A lovely wander at the mercy of the wind in this amazing Rajasthan (page 9 of 11)

Hi Christelle, Customs and traditions still have a bright future ahead; mindsets are changing very slowly. Have a good day. Roberto

Oh wow, you’re such a foodie, Catherine! 😄

One upside of the health crisis is that I’ve got a few lined up in advance!

So let’s make it a game if you’re up for it 😉.

I’m inviting all the readers of this travel journal to vote to help me pick the next one I’ll share with you.

Here are the options:

1 – Benin: a country that’s really worth getting to know, with incredibly welcoming people.

2 – The Mascarene Islands, especially Mauritius, which we explored fully, and the surprising Rodrigues.

3 – São Tomé Island, off the coast of Gabon, with its beautifully preserved nature.

4 – Kenya, self-drive, with some wildlife but mostly lots of human encounters.

5 – The Seychelles, far from all-inclusive resorts, with hikes across the classic trio: Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue.

Get typing, and sorry to the lovers of the Americas and Asia! 😅

Have a great day, everyone!

A little late... but I’m voting too 😏. I’d say "all of them!"... but Kenya in self-drive is just as rare as São Tomé ;)... so, Kenya!

Oh, thanks for your originality, Muriel—you're the only one who picked this! 😄 But I’m afraid I’ll be monologuing to an empty room about Kenya because 95% of people interested in that destination go for the wildlife and wide-open spaces, not to "meet" a people and immerse themselves in local life. Of course, one isn’t better than the other—it’s just a matter of taste. But since we’re greedy like that, we tried to do both! 😋🍽️

If I thought like that, I wouldn’t have made travel journals about Thailand just because most people go to Phuket or other islands, or because many are interested in Pattaya, etc.

You can feel proud and original for showing a side of a destination that isn’t what you see everywhere.

Hi Joel, It’s true... but I find it pretty disheartening to keep a travel journal where no one chimes in (even if some people read it). It happened to me with Greece, and I felt like I was wasting my time 😕.

That’s exactly it, Muriel 😄

hi there

3: the island of São Tomé, nestled off the coast of Gabon with its well-preserved nature

I remember reading something you wrote about this place... Maybe just a few lines that actually made me want to go for a little visit... But it never happened.

Oh, thanks for your originality, Muriel—you’re the only one who made that choice 😄. But I’m afraid I’ll be monologuing without readers for Kenya because 95% of people interested in that destination go for the animals and wide-open spaces, not to "meet" a people and immerse themselves in local life. Obviously, one isn’t better than the other—it’s just a matter of taste. But since we’re greedy too, we tried to combine both 😋🍽️

Actually, Christelle, I’m one of those who went to Kenya mainly to see the animals, but that’s no reason to skip your travel journal. On the contrary, I think a different approach to a country can be really interesting—and who knows, maybe I’ll go back and experience it differently ;). In the meantime, no matter which destination you share, I’ll be there [:).

Hi Joel, It’s true... but I find it pretty disheartening to keep a travel journal where no one chimes in (even if some people read it). It happened to me with Greece, and I felt like I was wasting my time 😕.

True, it’s way nicer when there’s some activity on a journal... you feel less alone 😉 Come on, you must have one tucked away to make us dream 😉

Obviously, this is self-flagellation, Christelle, because the only way there’d be no reactions to one of your travel journals would be a worldwide internet outage 😉. I’m voting for Kenya too, but the others are great as well. I’m voting for a new Christelle travel journal anyway!

Hi Joel, It's true... but I find it pretty demoralizing to keep a travel journal where no one chimes in (even if some people read it). It happened to me with Greece, and I felt like I was wasting my time 😕.

If we're talking about the one on the Peloponnese, 14 participants and 6,000 views—we’d call that a wild success today ! You’re forgetting to mention that this journal is from August 2020, when the forum was in total upheaval before imploding !

I’d have said Kenya for a self-drive trip too. But if you base your travel choices on how many readers your future travel journal might get, you’ll really limit yourself After all, you’re traveling for yourself, not for potential readers! I was asking myself the same question because I’m currently in Senegal, staying in different places with my in-laws for total immersion, and I was thinking that if I wrote a travel journal, it might stick out a bit among all the requests for motorcycle rentals and permits to cross Mauritania 😎

I would’ve said Kenya for a self-drive trip too. But if you base your travel choices on how many readers your future travel journal might get, you’ll really limit yourself After all, you travel for yourself, not for potential readers! I was asking myself the same question because I’m currently in Senegal, staying in different places with my in-laws for total immersion, and I was thinking that if I wrote a journal, it might stick out a bit among all the requests for motorcycle rentals and permits to cross Mauritania 😎

Christelle, like all of us here, ONLY travels to get a big audience for her future VoyageForum journal! 😉 I think her “poll” was just about setting priorities for where to share her stories.

As for your Senegal journal, of course it’ll stand out—but that’s exactly what’ll make it a hit! An “inside look” at travel—lots of forum members here will love it (well, the ones who are still around…)

Like the rest of us here, Christelle only travels to get a big audience for her future Vf travel journal! Wink I think her “poll” was just about setting priorities for where she’d share her stories.

I wasn’t tying my thoughts to her poll—just to her saying that picking Kenya wouldn’t bring her many readers. That’s why my comment makes more sense now...

As for your Senegal travel journal, of course it’ll stand out—but that’s exactly what’ll make it a hit! A trip “from the inside”—lots of forum members here will love it (well, those who are still around...)

If it pleases or helps even one person, that’ll be a success for me!

If it can please or help even one person, it’ll be a success for me!

At least two 😊 Senegal, a destination on the list—not for the beach scene

I’d definitely be one of those! Don’t forget to post a link here when you start— Senegal isn’t one of the forum sections I usually click around in. Why? No good reason 😉 but no reason it can’t change either.

Same here, because I have this image of Senegal as all-inclusive club resorts when it comes to vacations. .... and I’d love to change my mind! 😎

Well, looks like we’ll be a big group, Pagal, because I’ll be joining you on your Senegalese travel journal too! I just followed a Facebook friend’s trip where he rented a car to travel from St Louis to Casamance, and I absolutely loved it 😊.

For the rest, I’ll go with the majority and take you all on a trip to São Tomé... and I’ll save Kenya for next time 😉

Me too, because I have this image of Senegal as all-inclusive club resorts for holidays. .... and I’m just waiting to change my mind! 😎

You can’t even imagine how far I am from all that! Right now, I’m in my in-laws’ village, and it’s more like donkeys, pigs, chickens, and horses wandering between the huts and coconut trees, and water we have to fetch from the pump every morning—just to wash our feet.

Can't wait for a travel journal now! ;)