Lens-Artists,  Themed galleries,  Travel in general

Gallery: journeys that shaped me

March 8, 2026 / 57 Comments

All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware

Martin Buber

Setting out on a journey you may think you know where you are going and therefore what to expect. But there are always surprises in even the most well-prepared trip, and it is often the surprises that prove the most memorable experiences. Looking back at journeys taken many years ago I find that I remember those small surprises as much as I do the big iconic sights. It’s a healthy reminder to leave room for serendipity in any travel plan.

A very large proportion of my posts relate to travel, and by extension to journeys. So at first I was at a lost as to which journey to share for Ann-Christine’s Lens Artists challenge this week. I considered posting a selection of highlights from my most recent trip, to Sri Lanka, but I did that already in my February Changing Seasons post. And other journeys have been extensively covered here. So I decided to take some liberties with the theme and share several journeys, the ones that most shaped my love of travel.

In addition to this Word Press blog I use Travellerspoint to document my travels. That site allows me to map every trip and from that extrapolates some stats. Although I’ve only used it since 2017, I took the time to go back and add every trip I’ve ever taken abroad to the map, which you can see as my featured image. And the stats are interesting! They tell me that over the course of my life:

  • I’ve travelled 1,154,319 kilometres / 717,294 miles
  • I’ve made 149 trips to 85 countries
  • I’ve spent 1,280 days travelling, which equates to 4.98% of my life (my ambition is to get that up to 5%!)
  • The total distance travelled is roughly equivalent to 3.2 trips to the moon

Nine journeys

Ann-Christine asks us to limit our post to five to ten images, and that’s one ‘rule’ I will obey! So here are nine journeys that shaped my life and love of travel in some way.

Note: many of the older shots here are scanned from 35mm slides that have deteriorated somewhat over the years. I’ve put in some work to tidy them up, with sometimes limited success!

Germany RAF Brüggen

1966 (I think)

My first ever trip abroad, when we went to stay with my great uncle (serving in the RAF) and great aunt. There must be photos in an old album somewhere but my sister has those, so instead I’m sharing Fritz. My mother bought him, and named him, as a souvenir, and when she died I gave him a new home with us.

Monneville, France

1971

My first trip without my family, staying in a small village near Beauvais as part of the school French exchange programme. I posted about this trip in more detail last year: A moment in time.

Camping in Canada

1973

Another school trip, camping near Montreal for one week and near Niagara Falls for two. My first time outside Europe and my first (and only!) camping trip. This I think was when I fell in love with travelling, and also where I bonded with two classmates who have remained my friends ever since. Again, I have a fuller post about this trip: My first taste of adventure.

Prague

1980

My first trip abroad with Chris, visiting Aachen (briefly), Prague and Oberpullendorf in Austria where he had spent a year teaching and had several friends. It was also my first time behind the Iron Curtain and therefore quite a culture shock. Prague wasn’t the popular destination it is today although it was of course beautiful.  

Paris honeymoon

1981

We spent most of our honeymoon in Paris and I fell in love with the city. It’s the place I’ve visited most often and I still make new discoveries there.

New York City

1982

Rather than instal central heating in our newly purchased flat, which might have been thought the sensible thing to do, we splurged on a three week trip to New York, a city that fascinated both of us. And it didn’t disappoint, and like Paris remains a favourite city for both of us. Meanwhile we continue to prioritise travel over home improvements, although we do now have central heating!

Tunisia

1986

Our first trip to Africa and to a Muslim country. Although staying in a seaside resort hotel we made sure we got out and about, taking trips to Tunis, Carthage, El Djem (pictured) and the Sahara.

California

1991

Our first US road trip but not our last, as we both fell for this way of exploring the US. We loved the scenery, the culture and the sense of being on one giant movie set! This is another early trip that I’ve documented in this blog: California dreaming.

Karlsruhe, Germany

2008

I’ll finish with this, my first experience of the annual Virtual Tourist Euromeets, where I made lots of friends from around the world who shared my love of travel. These meetings continue to be a highlight of my travel year, although this year I’m not travelling very far as the meeting will be in Liverpool!

