In Need of a Vacation? The Traveling Cowboy has Recommendations
Have you caught the travel bug after many months at home? Would you like to combine some tour sights and sounds with a little agriculture?
Farming the Countryside Podcast Host Andrew McCrea sat down with Al Snyder, a veterinarian, entrepreneur and frequent traveler (which is how he earned his “Traveling Cowboy” nickname).
Listen to the podcast episode:
McCrea and Snyder share their top travel recommendations:
Ireland: Snyder says Ireland is a relatively cheap travel destination. He recommends renting a car and staying at a farmhouse bed and breakfast to see their agriculture firsthand.
Australia: McCrea notes you have a long plane ride to get there, but Australia is one of his top international destinations.
“The ranches there are amazing to see, as is the Outback,” he says. “We think Wyoming is sparsely populated. But I think Wyoming looks like New York city Compared to the Outback, as far as numbers of people.”
Israel: “This destination has a tremendous amount of agriculture, and you can see how they have to manage their resources on a limited amount of land,” Snyder says. “You can also get the extra benefit of it being a Bible trip.”
“With the prices the way they are and the travel industry trying to regain customers, it's oftentimes as economical to travel internationally as it is domestically,” Snyder says. “So, if there was ever a time that you're thinking about doing an international trip now, it's probably a good time to do it.”
U.S. Train Trip: Snyder recommends taking the Amtrak across the northern U.S. “You can board in Illinois or Wisconsin and head across North Dakota,” he says. “You get to see agriculture all along the way, and they're comfortable to travel in. Plus, there's internet if you want to work a little bit and because not everybody can just take time off completely.”
Alaska: One of McCrea’s top domestic trips was to Alaska, specifically Fairbanks.
“We chartered a bus to take us up the Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay; that was amazing,” he says. “You're along the Alaska pipeline and then eventually you are above the tree line and Arctic Circle. Right now, airfares to Alaska are cheap.”
Texas: Both McCrea and Snyder are big fans of Texas. Snyder enjoys Austin and San Antonio.
“All that area around there is so agriculturally based,” he says.
Last year McCrea traveled from Lubbock to Amarillo up through the Oklahoma Panhandle. In Lubbock, his family enjoyed several museums, such as the American Windmill Museum, the Silent Wings Museum and the Buddy Holly Center. Cimarron County, Okla., is the only county in the nation that borders five states. They enjoyed several nice hikes and trails around Boise City.
Snyder and McCrea also discuss travel deals, their favorite sources for travel suggestions and more on the podcast. Of course, the two remind you to check on the COVID testing or vaccination requirements for any trips you are exploring.
