Cooking Vacations And Food Tours From The International Kitchen

Off-the-Beaten-Path Travel

Many foodie travelers contact us because they want a culinary tour that is off the beaten path. But what is an off-the-beaten-path food tour?

Certainly, our culinary tours that are in a remote location or that are difficult to get to we consider “off the beaten path.”
Sometimes examples of off-the-beaten-path culinary tours are dramatic. If you have to ride a camel to get to your luxury camp in the Sahara, that is off the beaten path! Similarly, if you have to float down a river in Vietnam, or hike through the cloud forest of Peru, we would consider it an off-the-beaten-path culinary tour. But even if you can arrive there in a car, there are plenty of remote destinations for our cooking vacations.

Some countries are themselves off the beaten path. Most of our travelers look for a culinary vacation in Europe, so for our clientele, a destination not often-traveled by tourists can automatically be considered as off the beaten path. This includes most of our trips in Peru, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and India, which we classify as off the beaten path.

But we also count as off-the-beaten-path any culinary vacations that are in a destination that is for some reason unusual. This might be in a popular country – Italy, for instance – but in a town or region that is almost unknown to most tourists. For example, an agriturismo in the countryside of Abruzzo, or a farm in Emilia-Romagna, would be considered off the beaten path. A small town in northern Lombardy, or anywhere in the little-known Friuli-Venezia-Giulia can be considered off the beaten path to our culinary travelers. Quite simply, if you are traveling to a country that is a popular destination but you are going someplace most tourists have never heard of, let alone thought to visit, then we would call it off the beaten path, including Scotland, Greece, France, and Spain, which are themselves some of our most popular destinations.

What to Expect on Our Off the Beaten Path Food Tour

Just because you’re traveling off the beaten path does not mean you’re roughing it or that you can’t expect the same level of care and quality as on our other cooking vacations. When you are traveling with The International Kitchen you can find a standard of excellence including:

Top-quality, clean accommodations,
Talented and friendly professional guides and chefs,
Delicious and authentic foods and wines,
Safe and comfortable transportation,
The protection of booking with a licensed and insured tour operator that has been organizing top-notch tours for twenty-five years.

From Brittany’s coastal kitchens to Northern Peru’s mountain communities, let us guide you to places where authentic culinary traditions flourish away from the tourist trail. Contact us to begin your journey into the heart of real food culture!

FAQ about Unconventional Food destinations

What is the most underrated place to visit?

While tourists flock to familiar destinations, regions like Abruzzo in Italy and Brittany in France preserve their culinary authenticity away from the crowds. Here, you’ll find family recipes prepared in home kitchens, local ingredients sourced from nearby farms, and warm hospitality that hasn’t changed with time. The Friuli Venezia Giulia region of Italy and Turkey’s Aegean coast offer equally rich traditions with far fewer visitors.

What is the most uncommon food in the world?

Rather than seeking exotic ingredients, our off-the-beaten-path tours focus on authentic local specialties that tell the story of a region. From traditional Scottish Highland recipes to ancient Vietnamese cooking techniques along the Mekong, these foods represent unbroken chains of culinary heritage. In places like Northern Peru’s Amazonas region or Greece’s Zakynthos Island, you’ll discover dishes that remain wonderfully unchanged, made with techniques passed down through generations.