bbc_travel

Today marks the anniversary of US independence 🇺🇸, bringing Americans out to celebrate with barbecues, picnics, beach days, parties and fireworks. But can you guess where the largest 4th of July celebration outside the US is held? Find out the answer at the link in our bio. 📸 Hint: this photo was taken somewhere in the country. #fourthofjuly #independenceday #4thofjuly #usa #july4th #usofa

23 3,126 4 July, 2019

In the years preceding the Apollo 11 mission, Nasa believed it was essential for its astronauts to prepare for their intragalactic journey by training in the most otherworldly terrain on Earth. After scouring the globe, officials determined that the Moon’s lunar landscape was strikingly similar to that just outside Húsavík, a quiet 2,300-person fishing community on Iceland’s northern coast. Nasa sent 32 astronauts to train in its crater-filled terrain in 1965 and 1967. Incredibly, of the 12 humans who have ever walked on the Moon, nine first touched down in Húsavík – including Armstrong himself.
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Now, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing, this small settlement is preparing to celebrate its role in this cosmic achievement in a big way. Visit the link in our bio for the full story.

37 3,894 2 July, 2019

This year World Pride was hosted by NYC, 50 years after the Stonewall riots here sparked the LGBTQ+ movement. 🌎🌈 These are some of our favorite snapshots from yesterday’s Pride March. 👑 Check out the Pride highlight on our profile for more. 📸 Photos by @r__misha

44 4,513 1 July, 2019

A breathtaking shot of Iceland to start off your weekend. 📸 @jordhammond

81 11,853 28 June, 2019

These special boxed meals called ekiben are a prized, and some would say essential, element of long-distance train travel in Japan. Unlike fast food in the Western world, where price often trumps quality and options tend to be standardised, ekiben thrives on the local elements of its hometown. Heirloom vegetables, unique cooking methods, specialised rice varieties, local crafts and even folktales play a part in an ekiben’s appeal. Seasonality is also important. Visit the link in our bio for the full story. 📸 Elisa Parhad

58 5,276 27 June, 2019

Lake Bled in northwestern Slovenia was originally used by polytheistic pagans as a temple consecrating Ziva, the Slavic goddess of love and fertility. But during the wars between the local pagans and Christians, which ended in AD745 upon their conversion to Christianity, the temple’s altars were destroyed and a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built in its place. The current Baroque iteration of the church has stood since the 17th Century. 📸 Photo by @jordhammond #lakebled #travelphotographer #dronephotography

105 16,035 25 June, 2019

On 28 June 1969, events at New York City’s Stonewall Inn sparked a multi-day riot that birthed the modern gay rights movement and the inaugural pride parade in 1970.
@bbctravelshow @beninldn

23 3,523 24 June, 2019

“Before coming to Vietnam, I couldn’t imagine a country where so many languages, traditions and separate cultural identities could exist side by side. I’m not an ethnologist, so I can’t comment on the complicated relationships that exist within different countries. But, personally, I do believe that there’s much to be learned from the indigenous groups around the world, and that these rich and ancient cultures certainly deserve respect or, at the very least, to be allowed to live peacefully in their own way.” For the last eight years, travel photographer Réhahn has been working on an ambitious project to photograph members from all 54 of Vietnam’s recognised ethnic groups. In our story, Réhahn presents a few of his favourite images from the Precious Heritage project, along with his memories of meeting and photographing the members of Vietnam’s ethnic groups. Visit the link in our bio for the full story. 📸 @rehahn_photography

123 13,242 18 June, 2019

Located in Northern Mongolia near the Russian border, Lake Khövsgöl is the country’s largest freshwater lake by area. Once a year, Mongolians from different provinces, tribes and religious beliefs gather at Lake Khövsgöl for the Ice Festival to celebrate their shared connection to nature. The festival has been gaining popularity with tourists in recent years. Over the course of two days, attendees can observe – and participate in – traditional Mongolian pastimes. On the first day of the festival, horse-drawn sleighs scurry across the frozen lake and guests compete in traditional games such as tug-of-war and archery. The second day is reserved for large competitions like horse-sleigh races and ice-sculpture carving. 📸 by @insearchofperfect

68 7,914 13 June, 2019

For hundreds of years, the residents of Tangier Island have maintained a unique relic of their colonial past: their accent.
Ninety miles south-east of Washington DC and 12 miles off Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Tangier Island is a remote sliver of marsh grasses, tidal creeks and bird-filled wetlands that’s home to 460 people adrift in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. For the past few hundred years, the only way on and off the island has been by infrequent boat service, and a combination of geographic isolation and traditions harking back to its early British settlers make Tangier feel like it’s in a different era than the country that surrounds it. But while Tangier may feel like stepping back into the 1950s, it sounds like stepping back into the 1750s. That’s because the inhabitants have retained a unique form of speech that’s been passed down from the island’s earliest English settlers. Today, Tangier is one of the last places in the US where people still speak with traces of their colonial past. According to David Shores, a Tangierman, linguist and author of Tangier Island: Place, People and Talk, the island’s unique speech patterns likely migrated with its first settlers from Cornwall and then evolved inward. Today, most Tangier residents can trace their ancestors back to the island’s founding families in the 17th and 18th Centuries. “This island has been so geographically isolated for all these years that it’s kept relics of its earliest settlers’ speech – likely lower-class British men,” Shores said. “Then instead of absorbing linguistic patterns from the mainland, it developed its own colourful characteristics independently.” 📸 Veena Rao

30 4,981 11 June, 2019

For more than a century, one family has helped transform the way Europe eats. @hiltl is the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant. Combining Indian, Asian, Mediterranean and Swiss influences, Haus Hiltl’s boundary-pushing menus have introduced generations of Swiss and Europeans to a rich ratatouille of vegetarian options. Diners line up at the 100-dish buffet to savour the homemade vegetarian and vegan dishes from around the world. #vegan #vegetarian #wholefoodplantbased #plantbased #veganrestaurant #swissfood #vegetariancuisine 📸 by Haus Hiltl

83 6,480 10 June, 2019

Stretching more than 1,200km between the cities of Osh in Kyrgyzstan and Dushanbe in Tajikistan, the Pamir Highway is one of the wildest roads in the world – and for the intrepid traveller, possibly the planet’s most epic road trip. The road travels through breathtaking wilderness, ranging from high desert to snowy mountains and crossing passes of more than 4,000m. It is likely inhabited by more snow leopards and spiral-horned Marco Polo sheep than humans. 🤯 (Credit: @stamboulisd )

99 10,177 5 June, 2019