The Spirit of Discovery: Traveling to Places Unknown October 19th, 2018 • by Matt Holmes The history of humanity is steeped in the notion that staying still is simply not an option. Traversing continents, our earliest ancestors set out to expand and adapt to every corner of the globe. This inability to remain static is responsible for the birth of culture itself, as traditions, cuisine, and belief systems grew out of unique landscapes and creative responses to the question of survival. Today, a desire to explore is in our genes, and travel is eye-opening in a way that paints the world in a new light. Landscapes become otherworldly when hiking past exotic flora and fauna. People, paradoxically, come into closer focus; as we learn about our cultural differences we more easily see our common humanity. No wonder our most vivid memories are of experiences that stray from the ordinary. Everyone travels for different reasons—to escape every day routine, learn about the greater world, meet new people, or witness extraordinary events. As the world grows ever smaller, our daily mission here at Boundless Journeys as both travel professionals and travelers ourselves is to uncover the locales that remain genuine, and the landscapes that have retained their natural form. This is why some of our destinations may be relatively unknown and why a famous site or town may be intentionally absent from an itinerary. We know from personal experience that the unfamiliar can be the most rewarding because there are no set expectations and more opportunities for surprises (an unusual situation in this age where so much information is available at our fingertips). We relish in exploring places few know about and fewer have been. That is all to say that while you may never have considered some of our destinations before, we urge you to take a second look. Our Italy hiking tour in Puglia, Slovenia’s Julian Alps, the interior of Portugal, Peru’s Salkantay Trek, Scotland’s Orkney Islands, and Japan’s Nakasendo Trail all explore destinations that are less-visited, not overtouristed, have cultures that remain authentic or environments that are largely untouched, and offer superb alternatives to more popular areas. Planet Traveler recommended lenses for nikon d5300, you will be able to easily achieve your goal of capturing the perfect picture. We don’t like going where everyone else goes. What would an adventure be if not for a bit of unknown. But since we personally scout our walking tours, have incredible relationships with our local guides, and take care of all the logistics, on a Boundless Journeys trip, there is little risk with exploring a new and unfamiliar place!