Touching down at Santiago airport we were greeted with the beautiful views of eucalyptus, oak, chestnut trees – a wonderful variety of native trees as well as foreign. Galicia is a playground for nature lovers. I know this region has been called Green Spain – on arrival, it’s easy to see why. We drove a short 15 minute transfer to get to the Quinta da Agua  - “house of water” where we were staying for our short break. Quinta da Agua is a gorgeous Relais Chateaux boutique hotel lovingly restored since its 18th century origins by the Lorenzo Garcia family. It used to be a Paper Mill and the ancient granite walls amid the property give it character and a sense of place.

The hotel and gardens are beautiful. The owners have taken a decrepit rural building and turned it into a treasure. Our room was on the side which was close to the river, the River Sar – it was enchanting and equally mesmerising to lie in bed listening to the tinkering of the water across the riverbed. Heavenly!

The restaurant ‘Filigrana’ is on another level – popular with locals as well as guests, it offers a great seafood variety as well as delicious meats. Galician fish and seafood are renowned worldwide for their excellent quality and unique flavours. I was told that it was because the depth of the sea bed around the coastline; a fertile ocean offering finest fish.

People around the world have been coming to Santiago da Compostella since the 9th century to visit the shrine of St James. The Camino de Santiago, known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways – there are 8 in total. It was inspiring to see so many pilgrims in the city but also en route as we ventured around the Galician countryside. It left me feeling very curious to know everyone’s reason for walking the routes and understand their motivations.

We took a public bus to the nearby coast from Santiago. In Galicia, you can find countless beaches where you’ll enjoy coastal walks, clean waters and white sand. I swam in the sea which was cooler than I had expected. I’ll put that down to the deep shelving of the sea bed. The cool currents keep the water temperature fresh all year round.    

The highlight of our short break in Galicia had to be the river excursion in the interior of the region. We drove about 90 minutes to arrive at a winery on the Minho River. This is a magical and historic region, the Ribera Sacra.  It was fascinating to see how the vineyards are cultivated on the terraces stretching high alongside the river. Utterly spectacular!

We met Luisa of Quinta Sacra who was our host and captain of an inflatable 12-seater boat for the afternoon. She took us along the winding river to a waterfall where we climbed and dipped. There are many Romanesque churches and monasteries along the river. Luisa’s passion lies in protecting and preserving this glorious region for future generations. She’s writing a book about it.

Galicia is truly a picturesque region of Spain. You can enjoy its natural heritage as well as its historical and cultural heritage. I had the feeling I was travelling through a bygone era – inland villages with their communal clothes washing areas as well as plenty of stone granaries or Hórreo for the crops and maize, which are especially commonplace around this area of the Iberia peninsula.

You can visit this area of exceptional beauty any time of the year but if sun is important to you, bear in mind that the weather varies significantly between the coast and inland. Santiago de Compostela is reputed to expect a drop of rain over 300 days a year. Don’t let that put you off, take an umbrella! We travelled in October and were blessed with the autumnal colours as well as many variants of green. On the clear sunny days, we did what we wanted to do outside and on the wet morning we experienced, we amused ourselves exploring around the city in and out of the different churches, monastery buildings and museums, participating in a mass at the cathedral and enjoying a few too many tasty empanadas; the little pockets of flaky pastry with a hot filling inside accompanied with an Estrella Galicia beer.

 (Karen travelled to Galicia in October 2022)

“Let pleasure be the main organiser of your life”

Words from one of the medical consultants at Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda. I’ve recently returned from participating in a 3 night Discovery Package by Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda. A stay that left me feeling truly rejuvenated as well as giving me the opportunity to re discover my true self, my emotions and how I perceived my overall wellbeing. (Take a closer look at Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda’s sister property, Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti, on our Featured Stay page).

Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda is a magical property with wonderful staff. It overlooks the gorgeous Lake Garda, so for someone who thrives in being close to water, I knew I would not be disappointed. There is a special synergy between the mountain and the lake. This area is also known as the Garda Rivieria. Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda offers their guests a complimentary shuttle service to the lake shore throughout the day. I highly recommend a visit to the neighbouring village of Gargnano with its cafes, promenade and quaint shops.

Back on property, Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda has some impressive facilities for the guest. The property has a sense of connection to the surroundings with spectacular views across the lake which will fill you with a real sense of serenity and calm. Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda is divided into three areas the world of Water & Fire, including areas linked to the pools, grottos and small lakes, the Nature and Fitness area and In Silence and among the stars Trilogy in the air. The terraces around the hotel offer beautiful trails among olive and citrus groves as well as a large wooded area allowing total nature immersion. The Spa not only has swimming pools, a fully equipped gym, saunas and steam rooms, there are plenty of relaxation spaces to ensure you restore the balance between mind, body and spirit. 

Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda offers a health programme that is unique with programmes like the Discovery Programme helping you transform, change mind set and create awareness in yourself and your health. There are several programmes to help you relax and re balance. Their philosophy has always been associated with East meeting West using classical Chinese medicine with Western scientific research.  You will need to go and experience this for yourself under the expert doctors Dr Carlo Barbieri, Dr Stefania Doria or Dr Jader Tolja. Don’t take my word for it – try it out yourself!

Not to be missed is Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda’s restaurant Gramen. Gramen means grass or herb in Latin and the chef has worked with the doctors of the Lefay Spa to create an outstanding menu helping the guest to discover the surrounding nature through what is on their plate. This is sustainable cuisine at its finest.

Lefay Spa is the first spa in Italy to obtain a new certificate from the French organisation ECOCERT recognising the spa and its products within the wellness centre. They received and excellent rating for their unique quality of their Lefay Spa Method Health Treatments & Programmes with their commitment to the training and professional development of their staff, the exceptional comfort in the treatment rooms and the measures they have put in place ensuring sustainable management of the entire building.

The hotel is fully integrated into the local landscape. Inspired by lemon groves, traditional local buildings characterised by original stone and wood pillars it fits in with the landscape with minimal visual impact. The interiors use natural materials from the local area as well as producing its own electricity, heating and cooling through clean, renewable sources using biomass and solar panels.

I will be always grateful for the opportunity of self-care and attention to my personal wellbeing which I experienced at Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda. I feel rebalanced and as if I have found myself again – it’s all really rather Zen.

Please enquire with Travel Matters for details of the Discovery Package and make your reservation with us. 

(Karen stayed at Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda in November 2022 courtesy of our partners, Mason Rose.)

Somehow, I always visited the Caribbean out of season - be it summer or autumn and thus a hurricane season. The weather can indeed be mixed but we were always spoilt with plenty of sunshine and only occasional rains. It wasn’t any different on my recent trip to Antigua - I travelled mid-October for 8 nights and we only had two days when it rained for about 15 minutes. It seems that many families shared my love for out of season travel as I have spotted numerous Brits visiting Antigua for the October half term. In fact, one of the hotels where I stayed was at almost 100% capacity for the school holiday. I can certainly see the appeal - isn’t it immensely tempting to pay much lower rates that do shoot up from November/December?

Antigua is often called an island of 365 beaches (one for each day of the year) and together with the sister island of Barbuda they are known as authentic Caribbean. Having been to more developed islands like Barbados and Jamaica, Antigua did welcome us by unspoilt terrain and colourful Caribbean cottages. I think the beaches were some of the best we have seen anywhere in the Caribbean - sandy, with turquoise water, some in smaller bays and some going for over a mile. In addition to its stunning beaches, Antigua is also famous for its carnival, originally a celebration of the 1834 abolition of slavery, running from late July to early August. The carnival is all about tastes, music and vibrant colours.

Antigua’s sailing week has become one of the world’s most prestigious regattas with crews from all over the world partaking in the competition.

Ever a travel agent, in addition to some rest my goal was to visit some of the best resorts in Antigua and arguably in the Caribbean.

They were all different in character and amenities and it was so helpful to experience them first hand. At the end of the day we always strive to offer the best possible service to our discerning and well-travelled customers.

The first resort that I visited was the adults only eco retreat Hermitage Bay resort. A luxury boutique resort nestled on the hillside of a hidden, sandy bay. A true honeymooners paradise, so special and memorable. It is a real all-inclusive Caribbean luxury! The resort has only 30 suites, spread around tropical gardens or nestled on the beach - a luxurious, natural environment where mind, body and spirit can be nurtured and restored. Each suite has a luxurious large bath and an outdoor shower.

The resort is all-inclusive and the menu changes daily - even picky eaters will find something that will accommodate their taste buds. As the resort is so intimate, service is second to none - very personalised, with staff remembering names of guests and their dietary and other preferences. You feel like a part of large caring family.

The second resort I visited was the iconic Carlisle Bay - well-known across the Caribbean and a firm favourite with the British crowd. A luxury resort looking out over white sand and turquoise water with a backdrop of emerald green rain forest. This stunning 87 suite resort is a member of the prestigious Leading Hotels of the World group. I loved the spacious and bright suites with floor to ceiling windows, most overlooking the beautiful Caribbean Sea. We were allocated a ground floor suite with a direct beach access while others, located above on the first and second floor had generous terraces housing a day bed as well as a coffee table with chairs. Whatever suite you get, you won’t be disappointed!

The beach at Carlisle Bay deserves a special mention - the sand is golden and so soft, with no broken coral or sea shells. Ideal for little feet and making sand castles.

When it comes to couples, do not be put off by the family reputation that the resort has - they very cleverly try to house families and couples in separate parts of the resort. In addition, there is an adults-only restaurant and bar called the Jetty Grill. This is an authentic restaurant serving Caribbean favourite dishes and the atmosphere is fantastic with tiki torches and waves lapping gently agains the beach. Carlisle Bay offers B&B with complimentary afternoon tea as well as All-Inclusive and you have four restaurants to choose from. A truly comfortable and classy resort with impeccable service!

Our last resort was Hodges Bay, a new property which only opened shortly before the pandemic. Very different from the resorts above with its casual, modern, and polished clean bohemian aesthetic. Our oceanfront suite was very spacious, sophisticated and contemporary with a huge terrace overlooking the sea. It was so enjoyable to sit there with a drink listening to the clashing waves and enjoying the sunset!

The resort is conveniently located only 10 minutes away from the airport yet there is no sound of aircraft. What I particularly liked is their Two, Three and Four Bedroom ocean front villas. A real home away from home option with plenty of space for everyone to spread out comfortably. Ideal for families or a group of friends staying together in a villa with resort facilities like a fitness centre, SPA, tennis courts, kids club and water sports. A very unique feature of the Hodges Bay is access to their private island - the Prickly Pear. A speedboat is running between the resort and the island regularly and the journey only takes 5 minutes. There is a bar, where you can enjoy a rum punch or a cold bottle of white wine and a light lunch. The water colour is absolutely stunning and the sand bank with the white sand reminded us of the Maldives. There is also a reef surrounding the island, so you can snorkel right off the shore. The island is available for exclusive hire to celebrate your special occasion!

Maryna had a fabulous time in Antigua visiting the above resorts - all very different and beautiful in their own way. Give her a call to book your holiday!

Maryna, Travel Matters Senior Travel Consultant, travelled to Antigua in October 2022

(Photo by Rick Jamison and Simone Maschellari on Unsplash)

When my trip to East Africa was approaching in July-August, some simple questions arose -

Why do people travel to East Africa and who are these people?  

I truly believe that no question is too obvious, and that even the simplest query can trigger the remembrance of a long, old story, or perhaps, start a brand new one. I knew that I was preparing the ground for – I hoped – some stimulating storytelling opportunities in the field.

What follows are the preparatory reflections that my trip to East Africa prompted, before I disappeared from the radar in mid-August, and immersed myself in this new adventure from which I have just emerged.

Photo Credit, SplitShire (Pixabay)

My Africa

My reasons for embarking on a visit to the region again – but for longer this time around – were a mixture of personal and professional ones, whose seeds were planted at the beginning of the pandemic thanks to one of those meaningful connections established in those weird times when we were locked away.

In my mind, personally, Africa as a concept has never been that far away. Perhaps because my Sicilian roots closed that gap before I was born; perhaps because I have always felt the strong cultural connections that link the Italian island to the extremely close northern coast of Saharan Africa.

But, I must admit, there are some parts of the continent that feel closer to me than others. For example, I feel very close to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt, because that cultural affinity is also reflected in the music and sometimes in the language I grew up with; I feel familiar with West Africa too, being the land of origin of many of my friends and acquaintances not only in London, but also in Italy when I was young; there is South Africa, which I know of as another kind of Africa, associated with white dominance and the fight for freedom. And then there is East Africa which, beyond my brief visit to Ethiopia earlier this year, remains an undiscovered territory, which I can only understand through the images I receive from that region or from the world around.

