There’s no arguing the likes of Tenerife and neighbours Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are all decidedly on the beaten track destinations. But here’s the thing I’ve learned about people who stay ‘on the beaten track’. They don’t stray far from the well worn path at all… even in tourist hots spots.

Zoom in close on what that means and you find that even within any one resort in a popular holiday destination and people generally follow the same track as everyone else. We’re only animals in the end and many people find comfort in staying with the herd.

In the town we live there are the ‘main tourist drags’ – the route the majority of people follow to get from A to B. Take a step away from the crowd and head up a side street to walk along any of the streets running parallel to the main drag and it’s a different scene altogether, often it’s where the more interesting places are to be found.

It’s no different in popular beauty spots. The most visited location on Tenerife is Mount Teide. Thousands of excursionists, independent travellers and locals descend on Teide National Park every day. Most of them stick to the same routine. They stop at the Teleferico cable car to get as close to the summit of Mount Teide as possible without actually having to put a lot of effort into walking, and stray a few steps from coach/car to the viewpoint at the Roques de Garcia.

These are the sort of places which are dismissed by people who crave going off the beaten track. Yet anyone who avoids popular tourist attractions is overlooking one crucial piece of information. To go off the beaten track, even in a massively popular tourist destination, often all you have to do is walk a short distance away from the crowds.

Less than a minute’s walk along a dusty volcanic path and the masses are jettisoned. What’s more, the great bulk of the rest of Teide National Park is devoid of people.

It’s more or less the same everywhere.

It was bedlam where our coach deposited us at Great Wall of China, but after a 15 minute climb of a steep section of the wall, we were virtually alone. Generally people who are on excursions don’t stray far from their coaches.

It’s similar with popular cruise destinations. Dubrovnik is chaotic when the cruise passengers descend in their thousands. At least Dubrovnik old town is. The ‘main drag’ through the historic streets is a chaotic sea of people at peak times of the day. Dubrovnik outside the old town isn’t affected by this mass invasion. Even in the old town, the streets away from the established cruise route are often tranquil places to explore, especially if you time your visit to avoid the cruise invasion.

Carcassonne in Languedoc is another example. One of the most popular tourist attractions in France, the medieval citadel is an tourist magnet to the point we couldn’t wait to escape. But the old ‘new’ town which lies at the feet of the citadel is not without charm. It is, however, free of the coach excursionists who clog the arteries of the citadel.

Wandering through medinas/souks in places that are popular tourist destinations, such as Marrakech, can involve an incessant and exhausting assault of offers of ‘help’. Ducking into historic buildings like ancient palaces or old forts is to escape into a people-free oasis of calm.

Cinque Tierre on the Italian Riviera looks enchanting, but I have no desire to visit after seeing photos of lemmings in human form bloat the picturesque streets. And yet I’m sure the same thing applies there as in the places I’ve mentioned; move away from the established tourist and there will be a different scene.

Living on an island known for mass tourism has taught us it isn’t very difficult at all to escape the crowds.

Going off the beaten track in on the beaten track locations is also immensely satisfying. Popular mass tourism hot spots are the last places many people would look for unique travel experiences.

Jack is co-editor, writer and photographer for BuzzTrips and the Real Tenerife series of travel websites as well as a contributor to online travel sites and travel magazines. Follow Jack on Google+

The World Travel Market Industry Report reflects a combination of two surveys; one involving 1036 British holidaymakers, the other involving 2050 professionals involved with the tourism industry.

This year’s report saw a rerun of some trends predicted in last year’s report. It’s also clear that some within the industry itself still haven’t quite got a handle on what is no longer the new kid on the blog, the influence of social media, or even the less traditional ways people now book their holidays i.e. peer-to-peer.

British Holiday Trends
There was a significant drop in the number of Brits who will have taken a holiday in 2015, 61% as opposed to 70% in 2014. However, industry insiders view this as a blip and expect the figure to increase in 2016.

