Like ‘slow food’ and ‘slow media,’ ‘slow travel’ is a part of the movement. It’s a reclaiming of what has been lost in today’s hyper pace of life and travel. It’s a state of mind while travelling. It’s a personal approach.

Today, to launch a couple of weeks of focus on Slow Travel we’ve asked the WHL Group staff what their thoughts and experiences with slow travel have been. Their answers were varied yet unified. The common message is simple – when travelling, slow down.

After you’ve read what we think (you can also click on any picture to see it on our Slow Travel Pinterest pin board), please tell us your ideas in the comments space below.

The bamboo railway in Battambang, Cambodia, is a good lesson in slow travel. Photo courtesy of Len Cordiner

“To me, slow travel is less about the number of dots on your travel itinerary and more about the quality/size of those dots. I have been travelling the world for around 40 years now, and have lived for periods of between one and five years in places as diverse as Japan, the USA, Vietnam, Austria, Nigeria, Switzerland and the UK.

Living in all these countries taught me a few things. First was that in all cases my first impressions shifted quite significantly as I got to know the people and the country better. This is not so surprising, but what was a little surprising to me was that it usually took a full year (or more) to really start to get under the skin of a place and feel comfortable, getting to a point where I could call a place ‘home.’

Being a better slow traveller required experience in my case. It is a learned skill; it is a life skill, really. I’ve found that people who are best at slow travel have a lot of empathy, and are decent people (fair, honest generous and considerate). They relate well to others.”
~ Len Cordiner, CEO, WHL Group

Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica, is great place to spot wildlife. With no roads leading here, it's only accessible by boat, slowly. Photo courtesy of Laurel Angrist

“Slow travel, to me, means slowing down your pace to appreciate the journey you take along the way – to see sights that travellers often bypass, to experience local culture far away from the tourist traps, to meet people and get a feeling for their lives while treading lightly on the local environment.”
~ Laurel Angrist, Editor, The Travel Word

A slow travel experience through Mai Chau, Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Jen Aston

“To me slow travel is about developing a sense of belonging in the communities you visit. Learning your way around and finding the amazing bakery or the unusual market that never gets featured in guidebooks. It’s about cultural experiences and making memories. It’s not about the places you saw, but rather about the people you met and what they taught you along the way.”
~ Jen Aston, Director, whl.travel Africa regional office

In France, two wheels are the only way to go, to go slowly, to see the in-between treats. Of course, some cyclists may never get anywhere. Photo courtesy of Ethan Gelber

“My preferred form of travel is by bike. Whether I’m making a short hop as a commuter in my home city or spending weeks (and sometimes months) on the road covering hundreds or thousands of kilometres, I prefer the speed – or, relatively speaking, lack thereof – of self-propulsion. It gives me a sensory-rich sense of place. I feel the rain when it falls; I smell herbs and flowers when I roll by home gardens; I hear the braying of cattle or, better yet, a soothing depth of silence. I see the overlooked treasures between the points of departure and arrival.

Best of all, I meet the locals. It’s impossible and foolish not to, because they impart the true depth of experience that makes slow travel – travel at human speeds – so poignant. For as long as my body allows, and soon with the youthful vigour of my sons to help propel me, I intend to keep to my pedal-powered steed. And hope to continue to be able to claim that, true to this day, I have steered over more ground on two wheels than I have on four.”
~ Ethan Gelber, Chief Communications Officer, WHL Group

Can you do THIS on a plane? Photo courtesy of flickr/moyerphotos

“Does anything truly interesting ever happen on a plane? Watching a rerun of a movie you first saw 15 years ago is not interesting. Folding yourself into a bathroom mere feet from your fellow passengers is not interesting. Picking at a cube of reheated food matter as your elbows vie for space with those of your neighbour is certainly not interesting.

Slow travel may not always be fun, but it’s almost always interesting. If it’s a choice between a plane and a four-hour bus journey sitting next to a goat, give me the goat every time. You get the best views, you get the best price and you get the best stories. Even if you don’t enjoy it at the time, think about how good it’ll be when you get there.”
~ Paul Tavner, Developer, The Travel Word

When you've made it as far as Argentine Patagonia, what's the hurry? Photo courtesy of Cynthia Ord

“Slow travel is lingering somewhere rather than just passing through. It’s unpacking your bag and staying long enough to find a routine. To travel slowly is to leave your lodging without a camera sometimes, and to be able to say ‘I’m living here.’ It’s strolling, sitting, watching and absorbing the beauty in tiny details.”
~ Cynthia Ord, Newsletter Editor, The Travel Word

“Slow travel for me involves heading to a destination without a plan. In this way, instead of running around trying to hit all of the ‘major must-dos,’ I wander through neighbourhoods taking in the sights, smells and sounds of what life is like in a particular destination, giving myself permission to stop where I like and explore any street that beckons me.

Then of course there’s slow travel through slow transport. I’ve ridden through rice paddies on an elephant in Thailand, travelled calmly down waterways in India on a traditional houseboat and been pedalled through the madness of Hanoi traffic by an ultra-calm pedicab driver. When your means of transport changes, so does your perspective.”
~ Michael Franco, Chief Communications Officer, Lime&Tonic

Take a moment to stop and connect with the local people - these moments are what slow travel is made of. Photo courtesy of Klaudija Janzelj

“For me, slow travel is taking the time to hang out with local people. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to stay in one place for longer a period; it can be just a few hours, as long as you take the time and get to know a place through its locals. I would skip a sight or two for the opportunity to chat with locals, have a tea or coffee with them, and just talk about their lives, their families or even the weather.”
~ Klaudija Janzelj, Global Sales Manager, Urban Adventures

Part of a Polish backpacking adventure can involve crossing the border between Poland and Slovakia by bike, as there are no buses that take you across. Photo courtesy of Jenna Makowsky

“To me, slow travel means getting to know the vibe of a place by experiencing local, day-to-day life and its routine patterns. I love doing this by going to local coffee shops, eavesdropping on conversations (or even arguments!), taking public transportation, eating local food in local restaurants and listening to music that’s popular at the time. My favourite way to travel slowly, though, is by walking. Walking forces you to slow down and to pay attention to your surroundings. It’s a practice in observation. You catch the small details that are otherwise hard to see when you only spend a few days in a place, or only go to the main tourist attractions. Even little things, like the style of shoes that everyone seems to be wearing, can provide great insight into local trends and habits.

An example of slow travel? I recently spent a month backpacking across Poland by myself and without a car. My goal was to visit the villages that all of my great-grandparents came from. As many of these places were off of dirt roads, I was literally travelling ‘off the grid.’ I was forced to take local public transportation (and when that didn’t exist, to walk or hitchhike); I was forced to learn language skills; and I was forced to rely on the kindness of strangers to provide help. They always did. And I got to know rural Poland in a way that I never would have otherwise. I also learned a lot about myself and my ability to be self-reliant.
~ Jenna Makowski, Content Editor, whl.travel

Taking some time to get to know the locals in Varanasi, India. Photo courtesy of Maureen Valentine

“Slow travel to me is spending a solid amount of time in a place where you can see more than the Lonely Planet highlights, which usually throws the itinerary out the window. It’s about seeing the humanity in the eyes of the local people rather than crossing a destination off the bucket list. It’s about taking the time to step back and let it all sink in.”
~ Maureen Valentine, Director, whl.travel Asia and the Pacific regional office

From Varanasi to New Jalpaiguri, India, slowly, by train. Photo courtesy of Ashley Hiemenz

“Going slowly, travel is much more than ticking off a box on a list. It’s about taking time to meet the locals, learn their stories and, in return, leaving a little bit of your story behind. It’s about discovering every facet of a destination – beyond the major highlights – and taking the chance to discover a place with all your senses.

