We sat down with Chloe Gunning, TravMedia’s Travel Influencer of the Year, to discuss all things flights, food and foreign travel.

How did it feel to be named Travel Influencer of the Year?

It means a lot. It means I’ve been recognised by my peers for my work as a travel blogger, for sharing content and inspiring people to follow in my footsteps.

I was at this very glitzy ceremony in London, and you don’t ever imagine yourself going up on stage to collect an award. You’re already preparing to congratulate everyone else.

I’ve been nominated for quite a few awards over the last few years and I never win anything. So to be called up on stage, I really couldn’t believe it. I still look at the award every day and reflect on how amazing it was to be recognised by lots of incredible people.

How did you become a travel influencer?

Chloe found herself drawn to travel blogging after a career in mediaChloe Gunning

My journey to becoming a travel influencer is a bit of a strange one. I actually spent most of my twenties working in media in London, and then I got a bit burnt out and wanted to try something different.

I took a break and went travelling. It was probably the old cliché: I went to find myself. But I soon discovered blogging, which is the best thing I could have found because I started using that as a platform to share photos and stories from my trip to Central America.

Once I got home, it grew from there. I’d fallen in love with this amazing platform. It was a way of reaching new people and sharing great stories from my time away.

That was seven years ago now, so I’ve been doing this for quite a while.

What does your day-to-day routine look like?

Running a travel blog is not all about travellingChloe Gunning

I run the travel blog Wanderlust Chloe and my life revolves around that. As a travel influencer, I do a lot of collaborations with tourist boards, airlines and hotels.

Often I’ll go on press trips where I’ll be taken to see a destination or enjoy an experience. And then when I’m there, I’ll be taking photos and capturing content for all of my social media channels.

It involves a lot of travel – at least two to three trips every single month. Then coming back home and working on all of the content, editing the photos, making videos and obviously sharing everything as well. It’s a busy lifestyle for sure.

What advice would you give someone who wants to become a travel influencer?

Chloe has been a travel influencer for over seven yearsChloe Gunning

In terms of travel blogging, I got into it because I love travel and I love meeting people. I was indulging in different cultures and understanding how other people were living on this planet. And I got into it for the right reasons, because I was just passionate about it.

I know a lot of people today might see this glamorous lifestyle, flying around the world every week, month and year, but that’s not really how my job works. I’d say for anyone wanting to get into this industry, get into it because you love travel, you want to share stories and you think you’ve got something to give to the world.

A lot of people say ‘be authentic’, as that is part of why they want to read a blog. It’s because they associate with the writer and the same is true on Instagram. I think it’s about finding your voice, but also being yourself and not changing.

What is your number one travel hack?

Learn how to pack your suitcase from the bestGetty Images

I always use packing cubes. I don’t know how many people use these, but they’re small containers that you can use to separate all of the items in your suitcase.

You might have one for your underwear, one for your jumpers, one for your jeans. And then when you come to pack your suitcase, you have these really nice, manageable things to put in there.

Another travel hack is to look at the weather forecast before you go. I do this so that I can plan a small capsule wardrobe, where I know that every top will go with every pair of jeans. Everything’s in a rough colour scheme.

That means I won’t be clashing all the time, and I think that’s really useful – especially if you’re travelling with only a small suitcase or cabin luggage.

Where is your favourite destination in Europe?

The city of Cádiz, SpainGetty Images

I think my favourite destination in Europe is probably the city of Cádiz in Spain. It’s not as well-visited by European travellers as Barcelona and Seville, but it is stunning.

It’s got so much history. It’s quite compact with all of the little streets that you wander up and down, and it has lots of mediaeval buildings and a Roman amphitheatre.

The food is also amazing in Cádiz. It’s got Andalusian influences, and lots of delicious tapas places to try, as well as great seafood because it’s on the coast. It’s just one of those places that really stole my heart.

What’s it like as a solo female traveller?

Solo travel can lead to unexpected encountersChloe Gunning

I still do some solo trips and I really enjoy them because that’s how I started out with my travels. I was quite passionate about solo female travel and the fact that being a woman shouldn’t stop you from exploring the world.

I think there’s something quite special about travelling solo, because you don’t have anyone to rely on for company. You have to do everything yourself. You do all of the planning, but you also get stuck in all of the awkward situations, and you have to figure them out on your own.

And I think those moments are kind of quite telling as a person: how you handle pressure or difficulties on the road. The more you do it, the more you realise there are loads of other people who are on that road and they all want to meet people too.

Before long, you end up in a bar at 2am, talking about the last place you travelled to or what your plans are next. I love those moments. They’re quite special, those random friendships you make on the road. I don’t think you do that when you travel with a partner.

Where’s next on your travel itinerary?

San Sebastián, SpainGetty Images

In a couple of weeks, I’m heading to San Sebastián in Spain, which has been on my bucket list for five or six years. I’m a massive foodie, I basically travel to eat. And San Sebastián is one of the food capitals of Spain.

