’t really sure we should bother visiting such a touristy site, but when the Hop-on-Hop-off 12-day tour of Peru we were taking ended in Cusco, less than 100km away, we decided we’d make the effort, and it was well worth it!
The only way to get to Rapa Nui (aka: Easter Island) is by a 5-hour flight from Santiago, Chile, WAY out in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean. All my life I’d thought it was a very cool place, but never dreamed I’d actually get there. When our 2025 travels took us to Santiago I knew it was the chance to hit this bucket-list location!Moai (the name for the sculptures made of volcanic tuff – hardened volcanic ash that formed following an eruption three million years ago) at the “quary” where most of the statues were carved between 1250 and 1500 CE.
At Iguazu Falls on the border between Argentina and Brazil, it’s very hard to capture the scope, considering it spans a length of 2.7 km (1.7 miles) – you can see much of it stretching off to the right on different levels in this picture – but it was very impressive to just stand and take it all in
We did an 80-day road trip through central and northern Europe, taking the back-roads, avoiding tolls, but more importantly, seeing much more scenic locations (this picture from Switzerland)Along the river leading to Dinant, BelgiumDinant, Belgium (with a foreshadowing of our change for 2026)
As mentioned above, we have a Change of Pace coming for 2026, which you can read about here.
The very picturesque town of Riquewihr, FranceHohenfreyberg Castle in southern GermanyThe view across the valley from the castleCastle Lednice in the Czech RepublicLublin, PolandLublin, PolandThe old wooden crane on the Gdansk old town waterfront was human-powered with people walking in huge wheels to turn the mechanismWalking the inner dry moat in Malbork Castle, Poland – the largest brick castle in the world.
Aurlandsfjord in NorwayWhile driving through Norway, it was impossible to look around and not see a waterfall in one direction or another… often more than one!We saw a ton of churches in rural Norwegian towns – they all had a similar design, and white paint was the colour of choice
The Sverd i fjell monument in Stavanger, Norway (circa 1983) commemorates the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872 CE, wherein King Harald FairHair was proclaimed King of NorwayAn old mill in central Norway
Videy Island in the Reykjavík harbour, IcelandThe Hólavallagarður cemetery was very photogenic, and it was interesting to read the headstones to see how the Icelandic naming convention worked – when a boy is born his last name will be his fathers first name (eg: “Erik”), and “s”, and “son” (Eriksson), and a daughter will use “dóttir” (Eriksdóttir)One of the tenders returning to our ship that was anchored in the bay at Grundarfjörður, IcelandThe view from the ship while anchored near Grundarfjörður, with Grundarfoss waterfall on the rightPeggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
Throughout my life, I had heard of cool things that were heading off to the Smithsonian Museum, and I always figured it would be a very interesting place to visit, so when we found ourselves on the US East Coast at the end of a cruise, we decided it was time for this bucket-list visit. And believe it or not, the Smithsonian museums are all free! Among the MANY interesting things we saw was this: the suit Neil Armstrong wore on the moonThe US CapitolUnited States Capitol rotunda
In Akihabara, TokyoEnjoying a sunset from the free viewing area in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government BuildingEvening at Sensō-ji temple, with the Skytree tower in the distanceThe lights of ShinjukuThe Tokyo Night & Light show occurs multiple times each evening on the side of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, with areas where you can lie on the fake grass to watch it comfortablyWe embarked on a 9-day road-trip of Japan north of Tokyo, with the intent of seeing the Fall colours. This year was warmer than normal, so the change was a bit delayed, but we did see some impressive foliage and sights along the way.
A bit out of town up the stream – Ginzan OnsenThe main temple at Onioshidashi Volcanic ParkAt the Onioshidashi Volcanic Park on the side of the still-active Mt. Asama.Enjoying the viewThe final night of our road trip, in Matsumoto, where I was able to do some sunset and nighttime photography at Matsumoto Castle
At Oshino Hakkai, with a final burst of colour on our road trip, and with Mount Fuji in the background as a bonus
These are only a sampling of the locations we visited this year. You can visit our main D2 Detours page to see pictures from many of the 31 countries we visited.
I’m always curious which shots resonate with people, so if you have a favourite feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks for visiting!
You definitely capture great places and great moments in your photos. There are too many fantastic shots to be able to pick a favorite. But one that resonated was the town of Riquewihr, France. Thanks for sharing your journeys through these amazing places.
All great shots, hard to pick one or two, but I love the crane Gdansk photo at night and the several of your Japan shots (perhaps because I was just there and loved it).
Thank you for putting these together. It’s amazing what you cover each year. We were in Japan for spring after Australia and NZ summer so it was fun to see those photos.
Not a chance of picking out a favorite, which I thought I could do before starting.
Great job Howard!
You definitely capture great places and great moments in your photos. There are too many fantastic shots to be able to pick a favorite. But one that resonated was the town of Riquewihr, France. Thanks for sharing your journeys through these amazing places.
All great shots, hard to pick one or two, but I love the crane Gdansk photo at night and the several of your Japan shots (perhaps because I was just there and loved it).
The last few of Japan and the temples are stunning! What a great year…
Thank you for putting these together. It’s amazing what you cover each year. We were in Japan for spring after Australia and NZ summer so it was fun to see those photos.
Excellent and impossible to pick a favorite, but your use of light is impressive.