Travel demand is picking up, with domestic travel leading the way, beach vacations on the rise, and probable record numbers expected to visit the National Parks this summer and fall. Cruising and international travel, while expected to open up some in the second half of the year, remain rather inconvenient due to COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions, and downright problematic in some areas for now. But we shouldn’t let that stop us from dreaming about travel, even for far-away international destinations. Our Travel Video Share Series has been a way of keeping those dreams alive during the pandemic, giving us a glimpse of beautiful places both near and far and inspiring us to make those dreams become a reality when it is safe to travel again.

Istanbul, Turkey is one of the world’s great cities, a magical place where East meets West and the clashing of empires throughout centuries have left an extraordinary collection of palaces, churches, mosques, architectural styles and markets from every period of history. Its unique position as a city that straddles two continents, Europe and Asia, has given Istanbul an unmistakably cosmopolitan atmosphere. But Istanbul’s real charm is that despite its great history, it has not become a static museum-city like its historic rival, Venice. Istanbul is very much a living city, the largest in Turkey (and the fifteenth-largest city in the world) and the country’s economic, cultural and historic center. While Istanbul has been through some rough periods over the years, tourism was on the rise in 2019 prior to the worldwide pandemic.

This month’s travel video share, Istanbul: Love of The Continents, was created by our friends at Timelab Pro, a Saint Petersburg, Russia drone video production company who specializes in artistic aerial videos utilizing their own unique style. The musical score for the film was composed by Kirill Gorokhov.

Enjoy!

The Avant Team