Go for the road less travelled

Louis Habash image credit: news.yahoo.com

Being a travel writer like me, Louis Habash, is not really as glamorous as most of you think. Sure, you get to see the world, have your own adventures at your own pace, and write about them. However, after the novelty of traveling wears off and the weariness kicks in, travel writing tends to get tedious pretty quickly. To prevent that, you need to get off the tourist trail and go for the road less travelled.

Although visiting famous tourist places like the Taj Mahal in India, the bustling city of Bangkok in Thailand, the Bali beaches in Indonesia, or the majestic Ankor Wat in Cambodia while going through Southeast Asia is somewhat obligatory, going for less popular tourist attractions in these countries took me on unforgettable adventures.

Louis Habash image credit: english.samaylive.com

I, Louis Habash, remember being pelted with colored powder by children and adults alike during the Festival of Colors in Gujarat, one of the least visited but most rewarding places in India; dining with the locals in Isan, which is often labeled the poorest province in Thailand, to experience the “real” Thailand; walking through the pristine beauty of the Jatiluwih rice terraces in Bali; and listening to the sounds of wildlife while breathing in cool, fresh air at the Kep National Park in Cambodia.

Louis Habash image credit: fathomaway.com

Taking the obvious tourist path can sometimes be rewarding, but the stress of dealing with huge, unruly crowds that usually dot the tourist trap landscape is, most of the time, not worth it. There are always hidden gems out there, waiting to be discovered.


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