More and more of us are seeking holidays that give us a truly authentic experience of our destination, in doing so directly benefitting local communities. The following are just some of the ways you can access these kind of experiences; ask your Travel Counsellor about the whole array of others that we can offer.
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Part of the fee you pay for this extraordinary experience goes to local farmers. As well as seeing some of Bali’s famous fields that cascade down the hillsides, growing everything from rice to tomatoes, and discovering the ancient subak irrigation system that enables them to function as their own unique ecosystem, you’ll see a  subak  agricultural temple not usually visited by tourists and tour a local food market. The guide is English-speaking but local, meaning you’ll get a true insight into this fascinating practice. Visitors come away with a traditional handcrafted gift: an udeng (square headcloth) for men and a sash for women.
Introducing visitors to local cultures and encouraging them to interact with local life, this Havana tour looks at the way locals have often used art as a way to express both their hopes and their frustrations and also as a way of improving their local communities and breathing life into neighbourhoods. Again, an English-speaking but local guide will help you really get under the skin of this city and the theme.
This free app curated by the island’s Attitude group is an interactive way of getting off the beaten track and seeing the destination with fresh eyes, with options including a walking street food tour of the vibrant capital Port Louis with its food market and colourful Chinatown. Along the way you’ll sample the likes of alouda (a traditional drink of basil seeds and agar agar), roti rolls, and Chinese cakes and sweets while meeting the locals who make and sell them.
The app will also help you discover some of the island’s loveliest but least-known landscapes on foot, by bike or by moped. Other Otentik experiences include having dinner with a local family, helping out in the kitchen before sampling fantastic home cooking.Â
Carbon friendly, socially beneficial and fostering cultural interaction, this tour takes you in search of Bangkok’s highlights while travelling like a local, by public boat, skytrain and tuk-tuks. You’ll discover the Grand Palace, iconic Wat Pho temple and Lumpini Park, stopping in the latter to watch monks’ alms bowls being produced by artisans and to explore Jim Thompson House, which delves into the history of the American silk merchant.
The full-day tour takes you beyond the crowded streets for a closer look at the traditions and lifestyles of Thai people, from school kids to business people as they commute to school or work. You’ll also glean an up-close look at the ways of life of locals living alongside the canals, in houses precariously balanced on stilts.
Benefiting locals, culturally interactive and carbon-friendly, this experience takes you to an eco-friendly farm (part of a green agriculture project to educate local farmers) just outside Hoi An to pick the ingredients for your private cooking class. The passionate team will tell you how the farm protects the local soil, before your lesson in making five aromatic, nutritionally balanced dishes, grinding rice flour, creating rice paper with copper vessels and creating your own organic juice recipe. Once you’re done, you’ll sit down to feast on your delicious, authentic local cuisine.
To book your holiday including one of these authentic local experiences, or for inspiration for other destinations, call your Travel Counsellor today.
Most journeys are designed to get you somewhere as quickly as possible. The Blue Train does the opposite. Over three days and two nights, it travels roughly 1,600 kilometres between Pretoria and Cape Town, turning the distance between the two cities into an experience in its own right.
Europe is packed with iconic destinations, but some of its most rewarding holidays begin just beyond the well-trodden tourist trail. If you've already ticked off the big-name cities or simply fancy somewhere that feels a little different, there are plenty of places offering beautiful scenery, fascinating history, and memorable food without the queues. From medieval towns on the Adriatic coast to volcanic islands in the Atlantic, these lesser-known corners of Europe prove that sometimes the best trips are the ones you weren't expecting.
Summer might get most of the attention, but autumn can be one of the most rewarding times of year to travel. Cooler temperatures make days outdoors more comfortable, landscapes shift into rich seasonal colours, and many destinations settle into a quieter rhythm once the peak summer crowds have gone. That’s where the ‘cool-cation’ comes in. Instead of chasing the heat, these trips are all about crisp mountain air, lakeside walks, dramatic scenery, cosy food, and the kind of weather that makes you want to pull on another layer and keep exploring. From the Italian Alps to the Canadian Rockies, here are seven destinations that come into their own in autumn.
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