We asked our contributors: What’s been your top travel experience this year?

Christopher Zebo, photographer (page 64)

“Big Bend National Park in Texas. I was awoken by haunting howls from a pack of desert coyotes only metres from my cabin door. When I mustered the courage to open it, the coyotes magically disappeared and left me with the most beautiful, pictureperfect sunrise.”

Kendall Hill, writer (page 58)

”A week in Rome with a great friend. We stayed in fiercely fashionable Monti and drifted between imperial ruins, trattorias and enotecas, eating tripe, pizza rossa, burrata and tomatoes – and drinking wine like water.“

Emily McAuliffe, writer (page 106)

“This year I’ve continued my quest to visit as many places across Portugal as possible. I find piecing together the sights, culture and history of one country incredibly rewarding. A highlight was hiking the Rota Vicentina along Portugal’s remote south-west coastline for stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean.”