My slow travel experiences always make the best stories, even if they aren’t always the most pleasant situations! Last month, I decided to take the local train from Varanasi to New Jalpaiguri in India. The train was 12 hours delayed, so I had to spend the night in the cold train station with monkeys, dogs and cows. There weren’t any other foreign tourists there and we slept amongst other locals and families in the station. We met a lot of people during the delay and I’ve told this story at least a hundred times since I’ve returned. If things had run smoothly, then the experience wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting.”
~ Ashley Hiemenz, Product Manager, Gunyah

Slow travel is about long, lazy days and becoming the ultimate 'flâneur.' Photo courtesy of flickr/whltravel

“Slow travel is travelling without a strict schedule or itinerary. It is about staying longer and merging with the local scene, doing the regular things you would normally do in your own place: taking a bus, sending a correspondence, buying groceries. It is talking to a stranger for a long time and enjoying even the silent minutes of no talking. It is walking with your camera and realising that at the end of the day you took less than a handful of photos. It is entering an appliance shop and not buying anything, just to watch the people and their ways. It is about being the ultimate flâneur every time you walk down a street during your holiday.”
~ Andre Franchini, CEO, Hotel Link Solutions

“Slow travel to me means taking in the sights, sounds, smells and history of a destination, connecting with the locals and experiencing their culture, their cuisine and day-to-day lives, so you walk away with a real understanding of place and lasting memories of its people. The best way to do this is to take your time, being adventurous and using the slowest form of transport available, preferably ‘shanks’s pony.’”
~ Rob Shortland, CEO, whl.travel

A slow food market in Latvia. Latvia's new tourism slogan is "Best Enjoyed Slowly." Photo courtesy of Anda Cirule

“To me slow travel is about becoming a part of local life of the destination you visit. It’s about connecting to a place, its people and culture. It is something totally different from trips where you just follow the list of all ‘must-sees’ and after getting home you realise that you actually need a holiday to recover. Slow travel means to me that I can stay in one place long enough to have a favourite dish in the local restaurant.”
~ Anda Cirule, Director, whl.travel Europe and the Middle East regional office

Slow travel is straying from the postcard sites and creating your own picture-perfect moment. Photo courtesy of Wallace Faria

“Devagar se vai ao longe. This old Brazilian saying defines quite well what slow travel is to me. It means something like ‘slowly going further.’ In my opinion, haste is the enemy of the perfect trip. Rent an apartment instead of staying in a hotel. Read the local newspaper. Stray from the postcard sites and get lost!”
~ Wallace Faria, Director, whl.travel Americas regional office

Slow travel is about making local friends along the way, like here, in Yemen. Photo courtesy of Luke Ford

“Slow travel is about slowing down your travels to fully appreciate a place, its people and their culture… and making a few friends on the way.”
~ Luke Ford, CEO, Gunyah

Some transportation, like the Trans-Mongolian Express, lets you take a very long look at the world around you. Photo courtesy of Adrian Cordiner

“Slow travel is about the journey, not just the destination. Being excited about where you’re going, but being just as excited by how you get there, the people you meet, the sights you see and the experiences you have along the way. About slowing down to acknowledge that the journey you’re on allows, for the briefest moment, the chance to peer into someone else’s life and to share that moment in time with them.”
~ Adrian Cordiner, CEO, Green Path Transfers

Fabiola Duerig and her husband Oliver, the cofounders of Las Pleyades Travel, enjoy a sunset over the bay of Taganga in Santa Marta, Colombia. Photo courtesy of Las Pleyades Travel

Fabiola is proud to call Colombia home and to share it with travellers eager for a local’s insights. As a seasoned traveller herself, she can appreciate the value of a local travel experience.

WHL Group: Which is your favourite WHL Group destination and which would you most like to visit?
Fabiola: My favourite destination at the moment is my own home – Santa Marta, Colombia – because I am able to experience its natural beauty every single day. Colombia as a whole is a great country in every sense, which more and more foreign tourists are starting to realise.

Outside of Colombia, the destination I would like to visit is India. Despite the poverty and misery I might see there, where 80 kids die every day from curable diseases like rabies, I don’t want to shut my eyes. It’s real. India has a very special culture and way of thinking, one so different from that of the western world. I also love their way of dancing and all the colours. I look forward to exploring it someday.

WHLG: What would you never travel without?
Fabiola: For me, the two biggest essentials are music and a passport. The rest are details.

Bahia Concha is part of what makes Santa Marta, Colombia Fabiola's favorite destination. It is also where she is lucky enought to call home. Photo courtesy of Las Pleyades Travel

WHLG: What do you miss most about home when travelling?
Fabiola: I suppose it depends on the country I visit. Here on the coast of Colombia, I really miss the high quality and variety of European food, but if I were travelling in Argentina, for example, I wouldn’t notice this so much. What I always miss, no matter the destination, are my friends and family if they’re not there with me to share all the exciting experiences of travel.

WHLG: What’s the most adventurous trip you’ve ever taken?
Fabiola: I would have to say a trip down the Death Road from La Paz, Bolivia, to a small town in the mountains. It is said to be beautiful, but I don’t think it is worth it because the road is so dangerous that you see the old remains of vehicles down below. Also, local people drive so fast that accidents are inevitable. So I am just glad to have survived that!

WHLG: What is your funniest travel experience?
Fabiola: It’s hard to say which is the funniest because I’m lucky to have lots of really funny ones to choose from. On more than a few occasions, I’ve found myself in situations I almost could not believe because it was so funny and surreal. But at the same time I know that it will be less funny when I try to relate it to someone because you have to live it. This is one of the joys of travel with your partner or your friends – you can laugh so many times about the same stories for years. You will always have the memories of that extraordinary, unusual situation that you shared.

Oliver looks out onto the stunning hills of across from the bay of Tananga with Kike, another partner on the Las Pleyades team in Santa Marta, Colombia. Photo courtesy of Las Pleyades Travel

For example, when I was travelling in Bolivia with a friend, the bus stopped in the middle of the night because there was a technical problem, as happens a lot there. When we got out of the bus to see what they were doing, we saw that they had pulled a frog out of the wheel! They managed this in a few hours without any technical instruments. It was amazing, but, as I said, it’s not that funny unless you were there.

WHLG: What is your scariest travel experience?
Fabiola: I felt frightened while crossing the border from Peru to Bolivia at night. I know now why it is not recommended!

WHLG: If you could go on holiday with anyone famous – living or dead – who would you take?
I would visit Fidel Castro with Albert Einstein in Cuba. I just think that they’re both admirable. Although they may have a lot of failures (like every human being), they are intelligent enough and I would help them to open their minds so we could improve all together. Maybe we’d find a political formula that solves all our social problems. Of course, I would take my husband Oliver with me too!

WHLG: Describe the best and worst accommodation you’ve ever stayed in.
Fabiola: The best would have to be Finca Barlovento here in Santa Marta between the river and the Caribbean Sea. The waves of the ocean sound like a whisper in your ears and the natural beauty just overwhelms you.

On the other end of the spectrum: as a backpacker I saw a lot of accommodations that compete for the ‘worst place’ award. Backpacker accommodations can surprise you in both negative and positive ways. I am happy with a clean bed in a clean room with a private bathroom, although it can also be shared, although shared bathrooms are generally less clean. The worst thing I’ve ever seen was in Peru, where the room smelled like bad eggs and Oliver found excrement on the floor of the bathroom. We decided to leave and found a great hostel (called La Casona) at a very fair price.

Fabiola and Oliver pose with team member Gilbert (center), who is one of their best drivers and friends. All three are very excited about their new vehicles, part of what makes them the best transfer service in Colombia between Santa Marta, Cartagena, Tayrona Park and Sierra Nevada. Photo courtesy of Las Pleyades Travel

WHLG: Describe your earliest travel memory.
Fabiola: I have early memories of the beaches in Southern Europe on holidays when I was two or three years old. I remember surfer beaches, the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea.

