Carrying on from last weeks’ blog in which I suggested that you combine one of the most typical new year resolutions (getting more exercise!) with that of choosing a destination ideal for walking or trekking, I would like to suggest that even if you don’t want to get that energetic in 2013 that you at least take the opportunity to move a little bit outside of your comfort zone this year. This doesn’t have to mean that you travel to someplace more exotic or even off the beaten track. It could be just a different location within the same country — with our most popular destination (Spain) being a case in point. At this stage, most of us have been to many of the principal holiday resorts on the mainland and on islands such as the Balearics and the Canaries. Some of you have also probably spent a few days in either Madrid or Barcelona so how about exploring somewhere completely different like Granada, Seville, Cordoba, Segovia, Toledo or even Murcia. All of these cities are steeped in culture; boast impressive historical architecture (such as the Alhambra Palace in Granada or the amazing Roman Viaduct in Segovia) and enjoy wonderful weather, great food at embarrassingly low prices — not to mention little or no crime and extremely friendly and helpful natives.
Instead of visiting New York, Boston Los Angeles, San Francisco or Miami in 2013, why don’t you check out other great destinations within the US such as Washington D.C, Nashville, St. Louis, Phoenix or even Portland, Oregon? Instead of visiting Paris, Nice or Bordeaux, why not explore the Normandy beaches that played such a vital role in precipitating the end of WW2? Indeed, there are hundreds of thousands of square miles of unexplored countryside for you to discover in familiar destinations such as Italy, Germany, Portugal and Turkey. In short, why not make 2013 the year that you stop being a tourist and become a traveler in the truest sense of the word?
