experiential
Why aren’t more bloggers writing about responsible (and local) travel?
Most mainstream newspapers and magazines today give periodic lip service to the evolution of travel, acknowledging that more and more travellers consider themselves ‘ecotourists,’ but not really giving their readers enough to feed their ethical penchants. Hamstrung by shrinking budgets, market-deaf advertisers and cumbersome bureaucracy, major travel media look like they’re being outpaced by the […]
Explore, learn and make a difference: microfinance tours in Vietnam with Bloom Microventures
“So, how do you grow rice in Europe?” asks Ms. Ké, one of our project’s borrowers, during a microfinance tour in Northern Vietnam. Our guests, drinking their welcome tea and sitting on the bare concrete floor of Ms. Ké’s small house, smile: “We don’t grow rice in Denmark.” Ms. Ké is surprised: “What? You don’t […]
Importance of supporting local communities when you travel
While traveling through the Banff/Lake Louise region, I was fortunate enough to experience some of the activities that make the area great. Hot springs, snow tubing and exploring nature were all highlights, but one of my favorite activities was dogsledding with Kingmik Dogsled Tours. Megan is also the owner of Kingmik Dogsled Tours, a business […]
Experience Ukraine as a local: comfort foods, bread, grandmas and bazaars
What foods do you know from Ukrainian cuisine? Is it the borshch that first pops up in your head? No doubt, it is the main representative of Ukrainian culinary talents abroad, beside pierogi, or varenyky as they are called here, and vodka or horilka. However, Ukrainian cuisine extends much farther than that! You won’t find […]
Urban Adventures and the Local Travel Movement
Local travel is what we do. It’s the backbone of our operations, and a fundamental aspect of our day-to-day business. As a strong believer in and practicer of responsible travel, Urban Adventures is committed to its core tenets, which include local travel. As a proud member of the Local Travel Movement, Urban Adventures strives to […]
The benefits of Local Travel in the hills of northern Thailand
The ‘mountain people’ otherwise known as the hill tribes of northern Thailand, came from neighbouring Laos, Burma and China to settle in the remote highlands of northern Thailand hundreds of years ago. Their primitive way of life, as subsistence farmers living off the land in the remote mountain forests, is a cultural curiosity for the […]
The Travel Word’s best local travel pictures of the year 2011
It’s hard to believe another year has gone by. And with it the grace of another 44 incredible Photos of the Week. We are nevertheless once again proud to present our Photos of the Year – the travel pictures of the year 2011 that most captured the imagination of The Travel Word team and a […]
Traveling with a Local Bedouin across the Arabian Sands of Oman
Oman is a country with an amazing array of activities and sights. Tours of some of the country’s highlights are certainly not to be missed: from the Grand Mosque in the city of Muscat to the forts and canyon-like scenery of the Nizwa region. There is something for everyone in Oman, whether on a self-drive […]
Voluntourism vs. Local Travel – making a (sustainable) difference abroad
Many travellers get to a point in their experience when they want to make a difference in the places they’ve visited. Whether it’s by donating money to a local charity, spending a day at an orphanage, taking a week to help build a school, or spending months working on a local development project, voluntourism has […]
Going local in Chile!
Traditional tourism, sitting on a comfortable bus and taking pictures of the main landmarks of a place can certainly be fun and interesting. But there’s nothing better than going in deeper into the local culture of a destination and exploring off the beaten path. At least that’s what I try to do whenever I travel […]