Why You Should Read Searching for Unique before Your Next Vacation

I wrote Searching for Unique to help fellow travellers cut through the myriad of travel guides, blogs and brochures and focus on the best destinations from around the world—those hidden gems that still elude most tourists.

Instead of trying to pick a country and then figure out what to do there, Searching for Unique covers multiple countries and groups each destination by theme. So, as a reader if you feel like an active holiday then you can look at the Wilderness Treks chapter or if you prefer the cultural experience of a local festival, then the Rare Festivals chapter may suit your interest.

Photo credit: Chad O’Hare

Each location’s short story was pulled from my own travels and written to share both the essence of a place and provide on-the-ground travel tips to help readers build their own trip.

In short, the book mixes guide book and travel narrative to capture some of our world’s most unique destinations. It is best suited to independent travellers who like to see places outside the standard tourist’s itinerary.

Find your next vacation destination in these themed chapters:

• Wilderness Treks;
• Little-Known Hikes;
• Ancient Temples;
• Rare Festivals;
• Fallen Kingdoms; and
• Modern Metropolises.
  

This book will help you build a unique vacation. For me, these places still delivered the hard-to-find wow-factor--and that’s not easy after visiting over seventy countries.

Let me share more, the book’s Introduction paints a clearer picture about what went into writing the book.

My neighbour once asked me an important question about this book, a basic yet crucial perspective: “Who is your intended readership?” We sat down over a glass of wine, and after a few minutes of my rambling about discovering places most people do not consider venturing to, about the satisfaction of finding an awe-inspiring vista or unwrapping an ancient sight few have heard of, he summed it up magnificently. It is a book for travellers, not tourists.

I had two criteria for the stories and places included in this book. First, the destination had to be away from the main tourist track. Second, the experience had to have left a lasting impression. I was looking for unforgettable memories in incomparable places that most people never see. Thousands of people a year visit Iceland’s Skaftafell National Park, which showcases stunning natural glaciers, yet a day’s hike away lies the virtually vacant Lónsöræfi region. Sri Lanka’s old centre of Galle packs visitors inside its stony walls, but travel farther north and you can watch while history replays itself. At the rock temple of Mihintale—the same hilltop location where Buddhism was first introduced to Sri Lanka--we were the only foreigners to join pilgrims practising century-old traditions during a poya (“full moon”) ceremony. Searching for Unique helps travellers uncover such enigmatic experiences in distant lands.

Whether you prefer active adventure or more subdued cultural encounters, the themes covered in these chapters are sure to ignite your desire to get out and explore our wondrous world. Chapters One and Two are targeted for the active traveller who enjoys trekking and hiking. The third chapter explores ancient temples that have come alive with modern-day devotion. Rare festivals that pushed the boundaries of our expectations are captured in Chapter Four. The book then unveils fallen kingdoms, some of which have been brought back to life, while others remain dormant. The last chapter is for those who like the action of cities but still crave a vacation that feels a little obscure. Overall, these six chapters will take you across five continents, fourteen countries and over twenty-five specific destinations.

Every section recreates the essence of a place and concludes with on-the-ground travel advice. So whether you are an armchair traveller or you are planning your next trip abroad, this book will explore unexpected destinations that feed your traveller’s spirit.”

Introduction to Searching for Unique

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