Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/AP
Ruderatshofen, Germany: A solitary car drives through a large snow-covered forest in Bavaria.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
Ashkelon, Israel: At night, a full moon peeks out behind residential buildings in the coastal Israeli city of Ashkelon.
Siegfried Modola/Getty Images
Mara North Conservancy, Kenya: Maasai men herd cattle in the conservation area of Mara North Conservancy on December 20.
Kyodo/Reuters
Mount Sakurajima, Japan: A lightning bolt strikes the famous Japanese volcano, which is one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
Andrew Chin/Getty Images
Vancouver: A sunrise view of the downtown Vancouver skyline on December 22.
Bjoern Kils/New York Media Boat/Reuters
New York: A humpback whale is captured surfacing from the water near the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Kew Gardens, London: Revelers take in the after-dark trail lights at Christmas at Kew, an annual festive event held between December and January.
Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty Images
Huntington Beach, California: A man takes a casual stroll past outdoor dining spots as residents of Southern California prepare for a new stay-at-home order effective December 6.
Hazem Bader/AFP/Getty Images
Bethlehem, West Bank: A carpenter near the Church of the Nativity carves out a series of religious statues and figurines from olive wood on December 21.
Denis Balibouse/Reuters
Portes du Soleil, Alps: Cross-country skiers hit the slopes in the vast ski-sports region that spans 12 resorts between France and Switzerland.
Anton Vaganov/Reuters
St. Petersburg, Russia: The sun sets behind St. Isaac's Cathedral, which was designed by French architect Auguste de Montferrand.
Rizwan Tabassum/AFP/Getty Images
Karachi, Pakistan: A market vendor arranges a huge display of bananas at a fruit market in the capital of the Pakistani province of Sindh.
Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times/Redux
New York: Customers brave the cold while dining outside restaurants during a snowstorm in the Big Apple on December 16.
Pavel Mikheyev/Reuters
Almaty, Kazakhstan: The Almaty Television Tower pokes through a blanket of thick fog on the slopes of Kok Tobe mountain in the former capital of Kazakhstan.
Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images
Chiang Mai, Thailand: Celebrations for the three-day Loi Krathong festival are pictured on October 31.
Gary Hershorn/Corbis/Getty Images
New York: On a November day, people walk through the 19th-century Bethesda Terrace which sits at the southern shore of the lake in Central Park.
Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images
Caracas: The ''blue moon" -- the second full moon of a calendar month -- is seen over the Venezuelan capital.
Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images
Dubai: The exterior of the eagerly anticipated new Museum of the Future is cleaned by workers in early November.
Ian Forsyth/Getty Images
York, UK: A conservator carries out restoration work on the pulpitum -- a large ornate screen -- at York Minster cathedral, as part of a once-in-a-century project to refurbish the Grand Organ.
Prakash Mathema/AFP/Getty Images
Kathmandu: Marigold flowers are harvested ahead of the Tihar festival in Ichangu Narayan village in November.
Nariman El-Mofty/AP
Giza, Egypt: Newly discovered ancient sarcophagi are displayed after being discovered in the vast Saqqara necropolis.
Amit Dave/Reuters
Ahmedabad, India: A potter in his workshop arranges earthen lamps that will be used to decorate homes and temples during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
Ernesto Benavides/AFP/Getty Images
Cusco, Peru: The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is lit up during its reopening ceremony on November 1.
Ulises Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images
León, Mexico: In Guanajuato state, the International Hot Air Balloon Festival was held in November without spectators.
Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images
Stegen, Germany: A man stands in heavy fog on a cold winter day on a pier at Lake Ammersee in southern Germany.
Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images
Zhangjiajie, China: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, whose scenery is said to have inspired the film "Avatar," is home to the 326-meter-tall glass Bailong Elevator, the world's tallest outdoor elevator.
Artem Mikryukov/Reuters
Yerevan: A mask-wearing worshiper prays inside a church in the Armenian capital on a November day.
Zhang Lianhua/VCG/Getty Images
Sihong County, China: This aerial shot shows feeding time at a goose farm in Jiangsu Province.
Jenny Evans/Getty Images
Sydney, Australia: Poppies are projected onto the sails of Sydney Opera House as part of events to commemorate Remembrance Day on November 11.
Gregory Bull/AP
San Diego, California: A couple walk among graves at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery on Veterans Day, November 11.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
Geneva, Switzerland: On the north side of the Alps, Lake Geneva is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe.
Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images
Tokyo: In the "Forest of Lamps" digital installation room which forms part of the TeamLab Borderless exhibition at Mori Building Digital Art Museum, hanging lamps light up as visitors approach. Photo taken October 14.