WHLG: Please briefly explain what you think local travel is.
Fabiola: To me, local travel is being aware that you are visiting a different place where people have different habits and cultures, and if you are ready to accept and respect this, you can dive in and have a true travel experience. It’s about getting in touch with local people and eating in local restaurants to try the typical and recommended dishes. As an alternative to ‘all-inclusive’ resort-style travel, local travel means staying in small cabanas in the surrounding areas where you can see how local people really live, and choosing local tourist guides. Local guides can help you learn a lot about the people and their culture in a short time, because they have a great wealth of knowledge about the area, the history and the people.

WHLG: In what ways do you see local travel benefiting the country in which you live?
Local travel involves many different local people as the service providers of accommodations, tours and transportation. In this way, small companies have a chance to create jobs for more and more local people. We feel that, in our case, as a travel agency, this is one of our most important roles.

There can be so much stress wrapped up in the simple act of catching a taxi. Book ahead with Green Path Transfers and you have peace of mind, in part because your travel is 100% carbon offset. This taxi waits near the Greek Parliament in Syntagma Square, Athens, Greece. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Salonica84

Triptrotting is all about connecting travellers with locals and then providing both with authentic experiences and opportunities to make new friends. I was the lucky gal chosen from among 300 others as the Ultimate Triptrotter and spent several weeks in Europe putting the Triptrotting network of travellers and hosts to the test.

Well, my Ultimate Triptrotting Adventures featured a lot of hopping from city to city, which meant a lot of time spent on planes and in airports. And I mean a lot of time: the start of my journey featured a period in which, thanks to Mother Nature (snow is nice, but not when it traps you in New Zealand), I barely set foot outside of an airport for five days.

Luckily for me, the WHL Group, with a little help from The Travel Word, stepped in and offered me the use of their innovative service known as Green Path Transfers, a global network of local eco-friendly airport transfer partners and ground transportation operators that transformed airport-city travel into something I anticipated rather than dreaded.

With ground transportation no longer a worry, in Istanbul, Yolanda met up with Salih, her Urban Adventures guide eager to share his love of his city and knowledge about Turkish life, including his his favourite Baklava cafe. Photo courtesy of Triptrotting

Much More Than a Transfer

Green Path Transfers was so much more than an airport transfer to me. As a traveller on a budget, I am used to taking the cheapest option to get into the city. This usually means one of three things:

1) scamming a friend into picking me up and hoping that they’ll still be there even if my flight is delayed
2) waiting around for a shuttle that will eventually take me to some inconvenient part of the city, or
3) scouring the airport for some form of public transportation, which then loops around and around suburbs for ages before ending up anywhere remotely close to civilization.

‘Splurging’ means getting a taxi, and it is only done as a last resort in the wee hours of the morning or when no other public transportation is available. Even that is usually not all that pleasant of an experience, as I can’t help wondering if the cab is actually a real cab, and if the driver is taking advantage of my clear unfamiliarity with the city by driving me around in circles.

A Taste of Something Different

Green Path Transfers was different: a global network of door-to-door ground transportation operators that provide a friendly face and reliable service at competitive costs, all while being green (using low-emissions vehicles and/or 100% carbon offsets).

Is the journey the way there or the destination? It's both, especially when the transport is simplified by Green Path Transfers and the goal is Athens, Greece, site of the world-famous Parthenon, sitting atop the Acropolis. Photo courtesy of Triptrotting

I was amazed at the ease with which I could get from the airport to my Triptrotting hosts! There was unfailingly someone at the airport to greet me, grab my bags and offer up both big smiles and lots of tips for ways to enjoy their cities. The drivers took great pride not only in their jobs, their cities and in maintaining high standards of service, but, as an added bonus, in knowing that they were doing right by the planet.

Especially to those of us concerned about how much carbon gets pumped into the atmosphere as a result of flights, Green Path Transfers promises some peace of mind. After all, Green Path Transfers is not just ‘green’ in name only. It aims to work with operators who use vehicles that are hybrids, run off biofuel, or whatever it takes to ensure reduced carbon emissions. As a further guarantee that the transfer is completely carbon neutral, Green Path Transfers offsets on any unavoidable emissions.

Now that I have had the good fortune of Green Path Transfer in Istanbul and in Athens, I can never go back to my old ways of long hours hauling luggage around on outdated and sketchy public transportation. Here’s to Green Path Transfers, where the grass truly is greener on the other side!

Well, the pace hasn’t lifted. Not long after saluting its six-month anniversary, Green Path Transfers took brief note of its 100th destination and then plunged tirelessly onward. As I write this, the total is already 123 destinations in 44 countries, ahead of the pace needed to meet the goal of being operational in 200 destinations a year after launch.

A Quality Alternative

As we never tire of telling, Green Path Transfers pursues a vision of competitively priced airport transfers and inter-city ground transportation operators by local partners all across the globe committed to environmental sustainability, especially through the use of low-carbon-emission fuels or engines.

Green Path Transfers unifies existing local service-minded businesses around a goal to go ‘green’ and then uses that collective presence to raise the profile of earth-conscious transfer options worldwide, appealing to the growing number of business and leisure travellers wishing to book eco-friendly transport.

By working with carefully selected partners that maintain top-quality fleets and assure comfort, quality and competency, Green Path Transfers also leaves tread marks on the notion that low-carbon-emissions vehicles running on alternative-fuel engine systems can’t deliver a level of price and service comparable with that of non-green options.

Clean Technology

Green tech is here to stay. It better be if we’re going to repair (and halt) the punishment from which our planet suffers. That’s why Green Path Transfers partners use or hope to use vehicles powered by recycled vegetable oil; engines running on renewable, non-toxic and all-natural fuels like biodiesel and ethanol; Ultra-Low and Super Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicles (ULEVs and SULEVs) and alternative-fuel cars using compressed natural gas (CNG); and hybrid cars.

But the latest tools needed for minimising one’s footprint aren’t available everywhere; some local partners do not yet have green-technology fleets (especially in emerging economies). Green Path Transfers therefore guarantees its intentions through a 100% carbon-offset emissions policy. Through verified third-party carbon-offset organisations like atmosfair and Blue Ventures, Green Path Transfers brings customers peace of mind with the knowledge that their trips are helping to fund clean-energy projects worldwide, from solar energy programs in India to hydraulic irrigation systems for rural farmers in China.

“Every little bit helps,” says Adrian Cordiner, CEO of Green Path Transfers. “We hope that, by being an industry leader in the use and support of cleaner technology, both in transfers and through offsets, we will inspire others to follow suit.”

To learn more about Green Path Transfers and how be part of carbon-neutral travel arrangements that emphasise green technology, visit www.GreenPathTransfers.com.

The Monte Toboggan on Portugal's Madeira Island is just one of many ways locals have created to get from one place to another, ways that we believe are a vital part of a local travel experience

We believe that the different forms of local transport are unique qualities of a place that, when experienced, are a vital part of a local travel experience. To know a place is to get around it the way local people do: cramming yourself into a chicken bus in South America, throwing caution to the wind in a tuk-tuk in Southeast Asia or boarding a ferry in Africa. We dare you to give them a try! We’re sure you will find these rides to be a brilliant bonding experience with locals.

To inspire you… and in honour of our recent focus on local transport, we asked our network of local travel professionals all over the world to give us a glimpse of the best local conveyances in their destinations. Their responses are as varied as they are colourful – everything from trains and boats and buses to animal power and bicycles and three-wheeled wonders.