Hot New Travel Destinations for 2016
The three ’emerging’ destinations highlighted for 2016 were China, Mexico and Iran. Interestingly two of the three (China and Iran) reflect the strengthening of diplomatic and business relationships with the United Kingdom. So the question might be, is there a real interest amongst potential holidaymakers or are we’re being subliminally, or otherwise, pointed towards certain destinations?

With China there’s a possibility of both. It is a country which fascinates and 50% of those polled expressed an interest in visiting, whereas with Iran it was 16% which meant 84% didn’t. It’s a figure which makes you wonder why it was included.

Mexico is a different matter altogether. It’s already the second most popular long haul destination for UK holidaymakers. A smart marketing strategy which included using the first Mexico City Grand Prix as well as its starring role in the latest Bond movie, SPECTRE, as marketing tools should keep it blipping away noisily on holidaymakers’ radar.

Responsible Tourism
An awareness of impact on the environment continues to stay high on the tourism agenda with more than 80% of industry professionals insisting the environment is important to their organisation and 60% of holidaymakers claiming to be environmentally aware when on holiday. What this means in reality is hazy, so it’s difficult to know whether this extends much beyond not dumping the towels in a heap in the shower every day.

Capping Tourist Numbers
What is becoming an increasingly important issue is the need to control the number of visitors to popular holiday destinations. Barcelona and Venice are already taking steps to try to limit the impact of too many tourists. Other cities should think about following suit as uncontrolled numbers  are having a negative impact on the experience of both visitors and locals. However, the compilers of the report got it wrong when they included the Canary Islands as a destination which was considering capping. It isn’t. This misinformation originally came from a misinterpreted interview with the Canary Islands’ new president.

What was interesting was panel members completely ignored one of the biggest sources of high tourist numbers flooding destinations – cruise ships (Dubrovnik take note). Instead they pointed the finger more at individual travellers. Hmm.

Sports Tourism
Like last year, sports tourism continues to be a draw with 84% of professionals polled believing hosting major tournaments has a positive impact on a destination.

New Travel Trends for 2016
The big news in 2016 is the predicted increase of no frills long haul flights. It’s already happening with some ‘budget’ routes already launched and more airlines expected to follow suit. Cheap fuel prices have contributed to this development but some believe it is financially unsustainable. Only time will tell.

The widespread availability of wifi when flying is looking more and more likely with 50% of passengers approving of being able to get online. Shouting into your mobile is less popular; only 20% want to see being able to make phone calls as standard on flights. I’m with the majority on this one.

Holiday Booking Trends
This is where the industry seems to remain a bit confused with potentially conflicting statistical results.

For example, peer-to-peer sites only account for 3% of bookings and travel industry experts say they have had little effect on the traditional travel industry. However, the likes of Airbnb have doubled bookings from 40 million room nights in 2014 to 80 million this year. Of those who have used peer to peer sites, 97% say they would do so again. I don’t blame them, we’re massive fans of Airbnb.

Tripadvisor remains highly influential whilst the impact of travel blogs remains unclear. Stats show only 8% of people use travel blogs as part of research. This aspect of the research hasn’t really developed in recent years and might reveal a lack of understanding on the part of researchers. The real question surrounds people’s ability to identify what is and what isn’t a travel blog. Many good travel firms now use blogs as part of their site and the difference between conventional travel writing and travel blogs is continually blurring. From conversations with some folk in the industry it’s obvious not all understand this evolution, so it’s unfair to expect people outside to get a handle on an aspect of the industry that is still relatively in its infancy. These factors make statistics unreliable and to be treated with caution.

Important Factors When Booking a Holiday
No surprises, affordability is top when it comes to final choice. In second place is the weather which is a key factor for 82%. You can implement all the smart marketing strategies you want, but if you’ve got a sunny clime you’re a winner in tourism terms.
A sad reflection on the state of the world today is the fear of terrorist threats is a factor for 61% of holidaymakers when it comes to booking a holiday.

Finally, Let’s Talk About Selfies
Selfies have been big news this year. Who’d have thought that holidaymakers taking pictures of themselves (haven’t we always done this?) would have the top bods in tourism pondering how to deal with the rise of digital narcissism? Only 40% of holidaymakers admit to posting selfies on social media (I’m not having it that 60% of holidaymakers don’t take piccies of themselves).
More interesting is 64% of the industry’s senior leaders (whoever they are) think selfies should be closely monitored (whatever that means) at tourist hotspots.

