At some point a lot of travelers decide it is time to break away from the tourist havens and find the out of the way places.
Depending on where that might be it could mean anything from finding an undiscovered gem where there are a few tourist amenities to really roughing it.
Depending on your level for adventure here are a few places off the beaten path.
Wallis and Futuna Islands
Located in the South Pacific the islands are a French territory. With a population of around 5,000 on the island of Futuna and 10,000 on Wallis. The island of Alofi next to Futuna has been uninhabited since the 19th century when inhabitants of Futuna invaded killed and ate the inhabitants. Wallis is surrounded by 15 islands all uninhabited. There are only a couple of flights weekly from Noumea and no boats taking passengers to the islands.
There is no public transportation but you can rent a car or rely on the kindness of the locals to pick you up when your hitchhiking.
Andorra
Officially known as the Principality of Andorra is a landlocked micro state occupying 468 square Km bordered by Spain and France. Known for it’s skiing, shopping and tax haven it actually has over 10 million tourists a year but I bet you never heard of it.
The nearest airports are Toulouse France and Barcelona Spain so you have to get there by auto. With no military to speak of the country is a co principality governed by two “Princes”, the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell (Catalonia Spain).
Aitutaki
Aitutaki is one of the Cook Islands, north of Rarotonga. With an area of about 168 sq km and a population of approximately 2,000 it is still relative free of mass tourism. Although tourism plays a big part of the economy it hasn’t been over run yet. Snorkeling, scuba diving, laying on the beach and fishing are favorite pastimes along with exploring the island.
Guinea-Bissau
Located on the West coast of Africa this is a hard place to visit. Various websites will tell you there is no easy way to obtain a visa. There are no embassies in the UK or US. All visitors, with the exception of those from a few west African states require a visa. The best bet is to visit one of the embassies in Dakar, Senegal; Lisbon, Portugal; or Paris, France. To complicate matters the country has one of the highest crime rates in Africa with petty crime and violent crimes. It is reported that a large volume of narcotics pass through remote islands and airstrips en route from South America to Europe. Add to that occasional political unrest and you wonder why anyone would go. Well there are the Bijagos Islands,an archipelago of some twenty tropical, beautiful islands where you can see hippos and other wildlife. In the very north there is the town of Varela with its beaches, pine forests and relaxed atmosphere.
One of these four locations might be just the place for you to get off the beaten path.
Where is your favorite out of the way place?
Pitcairn or Tristan Da Cunha are two out of the way locations that are hard to visit, and well of the tourist trail – both only assessable by sea.
Always wanted to visit both.
My headmaster was from Pitcairn, and I worked with a young lad from Tristan Da Cunha who had left the island for some work experience. It’s a long term plan to run an expedition to both of them, but so much else to do at the moment that they are on the backburner.
I’m essentially a beach and lagoon guy, so for me El Nido in the Philippines or Long Beach and Tofino back on Vancouver Island are both faves!
Aah gotta love those Philippine beaches.
Philippine beaches are gorgeous!
Have to agree.
Two ‘out of the way’ places that I love are Tasmania and Mongolia.
We almost moved to Tasmania, and at the last minute decided to pick NZ instead – both very similar places.
The Falkland Islands is my favourite out of the way place to be – spent 10 years there and loved it.
If you want an out of the way place which is not too hard to get to try Norfolk Island. It was first settled when all the Pitcairners (from the Bounty Mutiny) were resettled there in 1856. Some returned to Pitcairn a few years later. We lived there in the ’90s but discovered that trying to fit in in a small community is far from easy. http://thetravellinglindfields.blogspot.com.au/search?q=norfolk
I would love to check out Andorra, it looks beautiful.
For me, out of the way doesn’t have to be an entire island or town. It could just be taking a turn off the tourist-packed roads in a popular city (like Dublin or Paris) and finding where the locals eat and play. A city can take on an entirely new meaning when you step away from the portions that are driven by the tourist industry. I love living as much like a local as possible, even if I’m only there for a day or two.
I agree totally.
Very good point Jessi – I have found that straying 500m from the beaten path leads to some fantastic experiences, just enough to no longer be with the general masses of tourists.
Wow, I can say I’ve only been to one of those locations and the others are really off the beaten path and a must see if you are looking for the truly unique and one of a kind experience, excellent round up.
Some of my out-of-the-way favorite spots in the Northeast (US) – Block Island, RI and Nantucket, MA. They are both islands so they’re a little bit of a pain to get to, but totally worth it. If you go just after the summer season (but before the chilly weather of autumn) you can basically get the islands to yourself. Great post!
Craig,
Both sound like great places. Thanks for stopping by.
I actually nearly applied for an assistant teaching position in Wallis & Futuna to teach English there in order to extend my own French. Life had other plans for me, but it would have been quite an experience. But Niue still stops one of the best out-of-the-way places for me. With only 1000 people living on the island and generally still relatively undiscovered by mass tourism, it’s a beautiful getaway. It’s mainly only Aussies & New Zealanders who head there as the only flight in each week comes from Auckland!
Sounds like my kind of place. I enjoy visiting the places most tourists don’t.