We’re pleased to present this gallery of the best of local transport inside the whl.travel network.To make it work:
+ Click on a thumbnail to open a preview.
+ Click the name of the photo to be taken to the full written entry supporting it.
+ Click the photo itself to close the preview.
+ Use the arrows to navigate through previews.

Trains on the Right Track

(click here to read more)

Bicycles Worldwide

(click here to read more)

Buses Not to Miss

(click here to read more)

Muscle Power

(click here to read more)

Transport on the Water

(click here to read more)

Three-Wheeled Wonders

(click here to read more)

On this Gunyah Short Break guests learn the secrets of the cuisine on Greece's island of Crete with hands-on cooking classes at a boutique accommodation. Photo courtesy of the local Gunyah partner in Crete

“Planning your travels takes a lot of time, and, let’s face it, people are increasingly busy and have fewer holidays,” says Gunyah CEO, Luke Ford. “Whilst it is easy to book an all-inclusive package holiday or group tour online, travellers still crave a more authentic holiday experience, which is not readily accessible online due to the fragmented nature of the market. Our short breaks allow travellers to easily book real local experiences online. Gunyah puts travellers just a click away from their first, or their next, locally inspired journey.”

Gunyah works directly with local travel experts in each destination to ensure the short breaks offered via its travel website are of the highest quality and at all times uphold a responsible travel ethos. In each destination, these local teams stand ready to process requests and answer any question, as well as then providing complete on-the-ground support.

“Our short breaks still cover the essential sights you would expect on a traditional tour,” says Ford, “but they also allow travellers to experience the destination from a local’s perspective, to evoke a more authentic travel experience.”

A screenshot of the inspirational Gunyah travel booking website

One example of a Gunyah Short Break reveals how unique travel experiences can be found on even the most popular Greek Islands. This five-day Crete Culinary Adventure takes guests around the island to discover local wines, cheeses and taverns, as well as cooking classes with the host and adopted grandma for the week, to learn the secrets of Cretan cuisine.

Other experiences include a homestay adventure in Mongolia, some horseback riding through the Andes mountainous in Ecuador, a chance to go chimpanzee-spotting in Uganda and an extreme adventure in Jordan.

Gunyah was developed with the backing of the WHL Group, the largest local-travel company in the world and a collective of companies enthusiastically promoting local travel initiatives. Of the Gunyah launch, Len Cordiner, the founder and chairman of the WHL Group, said “We have connected some of the best local travel experiences to global markets and we’re extremely pleased with the result.”

Gunyah is on track to launch short breaks in another 40 countries over the coming months, which will make it one of the largest providers of experiential travel products in the world.

Originally from Valencia, Melissa is now a travel agent and specialist for a number of destinations in Venezuela, including Los Roques and Canaima National Park. Soon, she will also help travellers explore Margarita Island.

Angel Falls is the leading attraction of Canaima National Park, Venezuela. This is also the source of Melissa's first travel experiences. Photo courtesy of Melissa Gonzalez

WHL Group: Which is your favourite WHL Group destination and which would you most like to visit?
Melissa: I would have to say Fiji. I’ve become fascinated by the Fiji Islands.

WHLG: What would you never travel without?
Melissa: My Virgin of Carmen key chain. It brings me protection while I’m travelling!

WHLG: What do you miss most about home when travelling?
Melissa: The creature comforts of my own home, especially my own bed.

Boarding a plane in the Los Roques Airport in Venezuela, Melissa Gonzalez is ready, as always, for her next travel adventure. Photo courtesy of Melissa Gonzalez

WHLG: What’s the most adventurous trip you’ve ever taken?
Melissa: Once, when I was about 20 years old, I went with some friends to a beach called Cuyagua, located in Aragua State, Venezuela. The place is beautiful because there is nothing there – you have to camp in a tent or your vehicle. It felt adventurous because we were off the grid and very far from the nearest town, hospital, police, etc. Nothing but pure nature.

WHLG: What is your funniest travel experience?
Melissa: My four girlfriends and I always laugh when we remember our Curaçao Island trip. We meant to go spend time partying and relaxing on the beach, but instead the trip turned into one big shopping spree; we were only on the beach for a few hours.

WHLG: What is your scariest travel experience?
Melissa: One time, I almost missed a flight home from Margarita, Venezuela. There was not another fight available until the next day in the afternoon, so I was afraid I would be camping overnight in the airport! Luckily, I made it just in time.

Melissa enters the Kavac Caves of Canaima National Park, Venezuela, with a local Pemon tour guide. Photo courtesy of Melissa Gonzalez

WHLG: If you could go on holiday with anyone famous – living or dead – who would you take?
Melissa: Valentina Quintero, the “tireless traveller of Venezuela.” I really admire her.

WHLG: Describe the best and worst accommodation you’ve ever stayed in.
Melissa: My best experience was at a resort called Cap Cana on the amazing coasts of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. On the other side of the scale is the Resort & Casino at Eagle Beach in Aruba, which was really uncomfortable and ugly.

WHLG: Describe your earliest travel memory.
Melissa: I’m not sure how old I was at the time, maybe eight. I remember the beach Playa Colorada in Mochima, Anzoátegui State. The sand was beautiful, is reddish and the whole place was surrounded by mountains.

Melissa believes that the heart-stopping natural landscapes of Venezuela - Angel Falls being the perfect example - are just part of what gives her country great, positive tourism potential. Photo courtesy of Viajes Valencia Los Roques

WHLG: Please briefly explain what you think local travel is.
Melissa: For me, local travel starts with travelling around your own country and getting to know it well. This teaches you a lot about how to travel locally, as if you were from there, in other places as well.

WHLG: In what ways do you see local travel benefiting the country in which you live?
If Venezuela did more to develop its tourism carefully and sustainably, I think we’d become one of the world’s top destinations. Venezuela has it all – beautiful landscapes, kind and friendly people, unique flora and fauna, and really great weather. There is so much potential!

Often also used in conjunction with today's International Day of the World's Indigenous People, this is officially the logo of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII), an advisory body with a mandate to discuss indigenous issues

When is International Day of the World’s Indigenous People? Today! Proclaimed by the United Nations, it’s a day  on which, as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said, to “celebrate and recognise the stories, cultures and unique identities of indigenous peoples around the world.”

This year the focus is on indigenous designs – celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future. According to the UN, it “highlights the need for preservation and revitalisation of indigenous cultures, including their art and intellectual property…. It is also a reminder of the responsibility of individuals as consumers, to understand that there is a story and a personal experience behind every piece of cloth, textile or artwork from an indigenous individual or community.”

In Support of Indigenous Culture

On this special day an in keeping with this year’s particular focus, The Travel Word is very proud to join the world in saluting the cultural roots from which we have all sprung, roots that remain robust but require our admiration, care and protection.

To this end, and given the broad reach of the WHL Group community, of which The Travel Word is a part, we have concentrated for the last two weeks on sharing word from the indigenous people and native communities in our network. Our posts have examined indigenous culture and travel as it relates to:

• an Aboriginal tour guide in Cooktown, Australia
• the indigenous shea-butter-producing communities on the fringe of Mole National Park in northern Ghana
• an arts and ethnography museum in Laos that provides important information about the country’s ethnic groups
• the indigenous Rungus tribes of northern Borneo, Malaysia
• the Tzotzil indigenous people of Chamula, Mexico
• the Maori on the North Island of New Zealand
• the Embera indigenous community of Panama
• the Sámi indigenous people of northern Scandinavia
• the Bassari villages of rural Senegal
• the hill tribes of northern Thailand
• in Vanuatu, a Yakel village on the island of Tanna and the Namba population of Malekula Island
• the aboriginal Pemon people of Canaima National Park in Venezuela

We also have older articles about indigenous culture that explore Bhutan, Colombia, Georgia, Malawi, Mexico, Pakistan and Peru.

