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If a picture is worth 1,000 words, what is an experience worth? The experiences of travel are what make one’s journey priceless. The memories of these experiences are what make travel last forever.

Perhaps this is because I have been to 85 countries, but when I travel, it’s no longer stunning sites that fuel my wanderlust, but rather the connections that I make with local people. I cherish the memories I have of making new friends from around the world while immersing myself in local culture t

Having started my career in the travel industry right after I returned from a yearlong backpacking excursion, I learned at a young age how to live with locals and experience familiarity wherever I traveled.

And now, over the past few years there has been a shift in travel values. More than ever, travelers are seeking out original experiences to get immersed into a culture by living like and with the local people. Traveling to a new destination is exhilarating , staying with someone who knows the

There is no shortage of niche travel labels out there – ecotourism, responsible travel, sustainable travel, ethical travel, experiential travel, mindful travel, real travel, good travel, pro-poor travel, community-based tourism, local travel etc. I suspect, though, that more than just a few of them are either meaningless or confusing to travel consumers. And we know that some of these labels have lost their potency as a result of unscrupulous entrepreneurs' false application of the terms (common

It’s a personal belief so powerful that I sometimes find it hard not to be preachy. Or to ignore others’ lidded gazes, warily gauging me like I’m a circus barker purveying foul-smelling hair tonic. I really must therefore ask: Can anyone explain why many travellers roll their eyes when asked about the value of local or community-based travel (CBT)?

Is it that we can’t work around the same compost-rich uncertainty that also gives ecotourism a bad name despite the growing mass of evidence to the c