Viator Viator Travel Blog

Last year I wrote about some vacation ideas for George Bush: places where he might brush up on his knowledge of world affairs while at the same time getting some much needed respite from the rigors of Washington DC life.

He didn’t, alas, take my advice and now finds himself with only a couple of months left in office, and he has presumably used up all his annual leave allocation. (That’s a good question: how much annual leave do Presidents get? And how much do they take?)

Travel rarely does any harm, and it certainly improves the mind of the traveller, something that was apparent as we watched the stark differences between Bush’s dumbed-down “I’ve been to Texas too…” persona and the impressive worldview of the President-elect. The joy and relief that’s been apparent around the world since America voted is perhaps the best example of the “wisdom of crowds” that we have yet seen: the rest of the world knew six months ago that Obama was the right choice, and held its breath on Election Day to see if their American cousins would arrive at the same conclusion. They did, and the world now seems a little friendlier.

Travel in the Footsteps of Barack Obama

Obamamania: From Chicago to Hawaii, Indonesia to DC

Anyway. Those of you who have been swept up in the excitement of all this electioneering may want to consider some vacations that get you a little closer to the world of Barack Obama, and Viator can help: with plenty of things to do in Indonesia, Hawaii and Chicago, we really can get you a little closer to the places that shaped the President-elect.

Let’s start with far-off Indonesia, with the world’s largest Muslim population and a cultural life so diverse and colourful you will never see or understand a tenth of it. But you can try, and there’s no better place to start than Bali. Think volcanos, surfing, batik, cooking, exotic dance performances, diving, perfect weather and friendly locals. We featured a post with suggested Bali itineraries last year, and they’re all relevant today. Whether you soak up the culture or relax your days away, you certainly won’t be thinking about the latest Zogby poll while you’re in this paradise.

Hawaii is a different kettle of fish altogether. And boy, they sure are proud of their local guy. You may have visited Oahu before, but we have some activities there that will help you get under the surface a little further; after all, you can go shopping at home, you don’t need to go to Hawaii to do that! Instead, consider Creation - A Polynesian Journey; the Lahaina - Kaanapali Railroad; the Sacred Hawaiian Spirits Tour; or the Hawaii Royal History Tour. Each will enhance your understanding of Hawaii and its culture, provide amazing photo opportunities, and leave you wondering why you bothered to go shopping on those earlier visits.

Chicago is famous for its verbose — i.e., windy — politicians, although Mr. Obama seems to be verbose in the very best of ways. Our tours in Chicago focus on the city’s wonderful architecture, and there’s also a South Shore tour that takes you right into Mr. Obama’s ‘hood, including Grant Park, where he delivered his election night speech. I always enjoy bike tours, and we feature a waterfront neighbourhoods bike tour in Chicago that will help you understand why this great city is beloved by its inhabitants. (We’ve also selected some Obamamania Tours in Chicago and Washington DC to get you primed for Inauguration Day.)

So there’s a few ideas to get you a little closer to Barack Obama’s world. Republican or Democrat, liberal or libertarian, American or not, we are all going to spend the next few years reading about and hearing about and being influenced by, one way or another, this enigmatic character. Let’s get to know him a little better, and what better way than to walk in some of his footsteps?

-Rod Cuthbert

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Chicago tours and things to do in Washington DC. For you diehard Republicans, channel your inner Sarah Palin on a tour in Alaska, your inner John McCain on a tour to Arizona. Sorry, Joe - Delaware isn’t part of the Viator travel mix.