Marco Ugarte/AP
Mexico City: Marigolds are harvested in the Xochimilco neighborhood ahead of the Day of the Day celebrations from October 31 to November 2.
Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images
Paris: The Musée d'Orsay is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station completed in 1900. The grand clock is a reminder of its history.
Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Pitt Meadows, British Columbia: A drone photograph shows cranberries being harvested in mid-October on a Canadian farm.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
Beijing: Tourists gather in a bottleneck on the Great Wall of China during China's "Golden Week" holiday at the start of October. For this period, authorities raised the cap on the Badaling section to 75% of normal capacity -- and tickets sold out fast.
Emilio Morenatti/AP
Barcelona, Spain: A woman enjoys the calm after a storm on the Barcelona seafront on October 14.
Bruna Prado/Getty Images
Aparecida, Brazil: The Chapel of Candles in the Basilica of Our Lady of Aperecida is pictured on October 12, the Catholic feast day of Our Lady of Aperecida.
Zhu Haipeng/VCG/Getty Images
Huichang, China: Aerial view of workers in Hedun village drying bamboo sticks ahead of sale.
Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images
Isère, France: Ski resort Les Deux Alpes opened for the 2020/2021 season on October 17.
Peter MacDiarmid/Shutterstock
London: Bushy Park, in southwest London, is the second-largest of London's Royal Parks. It has roaming herds of red and fallow deer.
Ryohei Moriya/The Yomiuri Shimbun/AP
Okunikko, Japan: Kegon Falls, in Nikko National Park, are surrounded by Mongolian oak, maple, azalea and other trees, making it a particularly beautiful spot in autumn.
Sergei Malgavko/TASS/Getty Images
Crimea: A heart-shaped balloon flies near the Aq Qaya (White Rock) plateau as part of the Crimean Sky Balloon Festival held in September.
Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
Phuket, Thailand: The luxury Vijitt Resort is unusually quiet in September 2020 due to ongoing Covid-related travel restrictions.
Gary Hershorn/Corbis News/Getty Images
New York City, New York: On September 19, the Statue of Liberty gets caught between the moon and New York City.
Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
Tokyo: Umbrella-holding pedestrians cross the street in the Japanese capital.
Michael Bager/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty Images
Funen, Denmark: Egeskov Castle on the Danish island of Funen is a remarkably well preserved example of a Renaissance water castle.
Behcet Alkan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Cappadocia, Turkey: A tour group rides camels through Central Anatolia's Cappadocia region, a UNESCO World Heritage site famed for its chimney rocks, hot air balloon trips, underground cities and boutique hotels carved into rocks.
Neil Hall/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
London: Two men sit in the sunshine in the upscale Coal Drops Yard complex in King's Cross on September 14.
Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images
Nakhon Pathom, Thailand: The Wat Samphran Buddhist temple -- Dragon Temple -- is a popular tourist destination in this city 40 kilometers west of Bangkok.
Michael Probst/AP
Frankfurt, Germany: A parkour runner jumps on a railway bridge with the buildings of the banking district as a backdrop.
Alexander Kuznetsov/All About Lapland/Reuters
Rovaniemi, Finland: The best time to witness the aurora borealis in the Lapland capital is between September and March.
Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images
Lisbon: A tram passes through the Bairro Alto neighborhood, celebrated for its shops and nightlife.
Pau Barrena/AFP/Getty Images
Barcelona, Spain: It was announced on September that work would resume on the Sagrada Familia church, with a new completion date of 2021 for the Torre de la Mare de Deu (pictured), the second-tallest of the basilica's towers.
Getty Images
Wuhan, China: In the city where Covid-19 first emerged, Guiyuan Buddhist Temple reopened in September for the first time since the outbreak.
Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images
Taoyuan, Taiwan: Artist Lee Kuei-Chih's bamboo-made art installation "The Ripple Maze at Gaoshuang" is displayed at the Art Land Festivals. The event's 2020 dates are September 18 to October 4.
Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images
Venice, Italy: Burano, an island in the Venetian Lagoon, is known for its brightly colored fisherman's houses.
Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
Ein Bokek, Israel: This aerial view shows Dead Sea salt islands in the resort district of Ein Bokek.
Darek Delmanowicz/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Tyrawa Woloska, Poland: Thick mist gathers on a foggy morning in the Lesser Beskid mountains in southeast Poland.
Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: A worker disinfects the oceanic tunnel of the Rio de Janeiro Aquarium (AquaRio) prior to its reopening on August 15.
Daniel Slim/AFP/Getty Images
Page, Arizona: Horseshoe Bend, on the Colorado River, is one of America's most famous natural formations.
Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images
Prague, Czech Republic: On an evening in late August, an acrobatic performance of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep" takes place on the rooftop of the Lucerna Palace.
