#less touristy places to travel 2024

[3nn-express]

Best Places to Travel in June 2024.

Best Places to Travel in June 2024: With the coming of summer and its longer days, tourists have an abundance of options to choose from when choosing their June destination. There are many great destinations to visit this month, whether you want to take part in an exciting event, celebrate Dad on Father’s Day, or just take a long weekend away from the daily grind.

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[brian-mccann]

Sustainability Remains a Travel Trends in 2024

In 2024, travel experts believe that sustainability will continue driving choices made by travelers. Some will pick their destinations based on accommodations that have implemented sustainability to attract them to their hotels, dining, and tourism hotspots.

A 2024 report from the travel publication Booking stated that 53 percent of travelers searched for accommodations that offered a mix of comfort and sustainability. Sixty-five percent of travelers want to go to places with green space and plants near their accommodations. Moreover, 60 percent of travelers want eco-friendly options. Then, they appreciate receiving rewards from apps that allow travelers to make decisions based on sustainability options. Finally, 47 percent of travelers want to connect with locals living in less well-known areas, and 44 percent prefer to travel to less touristy spots.

The type of trips consumers are choosing include scuba destinations that prioritize sustainability. A December 2023 Conde Nast Traveler reported that 95 percent of divers want to connect with scuba outfits on their trip that have a sustainable platform, even though it has been challenging to find locations that emphasize eco-friendliness.

[hannahgoesabroad]

Hannah Goes to Paris!

Sorry for the lack of posts recently; so much has been going on! This past weekend I went to Paris, France. I visited the most touristy locations, the biggest among them being the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame, and Versailles.

This first trip of the semester was taken with the program I’m on, with around 50 to 60 people in total traveling. Arriving to Paris on Friday night, we checked into our hotel and stopped for a quick bite to eat before heading to our boat tour down the River Seine. The boat was a double decker, with the top being open and the bottom all covered and heated. We passed sights like the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame, cameras constantly lighting up while the poor tour guide tried to talk over the crowds of rowdy students.

We took some extra time in front of the Eiffel Tower, and we knew it was a special night because the Tower was lit up in rainbow colors. Paris is competing to have their city be the next location for the 2024 Olympics, which is the reason for the colors (signifying the colors of the rings). In the middle tiers of the tower there was a sign with glowing letters, it had the phrase “made for sharing” running across it.

After leaving to boat tour, we got on the metro (suprisingly still difficult even with my london tube experience under my belt) and headed towards the actual location of the Eiffel Tower. We ended up getting a great photo opportunity with where we ended up, having a raised view of the tower and making it just on time to see it start to sparkle. On the hour every hour the tower sparkles for the first five minutes of the hour. I caught on video the exact moment it changed over and it was magical. Since we had had a long day of traveling, after the Eiffel Tower, we headed back to the hotel and fell into our comfy hotel beds.

Saturday came quickly, and with it a jam packed day of activities. We had a scheduled bus tour, so we hopped on that in the early morning and drove around the city of Paris. We were dropped off at the Louvre, which had just experienced a violent incident (may have been terroristic, investigators aren’t sure yet) the day before. While some of us were more on edge because of this, we were determined not to think about it. Even when we saw the guys with massive guns strapped across their chests walking around outside and inside the museum.

Inside the Louvre was absolutely wonderful, some of the most famous sculptures and paintings ever to be created housed in there. Seeing the Mona Lisa up close and personal was quite the task, having to push through crowds of people, terrified somebody would try and pickpocket you while simultaneously praying that your phone battery wouldn’t die before you got your selfie with the painting.

After the Louvre, my little group stopped for some amazing, but expensive!!, macaroons (my first try, soooo good). We then headed over to the Notre Dame. The line moved relatively quickly, and we were lucky enough to enter right when Mass was starting. For seven euros, I lit a tiny candle that I left and also got a bigger candle that I lit and then took with me. After I finished my prayers, I turned around to see one of my friends, Johnathan, pretty emotional. At the sight of him, I started crying as well. I still couldn’t tell you why exactly I was overcome with so much emotion; I think because of the atmosphere, with everyone around me singing so joyously and the connection that I felt with God in those few moments put me over the edge. I fully realized how lucky I am to be in the situation that I am, to be surrounded by people that love and care about me and knowing that no matter what I end up doing with my life I will always have that basic sense of security that an overwhelming percentage of people never have.

Saturday night we headed back to the Eiffel Tower to get a closer shot. One of my friends, Brenda, has been to Paris before and practically shoved me in the direction of the crepe stand right next to the tower. I got a nutella-filled crepe and can honestly say it may have been one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life! After taking 10 thousand pictures in front of the tower and scarfing down our crepes, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for our last day of the trip, which would be spent at Versailles.

Sunday morning we took the hour long train out to Versailles, arriving around 10:30 and finally getting through the front doors at quarter to 1 p.m.. Google searches and brief memories of history lessons gave me a bit of background as to why the place was so historic, but no amount of information can convey how beautiful the building and surrounding gardens were. When venturing around the back gardens, the calming nature made me wish there were time machines that could transport me back to when Marie Antoinette and King Louis XIV lived in the palace and walked the back gardens.

After returning to our hotel, we only had an hour or two before we had to get on the two and a half hour train ride that would take us back to our ‘home’, London. By the end, we could all agree that while we absolutely loved Paris, we had chosen London for a reason. We were more than happy to return to the city that had cleaner tube stations, less chances to get pick pocketed, and where everything was in the English language.

This coming weekend: Barcelona! More updates to come, thanks for reading!

Signing off,

Hannah