
BBC Travel celebrates 50 Reasons to Love the World in 2021, through the inspiration of well-known voices as well as unsung heroes in local communities around the globe.

It goes without saying that the world was turned upside-down last year as we faced a global pandemic, racial reckoning and the continued effects of climate change. However, we at BBC Travel believe the dawn of 2021 brings with it a new sense of hope and possibility – as well as a heightened sense of connection to each other and the world around us.
Even as we were – and still are – unable to travel in the way we did before the pandemic, people from different cultures in every continent have continued to thrive in their personal corners of the planet, bringing joy, passion and inspiration to their communities. They’ve preserved local traditions, made strides to protect the Earth, and used their creative talents to expand and evolve their cultures.
With BBC Travel’s 50 Reasons to Love the World in 2021, we hope to share that joy with you, and through their extraordinary stories, inspire you to fall in love with the world all over again. After all, it’s the only one we have.
– The BBC Travel Editors
We asked 50 remarkable people – both known voices and unsung heroes – the question, “Why do you love the world?” Read on to see what they had to say…

“Because when we had to stay home during Covid-19 and there was neither work nor school, I was finally able to go sugar-bushing [in rural Quebec] with my daughter for the entire season – making pikoodinigan for four or five weeks.” – Marie-Cecile Nottaway, chef

“Because when working and singing alongside the fäbod (Swedish summer farm) women, I felt such a profound connection to them both as a part of our past and present, I just knew that I had to carry on their kulning legacy.” – Jennie Tiderman-Österberg, singer

“Because in spite of the pandemic, the wildfires and the smoke in my hometown, the awful political climate in the US and the economic crisis that creates so much despair, I wake up every morning in my small house in California squeezed between my husband and two dogs and realise that love is all that truly matters,” – Isabel Allende, author

“Because Trinidad’s rich dramatic history and culture stems from European and African roots [and] gives me inspiration with minimum detail, and so I never get tired of writing,” – Luis Martinez, porter and poet

“Because I’ve been making char kway teow for more than 60 years, people come from all over the world to taste it. I’m so proud knowing they’ve travelled to my hometown of Penang for my food. Even though we don’t speak the same language, when I see them finishing their plate, I know they are happy.” – Tan Chooi Hong (Uncle Tan), street food cook

“Because being so isolated as we are here in the Arctic at Bamsebu heightens our connection to all things. It elevates our ability to feel, listen and to understand our place in this world. Our energy is channelled into aligning our unique and powerful role in this web of life and answering the question: what can I do to give back?” – Sunniva Sorby, polar explorer

“Because everything around me – the river, the cathedrals, the beautiful views – breathes history. Kolomna, Russia, has learned to live with its heritage; this gives us our love and our passion for what we do.” – Natalia Nikitina, entrepreneur

“Because of Covid, I was [locked down] in my childhood home in Dehradun where I was born. Coming home made me once again fall in love with the Earth, the Himalayas, my beautiful Doon Valley.” – Dr Vandana Shiva, environmental activist and food advocate

“Because I feel honoured to still be fit and healthy enough to look after the many gods here in Hong Kong’s Waterfall Bay Park and receive their blessings, day in, day out. There is no place more magical for me and I feel privileged to worship here.” – Wong Wing-pong, statue caretaker

“Because when I am diving among the Posidonia meadows, I feel the power of life through a plant that has the capacity to transform the [Mediterranean’s] seawater and the seashore” – Manu San Félix, marine biologist and underwater explorer

“Because there is a lovely moment [in Nariño, Colombia] when the potato or the arracacha is ready to be harvested and you go past in the morning or at night, and you have the smell of the flowers, and they are special because when they don’t have pesticides this aroma leaves you wanting to stay there.” – Anibal Jose Criollo, chef and environmentalist

“Because I got to visit the tiny stone villages of Slovenia’s magical Kras region, which I wouldn’t have considered going to if I hadn’t needed to stay in my country. I’m grateful that I had a chance to see the region’s beautiful colours – oranges, violets and greens – and unique landscape, which feels kind of Mediterranean but looks out to the Alps.” – Ana Roš, chef

