picture of world travel

World Travel royalty-free images

5,844,418 world travel stock photos, vectors, and illustrations are available royalty-free for download..

Our company

Press/Media

Investor relations

Shutterstock Blog

Popular searches

Stock Photos and Videos

Stock photos

Stock videos

Stock vectors

Editorial images

Featured photo collections

Sell your content

Affiliate/Reseller

International reseller

Live assignments

Rights and clearance

Website Terms of Use

Terms of Service

Privacy policy

Modern Slavery Statement

Cookie Preferences

Shutterstock.AI

AI style types

Shutterstock mobile app

Android app

© 2003-2024 Shutterstock, Inc.

• AI Generator

around the world background

World travel map, around the world globe, world travel background, world travel vector, world travel icon, world travel destinations, world travel globe, world travel concept, world travel logo, world travel stickers, world travel illustration, round the world travel, around the world travel, world travel suitcase, world travel covid, world travel airplane, couple world travel, world travel collage, world travel landmarks, world travel silhouette, world travel souvenirs, world travel fun, world travel man, world travel invite, world travel adventure, world travel global, world travel texture, 5,813,549 world travel stock photos & high-res pictures, browse 5,813,549  authentic world travel  stock photos, high-res images, and pictures, or explore additional globe  or  around the world background  stock images to find the right photo at the right size and resolution for your project..

National Geographic content straight to your inbox—sign up for our popular newsletters here

World Wonders

Explore 10 stunning pictures of amazing World Heritage sites.

• Nat Geo Expeditions

FREE BONUS ISSUE

Related topics.

• WORLD HERITAGE SITES
• ANIMAL MIGRATION
• PHOTOGRAPHY

You May Also Like

How to spend a long weekend in vibrant Valencia

Bunkers, beats & adventure: how to spend a perfect weekend in Bosnia & Herzegovina

These are the best travel photos of 2022

The ultimate Andes road trip, from Chile to Bolivia

10 of the best annual coastal festivals and events from around the world

• Environment
• Perpetual Planet

History & Culture

• History & Culture
• History Magazine
• Mind, Body, Wonder
• Paid Content
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Nat Geo Home
• Attend a Live Event
• Book a Trip
• Inspire Your Kids
• Shop Nat Geo
• Visit the D.C. Museum
• Learn About Our Impact
• Support Our Mission
• Advertise With Us
• Customer Service
• Renew Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Work at Nat Geo
• Sign Up for Our Newsletters
• Contribute to Protect the Planet

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

• A photo Photos   10k
• A stack of folders Collections   486k
• A group of people Users   5

Travel the world

Browse premium images on Unsplash+ | Claim your discount now

Make something awesome

New Greek Resorts, Golden Visa Countries And More Travel News

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

5 New Greek Hotels For Summer

W ith summer fast approaching, there are recently opened hotels and resorts in Greece to consider. From popular escapes such as Mykonos and Santorini to the lesser-known islands across the Aegean chain, here are five new Greek hotels worth checking out —and into.

10 Incredible Cruise Ship Features

For many years, the trend in cruise ship design has been that “bigger is better”—with vessels such as Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas setting new passenger records. But many cruise lines are also competing by offering innovative features to the high seas. From kart racing on multi-level courses to multiscreen movie theaters, here are some of the most incredible activities on cruise ships right now.

Disney World Earns Its First Michelin Star

Victoria and Albert’s at the Grand Floridian Resort—which has been a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star restaurant since 2018—added a new star to its constellation this month: It became the first Disney restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star . Located at the Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World, Victoria and Albert’s is known for its opulent Victorian era-inspired meals. A prix-fixe dinner is $295 per guest, with optional wine pairings starting at $155 per person. Unlike the rest of the theme park, a formal dress code is encouraged for all diners, who must be 10 years of age or older.

Golden visas—which grant residency and/or citizenship through an investment—may be disappearing from Europe, but many EU countries are now luring travelers with digital nomad visas, which grant travelers the legal right to work remotely for an extended period. Italy recently became the latest country to offer the visa and here are other EU countries with digital nomad visas .

America’s Best Airlines 2024

The personal-finance website WalletHub recently announced its annual ranking of the best U.S. airlines . The study evaluates the nine largest national airlines and one regional carrier across a range of criteria, including safety, on-time records and overall service. This year, Alaska Airlines was named the best airline in America, beating out Delta, which ranked first in 2022 and 2023. The survey also ranked U.S. carriers based on reliability and comfort.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

They were promised jobs in Russia. They ended up fighting in Ukraine.

SRINAGAR, India — Across India , families are hearing similar stories from men who went abroad in search of work: They were lured to Russia with promises of jobs as cooks or housekeepers, only to find themselves forced to fight alongside the Russian military in its war against Ukraine .

