Travel Mapping - A Thoughtful Approach to Trip Planning
Expand the way you think about your next vacation & plan a trip that's right for you.
I think about traveling a lot. Probably not in the way you might expect. I rarely sit around contemplating my next vacation since I don’t often vacation in the usual meaning of the word. But what exactly is the usual meaning of the word? A trip I might take across Italy for work could be another traveler’s dream vacation. And it certainly isn’t lost on me that my “home” is smack dab in the middle of one of Italy’s most popular tourism destinations.
If you’re like me, then planning for a trip is one of the best parts. But with so many places to go—or even with just one specific place in mind—what is the best way to travel? Where do you even start? There’s someone I know who enjoys tackling exactly these types of questions and thinking about travel in a thought-provoking and fun way: Virginia DiGaetano.
A dear friend, whom I’ve had the fortune to travel to visit in Lazio and Rome, Virginia has teamed up with Noah Charney, best-selling author and art history professor based in Slovenia, to teach an online course Travel Mapping: Designing Your Off-the-Beaten-Path Itinerary on Atlas Obscura. This four-part lecture series starts tomorrow—Tuesday, January 23, 2024—so there’s still time to sign up. (You can also join in after the first class.)
Last autumn, Noah and Virginia sat down for an incredible episode about responsible tourism on Noah’s FEEL Slovenia Podcast. The conversation applies to so much beyond Slovenia, but … Slovenia! (They’ve both made me add it to my must-see travel list.) Give it a listen here:
Curious to know more about the Atlas Obscura online lecture course and its evolution, I asked Virginia to give us a bit of background and a sneak peek into what it will cover.
Why did you and Noah decide to design a course about travel planning?
Well, we all experienced the past few years differently but there is this sort of universal sentiment that not being able to travel had a profound impact no matter where we're from or where we want to go. I think this has led many of us to rethink how we want to see the world, which made this a really interesting project to invite people to join.
What made you decide to team up with Altas Obscura?
If you don't already know Altas Obscura, you just have to check it out: it's really one of the most unique places on the internet! The range of topics that they cover is so vast yet so well curated, and is always guided by this fantastic sense of curiosity. And Noah has collaborated with Atlas Obscura on a number of tours, articles, and his own classes so it really felt like a natural fit.
Who is the course designed for?
We want to connect with people who are planning their holidays and vacations to help them feel like they've got a sense of where they want to go, what they want to see, and why they want to be there. Our goal is to remind people how fun it can be to do those deep dives into destinations, to find the things that really speak to them. If you're curious, and you can't wait to get out there, we want to hang out with you.
I’ve just signed up! I hope to see you there for some inspired travel mapping. Find out more on Atlas Obscura - Travel Mapping: Designing Your Off-the-Beaten-Path Itinerary with Noah Charney & Virginia DiGaetano.
Ciao from Parigi,
Laura
PS: Learn more about Virginia DiGaetano on this episode of the Rediscover Italy Podcast:
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I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your excellent Amalfi Coast book. On our most recent trip in May 2023, we spent 3 days each in Naples and Procida and found your guide so very helpful.