How to Turn a Trip into an Adventure
By: Carol J. Yee
Tags: Travel Writing, Food, Boris Pasternak, Travel Tips, Traveling

I am an avid traveler. Luckily, I have a job that provides me the opportunity to travel to places I normally wouldn’t go to for pleasure, so I get to experience the best of both worlds! When I travel, while I do visit famous tourist places, such as the Louvre Museum in Paris or the Colosseum in Rome, I also like to find more out of the way places that aren’t the number one attractions for a tour bus.

Sometimes you run across something by happenstance, including when you get lost, but other times your pre-travel research reveals interesting places to visit that are off the beaten path.

What are some of the fun things I’ve done to make a trip into an adventure?

Reykjavik Food Walk

Boris Pasternak: I stayed in Moscow for five weeks one year, working on a short-term project. Of course, I had to visit the Kremlin, Red Square, and the Bolshoi Ballet. But then I read that Boris Pasternak, the author of Dr. Zhivago, a movie I love, was buried near Moscow and that his dacha had been made into a museum. I just had to go and pay homage. I hired a driver to go the cemetery and dacha, I think he thought I was crazy. It took us a while to find the places. Afterwards, I told him that now he knew where to take the next crazy tourist who wanted to see these sites! I also searched for Merlin’s tomb in a forest in Brittany. These are just two examples of setting out on a “mission” to find a particular place. Local suggestions: I always ask the locals for recommendations, whether for a restaurant, bakery, or their favorite ice cream stand. If I pass by a place that seems to have a lot of locals frequenting it, that’s the place I want to eat. I also will try to find books or blogs that recommends restaurants by a local or someone that knows the place well. A hole in the wall or family place is perfect for me. I’ve been known to go miles for recommended food, including a seafood restaurant in Follonica, Tuscany; a winery restaurant for lunch with tea pairing in Hermanus, South Africa; or a small place for fresh white fish in Paradise, Michigan. And don’t forget the farmers’ market to see what is in season and watch the locals in action! Special activities: Plan some special activities for your trip. I have joined food tours in Reykjavik, Iceland and Burlington, Vermont. Not only do you get a chance to taste local foods, but the guides also tell you a lot about the city and history. You can always go back to one of the restaurants to have a full dinner. I’ve also arranged for special activities in China, including painting Chinese opera masks, learning how to do Chinese calligraphy, and making our own dim sum! How about a tour to climb on a glacier or walk into a glacier, as I’ve done in Iceland? Or take a tram to the top of a mountain in Switzerland, then hike back down. Additionally, you can plan your trip around special exhibits or sites, such as visiting the Marco Polo bridge or the Cultural Revolution Museum in China.

Lastly, as you participate in activities such as these, you may run into new things that you’d never encounter as you drive to someplace special. Or you can see something on the spur of the moment, such as the small aquarium we visited in Venice, only because we were hot, and they advertised they had air conditioning!

Whatever you do, see the tourist sites, but then go off the beaten path and experience some things that most people never see or do. You’ll be glad you did.