The BEST OF: The 2026 Stay Adventurous Travel Calendar
For the 13th year in a row, I’m proud to continue a tradition that started as a simple way to share a few favorite photos from my adventures. This year, however, marks a milestone. After twelve consecutive years of curating annual Stay Adventurous Travel Calendars —each with its own unique theme—I’m excited to release something truly special:
Creating the BEST OF – The 2026 Stay Adventurous Travel Calendar
Over the years I’ve created calendars focused on sunsets from my Sunset Sunday Series, the Florida Keys (supporting hurricane relief efforts), the magic of Mexico, America the Beautiful, the best beaches, wine journeys, and even themes connected to my podcast and my book Gifts from the Road. Each calendar reflected a chapter of my travels and passions.
For 2026, I wanted to honor all twelve years by selecting one image from every prior calendar —a true “best of the best” collection representing more than 20 years of travel, photography, and cultural discovery across five continents
The Process: Revisiting 12 Years of Travel Photography
all 12 original calendar 2014-2025
To build this “Best Of” travel calendar, I literally laid all twelve calendars out and began reviewing each image. What started as a practical task quickly became something much more meaningful.
Selecting the “best January” or “best March” from twelve years wasn’t just comparing photographs—it was reliving moments. The early images carried the magic of distant memories, reminding me just how far I’ve come as a traveler and as a photographer.
I even asked for help from my family—Maggie and Mercer—who joined me in sorting through the memories. We laughed, reminisced, and revisited so many incredible places we’ve experienced together. It became a beautiful challenge to create a calendar that was both balanced and representative of all the themes, destinations, and years.
In the end, I decided every calendar year deserved one image. Twelve years. Twelve photographs. One Best Of Calendar
A Worldwide Journey Through the 2026 Calendar
the final decision on the calendar
To add a little fun, the months are not labeled—you’ll need to recognize the destination. The images span four continents and showcase some of the most memorable places I’ve visited over the last two decades.
Destinations Featured in the 2026 Travel Calendar
- January – Camps Bay, South Africa (2020)
- February – Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico (2019)
- March – Oahu, Hawaii, USA (2024)
- April – London, England (2021)
- May – Key Largo, Florida Keys (2022)
- June – Virginia, USA (2023)
- July – Santorini, Greece (2017)
- August – Islamorada, Florida Keys (2018)
- September – Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica (2015)
- October – Penang, Malaysia (2014)
- November – Southern California, USA (2025)
- December – Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania (2016)
These locations highlight the diversity of the Stay Adventurous journey—sunsets, beaches, culture, food, mountains, wildlife, cities, small towns, natural wonders, and personal favorites.
About the Cover
Choosing a single cover image from twelve years? Impossible. So instead, I selected a new and meaningful photograph:
The Grand Canyon, a place I just visited this prior year is an iconic American landmark. I selected it to honor the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States.
It feels like the perfect symbol of exploration, wonder, and American beauty.
About the Back Cover
one of my favorite places
Travelers, creators, and travel advisors are always asked: What’s your favorite destination?
We all answer the same way—It depends.
But one place consistently lands in my personal top three:
San Sebastián, Spain. A city of charm, cuisine, coastline to surf, and culture. (Stay tuned for more content and a podcast episode dedicated to it.)
Order Your 2026 Stay Adventurous Travel Calendar
Like every year before, the calendar is available for purchase—and it makes an amazing gift for fellow travelers, photographers, coworkers, friends, and anyone who loves discovering new destinations.
Order your copy here: – Purchase 2026 Stay Adventurous Travel Calendar
Thank you for supporting this ongoing creative tradition. Here’s to 13 years of travel, photography, and adventure—and to many more years of travel and adventure to come.
Stay Adventurous. Craig