I guess in layman’s terms that’s a way of saying ‘don’t be a dick with your selfie stick.’

Jack is co-editor, writer and photographer for BuzzTrips and the Real Tenerife series of travel websites as well as a contributor to online travel sites and travel magazines. Follow Jack on Google+

“That’s the trouble with you Manchester United fans,” the Irish dentist standing behind me scoffed. “You think everyone is interested in Manchester United. They’re not. This is the Yangtse. Nobody has heard of Manchester United here.”

The riverboat secured, we shuffled off the old boat single file, passing signs in Chinese that meant nothing to me. It was a dreich day. The river was mud brown in colour, the riverbank was actually mud, the sky didn’t seem much different in tone.

As we edged closer to terra firma a huge angled billboard came into view. I’d no idea what it was advertising, but I instantly recognised the face beaming down at us all – Ryan Giggs in his Manchester United strip. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect

Everybody leaving the boat spotted it. I didn’t need to say anything.

Behind me I heard the Irish dentist sigh.

Jack is co-editor, writer and photographer for BuzzTrips and the Real Tenerife series of travel websites as well as a contributor to online travel sites and travel magazines. Follow Jack on Google+

This was no time for sentimentality, I took a deep breath, hunched my shoulders and charged forward like a Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback.

I was particularly excited about visiting Fengdu, China’s ghost city. Although some describe it as tacky and a bit of an amusement park, I think they miss the point about the richness and mythical aspects of Chinese culture. But then I’ve been a fan of Chinese storytelling since being spellbound by A Chinese Ghost Story, enchanted by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and thrilled by Hero. The city itself is now underwater, but the hill in which the King of Hell lives still exists.

Visiting the ghostly Ming Mountain sends a delicious tingle down my spine – I love all the hullabaloo surrounding the place, the stories – true or false I don’t know and don’t care – about ships not being able to dock at night and shopkeepers insisting customers drop their coins in a bowl of water so they could tell who was from this world and who wasn’t (ghost money floats).

Shortly after arrival a face in the crowd turns toward me and dark eyes set in a blood red, grotesque ghost mask fix on mine and follow my progress as I pass; it’s disconcerting. From there onwards I’m bombarded and overwhelmed with fantastical tales and unnatural images of sculptures designed to shock including one with a deer suckling a woman’s bare breast. It’s a wet and grey day, making the trip to hell not particularly pleasant, but then you wouldn’t expect it to be.

Every so often our group is asked if we want to undertake a task. The first is related to male fidelity which is tested by the ability to lift a huge, round boulder.  Any man that can lift it is pure, any that can’t is a philanderer – it’s a no win situation. One of our group is foolhardy enough to give it a go. He huffs, puffs, grunts and groans as his face turns the same colour as the ghostly mask; the stone doesn’t budge an inch. His wife laughs…but I’m sure I see her eyes flicker, she certainly seems subdued afterwards. Every other man in the group sensibly declines and a short stocky Chinese man not much bigger than the stone appears and shows us that it can be actually be done.

The next test involves gently rubbing the rim of brass bowls filled with water. If the water jumps, the person doing the rubbing will be rich. If it doesn’t, poverty beckons. I’m happy to give this one a go, the water does nothing for a second… and then bizarrely starts to dance – it’s a result.

Then comes the big one, the three steps to becoming immortal. I have to say at this point that the tests are weighted in favour of people who are fit (sort of makes sense). Standing for three minutes on one foot perched on a stone outside a temple gate isn’t as easy as it sounds but, as a means to becoming immortal, there are more difficult tasks I can think of.

My memory betrays me about the name of the second test (or maybe I’m just keeping it a secret) but it involves running up a long, long set of steep steps in one breath. Most of the the people on these tours are ‘mature’ or, if I were describing cheese, ‘extra mature’. They’ve no chance…but they do get in the way. I take a deep, deep breath and set off, taking the steps two at a time. I’m ashamed to admit it but all grandmas and grandpas who block my progress (and there are plenty) are brusquely and ruthlessly ‘bumped’ aside on my quest for immortality. I reach the top and exhale with such force that some of the frail creatures coming up the steps behind me teeter and look in danger of falling backwards down the steep stone steps.