Africa on the Tourism Map

When tourism talks about Africa, the first pictures that immediately emerge are undoubtedly associated with safari, wilderness and, very likely, the Great Migration.

Mara River at Serengeti National Park - Tanzania. Photo Credit, Jorge Tung

This spectacular movement of more than 1.5 million wildebeest, following a loop heading northwest between Kenya and Tanzania, is recognised as one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Natural World’.

In this land you can find the Big Five, those majestic animals, usually encountered during safari where people venture into the animals’ territory, escorted by rangers and trained guides.

Thanks to Liz Langley, from the pages of National Geographic, I discovered that this was a term, coined in the late 1800s during Africa’s colonial period, referring to what trophy hunters considered the most challenging and dangerous animals to hunt on foot.

I have never yet taken part in a safari but, honestly, I quite look forward to seeing a lion in its natural habitat, also an elephant and most definitely a wild buffalo, which would be the first of the Big Five that I would ever have seen in real life.

Undeniably, Africa is a destination for people interested in experiencing impressive and rich wildlife, and it offers fantastic opportunities to experience unique encounters that will be, I can predict, quite impactful.

However, from my frequent walks among the stalls of the international tourism fairs, the sparkles that hit my senses most vigorously in the African sector mainly come from the luxury travel providers.

The Missing Part 

When approaching this part of the continent, it forces my attention to focus on certain questions, perhaps triggered by those sparkles found in the glossy magazines or on the stalls and boards, and which also link to the main reason why I am moving closer to the centre of this part of the world in the first place.

I notice that there is something missing from the bigger picture of Africa that I am receiving from the tourism industry, perhaps only with the exception of Kenya!

Where are the people of this land?

Where is the Culture? (Or better said, the ‘Cultures’, in plural.)

It seems a common thread in our sector; communities often disappear from the stage, like the effect of a cruel black-magic spell.

I am challenged by the mission of finding out which grassroot corners they are hiding in, and what they say about the industry they are not part of, and also about their relationship with wildlife and, especially, with those tourists in the safari car. Were those cars made just to protect the high-end tourists from the lions and the wild beasts, or also from the locals, in some unfortunate circumstance? I want to find out. I can see though that communities are very visible wherever conservation is concerned. But, I am curious to know on what terms. Time to get even closer!

The Imperfect Conservation Model 

Talking about the role of the tourism sector in East Africa, the first association that comes to mind is the one with conservation. The conservation model that instrumentally uses tourism to conserve the natural environment, both plants and wildlife, from the risk of disappearing, seems to produce results, but not without issues.

Since the 80’s, when wildlife started being in real danger and threatened by illegal poaching for products like ivory and also bushmeat, the work of the national governments intensified, and tourism appeared to be a suitable option that would provide a deterrent but also offer concrete alternatives in terms of income and job opportunities.

Although there are still many endangered species in Africa, the numbers show a clear improvement and the conservation model based on high-end tourism continues to predominate. Some of the countries I am about to visit, like Rwanda, have been recognised as strongly leading the new trend.

Unfortunately, however, this doesn’t come at no cost!

Photo Credit, Dan Sudermann (Pixabay)

The main problem experienced in the region is the so-called human-wildlife conflict.

However, this model, which is sometimes referred to as ‘fortress conservation’ and addresses  the separation between people and animals, presents limitations if observed from the point of view of the land rights of the indigenous people living there. 

I believe that the realities in each of the countries of East Africa are different, but I can see how a model based on division and exclusive use of the land has its limitations and undermines the harmony of any potential cohabitation. 

Community and Conservation is an important pairing for the future of the planet and for a fair tourism industry. It is often presented as one concept but, based on the kind of news streamed, you can easily deduce that the level of friction can be high. The pairing, rather than a concept, seems more a laboratory for field testing!

I am curious to see how the delicate balance is managed in each of the three countries I am about to visit.

Cultural Invisibility  

Communities intrinsically are representative of the culture of the place, so another way of asking about communities is asking about the local cultures.

How much of this is preserved and supported through tourism?

Cultural tourism has been addressed by the World Tourism Organisation (UNTWO) as a light during the dark times of COVID. Among the recommendations contained in the ‘Inclusive Recovery Guide on Cultural Tourism’ that the UNTWO has published about the sociocultural impacts of COVID-19, is some clear guidance on ‘Supporting culture as a win-win for tourism destinations’ – we find this one particularly interesting. Inspire travellers to re-discover their local culture and creative industries. Create new experiences that feed in the tourism offer to re-engage with local communities.

Samburo Woman. Photo Credit, Eti (Pixabay)

And I ask myself, what is happening in Africa? Beyond safaris and wildlife, is Africa presenting itself as a cultural destination at all? Very rarely. Is this because Africa doesn’t have enough culture to share? [Hilarious] Of course, we know that this cannot be the case. The immense variety of ethnicities, languages and cultural traditions that populate the African continent is something that we are all familiar with. We see that, in some cases, culture is the reason why people are attracted to visit a specific country. I’m thinking of Egypt, Morocco, and also Senegal, perhaps. In any case, though, it feels that often the cultural identity of a particular country is somehow squashed under the pressure of the false need to present a homogenous image to future visitors, to try to help with understanding and making sense of the variety.

However, simplification kills diversity and diversity means uniqueness of the place, the essence of a destination, also so crucial from a marketing perspective. 

I did an interesting experiment, and typed ‘indigenous tribes in Kenya’ into my search engine, and an astonishing 47 came up. However, when I decided to include the word ‘tourism’ in my search, the number I found shrank to a couple, the most predominant being the Maasai, especially in the imagery. 

The Maasai, of the Mara but also of the north, for different social, economic and historical circumstances, have become the cultural representatives of Kenya, although they are not even the most numerous ethnic group in the country, which is actually the Kikuyo, a Bantu group and another of those 47 peoples of Kenya, with its own language, traditions and celebrations.

Life is not homogenous – very rarely is this the case – and the work that Responsible Tourism does is exactly about getting closer to those local realities, to try to get a more authentic glimpse of them, whatever that might mean.

In Travel Matters: Responsible Travel Tips, number six invites you to respect the local culture and traditions, not only to dress appropriately and maintain appropriate behaviour, but also to take a proactive approach and look for that information yourself, by actively asking your travel representative or host at your accommodation or even having a quick search online.

Elisa’s Suitcase

I still have many questions that are rising in my mind -

What was the impact of the COVID pandemic, for example?

How has domestic tourism changed, if at all?

How are the people and the places reacting to the challenges of climate change?

Have any new ideas, models, and suggestions for us to learn from arisen from this land in the last three years?

I am ready now to embark on that plane. I have my luggage with my clothes and another bag full of open questions and blank notepads. Empty your cup, open your mind, connect your ears. Ready, steady, GO!

(This blog has been written by Elisa Spampinato, a travel writer & Community Storyteller, CEO & Founder at Traveller Storyteller)

I wade through thick mud, startling unseen fish and turning the loch water the amber of whisky. The October cold seeps in slowly from the feet up until, waist deep, I take the plunge and join the fleet of coloured swim caps and woolly hats moving through the water ahead. Whoops and cheers follow in my wake as others, too, push off and feel the icy shock of immersion.  

As I swim out into the dark ribbon of water, I take a duck’s eye view of my surroundings. The early morning rays highlight zig-zags of pine trees on far side of the loch, raptors circle on thermals above, and a rainbow momentarily paints far-away clouds. It doesn’t seem long before the call comes to ‘get out wanting more’ and, reluctantly, we swim back to the shore to wriggle into dry clothes.

 I’m taking part in a four-night wild swimming and writing retreat in Scotland facilitated by Founder of Travel Matters Karen Simmonds, and actor, writer and Channel swimmer Doon Mackichan. Our base is Stucktaymore, a grand Edwardian lodge set in gardens and woodland overlooking Loch Tay. The idea is that invigorating daily cold-water dips in the loch will help to concentrate the mind and encourage creative writing.

 In total, there are 17 women on the retreat, with differing experiences of swimming and diverse writing ambitions. Rosanna Machado is an event producer with her own blog, who overcame a fear of putting her head under water to participate in a 22-mile relay swim across the English Channel. Barbara Jennings, another accomplished swimmer, is seeking post-retirement inspiration for a novel. And Julie Tucker-williams, a bespoke jeweller and regular sea swimmer is interested in writing about how we ‘curate the dead’ as we sort through loved ones’ possessions after their departure.

Life soon falls into an easy rhythm. Each morning we gather at 07.45am for the half-mile round-trip walk across fields of grazing sheep for our first dip of the day. Then, back at the lodge, there’s time for a quick warm-up in the hot tub, and a shower, before we gather around pine tables in the breakfast room to eat. Satiated, we then each find a cosy corner of the lodge in which to sit quietly and write, using paper and pen (no phones or laptops needed here).

During the three days, we’re encouraged to work on our own projects but Doon provides us with some simple ideas in case we’re lacking inspiration. One is simply to use the title ‘Should’; another is to build on the sentence ‘It was a wooden door, with yellow glass panels inset’. After two hours of creative labours, punctuated by a quick coffee break, we get together to share what we have written about and our experiences of doing so. Doon provides feedback, helpful direction for anyone who needs it and a lot of laughs.

In the afternoons, we’re free to do as we choose. Possible activities include bagging a munro or two in the Ben Lawers range; visiting the famous Falls of Dochart in nearby Killin and having a wee dram in the Falls of Dochart Inn; joining a birdwatching hike; or simply wandering the grounds at the lodge, stopping to sample a fresh apple or pear from the laden fruit trees in the orchard. And for those who are seduced by the rejuvenating effects of cold water, there’s always the chance for a second swim in the loch.

In the evenings, we get together for a drink by the fire in the snug before sitting down at a huge rectangular table in the dining room for a candlelit feast catered for by former Scottish Chef of the Year Kevin MacGillivray of Velvet Cuisine. It’s a time for swapping tales about the day, forging new friendships, and on one occasion, helping a disoriented bat to flee the dining room into the starry Scottish night.

The regular swims, the beautiful scenery, the sumptuous surroundings of Stucktaymore and the luxury of spending two hours a day simply thinking and writing creates a very special atmosphere in which we all readily connect. On our final day, this spirit of sharing comes to the fore as Doon invites us all to read something that we’ve produced during the writing sessions. We settle on sofas in the snug and listen as those who want to read aloud their work.

Barbara starts off the proceedings with a lively extract from a novel about a witch and her cat that she’s been able to make headway with during the retreat. Rosanna reads a moving poem about her late Mum, prompting tears around the room. And Julie recites a narrative in which she envisages threads connecting us with the possessions we inherit – which can be left attached or knotted and cut to cast off what we have no need for.

I decide to share a piece inspired by my first dip in the loch. The experience had, surprisingly, taken me on a journey in my mind back to when people had first settled around the loch at the close of the last ice age – helping me understand that cold-water swimming is engrained in us through the activities of our forebears. I take a deep breath, then begin to read. As if buoyed by the deep, cool water of the loch itself, the words flow readily off the page and into the room.

(By Carolyn Fry; author and journalist specialising in science, conservation, natural history and adventure travel. Carolyn attended Travel Matter’s Wild Swimming & Writing Retreat in Scotland between 29th September to 3rd October 2022)

The city of Lisbon won a World Travel Award in 2019 as Europe’s Best City Break Destination, so I’ve been curious to visit and explore what the city is all about. Over the last few years there’s been a rise of trendy shops, cafés, coworking spaces and rooftop bars, turning once dilapidated spaces into lively, vibrant social venues. However, Lisbon somehow manages to balance the old and new, the vintage and the modern. For history lovers, Lisbon makes for a fascinating trip, as it’s the second oldest capital city in Europe, next to Athens. You can easily get lost in its untouched hilltop neighbourhoods of Alfama, Castelo and Cathedral districts, with labyrinth like streets, fortified ramparts, castles and walls that have been preserved for centuries. In addition, there are colourful houses and beautiful tiles everywhere you turn.

Not only is Lisbon one of the oldest cities, but it’s also one of the sunniest, enjoying approximately 300 days of sunshine annually. When you ask both locals and tourists about what they find special about Lisbon, often they have this answer in common – the light. It’s the first thing you’ll notice as soon as you land in the city, that dazzling bright light that reflects across the pastel-hued walls, the white limestone pavements, the colourful tiles and the shimmering blue Tagus river, which further reflects light inland.

