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Video Spotlight: Local Voices from Costa Rica
When you travel, one of the easiest and most meaningful things you can do is meet the locals. To the best of your ability – no matter what the language barriers – strike up a conversation. Find out their story, their culture, their way of life. During our last trip to Costa Rica to film our […]
Local travel suppliers have new direct-sales service through Your Holiday Promotion, free through September
With a view to becoming the largest and most trusted holiday clearinghouse on the web, Your Holiday Promotion, a new service for special travel deals and offers, now connects local travel- and leisure-sector merchants directly with travel agents and independent travelers. Unlike most travel sites, Your Holiday Promotion is not a commission-earning middleman, but a […]
Going local in the Sacred Valley, Cusco, Peru
During a trip to Cusco in Peru, I was lucky enough to take an Urban Adventure tour with Intrepid Travel. Their Sacred Valley Tour takes you to the famous area and allows you to have a very local experience – visiting a market, tasting Chicha beer, trying local village activities, and eating typical foods. In […]
Swiss valley votes against millions in gold to protect mountains
This month we were inspired to learn that the residents of a remote Swiss valley community have voted against receiving tens of millions of pounds each in favour of preserving their cultural heritage and environment. The incredible vote was cast by the valley’s 450 inhabitants in April (2012) after it was discovered that their area […]
Responsible (and local) tourism for travellers
What is Responsible Tourism? How do I do it? Why is it different to ecotourism, sustainable tourism or any other -ism tourism? How will it benefit me? And how will it benefit the people I visit? [Editor’s note: This impressive slideshow touches on a lot that is at the heart of Local Travel, especially the […]
Why all travel is local… and why conscious hosts will be indigenous
While I also subscribe to the importance of the journey and, where possible, would prefer to travel slowly and savour the transition from the familiar to the unknown, most times I have to fly. Then I stop being a traveler and, instead, become a producer of air passenger miles and carbon; a unit of yield […]
For Earth Day 2012, help commit a ‘Billion Acts of Green’
Since the very first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, over 20 million Americans from all walks of life have contributed to major environmental accomplishments, such as pressuring government leaders for the passage of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws. Today, the Earth Day Network […]
An eye on local travel: Burma and Berlin
Slow Travel Berlin presents A Celebration of Creativity, Culture & Cuisine – April 22, 2012, 12pm-6pm On 22nd April 2012, Slow Travel Berlin will take over Kreuzberg’s 100–year-old covered market hall Markhalle IX for a day of local creativity, culture and cuisine. The morning will be given over to a selection of free tours that […]
A response to Get Lost, Go Local: Elham, Chilham and Eden Valley in the United Kingdom
A lot of hype is placed on Local Travel abroad, but there can be just as many rewards to Local Travel… locally. After all, Get lost! Go local! is also a perfect mantra for a “staycation” and how many people can say they have experienced everything their own nation has to offer? Local travel is […]
Authentic alligator in Los Esteros del Iberá, Argentina
My canoe bumped into a floating island, which was a bad thing. Getting too close to an isla flotante meant that the 8-foot caiman alligators on it could step right into my vessel and eviscerate me. I started rowing furiously in the opposite direction, made difficult by the fact that my friend Allison was sitting […]