Off the beaten path travel is increasingly difficult to find as time marches on. Mass tourism is impacting everything from our favorite cities to the seas that surround them. All the while locals and the environment are often an afterthought. This series, Trailblazers, checks in with writers, photographers, filmmakers, activists and environmentalists who are passionate about off the beaten path travel.
Alicia Underlee Nelson
Fargo, North Dakota
Alicia Underlee Nelson is a freelance writer and photographer with a thing for hidden gems and overlooked stories. She covers the art, history, culture and food scene in the American Midwest for outlets like Food Network, USA Today, Delta Sky and AAA Living and she showcases uniquely local spots in the Midwest and the prairie provinces of Canada for her own website, Prairie Style File. She also writes about hidden gems and slow travel all over the world for trivago’s Room5 and Matador Network.
Without A Path Tell us a little bit about yourself
Alicia Underlee Nelson I’m based in West Fargo, North Dakota, so my beat is off the beaten path. I report on regional news for Thomson Reuters and I also contribute to several newspapers and magazines in Minnesota and North Dakota. My first book, “North Dakota Beer: A Heady History” hit bookstores this summer and it’s a good example of the kind of work I like to do — telling stories that are inspired and informed by the quirks and history of a place.
I have a fondness for people and places that most people don’t know much about. There are so many places in the world that are overlooked by travelers, simply because they’re remote or evolving or don’t promote themselves as aggressively as their neighbors. (I should know – I live in one of them.) I love shining a light on unusual spots and unconventional people and taking the time to really go deep into a story or a place I’m visiting. If the stories I tell tempt people away from more conventional trips and encourage them to take a chance and explore somewhere new, that’s even better.
WAP What inspired you to start writing about off the beaten path destinations?
AN I’ve been writing off the beaten path travel stories since I was a columnist for my college newspaper in Minnesota. I got the idea for that column when people kept asking me for recommendations (like where to eat or what to do during a long weekend) and they always seemed surprised by my suggestions. I realized that most people are creatures of habit that tend to stick to their routines. I’ve always liked shaking things up and wandering off and having random adventures, so that gave me an unusual perspective. I gambled on making a career of it and it worked.
WAP Off the beaten path travel seems to be increasingly popular. What are your impressions?
AN I think it’s about time that people realized that travel can be about more than checking destinations off their lists or doing the same kinds of one-size-fits-all tours that were popular decades ago. These old ways of traveling required lots of time or money to get to a place. And when you got there, you just ended up standing around and waiting in lines with a bunch of other tourists, which is hardly inspiring. Off the beaten path travel allows for so much more customization and gives us so many more options.
We’re not dependent on a handful of recommended hotels and tour guides anymore. Apps, blogs, social media, specialized magazines and websites and navigation tools can help us go beyond the marquee attractions, get out of the tourist zones and actually connect with local people. That’s empowering for travelers and makes it easy to get a local perspective.
WAP What’s been the biggest surprise you’ve experienced since getting started?
AN It kind of amazes me that working and traveling close to home still feel fresh. I started prairiestylefile.com five years ago as a way to refine my ideas for freelance articles about destinations in North Dakota, Minnesota and Manitoba and to build up my source network. I honestly thought I’d have run out of stories by now.
Instead, the opposite happened. I pretty much always have about 70 ideas in draft form at any given time – which is kind of absurd, really. I can’t get to them all because my travel writing work takes me out of the state and the country more and more.
I don’t think this is unique to me or to my part of the world. Most travelers – and travel writers especially – would rather get a new passport stamp than explore a new place closer to home. I’m guilty of this myself.
But if my work has taught me anything, it’s that experiencing the attractions within a few hundred miles of your home base can keep you busy for years, which is great news for people with limited time and money. And it’s environmentally responsible to start where you are and work your way out, rather than jetting all over the world for a few days.
WAP Do you have a favorite off the beaten path travel destination?
AN Because I have problems following directions, I’m going to give you three! When I need to recharge and get outdoors, I love the badlands of western North Dakota. I try to hike in the bluffs in Theodore Roosevelt National Park or get on the Maah Daah Hey Trail at least once a year. The landscape is harsh and sunbaked and a little otherworldly. The gravel roads are dusty red and the air smells like sweet clover. Everything feels ancient. It’s a special place.