57 Comments

  • Tina Schell

    March 10, 2026 at 20:01 Reply

    A very clever approach to the challenge Sarah! I loved seeing the old images and the way your travels have continued since those early days. The map is marvelous!! We did Prague some years ago and I’m guessing the monument with the replicas of the shoes of those thrown into the river during the war wasn’t there then. Such a moving memorial. I also smiled at your Paris image😉. That was my first international trip, I actually spent a semester there in my college years and have been back several times since. It’s such a magical city. And of course the twin towers. I will never forget the feeling when I turned the news on that morning, and it still breaks my heart when I visit the new WTC which has the footprints of the twin towers in the ground and the names of those lost in the granite that surrounds it. It is very close to our son’s place in the city so I always walk there when we visit. Anyway, I digress!! Your post is marvelous and brought me some wonderful memories as well so thank you for that!!

  • Jane Lurie

    March 10, 2026 at 19:12 Reply

    Your MAP! How fun is that to see your lifetime of travels, Sarah. Love your old photos… the shot with you and the Twin Towers made my heart skip. Keep your adventurous spirit going and enjoy! 🙂

  • Sofia Alves

    March 10, 2026 at 17:48 Reply

    I love old photos, they have such a wonderful nostalgic feel to them and I love the ones you shared with us for this challenge, Sarah. Prague is a winner this week, I haven’t (yet) been there, maybe I should start prioritising travelling… 🙂

  • lynn

    March 10, 2026 at 16:23 Reply

    This is really fun to see, Sarah, thanks for putting in the work. Your map is wild! I enjoyed the analog look of the old slides, too. You may have spruced them up, but you didn’t erase that vintage color, which keeps them looking authentic. It’s so sweet to see you in the photos – were you in Brooklyn when the NYC photo was taken? It looks like it. Oh, the Twin Towers and the 80s skyline….at that time I was upriver on the other side of the city. So many adventures! It was smart to lead with that reminder about serendipity. 🙂

    • Sarah Wilkie

      March 10, 2026 at 16:43 Reply

      Thanks so much Lynn ☺️Yes, that photo was taken in Brooklyn after walking across the Brooklyn Bridge I believe. We went up one of the Twin Towers and had an amazing view – something that came back into sharp relief in our memories when 9/11 happened.

  • Paul

    March 9, 2026 at 16:49 Reply

    Great gallery Sarah. Having been to Prague two years ago I particularly enjoyed that image. I’m in awe of all of the travelling you’ve done, particularly your trips behind the Iron Curtain and to North Korea.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      March 9, 2026 at 17:21 Reply

      Thank you very much Paul ☺️ I’m sure Prague has changed a lot since the fall of the Iron Curtain but I’m guessing that view would be pretty much the same.

  • Leya

    March 9, 2026 at 16:05 Reply

    Well, talking about well travelled! Looking at your “butterfly” is quite overwhelming. I can’t even begin to thinkof how many pictures there must be in your files…You are indeed lucky to have seen so much of the world!

  • Anne Sandler

    March 9, 2026 at 15:16 Reply

    What a wonderful overview of your travels Sarah! Seeing the Twin Towers in one of your New York pictures brought home the realization that not much has changed in this world. I’d rather concentrate on the beautiful butterfly your travels painted.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      March 9, 2026 at 16:30 Reply

      Thanks so much Anne ☺️ Yes, the Twin Towers were very much an iconic sight back then. We went up one of them – the views were amazing. It made it all the more shocking to see them crumble as they did after the attacks 😔

  • wetanddustyroads

    March 9, 2026 at 13:03 Reply

    The layout of your travels around the world almost looks like a butterfly – very fitting for you who loves flying (I mean travelling) so much 😉. You are fortunate to have been able to visit so many different places … thank you for sharing it with us. PS: I’m glad to see a camping trip among the variety of travels!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      March 9, 2026 at 16:28 Reply

      Haha, I see what you mean about the butterfly – I guess it’s a consequence of starting all my trips from the UK 😀 As a teenager with my school friends camping was a fun adventure but no, not at my age!