Stephane De Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images
Paris, France: On August 6, visitors wearing face masks make their way around the Louvre museum.
Ezequiel Becerra/AFP/Getty Images
Guanacaste, Costa Rica: La Ponderosa Adventure Park is home to more than 300 animals of thirteen different species, including zebras.
Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Getty Images
Washington, DC: Final preparations are made ahead of the March on Washington on August 18, nearly six decades after Martin Luther King Jr. made his "I Have a Dream" speech at the same location.
Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images
Lampedusa, Italy: The Sicilian island of Lampedusa is famed for its beauty, but it's also been at the center of Italy's refugee crisis, with the island's reception facilities now overcrowded.
Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images
Windsor, UK: On August 8, the East Terrace Garden at the royal residence Windsor Castle opened to weekend visitors for the first time in decades.
Gent Shkullaku/AFP/Getty Images
Durrës, Albania: Parasols are lined up on an beach of the Adriatic Sea on a day in late August, as a heatwave sweeps through Europe.
Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP/Getty Images
Banda Aceh, Indonesia: Fishermen clean their nets after fishing on an August evening in the Indonesian capital.
Fernando Villar/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Guadalajara, Spain: Pictured in mid-July, the village of Brihuega in central Spain is known for its aromatic and colorful fields of lavender.
Francois Lenoir/Reuters
Borgloon, Belgium: These teardrop-shaped tents created by Dutch artist Dre Wapenaar offer tourists a treehouse-style experience. Pictured early July.
Luis Alvarenga/Getty Images
Niteroi, Brazil: After closing for three months, Niteroi City Park welcomed visitors again in July. It's one of the city's most popular places to watch the sunset.
Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images
Bangkok: Thailand's Grand Palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam since 1782. It reopened to visitors on June 7, after being closed for two months.
Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images
Hong Kong: Hong Kong Disneyland reopened on June 18, but closed again just one month later, after a surge of coronavirus cases in the region.
Stephane De Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images
Versailles, France: The Palace of Versailles' Hall of Mirrors awaits visitors on the eve of its reopening on June 6.
Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images
Rome: The Colosseum, scene of gladiatorial contests and public spectacles in ancient times, reopened to the public on June 1.
Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images
Bournemouth, UK: England's Bournemouth Beach -- pictured here on May 25 -- was the site of a "major incident" in June when thousands flocked to the sea in hot weather, despite the ongoing pandemic.
Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
Athens: The Acropolis, the celebrated Greek citadel, reopened on May 18 -- with social distance markers in place.
Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images
Sea of Galilee, Israel: A lone swimmer enjoys the Sea of Galilee in May 2020. As of July 2020, Israel remains closed to non-citizens and non-residents.
Carl Court/Getty Images
Kyoto, Japan: Chion-in is one of the most visited of the 1,000 or so temples in Kyoto. Foreign visitors to Japan were reported to have dropped 99.9% in April as a result of the pandemic.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Washington, DC: In April, the DC tourism group Events DC approved an $18 million relief package to support the hospitality and tourism industry in the nation's capital. The Lincoln Memorial is pictured.
Jon Gambrell/AP
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: During a 24-hour lockdown on April 6, a lone taxi cab cruises down a typically gridlocked highway.
Valentin Flauraud/AFP/Getty Images
Zermatt, Switzerland: The streets of the Alpine ski resort lie empty on March 18, days after the Swiss government declared a state of emergency in order to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Bernat Armangue/AP
Madrid, Spain: The Prado Museum stands empty on March 12 as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the world.
Gary Hershorn/Corbis News/Getty Images
New York City, New York: The Edge NYC observation deck at Hudson Yards opened to the public on March 11, the same day WHO declared coronavirus a pandemic. Before long it was closed indefinitely.
Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
Badaling Great Wall, China: After being closed for two months due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Badaling section of the Great Wall reopened to visitors in late March.
Alistair Heap/Press Association/AP
Caerphilly Castle, UK: St Patrick's Day parades around the world were canceled this year, but South Wales' Caerphilly Castle was able to mark the occasion with a display of green.
Benoit Tessier/Reuters
Paris: This photo taken on March 11 shows Portuguese artist Patricia Cunha's "Umbrella Sky Project."
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
Mount Marcy, New York: On March 7, hikers snowshoe through spruce trees on the eastern slope of New York's tallest mountain.
Mohamed el-Shahed/AFP/Getty Images
Giza, Egypt: On March 13, a camel waits at an overlook in front of the Giza Necropolis.
Hannah McKay/Reuters
Skógar, Iceland: In southern Iceland, Skógafoss waterfall has a drop of 60 meters, making it one of the tallest in the country.
