National Geographic Traveler Magazine Selects Its 0 Travelers of the Year

WASHINGTON (Oct. 8, 2013)-National Geographic Traveler magazine today announces its 18 honorees for 2013 Travelers of the Year. They are individuals who travel with passion and purpose, have an exceptional story to tell and represent a style of travel, motivation or method that can inspire us all. Voting for the first ever People's Choice Traveler of the Year runs through Friday, Oct. 25, and readers can vote daily at http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/vote-grid/vote-traveler-of-the-year-2013/.

The honorees include a pair of coastal conservationists who have hatched a plan to protect Costa Rican wildlife; an engaged couple, one of whom is a quadriplegic, who have embarked on a 10,000-mile handcycle/bicycle ride from Portland, Ore., to Patagonia; and a woman on a mission to save Thailand's elephants, one animal a time.

We looked for extraordinary travelers doing inspiring things. People who embrace the world and all that's in it - and who have learned some valuable lessons along the way, said George W. Stone, editor at large of National Geographic Traveler. We received some 1,500 nominations and heard traveler's tales that make you want to drop your iPad, grab your passport and go! This year's winners prove that travel can make a life-changing impact to individuals and, sometimes, to the places they visit.

The 2013 Travelers of the Year are:

Muyambi Muyambi and Molly Burke, whose Bicycles Against Poverty organization distributes bikes to low-income entrepreneurs in rural Uganda;

The Carroll Family (mother Kira, father Peter, and sons Xaver and Felix), who packed their lives into a truck for a yearlong drive through southern and eastern Africa;

Katherine Connor, who founded the nonprofit Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary that is committed to the rescue, recovery and retirement of abused Asian elephants;

John and Hilda Denham, who travel from London to Costa Rica to lobby for local support for sustainable policies and to engage local schools in educational missions;

Tracey Friley, who launched Passport Party Project, a grassroots initiative to provide underserved girls the tools they need to obtain their first passports;

Joan Halifax, who founded Nomads Clinic, an annual medical pilgrimage by volunteer clinicians to the Himalaya region;

Benny Lewis, who is on a mission to prove languages can be learned quickly, and has turned his discoveries into lessons, travel tips and a $97 online language crash course;

Shannon O'Donnell, who launched Grassroots Volunteering to provide reliable information on free and low-cost volunteering opportunities and sustainable tourism enterprises;

John Ellis and Laura Preston, who are crowdsourcing their American road-trip itinerary, voted on by the followers of their website, Democratic Travelers;

Seth McBride and Kelly Schwan, who are on a 10,000-mile mission to prove travel can be a transformative experience for everyone, regardless of physical ability. McBride plans to be the first person with quadriplegia to complete a Pan-American cycle tour;

Alison Wright, a photographer who, after surviving a deadly bus accident in Laos thanks to caring strangers, founded the Faces of Hope Fund to give back to the communities she photographs.

National Geographic Traveler editors and guest advisers - including Russell Mittermeier, president, Conservation International; Ang lique Kidjo, Grammy-winning singer, Batonga Foundation founder, UNICEF goodwill ambassador, and Kumi Naidoo, international executive director, Greenpeace - selected these gung-ho globe-trotters who turned trips into opportunities to assist with conservation efforts, connect with local cultures, volunteer in surprising ways, challenge themselves, deepen familial and community bonds and engage meaningfully with the world.

To learn more about each Traveler of the Year through photos and interviews and to vote daily for the People's Choice Traveler of the Year, go to http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/travelers-of-the-year/ or check out the November 2013 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine, on newsstands Oct. 22.

About National Geographic Travel

National Geographic Travel, the travel arm of the National Geographic Society, creates authentic, meaningful and engaging travel experiences through National Geographic Traveler magazine, National Geographic Expeditions, travel books, maps, apps, digital travel content and travel photography programs. National Geographic Traveler, with 17 international editions, is the world's most widely read travel magazine and is available by subscription, on newsstands in the United States and Canada and digitally for tablets. National Geographic Expeditions, the Society's travel program, offers unique travel experiences led by top experts to more than 60 destinations across all seven continents. Travel opportunities include family and student expeditions, active adventures, private jet trips and voyages on the six expedition ships in the National Geographic-Lindblad fleet, photography workshops, expeditions and seminars. The National Geographic Travel digital group offers inspiring and authoritative digital content such as trip ideas, photo galleries, blogs and apps, including the award-winning National Parks app. National Geographic Travel Books provide curated travel advice, photography and insider tips. Follow National Geographic Travel on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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