RealTravel Reveals Top Ten Unique Destinations Off the Beaten Path

RealTravel (http://realtravel.com), a travel blogging and travel guide site that helps more than half a million people plan trips with advice from other travelers every month, today announces top 10 unique destinations off the beaten path, according to RealTravel editors and world-traveling blogger Marc's Watson Year.

1. Ilha de Peniche, Portugal

Just off the coast of Peniche, Portugal in the Berlengas Archipelago, this enchanting island is mostly uninhabited, mostly pristine, and utterly pleasant. This charming destination boasts windswept rocks, small cottages on hills, and quaint bed-and-breakfasts. "Walking around the island took all of five minutes, but in that time, I saw weatherbeaten boats captained by weatherbeaten men, a little white church that belonged on a Greek isle, and oddly-shaped, jagged, angular rocks sticking out of the sea like giant pieces of pool table slate," Marc writes. "Ilha de Peniche-like the rocks that surround it-jutted out prominently and captured my attention."

2. Urubamba Valley, Peru

Though Peru is well-traveled, the Urubamba Valley is often overlooked. Marc and his mother stayed at the Sol y Luna resort there, which sits considerably lower in elevation than Cusco or Machu Picchu, and thus offers fresh, thick, oxygenated air. Marc reflects in his travel blog, "I suppose there are two types of valleys; the kind that swallows you up and makes you feel snug and the kind that stretches for miles and makes you feel small. Urubamba is very clearly the latter, and the crisp air and the blue of the late sunset makes you acutely aware that the sky is much, much bigger than you are."

3. Shark Bay, Western Australia

There are few things simpler in this world than Shark Bay, Western Australia; it primarily offers unspoiled beach, warm water, and friendly people. There are 600 residents of Denham, the most westerly town in all of Australia, and each one of them will wave to you as you walk down the only real street for miles. The waters of Shark Bay, pacified by the gently scalloped coastline, reflect boats and the setting sun in an almost perfect mirror reflection on a clear day. Shark Bay is at once extremely wild and yet quite tame, a place where dolphins will eat out of the palm of your hand and sharks can almost always be sighted off the coast. And it's about a ten-hour drive from Perth, the most remote city in the world, so you should have the place to yourself.

4. The Furkapass, Andermatt, Switzerland

Marc explains how he found this Swiss destination: "The Furkapass was an accident, at least for me and my father. In Switzerland, because of the switchbacks, steep cliffs, and huge mountain range, many mountains have trains that carry cars and people through mountains. Leave it to the Swiss to design trains you can drive on, and leave it to me and my dad to miss the signs for those trains and take the road up the mountain instead...the Furkapass will always be a cherished instance where the journey was better than the destination (in this case, Zurich) and the road less traveled-while potentially deadly-was infinitely more fun than the way.'"

5. Chefchaouen, Morocco

Chefchaouen is nestled in the Rif Mountains between Spanish northern Morocco and the French-speaking south. "In a land that shuns bars, hostels, and virtually anywhere else that might be socially inspiring for travelers, backpackers seem to just meet one another in this town," says Marc. "Whether it's sitting and having tea in the main square (2 dirhams, or about 30 cents), or bumping into Watson applicants at couscous huts, or scarfing delicious and unreasonably cheap sandwiches, travelers seem to find one another in Chefchaouen."

6. Znojmo, Moravia, Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a land that has retained its beauty-both natural and man-made-in the face of a long and difficult political history. Znojmo, which rests on Moravia's southern border with Austria, features the rolling hills and wineries akin to Napa or Stellenbosch, centuries-old cellars handed down through generations like Italy, and the Eastern European old world exoticism that makes things just a touch more authentic.

7. Bridal Veil Falls, Rotorua, New Zealand

There's no shortage of fun things to do in New Zealand, certain hotels can be attractions in themselves. According to Marc, Treetops (www.treetops.co.nz) should be among the Seven Man-Made Wonders of the World. "It is not a hotel but an experience, a lodge and villas atop a hill overlooking 2,000 acres of untouched Kiwi wilderness, with the finest of everything (and the most pressurized of showers) available in conjunction with completely unspoiled nature. When the owner of Treetops bought the tract of land outside Rotorua, he had no idea that it included a series of waterfalls. Neither did the people who sold him the land, incidentally. It was only after the buyer had been hiking his property for years that he stumbled upon this cascade, and a bit after that, a trail was set up for guests to make the same discovery."

8. Petra, Jordan

Walking through the canyons to the site itself is an otherworldly experience, and the first glimpse of the main palace through the rock faces fills you with an involuntary excitement, no matter how many other spectacular wonders you've seen in your life. Petra itself, while catering to tourists, is still very much a local site; Bedouins actually live inside some of the more modest carvings, huddling around campfires and riding their donkeys and camels as they have for years.

9. Huanghua, China

While any China travel guide will mention the Great Wall, there are more ways to view this spectacular site than one might think. Two hours outside of Beijing, in the tiny town of Huangua, the Great Wall might be less impeccably preserved than in Badaling, but you're more likely to run into some runaway chickens than you are to see another camera-toting tourist. "To access the Huanghua section of the Great Wall involves a little bit of acrobatics by ducking under and around a gate," writes Marc, "but we were assured that the section is in fact open and perfectly legal...and getting to explore one of the greatest sites on Earth without having to share it with another living soul was truly one of the highlights of my traveling life."

10. Brasov, Romania

Brasovm is Romania's second-largest city and a historical, under-the-radar location in the heart of Transylvania. "I ate at the finest places that Brasov had to order and forked over about 250,000 Lei (about US$8) for the experience. We're talking steaks, wine, salads, candles, and pianists here, on balconies and in courtyards, all for the price of a Starbucks mochachino and a muffin," exclaims Marc. "There isn't even really that much to do in Brasov except the Black Church, a hike to an overlook, and a little souvenir shopping (there's some Transylvanian pottery which is said to be among the best in the world, but my knowledge of comparative pottery isn't what it used to be), but the overall experience is one of amazement and general happiness. And with so few people knowing about it, it's my best unknown travel destination."

Marc's Watson Year, a 22-year-old from New York, documented his year-long trip around the world in his blog, Marc's Watson Fellowship.

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About RealTravel

Named "Best of the Web" by Forbes and BusinessWeek in 2006 and Best Online Travel Community of the Year in 2007 by the Association of Travel Marketing Executives, RealTravel is a travel blogging and travel guide site that helps more than half a million people plan trips with advice from other travelers every month. Visit us at http://realtravel.com

Media Contacts:

Christina Brzica

RealTravel.com

christina @ realtravel.com

650-694-4970

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