Where To Go This Summer

Unites States, Canada, Morocco, or Tunisia?

It is getting towards that time, as the days grow longer and the temperatures rise, that people begin to think about taking a snap summer holiday. People who book in advance will of course have made their decision by now and be saving their spending money, but those of us who are never sure we will get the time off work will be working off a bit more of an instinctive reaction, to go somewhere that sounds good. Whatever your budget – and whatever your tastes – there are great summer holidays to be had even at such short notice.

It all depends on your starting point, to some extent. Naturally if you are starting in Canada, a summer holiday in the United States will not break the bank, but it might lack a little bit in terms of originality. Mexico is currently in the grip of something of a bio-hazard crisis and will probably be dealing with that throughout the summer, so the best tip is to head further south. Many people have spoken of the beauty of Andean Perú, and with good reason. It is a country that carries some of the most spectacular scenery in all of South America, and of course it is absolutely soaked in history. Macchu Picchu is one spot that has a worldwide reputation, but on the way there you will have the opportunity to see many others. The price for a basic hotel for one night averages out at close to thirty Canadian dollars.

If you are a bit more adventurous – or based on the other side of the Atlantic, then there are many delights to be had on the North Coast of Africa. Among them are Morocco – a real magnet for sun worshippers – and Tunisia. While these countries may suffer from the prevailing but deeply inaccurate reputation of being hotbeds of religious extremism, the reality is far from that. In actual fact both are highly modern, secular societies and are well equipped to serve the international traveler’s needs. Hotel rooms here are even more affordable than in Perú, and the scenery is pretty amazing in both countries. For the gastronome in you, the taste of the regional cuisine is something to experience time and again – whether you are a meat-eater or an avowed vegetarian.

Tunisia is the less expensive of the two – as Morocco has gained a reputation for being a real estate haven prices have climbed a little. But if you are feeling adventurous, splitting your holiday between the two could be the best idea of all. Both countries have plenty to offer, and it would be a shame to miss out on any of it – so by making Tunisia your base but planning a short hop to Morocco you can spend a little bit less while not depriving yourself of any of the fun. And yes, there are beaches galore in both countries, if you really cannot bear to do any more sight-seeing. It’s your loss, that’s all.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Travelnowsimply.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Entrepreneur Journey site. This article originally published on the above website on May 8, 2009.