Travel By Design
Design your own travel experience by exploring many travel niches on this Travel by Design page.
Whether you are an adventurer or arm-chair traveler you will find stories on this page that will pique your interest and curiosity. Nearly any hobby, interest or experience can be the very essence of a travel niche and you’ll find many of them below.
Perhaps you are looking for the best LGBTQ destinations or you’re interested in different experiences, volunteer travel (voluntourism) or health and wellness opportunities there are many travel niches to experience. We have several stories that showcase a traveler’s insights and there are other stories that illuminate the outdoors and beautiful landscapes. We have stories of varied experiences from far and wide. The experiences are unique and quite interesting and come from various places across the globe. Our stories will give you a wide coverage of places from around the world.
Whatever travel experience you’re interesting in learning about or designing for your future travels you can find something here. As new travel trends evolve we will continue to add new content that addresses new travel niches.
Go through the interesting stories listed below on this Travel by Design page.
Viewing a solar eclipse had been a goal since childhood, but after experiencing one, I knew that one would never be enough. I had joined the ranks of the umbraphiles—eclipse-chasers, literally, “shadow lovers.”
Traveling with Pomegranates A Mother’s Day Celebration of Bonding, Reinvention, and the Transformational Power of Women’s Journeys Just in time for Mother’s Day, this special episode of World Footprints honors the enduring power of mother-daughter relationships and the life-changing experiences women share through travel. Whether you're seeking inspiration for a Mother’s Day getaway, planning a female retreat, or navigating your own journey of reinvention, this episode is a heartfelt celebration of the bonds that shape us—and the places that help us grow. We are joined by Sue Monk Kidd, the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees, and her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor, for a powerful conversation about their co-authored memoir, Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story. The book chronicles a transformative trip through Greece and France, taken at a time when both women were facing deep personal questions: Sue was working through early ideas [...]
Travelers to Southeast Asia are no strangers to Siem Reap. The city's world-class wonder, Angkor Wat, attracts curious tourists from all over the world. This beautiful destination continues to increase in popularity. And with this boom, opportunities to flourish emerge.
Expanding America's historical narrative to include enslaved and Indigenous people and their contributions to the country.
When you’ve spent your life telling other people’s stories, sitting down to write your own—especially one with global implications—feels daunting, exhilarating, and deeply personal. In a short behind-the-scenes video, my husband and World Footprints co-founder, Ian Fitzpatrick, interviewed me about the beginning of my writing journey for my first business book. This is more than just a publishing project. It’s a calling. A shift. A response to the urgent challenges facing the places we love to visit—and the people who call them home.
I adore car museums for the same reason I admire artifacts in archaeology museums. They teach us about history, style, and ways of life shaped by the parade of automobiles on display. They're an ode to America's love affair with automobiles, and few do it better than LeMay — America's Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington.
Mountains are where heaven high-fives the earth. Indonesia is a diverse destination with 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, the world’s sixth-largest island. West Sumatra, on the Indian Ocean, is often overlooked by most international travelers. However, Indonesians have long been drawn to this province’s much cooler mountainous highlands, particularly its centerpiece, Bukittinggi.
A short flight southeast of Mexico City, the state of Oaxaca holds a mysterious allure for those who travel Latin America. Its culturally rich tapestry may be little more than a blip on the radar of those seeking glitzy beach resorts in Cancun, Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta. However, for those seeking authenticity, Oaxaca has no rival. Twenty distinct ethnic groups reside in the state. And, a full third of the population speaks an indigenous dialect.
PRIDE has always been an important event for the LGBTQ+ community, providing an opportunity to advocate for acceptance and equal rights, celebrate solidarity, and raise awareness of issues that affect the community. While thousands of events are held annually in the United States, it is rare that these events attract the worldwide community—until now.
On today’s show World Footprints explores the plight of the endangered Panther, we chat with one of the rising IZOD Indycar stars Simona de Silvestro, and we also view Catholicism through the lens with Father Robert Barron. As a special bonus, we added some sound bytes and interviews from the DC Stop Modern Slavery walk to end human trafficking.
I ran my tongue around my lips and tasted the lingering flavor of curry and the remnants of spices from masala tea. The morning air was thick with the woody scent of incense sticks. A breeze rustled by. I stopped and took in the grassy scent of banana leaves and a faint whiff of freshly plucked flowers as I began my experience at Thaipusam in Penang.
Our 4x4 safari vehicle heaves and jolts through the deep recesses of the primeval forest. This is early March, and the dry deciduous jungle is laced with post-winter earthy shades of green. But the towering cotton and palash trees have splashed fiery red hues onto the canvas. The afternoon sun filters through the overhead canopy to illuminate the moss-ridden tract peppered with fragrant flowers and withered leaves.