How would a city break work with a 2.5 year old daughter Islay in tow I wondered?  Friends had said Lisbon was one of the best places to visit in Europe with toddlers. And they were right - it is an affordable, safe and family-friendly city and here are some of the highlights of our 5 day trip in August 2022.  

Taking a tram

The trams make up part of the public transport system in the city, so you can easily use them to get around – buy a pass or ticket for each trip, such as for your journey from Lisbon to Belem. However the 28 tram Lisbon route is a little different, acting more like a tour route with the added style of small traditional yellow trams. Heading from Martim Moniz to Campo de Ourique, it passes through the popular tourist districts of Graca, Alfama, Baixa and Estrela along the way and it’s a fantastic way to see Lisbon and soak up the atmosphere. We loved it!

It is very popular though, so do expect to queue if you want a seat (or to be squished into standing if not). It’s also well known, sadly, as a haunt of pickpockets so keep an eye on your belongings. If you buy a ticket on board, it’ll also cost a lot more than picking it up in advance at a metro station – a day pass costs approximately double a single ticket bought on board, and you can use that for unlimited journeys during 24 hours and with plenty of things to do in Lisbon with kids, it’s definitely one to keep on your family travel radar.

Afternoon in the Aquarium

With more than 8,000 sea creatures and 500 different species, Lisbon’s aquarium – the Oceanario Lisboa – is one of the most incredible and largest in Europe, and ideal if you are visiting Lisbon with kids and to escape the midday heat. As you approach the impressive building you realise that the only way to get in is through a footbridge, and as you walk over the water, you get the impression that you are boarding a ship.

The aquarium sits over two floors, with an enormous central 5-million litre tank, that is the home to a variety of marine creatures including black tip sharks, sting-rays and  huge ocean sunfish. Then get ready for jungle-action on a rainforest tour, where kids can walk over a wooden bridge and explore a variety of exotic trees and fish. The perfect tie-in with the Oceanário? The cable car ride is located just behind the aquarium (kids under 4 go free) and is a really great value activity to do with little ones and very exciting for them albeit scary for me! The place can get super busy, so buy tickets online before you go. You can just go straight in and show your printed ticket or the PDF on your phone.

Sand, sea and sandcastles

Lisbon is located on the Iberian-Atlantic coast. This means sandy beaches are just a short ride away from the city. Once you’re in the main terminal in Cais do Sodré, the railway trains will take you along the shimmering Oeiras, Estoril & Cascais coast, with plenty of popular and lesser known beaches to pick from. Either you’re into lounging on the beach or if you want more fun activities then the beaches of such Carcavelos, Cascais and Guincho offer sailing, kayaking, surfing. Furthermore, across the bridge, is the 30km pristine beaches of Costa da Caparica, which is a mere 20-minute Uber ride away and where we spent a lovely afternoon in the water and building sandcastles.

The Fado Museum (one for the adults when the little one naps)

The Museu do Fado is one of the must-visit places in the city. Besides representing one of the region’s most important cultural legacies, it also has a restaurant and a themed shop where you can spend some time catching the spirit of saudade (nostalgia). Totally devoted to fado and the guitar, it has a permanent exhibition and also temporary ones, alongside a document centre and an auditorium with regular events and a very interesting programme. With songs by the greatest Portuguese artists demonstrating an art form that Portugal gave to the world, the museum’s artistic quality will surprise you and we loved listening to the haunting melodies whilst Islay slept in her pushchair.

Tasty food and wonderful wine

The Portuguese love eating and drinking and their culture is so associated with food that every celebration means an opportunity to celebrate life with eating, drinking and being merry. There’s a great variety of restaurants in Lisbon, offering delightful dishes of seafood, grilled or stewed meat, pickled vegetables and rustic concoctions. Expect bacalhau (codfish), mouth-watering sausages and cheeses, paired with excellent wines from Lisboa or Douro regions. Lisbon folk certainly know how to live well.

 Visiting Lisbon was one of the most enjoyable city breaks we have had -  beautiful parks and playgrounds, sunny beaches, trams and ferries to ride, scrumptious food, and interesting streets and alleys to explore. Lisbon is truly one of the best places to visit in Europe with your little one.

Zoe and her family travelled in August 2022 to Lisbon on a 5 day city break.

After two years or travel restrictions we were definitely craving getting away to somewhere a little bit more exotic - with a drastically different landscape, culture and flavours. We have found this and more during our road trip in Mexico.

We knew that the coast wouldn’t provide an authentic experience we were after so our plan for two weeks was a multi centre holiday visiting four different states with two domestic flights in between. 

Sumidero Canyon in Chiapas by Girl in Red Hat on Unsplash

We started our adventure at Cancun airport where we picked up a car for 10 days. Roads in the Yucatan peninsula were generally fantastic, with a choice of paid motorways and paved side roads. 

To get over jet lag we made a decision to treat ourselves to some beach time and luxury boutique hotels. First stop was Playa Del Carmen and the very unique Palmaia, The House of Aia - a secluded sanctuary with oceanfront swim up suites, jungle spa and gourmet restaurants overseen by chefs who have trained in Michelin starred restaurants from around the globe.

We loved that rooms were very modern with state of the art amenities yet outside we were greeted by nature in all its glory - wildlife, abundant greenery and turquoise sea.

Beach at the Palmaia House of Aia

The uniqueness of the resort lies in the fact that it includes several sessions/rituals per day with their Architects of Life. You get healed not only physically with nutritious food and indulgent treatments in their jungle SPA but also on a mental and spiritual level with the activities like Tai Chi, Soul Reading, Pranayama breathing and meditation.

Highly recommended for those busy bees and city mice!

Colourful streets of San Cristobal De Las Casas by Guido Nh on Unsplash

Our second eco boutique resort was beautiful Jashita. With only 30 rooms this gem has an ideal location for exploring Tulum which has become very popular in the recent years. Surrounded by peace and quiet of the Soliman Bay Jashita is only 10-15 min drive from Tulum with its nightlife and trendy restaurants. Speaking of restaurants, the best food we had on our trip was at the Jashita’s famous restaurant Pandano. Best pastas outside of Italy courtesy of the hotels’s Italian owners! But for those craving local food, there is a selection of Mexican dishes also. 

Pool area at the Jashita

We loved our spacious suite and really appreciated our huge terrace with a plunge pool! The hotel never feels busy - even at full occupancy there is plenty of space around its three pools and the beach!

Never able to stay in one place, we then continued on to the less developed island of Holbox famous for its sand banks and opportunity to swim with manta rays and whale sharks as well as to the more known island of Cozumel - part the second largest coral reef system in the world after the Great Barrier reef in Australia and apparently favourite place for diving of Jacques Yves Cousteau himself!

Cozumel by Fernando Jorge on Unsplash

What holiday to the Yucatan peninsula goes without visiting the legendary Chichen Itza - one of the 7 New Wonders of the World? I highly recommend taking a local guide as otherwise we would have missed some very special sound effects this place is capable of as well as learning fascinating facts about the place. Although Chichen Itza without a doubt is the most known Mayan monument in Mexico, it is not the largest - don’t be afraid to go off the beaten track and explore! 

Chichen Itza by Flip Gielda on Unsplash

After 9 nights it was time to bid good bye to this part of Mexico as we boarded a flight to Chiapas - called by some the most beautiful state of Mexico! Nature is very different here - resembling of Europe even in some places with its mountains and lakes. We even had to put some layers on as temperatures there were noticeably lower than on the coast. Bordering on Guatemala, Chiapas boasts of waterfalls, gorges, lakes and authentic colonial towns with indigenous population. We even took an opportunity to cross into Guatemala for a short wander around - there is no need for passport control and one can cross without a hustle on foot!

Cascada El Chiflon in Chiapas

The highlights of our stay were our trips to Cascada El Chifflon and taking a boat down the river at Sumidero Canyon. Saying that visiting the very colourful town of San Cristóbal de Las Casas was undeniably another one. There are very few places in the world left that managed to retain the level of authenticity that Chiapas offers. We only had three nights in Chiapas and didn’t have a chance to explore all its wonders, including Mayan ruins of Palenque that are far less visited than Chichen Itza.

Lakes of Chiapas

As we were flying back from Mexico City, our next domestic flight was to the capital of the country. Mexico City is the largest Spanish speaking city in the world and the scale of it really is impressive. I was surprised to find out, that it is in the second place in the world by the number of museums after London! We have certainly visited some ourselves - I can particularly recommend Museo Nacional de Antropología housing a large collection of artefacts from various periods of Mexican history. As I have been the biggest fan of Frida Kahlo for years, visiting her Blue House was a must for me. Do book in advance - you simply won’t get in if you show up on the day.

Personal items of Frida Kahlo

And finally if you are into fine art Palacio de Bellas Artes is the place to visit for its fine murals by the likes of Diego Riviera. Also, who knew that my first paintings by Salvador Dali will be seen in Mexico City and not in Spain! 

Mexico City is also a gateway to the ancient city of Tenochtitlan famous for its large pyramids of the sun and the moon. We were supposed to have a hot air balloon flight over this incredible site but sadly it got cancelled due to the weather. Speaking of the weather, Mexico City requires a completely different wardrobe choice than the coast - do bear this in mind if visiting both on one trip. 

And the last but not the least, Mexico City is the place to enjoy food - from unbelievably affordable street food stalls to the restaurants sitting among the top eateries in the world.

This for sure was a trip to remember! And we did not even cover half of the country! I encourage you to explore Mexico - do not just stay in an all-inclusive hotel.

And if you need us to help you planning your trip - do get in touch!

The Maldives is made up of 1192 islands that stretch over 298 square kilometres. However, the country’s great expanse of water accounts for 99.6% of the Maldives, making it the ultimate Seafaring Nation!

This Archipelagic State of the Indian Subcontinent is encompassed by 26 Atolls, which are defined as ‘a ring-shaped reef, island, or chain of islands formed of coral’ and represent what us Brits know as counties. With an average elevation of 2-metres above sea level, the Maldives attracts visitors who are mainly fascinated by the marine life.

During our recent visit to the Maldives we learnt a lot about the Resort Histories, their Sustainability measures, how they conduct their service and how the Maldivian Government supports the trade and its workers.

Global Pandemic & Pulling Together

As of 2020, Tourism was the Maldives’ largest sector of the economy, providing more than 28% of GDP and 60% of foreign exchange (GlobalEdge). Faced with an international embargo on travel, it was time for the Maldivian Ministry of Tourism to provide a solution to its greatest financial output. And on the 15th July 2020, the Maldives started to welcome international guests into its country again! Fast forward to 2023 and forecasts suggest that the Maldives is predicted to gain strong economic growth, with GDP anticipated to grow by 10.2% (The World Bank).

So, what did the Maldives do correctly?

Firstly, the topography of the Maldives invites the opportunity to be in isolation – an aspect that in the past has made the destination so popular amongst the likes of Honeymooners who want to experience intimacy in paradise. If we consider that around 200 of its islands are inhabited and the nation already has a small population (540,542, in 2020), it might be fair to say that the Maldives had been practicing social-distancing for some time. 

Perhaps the most impressive & important milestone in this country’s recent history was its vaccination rollout. In 2021, tourism authorities confirmed that as soon as the native population had been fully vaccinated, project ‘Visit, Vaccinate, Vacation’ would be in operation. This saw tourists being welcomed to the Maldives with a syringe & needle! The scheme worked and thousands of excited tourists packed their cases and headed toward the Indian Ocean.

Whist visiting a handful of Resorts in May, Travel Matters learnt more about the efforts & sacrifice that the islanders had made. During a candlelit-beach dinner with the Resort Manager of Adaaran Select Hudhuran Fushi, we discovered how testing this period of uncertainty was, but how the fruits of their labour were the sweetest of all pleasures. Ahmed retailed how strict the training and measures were, but how his Resort benefitted from subsequent repeat bookings. Although Ahmed admitted that he & his staff didn’t sleep much during the first few months, they all grew closer as a team and as friends –

‘There were times when I looked at my phone and it was 22:00. The next thing I knew it was 04:00 in the morning and my inbox had grown by another hundred emails.’

