Travel isn't only about planning, or being there. It's also about discovering a place, and discovering yourself; riding buses and eating locally. Rove Magazine is one such online resource for travel inspiration! It's full of interesting articles - read Why haven’t I heard of… Huacachina, Peru; Mushroom Hunting in Norway; Ten Things You Should Do in Every Country You Visit; The Traveling Notebook: the beginning of Asia by train - SEE?? It is a treasure trove, one that you'll want to dig deeply into - to laugh, learn, and get inspired. It's THAT GOOD.

I talked with Kevin Landry, creator and publisher of Rove Magazine, to learn the backstory of Rove, what readers can find, and his top tips for travel. Here's what he had to say...

WE: Please tell us about Rove Magazine...

KL: Rove Magazine is an online magazine appropriate for adventurers, terrific for travelers, ridiculously good for road trippers, worked on by wanderers, vastly useful for vagabonds, bookmarked by backpackers and really nice for people who like alliteration too. If you like to travel, have a good time, take a chance and improve your life by following your dreams, then you should have a look and get in touch because we would also like to meet you.

entering Zimbabwe

WE: What was the genesis of your site?

KL: Rove is here today because of two things: a colour atlas I had as a child and a hand painted picture of Machu Picchu in my parent's living room. I would look at the atlas for hours memorizing maps, capitals, and flags while I looked at pictures of countries. It, along with my father's stories about his escapades in South America, encouraged me to set out on my own and explore the world. I backpacked during summers in university, first in the Rockies, then to New Zealand and Southeast Asia. Then after graduation and a half year in South America, I decided it was time to make a change and start writing about it all. Through a friend of mine I met a web designer with the same idea, and very soon Rove was born.

WE: How can travel sites truly get across a sense of place, and experience?

KL: Travel writing is as similar to real travel as watching a movie is to acting, i.e., not even close. We try our best to duplicate travel using what have at our disposal like descriptive wording, eye catching photos, and video - but in my opinion we still fall short. Real life has so many more levels, like smells and temperatures, that you just can't have in media (yet).

I feel that the goal of travel sites is to inspire, to be the hors d'oeuvres before the full meal - not to give you the full satisfaction of the meal but to give you the taste of what you are missing out on if you don't come to the table. In that role, I feel that the best way to get across the sense of place or experience is not through focused internet research but from straight shooting people who have been there; people who have smelled the smells, spoken to the locals, tasted the tastes, and got the blisters. It is their job to dispel the myths, give an honest account of what is what, and to not sugarcoat anything because if we are to be the appetizer before the meal, our readers have a right to know if the meal is one they would like to taste.

WE:  Do you have any photography tips for documenting journeys?

KL: Rule 1- take lots of photos, you will fluke enough good ones in the beginning until you develop skill.
Rule 2- follow these tips
Rule 3- learn basic photography skills like the rule of thirds
Rule 4- photos of you standing in front of things are boring for everyone except you...get creative

in Bolivia

WE: How can travelers best dig deeply into a culture/new place?

KL: I will get a ton of flak for this but I have to say the local bus. It trumps food, drink, music, and everything else out there. All my best memories have come from time spent on dusty, bumpy, sweaty rides cramped into a bus with the locals as the luxury coaches speed past. You get close interaction with average people, often you can sample simple snacks, and the discomfort is really a bonding experience. Trust me, I have done Bogota to Buenos Aires, and Cape Town to Zanzibar by bus and I swear by it.

WE:  What are your top tips for traveling off the beaten path?

KL: Don't do research. The more you look up the more you will stick to the norm.
Stop in smaller places, if you only go city to city it is hard to get lost..
The more difficult it is to get somewhere, the more likely it will be authentic.
Ask locals what they would do.
Pick countries you have never heard anything about, then go. That is why I went to both Paraguay and Mozambique.

WE: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

KL: It's our job to keep adventure alive and make sure people still know the world is a friendly place.

WE: Thanks so much, Kevin! I love your site and highly recommend it to our Wandering Educators. It's creative, fun, and always a great inspiration.

All photos courtesy and copyright Rove Magazine