Perceptive Travel Blog

Scotland’s Summer Festivals: 4+ To Discover, 1 From Northern Ireland Too

Kerry Dexter — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:37:50 +0000

In Scotland’s summer there are festivals of many sorts: celebrations of traditional boats, comic book art and comedy shows, jazz and blues, weaving and other textile arts, vegan food, a celebration of Scotland’s deaf community, seafood, metal music, Scotland’s traditional music (which may not be what you think)… you get the idea that Scotland’s summer festival subjects range widely. Whether it is the main focus or included with other family friend activities, many of Scotland’s summer festivals include music.. The range of genres and styles is as wide as the music interests in Scotland, naturally, so you will find pop,

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Why You Should Hike Franklin Mountains State Park in El Paso

Laura Byrne Paquet — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 15:00:32 +0000

Due to endless childhood viewings of Wile E. Coyote cartoons, I’ve always pictured American deserts as lifeless places, with only the occasional saguaro cactus relieving the monotony. A guided hike in Franklin Mountains State Park on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas, changed my mind. My little group was lucky enough to hike part of the Agave Loop Trail with Cesar Mendez, the park’s superintendent. As well as being a wellspring of fascinating information about the park’s flora and fauna, he kept us on the trail. That’s a not-insignificant benefit when you realize that Franklin Mountains is the biggest wilderness

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Classen Maxxing on Route 66 in Oklahoma City

Sheila Scarborough — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 22:53:38 +0000

I didn’t set out to experience all things Classen during my most recent road trip through Oklahoma City, but once I saw a minor theme emerging, I had to go with it. You’ll see Anton H. Classen‘s name all around OKC because he was a major figure in the early days of the city’s founding and development. He bought land for housing developments, helped organize the Metropolitan Railway Company, was president of the local Building and Loan Association and what became the Chamber of Commerce, helped establish today’s Oklahoma City University, and helped set up a meatpacking company in the

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History Travels: Unexpected Stories For America 250 And Beyond

Kerry Dexter — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:17:57 +0000

Is history part of your travel plan? Do you travel to visit places where events in history have taken place, or to explore famous routes (looking at you, Route 66 and the Natchez Trace), maybe visit a house or other building associated with events in history, or maybe travel to an event you expect will go down in history? As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, there are events of all sorts celebrating history. There are some events, and some voices, that seem not to be so widely amplified. though. My colleagues and I

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Train Travel in Thailand: Scenic Routes to and From Bangkok

Tim — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 12:15:06 +0000

The first time I experienced train travel in Thailand is when I was a young backpacker on a budget. Still, even though funds were limited, train travel was not expensive and I’m happy to see that it’s not now either. Unless you’re booking some kind of special luxury version through a high-end tour company, you can ride the rails in Thailand without breaking the budget. I have fond memories of going to Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Chiang Mai, and down to Penang back then. When we took our daughter there when she was 12, we rode the train up to Ayutthaya

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