Adaaran Select Hudhuran Fushi

Fuelled by adrenaline and the intuitive need to serve their guests, Hudhuran Fushi and other Island Resorts persevered. Ahmed later confessed that he had no pleasure in quarantining his staff, as he knew that someone else’s workload would double. He jokingly boasted about having not contracted COVID-19 whilst he was working, but bitterly remarks about how he was eventually struck down by a watered-down variant upon returning to his home in Sri Lanka for a well-deserved break. His epilogue was perhaps the most poignant moment of our evening! Upon polite (but desperate) requests from guests, the staff at Hudhuran Fushi used their initiative and conducted the necessary due diligence that saw them contact guest’s national Embassies and the Maldivian Government. Medical workers were given their instructions and began to vaccinate permissible guests.

Top-Tier Service

Whilst everyone else was in isolation, Service workers in the Maldives were perfecting their craft!

Many Service Economies were shut-down all across the world. Even today, we are still experiencing a lack of Hospitality workers and what many would deem as an unsatisfactory level of service. Maldives reopened its borders in July 2020, meaning its lull in powering its service management delivery was minimal. In fact, due to the challenging environment of hosting guests during a global pandemic, the service quality grew. Sought after roles quickly become coveted and this competition may have bred a new era of customer perceived quality. The Maldives Government continues to incentivise roles in tourism and many of the workers in this industry prove how grateful they are to hold such a sought-after job.

During our 2-night stay at Heritance Aarah, we were assigned our Butler – Kunal. Originally from India, Kunal had worked in Hospitality all his life and possesses a Masters in Hotel Management. It was apparent from the get-go that this man had hospitality coursing through his veins. His affability and product knowledge was nearly as sharp as the piece of coral I trampled on just days before (Travelling Tip: I’d never found a use for Complimentary Hotel Sewing Kit until now – the needle was the finest object I could find to remove two pieces of fine coral in my foot) Kunal greeted us in a golf buggy and took us on a tour of the Resort, during which time he informed us of the Resort’s impressive facilities and only interjected to detail amusing personal anecdotes of his professional journey. Upon being delivered at our Beach Villa, Kunal presented us with his mobile number so that we could contact him at any time, with any request. There was never an instance that we weren’t tended to, but always in a subtle manner. Being modern and already having a fierce reputation, Heritance Aarah has cherry-picked some of the best Hospitality talent within this region of Asia. Over a thousand 5-Star Tripadvisor reviews is testament to all their hard work.

It’s easy to ramble on about the phenomenal service we experienced, but we were not ready for the first-class cuisine that was prepared for us! Indulging in traditional Japanese dining, tasting menus (paired with wines) and traditional Maldivian dining were certainly another highlight. Perhaps the most striking example of this was at Adaaran Select Meedhupparu. Shashika, the Front of Office Manager, introduced us to Meedhupparu’s idea of ‘Island Life’ - a seamless & soothing model that all his staff exudes onto guests. This Resort had the perfect balance of rustic beach life, merged with attentive service. On our first evening, we were invited to their Indian restaurant, which asks that female guests respect the traditional & rural practice of using a Sari to cover their shoulders. If you do not have one, the restaurant has its own clothes rail with a rainbow of different Saris that guests can borrow. We were seated at our table (that stood upon a sandy floor) and indulged in an excellent meal where the stars of the show were the Coconut Sambol and Mater Paneer. This is a destination that will fulfil the cravings of the most demanding of Food Critics!

During our final stay, we were whisked off the resort of Adaaran Prestige Vadoo, who is renowned for their 50 Sea Villas (think iconic Maldives Villas on Stilts). This island is only 2.5 Acres in size, so you get an incredible sense of togetherness…the perfect setting for Honeymooners! This time, we had the pleasure of Abdul acting as our Butler. A personal highlight was witnessing Abdul take time out of his busy day to teach non-swimmers how to snorkel, whilst being in the water himself. Every day Abdul would greet us with new & wonderful photos from the House Reef’s residents.

The Maldives isn’t just a destination to indulge in perfect beaches and witness a pod of dolphins breach alongside your boat trip. It’s a holiday experience that humbles and makes you realise the importance of a human exchange.

Kunal & Matt in discussion, during a site inspection.

(Matt, Travel Matters Business Development Manager, travelled to - Adaaran Prestige Vadoo, Adaaran Select Hudhuran Fushi, Adaaran Select Meedhupparu and Heritance Aarah in May 2022)

We are reaching the end of another Plastic Free July, an initiative started by the Plastic free Foundation in 2011 with the goal of creating a world free of plastic waste. 

We want to support its mission and celebrate the 140 million people who have decided to ‘choose to refuse’ plastic for the entire month, with the hope that these new habits will be carried on beyond the thirty-one days and will be incorporated in the everyday challenge.  

As responsible agents of the tourist industry, we cannot avoid asking some questions about the role and responsibilities of the sector with regards to reducing plastic waste.

Photo Credits @Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay

How is the Industry doing?  

We all know it is a huge problem on a global scale, and although is often accompanied by an overwhelming feeling, the urgency to act on it is an undeniable imperative.  

Echoing the existing widespread appeals, we want to reinforce the message: the time to act is now, because as frightening as it might be, the situation gets worse by the minute, with data showing an extremely sad and catastrophic path for our planet and its species. 

The tourism industry carries big responsibility regarding the production of waste and other kinds of pollution. In fact, this sector is not only responsible for creating up to twice as much solid waste per capita as local residents, as reported by the IFC Environmental Health and Safety Guidelines (2007, Washington D.C.), but it also generates a large amount of single-use plastic waste. According to Plastic Oceans, the waste created by tourism represents half of our global annual plastic production, which in turn contributes to climate change and puts further pressure on our environment.

Photo Credit @Gary Chan

Photo Credit @EU Environment on Twitter

We need to hold the sector accountable, because even though the tourism industry cannot solve the global plastic problem on its own, it can drastically reduce its contribution and impact.

 Many initiatives are taken worldwide to reduce, substitute, and replace the single-use plastic in different parts of our industry. Solutions like LRSU Toolkit by Travel without Plastic, focus on the manageable actions that every single hotel can take, multiplying the effect across regions and countries.

However, beyond the individual, valuable responses found and pursued independently, there is a factor that could drive real exponential change.

Influence and Engagement

We believe that the biggest innovation we can cultivate is the monumental power of influence that the tourism sector has in determining the speed and the course of change, especially in terms of mindset.

Leading by example is only one aspect of it. 

Engaging guests and customers by implicitly inviting them to embark on the plastic reduction journey with us has proved to be very effective in terms of accelerating behavioural changes, while also being profitable from a business perspective.  

However, if we want to boost our impact and effectiveness across the sector, we should start including our whole supply chain in the process. 

Asking our business partners (both locally and globally) the right questions, will make everyone realise that we face the same problems, which will provide space for new collaborative solutions. A combination of local skills, unexpected engagement, and the right political influence could provide the necessary boost to support the shared mission and set incremental goals that are achievable.  

While reducing pressure on the environment, asking these questions seems to also have the advantage of improving the quality of our relationships with our partners and strengthening the grassroots networks.

Consideration of the environmental impact across the whole supply chain appears to be one of the most effective solutions we can choose, and the following cases show interesting ways of doing this; their success proves that, with the appropriate collaborative mindset, we can go well beyond plastic reduction.

 We needed a Boat made of Plastic to see the Circle

 A dhow – a traditional sailing boat that in the past has taken merchants to Arabia and India – has been built out of 33 tonnes of plastic waste found on the 10 km beach of Lamu, a small town on the northern coast of Kenya. 

The Flipflopi Project – the East African movement responsible for the building of the boat, is a brilliant initiative that has found a way to visualise the problem and the solution at the same time.

Photo Credit @The Flipflopi Project

Since 2019 the boat has travelled to local coastal communities to raise awareness about the issue, working with schools, and involving media, local government representatives, and also artists and scientists.

Looking at the pillars of the circular economy, we can re-imagine the new life that a product can have, and it is suddenly clear that what the innovative economic approach suggests is a more balanced and harmonious way of looking at the potentially never-ending cycles of creativity.
We don’t need to produce new items, we can reuse, repair, recover, even re-gift what we already have.

Although the circular economy might not be the ultimate solution – because we obviously still need to reduce and refuse the use of plastic to avoid creating more waste down the line – a great benefit of the Flipflopi project is to show us the circles we are all in, the ones made of weak links that need to be strengthened, but also the potential ones we are yet to explore.

A strong community is made of strong connections between the individual activities, the economic hubs, the civil society organisations, the local government, but also its artists and skilled entrepreneurs.

The need to learn how to collaborate and engage with and within the local communities we operate in as a sector in the search for solutions that maximise the positive benefits and minimise the impact we leave, becomes even more compelling when facing the plastic issue.

New Grassroots Trends

The City Council of the town of Cumberland, a western suburb of Sydney, Australia, has discovered that the local community has the skills and the ability to find appropriate solutions, and that it is worth asking for its collaboration.

‘Through creative thinking and productive partnerships within the community’, they have been able to engage marginalised women to promote new sources of income for them, and ‘the Bags from Banners’ Project has been reducing the amount of waste needed to be disposed of and processed, and, at the same time, educating its citizens about the issues related to waste and plastic.

Sometimes, it is just a matter of receiving the invitation to participate.

When people are asked to come together, they are moved by a new sense of community, new solutions are found, and social and economic development can be achieved much more easily.

Photo Credit @PlasticFreeJuly_ ‘The Bag from Banner’ Project

Photo Credit @everdrop GmbH

However, to achieve a more structural change, we suspect that we need to move beyond simple participation and re-think the management system of our societies.

Marta Muslin – an Associate to Equality in Tourism and National Coordinator of the Indonesia Waste Platform (IWP) – was invited to participate in one of the ‘UNEP Seminars’ (see video below) that addressed how to integrate gender equality in tourism operations, and was moderated by Travel Matter’s founder Karen Simmonds.

Marta presented an interesting grassroots response to the problem of waste in the eastern regions of Indonesia. What is today called the Komodo Model, started on the island of Komodo in 2020, as an organised answer to the COVID pandemic and the lack of tourism-related jobs.

Defined as a ‘community-based waste management system’, the ‘Komodo model’ is an opportunity to tackle an ongoing waste problem for Indonesian coastal regions, and provides local sustainable development led by local women and young people, while also reducing the pressure on the natural environment caused by traditional frequent burning of waste.

The key to success relies on what is more than simple collaboration. The community-led development project, which is tailor-made to adapt to the different local circumstances is, in fact, based on the involvement of both the central and local government, as well as local non-governmental actors and the Indonesian recycling sector; but also, very importantly, it ‘advocates community engagement in decision-making and management, with a goal of using communities’ local knowledge and resources’.

Moving to New Collective Solutions

By reaching the end of another Plastic Free July, we hope that all the new opportunities to collaborate have lightened the pressure on our environment and reduced the amount of plastic we use.

However, what we hope for the most, is that people become aware – directly or indirectly – that we are all active parts of the solution, and knowing that we are not alone in the challenge, we can realise the immense power we have to transform our own societies.

The plastic issue, as well as the bigger issue of the climate crisis, creates precious opportunities to come together as an industry, and reinvent, redefine, and re-establish how we do tourism. The old practices need to change and make space for new habits.

Photo Credits @WeForum.org

(This blog has been written by Elisa Spampinato, a travel writer & Community Storyteller, CEO & Founder at Traveller Storyteller)

Click, click, click … or snap, snap, snap!

Regardless of how digital the noise might sound, this is undoubtedly the typical soundtrack of the majority of our trips.

Beyond the familiar feeling of pleasant satisfaction, taking travel pictures often opens up deep ethical questions about the morality of the shot.

Beyond the Voyeuristic Shot

When we see something ‘exotic’, interesting, curious, unusual or simply beautiful to our eyes, we want to click. Because something, for any reason, attracts our attention, we decide to absorb the information through a lens and on the sensor of our machine, and store it for future reference or nostalgic moments of sharing.

However, when the shots involve other human beings, the level of the moral questions we ask ourselves should rise, obviously.

Photo Credits @MUF - Museu de Favela

How to avoid the risk of an empty Voyeuristic exercise?

How to avoid the risk of an empty voyeuristic exercise? How can we make sure that our shots are embedded with local meaning and, above all, that they are respectful of the people and aware of the moment and the place in which they are taken?

Beyond the necessary moral questions, sometimes the exercise also becomes culturally dangerous.

When we travel without proper knowledge of the place, for example, we tend to reaffirm our biases and stereotypes through the pictures we take.

