At PocketCultures we’re very pleased to be a partner of the newly launched Local Travel Movement. The interest this initiative has attracted, even before launch, is a good indication that local travel is a growing and global trend, albeit one still in its defining stages.

For now it’s defined around a loose set of values which the movement aims to promote. But the discussion continues, for example with this debate on couchsurfing and local travel.

Vicky Baker, who writes Going local travel, made a thoughtful response to the question of whether couchsurfing is bad for locals. Her conclusion: it depends how you approach it.

You can see Couchsurfing as a cheap bed for the night, or you can see it as a platform for cultural exchange – a way to get tips from locals and experience life as they do (as much as is possible on a short visit). The approach is what matters. Like being a global citizen, awareness and respect for others is key.

And that brings me to the question of what local travel means to PocketCultures.

Continue reading this article on the Pocketcultures blog