Over the last 25 years, Condé Nast Traveller’s team of writers and photographers have travelled far and wide with the sole aim of capturing the world in all its raw, messy, chaotic, natural beauty. This year, World Photography Day falls on Saturday 19 August 2023, an annual celebration of the art, science and history of photography. To mark the occasion, we asked our editors to submit their very favourite photograph to have graced the pages of Condé Nast Traveller over the last 12 months. Scroll down to find your favourite, and check out submissions for #WorldPhotographyDay by searching the hashtag on Instagram.

Oli Pilcher, Miami, January/February 2023
Toby Skinner, features director

“I loved the Oli Pilcher cover shot of Pharrell Williams’s Goodtime Hotel in Miami. There’s a Slim Aarons quality to it: a rich texture and near-symmetrical composition, a distinct sense of place, but also this sense of a very particular moment in time, when people are seeing and being seen.”

What’s hot in Miami for 2023? Where to eat, drink, stay and play in Florida’s fun-loving city

From elegant hotels to raucous day parties and everything in between, these are the places to bookmark in Miami right now

Shane Taylor, Marseilles, May/June 2023
Matt Buck, global visuals director

“My picture choice is from the May/June 2023 issue, photographed by Shane Taylor in Marseilles. It may seem clichéd to some but for me this image perfectly embodies a care free, high summer, European holiday. I crave the energy and light. The photography by Shane Taylor and words by Johny Pitts make for a beautiful portrait of an often misunderstood French city.”

Marseille is the underrated city in the South of France that should be on your summer bucket list

Exploring the untamed labyrinth of Marseille, the dusty-rouge Mediterranean Port City whipped by the Mistral

Spetses

Kyrima Hotel, Gerolimenas

Edvinas Bruzas, Peloponnese, May/June 2023
Olivia Morelli, senior digital writer

“To me, these two images capture the essence of summer in Europe. I can feel the saltiness of the sea on my skin, hear the silence in the stone-walled room and the lapping of the waves outside, and taste the tangy cocktail on my lips.”

An epic sun-baked road trip across the Peloponnese: ‘one of the last wild parts of Europe’

A wild and dreamy road trip across Southern Greece, with a dip into the Mani peninsula

Jack Johns, Amalfi Coast, July/August 2023
Connor Sturges, digital assistant

“Jack Johns’ Amalfi Coast shoot for the July/August 2023 issue, in my eyes, captures everything this glitzy coastline is about. Here, on a terrace of the iconic Le Sirenuse, a waiter ambles into shot – chilled rosé at the ready for the lucky soul soaking in sweeping views of the twinkling Tyrrhenian Sea. Yachts can be made out between the gaps in the railing, a reminder of the chokehold this region forever has on the glitterati; all in search of attentive service, timeless design havens, and the beauty of nature.”

Tom Parker, Saudi Arabia, October 2022
Louisa Parker Bowles, global operations director

“This is like trying to choose a favourite child! One of the best parts of my job is seeing all the sensational images we commission each year coming in; our global visuals director, Matt Buck, is a genius. I keep going back to Tom Parker’s images of Saudi Arabia, which ran in our 25th anniversary issue. They masterfully capture previously off-limits ruins from the ancient world and a land embracing change. Our visuals editor, Sophie Knight, also takes the most beautiful photographs of her travels, which often appear on our social media channels. Her pictures of Southern Italy this summer were particularly envy-inducing.”

After decades of seclusion, Saudi Arabia is sharing its treasures with the world

From restored ancient sites to trailblazing hotels, Saudi Arabia has more to offer travellers than ever before

Oliver Pilcher, Sifnos, July/August 2023
Sarah Allard, digital editor

“I’m headed to Sifnos in a couple of weeks, so the timing of Lydia Bell’s feature on the island in the July / August 2023 issue – complete with gorgeous photography by Oliver Pilcher – couldn’t have been better. I’ve been pouring over the food shots, dreaming of that first plateful of fresh seafood as the sun twinkles on the Aegean.”

Alistair Taylor-Young, Pakistan, April 2023
Toby Skinner, features director

“I could have chosen so many from this story on Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region, but this one of the Shyok Valley is just so epic. There’s a mystery and a sense of struggle to the tiny figures, dwarfed by the mountains and seemingly caught in a sandstorm. But it’s also possible to detect a certain noble defiance, too. I can’t help wondering what they’re doing out there, alone and exposed.”

Navigating Gilgit-Baltistan: an intriguing adventure through one of Pakistan’s most historically tumultuous regions 

The lofty region of Gilgit-Baltistan has long been shrouded in mystery. Sam Dalrymple journeys to northern Pakistan to find a land on the cusp of change

Corippo, the smallest village in Switzerland

Lavinia Cernau, Ticino, July/August 2023
Amber Port, audience development manager

“This photo evokes nostalgia, reminding me of the many unmapped road trips I took as a child. There is something inexplicably exciting about this viewpoint – you have enough perspective to experience the beauty of something. Yet still, you are given enough space to imagine what it might be like when you arrive.”

Ticino: Switzerland’s Italian-flavoured southern corner

The ultimate guide to one of Switzerland’s prettiest regions

Tom Parker, Salcombe, September 2022
Paula Ellis, art director

“I’ve sat on a bench with the same view eating potted prawn and crab sandwiches watching the clouds race by, after a long walk around the Salcombe – Kingsbridge estuary headland… It’s a magical spot.”

Seafood in Devon: why the county has some of the country’s best

A revolution is underway in Devon, where its visionary food and fishing communities are powering towards a sustainable future

Crookes and Jackson, Zambia, November 2022
Pete Winterbottom, global creative director

“The intensity in the cubs’ eyes… You’re transported into the middle of the pride.”

Inside Zambia’s latest luxury safari lodges raising the bar to new levels

Zambia has some of the richest wildlife viewing in Africa – now, two new luxury lodges are raising the bar even further

Café in Lean

Chris Schalkx, Bali, November 2022
Lauren Burvill, commerce editor

“This photo of a small cafe in Lean, a coastal village on Bali’s eastern tip, by Chris Schalkx is just everything I want in a holiday. A visually beautiful spot that’s still relatively undiscovered and thus, feels very special. I’d absolutely love to spend a sunny afternoon on one of those chairs.”

Little-known places in Bali: the underrated side to the island

Away from Bali’s built-up hotspots are villages that still move to a slower, more reflective rhythm

Mathieu Richer Mamousse, September/October 2023
Sarah James, deputy digital editor

“I love this shot taken in the French Alps in the newest issue of Condé Nast Traveller – it evokes those hazy, lazy days by the water that fall at the end of summer (and is also inspiring me to book a trip to this lesser-travelled region of France).”

Alistair Taylor-Young, Pakistan, April 2023
Sophie Knight, senior visuals editor

“It’s hard to pick a favourite image from this shoot by Alistair Taylor-Young in Pakistan. Otherworldly landscapes of gigantic mountains that make the subjects look so tiny. This one stands out to me, I love the contrast in tones between the juicy fresh watermelon against the rustic shop setup.”

Edvinas Bruzas, Peloponnese, May/June 2023
Karin Mueller, Visuals Director

“This image is from an epic, 10-day road trip around the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. The visuals from this shot manage to convey these pure joy relaxed summer holiday vibes, that we are always after, perfectly. So well that I can’t wait to go on this trip myself as soon as possible…”