Month: March 2021

Let’s talk about Venice. It has a number of beautiful historic sights, shopping opportunities, delicious foods, and of course, its infamous channel of waterways to navigate the city. It is indubitably a breathtaking travel location- an opinion that is surely shared by the 36 million visitors it gets annually. It is easy to see how that many tourists might put stress on a city, and has led to the issue of overtourism. Now, residents of Venice are being forced out by the overwhelming number of visitors it gets, and the area is facing some other issues: overcrowding, pollution, and damage to heritage sites to name a few. 

What if I told you that there was another, less visited country that could still provide fancy wines and waterways, plus a fair share of historic castles, national parks, and caves? Just across the Mediterranean from Venice you’ll find Slovenia, a country rich in culture and sights. 

One of the sites I found most interesting was Predjama castle, which is partially inside a cave and even offers tours of hidden passageways, which were once a medieval escape route. The area also has a number of beautiful lakes, such as Lake Bled, which also contains a small island complete with a beautiful church and castle. The area is most easily accessed by boat, which means visitors can either book a sort of ferry or even rent out rowboats if they wish to. Another popular destination, Lake Bohinj, offers many water activities like paragliding, kayaking, and paddleboarding for more adventurous visitors.

Another interesting sight is Postojna cave, complete with 5,000 kilometers of underground paths as well as a railway that snakes through the cave. For people who would prefer to stay above ground, there is also a selection of artisan classes for visitors to try out- such as pottery, lace making, and weaving. 

When researching the area, another thing I found to be super interesting was Druga Violina. This area allows people with disabilities to practice their artisan crafts and gives tourists the opportunity to support them. In the area, visitors can also sample some of the various Slovenian cuisine, such as dumplings, Kranjska sausage, Kraški Pršut charcuterie, and an assortment of yummy desserts for those with a sweet tooth (like Prekmurska layer cake and Potica).

If you’ve ever wished to go to Venice but want to help ease the challenges the city faces due to overtourism, consider visiting a lesser known  but equally worthwhile country: Slovenia.

In my search for new places to add to my travel wish list, I stumbled across a small, lesser known island country called Tuvalu– so tiny, in fact, that it is the fourth smallest country in the world. It is located in the Pacific Ocean, nestled in between the more popular destinations of Hawaii and Australia. Surprisingly, it is the least visited country in the world- with only approximately 2,000 tourists a year! It is a collection of 9 islands, and like its neighbors it contains beautiful blue water and white sand beaches. I’m not sure if this is the isolation speaking, but a little tropical getaway with some time sprawled out by the ocean sounds just about perfect right now. 

Because the area is largely isolated, it has not experienced the same extent of Western influence as most other parts of the world; there is a single radio station, and things like television and movies are rare. Instead, the people of this little island spend most of their time doing things like playing volleyball, soccer and cricket, fishing, and practicing traditional forms of song and dance. To me, this sounds like the perfect disconnect from technology. If I visited here, the trip would probably not be structured with a detailed itinerary. It would probably consist of days lounging in hammocks and quick dips into the clear blue water, maybe some snorkeling if I’m feeling up to it. 

The largest reason I would like to visit this island, however, (and sooner rather than later) is because due to rising sea levels the island is in danger of going underwater. As it is, the island is no more than fifteen feet above sea level. Scientists predict that the sea level will rise to cover the island in the next 50-100 years- one of the possible first countries to face this fate. This impending danger has caused some to refer to it as “the next Atlantis”. The eroding shoreline and rising waters have already begun to pose problems for the tiny nation- flooding destroys roads and crops that provide the country’s primary source of income like coconuts, bananas, and taro. And, even with this threat so close in the future, the country’s government has still been unable to formulate a plan for relocation when the island finally succumbs to the sea. If more people knew about and took interest in this tiny tropical getaway, maybe the funding from tourism could help secure some aid to the inhabitants of this isle.