A while ago I wrote an article giving you 8 reasons to not ignore the more common travel destinations. Travel content now is so full of hipsters, and people trying to do something no-one has ever done; that I thought I should write something. Something to say, “it’s ok, if you want to go to Paris or Rome. They’re beautiful places and your dreams are just as valid as travelers who want to get off the beaten path.”

Of course, now, I want to write the opposite article. I want to give you a list of reasons as to why you really should get out there, and check out a place that not everyone is visiting. I want you to be just as excited as I am, about getting off the beaten path.

1. Go for something authentic

This is something that you might often hear your travel hipster friends speak about. They like to go off the beaten path because they’re seeking authentic experiences.

What is an authentic experience though, really? There are many ways to approach this idea, and often what we (as foreigners looking in) see as authentic might not necessarily be what local considers an authentic experience.

Often time people want to see the culture of a new place, preserved and on display. People expect places to have a culture that is not only vibrant, but distinct from their own. However just because a city is both modernized and urbanized; does not mean they don’t have their own culture. This is a not necessarily true bias that we can maybe talk about in another article.

However, if you are looking for displays of culture that are unique and different from your own, you will definitely want to target places that are a bit away from the norm. Targeting places that are not as commercialized means you can stay away from places like shopping malls, and glamourous hotels, and see how the locals like to pass the time.

Istanbul is an ancient city that seems to both preserve its centuries of culture, but continuously layer on new elements as the times change. If you would like to read about both the traditional and modern (but all authentic) forms of coffee culture in this city; check out my article here.

2. Eat authentic cuisine

Continuing our search for authentic travel experiences, I believe food and cuisine deserves its own section. As a plate of food is an express way to show one’s culture to the unititiated.

Many of those who go off the beaten path are searching for authentic culinary experiences. This sometimes might mean having disappointing culinary experiences, or even getting sick! However it also means avoiding the Starbucks and McDonald’s chains that seem to be proliferating in every city around the world.

It’s a common adage that getting your food from the first place you see in the city square is not a great idea. Your food will often be overpriced, tailored to suit the tastes of tourists, and you’ll probably be competing in a queue of other tourists for a place to sit.

You might want to check out the less touristy places to eat if you want to;

• get your money’s worth,
• eat food that both tastes authentic and potentially supports local producers,
• experience hospitality and not the pushiness of tourist trap restaurants,
• get a sense of the food scene that locals and residence experience.

There are so many lessons that can be just from a plate of food. If you’d like to read about the confusing lines between cultural cuisines, check out an article I wrote here!

For me, food is one of the most important parts of any trip. And if you want to have both a memorable and authentic experience, search out the places a little off the beaten path.

3. Fewer Crowds

If you like travel content, you would have seen something like this on Youtube, Instagram, or Tik-Tok. What we see as an amazing view on social media, often hides the fact that you have to wait and compete with hundreds of others to take the exact same shot.

Many cities host tourists within the millions as they come to see sites like The Great Wall of China, the Louvre, and the Sistine Chapel. Trying to navigate any of these, especially on your own, without a plan, is an absolute nightmare.

What’s more is many of these places are often rife with scammers, or people trying to get a few extra bucks off you. Whether that means vendors selling you overpriced trinkets, or ticket scalpers offering you “special” tours.

Sometimes we want to get away from all of that! And the best way to do that is by visiting a less touristic place.

Yes, there are billions of people around the world, and it’s truly hard to find places that are completely human free. However going a little off the beaten path will greatly help in mitigating crowds and being in a sea of other tourists.

4. Potentially more budget friendly

This is something that I touched on in the last article. We would probably think that countries with less tourist traffic will be cheaper; and this is true in some cases, but not necessarily in others.

In countries that are a bit more off the beaten path you may actually find that flights to get there are more expensive, since they happen less often. And you might often run into the trap of greedy taxi drivers. If you’re the only foreign tourist they’ll see today, they may try a bit harder to squeeze a few extra dollars out of you. Follow this link to a video I made, about this exact subject.

Whether travelling anywhere is cheap, can be very subjective. I feel like we’d probably pay for a lot more activities and eat our more in a week on holiday than at home. And then of course there is the currency exchange rate, and you need to remember what currency you are starting in and how it holds up against the currency of the country you are travelling to.

