Page 11 - Off the Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 1 of 2)

foreword by bill bryson

There are even more eye-popping, life-enhancing sights and

experiences out there than I had ever dreamed existed

I have just finished reading this gorgeous and to go to the Great Stupa of Sanchi – with a name We are the first generation that
remarkable book, and I have good news and bad like that, who could not? – and the mighty Pyramid can pretty much afford to go
news to report. The bad news is that there are of Cholula and Punta del Este and Zacatecas and – wherever we want – and so of
more fantastic things in the world to see than you well, just all of it. And mostly I never will, which is course that is what we do. If
can ever possibly hope to get to. You are just not kind of discouraging. you don’t wish to vacation with
going to live long enough. Sorry. On the other hand – and this really is the millions of others, you simply
The good news, however, is that there are crucial point – it is tremendously exciting to have to take a little more care
more fantastic things in the world to see than be part of a planet that is so packed with wonders choosing where you go.
you can ever possibly hope to get to. that you have to choose which fraction of them And that is why this book –
I am sure you take my point. It is always slightly you will visit. How dreary it would be, after all, so trustworthy, so engaging,
appalling to be reminded that you are never going if you actually could go everywhere and do so endlessly perusable – is
to get to do all the things you want to do in life. everything. There would be nothing left to dream more valuable to the serious
I feel even worse about this now (you will too about, and dreaming, in my view, is often the best traveler than any book I have
shortly) because, thanks to this estimable tome, part of travel (and certainly the cheapest). seen in a long time. It has been
I have discovered that there are even more I don’t suppose many people would think put together with authority and
eye-popping, life-enhancing sights and of now as being a golden age of travel – people care by experts who have been
experiences out there than I had ever dreamed hardly ever think of the present as being a golden everywhere and genuinely want you to have
existed, and I thought I was fairly worldly. age of anything, in my experience – but in fact I the best possible experience when you travel.
I had never heard of the Cordillera Blanca, a believe it is. Oh, I know airports are hopelessly So why are you just sitting there? Turn the
112-mile walk through the mountains of Peru, but thronged and a lot of popular destinations like page, for goodness sake, and start planning.
it looks fantastic and I really, really want to be with Machu Picchu and the pyramids of Giza and many
the people pictured on page 85. I want even more others are vastly more crowded than they were a
generation ago, but that’s because a generation
Apadana Staircase, Persepolis, Iran (p44) ago most people couldn’t afford to go to them.

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