Local tours
Campaign for a word-of-mouth adventure guide
You know those great places you hear about from a friend of a friend? Independent, individual and personal. Run by friendly people who live locally, breathe your passion for a certain activity and know the best spots. Hard to find aren’t they? If you have been lucky enough to find one, then join Much Better […]
A convinced LOCAL tour operator
There are several ways to identify what I call niche tourisms and LOCAL is just perfect. Unfortunately many naïve tourists are still attracted by big groups and being passively transported to places. Price is certainly an issue and this kind of mass tourism can be perceived as affordable. However, what do they learn? Whom do […]
Go local in Oaxaca, Mexico, during the 2011 Responsible Tourism Fair
From January 30 to February 5, 2011, the Mexican city of Oaxaca will host an unconventional, unconference – the Responsible Tourism Fair. Now in its 11th year, it is a veritable model of the Local Travel Movement and Slow Travel. “Most importantly, the fair will also be a lot of fun,” said Ron Mader, founder […]
The unknown Naoussa, Greece
If you search the net about Naousa or Naoussa, Greece, you will probably only find information about Naousa in Paros Island. There is, however, another Naoussa: a lovely little town in Imathia, Central Macedonia, the land of the ancient Macedonian Kings. Naoussa, just 90km of easy road from Thessaloniki, is a great place if you […]
Thinking globally makes local tourism a heartfelt choice
Sometimes it takes a global village to help the one just down the road. For Fundación En Vía of Oaxaca, Mexico, that means not only reaching out to touch the lives of a nearby community through microfinancing loans and free English classes, but sharing the experience with people from all over the world who would […]
Be the Local – great project!
Dharavi – by markhillary Twitter user @bethelocal just started following me. Of course I check out what they were about! It turns out the be a very interesting little company by two Indian students from Dharavi – Mumbai’s largest “slum” (as they call it). Be the Local offers Guided Tours of the Dharavi slum in […]
Bringing local to a global audience in Darjeeling, India
I personally believe that there is a difference between a tourist and a traveler. On the one hand, a tourist visits a country, a monument and checks the box: India – check, UNESCO World Heritage Sites – check. On the other hand, a traveler seeks experiences. Yes there will always remain a bit of that […]
Thoughts about Local Travel in Colombia
As globalisation takes over in most industries – a phenomenon to which tourism is no stranger – it is fundamental to connect people to what is really important and unique about a place: Its culture, the idiosyncrasies of its people, the traditional food. One should even go further and show international travellers how local people […]
Creating community through volunteering in Oaxaca, Mexico
The women filed one by one into the dirt courtyard, taking seats on a long log bench after greeting each other quietly in Zapotec. They wore traditional full aprons over their everyday dresses; most had ribboned braids and dusty sandals. There was an electric air of anticipation, as though something important were about to happen. […]
Developing an inspiring search engine for the Local Travel Movement
The Local Travel Movement More and more travellers desire extraordinary travel experiences off the beaten track. They want to immerse themselves in the local cultures and environments of the countries they visit. They want to get the real thing. There is a steadily growing Local Travel Movement that is promoted by various people and organizations […]