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In praise of terrible places

Where are you planning to visit on your next big trip? Thailand? New Zealand? South Africa? Peru? Of course they are wonderful countries. Traveller hotspots are usually hotspots for very good reason.
But today I am going to say “yawn, yawn, yawn” to all the usual backpacker highlights.
When planning your next adventure I urge you to cast your net a little wider. I really am not exaggerating when I suggest that a great way of planning a journey would be to close your eyes and poke your finger wildly onto a map of the world. Open your eyes, discover your fate, and head off on a journey of discovery to a country you may not even have heard of!
Allow me to argue my case…
What do the following countries have in common?

  • Slovenia
  • Sudan
  • Lesotho
  • Colombia
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Georgia
  • Sierra Leone

Answer? They are all countries I have been to with low expectations or even a smatter of nerves. And they are all countries I have fallen in love with, for their wonderful landscapes, extraordinary cultures or welcoming people.
We all know that if you get off the beaten track, even in well-travelled countries, that local people will be more interested in you and keen to help you than they are in places where every other person is clutching a Lonely Planet book.
This principle applies even more strongly in more “random” countries. You will very rarely be ripped-off or over-charged in shops or restaurants. And, most importantly of all, you will escape the ghastliness of ‘Tourist Menus’, scruffily laminated and poorly translated into  many languages, that offer you a ‘Special Price’ for a pitiful imitation of a European meal, made little more palatable because it is served with a view of a famous tourist sight. A little bit of your adventurous soul dies each time you succumb to such an experience.
By all means go and see Petra and the Pyramids. It is a pleasure and a privilege to do so. But if you are planning a long backpacking tour or a round the world journey I urge you to be bold and brave and take a punt on a place that you know nothing at all about.
Better still, for adventure and discovery, pick two random places on the planet and travel from one to the other. The world is a strange and wonderful place of infinite variety. What a shame then to only travel to destinations you already know about to see sights you’ve already seen on telly a hundred times.
There is another aspect to visiting random, lesser known corners of the globe. You find yourself travelling with a more open mind, and with the best of all travel companions: curiosity. If you are visiting Baku, Bukhara or Bromsgrove simply because you have never been there then you are more likely to look around with fresh and open eyes rather than following the strict itinerary decreed by your not-very-Lonely Planet guidebook. Buy a local newspaper and read that rather than the latest Girl who Drank on the Loo paperback like every other backpacker you meet. Look around, be curious, talk to strangers and ask questions.
Go on, be bold! Spin the globe and jab a finger. Take a train to a town you have never heard of, and explore it. Be rash and random and spontaneous. Roll a dice, toss a coin, take a chance. In my experience you will not regret it.

This piece first appeared in Wanderlust.

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Comments

  1. I massively agree. The highlights of my first trip was the amazing hospitality of the people of Syria and Sudan-the two countries that I was bricking it about the most! On my last trip I actively made it the mission to seek out countries that I was scared of and that have a bad reputation internationally and absolutely loved it. It wasn’t all smooth and easy but it was incredible, invigorating and opinion altering.

    Reply
  2. Lark Posted

    Really motivating!

    “Pick two random places on the planet and travel from one to the other.”: What an evidence!

    Reply
  3. SaulZ Posted

    Great advice.

    I spent my childhood in Heaven on Earth of the past and “terrible places” of today – Northwestern region of Pakistan (now called a tongue twisting Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa province). When the things settle down there a bit, I will be hiking and trekking on the same trails I did with my father and siblings till I was in my teens. Yes, it is going to be Colombia and Pakistan for me one after the other.

    Reply
  4. Hey Humphreys,

    Stop giving away all the good tips away, I want everyone in the tourist spots so I can have all the best bits to my self:)

    /grin

    Reply
  5. I’d second Kyrgyzstan and add Bolivia. My expectations weren’t so much low as non-existent but I loved them both.

    Reply
  6. Charlie Thomas Posted

    I agree. Last summer I spent 10 days in Rwanda – another country which the sheer mention of makes people nervous and worried because of its 1994 genocide. But it proved to be a real eye opening and interesting trip for me and one that I’m really glad I did. I can’t wait to spend 7 months in Colombia this October as part of my year abroad at university.

    I have now been following this blog for just over 2 years and although today is the first time I have ever left a comment, I wanted to say keep up the very good work Alastair.

    Cheers,
    Charlie.

    Reply
    • Thanks for leaving a comment, Charlie. Most of the good stuff on this blog is found within the comments from the collective wit and wisdom of a very random, disparate audience.

      Reply
  7. Couldn’t agree with you more! I second (third?) Kyrgyzstan – the mountains near Karakol are stunning (where the President has his holiday yurt…) and even have natural hot springs to soak tired bones in.

    Syria is a real highlight – the most amazing hospitality (and hummus!), the architecture of Uzbekistan can’t be beaten and the history, complexities and warmth of Burma are well worth a visit.

    And you don’t yet weirder than Turkmenistan…. but that’s a whole other story!

    Reply
  8. Jamie Posted

    The idea of visiting somewhere because you’ve never been there appeals to me most… or places no-one you know has been… This year Slovenia, Croatia by train, with a tent. Definitely end up off the tourist trail!

    Been following your blog only for a few weeks and I think it’s great! Keep it up!

    Jamie

    Reply
  9. Hi there – as I’m a completely new subscriber to your weblog I figured I’d
    just leave a brief note here to share I have been reading a few posts and
    enjoying them a lot. Thx!

    Reply

 
 

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