For the fourth consecutive year, HI Travel Tales has won top honors for excellence, with the blog named as one of the three best in North America in the 30th Annual NATJA Travel Media Awards Competition as well as gold and bronze medals for photography.

Travel journalists and photographers Therese Iknoian and Michael Hodgson have won multiple national awards for photography run on their HITravelTales.com blog, while the blog was also named one of the top three in North America.

The duo and their website were among the best of more than 800 entries in the 30^th annual travel media awards competition from the North American Travel Journalists Association, including those from major publications such as National Geographic Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Conde Nast.

Gaining a bronze as one of the best Independent Travel Blogs in North America is an honor that make them both particularly proud, considering the stiff competition from top-ranked blogs.

“Putting together a great blog is a combination of superior writing and top-notch photography, of course, but it also must include great design, intuitive navigation, consumer-friendly features, not to mention outstanding content,” said Hodgson. “We take great pride in our passionate presentation of travel stories, essays and photos – and it’s great to have that recognized on a national level.”

Medals for photography

In addition to the overall best blog award, Iknoian took a gold medal for her photo essay, “MidCoast Maine lighthouses: Get inspired for a Maine lighthouse tour.”

Hodgson earned two bronze medals, both for images taken on a Kenyan photo safari. One was a portrait of a Maasai warrior, and the other called “Laughter breaks boundaries” showed Iknoian in a Maasai village laughing with children as she showed them their photos on her camera.

“Story-telling is an important part of what we do,” Iknoian said. “To accomplish that, we strongly believe that solid imagery goes hand-in-hand with immersive writing. Together, they transport readers to a place and perhaps inspire them to take their own journey of discovery.”

This is the fourth consecutive year of multiple NATJA awards for the HITravelTales.com team – of the four editions they have entered. They have also taken home awards in other contests in the last few years for both photography and writing, winning raves from their destination hosts.

“Each year the competition has gotten stiffer with many entries from high-end national publications and websites,” Hodgson said. “This also prods us on to work harder to help travelers find their own meaningful travel adventures – hopefully with us at their side.”

Iknoian and Hodgson, both longtime journalists, have run HITravelTales.com for about seven years from their Northern California base. They have been to all seven continents, 46 countries, and all 50 states. They focus on immersive travel that connects readers with the culture, food, history, people, and natural wonders of a destination.

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Founded in 1991, the North American Travel Journalists Association fosters high-quality journalism by supporting professional development and honoring excellence in journalism globally. See all the winners of the 30^th Annual NATJA Travel Media Awards Competition here.