Michelle Semple could find her way around pretty much any place on earth, but sometimes, she looks to get lost…. on purpose.
Semple explains she and her friends like to “…see where we can go, and see what we could find and what adventures are out there.”
At a time when we continually turn to our devices for directions, some people are looking to take the path less traveled.
“We’re going back to turning off our maps. We’re turning off our web search. We’re meeting the locals,” says Keryn Means of WalkingonTravels.com. She says this trend has us connecting to people instead of devices and is the difference between being a tourist or a true traveler.
“It's those types of encounters and memories that aren't in any guidebook, aren't in any map on your phone, and will never be in any turn-by-turn direction on your digital device,” Keryn tells us.
There are now websites offering tips and how-to’s, and even tour companies that charge thousands of dollars to get you lost, such as Black Tomato, for example.
Keryn says with Black Tomato, clients are “…whisked off onto a private jet or a helicopter and dropped into somewhere amazing, usually rather remote, and given an emergency kit.”
Keryn says it’s a trend all groups are trying, young and old, rich and not so wealthy. “You don't even have to go abroad to do something like this. You can go to the next town over.”
Michelle says it’s the challenge she loves and learning new things along the way.
She explains, “You definitely learn more about yourself. When you do these self-adventures you know what are your limitations or what's your comfort zone.”
