Virtual vacation: Amazing travel photos from 2020

Umbrellas suspended in the Parisian sky. Hikers snowshoeing across New York’s tallest mountain. A camel standing before the Giza Pyramids.

It’s a big and amazing world out there, full of spectacular destinations. And with the ongoing revolution in camera technology, there’s never been a better time than right now to soak it all in.

At its best, travel photography inspires, intrigues and informs. It sets us on armchair adventures. It can spur us to actually plan a dream trip we’ve long sought to take. Or pictures can reveal a possible new journey that captures our imagination.

These photos not only show the natural and human-made beauty of our world, but they can also give us a glimpse of other people and cultures and the beauty within the human race.

Thousands of amazing images cross our computer screens each year, and in this space we share our favorites from 2020.

So when you’re keen to see another beautiful part of the world — the Great Wall of China, Madrid’s Prado museum, Skógafoss waterfall — return here for inspiration.