Tom Aussems 6/21/22 Tom Aussems 6/21/22

Community-based tourism: how your trip can make a positive impact on local people

Community-based tourism can reap great rewards. Done well, it enables local organisations to protect precious habitats, preserve unique culture and empower grassroots employees, says Francisca Kellett from National Geographic.

Tom Aussems 6/14/22 Tom Aussems 6/14/22

Palau's world-first 'good traveller' incentive

In a world-first initiative, visitors to Palau will be offered exclusive experiences based on how they treat the environment and culture, not by how much they spend, says Lindsey Galloway from BBC.

Tom Aussems 4/18/22 Tom Aussems 4/18/22

Meet [the] cultural leader keeping Costa Rica's endangered Bribri culture alive

The Bribri leader explains how, in her village of Yorkin, just upriver from the Caribbean coast, she’s brought back the Bribri language from the brink of extinction, creating a sustainable tourism destination in the process, says Jamie Lafferty from National Geographic Traveller.

Tom Aussems 4/4/22 Tom Aussems 4/4/22

A 105-Year-Old Tattoo Artist Is Teaching Girls to Ink for Independence

Filipino tribal tattooist Fang-od Oggay has built an economy on the back of skin art. Lynzy Billing from Atlas Obscura paid her a visit.

Tom Aussems 3/14/22 Tom Aussems 3/14/22

Reviving Travel: [9] Stories of Innovation from Destinations and Tour Companies

Around the world, travel destinations and tour providers have been busy […] reinventing themselves. Through a mix of individual and corporate efforts, well-deserved attention is falling on the most important aspects of travel – those areas that are ultimately responsible for tourism's healthy future, says Kristin Henning from Travel Past 50.

Tom Aussems 2/10/22 Tom Aussems 2/10/22

5 Tour Operators That Are Working Toward a More Sustainable Travel Future

More and more tour operators provide their customers with authentic experiences […], allowing travelers to not only connect with people living in the places they visit but to better understand their daily lives and cultures, says Shane Nelson from TravelAge West. And perhaps more importantly, many of these encounters offer […] clients a chance to spend their vacation dollars on community-focused and sustainable tourism products.

Tom Aussems 1/31/22 Tom Aussems 1/31/22

52 Places for a Changed World

The New York Times highlights places around the globe where travelers can be part of the solution.

Tom Aussems 1/13/22 Tom Aussems 1/13/22

How Adventure Tourism Could Help Protect Panama’s Wild Places

Stuart Kenny from Much Better Adventure Magazine speaks to Javier Romero, who has been guiding in the greenery of Chagres National Park for over 25 years.

Tom Aussems 1/10/22 Tom Aussems 1/10/22

How Iceland Is Rethinking Tourism for the Long Haul

Iceland wants visitors to plan beyond the long weekend and spread out across the island, says Julia Eskins from Condé Nast Traveler.

Tom Aussems 12/13/21 Tom Aussems 12/13/21

Long-stay, tailored, outdoor – what travellers want in 2022

Outdoor activities, green hotels, flexible bookings, long-stay packages and tailored trips are among the consumer travel trends […] for 2022, Kate Birch from Business Chief reports.

Tom Aussems 11/15/21 Tom Aussems 11/15/21

How to Travel with Meaning

If there is one thing the pandemic has stirred up within us, Mike Schibel from Big Wide World Magazine says, it is that desire to learn, to better ourselves, find new ways to step outside of our comfort zone, grow.

Tom Aussems 11/1/21 Tom Aussems 11/1/21

10 Great Ways To Be A Climate Optimist

Feeling eco-anxious? Sally Giblin, cofounder of Be the Future, walks us through 10 ways to be a climate optimist and take positive action.

Tom Aussems 10/7/21 Tom Aussems 10/7/21

Community development through tourism in Northeast-Uganda

Through sustainable tourism, Kara-Tunga aims to improve livelihoods of the indigenous communities and preserve cultural heritage in the Karamoja region.

Tom Aussems 9/2/21 Tom Aussems 9/2/21

Airbnb [and] UNESCO Partner [up] to Promote Cultural Tourism – Starting in Mexico

According to Sustainable Brands, the initiative will promote destinations and experiences outside the traditional tourist circuit – engaging local tourist communities, integrating the creative and cultural sector into local tourism value chains, and contributing to the development of responsible tourism.

Tom Aussems 7/29/21 Tom Aussems 7/29/21

The Italian gardens hoping to change tourism

With destinations slowly opening up for tourism again, […] travels that take in the great outdoors look set to boom post-pandemic. It's in that brave new outdoor world, CNN’s Antonia Mortensen and Sharon Braithwaite say, that Italy's gardens are seeing a resurgence.

Tom Aussems 7/26/21 Tom Aussems 7/26/21

The Good Traveler – A Mental Packing List

Thanks to the pandemic and the climate emergency, traveling, especially long-distance travel, has become far less commonplace and far more considered. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. Design Hotels has shared a mental packing list that allows us to travel better.

Tom Aussems 7/8/21 Tom Aussems 7/8/21

5 Impactful Ways Travel Can Benefit Your Mental Health

The strain of the pandemic, compounded by stressful jobs and busy lives, has given way to the understanding that self-care and work-life balance are key factors to achieving a happy, healthy life. [...]. Traveling offers a much-needed reprieve from the worries of daily life, and more often than not, its cathartic, borderline-therapeutic qualities reinvigorate the spirit. Kate Eplboim from Regenerative Travel explores how the joys of travel can benefit your mental health.

Tom Aussems 7/1/21 Tom Aussems 7/1/21

Intrepid Travel’s Overtourism Antidote for Europe Focuses on Hyperlocal and Remote

Intrepid Travel, considered a leader in the sustainable tourism space with its low carbon footprint and locally-led small group tours, showed it was moving past platitudes by launching a new kind of conservation-focused tour that aims to be the antidote to those big crowds visiting the same places in southern Europe, says Lebawit Lily Girma from Skift. It’s partnering with the MEET Network to do that, an association of protected areas in the Mediterranean that creates sustainable tourism products with the goal of benefitting conservation and communities.

Tom Aussems 6/10/21 Tom Aussems 6/10/21

Two Leaders in Ecuador Share How They’re Offering Climate Education Through Art + Travel

Jorge Perez, founder of Tierra del Volcan in Ecuador, and Andres Molestina, a photographer creating a historic record of the seven tropical glaciers remaining in Ecuador, [...] shared practical ways they’re leveraging their work to help engage more travelers in climate action.

Tom Aussems 6/1/21 Tom Aussems 6/1/21

What does it mean to travel sustainably in 2021?

As travel tentatively resumes, says Francisca Kellett from National Geographic Traveller UK, the frequently misappropriated and misunderstood concept of sustainability is due a timely reassessment. What role can travellers play in protecting the balance of the natural world?

Let’s reinvent travel.