If you're looking for a European vacation unlike any other, consider skipping the museums and hitting the trails instead. That's what expert and author Rick Stevens recommends anyway.
Speaking with Outside Online, Stevens explains why he recommends going into the great outdoors. Stevens said that he enjoys the scenery and beauty they bring along with the exercise.
He explained, "In September 2021, I went on a six-day, sixty-mile trek on the Tour du Mont Blanc. Here I am, supposed to be this expert on European travel, and I've never done a multiday hike in the Alps. I loved the rhythm of my feet on the trail. It's therapeutic. It was something totally new to me, and now I want to tell everybody what a great travel option it is."
The European Hike
For the travel expert, hiking in Europe didn't stop. It's something he's continued to do and enjoy. He explained, " This past summer we did the Bernese Oberland Traverse. I wanted to link together some of the most venerable lodges in the Eiger and Jungfrau areas. I used Grindelwald as the springboard and hiked deep into a valley. At one point we were on a ridge high above, looking at lakes stretching out [below]. We heard the alpenhorns blowing and knew that coffee and schnapps would be served at the hut. It was enough to make a Lutheran raise his hands to the sky to praise God."
He also shared his secret to a European hiking excursion as well. The travel expert recommends hiring a guide.
He said, "Hire a sherpa service to take your bag from one hut to the next. That way you can just hike with your day bag and hiking poles and get lost in nature without thinking about the weight on your back. I'm not looking to impress anybody with how heavy a pack I can carry, and neither should you."
