If you enjoy traveling way off the beaten path, there are a few nations that promise to challenge you as you discover why they don't get many tourists.

Sophie Roberts tells us what delighted her about such places like Landlock Chad in Central Africa.

It's got images of rhinos carved into the stone that are 5,000 years old to show and prove that once the Sahara was green.

For Tim Tendek, the rough edges of Romania are just what he's looking for.

And there is not a hustle and a bustle, everyone just sits and kind of enjoys the evening.

And then you know that inside some of those hearty dishes with stewed pork and garlic are cooking on the stove.

Cassandra Overby builds her European vacations around long distance hikes with her kids.

And just the realization that she's getting to see these things that I never saw as a kid and that her world is just being expanded.

Tips for hiking with children and exploring the back roads of the world. It's just a hit on Travel with Rick Steves.

You might be surprised who you'll find on a hiking trail in Europe.

Cassandra Overby is one of those parents who takes her young children along on the historic trails that crisscross most any nation in Europe.

In just a bit, she tells us how you can make it work with your kids too.

And World Traveler Tim Tendek gives us an unpasturized look at Romania, a country he finds with just enough rough edges to make you want more.

Let's start today's Travel with Rick Steves with journalist Sophie Roberts.

The author of the Lost pianos of Siberia isn't shy about visiting many of the places others are afraid of to learn the stories of the people who live there.

In fact, when a former U.S. president banned travelers from seven countries, Sophie had to see for herself what they were like and the challenges their people faced.

Sophie joins us from her home in England.

Thanks for having me, Rick.

So, Sophie, there are places that really have almost no tourism and you've made a point to visit some of them.

Tell me three or four countries that we might call fragile places, places without much tourism.

Tajikistan, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Papua New Guinea, Myanmar.

These are all places I love, but they're not necessary at the top of everybody's holiday list.

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