“Because I saw grizzly bears in the wild as a child, it made me realise that we have to share this landscape [in Montana’s remote wilderness] not just with each other, but with all of the animals, too.” – Will Hammerquist, Mercantile owner

“Because I had the unexpected joy of two days in Rome in December. Instead of jammed sidewalks, careening cars and buses erupting with tourists, the city was shining, quiet, utterly clean… I simply walked all over, taking in the essential city. Imagine – I stood alone at the Trevi fountain, listening to the water splash. Among many travel highs in my life, I’ve never felt as astonished and lucky.” – Frances Mayes, author

“Because the outdoors gave me a renewed sense of purpose after my wife passed away from terminal cancer. I’ve used the landscape and my job to rebuild myself, and stepping outside to reexplore the Isle of Skye has restored my spirit, giving me the strength to find positivity in the world again.” – Mitchell Partridge, ghillie

“Because while I’m out shrimp fishing, Belgium’s North Sea allows me and my horse to feel calm, peaceful and at one with nature. I’m also happy to preserve and share this very important cultural tradition.” – Nele Bekaert, horse fisherwoman

“Because the more we protect the environment [around Piplantri, India], the more it will reciprocate. Those who work with nature don’t worry too much. Nature gives me strength; our daughters and this work gives us strength.” – Shyam Sunder Paliwal, eco-feminist

“Because I spent a week in [South Africa’s] blue water with wild dolphins at seven months pregnant, and through their echolocation, they could see my baby girl, surrounding me, scanning, clicking and celebrating this new life inside me, reminding me of just how magical this blue planet truly is.” – Hanli Prinsloo, freediver and conservationist

“Because when I heard the drums of the masqueraders in Sierra Leone and looked into their mirrored crown, I saw my forebears and I saw myself and every other human being.” – Michael W Twitty, author and historian

“Because I’m very happy that [my son Rolando is home and] we are living together as a family again. We have finished repairing the main square of the village [of Mururata in Bolivia]; we inaugurated it recently and it went very well.” – Julio Bonifaz Pinedo, farmer and king

“Because even as a child, I was utterly in love with the wonder of nature, the miracle of life, the infinite variety of species and the mystery of the universe.” – Jane Goodall, primatologist and humanitarian

“Because I am a devoted Muslim and our teacher, Muhammad, said milk is good, I feel fulfilled by being able to provide it to people who need it [in Rwanda].” – Yusuf Gatikabisi, business owner

“Because I feel strongly connected with the lakes, the forest and nature around me. I find inspiration for my dishes when I am outdoors picking mushrooms and berries and foraging for aromatic herbs and plants. In Sweden, we are lucky to have wild nature at our doorsteps. Respecting, caring and connecting with that nature will make us stronger and better people.” – Niklas Ekstedt, chef

“Because walking makes every square metre of the Earth that I stand on my home: in no village, road or continent do I feel lonely.” – Paul Salopek, journalist

“Because incense invokes peace of mind, and that is the basis of happiness. So with every incense wand I make, I can share that happiness with the world.” – Nado, incense maker

“Because when we re-indigenise our foods, we also connect to the land, to our communities, as well as to our cultures, and this is vital to our health and wellness.” – Lois Ellen Frank, chef, author & food historian

“Because as a child, the Boy Scouts introduced me to my first hike to Fedon’s Camp in Grenada, [and] I have since spent my life walking and mapping my home island. I have a walk I call the ‘No Rivers’ walk, which takes me along the top of the island’s backbone. I don’t think anyone else has done it before.” – Telfor Bedeau, explorer and cartographer

“Because of all of our differences. We each have our culture, our identity, our story… To me being different is beautiful and I embrace my Indigenous identity more and more everyday.” – Shina Novalinga, throat singer

“Because being a porter [in Slovakia’s High Tatras] is not a job, it is a way of life. For a real porter, money takes second place, first is being on the mountain.”– Peter Petras, porter

