An Unusual Travel Experience I'll Never Forget

Jan. 13, 2012 - PRLog -- When I go on vacation with my family its always the same…all inclusive resorts, a lame tour on a crowded bus to a manufactured experience just five minutes away, all you can eat buffets with packaged frozen food that came from some company in the U.S.   Why the hell do we even pay to fly somewhere on vacation if we’re doing the same things we could do at home.  I decided something needed to be done to break the insanity of the boring, predictable travel experience.  That’s when I came up with the idea for “The Island Society” http://www.theislandsociety.org .  I mean its no wonder Anthony Bourdains show “No Reservations” is so popular…people are hungering for an authentic travel experience that missed the bus to the tacky tour.  Don’t get me wrong I like doing the “get pampered” thing occasionally just like everyone else but why does it have to be so clichéd.

I’m pretty sure this attitude all started for me after I took my first big international trip, little did I know it would be one of the best trips I ever took, “the high point” of my travel experiences.  It all started when I was 16, my father took me with a group of his associates on an international business trip to Japan that lasted one month.  Now in my experience going on vacation is one thing but when you go on a business trip to a place like Japan...especially Japan!  You get the royal treatment and I’m not just talking about pampering (though the Japanese do take care of you) but you get to meet people, develop friendships and go places that no tour company or travel agency could ever replicate.  You have the knowledge of the locals at your fingertips, and best of all you become lifelong friends with them!  This was truly a down home Japanese experience, I mean they showed us hidden restaurants (centuries old), we went to Karaoke bars, natural attractions like volcanoes, lakes and mountain trails, we walked through cities and ancient Japanese castles, but best of all they were mostly un-crowded because the locals knew when to go and when not to.

This kind of experience is what I wanted in a travel club.

I know that I can’t completely replicate a business trip when traveling for leisure because “it’s a business trip” but traveling in a group and gaining the knowledge of locals puts you closer than you would be than just going to some prepackaged destination with just you and your family where they expect to funnel you through their sales gauntlet and sell you tacky overpriced photos.  No!  What I had in mind for The Island Society is small groups of people visiting the islands of the world while trying to stay close with the locals and utilizing their knowledge to have a good time.  Why Islands? Because I am obsessed with the island life, but more than just that Islanders are generally very friendly and family oriented especially in the Pacific which is my favorite region of the world.  There are thousands of islands in the pacific which America and the rest of the world pay very little attention to and are just waiting to be explored and enjoyed.   Just ask the average person where Kiribati is…but If think I take the Island Society only to tropical islands don’t worry I haven’t forgotten the other great “not so tropical places” like, Ireland, the Greek isles, the Azores and yeah Japan and New Zealand of course.   We’ll just wait till the weather is nicer.
If you want travel updates on the Island society’s next trip, visit our website and sign up.  I don’t charge for membership.  http://www.theislandsociety.org

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The Island society - a travel club for people looking for an authentic and truly amazing travel experience.