Photos of Smiling Faces Around the Globe

Smile!

You’re on candid camera!

Well, not exactly.

But we do like to snap photos of people when we travel.

Two lovely smiling women in Rajasthan, India

People reveal as much about a place as the local food, architecture and natural scenery.

Put a person in your photo and it gives additional context to your shot.

Many people are happy to have their picture taken.

In return, we show them their photos on our camera – that usually triggers a good belly laugh.

Of course, some people in less developed countries want a few coins for posing for the camera. No matter….

Photos of smiling faces around the globe

Here are some of our photos of smiling people we’ve met on our travels around the world:

We thought this young mother in Egypt so beautiful that we couldn't resist taking her photo — We thought this young mother in Egypt so beautiful that we couldn’t resist taking her photo

Souvenir anyone? A shopkeeper sells pottery in an alabaster factory in Egypt

Bula! The Fijian people always have big smiles on their faces

A woman carries a goat in Luxor, Egypt - she wanted money for us to take her picture — A woman carries a goat in Luxor, Egypt – she wanted money for us to take her picture

This shopkeeper in Guadalajara, Mexico, showed us a teeny baby bird she'd rescued and was feeding — This shopkeeper in Guadalajara, Mexico, showed us a teeny baby bird she’d rescued and was feeding

A Polynesian dancer from the island of Raitea, who came onboard our cruise ship in Tahiti

The temple guardian at the Temple of Hatshepsut, Egypt

Hello there! This Fijian woman smiles at us from the doorway of her home

A chef in the Caribbean holds up conch shells

Not people, but these Venetian face masks look like they're smiling, don't you think? — Not people, but these Venetian face masks look like they’re smiling, don’t you think?

Do you like to take pictures of people when you travel?

About the authors

Luxury travel journalists and SATW, NATJA and TMAC “Best Travel Blog” award winners, Janice and George Mucalov are the publishers of Sand In My Suitcase. Between them, they’ve traveled to all 7 continents. See About.

Find destination guides, global food-and-wine stories, luxury hotel reviews, articles on cultural explorations and soft adventure trips, cruise reviews, insanely useful travel tips and more!

Rhonda Albom

Saturday 25th of February 2017

This is just wonderful and quite contagious. I am smiling now. Thanks.

Janice and George

Wonderful how a smile is infectious, right?

Jenna

Tuesday 12th of January 2016

I love this. Seeing people's smiling faces builds bridges between cultures. The first one is probably my favorite!

Marie Hernandez

Sunday 5th of April 2015

Love these shots. I do something similar on my site. Taking pictures of people around the world is one of my favourite activities while I'm traveling. No matter where I am I always find people who love to pose for pictures! This great big world is a wonderful place, isn't it?!

Thanks for sharing your photos and for inspiring people to travel!! Keep up the good work!

Amy Lynne Hayes

Thursday 26th of March 2015

Great photos!! All the faces show such expression, makes you want to smile just looking at them. :)

Kathryn Burrington

Saturday 7th of March 2015

Love, love, love this post! (I may have to borrow the idea one day). Photos like these show how we can communicate with each other even when we don't speak the same langauge - a friendly smile from a stranger lifts the spirit. Would love to know the stories of some of these characters. The shopkeeper in Guadalajara, in particular, looks like a really interesting lady who I'd love to met one day.