I’ve already got some plans to explore the bars and restaurants there. It has 11 Michelin star restaurants, so I’m thinking of going to one for a very special meal one evening.

I think if you’re going somewhere, you have to try all levels of cuisine, from street food right up to the high end.

Watch the video above to find out more about being a travel influencer.

The post A top travel influencer shares tips on getting started first appeared on Magazin Haber Ajansı.

From 25 January to 8 April 2022, Vadim Ghirda took some of the most powerful and recognisable photographs of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Initially finding an interest in photography as a way to fit in at parties, Ghirda joined the AP in 1990 when he was just 18 years old. 

Since then he’s covered complex social and political conflicts in countries such as Romania, Moldova, Serbia, Macedonia and most recently, Ukraine. 

The first days of the Russian invasion found Ghirda in bombarded Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, crouching in the snow next to a dead soldier and a destroyed Russian rocket launcher.

Then he was on to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, to document the frantic crush of people trying to leave the country while they still could. 

He also photographed some of the horrors found in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, where Ukrainian officials say Russian soldiers committed war crimes before withdrawing.

We interviewed Ghirda to find out more about his work and why he believes photography is more important than ever. 

firefighter walks outside a destroyed apartment building after a bombing in a residential area in Kyiv, UkraineVadim Ghirda/AP

How did you get into photography?

“I got into photography as a means to blend in when I was very young. Going to parties you don’t find your place, but if you have a camera you suddenly have something to do and it helps if your people skills are not very good.” 

“Also, my mother worked as a photo editor in the local news agency, so I kind of grew up amongst photographers.” 

Bogdana, 17, rubs noses with her boyfriend Ivan, 19, in Brovary, UkraineVadim Ghirda/AP

What is the focus of your photography?

“There’s a lot going through my head when I take pictures, beginning with the technical aspects which are obviously very important. But the focus of my photography is people.” 

“I’m a person that is happy when emotions are somehow captured or preserved in an image. In photography, I think there is a bit of magic, in the sense that you can achieve, to a certain level, what many people dream about, which is stopping time. And you can really capture an emotion of a fragment of life.” 

A Ukrainian firefighter drags a hose inside a large food products storage facility which was destroyed by an airstrike in the early morning hours in Brovary, north of Kyiv, UkVadim Ghirda/AP

What are the logistics involved with your work?

“There’s a lot of preparation involved. What’s very important is the work of the local journalists or fixers. Everyone that works with you is absolutely crucial. To take great pictures you have to get to the place and you have to have access. And getting that access very often has almost nothing to do with you.” 

“When photographing people, my main focus first of all is to intrude as little as possible. You generally get to spend very little time with a person so it can be difficult to gain their trust. For example, you go to visit a trench line position of the army, and you only get to spend maybe one to two hours there. There’s a fine line between starting to work as soon as possible and actually trying to introduce yourself, and make people feel comfortable with you. The minute they sense that you are empathetic with the situation and are actually interested in really telling their story and describing what they’re going through, they start to open up. Once that stage is out of the way, then you can focus on actually taking pictures.” 

A 99 year-old woman, traumatised by the Russian occupation, is comforted by her daughter-in-law in Andriivka, UkraineVadim Ghirda/AP

What goes through your head when you take photographs?

“Sometimes you feel completely insensitive staring at that person through a camera and taking pictures, while they’re basically falling apart. You witness people sometimes the minute they identity their last relative that they were hoping survived and they realise they didn’t. This is the toughest emotional challenge.”

“A lot of people are saying ‘Vadim, Oh how brave you are doing all this and all that,’ – it’s really not the case. The minute you raise the camera, at least for me, it sort of disconnects you from the feeling of danger or what you would worry about normally if you were just a bystander or if you were really involved in what people do there.”

“I’m worried that it’s going to sound like minimising the actual experience but in many ways, it’s like you’re basically just watching a movie, and you’re trying to frame it as best as possible. I mean there’s a risk in this because sometimes you’re so disconnected and focused on what’s happening in front of you or what you’re trying to get, that you may ignore very visible risks that are coming from behind you or things like that.”

child looks out of a bus window with drawings on it as civilians are evacuated from Irpin, UkraineVadim Ghirda/AP

Why do you think photography is important in times of war?

“The most important thing is the ability to inform the world in real-time about a situation that is happening. Speaking the truth and showing the truth matters, especially in times like now, where the amount of fake information across all these platforms is absolutely scary. Photography is an undeniable source of information. Visual journalism, from reliable sources and done by people who have a moral compass that is absolutely sound, is crucial.” 

“My aim with these pictures is to make as many of the people who will see them feel what that person felt or offer them a tool to really experience the tragedy that people are going through. The more people who resonate to what you do and understand what other people are going through, the better it will be. And to achieve that you really need to try and feel what that person feels. If you liberate yourself from prejudice or from ego, you do realise that you are the same as this old lady in Ukraine. You could be in that situation. And hopefully this will make us all better people.”