As shown in the findings of the research that I conducted on Slum Tourism in Rio de Janeiro between 2008 and 2009, the act of visiting a favela with an external tour operator, who has no connection with the place, doesn’t usually add any valuable new information to the visitor’s experience; in addition, the images that are shared on social media afterwards only reproduce the initial perceptions of the place: the local social issues, poverty, degradation.

Our eyes can only see what our mind processes and currently considers to be the reality.

In the same research, I also analysed pictures taken by guests who had chosen to go with a local tour operator, or directly with a CBT project, and they looked totally different. These images showed different people engaged in different activities; the scenes portrayed were also different, as different as were the corners of the streets, the views, the surroundings, even those in the same favela.

Not only did the people appear to be in places that were almost unrecognisable, and not automatically associated with a favela, but also their relationships with the guests seemed different; amazingly, sometimes you would have to look closely, and pause for a while, before identifying who is the tourist and who is the resident.

Photo Credits @Rocinha Original Tour

Photo Credits @Elisa Spampinato

Travel Matters has created a useful list of tips about responsible behaviour when travelling as guests in other people’s homes. It suggests questions, attitudes and a critical mindset towards the unusual reality we face, and it can be used as guidance for travellers on ethical behaviour. 

Given my personal passion for photography, I would like to complement Travel Matters record of responsible actions with some thoughts and recommendations about photography, because it is a powerful tool, which, if used without awareness, can also be powerfully destructive.

Start asking new questions!

The ethical questions should lead the way, for sure; however, we believe that there are other, new questions that could be included on the list.

Have we ever asked, for example, what that shot really means or represents for local people?

A picture is just a picture, some might say.

But is it, really?

I have seen the joy of little kids, excited to see themselves on the screen of my iPhone, which my guide was using while I was interacting with them.

Photo Credits @Elisa Spampinato

Photo Credits @Elisa Spampinato

I have seen the pride of the older boys, performing in the streets of Harar, showing their acrobatic skills to the foreigner visitors. I have also seen the shyness of the children and the welcoming kindness of the women of rural communities. I have seen women discovering their beauty on the screen of my camera…

Photo Credits @Elisa Spampinato

Photo Credits @Elisa Spampinato

…while others, of all ages, were mischievously smiling at it. And I have, finally, seen women sharing their beauty with my digital lens, whilst being quietly proud of it.

Photo Credits @Elisa Spampinato

Photo Credits @Elisa Spampinato

Inspiration from the past to share the future

Although for this writing trip I want to remain on this side of the camera and have them – the local community members – on the other side of the lens, as a Community Storyteller I feel deeply that giving the camera to them is the other part of the tale that we should soon start to write together within tourism.
A symbolic gesture of such power that we cannot always foresee, an invitation to silence our busy minds and listen to local narratives: to reverse our gaze and open up an unwritten path to transform our perspectives by finally including new narratives – theirs.

Photo Credits @Morrinho

Photographer and Photographed: Subject and Object

So, today, for the sake of our reflections, we keep our camera hanging from our neck and pointing forward. On this path, since a predominantly ethnocentric attitude and lack of awareness has traditionally been the major source of problems concerning photography and travel, we should continue to ask ourselves uncomfortable questions. 

Am I doing the right thing?

Is this morally right?

Is taking this picture an ethical act? 

However, I am perturbed by the fact that in this discussion of ethical versus unethical photography, what is good and bad is still assessed mainly from the perspective of the traveller’s benefit, while the locals are still seen as being the passive objects of the action.

Photo Credits @Elisa Spampinato

My last trip to Ethiopia added an additional layer to the matter, and it helped me to see another reality.

Since then, another kind of question started to arise in my mind.

Do we stop and reflect on what a picture means to someone else rather than to us?

What a picture means to them?

I want to leave aside, for now, the pre-pandemic discussions about what a picture can do to a place, and all the controversial correlations between the sudden spreading of pictures of paradisiacal beaches and the swamping with visitors of previously deserted locations, and the new over-tourism trends and threats.

On this occasion, I thought, I want to draw attention to what effect a picture has on the people on whom, for a moment, we want to sharpen our focus.

 Pictures as a gift

After spending time filming and interacting with the local inhabitants of Wajela community, my female guide Workeye and I were no longer surprised, and were a little amused too, to hear the same question being produced after each new person agreed to pose in front of my camera.
“When will you send me back this picture?”

This is what we do, as tourists: we go to places and we take in the beauty, we leave carbon footprints and, hopefully, something positive too, but hardly ever a picture.

And, although the locals can see the beauty of the fields and the mountains around them, a simple picture of themselves is something they don’t have access to.

Considering also that seeing themselves clearly reflected in a mirror is not a common experience for most inhabitants of rural villages, imagine what it could mean to them to see themselves on shiny glossy paper, or just on the screen of a new generation of device.

The whole experience of being photographed can represent something big and relevant in their lives.

When one of the old priests I met in the backyard of a church asked me if he could receive that picture with a frame, I admit that I burst into a loud and incredulous laugh, astonished by the request.

But in the exact same moment ‘the penny dropped’ and suddenly I could see the frame that he was asking me to bring, placed in a corner of his modest thatched residence. For a long, intense second, I felt what he was feeling while looking at the image of that framed picture, the simple pride, the recognition, his special mirror. All the reasons to laugh vanished in the next second, then I crouched and shot his portrait, my knee brushing the ground, holding my breath, click.

Photo Credits @Elisa Spampinato

For a moment I felt that my camera had become more than a storage for visual memories, or a tool for an artistic creation, and it had transformed into a selfless bridge builder to serve, for once, the person on the other side of the lens.

That moment represented more than just giving back, to me – it was a silent cultural connector, playing its role quietly but effectively. Helping me to make him be seen.

**

Who are you taking that picture for?

Is it just for yourself, or to share your memories with your family and friends? 

Perhaps that photograph can help you to open a dialogue with another human being, a dialogue that will not only help to dismantle stereotypes, but which also has the potential to become an opportunity to create an equal and non-monetary exchange between two usually distant universes, momentarily stroking each other’s edges. 

** 

Conclusion

As travellers, even if we have no aspiration to become a photo reporter or a visual blogger, the simple thought of considering who is on the other side of the lens, and what a picture might mean to them – at every single shot – can help us to become more respectful and conscious.

Photo Credits @Rocinha Original Tours

A photograph can be used as a bridge builder between distant people and cultures, and it can play the strategic role of human and cultural connector.

When the end goal is not the picture itself, but an experience, we can aim to connect with other human beings through our camera.

Especially because we shouldn’t rely on a photo to store our memories.

Sometimes the precious moment that you hold in your heart is the picture that was never taken – the one you wanted to, but knew you shouldn’t take, or the resonant laughter that rung out before or after the click. That is what will make your heart swell when your mind travels back to that place.

Rocinha Original Tours

(This blog has been written by Elisa Spampinato, a travel writer & Community Storyteller, CEO & Founder at Traveller Storyteller)

I hadn’t been to the island of Crete since a childhood holiday in the 80’s, so I jumped on the invitation to explore the prestigious Elounda Penninsula All Suite hotel in early May and make new memories.

Geographically speaking, Crete is unique being equidistant from Europe, Asia and Africa. It is Greece’s largest island measuring 260 kilometres long and anything from 12 to 56 kilometres wide. It is mountainous in parts and offers huge variations in both landscape and climate. Olive groves and vineyards are interspersed with short mountain ranges, and the north of the island’s inviting bays and ports contrast with the more rugged coastline of the south.

Spring in Crete truly begins in April, when the island is awash in flowers. Temperatures aren't too hot at this time, making it a great season for hiking and cycling. By April the water temperature is warm enough for swimming. Summer is almost pure sunshine in Crete and often warm temperatures, as heatwaves from Africa  can cause the mercury to rise.

We flew into Crete in early May and it was so easy with regular flights from London Gatwick to Heraklion with EasyJet during the day and evening. The flight time is a mere 4 hours.Arriving in the evening at Heraklion airport we were escorted from the airport terminal to a luxury mini-van with its cool air conditioning and chilled water. The whole process was effortless and a quick transfer of around 45 minutes meant we were soon warmly welcomed by staff at the Elounda Peninsula All Suite Hotel.

 The hotel is located in Eastern Crete is also just a few miles north of Agios Nikolas and very near to the town of Elounda. I was intrigued to experience staying here as it is one of the most exclusive hotels in Greece and “Europe’s top seafront luxury hotel” according to Conde Nast Traveler, with 59 suites and villas. Positioned on a peninsular stretch of land, it enjoys an outstanding location overlooking the Bay of Elounda, Mirabello Bay, and the Aegean Sea. The view is blue as far as the eye can see and the water crystal clear. The hotel is reached by a private road that leads to the reception area on the top floor, with expansive verandas making you feel like you are on the bridge of a ship.

Additionally, I learnt the hotel is designed so that all rooms have a sea view and privacy balcony, some also include a plunge pool or pool. The complex looks like a charming Greek Village complete with stone walkways and vibrant vegetation and it is just delightful to wander around.

The Elounda Peninsula Hotel has All Suite attached to its name for the reason that all their accommodations are luxury suites: the Junior Suites Sea View, the Peninsula Collection Suites, Beachfront Junior Suites, Peninsula Grand Villas, Presidential Suites, Presidential Villas, Diamond Residences, Royal Grand Suite, and the Peninsula Residence. (Seafront presidential suites have exclusive access to the sea)

The VIP treatment started from the time I stepped into the hotel. Each of us was welcomed with a refreshing glass of bubbly and a ‘Peninsula Welcome Treat’ and surprise courtesies were left out every day during our stay. Checking into my Junior Suite did not disappoint. A spacious room, jaw dropping views of the bay and gorgeous furnishings. A luxurious bathroom complete with all the bath amenities you could think of. Comfort is not in any way compromised– they provide feather pillows which are hypoallergenic and a huge and comfortable bed. From the bedsheet up to the tiniest details such as the marble tiles in the bathroom, their rooms certainly exceeded all my expectations.

The luxury doesn’t stop when you leave the main hotel since the resort has its own private beach for the exclusive use of Elounda Peninsula guests, set around a stunning tranquil cove where the staff are constantly on hand to bring cold water, fresh fruit, cold compresses or anything else that takes your fancy. You can swim, snorkel, relax and just watch the world go by.

Guests can use the extensive family facilities offered at the adjoining Porto Elounda GOLF & SPA RESORT, just a couple of minutes walk away, with the animal-themed kids club and creche. Children can enjoy indoor and outdoor play areas, and 2 supervised shallow pools. There is mask making, cookie baking and treasure hunts, as well unique activities like mini Olympic games and growing tomatoes in the garden. Even 6-month old babies are taken care of, freeing up some valuable time for parents. There is also AstroTurf tennis courts, a movie theatre for private screenings and 9-hole golf course within the resort.

And, for those who prefer water-based activities, there are multiple boats for water-skiing and wakeboarding, with instructors available to teach beginners or help you improve your skills.

No account of the resort would be complete without mentioning the outstanding quality and variety of the restaurants. From Asian cuisine to Authentic Greek Culinary Experience, Elounda Peninsula All Suite Hotel has has a wide array of options.

The gourmet restaurant Calypso, delivered culinary delights in an exclusive ambiance, next to a turquoise pool that seems to overflow into the sea. My favourite was the Greek degustation evening at the seaside Odysseus restaurant complete with live Bouzouki, Greek meze and a wide variety of speciality dishes.

 The impressive Kelari wine cellar, home to a truly remarkable selection of labels spanning decades offers private tasting conducted by an awarded sommelier, as well as private dining for up to 8 guests. Koh Pan-Asian Restaurant, located just above sea level at the very tip of the peninsula, offers a magical setting in which to enjoy culinary delights from the Far East.

Don’t miss the Cretan night – a traditional Cretan feast full of local flavours and delicacies accompanied by music and traditional dance in which guests can participate in the square. Meat and poultry are cooked in a Cretan way only using the finest ingredients and the best extra-virgin olive oil that Crete is famous for. Of course, a meal wouldn’t be complete without the oh-so-yummy Cretan Desserts!

For those seeking something a little more sedate, a visit to the Six Senses spa is a must on any visit to the hotel; a winner of multiple awards, it overlooks the hotel complex so enjoys stunning views over the cove and across the bay. The spa offers a comprehensive range of treatments with talented therapists and I loved having a chance to relax with a full body massage.

The two mornings I was there I also attended the morning yoga and pilates group class held on the beach with private instructor, followed by a morning dip in the refreshing sea. What a delight!

