Look Deeper. Discover More.

LIFE OFF THE HIGHWAY

When you want to take a one-day scenic drive or three-day excursion, the planning is often the most painful part, so people just ignore what’s close to home. At LifeOffTheHighway, we help people satisfy their wanderlust by planning better and discovering more. 

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Some people travel with a desire to get to their destination as quickly as possible, on the most direct route, with the fewest distractions. Others, the ‘wanderers,’ want to savor the entire trip, including the travel to and from. These wanderers struggle to plan because local tourism is organized piece-meal and many places are not featured at all. If you know how and where to look, you can discover more of what’s out there.

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LifeOffTheHighway excursions are prepared by Phil Anderson, the Experience Architect and a passionate student of Indiana’s people and their places. For work and pleasure, he spent 37 years visiting every one of Indiana’s 2,230 'dots' – hamlets, villages, towns, and cities – and the farmland that connects them. He was curious about each dot. What made it become a place? Why did it prosper or wither and fade? Every dot has a story and there’s more there than meets the eye. 

As a cultural heritage tourism professor at IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis), Phil inspires students to explore the intersection of culture, heritage, and travel. Raised on a farm in the fertile 12-Mile Prairie in central Indiana, Phil has a deep appreciation for scenic rural areas, farmland, and small towns. He has also traveled the U.S., South America, Asia, and Europe, and visited some of the world's largest cities. Whether close to home or across the world, Phil is curious about people and their places. 

By experiencing LifeOffTheHighway, you’ll access more than the offerings on the local tourism website. You’ll soon learn about the oft-overlooked cultural assets and make them part of your travel plans. Whether it’s historic markers, old bridges, nature preserves, buildings with long forgotten stories, natural spaces or local eateries, you’ll start to discover destinations and drive-by sites as you wander anew.   

We’re naturally drawn to wander and explore. You’ll never know how much you’re missing until you learn what’s really out there. Become a LifeOffTheHighway wanderer today!