Travel Beyond the Beach

What’s the first thing you think of when someone mentions vacation or travel? Is it images of blue-green water, white sand and palm trees? Perhaps a chair to lounge in and a cocktail to sip? Or do you dream about thrilling rides, parades down the streets and fireworks, ala Disney style? While I definitely think there is a time for beach trips, especially for those of us in New England when the snow is coming down hard and being measured in feet, those are not the images that spring to my mind.

Instead it is…

…The windswept magical vista of the Fairy Glen in Skye after a pounding rain when the sky allows a peak of sun to come shining through, creating a scene that makes you believe that, maybe, just maybe, fairies really do exist. 

…The late night quiet trek through streets that feel like a far east bazaar and over a reconstructed 16^th century Moorish bridge in Mostar with the dark hiding but not obliterating the bullet scarred buildings from a war that still feels fresh to its citizens. 

…The night spent on a boat in Fiordland on the other side of the world, gazing up at an entirely different night sky with dolphins and seals as your companions, knowing you will wake surrounded by the type of beauty described by Rudyard Kipling as the Eighth Wonder of the World. 

These are my travel images; these are the vacations I have been blessed to have.  Knowing the history, the stories and the magic that exists in the lands I visit make the experience full and serve to restore and rejuvenate me. To be brought back in time or enveloped in nature or encounter amazing architecture or art, that is what I hope to gain through travel. To learn from and about people all around the world, to discover what they value and cherish in their lives gives me new perspective and helps me grow in unexpected ways.

Oh, the Places You Go!

Seeing the pictures of amazing places I’ve been on social media has prompted a number of friends to ask how I know where to go and how to plan these trips. With a little effort and a bit of digging, anyone can enrich their travels, even on those beach trips! I’ve been the beneficiary of many a travel blog and hope to contribute to that dialogue and share my experiences and hopefully in doing so, will inspire others to look at travel through a different lens. This site will go beyond just trip records to share tips on how to discover the places you want to go and how to plan the best, most fulfilling experiences you can have, and how to do so for a reasonable cost. I hope to encourage others that have not yet considered travel beyond the beach to take a different path and come join me someday on summit of Mount Snowden where Welsh folklore claims the giant Rhitta Gawr is buried and watch as the clouds clear and you can see summit over summit for miles all the way to the sea; witnessing parts of Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales all from a single perch.  The place that gave birth to William Wordsworth’s poem, the Prelude:

“..The moon hung naked in a firmament

Of azure without cloud, and at my feet

Rested a silent sea of hoary mist.

A hundred hills their dusky backs upheaved

All over this still ocean; and beyond..”  

Join Us!

Come join us and experience rich, deep, storied travel.  We look forward to having you all be part of the community and hope we can share stories and great travel together. Like, Share, Comment below – we’d love to get a great discussion going! Interested in learning more about our community – check out our About page. Like to do know how we find some of our amazing places? Look no further than The Quest for Amazing Destinations. Jump to our Trips page to see our latest trip posts. Want to share a blog post of your own or give us some feedback on what you’d like to see on the site? Contact Us.