One of the highlights of our trip was an afternoon excursion by boat across the blue waters to the island of Spinalonga. Nicknamed as the island of the living dead, Spinalonga, lies at the natural harbor of Elounda. Despite being a small barren island of 85 acres, it carries a long history and holds a special place in the Greeks' hearts, while it preserves its beauty notwithstanding its dark past. It was used as a leper colony from 1903 to 1957, and the fascinating aspects of its history are explored (and made famous) in The Island by Victoria Hislop.

The outstanding facilities at the Elounda Peninsula All Suite Hotel combined with the wonderfully attentive and welcoming staff, scrumptious food and sublime location are just some of reasons why I am looking forward to a return visit soon. 3 days wasn’t long enough!

Zoe travelled in May 2022 courtesy of Flospitality and the team at the Elounda Peninsula All Suite Hotell

I am BIG on self-care. It’s an important part of my daily life and I weave it into the fabric of my being daily. And, unless you have been living under a rock recently, you will also be familiar with the concept of self-care and just how important it is becoming in this life when we are constantly being pulled in a thousand directions.

Intentional self-care is all about taking the time to check-in with yourself physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually to ensure that you are healthy and functioning at your best. It’s about creating a better body, mind & soul for yourself and it has real short and long term effects. 

And I recently discovered a new form of self-care. The supernova of self-care acts - if you will - in the form of solo travel.

The simple fact of the matter is that after the last few years many of us are feeling mentally and emotional battered and just utterly exhausted. For me, it didn’t matter how much Yoga, meditation, walks in nature or long baths I had, I was still feeling utterly depleted.

Then I went on a solo trip to the hills of Bologna, Italy, as Travel Ambassador for Travel Matters and discovered the power of solo travel as a form of self-care. I was only away for two nights, but let me tell you - it was the most empowering, liberating and mentally rejuvenating two nights I had experienced in a long time.

With that said, today I want to share with you how fantastically wonderful solo travel is a very much needed form of self-care:

1. Learning about and reconnecting with yourself

When you are travelling by yourself, it can take some time to get used to being in your own company, but although strange at first once you relax into it you really do start to enjoy the solitude and the sweetness it brings. 

Solo travel is a great way of spending a serious chunk of time by yourself, and is a great way to reconnect, know and trust yourself, your abilities and your intuition.

2. It’s all about you

How often do you get to do exactly what you want and when you want on holiday? In my personal experience, that is almost never because usually, I am trying to accommodate the want and needs of my family.

When you’re travelling alone you get to do exactly as you please, when you please. You can put yourself above all others, because there are no others! 

3. Dedication to recharging your batteries

Solitude brings an unparalleled opportunity to recharge your batteries, in peace and quiet. You can be as lazy as you want, sleep as long as you want, stroll through nature as long as you want, lie by the pool as long as you want. You get the picture!

4. Being you - unapologetically

Are you blighted by the modern-day infliction of selflessness? Over time, selflessness can seriously deplete your energy levels and sense of self. Solo travel is the perfect opportunity to redress the balance. The beauty of solo travel is that you are free to experience your destination and fulfil your desires. You do not need to wear a myriad of hats - partner, parent, boss, employee, friend, confident. You are just 100% you, and 100% in control, and that is incredibly empowering.,

5. Seeing the world with fresh eyes again

So often when I go away with the family, I come back from a holiday needing another holiday. But with solo travel, you leave all the burnout and overwhelm behind, and are so well rested that you come back seeing the world with fresh eyes again, and in technicolour. You have a newfound gratitude for all that is in your life, and that is nothing short of priceless.

So as you can tell, I am a firm advocate of solo travel! It was the first time in 15 years I had experienced it, but now I’ve had another taste of it, I can’t wait to do it again. I’ve realised what a precious form of self-care it is, and how beneficial it is for our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical wellbeing. If only our GPs would prescribe it! But failing that, why not talk to the team at Travel Matters about how you can get your dose of solo travel self-care here.

(Talya, Travel Matters Travel Ambassador, travelled in May 2022 to Palazzo Di Varignana. She is the proud Founder of Motherhood: The Real Deal and 40 Now What)

I booked my Walking and Trekking holiday to Northern Cyprus in January 2020, just a couple of months before we were all condemned to travel lockdown. I was offered cash-back for my trip, but I had heard so much about the beauty and fascination of the area that I postponed my trip for a year, and then - for yet another year, until May in 2022. It was definitely well worth the wait and lived up to all my expectations.

I had previously visited Southern Cyprus a couple of times, both in the Paphos region and up in the Troodos Mountains, but had never crossed to the north via the legendary Green Line. Many people, including those who had been in the British forces during the "troubles", had told me that the North of the island, now officially called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, was much more attractive than the South.

My impression of the South, with its many archaeological sites and monuments to Aphrodite, is of a country with a sea such a deep blue that we in more northern climes can only dream of seeing it, a climate that offers a gentle breeze to alleviate the heat, and excellent and not-too-expensive food served by friendly waiters in tavernas on hillsides "with a view". There is, however, such a hangover from the British Empire days that sometimes there is very little feeling of "being abroad". The British ex-pat community live a happy life that is rather like being in Sussex in the sun. Which is wonderful, but sometimes we ask for a little more "exoticism" when we are on holiday. This is what I experienced once I crossed the Green Line.

Of course the history of the island is shared between both the Greek and Turkish "halves" of the island, and I am no expert in politics, but through conversations with people of both sides, it seems that the average person would very much like a reconciliation. In the meantime, to go north, we need to fly into Larnaka in the Greek sector, and travel via the border control on the Green Line in Nicosia for about an hour, in order to enter the Turkish sector. Only planes from Turkey itself are allowed to fly into the comparatively small airport in the north. Nicosia is the only capital city in the world to be divided into two and shared by both the North and South.

Once over the border you do feel like you are in a different country with a more middle eastern feel: narrow streets with pretty little houses, busy markets, more minarets, Turkish coffee (!) and wine, and, once you get outside the city, the landscape is definitely more dramatic and exciting: huge mountains dominating the skyline, covered in thousands of huge trees, and a fertile plain that stretches forever.

My holiday consisted of days mostly spent in clambering up and down the tree covered mountains, through dried up rivers covered in huge boulders and slippery gravel, proving the usefulness of hiking sticks or extremely long legs. A certain level of fitness was definitely necessary, but it was all manageable for older people (like myself).

Not just at the very top, but all the way up and along these forest paths, the views were spectacular. We also visited quite a few castles built high up in the peaks: Kyrenia Crusader Castle, Saint Hilarion Castle, Kantara Castle, Buffavento Castle, the history of which (dating back to Phoenicians, Romans , Byzantines, French etc.) was all related to our small group by our excellent guide, Gizer, accompanied by some interesting little tit-bits as to how a certain queen would drown her lovers before her husband the king got back from his crusades, how Richard the Lion Heart wasted no time in ferociously avenging the kidnapping of his fiancé, and (in the amazing Roman ruins of Salamis) how the men would all sit together in a huge half circle on the wooden toilet seats discussing the problems of the world, or who was likely to win the next major sporting event.

Interesting too are the many huge churches, originally for the Greek Orthodox Church, left in perfect condition, or actually being renovated, which is proof to the fact that, in this part of the world, Islam and Christianity can live peacefully side by side.

My favourite moment was visiting the beautiful 12th century abbey in Bellapais, made famous by Laurence Durrell in his book "Bitter Lemons". Then, walking up the steep road to his house, the renovation of which he describes so vividly, was a magic moment. Incidentally, the house is for sale!

A sadder excursion was to Famagusta, and the "ghost town" of Varasha, closed to civil life since the conflict of 1974. The hotels are all still there, as are the houses, and some say that, locked in underground car parks , there are still dozens of luxury cars. On the beach (said to be one of the best in Europe) where Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor once frolicked, a few umbrellas and sun beds are now permitted, but nothing else is open. Apparently the zone is a part of a possible negotiation for re-unification!

The food in both parts of the island is equally good, but a bit cheaper in the north. So, my advice is, take a holiday in both North and South Cyprus!

Our client Patricia Pearson travelled to North Cyprus in May 2022

June has already reached us, but we would like to return to last month and recall an event that we think deserves some reflection.

The week 9–15 May was Mental Health Awareness week, this year focusing on Loneliness.

“In a travel blog post?! Such a weird place to talk about loneliness”, one might think.
But is it such a strange association, really?

Photo by Elisa Spampinato

Loneliness is a real issue for our societies, one that is quite uncomfortable to talk about and mostly hidden inside us, with shame. And, unfortunately, it only grows stronger when not faced and shared.

“Yet while millions of us experience feelings of loneliness, we can still find it hard to talk about. One in five of us hide our feelings of loneliness from others.”

Travel is, overall, perceived as a great source of joy and excitement; therefore, some might say that it is potentially a useful antidote for loneliness.

“Can travel cure loneliness?” We think that this is a false question, more dangerous perhaps than the loneliness itself – if that is possible.

We don’t believe that travel can automatically ‘cure’ anything; however, we do believe that travel carries wonderful seeds, which can grow into a plant whose fruit has healing properties and can lead us to a happier and more fulfilled life.

Photo by MUF-RJ

Let’s see with which soil and under which external conditions those seeds may benefit us, so that a trip can not only give us temporary pleasure and enjoyment – which some may even confuse with ‘happiness’ – but also create deeper changes and long-lasting transformational effects in ourselves and in our communities.

THE BUBBLE WE ARE ALL IN

We can travel with concerns only for ‘having a great time’, ‘having the perfect experience’, ‘doing cool things’ and ‘ticking all the boxes’ of our externally constructed bucket list for a place.

However, this kind of travel, in the same way as when we suffer from feelings of loneliness, makes us feel as though we are drifting miles away from everyone else, on a self-activating conveyor belt.

We are disconnected – not only from the real atmosphere of a place, but also from other enriching human encounters.

 I call this ‘travelling in our own bubble’. 

But we know that travel has such great positive potential at the individual level, including giving us new lenses to ‘see’ the world from a different angle and in different colours too.
In our minds, awesome images are triggered by the word ‘travel’.

Exotic scenery, warm waters, sunny and bright beaches, white peaks, and fresh footprints on immaculate white snow. Green lights in the northern skies, desertic views, volcanic lakes surrounded by green mountains hiding the cities of pre-Columbian civilisations. The list could go on forever. 

And yet, if we travel with the goal of escaping the boredom of our daily reality, to do something very special and memorable so that we can add it to our list of achievements, we are just sweeping more of the dust of discontent under the carpet, which, on our return, will look more like a rough and hilly surface than the flat and comfy floor-covering it is supposed to be.

Photo by Elisa Spampinato

Travel cannot cure loneliness, only temporarily conceal it, perhaps.

And the unfaced and unspoken reasons that led us to ‘escape’ our reality, will carry on accumulating dangerously and perhaps become a Mental Health issue in the future.

CONNECTING

Travel brings joy because it allows us to make new connections, not only in our brains, by taking in new information, learning about other cultures and history; but also, because it allows us to make new human connections.

If we reflect a moment on it, we realise that our travel stories and travel memories are full of people, not just places – isn’t that the case!

Photo by Elisa Spampinato

Those encounters with the local farmers, or with the barman at the hotel, the chat with other travellers in the cosy neighbourhood bar or the untranslated exchanges of smiles and body language we had with the woman that taught us how to weave colourful baskets from grass or banana leaves.
These are the encounters that will populate our hearts on the way back home, and, hopefully, for years to come. 

One definition of empathy is “the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place”. 

Through empathy we can connect on a deeper level with other human beings, and the similarities always overtake the differences we may perceive in each other’s lives, concerns and goals.

But when we travel ‘in our own bubble’ there seems not to be space for many real connections; it is mainly isolation and self-referenced thoughts.

BURSTING THE BUBBLE

What is the difference between being inside and outside the bubble, then?

We believe that the difference lies in the answer to the following questions:
Why do we travel? What is the intention that consciously, and mostly unconsciously, we put into this ‘activity’?

Are we aware of the real reasons behind our desire for travel?

Lack of awareness of those motivations can make the walls of the bubble we are in much thicker, separating us from the beauty and the undiscovered marvels that surround us, and that could also change and transform us.

And our trip will then be just a temporary glowing experience to show off to friends, but a missed opportunity for personal growth.

But if, for example, we decide to allow our mind to switch, we might have a completely other experience next time we travel.

