My 10 top tips to get remote or off the beaten track while traveling
Last updated on July 31st, 2026 at 05:44 am
Many of us want to get off the beaten path for at least some of the time when we travel – but its hard these days. Everyone has been everywhere – or so it seems! And of course its good to see the famous sights. They are of course, famous for a reason, but still how do we go remote, or get off that beaten path too?
It may not be so easy these days to get off the beaten path, but it can be done. Whether its a completely untrampled island or country, or, somewhere untrampled or ‘not yet discovered’ in a well travelled country. Of course you can also go to war torn countries, and some do, but I’m sticking to places that are ‘not in the news’ for now.
For a bit of inspo these are some places I have been that were remote or off the beaten path that you can get to too – Yap (Micronesia), St Helena Island (British Territory – not USA), French Guiana, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Padaido and Papua (Indonesia), Transnistria, Moldova (the least visited ‘country’ in Europe), Barbuda (East Caribbean), Maupiti (French Polynesia), Socotra (Yemen), Sudan, but also a small village in France – Biot, the unvisited corners of Northern Cyprus, the Magdalen Islands in East Canada……
So it can be done – in all these places other travelers were few and far between. But all of them are accessible to anyone that wants to take the time and effort to get there.
These are my best tips to help you get off that tourist trail……
1. Look for hiking spots
Even if you are going to the most travelled country there is, look for places to go hiking, especially where you can go hiking independently. I’m talking about places where it is not compulsory to have a guide, which is pretty much every western country and most others. Look for the places you can go it alone, get your boots on and see what you find.
The bonus is that when others talk about, for example, what they saw in Italy’s Rome, Florence, Amalfi Coast, Lake Como and Venice, you can also talk about what you saw when you were hiking the Dolomites and Valsugana – fantastic! Or in Quebec, others may talk about Montreal and Quebec city, which are both great cities to visit, but you can talk about the hikes you did in Jaques-Cartier National Park, Gaspesie National Park, and Bic National Park!
2. Where is the local wildlife?
On a similar theme, find out about local wildlife and where to see it.
Sticking with Italy as a theme – did you know Italy has deer, bear, vulture, wolf, ibex, lynx, and flamingos?
Quite possibly not – and nor do other people. Researching where the wildlife is can lead you to wonderful national parks.
Add Gran Paradiso National Park, National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise, the Dinaric Mountains, Po Delta Park, Nebrodi Park in Sicily, and Cagliari in Sardinia to your Italy list.
Not heard of them? Great – nor have most tourists in Italy!
And in Canada – have you heard about the Narcisse Snake Dens in Manitoba? I met a guy from Winnipeg in a hostel in North Macedonia and he was blown away that I knew about this. He said most people he met didn’t have a clue where Winnipeg was, let alone about the snake dens!
3. Find good places to swim
Another one is swimming spots. Dig around until you find places like the remote and beautiful Emerald Pools or Dora Bàltea River in the Aosta Valley – again, yes, in Italy.
Can’t find anything appealing? Do a quick google for a book like this: “Wild Swimming Italy Book” by Michelle Tameni.
Sure, many will be well known and touristed but you will always find a few places that are remote or where only the locals will be swimming.
I recently found a fantastic swim spot in Santa Ana – the 2nd-biggest city in El Salvador. I couldn’t believe (given the heat) that no other backpacker seemed to be aware of this perfect swimming spot right in a main town on the tourist trail. Just me and the locals – perfect!
4. Diving spots
Diving! Avid divers will go all out to get to all sorts of remote places to get great dives.
When I was in the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Raja Ampat, the only other (very few) tourists I met there were basically avid divers. Get onto dive sites and see what they talk about and where to go. Yap is another place where I seemed to be the only non-diver on the island – apart from the locals of course!
5. Ask on local Facebook groups
Yes, Facebook groups! You would be amazed at what I find through groups on Facebook. Even if you are too young to be a Facebook user – for the groups it can be worth it to join!
Join local groups in the area you’re heading to and just ask for great things to do in that area that are off the beaten path. Its amazing what local people are happy to share with you.
