The world is much smaller in 2018 than it once was. Nearly every holiday escape and unique destination has been experienced and now there is a TripAdvisor page dedicated to it. Been there, seen that, and got the t-shirt are the mantras for many travelers who go to the ‘it’ destination of the moment without truly experiencing a trip. There is much more to traveling and finding a destination off the beaten path is one of the reasons it is so much fun.
There are still some places that are just off the beaten path. However, it may not take long for more people to find them and turn them into the next trending destination overexposed by Instagram. Until then, these destinations are escapes from the mundane and bring life back to travel.
Maranello, Italy
Ferrari is one of the most well-known sports car designers in the world. The company founded by Italian Enzo Ferrari continues to build world-class sports cars that look great and go fast. Visitors to the Ferrari Factory in Maranello, Italy can see how the iconic sports cars are designed and built. The carmaker’s museum gives visitors a lesson on the history of the company. While in Maranello, visitors can sign up to Ferrari’s Corse Clienti program. It allows members of the public to buy decommissioned Formula One Ferrari cars. Buyers can take their cars home with them and park them on the driveway if they choose. However, Corse Clienti allows all owners to keep their cars at the factory and ships them to various racetracks around the world. There, owners can meet up with their Formula One cars and race against other amateur owners looking to fulfil their racecar driving dreams. It all starts in Maranello at the Ferrari Factory.
Corsica, France
Corsica is a French island that lies in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is often overlooked by travelers as Greece’s isles tend to get more love from tourists. About 25 million people fewer visit Corsica per year compared to Greece and its islands, so there are far more opportunities to find a quiet corner. Corsica offers rugged landscapes, beautiful beaches, towns with great shopping and luxury resorts catering to every need. Corsica’s seaside towns like Bonifacio look like they have come straight out of a postcard. The island is magical and being more low-key than Greece’s party spots and Spain’s packed shores is a good thing.
Zanzibar, Tanzania
Zanzibar is an island off of the coast of Tanzania. The low-key travel escape is surrounded by the bluest waters and a holiday to the island gives travelers the chance to truly get away from it all. Zanzibar’s beaches stretch for miles. They are the stereotypical tropical beaches travelers think of when they want to leave their world behind. The towns on Zanzibar have benefited from the island’s location off the eastern coast of Africa. Centuries of traders, raiders, and explorers brought an array of influences. After spend time on the beaches of Zanzibar, travelers can pop over to the mainland for a safari or to hike Tanzania’s famed Mount Kilimanjaro.
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Travelers wanting adventure and to test themselves on a journey should look no further than San Pedro de Atacama. The Chilean town is remote and travelers will find adventure when visiting it. San Pedro de Atacama has a wealth of history and an archeological museum that boasts information from pre-Spanish settlement of the area. The architecture and surroundings are classic South American, and every street, house, and alleyway offer a social media worth sharing image. Making the town even more of a journey for adventure loving travelers is its location. Situated in the middle of the Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world, the entire area is inhospitable and rugged.
Tasmania, Australia
Australia possesses some of the coolest travel destinations in the world. The country’s top landmarks like Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef offer beautiful natural escapes. However, those are over visited by tourists. So, why not travel to Tasmania? Located just off the southwest coast of Australia, Tasmania is well off the beaten path to most travelers. Not even many mainland Aussies choose to travel to the small island. There loss is another traveler’s gain. Tasmania boasts beautiful natural settings, clean air and water, and hiking and cycling paths that are envied by outdoor enthusiasts. The island has luxury resorts like the Cradle Mountain Lodge that gives visitors an up close and personal experience of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park.
Door County Peninsula, Wisconsin
The Door County Peninsula juts out from mainland America and into Lake Michigan. It may not be the first place that comes to mind for a holiday in the United States, but Door County Peninsula is a unique escape with down home charm. Visitors to the peninsula can find cabins and resorts dotting the area as they take part in a quiet vacation. Lake Michigan offers watersports and miles of beaches for travelers to lounge upon. The entire peninsula showcases Wisconsin’s Scandinavian ancestry. Many of the restaurants’ menus advertise dishes visitors won’t find back home, unless that home is in northern Europe.
Fukuoka, Japan
Situated toward the southern tip of Japan, Fukuoka is one of the country’s most cosmopolitan cities. An economic and cultural center, Fukuoka is often overlook by travelers more interested in going to Tokyo. The city is home to a number of wonderful museums, art galleries, and ancient temples. Fukuoka Castle is one of the most awe-inspiring sites the city has to offer and tour of it will showcase the city’s past. Fukuoka also offers travelers the chance to visit the Nanzoin Temple. What makes the temple a must-see? It has a large bronze statue of a reclining Buddha that lies across the top of the temple. It is claimed the Buddha is taller than the Statue of Liberty if the two were place side by side. Fukuoka’s shopping and culinary offerings are also top notch, giving visitors plenty of reason to forego a trip to Tokyo for the exciting southern town.
By Drew Farmer
Journalist and author. Contributor
