The Local Travel Movement Gathers Momentum

Ethan Gelber
5 August 2010

Together with Spotted by Locals, the WHL Group is a founding member of the Local Travel Movement – a website uniting people and organisations with a passion for Local Travel and commitment to Local Travel values.

It’s a movement gathering momentum! In the last few months, almost 90 organisations have registered a desire to get involved, all already Local Travel companies: accommodations and accommodation bookers, guidebook publishers, tour guides, blogs, voluntourism.

To date, 61 blog articles written by Local Travel Movement partners and friends have found their way to the website, covering local travel in interesting destinations, local travel themes and asking questions about the very nature of local travel.

A few that seem to have tapped a collective nerve (and that I enjoyed reading or writing) include:

* Is Local Interaction Essential for Local Travel? – by John Nicholls
Do people travel primarily to meet and interact with local people or to see and experience things as distinct from the personal interaction? Is there a generational difference?

* The Travel Industry’s Dilemma – by Peter Stevenson
How can we bridge the gap between independent an organized group travel?

* How to Make Your Vacations More Meaningful? – By Shadia Garrison
This article was originally published on Huffington Post Travel!

* Want to Travel Locally? Walk! – By Joel Stratte-McClure
From a man who has walked over 6,650 kilometers around the Mediterranean Sea is to connect with local communities.

* Are Couchsurfing Networks Legitimate Local Travel? – By Ethan Gelber
An article that sparked a lot of discussion (22 comments!) about the safety of local accommodation networks

Got a itch that can only be scratched by local travel? Check out www.LocalTravelMovement.com!