The third test is a dawdle as its name suggests. Walk across the Nothing-to-be-Done-Bridge without falling into the pools below it and that’s it; job’s a good ‘un. There’s only one little catch – there are two parallel bridges. Hold hands with the person crossing the parallel bridge and you will stay with them for eternity.

Thankfully I’m with Andy, who has also passed the previous two tests. We wait our turn; in front is an old couple in their seventies and in front of them a young couple in their early twenties. As the young girl prepares to step onto the bridge the old man rushes forward with surprising speed and agility, grabs the girl’s outstretched hand and drags her across the bridges before she or her boyfriend can do anything about it. We stand open-mouthed and shocked by this dastardly piece of skulduggery. We might have different western beliefs, but you just can’t shift that little ‘what if’ seed. The old man’s wife is furious whilst the girl is in floods of tears. Who can blame her? The poor girl’s eternity looks decidedly bleak.

When it comes to our turn, I take Andy’s hand in a vice-like grip and glance behind me lest any other toothless old codger has hatched similar plans. But we cross without incident and make our way triumphantly back to the un-ghostly comfort of our waiting ship to continue our river cruise up the Yangtse.

Fengdu exceeds all my expectations.

Read Part 1 and Part 2 of our Yangtse River Trip

Maybe it was a lost in translation moment but it was an example of the quirkiness of life on board a Yangtse River cruise ship. The ship itself was light years away from my idea of a cruise liner and resembled one of those old Mississipi steamers except sans funnels and paddles. It chugged slowly up the Yangtse at a leisurely pace allowing ample time to absorb the alien Chinese world that was passing by. The landscape and life on the banks of the Yangtse was nothing at all like I imagined it would be.

There was an excellent TV documentary series some years ago called Beyond the Clouds. I’d imagined the scenery around me would resemble a mix of that and a scene on a willow pattern, with Jade temples perched on cliffs and sampans negotiating bridges lit by delicate paper lanterns etc.

The Jade temples did exist but what initially struck me was the industrial nature of settlements on the banks of the Yangtse; mainly massive soot-stained cities. The weather was grim and the limestone cliffs rising up from the river were often shrouded in a grey mist that drained the colour from their slopes, whilst the waters swirled a murky brown. There were sampans on the river but there were also coal boats, merchant ships and other cruise ships – it was a fast flowing motorway that was fascinating to observe.

On board ship our fellow passengers were probably 75% Chinese with the rest a mix of  other nationalities including two small British groups. Meals were served around large circular tables laden with dishes of typically Chinese cuisine which whilst not exactly top notch was certainly varied and decent enough fare…except if you were vegetarian in which case apart from rice it was Chinese cabbage or Chinese cabbage.

Entertainment on board was like a mini version of many cruises – there were films and Mahjong and flower arranging classes etc. At night the action moved to the lounge where there was an entertainment programme that ranged from cheesy fun to traditional dancing exhibitions. One of the cheesier events involved the male participants swinging a potato, held in place by a string tied to their belts, between their legs to hit a ball along a course. One of these competitions involved three participants from China, Britain and Germany; it turned out to be quite revealing regarding the…err…hip thrusting techniques of different nationalities. The German’s movements were incredibly stiff and mechanical whilst the Brit thrust his hips enthusiastically but just couldn’t get the rhythm right. The Chinese participant was the only one who could match rhythm with thrusting. Make of that what you will…I’m making no further comment.

With all sorts of judgements being made by the women in the lounge, I felt it wise to totally decline participation in the hip-thrusting international Olympics. But I did accept an invitation to take part in an exhibition of traditional country dancing which seemed much safer. Little did I know that part of it involved my female dance partner throwing her skirt over my head – bizarre, but when in Rome and all that.

