Photo Gallery: Introducing the Travelers of the Year -- National Geographic

Paula Busey and Samwel Melami
Photograph by Dana Romanoff
A Colorado high school librarian's trip to Tanzania launched a globe-spanning cultural exchange that shows no signs of flagging. "As a teacher I knew that meeting Samwel could change my students' lives," says Paula Busey, shown here wearing a Maasai necklace at back, as Samwel teaches one of her students how to jump. The Maasai are known for their ability to leap high into the air from a standing position without the use of their arms.
>> Interview With Paula Busey and Samwel Melami
Theron Humphrey
Photograph by Susan Seubert
Theron Humphrey documented the oral histories of everyday people on an epic road trip across America. "My aim was to create work that would gain in value over time," he says. "I would love to know what my great-grandmother's voice sounded like, so maybe this project will be a part of giving someone that gift in 30 years."
>> Interview With Theron Humphrey
Amy Russell
Photograph by Carlos Litulo
Amy Russell is walking from South Africa to Egypt to raise funds for an organization that delivers clean water to people in developing nations. "It is easy to get caught up in a world full of people just like us," says Russell. "Travel allows us to move beyond our comfort zones and embrace new people and ways of thinking."
>> Interview With Amy Russell
Booker Mitchell
Photograph by Raymond Patrick
Fifteen-year-old Booker Mitchell brings off-the-rails adventure to a new generation through "Booker Travels," a series of weekly webisodes. "So many kids just spend their days inside playing video games and watching TV," he says. "'Booker Travels' shows kids how to get out of the house and experience the world."
>> Interview With Booker Mitchell
Robert Pennicott
Photograph by Palani Mohan
Intrepid tour operator Robert Pennicott spent 101 days circumnavigating Australia in a rubber dinghy to raise money—and awareness—to help eradicate polio. "The day that Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon really inspired me," Pennicott says. "I admire the bravery of adventurers who took a journey on even though there was uncertainty about how it was all going to pan out."
>> Interview With Robert Pennicott
Diana Gross
Photograph by Raymond Patrick
Maryland educator Diana Gross embarked on a leave of absence with a mission: to bridge the global digital divide by teaching children in underserved communities around the world how to tell their stories through video. "It just didn’t seem fair to me that some kids in this world don’t have the same opportunities as others simply because of where they are born."
>> Interview With Diana Gross
Linda Yuen
Photograph by Susan Seubert
With an open spirit and an empty nest, 85-year-old Linda Yuen is making her lifelong dream of traveling the world a reality. "I've visited 85 countries, all seven continents, some of the subcontinents, and the Arctic and Antarctic Circles,” she says. "We live in a beautiful world, and those who can travel can help, even on a small, personal level, to preserve this beauty and help create a more peaceful world."
>> Interview With Linda Yuen
The Davis Family
Photograph by Jo-Anne McArthur
Travel writer Heather Greenwood Davis and her husband, Ish, yanked their kids out of school for a year to give them a truly global education. "Chances are high that you’ll never have money and time at the same moment," says Davis, shown with Ish and sons Ethan and Cameron. "The money you can always work for, but the time, when it’s available, is the truly valuable resource. Don’t waste a moment of it."
>> Interview With the Davis Family
Nadezhda Savova
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Peripatetic Princeton Ph.D. student Nadezhda Savova turned what could have been a burdensome inheritance into a stomach- and soul-nourishing legacy with her Bread Houses Network. "There is no need to try to do big things at the global or national political or economic levels," says Savova. "What suffices is a simple, humble attention to every speck of flour that we come across daily, so that hopefully our yeast can help it rise."
>> Interview With Nadezhda Savova
Mary Jean Jecklin and Kelley Rea
Photograph by Peter Baker
Husband-and-wife giving gurus Mary Jean Jecklin and Kelley Rea founded PAC4Kids to help fellow travelers identify how, why, where, when, and what to donate to needy children in developing countries. "If you make many small gifts, if you work on many small projects, if you make one new friend each trip, you can make a positive difference," says Rea.
>> Interview With Mary Jean Jecklin and Kelley Rea