Poster announcing Indigenous People's Week, August 8-12, 2011. By planeta.com

There’s More: Indigenous People’s Week

In extended appreciation of indigenous people, The Travel Word is also throwing its weight behind Indigenous People’s Week, which takes place from August 8 to 12, 2011.

According to Ron Mader of Planeta.com, one of the week’s co-organisers, Indigenous People’s Week is “an innovative and fun ‘unconference’ ” that calls for recommendations of educational and engaging videos, podcasts, websites and online resources as part of “a wonderful mixing of cultures – indigenous and non-indigenous – as well as cyber-savvy and friends who simply don’t want a smartphone. We don’t all have to do the same thing or have the same background to contribute to a win-win effort.”

Please start adding links or questions now to the Indigenous People’s Week event pages on Facebook and LinkedIn. When tweeting about this topic, please include the hashtags #indigenous and #ipw.

Luang Prabang, once the royal capital of ‘The Kingdom of a Million Elephants,’ retains the beauty of its regal and French colonial past. Well-preserved buildings and a plethora of glittering Buddhist temples nestle at the confluence of two picturesque rivers and against a backdrop of densely forested mountains. The natural beauty and architectural preservation earned the town a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1995. Since then, development has been carefully restricted to the joy of a steady flow of foreign visitors keen to explore the town’s charms.

What better way to explore the jungles and forests around Luang Prabang, Laos, than from the regal perch atop an elephant? Photo courtesy of Stanislas Fradelizi

Exploring the laneways and riverbanks on foot or by bike, admiring the golden temples and chatting with friendly novice monks eager to improve their conversational English are some of the best ways to enjoy the relaxing vibe of Luang Prabang. Of the many splendid temples, the most famous is Wat Xieng Thong, where stunning, intricate mosaics portray temple myths and scenes of every day domestic life. Other attractions include a royal palace, now the National Museum, and the compact but fascinating Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre. A sunrise or sunset climb to the top of the town-centre’s hill, Mount Phousy promises wonderful views of the town and its setting.

Day Trips

With so much to do in Luang Prabang, we’d need more space to recommend everything. First up would have to be a cooking class with us at Tamarind. There is no better way to get insight into the local culture than through a trip to the market and lesson about Lao food.

Anyone looking for a bit more adventure must try some elephant trekking; booking through a responsible local operator is essential, of course, and we recommend the Elephant Park in Ban Xieng Lom.

Finally, if you yearn for beautiful, photogenic scenery, a trip out to Kuang Si Waterfalls is a must.

Shopping

Be sure to leave space in your bag for the great mementos to be found shopping in Luang Prabang. The main street transforms after dusk into a wonderland of bright colours at the Night Market.  Amidst the Beer Lao t-shirts, fisherman pants and imported cheap products, you will find handwoven Lao silk scarves in jewel colours, hilltribe crafts of naïve embroidery and handmade bed linen in traditional ethnic patterns.

The night market is a central feature of Luang Prabang, Laos, and a source for some good bargains, as well as some fine handmade local crafts. Photo courtesy of Stanislas Fradelizi

For more upmarket fair-trade local crafts and products, seek out retail outlets OckPopTok, Caruso Lao and Kopnoi.

Around town, keep an eye out for Mulberry “sa paper,” strewn with leaves and flowers, often fashioned into albums and paper lanterns. Silver is another regional speciality, delicately worked by former royal silversmiths. You can also find an excellent range of jewellery and ritual objects.

Restaurants

Dining options range from street stands to fine eateries and restaurants in Luang Prabang. If you’ve got a strong stomach and adventurous spirit, try the night market takeaway food: grilled fish, meats and spicy local delicacies. Daytime stalls outside the post office provide excellent value-filled baguettes.

For mid-range dining, try Tamarind, our user-friendly introduction to Lao cuisine, and Big Tree on the Mekong for tasty Korean. Coconut Garden is airy and attractive with an extensive menu of Lao and western dishes, while Joma Bakery caters to those seeking the comfort of Western food and le Banneton has a selection of French patisserie treats.

Splurge at Blue Lagoon for international cuisine, L’Elephant Vert for vegetarian raw food or Apsara, renowned for their fish in tamarind sauce.

Local Treats

For a delightful walk, follow the peninsula shoreline along the Mekong riverside road, past the confluence with the Nam Khan River and back into town along that bank. This affords wonderful glimpses of Luang Prabang domestic life. In the dry season you will see locals working their prolific vegetable plots in the rich riverbank soil. The laneways within this Old Quarter, particularly on late afternoons and weekends, reveal intimate scenes of the relaxed social life of residents against a background of fascinating architecture.

As part of Tamarind's Cooking Course, a trip to the local market in Luang Prabang, Laos, often includes a glimpse into the more traditional life of the local population. Photo courtesy of Stanislas Fradelizi

Foodies must not skip a sindad, the local cook-it-yourself meal that is a cross between Korean barbecue and Chinese steamboat. You can identify restaurants specialising in this highly popular cuisine by the stone tables with central cavities for the cooking fire.

Lastly, though no visit to Luang Prabang seems complete without observing the monks’ dawn almsgiving ritual, it has sadly become something of a tourist circus. By all means observe respectfully by keeping out of the way of locals and monks and not buying rice from the insistent street sellers.

Night Out

With an official curfew of 11:30pm, Luang Prabang is hardly a wild all-night party town. However, behind Mount Phousy, you will find a variety of bars and drinking establishments dedicated to good times. Hive, the longest established, has an ethnic fashion show followed by talented local teens dancing hip-hop. Nearby is Lao Lao Garden with an open fire, extensive menu and inexpensive cocktails. Other popular spots are the tropical Utopia, which looks like a setting for Survivor, and the fun new Lao Lao Karma Bar. On the main drag, look for the compact Pack Luck Wine Bar or along the Nam Khan River try the scenically located Blue Ice, both expat favourites.

Desperate to beat the curfew? Head to the fluoro-lit bowling alley. It serves Beer Lao and is open until late. Dancing is also possible at the Dao Fa, a local club packed with youngsters that plays western techno. Or, join locals at a Lao disco: Muang Swa has a live band playing Lao dance favourites. It’s fascinating to watch, easy to learn and always fun to join in.

The problem with this scenario is a standard one: how do the Davids compete in Goliath-land? How do tight-pursed small and local shops nudge aside deep-pocketed multinationals? How does one chirping bird get heard above the thundering din of air sirens and foghorns?

One possible early action during the month of June is the Local Voices Rally and Tally for Local Travel Experts, a way to help some ethical local travel experts win some free online publicity and digital support for their businesses.

Collective Action

At The Travel Word, we believe that to cut through the noise – notably, in response to consumer demand that seems to be giving more and more credence to corner-store commerce – is through movements and campaigns that create assemblies of Davids or gather huge flocks of birds to help them sally forth as wholes far greater than the sums of their parts.

We’re sure you know of many such ventures, especially with regard to food, where the local and slow movements are growing stronger every day, following in the loamy footsteps of the powerful organic food lobby.

In travel too, we’ve seen a lot of promising collective action. As the culturally, environmentally and economically destructive reality of mindless and unethical travel (mass tourism, all-inclusive resort tourism, city-a-day package tourism) becomes more clear, new and mindful ways of engaging with the world – like ecotourism, sustainable travel, geotourism, local travel and slow travel – all seem to be gathering steam. And within each niche, beneficial work to rally active stakeholders behind common cause are making a difference.

Listen to Your Local Voices

The business of which The Travel Word is a part, WHL Group, is one such attempt to rally. Its claim to be the largest local-travel company in the world is by virtue of an extensive global network of hundreds of local travel professionals; it’s a Goliath of Davids.

