I’ve noticed more and more people planning their trips down to the last detail, mapping out day-by-day what they’re going to do and asking for technical advice for their 4x4 routes. That’s not my style of traveling at all—I mostly rely on the unpredictability of public transport (and the weather) and the people I meet along the way... The tips I share below come from real-time experiences, the kind of chance encounters that make unplanned trips special, and the strong connections you build when you take your time without knowing what tomorrow will bring.

February 9th is a pivotal day during my trip to Thailand. Up until that date, my focus had been on cities, temples, and other urban landmarks. Starting February 10th, I’ll finally leave the city behind for the outskirts—places with a different pace of life, farther from tourism, more genuine, more authentic... Then comes the idyllic surroundings of Chiang Mai, nature, the countryside, the mountains...

Traveling is so much more than just moving from point A to point B. It’s about immersing yourself in a culture, discovering unique places, and living authentic experiences. With the Henri Trip app, every destination unfolds in a new light thanks to guides crafted by local experts 😉

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Nisyros is a stunning little Greek island, and luckily, it’s well hidden. Located a good twenty hours by boat from Athens, its distance from the Greek mainland puts most tourists off visiting. That’s what makes it such an off-the-beaten-path destination.

VoyageForum needs you more than ever! To keep making it the biggest space for exchange, inspiration, and sharing, we want to better understand your desires and expectations.

After our amazing experience in the Lofoten Islands in the summer of 2023, I suggested to Jean Marie another trek I’d been wanting to do for a long time: the Skye Trail.

A few photos of this stunning island and he was sold and ready to go.

Kattegat Tour and a bit further north! Kattegat isn’t just the name of the village in the TV series *Vikings*—it’s also the name of the body of water separating Denmark from Sweden... the sea, basically! Further north, you’ve got Norway...

Yes, you might be surprised: my first trip to Iceland was back in July 1974. It’s been a little over 50 years since I first set foot on Icelandic soil. I was 23 years old. I was studying geography at the time, in that distant era.

This short stop in Doha is part of a longer trip. It lets us break up a flight to the Seychelles.

Last year, I accidentally discovered a "nature reserve" in the Waterberg by sheer chance. Just one night, but I was so thrilled that I went back this year for 3 nights. It was perfect for breaking up the trip between Marakele and Mapungubwe.

This journal recounts a trip to Rajasthan that’s already over a year old and that I’m only now getting around to writing up. The summer of 2024 marked my return to India—my tenth trip—after six long years away since my last solo wanderings in Tamil Nadu back in 2018 (the journal for which is published on this site).

Cela fait quelques temps que je n'avais plus écrit de récit, mais ce dernier voyage en Islande m'a redonné l'envie d'écrire, tant pour les sublimes paysages que l'on y a découverts que pour notre aventure riche en rebondissements!

You’ve probably noticed it: the real travel gems no longer show up in searches. In this all-digital age, those local tour operators, those small authentic accommodations, those passionate guides, those committed local initiatives stay invisible. No flashy website, no ads, often not even an online presence.

Je vous propose mes impressions concernant mon voyage récent au Mexique, plus précisément dans la péninsule du Yucatan, avec mes jumeaux en bas âge (2 ans et demi). L'itinéraire est ultra classique et j'insisterai surtout sur les trucs et astuces pour voyager avec des enfants en bas âge.

"Traveler meet-ups" are a must-attend event for all adventure enthusiasts, right in the heart of France’s most beautiful gatherings.

Dear members of this forum,

*With the pandemic, travel guides have been replaced by cookbooks. With lockdown, there’s no need for the globetrotter’s guide—the cookbook is gospel, and your daily life turns into a Spaghetti Western. It’s no longer about the good guys and the bad actors, but the good and bad fats. And for a few extra pinches of salt. To the tune of Ennio Morricone, it’s hard to diagnose your pastalogy—sorry, your pathology.

As mentioned in the title, this will be a trip around Tuscany in parts that aren’t the region’s most visited. No Florence-Siena-Pisa trilogy, no San Gimignano; there’ll be a quick stop in Siena, but without visiting the most famous sites. This choice, plus traveling in September, should help avoid overtourism.

In these post-COVID years, South Africa has drawn me back again... The veterans on the forum might say I’m a bit obsessed (I’ve now made over twenty trips to the country, including two to Namibia)...

On this forum, I shared my first trip to Tunisia from mid-February to early March (voyageforum.com/...en-direct-d11460662/), a trip I enjoyed so much that six weeks later, I’m back in Tunisia for a full 15 days.

Here we go, the big day has finally arrived. A trip eagerly awaited by the whole family (my two kids, my husband, and me). To keep it short, we left Nice and arrived in Namibia on June 25, 2025, then left again on the 21st—so four weeks later.

Hey everyone! We see some amazing plans—and also posts that go unanswered despite being for pretty popular destinations. We want to liven things up to help you travel more often with travel buddies and in total safety. Let us know what you're missing!

This monastery is stunning and houses immense treasures. It’s located at the tip of the peninsula near the Mekong. It’s one of the most beautiful in Luang Prabang. The temple walls are covered in mosaics. Its façade is gilded on a richly decorated red background.

We left as a couple from October 20 to December 11, 2025, for our second trip to India, and our first time in Rajasthan, plus Mathura and Agra, which are in Uttar Pradesh but right on the border, and a 4-day flight hop to Varanasi.

Hi there,

First attempt at a travel journal for me and first post after 7 years away from this forum. 😮 I went to La Palma island for 15 days in September 2025. After visiting Lanzarote in February, I was looking for a different and greener island. Well, I wasn’t disappointed. 😎

Hey fellow travelers,

This isn’t meant to be a full-on travel journal—just a little springtime dip into the Moroccan coast (and maybe a bit more if we hit it off). For our 3rd trip to this country, we set off for 8 days in early June 2025, confident we’d be greeted by non-stop sunshine...

I’m kicking off my first travel journal since VF reopened!

This will mostly be to share my impressions and a few photos, with a bit of a delay, but I’m starting this journal while I’m still here.

A big thank you to those who helped me plan this trip!

I was able to organize this trip to one of the most expensive countries in the world thanks to the home-exchange principle. Not necessarily a direct swap, but through a points system, which is more flexible for choosing where you want to go without it having to be a reciprocal exchange.

Explore three must-see spots in Europe, blending historical heritage and architectural wonders.

With GetYourGuide, get skip-the-line tickets and often cheaper access to Europe’s most iconic sites 🙂 Start with the Palace of Pena in Portugal, a colorful gem perched above Sintra. Next, visit Pompeii, the ancient city frozen under Vesuvius’s ashes, before wrapping up at the majestic Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Gaudí’s masterpiece.

Travel smart, explore more, spend less 😉

Before I begin, I’d like to thank Michèle Buisson and her “Misha’s travel journals,” which really helped me plan this trip. It’s tough to find information about this part of India—it’s so different from the “more traditional India.”

Hi everyone,

I’m a newbie to this forum, passionate about wildlife, the landscapes of East Africa, and Tanzania in particular. This June 2024 trip/safari is our 7th visit to Tanzania, and our 5th in the south, which has drawn us more than the north ever since we discovered it.

I remember that before leaving, I was a bit afraid I wouldn’t feel that same sense of wonder I had 2 years earlier in Botswana (see my travel journal). That fear was unfounded... the magic worked its charm once again!