128 articles tagged with off the beaten path
The taxi driver looks at me quizzically when I tell him my destination. *Garoua? Pourquoi?* Why indeed. As the third-largest city in Cameroon's northern region, Garoua rarely makes it onto traveler itineraries, overshadowed by the country's coastal areas and wildlife...
The first time I stepped onto Georgetown's shores, I felt that peculiar dissonance familiar to all urban planners – the recognition of human design against nature's own architecture. But unlike Seoul's underground labyrinths that first captured my imagination, Georgetown's coastline...
The humid air hits you like a warm, wet blanket the moment you step off the plane in Paramaribo. But it's not the capital where the real Suriname reveals itself—it's in places like Lelydorp, just 18km south, and the vast...
After three decades traversing remote locations for both work and pleasure, I can confidently say that reaching Nauru—the world's smallest island republic—tests even the most seasoned traveler's patience and planning abilities. This tiny phosphate rock in the Pacific Ocean, just...
Madagascar isn't exactly known for its nightlife, but that's what makes discovering Antsirabe after dark such an unexpected pleasure. This highland city, with its colonial French architecture and thermal springs, transforms when the sun sets. After spending three weekends here...
As someone who's spent countless hours poring over historical documents in my work as a public defender, I've developed a deep appreciation for the stories hidden between the lines of more obvious narratives. London, with its layers upon layers of...
When I told my retail buying colleagues I was taking my vacation time to hit up Bolivia's carnival capital solo, they thought I'd lost it. 'Jose, what about Milan Fashion Week?' they asked. But after five years of chasing runway...
The first time I set foot in Kenema, Sierra Leone, I was struck by how dramatically it differed from my usual haunts in Wyoming's geyser basins or Montana's sweeping plains. As an environmental attorney who's spent decades advocating for America's...
After 40 years helping travelers navigate their journeys at Hawaiian Airlines, I've learned that the soul of a city rarely resides in its postcard attractions. Los Angeles, with its sprawling neighborhoods and diverse communities, holds countless treasures that most tourists...
When most travelers think of Zhangjiajie, those otherworldly sandstone pillars that inspired the floating mountains in Avatar immediately come to mind. But after three family trips to China, I've discovered that the real magic lies beyond those magnificent peaks, in...
The train lurched forward as we snaked through Sri Lanka's central highlands, the carriage windows framing a theatrical performance of misty mountains and emerald tea plantations. But as we pulled into Ella station—a colonial relic with its weathered wooden beams...
Nestled in Peru's central highlands at 3,271 meters above sea level, Huancayo remains one of the country's most overlooked cultural treasures. When I first visited this Andean gem last fall, I was immediately struck by how few international travelers ventured...
Standing in Gitega's central market, watching artisans shape traditional clay pots with the same precision I apply to metal components back at my workshop in Indianapolis, I felt an immediate connection to this place. Burundi's heartland isn't on most backpackers'...
The moment my feet touched the volcanic soil of São Tomé, I knew I'd found somewhere special. This tiny island nation floating in the Gulf of Guinea remains one of Africa's best-kept secrets – a lush paradise where time seems...
When most travelers think of Trinidad, they envision Port of Spain's Carnival festivities or Tobago's pristine beaches. But nestled in the heart of Trinidad lies Chaguanas, the island's fastest-growing borough and cultural melting pot that remains delightfully untouched by mass...
