Ready for a Miracle Vacation?

[Note: I chose this topic because a newsletter subscriber named Greg wanted to learn more. If you'd like to read about any topic, let me know and I’ll gladly write about it] ?

Most people look forward to a vacation that’s satisfying and memorable. For some, this means lounging on a beach sipping Mai Tais, and I wish them well.

But maybe you, like my wife Naila and I, prefer more stimulation than a package holiday. If so, here’s our special way to plan a vacation, which piles on sparkle and depth to every trip.

I like travel agents, but never use them. Their job is sending tourists to one of the few famous tourism centers that enrich their company with minimum effort. Most of these destinations are supersaturated with tourists and hard to fully enjoy: Barcelona is full of signs like “We want refugees, we don’t want tourists.”

Vacation from the Inside Out

Our alternative is a vacation-plan process that's simple and ensures an adventure that satisfies from the inside out.?

First, decide with your fellow travelers the experiences that you want, and write a keyword list. Second, search online for this set of terms; you'll uncover surprises among the standards. Third, select two or three options that best fit your criteria, deciding which sounds best (say, budget and distance). ?Decide how comfortable you are with surprises— which are often usually the bright spots. Fourth, watch YouTube videos for a more experiential feel. Fifth, find local contacts before you leave. People we contacted on Couchsurfing gave us amazing personal tours.

Since almost every country is hungry for visitors, you won’t need a professional agent to get information about sights, visas, and tickets, but could if you prefer.

This system has led us into unforgettable trips built around our interests; doing it only takes an hour or two, but the results last a lifetime.

Buddha, Carp, and Tea

For example, eight years ago we were in snowy Almaty, Kazakhstan. We looked forward to three free weeks in January. We wanted somewhere warm, not too far away (Almaty is near China), and filled with nature and culture.?

Using the simple technique I outlined above, we found Xishuangbanna, in the far south of China close to Myanmar and Laos. We enjoy beaches, but that wasn’t a priority.

The result was a spectacular experience in a little-known location.??

“Banna”, for short, is tropical, with China’s greatest cultural and natural diversity. We started in the small main town, Jinghong, where we stayed in a simple but clean, comfortable hotel room that charged $2.50 a night.

As the only foreign tourists in town (it's better known now), we were treated like royalty.

This is maybe half of how we spent 18 days: we visited a tropical rainforest where wild elephants live, explored a spectacular cave, hung out with the world’s largest golden Buddha, had locally-grown (and famed) Pu Erh tea; ate glorious food and all the fruit we could handle; relaxed in a world-class botanical garden; watched ceremonies in a preserved traditional village; bought gorgeous local traditional crafts; lived with a family whose home has the unique Dai architecture; and “helped” a farmer bring in his sugar cane crop.

(Wikipedia has more information under “Xishuangbanna")

A Day to Savor

A key part of our planning is cheerful openness to adventure. We went to the local tourism office where, luckily, one of the staff spoke English. After she saw our interest, she invited us to join the staff as they participated in the ancient ceremony of a nearby village.

At the end of every rice-growing season, the villagers flood the paddies and stock them with big carp fish. In each paddy, a team tries to catch fish by hand-- “our” team even won!

We also enjoyed joining in traditional dances. Afterwards, they showed us a glorious little museum and treated us to an epic traditional Dai meal.

Try the System

This is the kind of adventurous vacation we want... the system helps anyone find what they prefer. It gives more than enough options to select from, including many that are little-known. I haven't tried using AI for this, but that might improve the results.?

Make sure to take a record of all the interesting options, as alternatives to any plan that falls through. Treat each setback as a small adventure to chuckle at in the future. Take small souvenirs to help jump-start relationships. Look for sidetrips to explore, and after you arrive, ask locals for off-the-beaten-path suggestions.

Naturally, base your planning on your own priorities and needs, such as focusing on a particular area, or spending more time relaxing.

You might be less adventurous and independent than we are (or maybe more!). In any case, by creating a vacation around the experiences you want, instead of starting with travel posters pushed by the travel industry, I bet you embark on your own miracle holidays.?

Best Wishes

Many people now are planning their vacations. I hope these ideas help give you a trip that's as good for you as ours have been for us.?

Thanks for reading! Please subscribe to the newsletter, write me directly at [email protected], and send your comments.

John

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