When I want to go abroad, but I don’t have a lot of time, I head to Winnipeg, Manitoba. There’s funky design district housed in one of the best preserved historical neighborhoods in Canada, world-class museums, great food and two of my favorite spas on the planet, all in a compact (and surprisingly walkable) city. Plus, Canadians are incredibly kind and helpful and always have great travel suggestions and I can practice reading in French – two nice bonuses.
I also have a huge soft spot for the side streets and little villages of Spain. I have friends there and go back often, so while I’ve seen a lot of the must-see palaces and museums and churches, the things that really stick in my memory don’t show up in guidebooks. When I think of Spain, I think of wandering the streets for hours, just chatting and and window shopping, eating fresh fish from a beach shack and swimming at quiet, locals’ only beaches, sipping tiny cortados (espresso cut with milk) in little cafes, popping into bars for little plates of tapas and pinchos, lingering over late dinners noisy public squares and hiking gorgeous mountain trails in my friends’ ancestral villages, far from other travelers.
WAP How can the travel industry both preserve off the beaten path travel destinations and help those areas that have been negatively impacted by mass tourism?
AN I’m all for limiting attendance at places that are suffering from too many visitors, whether it’s by starting a lottery system for tickets, staggering visits, shortening the season or charging travelers more to visit. I’m fine with paying more, as long as the locals don’t have to. (Tourists getting access when locals don’t drives me nuts.)
The travel industry – including travel writers – can help alleviate pressure on popular destinations and promote off the beaten path spots by encouraging travelers to think about what they really want to experience on their trip — not just what they want to see. Some people taking selfies from the Eiffel Tower are thrilled to be there. This is both what they came to see and what they wanted to experience. They want the anticipation, the view, the chance to actually stand inside a monument they’ve seen on postcards since they were kids.
But others just took their places in line because they got the impression that the Eiffel Tower is something they just have to do in Paris. It ticks off an item on their checklist, but it doesn’t fulfill a single emotional need or address any of their hopes of goals for their trip, so they don’t really get anything out of it. It’s just another thing to do. It might even stress them out. If we as travel professionals can remind them that they don’t have to do anything – and help them figure out what they actually want to do instead – those travelers might make very different choices.
If their vision of their ideal vacation centers on practicing their French or enjoying the food or being in nature, they might realize they can skip the Eiffel Tower – or even Paris entirely – and still have a great vacation. They could tour the French countryside or sit in cafes for a week or rent a cottage and chat up the locals in a tiny village and be perfectly happy.
WAP Could you offer a tip for readers who want to find off the beaten path travel destinations and travel responsibly?
AN Don’t overschedule. It’s perfectly fine to include a must-see attraction in your day. But then actually block out time without any commitments and give yourself permission to slow down, open up and just wander. You can take public transportation or walk to a new neighborhood if you’re comfortable.
Look for ways to connect with yourself and the moment. Give yourself permission to do nothing at all if it feels good. You don’t have to be productive. You just have to be present. (I know that sounds New Age-y and ridiculous, but it works.)
Sit in the park and watch people walk by. Savor a coffee at a sidewalk café. Listen to the sounds of the locals chatting in the bar. Browse the stacks in a bookstore or head to the local market. Listen to a band or take part in a street festival.
Connecting with other people and taking in the world around us make travel meaningful. The tiny sensory details of a place are what stick with us. Our feelings about a place color our memories. It’s hard to be open and present when you’re treating travel like a to-do list. Wandering is where the magic happens.
WAP What’re you most looking forward to in your work and travels?
AN I really want to explore a place for at least a month at a time. My uncle has been dividing his time between Alaska, Mexico, North Dakota and Nicaragua for years and I’ve always been a little jealous. Since I freelance, this is actually pretty doable for me, so I’m looking into spots in Central and South America since they’re affordable long-term and I speak Spanish well enough to get around. I’m working on two books right now, so I’ll be able to focus on these projects, travel and practice my language skills all at the same time.
On a personal note, I’m excited to travel with friends, keep work to a minimum (I never really turn it off completely) and to let someone else share in the planning duties. I have a few close friends that travel at the same speed as I do (busy and active, with occasional siestas and adult beverages) and we share a similar travel philosophy, so I trust their judgment completely. We just met up for a whirlwind trip of Chicago that was part travel planning collaboration, part improvisation. We’re already kicking around ideas for the next meet-up. Hiking in Armenia, relaxing on the beach in Portugal and exploring a few National Parks in the U.S. are at the top of our list.
