About This Site

Routes are not neutral. The order of places, the pace between them, and the rhythm of movement shape what people notice and remember.

This site studies journey design as a sequencing problem. It examines how geography, timing, and recovery affect experience and understanding.

Some of these principles are tested in real-world travel programs. This site focuses on the underlying logic rather than the programs themselves.

About the Author

Michael studies journey design as a sequencing problem—how order, pacing, and geography shape meaning. Some of these principles are tested in real-world travel programs. This site focuses on the underlying logic rather than the programs themselves.

The Sequencing Problem

The order in which you encounter places matters. The pace between stops affects what you absorb. The rhythm of movement and rest determines whether experience accumulates or overwhelms.

Most travel planning treats these as logistics—problems to solve rather than design elements to consider. This site examines them as fundamental to how journeys create meaning.

What This Site Covers

• Cultural routes — Multi-stop journeys through regions with connected cultural identity, inspired by the Council of Europe Cultural Routes Programme
• Heritage trails — Historical paths that reveal how places relate to each other, often intersecting with UNESCO World Heritage sites
• Regional journeys — Explorations that build understanding through careful sequencing
• Pilgrimage paths — Traditional routes where movement itself carries meaning
• Food trails — Culinary journeys that map regional identity through local ingredients and traditions

Why Sequencing Matters

A journey through the same five places can produce entirely different experiences depending on the order. Start with the most intense, and everything after feels diminished. Build gradually, and each stop gains from what preceded it.

This isn't about optimizing for "highlights." It's about understanding how journeys function as coherent experiences rather than collections of destinations.