Some of us like to travel the hard way. Long lines at airport security, cramped seats and bad food in flight, cancellations and delays are common with air travel. Unfortunately, in order to get to the more exotic destinations of the world, air travel is a necessity. Once you land, there are other problems – the language barrier, crowded transportation (try 23 people packed into a 14-seater mini-bus), long treks along potholed roads, hotels with more bugs than beds and undrinkable water. Why does anyone do it?

A sense of adventure is probably the top motivation, plus a desire to see the incredible landscapes in different countries and the structures and artefacts belonging to different cultures. There is so much to see and explore. Many times, the excitement of planning a trip, and sharing the experience afterwards, are as rewarding as the travel itself.Some of us like to travel in comfort, or not at all. Travelling in comfort is expensive and not always an option, but that doesn’t mean that one has to forego the thrill of traversing the Silk Route, meeting indigenous people of the Amazon, or exploring a Neolithic dwelling on the island of Orkney. Welcome to the world of armchair travel where you can visit any area of the globe, meet fascinating characters and gain insights into the minds of the inhabitants of Malaya, Moldova, Moscow or Montserrat, all from the comfort of your own home.

Atlases are a fascinating source of information about this wonderful world. So many unvisited, unheard of places with evocative names like Samarkand or Kota Kinabalu, Medicine Hat or Mpumalanga, Ruwenzori or Rotorua. Guide books are filled with intriguing facts and figures. But the real thrill comes from reading the first-hand account of someone who has experienced the weather, the roads, the food, the flora and the fauna, be that tiny tree frog or man-eating tiger. It is not necessary to be a professional writer in order to be able to convey a sense of wonder and excitement about a location where you had a really good experience. Even a really bad experience can make good reading.

Have you been to a great travel destination? Why not write about it in The Canadian, (www.agoracosmopolitan.com)? The definition of a great travel destination will vary from person to person. It may be a trip to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador or Antarctica; it may be a cool festival 20 kilometres from your front door. It could be a surprisingly delightful restaurant in any otherwise dingy town. A travel article could be about a six month stay on a South Pacific atoll, or a weekend in Stockholm. Send in your account of a travel adventure and become a travel writer with The Canadian.

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