Some families, frustrated by what they say is a lack of support from the Indian government, say they feel they have no choice but to travel to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine to get their loved ones back.

“For months, the families have been awaiting government action to bring the Indian citizens back home, but so far no progress has been made,” Raja Begum, 65, told NBC News last month as she sat in the yard of her two-story home in Poshwan, a village in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Begum’s son Azad Yousuf Kumar, 31, left India for the United Arab Emirates in December. She said he had been promised a housekeeping job in Dubai by a consultant there identified as Faisal Khan, who often advertised such jobs on his YouTube channel, Baba Vlogs. In exchange for the job, Kumar paid a fee of 300,000 rupees, or $3,600, she said.

Once Kumar arrived, however, “he was informed that there were no available jobs in the UAE,” said Begum, who has been exchanging voice messages with him. Kumar told his mother that Khan said he could still get a job in another country, and convinced him to travel to Russia to work in a kitchen.

Instead, Begum said, Kumar was sent to a military training center in Moscow as soon as he landed. There he underwent 15 days of weapons training along with several other men from India and Nepal before being deployed to fight against Ukrainian forces on the front lines, Begum said, having been forced to sign a contract in a language he did not understand.

“My son had received injuries during the training period,” Begum said. “He was not allowed to have a proper rest and instead was sent close to the border where a deadly battle was going on.”

Kumar’s older brother, Sajad Ahmad Kumar, said Kumar told him that at least a dozen men from India had been trapped in a similar manner by people affiliated with the Baba Vlogs account, which had more than 350,000 subscribers as recently as February but has since been deleted. 

Attempts by NBC News to contact Khan and the Baba Vlogs team for comment were unsuccessful.

India’s Central Bureau of Investigation said last month that it was aware of at least 35 Indian nationals who had been trained for combat and sent to fight in Ukraine against their will after being recruited for jobs in Russia through agents or social media. Some of them have been “grievously injured,” the agency said.

The agency said it had arrested 35 people on suspicion of being involved in human trafficking , and that it had seized about 50 million rupees ($600,000) in cash as well as incriminating documents and electronic records in searches around the country. 

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said officials were doing their best to get the men home as soon as possible.

“We have also told people not to venture in the war zone or get caught into situations which are difficult,” ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, adding that India was in regular touch with Russian authorities in New Delhi and Moscow and was deeply committed to the “welfare of all Indians.”

India has ties with both Russia and the West and has tried to remain neutral in the Ukraine war, calling for peace talks while refraining from condemning President Vladimir Putin ’s invasion. It has also increased purchases of Russian oil that is steeply discounted amid Western sanctions.

Sajad Ahmad Kumar said his brother and others are now in Russian-occupied Ukraine after crossing the Black Sea under the command of two officers from the Russian army.

“Things have eased a bit for them,” he said. “He used to call from someone’s phone but now he has got his own connection.” 

He said Kumar and several other Indians had approached their embassy in Moscow for help getting home but that officials there “are not taking things seriously.”

The Indian Embassy in Moscow did not respond to requests for comment.

At least two Indian citizens have been killed while fighting alongside the Russian army on the Russia-Ukraine border. They were identified last month as Hemil Ashvinbhai Mangukiya and Mohammad Asfan, from the states of Gujarat and Telangana.

Mangukiya’s father, Ashvinbhai Mangukiya, said his son had been hired as a helper for the Russian army.

“He was supposed to be stationed at Moscow, but he was forced to participate in the ongoing war between the two nations,” he said. 

Mangukiya went to Russia to collect his son’s body after he was killed in the Donetsk region in February. Like others, he has filed cases with the police against Khan and others associated with Baba Vlogs.

“Baba Vlogs is running a nexus,” he said. “The government should take cognizance and arrest all individuals involved in this criminal activity.”

Abdul Rouf, whose son Abdul Nayeem left for Russia in December, said he had spoken to Khan and others at Baba Vlogs when Nayeem, 30, told him they had gotten him a similar job as an army helper in Russia when he approached them in Dubai.

“The job agent assured me that he will not be handed a gun to fight in Ukraine or anywhere else,” said Rouf, a resident of Gulbarga city in the Indian state of Karnataka. His son has since told him that he is in Ukraine, and Rouf is planning to travel to Russia to try to help him.

Mohammad Mustafa, another Karnataka resident whose son is stranded in Russian-occupied Ukraine, said he was tired of waiting for news and was going to Russia himself.

“We can go to any extent to retrieve our children,” he said. 

“Two Indian citizens have already been killed and we don’t want to lose any other person.”

Muheet Ul Islam is a journalist and filmmaker based in Indian-administered Kashmir.

• AI Generator

312,904 World Travel Background Stock Photos & High-Res Pictures

Browse 312,904 world travel background photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images..