Near Big Four Mountain, Snohomish County, Washington: I could not stop staring at this ice cave. I’d read warnings online before doing this hike that several years ago, a few people were killed in an avalanche in this cave. Along the hike were signs warning not to go in. But there was no fence, nothing to stop me from doing it. The blackness was hypnotizing. . ~ Michelle Schusterman, travel writer & author of I HEART BAND

Someplace near the border of Utah/Arizona: We took a dirt road off another road off the highway, ignored a few warning signs, endured the bumpiest 20 minutes in the history of driving, climbed a small rock, found this view, and were literally stunned into silence. I’d never seen landscape in these colors before (sans Photoshopping). ~ Michelle Schusterman, travel writer & author of I HEART BAND

Oysterville, Washington: I visited the last oyster station in Oysterville last spring. I think the reason this place left a strong impression on me was how much it reminded me of where I grew up – New Orleans. Washington and Louisiana are by no means similar states, but something about the salty smell of shellfish in the air, the swamp-like look of the oyster beds, the run-down equipment and hardworking fisherman…it was like finding home in an unexpected place. ~ Michelle Schusterman, travel writer & author of I HEART BAND

Cannon Beach, Oregon: The impression this place left on me was created by two admittedly superficial reasons. One, look at that GIANT ROCK. In the ocean! It just looks cool. And two, this is where The Goonies was filmed! That aside, this was also the first night of a week-long road trip through Oregon with some great friends. This photo gives me that awesome first-day-of-a-trip-life-is-rad feeling every time I see it. ~ Michelle Schusterman, travel writer & author of I HEART BAND

Table champetre de la Ferme au gout d’autrefois, Île d’Orléans, Québéc: It’s the person more than the place that’s permanently etched into my memory here. That man, farmer and chef Jacques Legros, is quite possibly the most impressive man I’ve ever met. He and his wife single-handedly run a goose, chicken, and duck farm, an amazing garden, and a restaurant. No farmhands, no waiters. They grow the food, they harvest it, they prepare it, they pour your wine and set down your plate and sit down at the table with you to chat. Mindblowing. ~Michelle Schusterman, travel writer & MG author of I Heart Band

Old Québéc City, Québéc: I had an entire day completely alone to explore Québéc City. Sometime between a Nutella crepe and a cup of cayenne-spiked hot chocolate, I found this harpist with a small audience. To the left (out of the picture), they were setting up Christmas trees and lights. A Dicken’s Christmas Village moment for sure. ~ Michelle Schusterman, travel writer & author of I HEART BAND

Desperadoes Panyard, Laventille, Trinidad: The story of how I got here is a long and emotional one. The death of a good friend and teacher led me to Trinidad in the spring of my sophomore year of college, where I spent half the semester playing with the 100+ member Desperadoes steel band, drinking 7-up and sweet oranges on breaks, getting the most intense sunburn of my life, turning 20 years old, and winning an international steel band competition. Definitely my first big adventure.. ~Michelle Schusterman, travel writer & MG author of I Heart Band

Someplace outside of Santo Amaro, Brazil: After a good hour of hiking, we came across this man making dendé (palm oil). The juice mingled with rivulets of water on the ground, staining the grass and his feet dark yellow. We brought along swarms of mosquitoes are drawn to the smell of coconut and sweat. My photo really doesn’t do the moment justice.   ~Michelle Schusterman, travel writer & MG author of I Heart Band

Parque da Cidade, Salvador, Brazil: I’ve called a lot of places home and am planning on adding more to the list, but Salvador has always had my heart in a way no other place has. One of the (many many) reasons is this park a few blocks from my apartment. Every other weekend they hosted a free event called “Musica no Parque.” Thousands of people dancing in this amphitheater, drinking coconut milk or beer, listening to some of the most amazing Brazilian artists alive today. Life just did not get any better those Sundays. ~Michelle Schusterman, travel writer & MG author of I Heart Band

Street market, Suwon, Korea: For one year, this was where I did my food shopping. I knew less than ten phrases in Hangul, the vendors usually knew about as much English, but somehow, we’d have conversations – laughing, pointing, bartering, nodding and smiling even when neither of us knew what was going on. I ate a lot of things here, and I never did find out exactly what many of them were. ~Michelle Schusterman, travel writer & MG author of I Heart Band