Travel Newsletter: 25 August 2023

Off the beaten path in Iran, Japan's abandoned villages, Sicily by cycling or yacht, and more travel reads

Hello from Jakarta. I didn’t plan to spend so much time here, but I’m glad I did. There is so much to discover here, which goes without saying for the world’s second-largest city by metropolitan area. My next trip will be to use Jakarta as an entry point to explore Java.

[Kota Jakarta @nomadicnotes.]

Here is this week’s travel reads from around the web.

Travel reads

• Traveling off the beaten path in Iran

• My secret to seeing America

“A $13 booklet has taken me to places I never knew existed.”

• Wish you weren’t here! How tourists are ruining the world’s greatest destinations

• Malta and Sicily by yacht: Game of Thrones backdrops, turbulent histories, and cuisine that reflect centuries of invasion

• Exploring the eerie beauty of Japan's abandoned villages

• This man has been to 17 Olympic Games. Here’s what he’s learned

• Modern tourism makes it difficult to truly appreciate the Sistine Chapel

• You’ll soon be able to explore Italy on these vintage tourist trains

“In 2024, Italy’s state-owned rail network Ferrovie dello Stato is bringing back trains from the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s to offer visitors a bit of rail nostalgia with gorgeous views.”

• Keep the wheels spinning: Can cycling save Sicily from depopulation?

• Malaysia's iconic 'Jungle Railway': One of Southeast Asia's greatest train journeys

• This 84-year-old has ridden every mile of the Amtrak map

• A new map shows what the future of U.S. train travel could look like