Get Away: Why You Need To Expand Your Horizons

Posted July 30, 2009 11:58 PM

Posted in adventure, Enjoy, escape, fun, international, plan, safe, tip, travel, where to go

Go under the radar
For your most unique and authentic travel experience, look deeper. Look under the radar. This opportunity exists in every travel category.

Most of us travel to Peru to see Machu Picchu without spending more than a day in the nearby Urubamba Valley, which offers ancient ruins, remote villages, and incredible hikes. We connect Italy with Tuscany or the Cinque Terre without considering Sardegna and Puglia. Our destination is Patagonia and we spend little time researching the island of Chiloé in Chile or the wine country of Mendoza in Argentina.

Cutting-edge destinations are often completely under the radar. A few years ago I took 18 women on a hiking trip to Slovenia. Not one of them knew exactly where it was when they sent their deposit. Slovenia resembles Switzerland 50 years ago. It contains 180 mountain huts, has just over 40 kilometers of coastline, and is one of the most -- if not the most -- beautiful countries I have visited.

Croatia, the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), and Ladakh are three of my favorite new discoveries. Certain countries or regions have only recently developed a tourist infrastructure. Go when the infrastructure is established but before you find it in the travel magazines.

Cities vs. countryside
My personal feeling is that unless you absolutely love cities, spend as little time in them as possible on your first trip to the destination. Large cities can take up a good deal of time and energy and in general don't offer the authentic experiences you might find in smaller villages or towns. Paris, London and Rome aren't changing that quickly. It is easier to get back to cities for a shorter vacation in the years ahead. Of course, flying into these destinations and having a day or two to adjust and explore is great. You can ride the rails throughout Europe, which will give you a glimpse of the countryside you would otherwise not see. (Traveling by EuroRail also makes you wonder why the US never got up to speed with train travel.)

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Posted July 8, 2009 3:00 PM

I know it may be a huge leap of faith for some, but please consider US Peace Corps if you really want to see how they live in other parts of the world. Until 1996 I lived just up the road from the author in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I decided to join Peace Corps to fulfill a life long dream. I was assigned to Kenya and arrived in September 2006, just 2 weeks after my 60th birthday. I have now finished my Peace Corps service and have chosen to continue to live in my small fishing village on the Kenyan coast north of Mombasa. No, I am not living in a mud hut, but I definitely live more simply than I did in the US...and I am really enjoying it. The joys and frustrations of learning a new culture and a new language are endless. I still don't speak fluent Swahili but Kenya has 2 national languages, English being one of them. Peace Corps will even assign couples together. What a great way to spend your retirement years, while being supported by the US Government and learning how the rest of the world lives. You can find out more about Peace Corps at www.peacecorps.gov.

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Posted June 1, 2009 3:32 PM

Last year I traveled to Crete (the largest island in Greece). It was the most amazing experience of my life. I stayed in the town of Plakias where we rode horses on the beach, climbed waterfalls, and were welcomed whole-heartedly by the locals. I fully support travel beyond the U.S. borders. With the advent of the interwebs we are no longer a national community. We are a global community and we need to think that way- even when planning vacation destinations.

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