But here are a few points and reasons as to why travelling to less touristic destinations can be cheaper.

• Travelling to a country where your currency is stronger, can give you some more flexibility when it comes to buying food and items.
• Accommodations and travel experiences can be cheaper. You are not competing against so many other tourists for these things, and you may actually able to afford better quality experiences for the same price in more touristic cities.
• Similarly food might be cheaper, as the main consumers are still local tourists as opposed to foreigners.

5. Unique Photo Opportunities

A while back I wrote an article about how I learnt that travel wasn’t all just about taking photos and uploading them onto Instagram. If you’d like to read it on a different platform, check it out here.

However in our times, photography, selfies, and videos are all a part of how we interact with both the world as well as the people within it. This is beautifully and succinctly explained by the following quote.

“We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.”

– Katie Thurmes

So to completely ignore photos as a part of one’s tourist experience would be wrong.

Therefore, visiting and exploring places off the beaten path can give you a great opportunity for unique photo moments. I’ll never forget when my wife and I went to go visit the Midas Anıtı (or Yazılıkaya stone) in Eskişehir, Türkiye. We drove about 30 minutes on dirt roads and into a small village that looked like it was stuck in another era. As we kept going we found an absolutely massive stone carving from the time of Phrygian settlements in the region. The stone, dedicated to the historic king Midas, as well as the view of the valley beneath, is something we still talk about to this day.

Not only will you be able to visit unique and breathtaking views, but you will also have to compete with far less people. Which means you can focus on just taking lovely pictures and not on everyone else.

6.Meaningful Experiences

It goes without saying that an enjoyable, meaningful, personally fulfilling travel experience can be had in any number of places, any number of ways. However many of those definitions may include authentic experiences with people, delicious food, and great places to explore and take photos.

All of these things are all positives of visiting the less than popular locations.

If you’re looking for something that you have never seen before, a unique experience that not everyone else has, than there’s no better option that taking the path less traveled. You will return home with all kinds of experiences that neither you nor your loved ones could have ever expected or imagined.

7. Going On An Adventure

A lot of the time people don’t necessarily have a concrete plan or schedule when they arrive in a new city. They’d rather let the winds take them on their way. If getting lost exploring small shops, old towns, and unique landscapes sounds like something for you, then you have to try somewhere off the beaten path.

The sensation of being somewhere unique, unexplored, and new is the perfect grounds for an adventure.

Depending on what you’re looking for, unique destinations often offer opportunities for adventure activities like hiking, trekking, diving, and wildlife safaris, providing memorable experiences for travelers seeking adventure.

However even if you’d prefer to stay in the comfort of the city; not everything has to be new and unfamiliar, there are still hidden gems to find.

Whether it’s a Soviet Era apartment turned museum in Sofia, an open air crafts market in a small town in Romania, of the many libraries and bookshops turned cafes in Istanbul; every city has an unexplored corner that promises something you’ve never seen before.

Even if you do find yourself in a “touristy” location, try and make some time to take a bus out, visit a small town, or hangout in an unnamed restaurant. Adventure always adds some colour to your holiday!

8. Supporting Local

We’ve all been to places where the souvenirs and gifts all feel a little “same”. While these are often great gifts, show off some culture of the region, they can be mass produced. And sometimes made in a completely different country!

While I do think that many consumers are now moving away from these sort of gifts, it’s still really hard to find nice authentic gifts from the country.

You need to look, but you never know when the next quirky street or unique shop will come up on your travels. A lot can be found when you start to seek it out.

It could be locally sourced honey, hand made soaps, or even crafts that represent the culture and history of a place.

Going to offbeat, non-touristy places can give you the opportunity to find not only gifts, but products, and food, that the locals buy. You can find something that is both truly unique, but also something that supports local businesses.

The charm and allure of places like Paris, London, and Tokyo are all very apparent. We all know why people like them, and why millions of tourists go there every year. That’s fine. But do you know why despite vast differences in culture, Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe all still pull in impressive tourist numbers? If something deep inside you really wants to know the answer to that question, it’s time to plan a trip to somewhere off the beaten path and ignore the popular tourist destinations!