The entertainment tended to finish very early and a small group of us would grab a bottle or two of wine and head out to a small open deck at the rear of the boat to enjoy our evenings on the Yangtse for just a little while longer.

One night, just outside the ghost city of Fengdu, we experienced one of those magical travelling moments that stay with you forever. The river was black apart from faint yellow lights from lanterns on fishemen’s sampans. There was total silence, the ship had moored up for the night as you don’t enter Fengdu under darkness (I’ll explain why in the next post). We’d been sitting quietly for a few moments contemplating the serenity of the scene when an Irish woman in the group began to sing a traditional Irish folk song, The Spinning Wheel.

Her voice was wonderfully sweet and pure and the cliffs rising up at our side created the perfect acoustics. As she sang “Mellow the moonlight to shine is beginning…” I could almost believe I could see the words of the song snake out into the darkness accompanied by crotchets and quavers. There was something so surreal about listening to a beautifully sung Irish song whilst sitting on on the deck of a ship in the middle of the Yangtse River in China that it sent a shiver coursing down my spine.

I wonder what the fishermen in the sampans made of hearing a siren’s song with lyrics that would have been alien to them arriving out of the black night, especially so close to a city where superstition was gospel and tales of ghosts being abroad at night were rife.

Maybe it was the long plane journey to Beijing. Maybe it was the fact that following the long plane journey we barely had time to put down our cases before being whisked away on a tour of the Summer Palace. Maybe it was a full blown assault on the senses of actually being in China; a place that to me had always seemed full of mystery and even danger. Maybe it was the smoked eel for breakfast or the Chinese wine passed around the restaurant by a rich Chinese businessman after China had just scored in a World Cup qualifying match (I registered that he was a rich businessman because the wine he was so cavalierly offering everyone was £80 a bottle). Maybe, maybe, maybe…

All I knew was that as I side-stepped puddles reflecting neon Chinese characters, I’d somehow left the comfort of the 21st century and been transported onto the pages of a Sam Spade novel. I felt as though I should have been wearing a rain mac, sporting a fedora and have a cigarette clamped between my teeth.

A ghostly white figure holding a black umbrella waited for us at the end of the alley. As I  approached he smiled and held the umbrella over my head. My diminutive escort motioned I should  go with the man in white. We turned a corner into another dark alley before emerging into an open space and the sight of a line of pristinely white figures all holding umbrellas. They snaked across a long, narrow pontooned jetty all the way to a squat four story floating hotel. The sight of the Yangtse riverboat sent a surge of excitement through my veins. There was no modern port, no evidence that we were near the Yangtse River at all, just the darkly anonymous river bank and lines upon lines of pontoon jetties.

There was something thrillingly old fashioned and quite surreal about joining a ship in this manner. Each of the ship’s officers smiled as I made my way along the pontoon until I was inside my floating home for the next few days. It was late and I was dog-tired. The exploration could wait until I was fresh and full of eager beaver enthusiasm the following morning. I hardly registered the cabin as my head hit the pillow. What seemed like seconds later, I entered a weird dreamy state where tiny birds twittered to the sound of hypnotically jaunty Chinese music.

It wasn’t a dream and it wasn’t a few seconds but a few hours. The music kept getting louder and louder – it was the ship’s wake up call. It was 7am. The music went from being amusingly quirky to being nightmarishly never-ending…and there was no off button.

They don’t tell you about that in the brochure. I buried my head in the pillow but the music kept getting louder and louder. I was still shattered and now more disoriented than ever..but it didn’t matter. It was damned annoying but also wonderfully bizarre. So far just about everything had wrong-footed me since my arrival in China; it was exceeding all my expectations.

Yangtse River Cruise Part 2, Life on the River

It’s been one of those myths that we accepted without question even after the first astronauts to land on the moon reported that there was no way you could see any man made object from its lunar landscape.

Anyway, that wasn’t the ‘something you might not know about the Great Wall of China’. This is.

Sections of it are damn steep. I’m not talking as in ‘steep set of stairs’ steep. I’m talking sheer cliff face steep; so steep that if you leaned back at all you might topple off; I’m talking ‘where’s my rope and crampons?’ steep. People don’t tell you that.