But how do we parlay that self-supporting togetherness of local players into a global force? How does a bunch of small hands heft a mighty cudgel? How about through social media, services perfectly adapted to the needs of collectives?

With that in mind, we’ve just launched our Facebook-based Local Voices Rally and Tally for Local Travel Experts, an opportunity for one large assembly of ethical and responsible local-travel practitioners – purveyors of the kind of travel that promotes and supports the long-term sustainable protection of the unique qualities of a place – to give great and loud local voice to their causes.

The Rally and Tally

We know you’ve got your favourite travel destinations. Everyone does. We sure do (but we need to stay neutral, so we won’t tell)! Through the Local Voices Rally and Tally for Local Travel Experts, you can vote for your favourites AND help some ethical local travel experts from whl.travel win support for their businesses.

Think of it as helping your favourite destinations by improving access to them for the kinds of travellers you want to share it with – the responsible, mindful and fun ones. Those are the kinds of people our whl.travel local travel partners are there for too.

How can you help? It’s very, very easy! During the month of June, we’re asking the local experts to reach out to people far and wide for a small favour. You can do it too. It’s as simple as pasting some text and adding your name. In return, we’ve even decided to give away a whole bunch of services they really want.

All we need to do is work together to build a bigger, better and broader community of responsible travellers on Facebook. One bird chirping in the woods is very pretty, but it’s hard to hear and therefore easily overlooked. An enormous flock is loud and clear… and can’t be missed. Let’s flock!

Originally from the United Kingdom, Lee is a busy guy. He has been living and working in and around Laos for nearly 10 years, the last six of which as General Manager of Teamworkz, a travel agency and sustainable tourism and marketing consultancy recognised and trusted as local travel experts by a number of international organisations.

Lee Sheridan and his fiancée Pan play tour guides for Lee's visiting sister. Photo courtesy of Lee Sheridan

On the side, Lee is also studying for a Masters in Responsible Tourism Management and working as a tourism consultant with organisations like the International Finance Corporation on their Stay Another Day project, with Dutch development organisation SNV at the provincial level to design long-term tourism development strategies with local stakeholders, and a few others such as the Asian Development Bank. He is also the local Tripbod connection in Laos.

WHL Group: Which is your favourite WHL Group destination and which would you most like to visit?
Lee: Without doubt, Laos is my favourite place, and I am not just saying that because we are whl.travel’s local connection here. Ten years ago, while backpacking in Laos, I fell in love with the country and decided to stay. Within Laos, Champasak Province would have to be my favourite destination. With a pre-Angkor UNESCO World Heritage Site, the largest waterfalls in Southeast Asia, the very rare Irrawaddy dolphins, the best coffee in the world, and 4,000 idyllic islands in the middle of the Mekong River (which is up to 14 kilometres wide at this point) – how could this not be my favourite place?

In terms of where else to visit, I would love to get down to the Pacific Islands and visit some of our whl.travel local connections out there, like Fiji, Vanuatu, and Samoa. They sound and look fantastic! And with Laos being landlocked and mountainous, I would love to see the differences in cultural and biological diversity.

On the special occasion of his family visiting from the UK, Lee Sheridan chose for them the luxurious Luang Say Residence in Luang Prabang, Laos. It was one of the finest hotel experiences he can recall. Photo courtesy of Teamworkz

WHLG: What would you never travel without?
Lee: I don’t go anywhere without my laptop. I would be lost without it. I get withdrawal symptoms if I cannot connect check my emails every few hours. I even wake up in the night to check them!

WHLG: What do you miss most about home when travelling?
Lee: If my fiancée Pan is reading this, then most definitely her! If she’s not, then probably Beerlao (the national beer of Laos) and the great team I have in our Teamworkz office.

WHLG: What’s the most adventurous trip you’ve ever taken?
Lee: This would most likely have to be my first. When I was 17 I took part in a month-long World Challenge Expedition to Costa Rica. I remember erupting volcanoes, canoe trips through crocodile-infested waters, catching hypothermia climbing a mountain, village homestays in remote forests and giant turtles laying their eggs on golden beaches. Looking back, I can see how this trip inspired me toward a life of travel and adventure.

WHLG: What is your funniest travel experience?
Lee: I can’t think of one that doesn’t need censoring!

WHLG: What is your scariest travel experience?
Lee: Returning to the UK – each and every time.

Lee Sheridan sits down to a nice dinner in Luang Prabang, Laos, with his visiting mother and fiancée, Pan. Photo courtesy of Lee Sheridan

WHLG: If you could go on holiday with anyone famous – living or dead – who would you take?
Lee: I would love to have travelled with some of the early explorers of this part of the world – people like Henri Mouhot or Dr. P. Neis for example. Can you imagine traipsing through the jungle and just stumbling upon Angkor Wat? Rather than just going on holiday with them though, I would much rather travel back in time and join their original expeditions. Now that would be an adventure!

WHLG: Describe the best and worst accommodation you’ve ever stayed in.
Lee: While I am not normally one of luxury, my mum and little sister came over to visit early in 2011 and we spent a wonderful few days in Luang Prabang. A few nights at the Luang Say Residence was followed by a night out in the forests at Lao Spirit and waking up early in the morning to bathe the elephants in the river. Both of these lodges are up there with the best I have stayed in.

The worst was 12 years ago in a US$2-per-night beachside bungalow in Koh Samui. It was a picturesque bamboo hut with a balcony and a hammock overlooking the ocean. I woke up in the morning with thousands of bites! I’d been attacked by bed bugs, mosquitos, sand flies and God only knows what else. I was left feeling extremely miserable and very uncomfortable for a week to follow.

WHLG: Describe your earliest travel memory.
Lee: As a child, buckled in to the back seat of the car arguing with my sister on road trips around the UK. Family holidays in the north of Wales arguing with my sister. Trips to southern France arguing with my sister. I am starting to understand why I love to travel on my own these days!

The Sala Don Khone Hotel is a guesthouse on Don Khone Island, which makes up one of the Four Thousand Islands in Champasak Province. Lee Sheridan believes it could benefit from travellers exploring beyond Vientiane and Luang Prabang. Photo courtesy of Teamworkz

WHLG: Please briefly explain what you think local travel is.
Local travel means more than just being based in the destination that we serve. Local travel means providing a kind of travel in which our guests can experience a place beyond the surface level. Living in tourism destinations, we often notice that tourists all do the same things at the same time in the same way as all the other tourists, and we wonder why. Local travel to us is about understanding the locality of a place and what makes it special. It’s about participation and positive interaction.

Local travel is a belief that nobody knows a place like the people who live there. Local travellers make the effort to seek out what locals recommend, what locals would do, and spend time enjoying and understanding the destination as a resident might, rather than staying in the isolation of the ‘tourism zone’. Teamworkz’ experienced staff are here to help you make this step – a step inside our destinations to understand why we love these places as much as we do.

WHLG: In what ways do you see local travel benefiting the country in which you live?
Laos is a culturally rich country with a lot to share with the world, especially travellers willing to spend the time and make the effort to look below the surface, to make a little extra effort in getting out of the main tourism centres. I believe local travel will bring great benefits to travellers.

In Laos, tourism is largely concentrated on Vientiane and Luang Prabang. For tourists to move to other areas of the country would mean a greater dispersal of tourism spending and more people benefiting from the growth of the tourism industry.

If you have not yet heard of Earth Day, it is an annual commemoration of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970 and it ‘has inspired and mobilized individuals and organizations worldwide to demonstrate their commitment to environmental protection and sustainability.’

Students celebrate Earth Day by hugging a tree. Photo courtesy of Flickr/snre

Now, 41 years later, the Earth Day theme is A Billion Acts of Green, a ‘people-powered campaign to generate a billion acts of environmental service and advocacy.’

