off the beaten track

Idioms  

1. An unusual route or destination, as in We found a great vacation spot, off the beaten track. This term alludes to a well-worn path trodden down by many feet and was first recorded in 1860, although the phrase beaten track was recorded in 1638 in reference to the usual, unoriginal way of doing something.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

off the beaten track

A onetime California oil boomtown about 60 miles southwest of Fresno, Avenal has spent decades off the beaten track, known more for its pistachios and sprawling state prison than for political upheaval.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

It is also a lever for encouraging tourism into an area far off the beaten track.

From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026

Much of Dudamel’s program went intriguingly off the beaten track, turning to “The Cowboys” and “Amistad.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2023

"My dad loved Spain and he loved going off the beaten track and this is where Dali actually lived for most of the later part of his life."

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2022

Westerners, if they are off the beaten track, hope for a railroad; and if they have one road they hope for another!

From In the Oregon Country Out-Doors in Oregon, Washington, and California Together with some Legendary Lore, and Glimpses of the Modern West in the Making by Putnam, George Palmer

Related Words

• confined
• deserted
• detached
• hidden
• lonely
• outlying
• remote
• secluded
• segregated
• unusual