Head Off The Beaten Track With These Lesser-Known Destinations

When you see someone post about a magnificent, bucket list destination on Instagram, how does your gut respond? Do you have an overwhelming urge to visit for yourself, or do you recoil, fancying yourself an intrepid explorer and pledging to visit somewhere your friends have never even thought of? If you fall into the latter camp, the aptly named Intrepid Travel is here to help: this small group B Corp adventure travel company is all about venturing off the beaten path. To help tourists get creative, Intrepid’s annual Not Hot List is back with 10 up and coming destinations ripe for exploring.

C&TH Responsible Tourism Guide

Why Is It Important To Go Off The Beaten Track?

It’s not just quirky to buck the trend and visit a destination none of your friends have – it’s vital so under-visited destinations get a piece of the tourism pie. ‘The Not Hot List is Intrepid’s call to action for travellers around the world to seek out the beauty and intrigue of unsung locations and spread the positive impacts of tourism more evenly, to support more communities in gaining the economic and cultural benefits that thoughtful travel brings,’ says Erica Kritikides, Intrepid Travel’s GM of Global Product. ‘From enhanced employment opportunities to the preservation of local heritage, culture and wildlife – and even as a driver for tolerance and peace – responsible tourism can uplift lives and unleash potential.

‘Our annual Not Hot List strives to bring travellers off the tourist track, and highlight destinations where tourism can bring outstretched benefits to the host communities,’ Erica adds. ‘While promoting alternative destinations is a small part of the solution to overtourism, we remain committed to addressing the bigger issues through our product design. We are the antithesis of massive cruise ships and big-bus touring. Our group size is very small (average of 10 travellers), we only employ local leaders, and we almost exclusively use locally owned accommodation and suppliers.’

Intrepid’s Not Hot List 2024

‘As the world continues to grapple with overtourism, many of us are rethinking where and how to travel in 2025,’ says Erica Kritikides, Intrepid Travel’s GM of Global Product. ‘That’s why this year, Intrepid’s annual Not Hot List is more pertinent than ever. As always, our list shines a spotlight on lesser-known destinations, showcasing overlooked and under-visited places that are ready to welcome curious travellers. These are destinations unveiling new routes, crafting innovative itineraries, and launching exciting initiatives that make them worthy of increased attention, visitation and conversation.’ Drumroll please…

1. Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
2. (Qeqertarsuaq) Disko Island, Greenland
3. Cape York, Australia
4. Adirondacks, New York
5. Sainshand, Mongolia
6. Rupununi Savanna, Guayana
7. Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco
8. Accra, Ghana
9. Maldonado, Uruguay
10. Oslo, Norway

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