Diverse Cultural Experiences and Canadian Travel.
The definition of astrotourism, according to dictionary.com is, paying to travel into space as a form of recreation. This isn’t what I mean when I say astrotourism.
Instead, astrotourism is travelling to a place with the intent to stargaze – with or without camera in hand.
While people have been stargazing for a really long time, the difference here is the intention to deliberately seek out dark sky spots in order to more fully see the night sky.
Sure, when most people think of Whistler, British Columbia, they think about winter sports, like skiing and snowboarding. And it’s true that Whistler Blackcomb Resort (and the entire town) was originally set up to be a winter destination, but things have changed in recent years. Whistler is the place to visit both in winter and summer.
There is no shoulder season in Whistler – people flock here year-round, which means that many of the hotels don’t offer a discount for off-peak times and that the town is pretty much always busy.
In addition to the many conventions and conferences that happen here year-round, people from nearby Vancouver drive up for weekend getaways and day trips. There are so many different outdoor activities to partake in, lots of high-end shopping/hotels/restaurants, plenty of casual dining options, and also a lot of free things to check out, so there is really something for everyone here. There really are so many things to do in Whistler in Summer.
If you travel locally, you will be able to see and experience things from a different perspective. Explore like a tourist for a day. Call it a staycation!
While it may seem fun to recreate people’s experiences from their Instagram photos – piggybacking to try to see what seems to be the best places to visit. But, you don’t want your Instagram feed and your memories to be coloured by the same-old-same-same-old stuff, do you?
Off-the-beaten path, hidden gems, whatever you call them – there are way more interesting ways to fill your travel itinerary than by copying whatever everyone else is doing.
Diverse cultural experiences include learning how a variety of different cultures made and continue to make their place in any given area. This might look like:
The Britannia Mine Museum is beautifully situated on the Sea-to-Sky Highway just south of Squamish. It’s about a 45-minute drive from Vancouver on a very pleasant stretch of road.
I’d driven past it many times before, not sure exactly what the giant structure jutting out from the side of the mountain was. Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was a mine – no longer operational – turned in to a museum. Most people who drive the Sea-to-Sky Highway north from Vancouver are heading to Whistler.
