The most memorable journeys are not always the obvious ones.

There is a particular pleasure in arriving somewhere that still feels slightly undiscovered. A coastal town where the harbour is busier than the souvenir shops. A rail route that tourists pass through without ever properly stopping. A small restaurant with no polished sign outside, yet every table somehow full by eight o’clock.

Off-the-beaten-path travel is rarely about remoteness for the sake of it. It is about atmosphere. Places that still feel grounded in themselves.

The fishing villages along the Albanian Riviera have quietly become favourites for travellers seeking Mediterranean scenery without the crowds found elsewhere along the coast. In northern Spain, Asturias offers dramatic green landscapes and cider houses largely untouched by mass tourism. Further inland, the hill towns of Umbria provide all the charm of Tuscany with far fewer people holding phones in the middle of the street.

Some places reveal themselves slowly.

The stretch between Collioure and Banyuls on the French coast remains one of Alexandra’s preferred rail journeys, where vineyards tumble towards the sea and stations feel pleasantly unhurried. In Slovenia, many travellers stop at Lake Bled and move on too quickly, missing the quieter roads, forest trails and lakeside villages further beyond.

There is something satisfying about taking the less obvious route.

Not because it is fashionable to do so, but because quieter destinations often allow you to experience a country more naturally. Conversations last longer. Cafés feel local rather than curated for photographs. You notice details.

At Alexandra Brooks, we have always believed the approach matters as much as the arrival. Scenic crossings, slower rail journeys and lesser-known coastal routes often become the part travellers remember most fondly.

Not every destination needs to announce itself loudly.

Some places simply wait patiently to be appreciated by the right people.