Travel off the beaten track and experience

As dawn broke on this year, I was excited for a fresh start. Last year, I dealt with panic attacks and anxiety from taking on too many projects, a breakup that left me heartbroken, and a mini-identity crisis from settling down. But that “greatest worst year of my life” set the stage for a year in which I shifted my priorities and focused on developing routines. On a personal level, this was a solid year. I cut my travels in half. I now love waking up, opening my fridge, and making breakfast. My panic attacks are gone. I read a lot more. I drink less and cook more. I joined a gym. I developed routines. And, while my insomnia is not gone, I’m starting to sleep a lot better. But no year is perfect. I replaced one addiction (traveling) with another (work). On the road, it was easy to fill a day with exciting adventures. But now that I was home, what was I going to do? I did the one thing I knew I could default to: work. And I worked all the time. I annoyed my team on the wee...

Posted : 6/26/17 | June 26th, 2017 For about the last year or so, the term “experiential travel” has been batted around the industry like a ping-pong ball. The term has actually been around longer but it’s only recently that it’s become, like Hansel in Zoolander , “so hot right now.” The idea behind “experiential travel” is that it’s a way to get travelers closer to the local culture and population. As Wikipedia says, “The goal is to more deeply understand a travel destination’s culture, people, and history by connecting with it, more than just by visiting it.” In part, it sells the idea that you’re a “real traveler” and not a tourist. You take part in programs and activities that help you experience the place and people, get you off the beaten path, see more than the main sights and attractions. The term is S T U P I D. It’s pure marketing bullshit. Everything about the way “experiential travel” is marketed bothers me. The term makes travel sound like a superficial a...

Updated : 03/17/20 | March 17th, 2020 “You’re not that cutting edge on your advice. It’s pretty run of the mill. You also are very obviously biased toward thirtyish, white, upper-middle-class Americans who want to pretend to be bohemians.” This quote is from last month’s reader survey. I’ll be honest: it cut deep. I stared at it for a while. Cried a bit. I looked for an email address to follow up with the person who wrote it but they opted to be anonymous. Yet, after over ten years of traveling the world, I have admit, in part, that I agree with this critique (except the bohemian part — perish the thought!). My website probably isn’t that cutting edge and revolutionary to you if, like me, you have to keep getting your passport stuffed with new pages every few months. To the experienced traveler, you’ll know much of the advice I give. I bring this comment up because it’s actually something I’ve been thinking about for a while so to se...

Updated : 03/19/19 | Posted: 03/08/2010 (Updated links and info) For the last three months, I’ve been traveling around Australasia, visiting New Zealand, traveling in Fiji, and roadtriping around Australia (for the second time). During my travels here, I’ve noticed something interesting — a lot of the travelers I see are young (18-24) gap year kids on a RTW trip, and most never consider leaving “the beaten track.” It’s only the older travelers that seem to even want to venture somewhere different. They want to get out of the party hostels, visit little towns, head west, and, really get to know the culture. Don’t get me wrong — I am happy to see people traveling at all ages. Whether by tour, cruise, car, or foot, taking the first proverbial step is a feat in itself. If you ask me, travel has the power to change the world. The very fact that someone made the effort is amazing. Not enough people do it. However, it’s frustrating to see so many young travelers sticking to the s...