SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Three Yellowknifers have chosen to travel off the beaten path for their next vacation. Rather than staying at a all-inclusive beach resort Summer Meyer, Marie Loubert and Jeff Stewart are embarking on a biking trip across western Cuba.

Summer Meyer, Jeff Stewart and Marie Loubert are embarking on an off-the-beaten-path bike trip across western Cuba. - Adrian Lysenko/NNSL photo

"I've been wanting to go for a while just because I want to see it before there's too much American influence in Cuba and I'm an avid salsa dancer," said Meyer.

"I also wanted to see the countryside and you're not going to get the experience by going to a resort."

The group said they feel travelling by bicycle will give them a more leisurely pace, a better chance to travel into remote areas, as well more interaction with the locals.

"I've done the tourist thing in Cuba already last year and the taste I had of getting out of the resort was so nice," said Stewart.

While biking in the country the trio's accommodations will be home stays that allow travellers to stay with local families, an appealing factor to Stewart, a chef in the city.

"That's where the best food is to be had in the country," said Stewart. "The restaurants for the most part are state-run and they're bland and boring."

With regards to complications such as getting sick, the group has taken the necessary precautions with medical shots but otherwise they plan to go with the flow.

"That's what part of travelling to foreign countries," said Loubert. "A little bit of diarrhea is like a cleansing."

On their three-week trip, the trio hope to bike an average of 60 to 100 kilometres a day and upon finishing plan to give away their bikes to local families.

"I'm going to give mine to whoever can drive me to the airport," said Stewart jokingly. "The whole trip is pretty much off the cuff. We've done our research but we're not necessarily following any patterns so realistically they'll end up the hands of someone we meet at the right place and the right time, someone we think can use it."

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.