  • Yvonne Dumsday

    March 9, 2026 at 08:54 Reply

    What memories must have been brought to mind in choosing that selection. Thanking you for sharing just some of them with us.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      March 9, 2026 at 09:23 Reply

      I have photos to remind me of most of them, apart from that early one to Germany, and for many years I kept scrapbooks too which are still tucked away in cupboards 😀 But in adding my earliest ones to that map I had to take liberties with the dates as apart from the rough time of year I had no idea when I travelled!

  • Egídio

    March 9, 2026 at 02:35 Reply

    Sarah, how impressive to see these photos and the trips you’ve taken! It’s wonderful to follow your posts and visit these places with you.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      March 9, 2026 at 09:21 Reply

      Many thanks Egidio ☺️ Isn’t that the fun of blogging, to get a glimpse into other people’s worlds and their interests? I always love your beautiful landscapes and macros!

      • Egídio

        March 9, 2026 at 16:17 Reply

        Thanks for the feedback, Sarah. I agree that blogs are a fun way to “travel.” I also enjoy your living vicariously through your beautiful travel photos.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      March 9, 2026 at 09:17 Reply

      Thanks Susanne, but I know people who have travelled far more extensively than I have! One friend has just shared on Facebook her arrival in country number 156 😀

  • Vicki

    March 8, 2026 at 23:22 Reply

    Amazing stats. You are so lucky to have experienced so many cultures and countries. I did that in my twenties, but not now.

    I’ll bet that the most interesting and articulate people I’ve ever met in my life have been travellers. Peope who are willing to go the extra mile so to speak…….and be able to afford it of course. We all make choices in life and it’s often those choices to travel that expend the mind, open ones eyes (at how other cultures live) and create a life well lived and a mind full of loving kindness and willingness to share in peace (instead of anger and prejudice).

    Loved your images and stories since I’ve been following your blog (as well as the other travel blogs I follow).

    Life is like a book. Most people have only read the index. But you have read every chapter.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      March 9, 2026 at 09:15 Reply

      Very many thanks for this thoughtful comment Vicki. You’re so right about the way that travel can open the eyes to other cultures and help to appreciate them rather than fear them. And I like your adaptation of that famous travel quote, although I hope I have a few more chapters yet to read! Although I did travel in my twenties, I didn’t venture far afield for the most part, so unlike you I’ve tended to do more travelling as I’ve got older, not less, and to arguably more interesting destinations 🙂

  • Rose

    March 8, 2026 at 23:02 Reply

    This was wonderful to read Sarah! I love your Travellerspoint map, you’ve had so many amazing adventures! I smiled reading that instead of central heating you splurged on a trip to New York. I like your (and your husband’s) priorities. And your Paris posts always capture my heart.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      March 9, 2026 at 09:12 Reply

      Thanks so much Rose ☺️ I love that map too. That’s a screenshot of course but on the actual web page I can zoom in on each individual trip and see the routes in much more detail. It’s quite a job to maintain it but it gives me a great overview!

  • photobyjohnbo

    March 8, 2026 at 21:47 Reply

    Sarah, your travel stats are amazing. It’s clear you carry a true love of wanderlust wherever you go. Such a wonderful collection of memories from around the world!

      • Sarah Wilkie

        March 9, 2026 at 09:10 Reply

        Thank you very much Anabel ☺️ Yes, we did discuss that previously – Amsterdam didn’t capture either of us as it did you but I think it deserves a second chance some time, especially now we can go direct with Eurostar.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      March 9, 2026 at 09:10 Reply

      Thanks so much John ☺️ I hope to keep adding to those stats for a while yet! I’m not a ‘country collector’ but I love to discover new places.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      March 9, 2026 at 09:08 Reply

      It was actually a whole Borough initiative, involving all the secondary schools, though more pupils went from ours than any other. Most of the school trips were more ‘run of the mill’ such as the French Exchange I went on. There were also skiing trips but they never appealed to me!

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