This issue was brought to you in part by…

Sarah Conner Blue Planet II assistant producer and director

Having worked on the blockbuster Blue Planet II (voted ‘Top TV Programme’ by you in our 2018 Reader Travel Awards, p131), Sarah has long explored the Earth’s watery depths in search of the best wildlife encounters – p18

Mountain, desert, ocean or jungle… which are you? Ocean. First great travel experience? Snorkelling in Bali, where I had remora fish trying to attach themselves to me! Favourite journey? I have two. First is the epic journey by plane, boat and helicopter just to film in northern Greenland. And when I was young, we used to drive through the Swiss Alps – it was then I realised how varied our planet is. Top five places worldwide? Greenland; New Zealand; northern Norway; Indonesia; and northern Scotland – where my heart will always be. Passport stamp you’re proudest of? Saudi Arabia. As a woman it felt a privilege to be given such access – the country was amazing. Passport stamp you’d most like to have? The Swat district within Pakistan. Guilty travel pleasure? Watching Keeping Up

with the Kardashians in the airport hotel before the flight home!

Michael Cullis Amateur photographer

Michael has long held a fascination for wildlife photography – a passion stoked by some close-up encounters (sometimes too close), such as being charged by a bull elephant. It’s also resulted in a quite magnificent polar bear shot, which was both a finalist in our Travel Photo of the Year competition and winner of the public vote at our Destinations Show exhibition – p152

Mountain, desert, ocean or jungle… which are you? Ocean. First great travel experience? I lived in the Bahamas for seven years when I was 25 years old. We stayed on one of its remote islands – Eleuthera – for five days, and during that time Prince Charles and Lady Diana came to stay on holiday. I was part of a camera club there and we were circled by Bahamian police, who thought we were paparazzi. Favourite journey? Travelling in the Arctic. Top five places worldwide? Death Valley, USA; Grand Canyon, USA; Kenya; Namibia; and Brisbane, Australia. Passport stamp you’re proudest of? Eleuthera, Bahamas. Passport stamp you’d most like to have? Easter Island, Chile. Guilty travel pleasure? Travelling with far more baggage than I need.

Joe Treddenick Blue Planet II researcher

Joe has dived all over the world, from the icy depths surrounding Baffin Island to the warmer waters off the tip of South Africa. Now, as a researcher on the BBC’S Blue Planet II series, he chats to us about some of the best filming moments from the series and why he thinks it’s become such a global phenomenon – p18

Mountain, desert, ocean or jungle… which are you? Ocean. First great travel experience? Going to Cornwall with my parents when I was very young, trying to be like David Attenborough and filming myself with seals on the beach. Favourite journey? Filming Greenland sharks off Baffin Island – the most remote destination I’ve ever been to. It took a long time to get there. Top five places worldwide? New Zealand; Western Cape, South Africa; Andenes, Norway; Cornwall, UK; southern Sumatra, Indonesia. Passport stamp you’re proudest of? Canada – because of how remote it was. Passport stamp you’d most like to have? A country without a coastline – Botswana! Guilty travel pleasure? Taking my changing robe (used for changing into diving gear) with me wherever I go.