The Road Less Traveled: The Future of Travel

"One only has to look at the past to judge the direction élite traveling is heading," says Rolf Potts, author of Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (Villard, 2003). "In the past," he elaborates, "élite travelers have distinguished themselves by either spending more money, spending more time, or by taking more risks than mass tourists." In 2020, money will still buy privileges denied most tourists. The well-heeled will patronize exclusive resorts, pursue exotic activities -- Potts predicts heli-skiing in Antarctica -- and continue to indulge themselves in such age-old sybaritic pleasures as cruising on luxury yachts.

But staying ahead of the pack in an era of mass tourism will only ever get more difficult. Any mug with money can head for first class. But what if you've wearied of mere luxury? Either way, it helps to be creative with time, and not by traveling 'off-season', an increasingly redundant term as today's season never stops. No, the trick will be to step outside regular time, shucking off itineraries so that you blend in, momentarily at least, with your chosen environment. In short, join the locals. See the world through their eyes. As Potts observes: "The Champs-Elysées might resemble a strip mall, but a one-month sojourn a few neighborhoods over, in the 11th arrondissement, will give you a perspective on Paris most tourists would miss."

Fleeing those madding crowds is all very well. But having infiltrated the 11th, the discerning will want to cap their visit with experience. As Pico Iyer writes in Sun After Dark: Flights into the Foreign (Vintage, 2005), many travelers seek "to confront questions and challenges [they] would never see at home". Real travel is always a journey into the unknown. The experience may be concrete -- supping with a Parisian family after a day at the atelier -- or less tangible. But seasoned travelers will want their efforts to pay off, going home a little wiser than when they left.

Off-the-beaten-track haunts and pursuits can be found by anyone with local intelligence or an inquisitive streak. But what to do if you don't have lots of time and aren't au fait with an area? No problem. Just find someone who is.

"I think customized tours will become more popular," says Don George from Lonely Planet's San Francisco office. "Travelers will contact specialized companies to arrange, say, an African safari. You'll want to avoid seeing other travelers, and you'll want some genuine interactions with wildlife in the bush."

The key word is 'genuine'. Travel élites are already jack of gazing at lions from the back of a Land Rover. They want to wander the bush with a guide who is equally well versed in wildlife, local peoples, and environmental issues. And then relax at a luxury appointed campsite with a chilled glass of wine. Of course, authenticity comes in many forms. "Learning vacations will grow and grow," says George. "Whether it's cooking classes in Umbria or archeological trips to the Aegean. People want interaction, to sink their feet into the soil of a culture in a genuine way.

"They want to get under the surface of an archeological site, rather than just breeze through and head for the souvenir stand. They want the archeologist who's devoted years to this ruin to take them around and explain things, so the past comes to life. Then, afterwards, they want to have dinner with the local curator and his family as he spins tales and you all drink ouzo into the night. That's the kind of thing you want to tell your cocktail crowd back home."

This sort of thing is meat and potatoes for boutique travel outfits like San Francisco-based Geographic Expeditions, which caters for adventurous travelers and corporate clients, many of them in the US media (the firm takes care of logistics for the Day in the Life photography books, ensuring, say, that a snapper gets to cover a Thai wedding -- and the Thais provide permission). The average client is a baby boomer adept at navigating around Europe who wants backup on, say, a hiking trip to Bhutan.

In 1998 Jim Sano, president of Geographic Expeditions, led a party to Gangkar Puensum, at 7,541 meters the world's highest unclimbed mountain. Few outsiders have seen this triple-peaked marvel, which dominates a region of snow-capped summits, virgin forests, and alpine lakes in northern Bhutan. Barely 7,000 tourists visit Bhutan each year - all that Druk Air, the sole carrier, has been able to carry. Visitors pay a daily tariff of between $165 and $200 while treks to Gangkar Puensum require a permit.

"It's one of the most culturally intact places left on earth," says Sano. "The natural resources are protected. And 98 per cent of people wear native dress. It's a remarkable place." Sano once set up a trip for a single client accompanied by a Tibetan scholar from UC Berkeley as a teacher. People tell Sano where they want to go, what they want to do, and sometimes whom they hope to meet. His 'private journeys' have included forays into China's modern art world and the Laotian textile business. Indeed, as the masses flock to Las Vegas, Bangkok, or Hawaii, élites will seek ever more offbeat escapes, from disappearing into the wild blue yonder in replica sailing ships, to hiding in plain sight as a temporary migrant in Paris.

And while it is entirely possible to have an enriching experience in the midst of a busy foreign city -- travel is, after all, an internal journey where experience is filtered through our imagination -- some of the most desirable off-the-grid destinations will likely be places like Antarctica, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands, or Kiribati, where the need to preserve fragile environments limits access.

Danger is another stimulant. Sometimes, suggests Potts, this sensation can be had in 'edgy' places, a niche market that has fuelled several editions of Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places (HarperCollins, 2003). Cambodia once fell into this category. Afghanistan is morphing from 'off-limits' to edgy. Geographic Expeditions visits places avoided by mass tourism: Iran, the 'Stans' (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) Syria, Jordan, Libya, Lebanon. "Hazard assessments", untainted by prevailing political spin, and medical backup come with the deal. Potts predicts that by 2020 Iraq will have shifted from off-limits to edgy, and -- a big leap of faith -- thence to mass tourism.

Finally, those yearning for rich travel experiences should never forget serendipity. A couple of years ago I was in Tuscany for a wedding. It was a grand affair, marked by parties and late nights around Siena, culminating in a ceremony held at a villa overlooking Florence, as paparazzi swooped overhead in a helicopter.

It was a glimpse into the privileged world of la dolce vita, an echo of the good life almost extinct in ancient Italian cities under permanent siege by tourists. For a few days we entered a parallel world, magically untouched by tourism. To those who seek roads less traveled, it is sometimes best to forget plans and seize the moment.