How often does the best part of a trip come from something you almost didn’t book?
Think back to that meaningful conversation, the daredevil moment, the extraordinary service, the picture you keep looking back on.
These travel experiences are the fuel that keeps you wanting more and seeking something different unique every time you book a new trip. And, ironically, they’re usually not the ones you find at the top of the search results.
Usually, they’re the ones you wouldn’t know to look for. Sleeping beside a whale-filled bay. Painting your own graffiti tag with local artists. Making a tiny doll out of corn husks in a village deep inside the Maya Biosphere Reserve.
These aren’t your “standard” sightseeing stops. They’re the oddly specific, weird, cool, memorable experiences that turn a good trip into a story you keep telling again and again.
Here are six TTY experiences worth skipping a viral itinerary for.
Mexico: Glamp Beside the Whales
Forget the beach resort. During whale season, we’re taking glamping to the wild side.
From January through March, gray whales gather in Magdalena Bay, where they come to breed and raise their calves. After the drive to the bay, you’ll settle into a glamping camp with the bay on one side and a protected estuary on the other.
There are dolphins, birds, mangroves and plenty of opportunities to get out on the water. You’ll kayak through the estuary, practice safari-style yoga and sit down to dinner overlooking the dunes and bay.
It’s a little hard to call that roughing it.
Colombia: Paint Your Own Tag in Medellín
You’ve seen street art, but have you ever made your own?
In Medellín, we’ll visit Casa Kolacho, a community project that teaches local kids graffiti art, dancing, DJ skills, and more. You’ll learn about the role art plays in the community before painting your own tag.
Then we’ll explore two very different comunas. In Comuna 13, colorful graffiti tells stories of struggle, resilience, and perseverance. We’ll also visit a more local comuna, where we’ll chat with residents and get a glimpse of everyday life.
There’s a big difference between looking at a mural and picking up the spray paint yourself.
Guatemala: Make Corn Husk Dolls With the Ladies of Uaxactún
Deep inside Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve sits Uaxactún, a community surrounded by rainforest and ancient Maya ruins. Few travelers make it this far. That’s exactly the point.
We’ll share a traditional lunch in the village before strolling to a local home to try our hand at making a traditional corn husk doll with the ladies of Uaxactún. Then we’ll watch the sun go down before walking to the ancient ruins for an outdoor dinner.
You came for the Maya ruins. You left with a corn husk doll.
Sri Lanka: Try to Beat the Locals at Cricket
Here’s a travel experience that requires approximately zero athletic ability and a healthy sense of humor. While cycling through Sri Lanka’s countryside, we’ll stop in local villages, visit homes for tea and share a meal with the people who live there. Then comes the main event: a cricket match between our group and local villagers.
Cricket is a serious business in Sri Lanka. Our chances of winning? Let’s call them… aspirational (but that’s what makes the afternoon so fun). You’ll play, laugh, and get to know people in a way no sightseeing tour can quite replicate.
And if you somehow win? We will absolutely be mentioning that in the newsletter.
Peru: Help Prepare a Traditional Pachamanca
Some of the best travel memories happen around a table. In Peru, getting to the table starts with helping prepare the meal.
We’ll visit an organic farm set on an old Incan terrace and participate in preparing a traditional Pachamanca, an Andean meal cooked in an earth oven.
It’s a hands-on way to experience a tradition rather than simply read about it on a menu. Afterward, we’ll take part in a traditional Despacho ceremony, a uniquely Andean ritual of gratitude and offering.
You don’t need to be a chef. You just need to come hungry.
Italy: Go Herd Goats in Piedmont
Wine tasting is lovely, but have you ever herded goats through the Italian countryside? In Piedmont, you can.
We’ll head into the hills with a local goat shepherd and help drive the goats into their pen for milking, with the shepherd’s herding dogs possibly lending a hand (or waiting for you after it’s done for some much wanted attention). Then the goat’s milk becomes cheese, which you’ll get to, more importantly, taste.
It’s a very different way to experience Italy: rolling hills, local traditions, and a herd of goats that have zero listening skills. And yes, there’s still plenty of wine on this trip.
The Best Travel Stories Start With “You Will Never Believe This”
You don’t have to travel somewhere no one has heard of to have an unexpected experience. Sometimes, you just have to look beyond the obvious.
The best parts of a trip aren’t always the famous landmarks or the attractions at the top of every list. They’re the afternoons spent playing cricket with villagers, painting beside local artists, or learning to make something by hand.
They’re the stories you bring home that start with, “Okay, you’re never going to believe what we did in Guatemala…”
That’s the kind of travel we love.