About Me

Hello, I’m Yulia. Thanks for stopping by!

I am a travel journalist, photographer, writer, educator, budding filmmaker, and entrepreneur. I strongly believe that travel makes us better human beings—more tolerant, open-minded, and sensitive to cultures and viewpoints different than our own.

I was born in Kazakhstan, grew up in Estonia, and now live in the United States. I have traveled the world extensively and turned to a career in travel media after getting an MBA and working more than a decade for large organizations—first as a Navy Sailor, then as a brand manager at Fortune 500 companies.

I work with travel publications and brands on creating travel stories (photography, written word, social content, and video). I specialize in art, culture, artisan craft, and ancient traditions, but above all, what interests me are human stories. For past assignments, I’ve shared a roof with nomads in Mongolia, traced the origins of Iznik tiles with artisans in Turkey, and learned the art of imigongo with artist collectives in Rwanda.

I am sometimes described as a one-woman travel media company. I provide integrated paid and earned media & storytelling services in writing, editing, photography, video, social reels, podcasts, and workshops. I work with tourism destinations in a traditional journalist capacity, pitching and placing stories in publications post-visit. I also work on paid content campaigns, including but not limited to social media, client content packages, podcast partnerships, and more.

I am open to commissions, assignments, and collaborations around the globe. If you are a travel editor, destination, or brand, let’s chat!

My work appears in National Geographic Traveller, BBC Travel, AFAR, CONDE NAST Traveller, Lonely Planet, and more. I am a member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and a three-time winner of Muster Awards, the SATW’s annual photography competition.

In 2018, I founded NOMⴷD + JULES, a small-group travel company to destinations that are often misunderstood (departing to Jordan, Oman, Morocco, and more).

In 2021, I was named one of Wanderful’s 12 resident experts.

In 2023, I was a finalist in the Bessie Awards Creator of The Year category.

In 2021, 2022, and 2023, I, alongside other expert travel photographers and writers, was invited to lead a series of masterclasses on travel photography for National Geographic Traveller (UK).

In 2024, I won a Gold Telly Award, for my short documentary, The Story of Abdul Raouf. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and TV across all screens, with past winners including AirBnB, Adobe, Condé Nast, NASA, National Geographic, Netflix, & more.

I'm the founder of Travel Media Lab, a storytelling, educational, and content-creation studio.

I also host the Going Places podcast and run brand partnerships for brands interested in reaching our podcast listeners.

You can shop my prints here.

My photo work is represented by Kintzing. Contact info@kintzing.com for licensing inquiries.