We’ve been celebrating February as the 10th anniversary of the founding of Global Traveler, and this month’s issue includes a feature highlighting some of our travel partners who are also marking milestone years in their histories. Last week, another company marked its 10th birthday, and while not technically in the travel industry, Facebook in my mind has always been intimately bound together with travel.

The same spring Mark Zuckerberg birthed Facebook, my firstborn traveled to England (and many points beyond) for a semester abroad. We kept in touch via email, care packages and the occasional international phone call and eventually spent our spring break visiting her. Without that visit, I would have had a very cloudy picture of where she spent so much of her time and the people she came to know, for we didn’t see any images of her travels until she returned home.

Fast forward to January of 2009, and my younger daughter was preparing for her own semester abroad, based in England but including extensive travels throughout the Continent. By then Facebook was well-established — mostly among the younger generation — and I hadn’t had any interest in creating my own account. (And, up to that point, Jenny had no interest in her mother having one and potentially stalking her child!) Jenny helped me set up my page before she left, though, so that we could stay in touch easily and could see the pictures she and her friends would post as they discovered Europe together. What a blessing it was to share her experiences in such an immediate way!

Since then, Facebook has helped me share my own travels with friends and family, and I’ve been a virtual stowaway on many a loved one’s journeys as they shared stories and photos on the social media site. A perfect case in point: Dear friend and sometime travel companion Paul has been working in Saudi Arabia for the past year and a half. Recently he shared his experience of a day at the camel races in Al-Nairyah, not far from the plant where he lives and works. In addition to his photos and comments, he added a short video of the experience to his page. Through his camera, I got to experience a unique event I might never have, otherwise. Let me share a few of his images with you:

He explains that the straightaway track is two to three miles long, depending on the age of the competing camels. The animals (with colorful muzzles) and their owners gather before the race.

The riderless camels are fitted with a remote-control “monkey” or crop, and then the animals are lined up behind a metal and canvas gate, which swings up at the start of the race, and … they’re off!

Spectators follow along on either side of the track in their vehicles, shouting and honking their horns to encourage the beasts to the finish line.

Happy birthday to Global Traveler, and happy birthday to Facebook, and cheers to their contributions to travel!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor