responsible
Real Gunyah-style local travel experiences
In light of Responsible Travel Week 2011, we at Gunyah – specialists in short-duration experiential packages for independent travellers eager to connect with local people – have selected our favourite local travel experiences. We want to inspire travellers to seek out more meaningful travel experiences, the kinds that can only come through real contact with […]
Go local at Gecko Villa in rural Northeast Thailand
What do visitors want from their holiday? In establishing Gecko Villa, one of our firm beliefs was that the appeal of packaged holidays in anodyne hotel rooms has utterly lost its lustre. Whilst each visitor will have his or her own preferences and expectations, we believe there exists an underlying desire in many to experience […]
The local arts of Luang Prabang, Laos
Long known as one of Southeast Asia’s most visually stunning cities, Luang Prabang, Laos, is replete with uncommonly beautiful sights, not the least of which are the resplendent palaces and golden-roofed wats (temples) associated with this former royal capital. Now also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and must-see destination for anyone fascinated by the remarkable […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
Responsible travel – does it make sense?
Can travelling change the world? Unless you are a celebrity like Madonna, or a famous politician like Bill Clinton, it’s sometimes hard to see whether responsible choices have significant effect at all. But let’s put this in another perspective: What will happen, if all those millions of people that trot the globe every year change […]
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 […]