Arts-inspired Travel that Goes Beyond the Checklist

Last updated on May 13th, 2026 at 07:32 pm

Are you an independent traveler who chooses museums over tourist traps, personalized experiences over generic tours, and local restaurants over anywhere with laminated menus in four languages?

Then you’re in the right place!

I’m Carol Cram: novelist, passionate lover of the arts, and an enthusiastic traveler who books concert tickets and special exhibitions before hotel rooms.

If you love arts and culture, concerts, great food, the occasional wildlife encounter, and hidden gems that make a trip genuinely memorable rather than just another checklist of sights, then come along with me for the ride!

What’s On My Mind This Week

I sometimes forget that I don’t need to travel far to enjoy great Artsy Traveler experiences. In my own backyard, I can find plenty to see, do, and write about, and I’m guessing you can too.

With that focus in mind, I recently spent a weekend with my daughter traveling up the Sea to Sky Highway from West Vancouver to Whistler in my home province of British Columbia. We reveled in nature on the Sea to Sky Gondola and the new Squamish Canyon walk (nature is art!), got a very healthy dose of BC arts and culture at Whistler’s Audain Art Museum and Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, and even squeezed in a soapstone carving class at Fathom Stone Art.

Carving soapstone is a creative experience I highly recommend for enthusiastic artsy travelers of all ages. I discovered to my delight that soapstone is a wonderfully sensuous material to work with. I carved a bear!

You can see it and read about the entire weekend in this week’s featured post:

Sea to Sky Highway: The Ultimate Artsy Traveler Getaway from Vancouver.

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Carol Cram in front of the National Gallery of canada

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Khon masked dancer performing traditional Thai classical dance at Penthai Theatre Bangkok

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Guards doing the changing of the guards in Athens

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When I visit a new destination, I like to distill my experience into one satisfying day to share with fellow artsy travelers. My “Perfect Day” itineraries balance art, culture, relaxed wandering, and
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