Each month in Perceptive Travel, where I’m editor, we try to bring you the best travel stories on the internet from usually lesser-known destinations around the world. When we do cover a place everyone has heard of, we try to look into a unique angle and go beyond the surface impressions.
In the November issue, Camille Cusumano heads to Varanasi in India, but while the huge Kumbh Mela pilgrimage is going on nearby and the city is filled with sadhus. While hanging out and talking with them, she straddles the line between pilgrim and tourist, insider and outsider. See A Reluctant Pilgrimage to Varanasi.
James Michael Dorsey travels to Kanas, in the mountains of western China where the boundaries of Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan collide on a map. Large monoliths on a mountain near here are some of the few remaining artifacts from the great Mongol empire. See The Stones of Genghis Khan.
Stephen M. Bland heads to a remote corner of the country of Georgia where few travelers go and the population has dwindled. It’s an area near the Russian border where tensions still run high. See A Gun for Bears and Russians on Georgia’s Ossetian Military Road.
The last story is mine, on a recent adventure that went from the teeming capital city of Mexico to forests, a volcano lake, and a hang gliding zone just a few hours away. See Finding Nature in Mexico Near the Mega Metropolis.
As always, we also feature reviews of some new and noteworthy travel books to check out. This time it’s one on Asian elephants, one on #vanlife living and traveling, and Don’t Make Me Pull Over!, an “informal history of the family road trip.”
Some Games for Your Next Vacation
Speaking of family vacations, one Perceptive Travel subscriber or follower will have six ways to get their partner or kids away from the glowing screens on the next trip.
Last month one reader scored a nice gadget-friendly 28-liter daypack from Kathmandu. This month somebody will get a set of travel dominoes plus the Backpack 5-in-1 Game Set from Outside Inside Games, pictured above. This travel-friendly package goes into a mesh bag with a carabiner for easy packing or to take along on a picnic.
To score this fun game set that never needs recharging and get a shot at future gear giveaways, join our e-mail issue update community. Then watch for the entry instructions near the beginning of the month. You can also follow PT on Facebook and pay close attention to the feed for instructions, even if you missed this month’s newsletter. We hear, “Wow, I never win anything!” from a lot of our champs because the odds on these contests are usually less than 50 to 1. Some readers have won the first time they entered, others have scored twice!
If you’re already on the Perceptive Travel Insiders list, great. Just go check out the new issue here for the current travelers’ tales.
Omaha RedhochipeNeat
Monday 4th of November 2019
Neat place!