“So if one image that I shoot, changes the mind of one person, I think I was successful”. 

Watch the video above to see the full interview with Vadim Ghirda

From 25 January to 8 April 2022, Vadim Ghirda took some of the most powerful and recognisable photographs of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Initially finding an interest in photography as a way to fit in at parties, Ghirda joined the AP in 1990 when he was just 18 years old. 

Since then he’s covered complex social and political conflicts in countries such as Romania, Moldova, Serbia, Macedonia and most recently, Ukraine. 

The first days of the Russian invasion found Ghirda in bombarded Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, crouching in the snow next to a dead soldier and a destroyed Russian rocket launcher.

Then he was on to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, to document the frantic crush of people trying to leave the country while they still could. 

He also photographed some of the horrors found in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, where Ukrainian officials say Russian soldiers committed war crimes before withdrawing.

We interviewed Ghirda to find out more about his work and why he believes photography is more important than ever. 

firefighter walks outside a destroyed apartment building after a bombing in a residential area in Kyiv, UkraineVadim Ghirda/AP

How did you get into photography?

“I got into photography as a means to blend in when I was very young. Going to parties you don’t find your place, but if you have a camera you suddenly have something to do and it helps if your people skills are not very good.” 

“Also, my mother worked as a photo editor in the local news agency, so I kind of grew up amongst photographers.” 

Bogdana, 17, rubs noses with her boyfriend Ivan, 19, in Brovary, UkraineVadim Ghirda/AP

What is the focus of your photography?

“There’s a lot going through my head when I take pictures, beginning with the technical aspects which are obviously very important. But the focus of my photography is people.” 

“I’m a person that is happy when emotions are somehow captured or preserved in an image. In photography, I think there is a bit of magic, in the sense that you can achieve, to a certain level, what many people dream about, which is stopping time. And you can really capture an emotion of a fragment of life.” 

A Ukrainian firefighter drags a hose inside a large food products storage facility which was destroyed by an airstrike in the early morning hours in Brovary, north of Kyiv, UkVadim Ghirda/AP

What are the logistics involved with your work?

“There’s a lot of preparation involved. What’s very important is the work of the local journalists or fixers. Everyone that works with you is absolutely crucial. To take great pictures you have to get to the place and you have to have access. And getting that access very often has almost nothing to do with you.” 

“When photographing people, my main focus first of all is to intrude as little as possible. You generally get to spend very little time with a person so it can be difficult to gain their trust. For example, you go to visit a trench line position of the army, and you only get to spend maybe one to two hours there. There’s a fine line between starting to work as soon as possible and actually trying to introduce yourself, and make people feel comfortable with you. The minute they sense that you are empathetic with the situation and are actually interested in really telling their story and describing what they’re going through, they start to open up. Once that stage is out of the way, then you can focus on actually taking pictures.” 

A 99 year-old woman, traumatised by the Russian occupation, is comforted by her daughter-in-law in Andriivka, UkraineVadim Ghirda/AP

What goes through your head when you take photographs?

“Sometimes you feel completely insensitive staring at that person through a camera and taking pictures, while they’re basically falling apart. You witness people sometimes the minute they identity their last relative that they were hoping survived and they realise they didn’t. This is the toughest emotional challenge.”

“A lot of people are saying ‘Vadim, Oh how brave you are doing all this and all that,’ – it’s really not the case. The minute you raise the camera, at least for me, it sort of disconnects you from the feeling of danger or what you would worry about normally if you were just a bystander or if you were really involved in what people do there.”

“I’m worried that it’s going to sound like minimising the actual experience but in many ways, it’s like you’re basically just watching a movie, and you’re trying to frame it as best as possible. I mean there’s a risk in this because sometimes you’re so disconnected and focused on what’s happening in front of you or what you’re trying to get, that you may ignore very visible risks that are coming from behind you or things like that.”

child looks out of a bus window with drawings on it as civilians are evacuated from Irpin, UkraineVadim Ghirda/AP

Why do you think photography is important in times of war?

“The most important thing is the ability to inform the world in real-time about a situation that is happening. Speaking the truth and showing the truth matters, especially in times like now, where the amount of fake information across all these platforms is absolutely scary. Photography is an undeniable source of information. Visual journalism, from reliable sources and done by people who have a moral compass that is absolutely sound, is crucial.” 

“My aim with these pictures is to make as many of the people who will see them feel what that person felt or offer them a tool to really experience the tragedy that people are going through. The more people who resonate to what you do and understand what other people are going through, the better it will be. And to achieve that you really need to try and feel what that person feels. If you liberate yourself from prejudice or from ego, you do realise that you are the same as this old lady in Ukraine. You could be in that situation. And hopefully this will make us all better people.”

“So if one image that I shoot, changes the mind of one person, I think I was successful”. 

Watch the video above to see the full interview with Vadim Ghirda

The post ‘Showing the truth matters’: Confessions of a war photographer first appeared on Magazin Haber Ajansı.