3 Exotic Trips, All Without Leaving America

By Lori Cline –

If you like to travel, you’re not alone. In 2014, leisure travelers spent more than 620 billion dollars in the United States. If you happen to stumble across some really different places to go, travel becomes even more enjoyable, especially since you don’t have to bother with a passport or stressing out about protecting other sensitive personal documents.

Here are three impressive U.S. destinations that are relatively unknown and fit the bill for the vacationer who wants something different.

Saipan

Its name may sound foreign, but Saipan is a bonafide part of America that has been a commonwealth since 1978. It is the largest island of the Northern Marianas Islands, which are south of Japan and west of Hawaii. A gorgeous place to visit, Saipan is a tropical paradise in Micronesia that has temperatures in the 80s all year long. There are a lot of things to experience here: hiking, unusual wildlife, windsurfing, and of course, the beautiful beaches. You don’t have to worry about losing your game if you’re a golfer; golf course about here.

In the Grotto, you can dive to see where sea turtles and reef sharks call home. (Yes, reef sharks. You can SCUBA dive or snorkel, depending on your experience level.

Outrigger canoeing is a popular pastime for the islanders and tourists, especially at sunset. The history of Saipan is most interesting due to its position during World War II. There are museums and several war memorials built to commemorate.

It’s for these reasons and more that Saipan has been aptly named “America’s best unknown getaway.”

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

A 19.6 million acre Alaska state park that has been called “America’s last wilderness” is the polar opposite of Saipan (pun intended). For vacationers who love winter, you can’t get any colder than this. Winter is nine months of the year. During the summer you’re likely to still get below freezing temperatures.

You may not see a lot of tourists, but count on seeing musk oxen, herds of caribou, polar bears and grizzlies. There are nature hikes and polar bear viewing trips you can take part in. Because of its rough terrain and remoteness, guided tours are highly recommended.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is not for the faint of heart, but if you love adventure, the cold, and the vast wilderness, this place is for you.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

By its name, you might think this National Park is located somewhere hot and dusty. Quite the contrary, the Great Sand Dunes National Park averages a cool 57 degrees all year and is located in the south part of Colorado at an elevation of 8,200 feet. It’s also home to the tallest dunes in America.

This 30-square-mile park has sand-sledding and sand-boarding, and you can explore the dunes by taking a hike with a ranger guide. To see the entire dune-field, hike the tallest dunes in the park which are more than 700 feet high.

The next time you take a trip you can get exotic as you want, and you won’t even have to leave the country.

Lori Cline is a highly skilled and versatile freelancer who writes articles on a wide range of subjects for a variety of client industries. An accomplished award-winning writer in various areas, Lori extensively researches and provides original content based on client-provided topics. She currently resides in the western United States.