Dynamic Travel Destinations — A List for Activity Enthusiasts
From hiking an active volcano in Sicily to leaping into a waterfall on the Faroe Islands, here are four destinations around the world that amplify the thrill of outdoor activities for active travelers.
Dynamic Travel Destinations — A List for Activity Enthusiasts
Where do active travelers fall head over heels? From hiking up an active volcano in Sicily, Italy, to diving into a waterfall at the edge of a cliff in Denmark’s Faroe Islands, here are four destinations around the world that heighten the thrill of outdoor activities.
Words Pyo Youngso
A City Beside an Active Volcano, Catania in Sicily, Italy
In July 2024, Mt. Etna, on Sicily’s eastern coast, erupted once again. Living up (perhaps a little too well) to a name that means “I burn” in Greek, it is the most active volcano in Europe. During that eruption, the crater near the 3,000-meter summit spewed lava tens of meters into the air. At the foot of Etna lies Catania, a city that has stood beside the active volcano for centuries. The second-largest city in Sicily after Palermo, it is a port city facing the Ionian Sea, and a historic place where ancient Greek theaters, Roman ruins, and Baroque buildings made of volcanic stone coexist. Its lively fish market and Mt. Etna are its signature attractions, and it is also the home of Sicily’s famous pasta alla Norma, made with grilled eggplant, tomato sauce, and ricotta cheese. The volcanic ash from that eruption led to some flights being canceled or delayed at nearby Catania International Airport, but conditions were not dangerous for travelers (reportedly, lava has not reached the villages at the base of the mountain since the 1800s). Even while the volcano is erupting, most hiking trails remain accessible if you are accompanied by an official local mountain guide.
Eat, Drink, and Pedal On, Canada’s Veloroute Gourmande
Here is this fall’s recommended route for travelers who love good food but don’t want to give up on watching their weight. Opened in 2022, Veloroute Gourmande is, as its name suggests, a culinary cycling trail. Over its 235 kilometers from Montreal to Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada, more than 100 food stops keep tempting you to stop pedaling, from local cafés and restaurants to farmers’ markets, cheese producers, chocolate shops, bakeries, small breweries, and wineries. After enjoying a delicious meal, you simply hop back on your bike, take in the small towns and peaceful countryside of eastern Quebec, visit local attractions, and burn off the calories. Services for a convenient trip are also available, including bike rentals, shuttle buses, and luggage transport. The route is divided into four sections, and riding the whole thing takes about four days.
For a Once-in-a-Lifetime Travel Experience, Denmark’s Faroe Islands
OvationNetwork, a U.S. luxury travel company, has revealed its “best places to travel in 2025” through Forbes. According to OvationNetwork, 2025 will see a growing number of travelers pursuing “once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences that maximize joy and fulfillment.” Ranked first on its 2025 destinations list is Denmark’s autonomous territory, the Faroe Islands (Færøerne). Located in the North Atlantic between Scotland and Iceland, the archipelago is made up of 18 volcanic islands, 17 of them inhabited by some 52,000 people. Surreal scenery, including rugged rocky beaches, waterfalls at the edge of cliffs, and barren moorland, along with picturesque villages tucked among them, is reason enough to visit. It is especially recommended for families and couples who want to spend quiet time cut off from the outside world in unspoiled nature. With such a variety of things to do, from hiking to surfing, cliff diving, horseback riding, and fishing, outdoor activity enthusiasts will find it all the more satisfying. Flights to the Faroe Islands operate from major European cities, with Reykjavik, Edinburgh, and Oslo being the closest (about one hour).
Escaping Tokyo’s Summer, Karuizawa
A few summers ago, I went to Japan on a business trip. The last stop of a four-day, three-night itinerary across three prefectures, Niigata, Gunma, and Nagano, was Karuizawa. Located in southeastern Nagano Prefecture, bordering Gunma Prefecture, at an elevation of about 1,000 meters, it is cool in summer and gets plenty of snow in winter. Surrounded by several mountains, including the active volcano Mt. Asama, and blessed with rivers, valleys, and lakes, it boasts a rich natural environment. In the 19th century, a Canadian-born missionary who was captivated by the area’s climate and nature helped make it widely known, and it became a summer retreat for Japan’s upper classes and foreign residents. It also sits along the Nakasendo, one of the Edo-period highways linking Tokyo and Kyoto, and has long been a crossroads of transportation. Today, you can get from Tokyo to Karuizawa in a little over an hour by Shinkansen. With outdoor activities such as trekking and cycling, along with a range of lodging and leisure facilities, it makes a great side trip while staying in Tokyo. What I experienced in Karuizawa during that assignment * can be found in ‘Pitch by Magazine’ Issue 15.
* You can find it in the Japan trip across Niigata, Gunma, and Nagano.
