A Travel Blog for History Lovers

Well, here it is – my first blog post. As someone who spends a great deal of time immersed in centuries past, tech savviness is not exactly high up on my list of skills so getting this far has been no easy feat. The idea of starting a travel blog has been floating around in my head for a long time and I’m excited to finally see it become a reality.

Off the Beaten Path

I was first bitten by the travel bug when I was quite young and have never really been able to shake it – not that I want to; travelling to new places is one of my absolute favourite things to do. In recent years, I’ve slowly started to embrace the joys of solo travel which has allowed me to not only travel more, but also to travel exactly how and where I want. It’s given me a chance to focus on what interests me. As an unapologetic history nerd, I’m most drawn to places that have interesting stories to tell about the past and history is always at the forefront of my travel plans.

History Matters

Why do I love history? Well, for one thing, I love a good story and history is full of them. Stories of momentous events and interesting people, of tragedy and triumph. I’ve never understood how anyone can think that history is boring. To me, it’s fascinating. History lovers will never run out of material because there’s so much to explore. Whether it’s a new perspective on a well-known narrative or an unknown story that draws you in, history is an unending journey of discovery.

On a more serious note, I think that learning about history is tremendously important. Looking to the past can help us to better understand the present. Knowing how and why things came to be and tracing their development through time can really put our own world into perspective and help us to appreciate how far we’ve come. History can inspire us and it can also provide valuable lessons.

One of the best ways I’ve found to indulge my love of history is through travel. I’m especially interested in European history. I recently made the audacious decision to move from Canada – where I’ve lived my whole life – to Portugal. It’s a monumental change in direction for my life and a story that I plan to tell in a future blog post but so far, it’s been a very positive experience. I’ve always dreamt of living in Europe and sometimes it still feels like a dream. Now that I’m here in Europe with easy access to so many wonderful places, I plan to travel at a somewhat slower pace but I have no doubt that my relentless pursuit of history will continue to guide me.

A Different Kind of Travel Blog

I’m a planner by nature and I really enjoy researching my travel destinations in advance. I’m always eager to discover what notable sites or hidden gems await me. Like most travellers, I often turn to the internet for ideas and information while researching a new destination. Travel blogs are a valuable resource and there are a lot of great ones out there. What I’ve noticed though is that there don’t seem to be a lot of travel blogs that are specifically aimed at someone like me. I’m not an adventure traveller. I’m not a foodie. I’m not looking for luxury resorts, or beach getaways, or family vacations.

As you may have guessed if you’ve read this far, what I tend to be most interested in while travelling are historical sites, museums, old buildings, and places that have interesting stories to tell about the past. Sure, those things are featured on other travel sites but there don’t seem to be many which have history as their main focus in the same way that say adventure travel or budget travel have spawned so many different travel sites.

That got me thinking: if the travel blog I want doesn’t exist, why not create it myself? So here goes. I envision this blog as a place to share my love of history and travel through stories and photos collected on my travels, both past and future. I hope to be able to provide some inspiration and ideas for all my fellow history-loving travellers.