While travelling we are in the perfect place to discover new places and have extra-ordinary experiences  – this is mainly because we are out of our comfort zone, and, according to Simon Sinek, even though a “comfort zone is a sage and beautiful place, no one ever grows there”.

If we want to grow as human beings, rather than just boarding a plane and getting a new stamp in our passport, travelling is a golden opportunity.  

How can we switch our mind, then? 

We can start by simply stretching our arm through the surface of that bubble, so that we can start to burst the bubble we are in.

Bursting the bubble in which we have been travelling is like lifting that carpet and facing what is underneath. We may not like it, but once we acknowledge it we can start the clean-up.

With the gesture of stretching our arm out, we are asking for something new, even if it is still unknown, and undiscovered. And, despite that – or sometimes, just because of that – we are ready to travel, we are finally embarking on a journey.

Photo by Elisa Spampinato

We endorse the definition of ‘Transformational Travel’ given by the Transformational Travel Council (TTC) as: “intentionally travelling to stretch, learn and grow into new ways of being and engaging with the world.” 

The TTC has been a ground breaker in choosing to focus on what travel can give beyond the materialistic and immediate satisfaction of a trip.

However, the most crucial message the TTC brings to the tourism world, we think, is that the real journey starts at home, by wanting to change your mindset, not just by going to places, by while we are visiting those places.

Bursting the bubble is, then, a question of intention.

So, get out of your bubble, ask yourself the important questions, share your experience of personal growth, connect, and, most importantly, enjoy the journey.

This blog has been written by Elisa Spampinato,
a travel writer & Community Storyteller, CEO & Founder at  Traveller Storyteller

Corfu in spring is simply beautiful. I had heard that it is fantastic for an early season holiday but hadn’t anticipated that the weather would be that glorious. For the whole trip we were blessed with clear blue skies and comfortable 25-30 degrees weather - not too bad for the first half of May!

Understandably, the sea was was still quite fresh but it didn’t stop me or numerous other visitors from taking a dip - at the end of the day you had a warm sun to dry you! As a nature lover, I was blown away by the rich vegetation and colourful blossoms adorning the island - Corfu is one of the greenest islands in Greece but Spring is particularly great for those who love to stop and smell the roses - or rather rosemary in Greek reality! Corfu has numerous walking and cycling trails and there is no better time to explore those than in Spring. Or how about witnessing a magical spectacle of fireflies while walking from your dinner from a local taverna? This also happens only early in the season.

I travelled to Corfu courtesy of Simpson travel, a well loved family-run holiday tour operator with hand picked properties around Europe. Their portfolio in Corfu is certainly very impressive - from stand alone villas, be it a traditional Greek beachfront house or a luxury hilside contemporary abode, to small charming hotels and self-catering estates. Enough to satisfy even the most discerning of guests. Their support in resort from highly experienced concierges and reps is second to none - many of them have been with the company for decades and really love what they do. 

I viewed numerous properties on the island - get in touch to discuss your next holiday. I particularly liked Rou Estate - a beautifully restored hamlet of 14 stylish and elegant houses with breathtaking views  and magnificent landscaped gardens. The atmosphere of the estate is that of an utter peace and uniting with nature - smells, sounds and views are just a treat to all your senses. With a variety of units Rou Estate is simply ideal for single or multiple families travelling together. A great place to socialise in an intimate environment or be as private as you want - the choice is yours. 

The resort that we had as our base was the lovely hotel Bella Mare - a delightful beachfront hotel overlooking the stunning Alvaki beach with only 31 rooms, most of which had royally sized terraces with enchanting views. I loved that the part of the beach where the hotel is located always felt very private. This little gem is perfect for families as it has supervised children activities in July and August. While for those seeking peace and relaxation they have a new exclusive section of the hotel with it’s own infinity pool that is adults only outside school holidays. 

On this trip we were treated to some of the best local restaurants on the island. Everyone knows that Greek food is among firm favourites around the world but the eateries we visited were just another level - mouth watering mezes, melt in your mouth seafood and excellent local wines. We will be delighted to make some recommendations on your next trip to Corfu!

Maryna travelled to Corfu with Simpson Travel in May 2022

Back in March, in a corner of London, we came together for a networking event within the Travel & Tourism sector. We gathered to celebrate women empowerment, diversity and inclusion. The onus of the evening was to specifically celebrate the power of hope and ability to strengthen the defences against the fear… is the HOPE not us?!

Gathering Forces & Local Voices

Travel Matters brought together their clients, peers and stakeholders from different corners of the travel world. The opportunity to raise a toast in person and have a relaxed chat is a valuable gift for such an important celebration, especially after the last couple of years.

I was pleasantly surprised to realise that the local voices I heard were not just the local Londoners’ voices – even though those were loud in abundance – but there were also voices delivered from distant lands, through the videos showcased during the evening. All profits from the event were donated to the Travel Matter’s chosen charity, Empart UK – their mission is to fulfil and provide new working opportunities to women.

As tourism professionals, as well as women, we shouldn’t forget that personal empowerment passes through financial independence, especially in places where women traditionally do not hold a position of relevance beyond the limits of the household. Today, some women still feel that society feels like an inaccessible VIP circle, whose entrance door continues to remain sealed to them.

During the event we were introduced to a third world where empowered women used their new tools, such as sewing machines, in modern environments...all with bright smiles on their faces. Acts, such as this, serve as a simple reminder to all of us; our passions and cultivated skills are our golden ticket to mental freedom and great achievements.

A precious thought to be nourished and shared!

The Screening

Besides the panel of experts and committed professionals invited to share their personal experiences & professional positions and strong opinions (mainly on gender equality), the event’s focal point was the display of two short documentaries about two young and inspiring female role models that had been directed by two upcoming female Directors – ‘Kamali’, directed by Sasha Rainbow and ‘Dive Tierra Bomba Dive’, directed by Joya Berrow & Lucy Jane. These short movies had been provided by one the events Sponsors, Minute Shorts.

I would say that both documentaries provided an insightful and poetic zoom-in into two very powerful personal stories, and I believe that couldn’t be a more appropriate choice to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022.

The two young protagonists have helped us to see their world with different eyes, while uplifting us with the strength of their personal passions – one by diving into the sea and appreciating of her coral reefs and the other by venturing bravely on a skateboard on dusty, unknown and male dominated streets.

From two distant locations we have been presented with two very different and equally important issues, both very close to Travel Matters’ interest and support. In India, the social discrimination and challenge of raising a rebellious-spirit filled daughter as a single mother; in Colombia, the pollution and gradual destruction of the marine environment surrounding the island of Tierra Bomba, crucial for the survival of the local community and the traditional fishing activities. Kamaliand Yassandra gifted us with the precious present of hope, showing us that no matter how huge the mountain may appear, it is possible to find a way to climb it. And when a 9-year old Kamali was faced with the steepness of a rocky wall, she could have easily surrendered to her fears - those being the harsh moral judgement of our local community or the macro-economic decisions of a world she cannot control.

In their own peculiar ways, the two protagonists warned us that we will always find strong reasons to feed the fears, whilst investing our energies into growing these fears, all whilst fighting the cruel and unfair reality that consumes our thoughts. However, the young women remind us that we could choose to let our passion speak louder, diverting the attention to the creative path instead, with joy and determination.

Paradoxically, when Kamali’s mother, Suganthi, openly shares her vulnerable side, she appears stronger than ever! With her tears washing away the weakness of forcing the same fate she had on her daughter. Instead, those nourishing tears (framed by a relieving smile) spread the love and the wish of a different future for her daughter. Her bravery is a gift to Kamali and other daughters, so that more girls tomorrow can choose their own path, breaking the heavy wall of the traditional expectations.

On her island, Yassandra’s financial constrains could be an obstacle in her journey in preserving the natural environment she feels so intimately connected to. And even facing what appears to be a dead road, she continues to push her dreams higher, imagining the future she aspires to create. Somehow, the uncertainty strengthens her desire to show the coral reef to her community, boosting their environmental awareness and converting them into defenders of their ecosystem.

The issue of gender equality, social disparity, the preservation of the biodiversity and respect for the local community’s quality of life are led in the documentaries by powerful women who carry a bigger mission than they realise. The trendsetters innovate and open new avenues through small changes in the mindset of their static society, providing a new perspective on life so that progressive solutions become visible...but they always start by breaking some bias we all carry within!

Breaking the Bias

We gathered to celebrate another year with full consciousness of our incomplete journey towards diversity, equality and inclusion – in tourism, as well as in the whole society. We also attended to plant more seeds and to make this day an everyday recurrence and an everyday challenge that everyone of us should initiate. This is why I welcome this year IWD’s theme, ‘#breakthebias’. This allows us to reflect on the deep personal roots of our developing society.

Because, what does it mean to break the bias, after all? The act of breaking them can only follow a clear and conscious acknowledgment. So, the real question is “What are those biases we need to break in order to live in a society with gender equality?”

Photo by Vonecia Carswell

Many biases are ones we carry from birth; which are reinforced by our society, traditions and work environments. Are we aware of them? Are we ready to let them go? A break is often needed to set us free, so that our deep passions can open the way to new experiences.

I admit that I left the screening with more questions than answers that night and with a revived sense of alert, blinking outward from my mind and soul. This made me reflect and realise the weight of my fears and how much I have taken for granted and accepted, as a woman. If you allow me, I would like to invite you to make a hopeful resolution for this coming year – let’s break our own bias, starting with the fears rooted inside us!

(By Elisa Spampinato, a Community Storyteller & Travel Writer)

Copenhagen Canal Quayside

What a privilege to visit Copenhagen. I hadn't discovered a new city since 2019 and when you are in my industry, that's quite a long time. The joy of packing the suitcase and heading off to investigate a new country filled me with such joy. A flight to Copenhagen is super quick with a very straight forward transfer from the Danish airport to the city centre. A civilized flight mid morning allowed us to be in the city mid afternoon with time to jump on some bikes and adventure around.  Our base for the next couple of days was the iconic hotel D’Angleterre - a beauty of a property if I have ever seen one. Central, grand, homely, not stuffy - its staff oozed welcome with friendly engaging smiles and caring attitudes - oh and I should add home to the Michelin star restaurant Marchal.  

Karen outside the Hotel D’Angleterre, Copenhagen

Photo by Febiyan

I had been curious to visit Copenhagen and Denmark overall - my knowledge of the country was somewhat limited - think Lego, Carlsberg lager and the Nordi series on Netflix The Bridge!! I love a Scandi thriller! Incidentally that bridge, over 8 kms long, links Denmark to Sweden allowing many Swedes and Danes easy access to live and work in both countries. Back to my curiosity of the country - I had heard good things about the Danes and their way of life, their attitude to community and happiness. You are probably well acquainted by the term Hygge - meaning connection, coziness and enjoying the simple pleasures of life with those you love.

The City of Happiness

Did you know that there is the Research Institute of Happiness headed up by Meik Wiking? The organization is an independent think tank exploring why some societies are happier than others. Their mission is to inform decision makers of the causes and effects of human happiness, making well-being part of the public policy debate, and improving quality of life for everyone on the planet. They partner with cities, governments and organisations to set the agenda to improve quality of life. With so much care in a society it’s obvious that its citizens would find suitable ways to look after their environment too, which is reflected in their living choices and behaviour - the Danes are leading in sustainability especially with building infrastructure and how it affects their environment. Another fun fact I learnt is the new cable, 760kms long - yes you read that correctly (the world's longest high voltage cable) is being laid under the sea between Denmark and the UK which is going to supply us with renewable energy from the Danes wind farms  - how cool is that? A great scheme that will help the environment and help us Brits come away from fossil fuels.

Karen in Christianhavn

Copenhagen really is a beautiful city -  full of eco-friendly buildings using renewable energy initiatives - green roofing, solar, rainwater harvesting systems, urban gardens and green space galore. I thought most novel is the waste plant which has a secondary function of offering a ski slope - a truly innovative and pioneering idea. On the subject of cleaner living - did you know that 9 out of 10 Danes own a bicycle? And 26% of families living with two children in the city of Copenhagen own a cargo bike. Londoner’s - we could do so much better than we do and take a leaf out of the Copenhagener’s book and come away from our dirty polluting cars.

The Hotel D’Angleterre offers their guests bikes for free so it was a pleasure to pedal off and meander around the city on the generously wide bike lanes. One unique cycle super highway crosses the canal. We had to wait as the bridge closed for the cyclists and was raised in order to let a tall ship pass along the canal. It was an awesome sight! 

