CNN's Off the Beaten Path Destinations for 2014

Japan's Ashikaga Garden.

Whether you're a frequent traveler or someone who doesn't get the chance to visit exotic locations much, chances are you probably have at least a vague bucket list of places to check out if you ever get the opportunity.  For the average person, these are probably places like Rome, the Pyramids of Egypt, or the Great Wall of China.  But where do people who spend their days living and breathing travel aspire to go?

CNN's Travel staff recently released their own list of hot spots they would like to see in 2014.  As you might expect, the picks are almost exclusively outside the box.

Kenya's Giraffe Manor is definitely not your run of the mill hotel.  The ten room inn is located on over a hundred acres of forest and gets its name from the long-necked residents that call it home.  If you're not comfortable having your brunch interrupted by giraffes peeping through the window, you might want to find other lodging.

Ashikaga Flower Garden has drawn comparisons from CNN's staff to Pandora, the faraway planet from James Cameron's "Avatar."  The centerpiece is a 143 year old wisteria tree which rains purple flowers on to visitors like natural confetti.

If you're lucky and skilled enough to have grown tired of an average surfing experience, West Papua's Luxury Surfing Expedition might be just the thing.  The trip includes a chartered luxury vessel to help you explore the waves in some of the more remote locations in Southeast Asia.  If you're less than an expert wave catcher and this still sounds appealing, have no fear.  The expdition can be tailored depending on your skill level.

These are just a few of the incredible locations they suggest checking out next year.  For more of the most intriguing locations to visit in 2014, check out the full CNN article.

William Mungall at the Beach

William Mungall on vacation at the beach.

A photo of William Mungall from a vacation to Europe.

William Mungall in front of the skyline.

William Mungall poses in front of a well known building.

William Mungall is an architect in the Los Angeles area.  This is a photo of him on vacation.

William Mungall is a Los Angeles-based architect.  This is a photo of him in front of an archway.

Pinterest Unveils Travel Tool

Pinterest knows what its sweet spots.  One of the big ones is travel, and Pinterest is making a big play to create a more useful tool for vacation planners.  A recent ABC News article explains that the online pinboard site is looking to make interacting with locations more useful for users.  

Up until now, users were only able to create boards that were largely aspirational visual representations of locations they wanted to visit.  The new feature, called Place Pins will allow users to get useful and actionable information alongside their pins of high resolution sunset vistas.  Pinterest is partnering with Foursquare to create interactive maps that will not only allow people to post beautiful photos of the locations they’ll be visiting, but will also show local restaurants and attractions.  Another exciting feature of the rollout is the ability to collaborate on a board with friends.  Anyone who has ever tried to spearhead the planning of a group trip can see that this, if done right, will be a valuable tool.

Some detractors are criticizing Pinterest’s decision to partner with Foursquare due to its limited location data.  While Foursquare has many destinations listed in major metropolises, more remote locations may have been better served by a partnership with Google Maps or other more comprehensive geolocation services.  Pinterest’s response?  There’s more to come.  The social network plans to include integration with restaurant review sites like UrbanSpoon are in the works.  There are also plans to integrate with the controversial short-term subletting app Airbnb.  Pinterest hasn’t explained exactly what the partnership would entail, but the logical use would be finding a cheap unoccupied room to stay in while traveling the globe.

What do you think?  Will Place Pins help plan group trips or is it a gimmicky feature?