I wasn’t feeling at my best after causing havoc in a Beijing hospital a couple of hours earlier (that’s another long and embarrassing story) but we were determined to escape the crowds at one of the busiest parts of the Great Wall near Badaling 80 kilometres northwest of Beijing. There was only one way to do it – climb.

As a general rule of thumb, whenever you go to tourist hot spots it’s possible to get away from the masses by simply walking for a few minutes. The Great Wall of China is no exception and the vertiginous steps leading upwards and away from the main throng of visitors are a deterrent to anyone who is remotely unfit.

Feeling the Buzz on the Great Wall of China
By the time we’d huffed, puffed and dragged our way to the third watchtower perched on a hill way, way above the ants milling around the excursion coaches in the valley floor, we were alone. Alone on the Great Wall of China – that was an extra special travel moment.

The Great Wall of China is one of those magical wonders of the world that has inspired travellers to set forth in search of adventure for centuries; one of those places that to actually find yourself standing on its hallowed steps is overwhelming. It certainly left me breathless (or maybe that was the steps).

It was a miserable day; a grey mist hung over the entire vista washing out the scenery, turning all colours to stone. And yet the wall still had the power to mesmerise. It undulated to the horizon and beyond, hugging every hillock and valley for ten thousand li (over three thousand miles); its stone curves looked almost as natural as the forest that it cleaved its way through. It’s a beautiful structure, a brilliant ancient legacy that illustrates when it comes to nature, humankind’s hand can occasionally improve on the canvas.

Staring, transfixed by this monolithic man-made wonder I understood why it was so easy to believe that the Great Wall of China could be viewed from the moon…and as it turns out with good reason.

A photograph taken by an astronaut in 2004 from the International Space Station using a digital camera with an 180mm lens revealed that the claim made back in 1938 wasn’t that far off the mark as it captured a small section of the wall. The Great Wall of China may not be visible from the Moon, but it is the only man made object visible from outer space and that’s a fact.

Jack is co-owner, writer and photographer for BuzzTrips and the Real Tenerife series of travel websites as well as a contributor to online travel sites and travel magazines. Follow Jack on Google+

Then, just to make the nightmare even worse, he reached into the bin, scooped out a spoonful of the insects and deposited them in a large wok where they sizzled, crackled and popped.

The night market in Wangfujing Street in Beijing must feature the most bizarre examples of street food that you’re likely to find anywhere.

The food stalls that line the road offer a dizzying choice of kebabs, dizzying not just because of the range of foodstuff on offer but also because of the identity of the creatures impaled on the legions of barbecue sticks.

The scorpions, snakes, crickets and seahorses were easy to identify, others less so.

“What’s that?” I asked our guide, pointing to large round, ridged insect looking things.

“Silkworm grubs,” she replied nonchalantly.

At least the kebabs next them had something less gruesome looking, but the shape of the small meaty chunks squeezed onto the stick looked disconcertingly familiar.

“And those?” I hardly dared to ask.

“Sparrow,” came the reply.

Fundamentally I don’t have a problem with eating sparrow, if you eat chicken why not sparrows in China? But it’s still somewhat of a culinary shock to see things you’d never connect with going into your mouth being crunched, sucked and chewed.

So far it had been an incredible visual experience of  Beijing street-life and an eye-opener of the eating habits of a different culture…but then came the crunch moment.

The guide rubbed her hands together gleefully.

“Okay, so what do you want to try?” I bet she just loved this moment.

At that point I played my ´get out of jail free´card.

“I’d love to try the scorpion or the crickets,” I raised my hands defensively. “But I’m a pescetarian.”

It’s true, I didn’t eat meat at that point and as I didn’t know where scorpions, crickets and silkworm grubs stood when it came to being considered meat or not (I still don’t), I thought it better not to risk betraying my principles. So I stood and watched, feeling slightly cowardly, as one of the other guys in our small group demolished a quartet of fried sparrows – a bit like very bony chicken was the verdict.

Of course being a pescatarian I could have chosen seahorse but hey, come on…no-one can really expect me to eat one of those cute little guys.