It calls upon anyone and everyone to declare an act of green and/or start or participate in an Earth Day event.

In this spirit, for the past several weeks The Travel Word has been focusing on the incredible earth-conscious acts of the many conscientious people part of the WHL Group family.

Following yesterday’s blog post sharing our favourite Earth Day videos, and as part of our online Earth Day push to spotlight acts of environmental generosity and sensitivity that could add to the tally of global efforts, we would like again to call attention to a few of them here just from the last month.

+ The theme of The Travel World newsletter for April was biodiversity. In it, we first lamented our world in which the species extinction rate is higher than it has ever been, but then called upon everyone to be part of the solution to species extinction rather than part of the problem. We also looked at

• our Top Five Ways to Experience Biodiversity Hotspots while showing respect for the fragile flora and fauna
• Eco Etiquette for Travelling in the Galapagos
• Brilliant Butterflies in the Kingdom of Bhutan
• the Last Ecological Frontier of Palawan, Philippines
• the Coastal Ecosystems of Paraná, Brazil
• the Benefits of Ecotourism for Children.

+ We have also highlighted efforts to Counter Invasive Coral in Ilha Grande, Brazil.

+ We have profiled some of the ‘green’ local partners of Green Path Transfers, a new global provider of eco-friendly airport transfers and ground transportation.

+ We celebrated Earth Hour 2011.

There is, of course, so much more!

But these are just a few of the millions of stories out there, stories we hope you will share throughout the day today. The goal is to inspire those around you. And to help make our fragile planet more vital tomorrow than it is today.

Happy Earth Day!

Milky Way Rising from Australia

“I love this stop-motion clip of the Milky Way rising, filmed in Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia. This clip illustrates how much light pollution affects our ability to see the stars by showing us what’s visible without expensive equipment once you get out into the unpolluted Australian bush. On a personal note, I have regularly spent time in Coona throughout my life, and as an Aussie living in London it’s lovely to see the Milky Way and the Aussie scrub in a familiar context.”
~Jen Campbell, Social Media Specialist at WHL Group

The Playground Earth

“When I first saw the clip, I was simply inspired by it — the beauty of the images, the longing it created to see the places pictured. Now that I have two young sons, one of whom has started asking difficult questions about our place in the cosmos, I find the video even more entrancing. After reviewing with my son an astrology book that zoomed out from the earth to the solar system to the galaxy to the universe, this video let me zoom back in on the earth, so that we could talk about who we are, the terrestrial environment in which we exist and the responsibility we have for it.”
~Ethan Gelber, Director of Media and Communications at WHL Group

This is What Global Warming looks like.

“In this video that highlights how violently the earth ‘fought back’ in 2010, what I find most chilling is that it makes me think about the devastation that natural disasters have caused around the globe in the short few months that have followed the video. To me, it’s a haunting reminder of what to expect if we don’t take action.”
~Jennifer Aston, Africa Regional Office Director, whl.travel

Earth amazing sights

“There are many, but I like the entire series shown here. You cannot help but be overwhelmed by how truly awesome and versatile our planet earth is.”
~Rob Shortland, CEO at whl.travel

Saving the sea: Maldives cabinet meets underwater!

“This video inspires me as it is people like Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed who are leading the charge on climate change awareness. Through videos and novel ideas such as this to raise awareness, I hope that finally world leaders will act, and climate change will cease being a political issue, but rather something we must do, and do now.”
~Shaun Gilchrist, Urban Adventures associate and local partner

The Solar House

“This video captures the spirit of a new way of living – one which connects us with the earth and the communities in which we can live in joyous and fulfilling ways. The fact is that most still see anything “eco” as being uncomfortable, tasteless, boring, and something to be wary of. The reality is quite the opposite and this video is a celebration of that.”
~Len Cordiner, founder and CEO of WHL Group

‘Ice Skating’ Polar Bears – Nature’s Great Events

“I love this clip because it’s full of bittersweet ‘firsts.’ For this polar bear cub, it’s the first time venturing out onto the ice. It may be the first time that the mother has taken her young onto such thin ice, and the first time she’s had to spread her weight more widely. We can see the first signs of adaptation to the new conditions brought about by a warming planet. We’re learning that for the first time, humans have had a hand in climate change. This poignant ‘ice skating’ moment doubles as a call to action.”
~Cynthia Ord, managing editor of The Travel Word newsletter

Maya Lin – Unchopping a Tree

“I saw this video after it was shown at the Copenhagen Climate Summit and I guess it made an impression on me because I never forgot it. I think it really adds some perspective onto the damage we are doing to our planet. It has that inspirational punch that makes me want to get out there and chain myself to a tree!”
~Maureen Valentine, chief content editor at whl.travel

Female Elephants Rescue a Drowning Baby

“I love elephants, so my choice for an Earth Day moment had to be an elephant clip. See how the elephants use different techniques to pull and push the baby out. These great creatures are teaching us a few lessons here. We all can work together no matter how difficult the job. And no matter how little we are we all count and are important to somebody.”
~Sylvia Cordiner, admin support for WHL Group

Lontra Comendo Peixe | Parque Nacional do Iguaçu

“I like this video because it was a wonderful ending to our day at Iguazu National Park. This past Saturday, Wallace, Fabio (Foz do Iguaçu MPO) and I went to the park for a full day of activities. It was an amazing experience! The falls are incredible of course, but the park is also full of life. We had the chance to see a wide range of species, including Tufted Capuchin, Caiman, Common Agouti, Nasua and Toucan. The most exciting was the view of an otter having a dinner. We got really close, and I had the chance to record this cool video. Our guide, who has been working in the park for the past 7 years, said that he never managed to get so close to one for that long. It was definitely an inspiring nature experience.”
~André Franchini, Manager at Hotel Link Solutions

International year of Forests * 2011

“Forests have always fascinated me. My major interest is the trees. I used to spend hours reading about the different species, their reproduction, the seeds, flowering period, the use that the natives make of them, etc. I had the pleasure to travel widely in the Brazilian Amazon and Atlantic Forest. It’s unexplainable the feeling you get near a tree that is 300 or even 500 years old.”
~Wallace Faria, Central and South America Project Manager, whl.travel

Earth Day: Give Earth a Hand

“I like this one because it shows a great concept of giving a hand to make the Earth greener. At the beginning, it expresses Human’s ambitions, focusing just on things (cars and machines) that might cause harm to the Earth and the living environment. The clip’s message, then, is that it’s time the Earth’s inhabitants should switch their needs to something more essential, without side effects like destruction and pollution.”
~Tuan Truong, content approval on the content team of WHL Group

SchoolHouse Rocks Energy

“I grew up watching Schoolhouse Rock videos and although “The Energy Blues” first aired in 1978, the video’s message remains relevant today. Energy: quit wasting it all, will ya?”
~Laura Fornadel, Asia and the Pacific Project Manager, whl.travel

Home

(embedding disabled — click title to view on YouTube)
“With breathtaking footage of earth juxtaposed with astonishing images of defilement, Home takes us on a journey through human history and our ever-changing relationship with our planet. Sit back and get comfortable. This is a full-length documentary.”
~Ashley Hiemenz, product development at Gunyah

We would love to hear about other inspiring video clips about our earth. Share your links and thoughts below in the comment section.

More importantly, despite the profusion of enticing labels, this kind of nature- and people-conscious travel still represents only a fraction of the overall tourism industry receipts, even when assessed in the aggregate.

Today, however, in a travel-and-tourism first expected literally to turn the industry on its head and mainline the marginal, the WHL Group announced a sweeping shift in paradigm.