“Because I get to work here on the beautiful Otago Peninsula helping to save the yellow-eyed penguin, a very endangered bird here in New Zealand, and save it for our future generations” – Jason van Zanten, conservation manager

“Because I was inspired by the infinity of the world and the elegance of mother nature, I was blessed to be born in Cambodia with natural resources and age-old traditions. From fracture damaged by war, I have been able to harness both to try to build a better future for generations to come and create a product which embodies and pays tribute to the beauty and dignity of the Khmer soul.” – Sophea Pheach, silk maker

“Because watching the world embrace the idea of zero waste is one of the most exciting prospects on Earth. Growing awareness of the issues we face and the realisation that we must radically change almost everything is driving innovation like no other time in human history.” – Joost Bakker, zero-waste activist

“Because here, you can drink your fill of the air. Food tastes better, and everything around us is ours: we make it ourselves.” – Donika Musaj, wild medicinal & aromatic plant collector

“Because I know that over the course of my career, every animal that I’ve ever recorded may have died, but that the place still has its voice.” – Gordon Hempton, acoustic ecologist

“Because the whistle is an inheritance from our ancestors and maintaining it identifies us as Gomeros.” – Eugenio Darias, teacher

“Because the power of exploration, of navigators, is taking care of something bigger than yourself. It’s not about putting a stake some place to say, ‘look what I did’, it’s more about ‘look what I’m trying to protect.'” – Nainoa Thompson, master navigator

“Because the diversity of cultural patrimony in the Matobo hills bears testimony to the intertwined relationship between man, wildlife and the natural environment.” – Evans Mabiza, conservationist

“Because living in the world is an adventure. One day can be up, and the next can be down. But we learn and grow. That’s what the world is about.” – Sara Qquehuarucho Zamalloa, guide

“Because of the kindness and resiliency of the communities affected by wildfire, as well as the resiliency and regrowth of the burned landscape.” – Ashley Farinacci-Silfies, fire lookout

“Because [fungi are] the coolest and most important organisms on Earth. Life on Earth wouldn’t exist as we know it without [them].” – Giuliana Furci, mycologist

“Because I’m in love with sharing my knowledge with people. I built a library, at first, for my own learning but I cannot just keep it to myself – sharing is the real joy.” – Mohammed Bennani, archivist & couscous maker

“Because it demonstrates the creativity of our Heavenly Father. The variety of his creation is stunning. We have Junkanoo in the Bahamas, for example, but we can go to every part of the world and experience something different. And together we all make up this wonderful kaleidoscope of creation.” – Arlene Nash Ferguson, historian

“Because I am indigenous from Oaxaca and I am blessed to be living here now, in the Chumash land, where I continue to follow my journey, led by the plants and where they grow.” – Porfirio Gutiérrez, artist and weaver

“Because although life in Timbuktu can be hard, if I drink the water of Timbuktu, if I see the sand dunes of the Sahara and if I see the kids of Timbuktu and they call my name, I feel like a rich man.” – Azima Ag Mohamed Ali, storyteller

“Because through planting seeds, we are literally creating a new world together – one that is more loving and definitely more tender.” – Vivien Sansour, conservationist

“Because there’s nowhere I can compare with Maasailand, with the sound of cattle bells as they return home and the different sounds of predators at night.” – Meiteranga Kamunu Saitoti, lion protector

“Because I grew up out here in the desert where healthy country means trees and animals. It’s my home.” – Alice Ellis, Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary ranger

“Because even though I set out to preserve my heritage, which I could see disappearing bit by bit, I keep discovering that there’s so much more beauty in Nubia that we still don’t know about.” – Hafsa Amberkab, filmmaker

“Because when the monsoon starts, the green pastures with wildflowers and the Himalayas here look very beautiful. You can see the snow-covered mountains, you can see the animals, you can see the plentiful grasslands and our chauris everywhere.” – Pasang Darche Tamang, cheesemaker

“Because when I meet people through my travels or when foreigners from different regions of the world come to my studio [in ‘Asir]… it is a beautiful coincidence that there are great similarities in heritage,” – Afaf bin Dajem Al Qahtani, artist
