// archives

Local tours

This category contains 66 posts

Awakening: what local experiences are really about?

The other day I remembered a passing incident from the mid 90s and realised something profound about the character of local experiences. I had succeeded in becoming a shareholder (probably by looking and dancing so Cretan!) of Vamos SA, a village company for preserving local livelihoods in Apokoronas in Crete. Without being an insider it is […]

Local Travel in Greece?

Local Travel is a great movement. We are really happy to know that there are lots of people that like to travel like we do – experiencing the true life of the locals. Living and working in Thessaloniki, Greece, we see thousands of tourists every year visiting our country and living nothing more than the […]

What is an ‘authentic’ Local Travel experience: rice and beans or fillet steak?

I often wonder if a tourist experience can ever be ‘authentic.’ Do visitors want authenticity? Do they even recognize authenticity when they see it? Whose responsibility is it to prepare them for it? Do people expect rice and beans or fillet steak… or perhaps a nice splattering of both? As a small travel company, aiming […]

The responsible traveller – the impact of not knowing the local language

We have all seen the stereotypical struggling tourist abroad, hands flapping, shouting and getting nowhere fast. Is this a responsible way to travel? Or by not trying to learn even a little of the language native to a country we are visit, are we eroding the culture of that country? Entering a room in a […]

Travelling irresponsibly – the impact of the package travel regulations

Do you like to travel independently? Maybe you have done a little backpacking or taken time out and enjoyed the pleasure of exploring, discovering local gems and getting off the beaten track. Maybe you try to book locally and pay a fair price (and make sure as much of your money as possible goes to […]

Abraham’s Path: walking on the path of the friend

Ahlan wa Sahlan – welcome – was a common phase I heard throughout my trip to Al Ayoun. I was there as part of a volunteering team from Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK which had travelled to Jordan to embark on a pioneering experiment in ecotourism, rural development, and cross culture exchange (see video). […]

Weaving goodbye – going local in Peru

Nina Fogelman and Ancient Summit, Inc., are the inspiration for and the host of a new documentary (see the trailer below) that was filmed in the summer of 2009. The documentary features five American teenagers with a strong desire to go local, to immerse themselves in a different culture and forge a bond through the […]

Travel as a local in Los Cabos: the new wave that is changing our destination

What first comes to mind when you hear “travel to Los Cabos”? Wonderful beaches with crystalline water? Luxury hotels with modern and amazing buildings and fine golf facilities? A sport fishing adventure? Being known as a premiere vacation spot in México is not weird; Los Cabos is often described as a strictly luxury beach destination. […]

Carrying on the local travel tradition in Namibia

It could be said that local travel made me what I am today. At the very least, it brought me to where I am today, which has had a huge impact on who I am. Many years ago, at a time in my life when I was searching for something, I travelled to Namibia. Reality […]

Responsible Tourism Week 2010: May 17-21

For the second year in a row, Planeta.com is proud to announce Responsible Tourism Week, revving up for action from May 17-21, 2010. Created first in 2009 when the Belize Responsible Tourism Conference was cancelled due to the swine flu outbreak, RT Week, scheduled just a few weeks before World Environment Day, is “a free […]