Before selfies flooded our social feeds and before the phrase “Do it for Instagram” existed, travel photography was already telling stories — of culture, courage, freedom, and discovery. But hidden between the frames of history were women; curious, bold, and quietly shaping the way we see the world today.
This is their story — the history of iconic travel photos, seen through the eyes of women who dared to wander.
“I have found a dream of beauty at which one might look all one’s life and sigh.”
Isabella L. Bird
1. Pioneers Behind the Frame (1800s–Early 1900s)
Travel in the 19th century was no small feat, especially for women. Yet trailblazers like Isabella Bird, a British explorer and one of the first female members of the Royal Geographical Society, documented her travels through Asia, the Middle East, and America using early photography and vivid narrative.
“I am most anxious to get out of doors, and look around at the world. I am restless when confined and feel life ebbing away when I stay too long in one place.”
Isabella L. Bird
Her journeys were immortalised not just in writing but also in photographs — sometimes captured by assistants, sometimes with her own hand. She climbed volcanoes in Hawaii, rode 800 miles on horseback through the Rockies, and trekked through the Himalayas, all while wearing full Victorian skirts.
Gertrude Bell, archaeologist, writer, and diplomat, photographed ancient ruins and desert landscapes in the Middle East. Her photographs remain some of the only surviving documentation of pre-war Middle Eastern sites.
“To those bred under an elaborate social order few such moments of exhilaration can come as that which stands at the threshold of wild travel.” – Gertrude Bell
With a camera slung over her shoulder and notebooks in hand, Bell didn’t just observe — she engaged, mapped, negotiated. Her images were more than art; they were diplomatic tools and cultural archives.
A Single Image That Changed Everything – Ruth Orkin (1950s)
No history of iconic travel photos is complete without Ruth Orkin, the groundbreaking American photojournalist who changed how the world saw female travelers with one unforgettable shot:
“American Girl in Italy” (1951).
The photo shows 23-year-old artist Ninalee Craig, striding down a Florence street, surrounded by Italian men watching her. Though often interpreted as a scene of harassment, Craig and Orkin insisted it represented empowerment — a woman exploring the world on her own terms.
“It’s not a symbol of harassment. It’s a symbol of a woman having an adventure.” – Ninalee Craig
“I wanted to capture the idea of being a young woman alone in a foreign city.” – Ruth Orkin
Orkin, who had traveled alone from New York to Israel and back, created a photo series titled “Don’t Be Afraid to Travel Alone.” Her work inspired generations of women to break boundaries and take the shot.
Freedom on Film – 1960s to 1980s
As air travel grew and cultural revolutions bloomed, women began to fill the frame in new ways. These weren’t just tourists, they were backpackers, rebels, seekers.
Photos from this era show women walking barefoot across India’s ghats, scribbling in journals beside Andean lakes, or laughing with strangers in a Vietnamese market. Most were anonymous, some were artists, and many carried cheap film cameras, documenting their freedom for the first time.
Women like Freya Stark, who journeyed through the Middle East and Asia solo, also left behind a photographic legacy.
“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark
Her self-portraits, taken on dusty roads or leaning against camel caravans, weren’t just travel photos, they were statements. She was in control of the frame, the journey, and her story.
Women Take the Lens – 1990s to 2010s
The rise of digital photography and early blogging allowed women to become their own documentarians. Travel was no longer a privilege for the elite or a job for journalists; it became personal, creative, and more inclusive.
One trailblazer of this period was Annie Griffiths, one of the first female photographers at National Geographic.
“As a woman traveling in the developing world, I found that I could go places and do things that men could not.” – Annie Griffiths
Her photos of women’s lives around the globe, from Bedouin tents to African villages, helped humanise cultures and bridge distances.
At the same time, amateur female travellers around the world began building communities online. Blogs, early YouTube channels, and Instagram feeds filled with colourful photos of women scaling mountains, volunteering abroad, or just soaking in the view became both a visual diary and a call to action.
The now-famous “Follow Me To” travel series, where a woman leads the photographer by the hand, was reimagined by solo female travelers who began posting images of themselves — leading themselves.’
The Age of Realness – 2020s and Beyond
The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily grounded the world, but it also transformed travel photography. When women returned to the road, their images were more raw, real, and resilient.
Today, iconic photos show:
- A woman journaling beside her tent under the northern lights.
- A hiker pausing in Patagonia, dust on her boots and joy on her face.
- A traveler in a hijab smiling widely at a street festival in Spain.
- A cancer survivor on a pilgrimage trail in Japan, her bald head glowing in the sun.
These aren’t just “pretty pictures.” They’re proof: women are reclaiming every space across mountains, deserts, mosques, buses and every moment.
You Are the Icon
From Ruth Orkin’s Florence to your next journey, the power of a travel photo remains the same: it captures a woman in motion, in transformation, in truth.
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Often attributed to Ibn Battuta, but echoed in every woman who has ever picked up a camera and pointed it at her own life.
The next iconic image isn’t one you’ll find in a museum or archive; it’s the one you’ll take when you step into the unknown, open your lens, and see yourself.