Photo courtesy of Flickr/greeblie

Getting in the Good Word

The WHL Group is the largest local-travel company in the world, a key travel-planning and travel-booking tool for ‘alternative’ and independent travellers. After more than a year of backchannel negotiations, a select WHL Group team has been working in secret for the past three months with representatives of none other than the Oxford English Dictionary to rejigger terms that define tourism.

While some of the changes are as small as minor tweaks to industry-specific adjectives, others have resulted in alterations to canonical common nouns.

“It’s been an incredible and enriching challenge to spar with the OED’s gurus of logodaedaly,” said the leading representative of the WHL Group, who asked not to use her name for fear of industry retaliation. “It’s been like fiddling with the foundations of the Westminster Palace without damaging any part of the structure above… until it’s too late.”

“They’re no sesquipedalians,” acknowledged her equally secretive OED counterpart, “but we have been impressed with the WHL Group’s determination to help bring about real and lasting positive change to the world by doing more than just appealing to the traveller’s conscience. These days that sadly apparently no longer suffices.”

Casting a Wider Word Net

The guiding impulse behind the adjustments is to abruptly expunge any stigma or misunderstanding of any form of ‘alternative’ travel by expanding the meanings of the words themselves to be more inclusive and shift the balance of power to the fringe by declaring it the new point of focus.

“The idea is to jury-rig words so that the responsible and ethical qualities of ‘alternative’ travel englobe mainstream travellers who haven’t heard of, or perhaps willfully ignore, the importance of being responsible when they travel,” commented the WHL Group representative. “Now they can travel just as they always have – with a blind eye to the world around them – but still fit under the ‘alternative’ umbrella. It’s a face-saver for unconscientious travellers and a huge boon to the responsible travel industry.”

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Booksworm

Although the full details of the changes have not been released – the authors of the adaptations prefer to leave the discovery to chance over the course of time – an initial but cursory analysis of a few words has revealed the following:

• local – the distinction between small districts and whole states or countries has been eliminated; being a local now simply means living on the planet earth
• nature – already defined as the external world in its entirety, the sense of ‘external’ has been expanded to include anything that touches air, including manmade constructions
• fair – in examples like paying a ‘fair price’ or buying ‘Fair Trade’, the emphasis had been on honesty and adequacy; it now hinges on the notion of vulnerability to attack or ridicule (as in fair game)
• sustainable – the key notion of a resource not being depleted or damaged has now been supplanted by the broad catch-pot of mainstream methods by which depletion and damage can be avoided

At a Loss for Words

When asked about the breaking news, a mass-tourism representative, who, in light of the image-tarnishing spittle on his lapel, felt that he should remain anonymous, frothily sputtered, “This is completely absurd. You can’t just one day decide that ‘up’ is ‘down’ or that ‘mainstream’ is ‘peripheral.’ These are tectonic disruptions. We’ve budgeted the kind of money – millions of dollars – that only we can afford as way to stake out the centre. One renegade group can’t then press a mere pushpin into different ground and high-handedly say ‘Hey guys, you dropped your stake in the wrong middle. We’ve moved it over here.’ That’s just unethical.”

Chuckling contentedly at this reaction to the carefully orchestrated etymological volte-face, both the WHL Group and OED parties beamed. “It’s good to be the underdog,” mused the WHL Group representative, who noted with pride that one new meaning of the word ‘underdog’ is ‘overlord.’

Len Cordiner, CEO of the WHL Group, has been with the company since its earliest days, having helped establish it as a project of the IFC (International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group) in 2002.

In anticipation of this fifth anniversary, we asked Len to take stock of things – look back, look around and look forward.

As often as possible, Len Cordiner (centre) works closely and directly with WHL Group staff and local partners. Photo courtesy of Ethan Gelber

The Travel Word: Tell us about the earliest days of the WHL Group: How did it all get started?

Len Cordiner: We started as a project of the IFC (International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group) looking for a way to assist small accommodation providers in the developing world by helping them gain access to global markets using the Internet. The project started in 2002 with a few people only, and after a number of failed attempts we ended up with a model that worked.

The basic model, which has endured until today in our whl.travel business, is a sort of destination-based hub-and-spoke model. The hub (a local partner domiciled in a destination) is provided a website, booking platform, payment gateway, training etc. and supported with global sales and marketing. The local partner in turn reaches out to all the local accommodation and tour/activity providers and gets them loaded into the system so they can be displayed and booked.

It is a unique model combining the best of local with the best of global and allows us to connect many small properties and operators to the web who otherwise would never have this chance. We also have a strong focus on building sustainable tourism.

On March 31, 2006 we were spun off as a private company.

TTW: How has the WHL Group grown and changed since those early days five years ago?

Len: It has obviously grown significantly in scale – we now operate in over 100 countries and 300 destinations – but even more importantly we broadened both the range of products we distribute from local partners and the ways we distribute them.

Today, in addition to accommodation bookings via whl.travel, we now provide eco friendly airport transfers (Green Path Transfers), experiential day tours (Urban Adventures) and local collective-buying sites/destination guides (Lime&Tonic), all built in partnership with local organisations and all supporting sustainable outcomes for the local communities. A new business to launch shortly is Gunyah, which focusses on short-duration experiential packages for independent travellers.

These new businesses are different from whl.travel in that products are being sold under global brands and are priced to allow for global distribution via third parties (wholesalers, affiliate partners etc.)

Len Cordiner, CEO of the WHL Group, enjoys a rickshaw tour with Urban Adventures in Saigon, Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Ethan Gelber

TTW: Has it been a smooth ride? (Have there been a lot of unexpected changes or influences?)

Len: No, it has not been smooth. Like all start-up companies, we are continually reinventing ourselves as we learn and as technology evolves. This is stressful, particularly when cash is tight. In addition, as a franchise business, we have had the challenge of building a global network of business partners, many of whom are in emerging economies, where technical skills, online business skills and infrastructure are poor.

We are not simply a technology play; rather we have positioned ourselves as suppliers of unique products from local suppliers with the technology and business model to connect a very fragmented array of travel products to the global market.

TTW: Are you surprised about where the WHL Group is today? Why?

Len: Yes and no. Sometimes when I stop to look at what we are doing and where we have come from, I am amazed at what we have achieved. The daily reality however is that most of what we want to do is still to be done. It always seems as though we are going incredibly slowly.

TTW: What do you consider the most unique qualities of the WHL Group? Are they same today as they were when you first started?

Len: First, I think we are building a truly impressive network of people (local partners, suppliers and staff) with a shared vision of a better way to travel (local, slow, caring, authentic, win-win) which is quite special.

Second is the boundary-less nature of the WHL Group itself. Most of our team are spread all round the world and all very mobile; people managing their own time and their own businesses. It is quite common to have WHL staff working out of the offices of local partners; to have local partners investing in new businesses we incubate etc.

This is really great, a vision I have had for business since reading Charles Handy’s book, The Empty Raincoat, back in the early 90s. We have as a result become a magnet for young people with values aligned with our own, both as a place to work and a place to try new things.

Len Cordiner (far right) with family, staff, local partners and friends. Photo courtesy of Ethan Gelber

TTW: Given how swiftly the tourism industry is changing and how much it has changed in the last five years, do you think that the WHL Group has responded well?

Len: Probably as well as we could, given the scale of what we are involved in. I do think that the way we operate keeps us open to new ideas, ready to innovate.

TTW: Look into your crystal ball. What do you predict for the next five years of the WHL Group?

Len: Recently I was talking to a friend about this. He was asking what new businesses were in the pipeline and I had to answer I have no idea, but I am sure there will be several.

The reality is that the WHL Group is increasingly becoming like an incubator for innovations in travel. In the past three weeks alone, I have been contacted about our interest in participating in three new online travel services/ventures. All sound very interesting and leverage well from what we are. Let’s see what develops.