Like most New Yorkers, Julie Schwietert Collazo took a long time to discover the state beyond "the city so nice they named it twice." When she finally started exploring beyond the five boroughs while on assignment for the BBC, she discovered just how much of America's history can be traced back to New York. She also realized how incredibly diverse the state is, both culturally and geographically. From the Amish country in western New York to the watery Thousand Islands, New York State has so much for travelers to discover.

Together, Julie and her husband, Cuban-born photographer Francisco Collazo, have published work in TIME, Discover, National Geographic Traveler, Scientific American, and numerous other publications. They live in Long Island City with their two children, who both got their passports at one month of age and are accustomed to being packed up and buckled into the seat of a car, plane, or train at a moment's notice.