Unites States, Canada, Morocco, or Tunisia?

It is getting towards that time, as the days grow longer and the temperatures rise, that people begin to think about taking a snap summer holiday. People who book in advance will of course have made their decision by now and be saving their spending money, but those of us who are never sure we will get the time off work will be working off a bit more of an instinctive reaction, to go somewhere that sounds good. Whatever your budget – and whatever your tastes – there are great summer holidays to be had even at such short notice. 

It all depends on your starting point, to some extent. Naturally if you are starting in Canada, a summer holiday in the United States will not break the bank, but it might lack a little bit in terms of originality. Mexico is currently in the grip of something of a bio-hazard crisis and will probably be dealing with that throughout the summer, so the best tip is to head further south. Many people have spoken of the beauty of Andean Perú, and with good reason. It is a country that carries some of the most spectacular scenery in all of South America, and of course it is absolutely soaked in history. Macchu Picchu is one spot that has a worldwide reputation, but on the way there you will have the opportunity to see many others. The price for a basic hotel for one night averages out at close to thirty Canadian dollars. 

If you are a bit more adventurous – or based on the other side of the Atlantic, then there are many delights to be had on the North Coast of Africa. Among them are Morocco – a real magnet for sun worshippers – and Tunisia. While these countries may suffer from the prevailing but deeply inaccurate reputation of being hotbeds of religious extremism, the reality is far from that. In actual fact both are highly modern, secular societies and are well equipped to serve the international traveler’s needs. Hotel rooms here are even more affordable than in Perú, and the scenery is pretty amazing in both countries. For the gastronome in you, the taste of the regional cuisine is something to experience time and again – whether you are a meat-eater or an avowed vegetarian. 

Tunisia is the less expensive of the two – as Morocco has gained a reputation for being a real estate haven prices have climbed a little. But if you are feeling adventurous, splitting your holiday between the two could be the best idea of all. Both countries have plenty to offer, and it would be a shame to miss out on any of it – so by making Tunisia your base but planning a short hop to Morocco you can spend a little bit less while not depriving yourself of any of the fun. And yes, there are beaches galore in both countries, if you really cannot bear to do any more sight-seeing. It’s your loss, that’s all.

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Why We Should Travel

Ask a hundred people what they would do if they became a millionaire overnight, and at least half of them will include among their imaginary spending plans “a nice holiday somewhere hot”. Some will be able to take or leave the hot weather, but in the main the holiday will play an important part. We love our holidays, as they allow us to recharge our batteries and have a good time away from work concerns and other stresses. While some people will choose to take their holidays at home, there are enough of us who simply insist that a holiday must involve travel. Why is this? Well, there are a few reasons.

1. A change of scenery – With the best will in the world, spending a holiday at home gives too many reminders of work. Waking up in your own bed makes it all too easy to get the irrational fear that you are late for work. Sitting watching TV in your own living room gives way too much of a feeling of a surreptitious sick day – you spend too much time wondering if work is going to call and ask you to come in. Let’s see them do that if you are a few hundred miles away – or further. On a holiday abroad – or even just in a different state – you get the chance to unwind completely in a different setting. That change of scene can make a huge difference to your ability to relax.

2. A change of culture – The old saying goes “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. Many people have had their own hilarious interpretations of this phrase in times gone past, many involving lions and Christians and almost all thinking they were the first person to make the joke. The key point about the original saying is that when you holiday somewhere different, to get the full benefit of it you should attempt to experience the things that locals do as a matter of course. The huge number of cultures in this world makes it interesting, and seeing things from a different perspective is never a bad thing.

3. A change of cuisine – We all know what we like, and many of us would go further, saying that we “like what we know”. While there is some truth to the suggestion that we all deal better with things that we are used to, the enjoyment of a holiday is often greatly increased by sampling the local cuisine. Of course, cuisine has become diverse even in single countries – most of us will have heard the possibly apocryphal story of a young boy holidaying in Italy, tugging on his mother’s sleeve and saying “Hey Mom, look! They have pizzas in Italy, too!” – but there is nothing like eating food made the way it was meant to be made, by people who have been eating it for years.

These are just three reasons, and undoubtedly you will have some of your own – feel free to share those, because people are like nations – we each appreciate different things.

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Global Travel Made Simple

There is an old saying that it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive. And, while you understand what Robert Louis Stevenson was getting at when he said it (and what the Taoists were getting at when they said “the journey is the reward”) it is not necessarily accurate. Sure, there is a real enjoyment in the anticipation when you are traveling to somewhere you really want to go, but is the anticipation really better than the arrival and the experience when you are there? That surely depends on how artfully the holiday was sold to you. There are many of us who feel that although Stevenson and the Taoists were entitled to their opinion, the arrival and the holiday are the best bits.

Traveling is something that many of us have a real thirst for. The Germans have a word for it: wanderlust. It is a desire to journey, to explore, to experience something of the world away from your home. Not everybody has it. Some call it “itchy feet”, which seems somehow disparaging. Wanting to travel does not mean that one does not love their home – it just means that we want to visit other places too, and see how people do things in another environment. Is it better there? Not necessarily, but it is interesting, and brings a bit of variety to life. You can never have too much variety, surely?

Of course, both the journey and the holiday can sometimes fail to live up to expectations. As much as we enjoy a break from the norm, sometimes that break can come at the expense of things which we value highly or have simply come to expect. Holidays are mis-sold by people who misunderstand your requirements, or they are rated highly by someone whose taste differs from you. There are pitfalls for even the most experienced traveler because, when it comes down to it, we do not have omniscience and sometimes that “charmingly dilapidated” holiday cottage is actually just derelict. Sometimes “local character” is actually a high crime rate. But as often as not, it can just be a matter of taste.

Whatever one is looking for in a holiday, there will be countless places that compete to offer you the ideal break for your needs. If you want to go skiing, for example, there are countless mountain ranges filled with ski resorts. Will you go to the one that is close to home? Will you go to the one with the global reputation for perfect snow and excellent après-ski? Will you go to the less-heralded, less expensive resort that is off the beaten track but has excellent write-ups wherever you look? There are a lot of choices to make.

Choices like these will be covered on this site. As the title suggests, Travel Now Simply aims to give you tips on how you can take a trip wherever you want to go, at short notice and with a minimum of extra considerations. After all, you go on holiday to relax, so you do not want to add unnecessary stress to the issue. We will feature tips on where to go, what to do while there, how to save money and how to travel safely – and much more besides. Whether you find it better to travel in hope, or to arrive, you will find plenty here to satisfy your wanderlust.