6. Go sailing
Go sailing. Many of the verry off the beaten path travel places I have been, like Ascension Island, St Helena, Barbuda, the Marquesas, Cocos Keeling Islands (although I did go there once by plane too) I have got to on a yacht. That’s not to mention so many small local islands scattered around the seas as well.
Don’t immediately think – I don’t have a yacht / I can’t sail / I don’t know anyone with a yacht. That was exactly my situation when I decided to go sailing. There are tons of Facebook groups for yachties, and sometimes yachties need crew.
Some groups are specifically for finding crew. Search “crewfinders” or start with Sailboat Hitchhikers and Crew Connection or Sailing Crew Finders Whole World • Long Sailing Trip • Regatta https://tinyurl.com/4kf5tk2v). Tell people how you can help – your sailing experience, or your great cooking, willingness to learn, dive instructor etc. See what happens.
There are also local yacht clubs that often need crew for racing, or offer lessons to get you going. Just start somewhere and see if you get lucky – if you really want it and put in the effort, it will generally happen. Then a whole world of remote and off the beaten path places will open up to you. See pictures from Ascension Island and French Guiana down below from my times sailing around the world – perfectly remote!
7. Travel slow and ask other travelers where they have traveled off the beaten path
Simply by taking it slow, you get to talk to more people and find out more about the local area. Always ask at a hostel or a cafe – you may not find out anything you didn’t already know – but you also might! I often start a conversation in a cafe or shop or on a bus with the question “what’s the best thing about living here in x.” It can lead to some very interesting conversations, as well as some tips for things only ‘locals’ know about in the area.
Also, ask other travelers. Agreed, many are probably on a well worn tourist trail but you will find others, more like you who have found some off the beaten track areas and they are usually more than likely happy to share them with you.
8. Work as you go for great off the beaten path travel
Working as you go, or doing workaways or helpx, or housesitting can be great for off the beaten path travel. I use workaway and that gives me great places to go that nobody normally goes to. And housesitting is often somewhere far from the tourist trail with locals and their neighbors happy to share local info with you. I personally use Workaway and TrustedHousitters.com. Through my memberships if you click the link for Workaway you get a free months membership (13 instead of 12) and for TrustedHousesitters you get a 25% discount on your first year.
My recent Workaway had me at a perfect beach in Northern Cyprus – down a dirt track from my hosts place. It was the nicest beach I swam at in all of Cyprus (and I saw a lot of beaches)! They also took me to a friends dragon fruit farm one day, and to pick wild asparagus and many more little adventures I would never have done if I was just traveling through.
9. Try map spotting for off the beaten path travel locations
Look at a map! Or download and look at the Mark “O’Travel” or “Been” apps on your phone.
What countries haven’t you heard of or know nothing about? Check them out.
Hint: Use the Countries and Territories option on those apps – otherwise fascinating off the beaten track places like St Helena wont appear (its a British Territory – not a country)!
I often get told by people they have never heard of the places I post about on IG and FB – and a lot of it comes from simply looking at a map or these apps! (I found Yap below on a map!)
10. Check with the locals
Finally – always always ask the locals – they are a mine of information and usually only too happy to share with you their local non-famous or secret spots just because you bothered to ask and have shown them you like to see more than the road more traveled.
I hope that helps you find what you want – remote and off the beaten path spots for your next travel journey. If you want some ideas of places to go you can read this post on remote and off the beaten path islands I have visited – that are accessible by plane or public ferry!
Please do tell me of any off the beaten path gems you find – I’d love to hear about them. Comment with them below!
Related Posts
If you want some ideas for going remote or off the beaten path, here are a few to get you going…..
10 remote and off the beaten path islands for the explorer
Visiting Europe’s strangest destination – a travel guide to Pridnestrovie or Transnistria!
Your guide to Australia’s most remote and unspoilt paradise – the amazing Cocos Keeling Islands!
The ultimate guide to Australia’s amazing Christmas Island
Where on earth is Yap? And what to do when you get there!
Discovering Montserrat – the Emerald Isle with an explosive past in the Caribbean
Saba – the unknown Caribbean island for the adventurous traveler
Beautiful Barbuda – the Caribbean island for princesses
and a few other tips….
How to get the money to travel
10 vital must-dos before you rent your house and go traveling
Enjoy – and do let me know where you have traveled off the beaten path!