The bicycle super highways of Copenhagen, by Aurora Ferreira

What else are the Danes doing right, you may ask - well free education for students, free health care, low criminality and a general good work/life balance. It's that feeling of Hygge again. So with the backdrop of understanding why Denmark had drawn me in, let me highlight a few experiences I tried when in the capital of happiness. 

I biked to the picturesque district of Christianshavn. An idyllic place to immerse yourself in the pretty and colourful neighbourhood which is made up of small islands.

The beautiful canals of Copenhagen

I participated in a sea plane excursion, boarding close to the Little Mermaid - it was a 20 minute excursion over the harbour, allowing fantastic views of Copenhagen and beyond. The sea plane excursion with Nordic Seaplanes was followed by a boat ride with Hey Captain- a more intimate boat excursion where you can talk with the captain offering a very personal way to cruise the canals.

Photo by Rolands Varsbergs

100% take a  guided food tour. Danish food wasn't particularly known globally until a new wave of chefs brought restaurants like Noma into international attention. Joining a Food Tour Copenhagen you’ll meet the  locals and be given local insight. There is so much diversity in Copenhagen’s food scene.   In 2021 14 of Copenhagen's restaurants had 23 Micheln stars between them!  I was fortunate to visit La Glace - the oldest patisserie in Denmark, Aamanns 1921 a famous Danish restaurant and the food markets at Tovehallerne.

Time in Copenhagen would not be complete without a visit to Tivoil Gardens, the oldest theme park in the world. 

My last evening was spent at the Balthazar champagne bar where they are renowned for their signature champagne cocktails - I had a Downton Abbey - very in keeping with the release of the new Downton Abbey movie recently released!

Swimming at Islands Brugge, Copenhagen

Swimming at Islands Brugge, Copenhagen

I could have done with a few more hours in this glorious capital - my last morning I headed to the area called Islands Brygge - which translates as Iceland’s Quay - a gorgeous stretch of waterfront where outdoor bathing and swimmers gather all year round. It was a magical experience for me.

 Karen travelled in April 2022 to Copenhagen in the company of Flospitality and stayed at D'Angleterre Hotel.  

I was thrilled to be invited for an action packed 2 night/ 3 day stay at the Evian Resort in France.

At the foot of the Alps, the Evian Resort is one the most prestigious resorts in the world. Only 45km from Geneva with its international airport, this oasis of calm boasts two luxury hotels, the recently renovated 5-star Hotel Royal and the 4-star Hotel Ermitage.

We flew to Geneva airport (a 75-minute flight time from London Heathrow with Swiss Air) and were met by the Evian resort team to be whisked by private vehicle to explore the Evian resort. Our first stop was the Hotel Royal which offers a breath- taking panorama of Lake Geneva and the French/Swiss Alps.

Hotel Royal: 5-star

Flagship of the Evian Resort, I was delighted to check in for my 2 night stay at the Hotel Royal, which is one of the most unique and luxurious hotels in the world, renowned as a place to get away from it all and recharge your batteries.  Set within 47 hectares of beautiful grounds, this exquisite 150-room property is just a 10-minute drive from Evian-Les-Bains and offers a Spa, wellness centre (sauna, hammam, hot tub), tennis courts, indoor/ outdoor swimming pools plus a first-class golf course located nearby. The stylish contemporary design of the hotel blends with the unique Belle Epoque architecture from the start of the 20th century and it was recently awarded ‘Palace’status.

Hotel Ermitage: 4-star

Next up was a tour of the Hotel Ermitage, which with its Anglo-Normand architectural style and elegantly designed 80 rooms and family suites is a charming property. Located in the heart of the Evian Resort, this family hotel is equipped with all the essentials to welcome children, and is dedicated to golf, relaxation and outdoor sporting activities for parents and their kids. They are also respectful towards nature too and the establishment has been labelled with ‘Earth Check’, the international ecological certification programme in the field of tourism.

Kids’ Resort 

As a mother of an energetic toddler I was eager to nosy around the on-site Kids’ Resort which is located between the two hotels. It welcomes children free of charge from the age of 3 years. The Kids’ Resort caters for 3 to 9 year olds and the Teens’ Resort 10 to 17 year olds. With a multitude of indoor/outdoor activities run by qualified activity leaders it is open every day all year round. There is a safe outdoor play area, indoor heated & supervised pool, activities room, rest room with board games and dance studio where they can channel all their exuberant energy! (There is also a Baby Resort catering for 4 month old to 3 years for which there is an additional charge).

Spa

Now it was time for some much needed pampering. The luxurious Spa Evian Source Centre features 2 pools, 1 aqua gym pool, a hammam, a sauna, a hot tub and fitness rooms. Guests also have access to indoor and outdoor tennis courts. With a huge array of treatments from facials to full body massages you can lie back in the hands of expert therapists and relax.

Michelin star restaurant: Les Fresques

The restaurant Les Fresques in the Hotel Royal has just been rewarded once again with a star by this year’s Michelin Guide 2022 so I was excited to sample some of their culinary delights in the evening. Exquisite course upon course appeared throught the ched, courtesy of the chef, paired with perfect wines. I had never tried asparagus ice cream, but somehow it worked and my taste buds were left tingling after this sensational meal.

Hiking in Thollon Des Mises, France

Next on the itinerary was a visit to Thollon-Les-Mémises, a village resort with a family atmosphere only a 20-minute drive away from the hotel. The resort has direct access to 50km of downhill skiing, with 14 marked pistes, served by a total of 18 ski lifts. It offers good skiing, particularly for intermediate and beginner skiers. Snow shoeing and paragliding are also an option. We enjoyed a lovely hike to a local viewpoint and then a splendid lunch to taste a Savoyard speciality of cheese fondue at the panoramic restaurant “Les Balcons du Lac” with breath-taking views of Lake Geneva.

Golf lesson with a Pro at the Evian Resort Golf club & Academy

I am not a golfer but this was a great chance to have a go and learn from a professional on one of the most beautiful courses in Europe. In each lesson players receives bespoke golf instruction focusing on drills and all golf shots, whilst varying distance and direction. I soon got the hang of it and they even filmed us to then analyse our swing angles and posture. ‘Keep your arms straight Zoe’ is still ringing in my ears. It was amazing to learn how to hit a golf ball cleanly and watch it sail into the air over the bunkers.

Lunch in Yvoire, France

Last on the itinerary was a wander through one of the most beautiful villages in France. Yvoire is a small but very romantic small town right on the French shores of Lake Geneva. This traffic-free village has managed to preserve much of its medieval look with town walls and gates, a historic castle, and narrow cobblestone streets. Yvoire is a beautiful town year-round but particularly attractive during spring and summer when it is filled with flowers blooming from seemingly every balcony and windowsill. 

(Zoe travelled in March 2022 and had an amazing 3 day trip thanks to the incredibly generous @masonrose, @hotelroyalevian and @evian_resort)

Travel Matters Travel Ambassador, Zoe, returns to her home-away-from-home…Sri Lanka. It has been a few years since Zoe has been back, but this time she is introducing her daughter to the Teardrop of India, known fondly by its people as Serendib.

Zoe documents her experiences thus far -

Firstly, we are beyond excited to be travelling long haul with our 2-year-old toddler for the first time ever and what better country to visit than Sri Lanka, which is incredibly family friendly. Our daughter, Islay, is obsessed with trains (choo choo) and so we were excited to make special memories with her and jump on a train to traverse the island.

The most popular and beautiful route is Kandy to Ella and the stretch of line from Haputale (through Bandarawela) has particularly stunning scenery. We did our research on train times and then boarded a local passenger train at Haputale, a small station in the heart of the hill country near to the eco-retreat Living Heritage Koslanda, our base for hill country exploration.

In Sri Lanka, you can book your train tickets up to 30-days advance. If like us you aren’t always the most organised, they release an allocation of tickets each morning at every train station so you can arrive with your driver and buy a ticket on the day (it’s very affordable!).

If you want reserved comfortable seats & A/C then 1st Class is the one for you, but there aren’t any open windows. Probably a good shout though for long journeys and the loos are…better.

2nd Class & 3rd Class reservations give you a chance to sit with other local folk and families (seats facing one another in groups of 4) and you get to be close to nature through open windows. Do note that these seats are less comfortable! The open vestibules at the end of each carriage give you a chance to walk about and sit by the open doorways to watch the world go by, which was right up our street as we wanted to mix with locals as much as possible. Be warned, 3rd Class toilets aren’t particularly lavish and the seats are more like benches, but if you’re on a strict budget and a short journey, 3rd Class is very doable.

In our carriage we met locals from all walks of life and religions - Islay got to play with other kids sat near us too. We loved the gentle speed of the train rocking as we moved through the undulating countryside and tea estates while observing cascading waterfalls in the distance. Local folk will jump on from time to time selling food so snacks to keep hunger at bay, so that was another highlight to watch.

After an unforgettable 1.5-hour journey we arrived at Ella, a pretty train station that is so quaint it has won the ‘Best-Kept Station’ award. It is like Thomas the Tank engine has come to life much to our daughter’s squealing delight! All in all, this is an opportunity not be missed and our toddler revelled in the chance to travel on a train, look at the fascinating outside world through open windows, interact with people and wander about letting off steam rather than be sat in a car for hours.

(Zoe travelled to Sri Lanka January & February 2022)

Maldives might be my favourite beach destination - vibrant colours, abundant marine life, closeness to nature, softest sand in the world - i just love everything about it. In addition, being spoilt with some of the most indulgent luxuries in the middle of the ocean feels almost sinfully good. 

Having been to several atolls in the past, my eyes were on South Ari for our latest trip in November, as swimming with whale sharks has always been on my bucket list. 

These gentle giants can be found all over the Maldives and indeed in all the tropical oceans of the planet, however South Ari Atoll is unique as this is the only year-round whale shark sighting site of its kind in the world!!! Whale sharks are not only the largest shark, but the largest of any fish alive today. 

Despite their intimidating appearance, they feed on plankton and travel long distances to find enough food to sustain their huge size. 

Being the largest fish in the world they could grow as large as 20m. We did our whale shark snorkelling trip on a traditional wooden Dhoni boat, where a tracker would spot a shark from a top deck and command us to jump into the water. Whale sharks often swim close to the surface of the water making snorkelling sightings possible for those who do not dive. We were incredibly lucky to have a huge shark swim only a couple of metres below us - an unforgettable feeling! Not to mention a huge variety of other fish and even turtles. That is why it is so important to travel. 

Upon arrival in the Maldives, all travellers get whisked away to their chosen resort either by boat, seaplane or a domestic flight transfer. Our destination was the beautiful Lily Beach. 

Without a doubt one of the highlights of your stay in the Maldives will be your seaplane journey to the resort - it almost feels like an excursion. Your 25-minute seaplane journey to Lily Beach with Trans Maldivian Airways will be an experience of its own – make sure you have your camera handy to capture those incredible images to share with friends and family of the turquoise waters surrounding the atolls from above. 

While you are waiting for your seaplane transfer, you are welcome to relax and enjoy the hospitality at Lily Beach’s air-conditioned lounge, and enjoy free drinks, snacks and wi-fi. 

This striking island is only 600m by 100m and has a cosy and friendly atmosphere even at full occupancy as there are only 125 Villas & Suites to choose from. We stayed in the coveted Deluxe water villa with a private pool and couldn’t be happier with our choice. The villa was very private, spacious and had all amenities we could possibly ask for including the ones you can’t buy, like beautiful sunsets! And the best thing of all - their vibrant house reef started right at our door step and ran along the whole perimeter of the island on both sides! I spent many happy hours snorkelling with reef sharks and exploring colourful coral and multiple species of fish. 

Lily Beach is a Platinum all-inclusive resort and this definitely takes all the pressure off in this notoriously pricy destination where every small thing needs to be imported from other countries.  

I consider myself something of a foodie and was completely blown away by the selection and quality of food presented at the resort's restaurants. Who could have thought that you could get over 20 varieties of French cheese and even fresh oysters on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean? 

Lily beach is a family friendly resort with a fantastic kid's club and facilities yet couples will feel equally happy as there is an adults-only pool with a bar attached to it. 

When the time came to leave, we were simply heart-broken. Thank you, Lily Beach, for taking such a good care of us! 

Maryna travelled to the Lily Beach in November 2021 - give her a call discuss your next holiday to the Maldives.

Photo by Sebastian Pena Lambarri on Unsplash