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.

  • Whirligig. Photo Tonya Fitzpatrick

    On one side of the state, North Carolina has the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains.  On the coastal side, the state boasts wild horses and deep blue waters.  However, the center of the state holds surprising treasures and a rich history.

  • mount everest climbing|everest climbers backpacks

    Mount Everest is the biggest of most climbers’ dreams and many more travelers are taking to its trails to see if they can reach the top of the world’s highest mountain. However, officials in Nepal are currently considering updating their regulations for Mount Everest after a controversial and fatal climbing season.

  • arctic circle marina

    It may be seen as one of the last bastions of adventure travel, but the recent boom in tourists travelling to the Arctic Circle is having a devastating effect on its environment, being damaging to both the local landscape and its inhabitants.

  • State of the World.FemaleGenitalMutilation.MatildeSimasMS4 8417

    On this show World Footprints discusses the power of travel to generate social change and heal depression with two amazing guests. Matilde Simas is an award-winning documentary photographer who uses her gifts to generate social change. Her work focuses on human rights, people affected by trauma, and endangered ecosystems. Matilde Simas, born in 1973, studied at the Suffolk University in Boston and studied photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. As a photographer and filmmaker, she traveled to more than 50 countries and early on started to fully commit herself to human rights and the fight against violations of the rights of women and children. In 2017 the award-winning photographer founded Capture Humanity, an artistic collaborative organization that aims to document humanitarian groups that assist women, children, marginalized communities, and conservation efforts. Patience, commitment, and integrity are the core of their effort to inspire greater creative and social consciousness. [...]

  • Norfolk Historic House taken during a tour of Norfolk, Virginia by Tonya Fitzpatrick

    Join World Footprints as we explore the vibrant city of Norfolk, Virginia, a place brimming with rich cultural and historical heritage. This coastal gem offers an outstanding culinary scene, including the best She Crab soup you'll ever taste. From world-class museums to beautiful gardens, Norfolk has treasures waiting to be discovered.

  • Beggers|begging hand. Begpacking around the world.

    A Russian family was recently cautioned by police in Cambodia after being caught begging in the town of Battambang, raising the issue of the growing trend of begpacking and the effect it has on the countries where people practice it.

  • pripyat Chernobyl Ukraine disaster

    Have you ever wondered what draws people to the morbid places associated with suffering or death? Auschwitz, Ground Zero, and Chernobyl come to mind.

  • zen garden.wellness vacation

    For the past few years, wellness vacations have been on the rise and it’s not hard to understand why: with modern life burdening us with stressful commutes, long working hours, and the expectation of being available 24/7, it’s no wonder that some of us are looking to get away from it all and reconnect with ourselves.

  • Aldabra Giant Tortoise on Desroches Island

    If you ever saw an Aldabra Giant Tortoise, you’d think it was a dinosaur, as they look as if they came from another time period. And, it’s possible that’s true. After all, they can live to be more than 100 years old and weigh up to 300 pounds. Of course, seeing the actual Aldabra is difficult due to the excessive number of restrictions put on visitors.

  • Caribbean Island

    The island of St. Maarten (Sint Maarten) is the common denominator in the stories of two different families whose lives were changed when they landed on the Caribbean island.  Join us to hear why St. Maarten was the backdrop to their positive life transformations. First, we’ll speak to Erik and Emily Orton about their decision to spend a year at sea with their five children.  The family of seven spent a year sailing from St. Maarten to New York.  The lessons they learned and the adventures they experienced are described in their book, Seven at Sea: Why a New York City Family Cast Off Convention For A Life-Changing Year On A Sailboat.  In their book, Erik and Emily remind us that we have the ability to customize our lives, regardless of our perceived constraints. Then, we’ll introduce travel writer Breana Johnson who lived as an American expat on the island [...]

  • Image of cell phone with AirBnB app in Hawaii.

    Hawaii recently passed one of the island’s most strictest vacation rental laws in over 40 years. A bill signed by Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, aims at limiting the number of bed and breakfast rentals to 1,715. The Honolulu City Council suspects there are close to 10,000 vacation rentals on Oahu with only 770 of them being legally licensed to provide short-term rentals.

  • torres del paine Chile

    Outpost, a luxury pop-up camp, has been set up in Aysen, which is a remote area of northern Patagonia, to help people reach some of Chile’s less traveled tourist locations.