Thein Zaw/AP
Mandalay, Myanmar: On March 11, visitors walk along the wooden U Bein Bridge that connects the two banks of Taungthaman Lake.
Lukas Coch/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Canberra, Australia: On March 10, a hot-air balloon rises over Lake Burley Griffin during the Canberra Balloon Festival.
Andrew Mccaren/London News Pictures/Zuma Press
Cumbria, UK: Water pours down the dam wall of Wet Sleddale Reservoir in the wake of heavy rain from Storm Dennis.
Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
Bangkok: Buddhist monks gather during Makha Bucha celebrations at Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple on February 8.
Fernando Maia/RioTur HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: On February 16, thousands turn out for early carnival celebrations in downtown Rio.
Prakash Mathema/AFP/Getty Images
Chandragiri, Nepal: On the southwest rim of Kathmandu Valley, Chandragiri cable car carried up to 1,000 passengers an hour high over the Chandragiri Hills.
Ben Birchall/PA Images/Getty Images
Salisbury, UK: England's Salisbury Cathedral dazzles during a light and sound art installation, titled "Sarum Lights," to mark the cathedral's 800th anniversary in 2020.
Aaron Chown/PA/AP
London: A plane flies in a moonlit sky in this photo taken in Richmond Park, southwest London, on February 8.
Costfoto/Barcroft Media/Getty Images
Yangzhou, China: Pedestrians enjoy a lantern-filled light display in the city of Yangzhou in China's Jiangsu Province on February 5.
Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images
Hyderabad, India: A laborer stacks watermelons ahead of an auction at Gaddiannaram wholesale fruit market.
Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images
Jukkasjärvi, Sweden: Swedish Lapland's ICEHOTEL celebrated its 30th winter season in 2019/2020.
Anthony Behar/Sipa USA/AP
New York City, New York: A mirrored heart landed in Times Square in time for Valentine's Day. The "Heart Squared" sculpture was designed by Brooklyn-based firms MODU and Eric Forman Studio.
Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images
Pattaya, Thailand: A brave soul takes on the zipline which runs from the 55th floor of the observation tower in Park Beach Resort.
Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images
Moscow: A multistory aquarium makes a statement centerpiece in Aviapark, one of the largest shopping malls in Europe.
Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty Images
Boa Vista, Cape Verde: A lone surfer paddles across the waters of Praia de Cruz beach in Sal Rei, located on on the northwest coast of Boa Vista.
Shwe Paw Mya Tin/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Bagan, Burma: A shepherd leads her herd as the sun sets behind the mountains in Bagan, one of the world's greatest archeological sites, in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar.
Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty Images
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: A young boy runs under traditional Chinese lanterns at Thean Hou Temple, one of the oldest temples in Southeast Asia, as Lunar New Year celebrations get underway.
Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images
Srinagar, India: A man guides his boat along the water in Dal Lake, known as the "Lake of Flowers," as snow falls in the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Rodrigo Arangua/AFP/Getty Images
Palenque, Mexico: Built as a funerary monument for Maya ruler K'inich Kan Bahlam (or Pakal the Great) in the seventh century, the Temple of the Inscriptions lies in the ancient Mayan city of Palenque.
Dmitry Feoktistov/TASS/Getty Images
Dombay, Russia: A snowboarder ambles on a slope at Mount Mussa-Achitara in Dombay, a year-round resort known for its top skiing and hiking trails.
Faisal Al-Nasser/AFP/Getty Images
Rumah, Saudi Arabia: A sea of cars and people encircle camels at the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in January. The month-long festival features races as well as a camel pageant section with $31.8 million in prize money.
Jonas Güttler/AFP/Getty Images
Herdecke, Germany: The sun rises behind the railway viaduct across the Ruhr valley in Northern Germany.
Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
Harbin, China: At the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in January, which billed as the world's largest winter festival, a worker maintains one of many intricate sculptures.
Eduardo Soteras/AFP/Getty Images
Mekelle, Ethiopia: In January, two men take a stroll along the main market in the capital city of the Tigray region.
CNN  — 

It’s been a year like no other. As we began 2020, travelers had more freedom of movement than at any time in history. Air traffic had been rising for decades.

But then in March, the coronavirus pandemic changed life as we know it.

Travel photographers have been capturing the world throughout this strangest of years, sharing their images with those of us unable to venture far beyond our homes.

At its best, travel photography inspires, intrigues and informs. It sets us on armchair adventures. It can spur us to actually plan a dream trip we’ve long sought to take. Or pictures can reveal a possible new journey that captures our imagination.

These photos not only show the natural and human-made beauty of our world, but they can also give us a glimpse of other people and cultures and the beauty within the human race.

Thousands of amazing images cross our computer screens each year, and in this space we share our favorites from 2020.