Countless history, remarkable landmarks, and a city one always longs for. It's no wonder New York City sets the tone for any couple seeking to reinvigorate passion and connection.
We met up with Johanne and her husband to capture some of their most intimate moments while soaking up a revitalised piece of New York City's past.
Tell us a little about you & your partner!
Michael and I have just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with a trip to the Mornington Peninsula, and Melbourne. We enjoy shopping at the local food market at Orange Grove and walking around Blackwattle Bay most weekends. We have a 7-kilometer circuit that we like to walk year round. Then we can cozy up to cook the lovely produce, or we eat out when we attend theatre productions at the Opera House or at Dawes Point. We'd love to get a pet one day when we have more time if we could agree on whether to get a cat or dog!
Do you love to travel?
We do love to travel and always aim to have the next trip booked when heading home. We try to do a big trip every two years, with a couple of shorter trips closer to home. Our last big trip was through the US and Canada last year and included a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle, a Canadian train trip from Vancouver to Toronto, a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls and 10 days in New York. Our shorter trips include visiting food and wine destinations like Tasmania and Kangaroo Island, and beach resorts like Da Nang in Vietnam and Langkawi in Malaysia.
We were last in Europe in 2015 and spent time in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, France, Scotland including the Isle of Skye. We'll probably head back to Europe in 2020 and revisit some favourites like Amsterdam and Florence, but I think Sardinia might also be on the agenda- perhaps for a walking (and eating!) tour.
What made you book a Travelshoot? Where did you get the idea?
We booked a Travelshoot because New York is our favourite city in the world, and while Michael is a keen photographer the only photos we tend to take together are fun selfies. It's brilliant to have images of the two of us enjoying a location where we've enjoyed many fun times.
I think I saw a blogger's photos and that lead me to do some research online, and I found Travelshoot. The images really evoked what we wanted out of the shoot: natural and not too posed.
Talk us through your shoot and how it all went down! What were your favourite parts?
We walked a long way to cover all the area that we requested! The shoot was really fun, and we were keen to get a few shots with the icons of Brooklyn, but also important to capture our relationship. We talked to our photographer about what we were looking for and ended up with an amazing album. I use the images for my background and lock screens and rotate them regularly. This leads to lots of questions about where they were taken, and many compliments on the gorgeous images when I'm presenting them internally or with clients.
Tell us your favourite travel memory?
One of our favourite trips to Vietnam and Cambodia included a sunrise tour of Angkor Wat. Actually, we were there well before sunrise and spent 10-15 minutes walking around the back of this ancient structure with just the two of us, and a guide using our phones as torches before anyone else got to the site.
After sunrise, we went back for a look at the details among the crowd, before having breakfast at a local cafe looking back at the amazing view. After touring more of the local temples we had a mid-tour break in the heat of the day for a swim, and lunch at our hotel, before heading back out in the cooler late afternoon to see more temples. Brilliant day and so well executed.
What country/destination takes the top spot on your travel wishlist?
It changes all the time. At the moment I really want to go back to Italy. That's my heritage, and I find travel there is easy. We know the food and understand the culture. The language is not a barrier and I've been reading some books set in Venice that make me want to revisit those sites.
Finally - what’s your favourite shot from your Travelshoot? Why do you love it?
I love the image of Michael kissing my hand as we walk. It perfectly shows both our relationship and our love of back streets and warehouse/semi-industrial landscapes of New York. We actually choose that one to go on our Christmas cards and were blown away by the result.
