The Inn at Valley Farms / Photo by Inn at Valley Farms

I started off by tagging along on a farm tour at Walpole Valley Farm in Walpole, New Hampshire. Farmer Chris Caserta showed off his pastured poultry and livestock operation on 100 acres. The farm is gorgeous, set in a valley with a huge old classic red barn, which actually doesn’t get much use because the animals spend their days and nights out on the pasture. After the farm tour, Chris’ sister and innkeeper Jackie Caserta showed me the elegant 3-bedroom Inn at Valley Farms and plied me with fresh-baked cookies. Jackie also rents two 3-bedroom cottages and a 3-bedroom farmhouse. Children are welcome in the cottages and farmhouse; the inn rooms accommodate guests 12 and up. Inn guests enjoy a farm-fresh, candlelight breakfast. Cottage and farmhouse guests are supplied with kitchen pantry basics and are welcome to gather veggies from Jackie’s lush, no-till garden. Rates are $175-220 for two.

I visited Shearer Hill Farm in Wilmington, VT next, a comfy, six-bedroom B&B and farm with a small herd of grass-fed beef cattle and maple sugaring in the spring. Patti and Bill Pusey moved to Vermont from Long Island 40 years ago. They have now raised seven children in the farmhouse they worked for years to restore, and their B&B is in its 20th year. Every morning for breakfast, Patti and Bill serve apples baked with their own maple syrup and topped with vanilla ice cream. Rates are $85/night for single and $115/night for double occupancy. Children are welcome.

Kenburn Orchards B&B, Shelburne, MA

Kenburn Orchards B&B in Shelburne, MA, offers three lovely rooms, decorated with art from local craftspeople, in a restored colonial farmhouse that has been in owner Susan Flaccus’ family since 1924. Susan’s husband Larry wanted to be a farmer in his youth; he and Susan have made a second career out of farming Christmas trees and berries on their scenic 150-acre farm. Guests shouldn’t miss a walk through the farm’s abandoned apple orchard to spot birds, beavers, and coyotes. Susan and Larry cook up a big breakfast that includes homemade breads and muffins topped with their own fruit preserves. What’s not from Kenburn Orchards comes from nearby farms. Rates are $139-169 for one or two.

Currier Brook Farm in Wentworth, NH is a diverse, 20-acre farm with one B&B room and plenty of space for camping along the Baker River. Carol Friedrich and her daughter Amy raise organic vegetables, free-range laying hens, Icelandic sheep, and heritage pigs, mostly for their own use, and they are interested in building and sharing their set of sustainable living skills. The Friedrichs welcome interns and work-traders in addition to B&B and camping guests. A rail-trail for hiking and skiing goes right through the farm.

Continue reading this on Michelle Nowak’s blog, Farm Stays USA.

A new dawn on Aitutaki, Cook Islands / Photo by Stephen Chapman

As you know, our standards are quite high for these companies. We have slammed others for presenting themselves as something they’re not.whl.travel started off as a project working to help small accommodation providers in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam to access and leverage the internet to market their properties in order to be competitive with larger chain hotels. Since then, it has become its own company and now operates as a quasi-franchise type model with local partners in the destinations who do all the things best done locally (including working directly with the local accommodation providers and with travelers) and with whl.travel doing the things best done centrally (technology and web marketing).

While we do think the WHL website could be improved (it seems a little confusing and unwieldy sometimes), they are truly doing good work.  We recently had the opportunity to interview their CEO, Len Cordiner, based in Sydney, Australia.

Continue this article and interview @ Mindful Tourist

Photo from Spotted by Locals

We did a short written interview, that summarizes Szilvia’s interesting thesis.

What was the subject of your thesis?

In my thesis – written from an anthropological perspective and based on field-work (including interviews, participative observation, analysing the texts at the CS-website) – I described CS as a contribution to modern ways of travelling reflecting some typical tendencies of the zeitgeist.

Can you explain us in your words what Couchsurfing is?

Couchsurfing (CS) is an online hospitality network. The idea of getting the local point-of-view while on the road is its core. The project Couchsurfing tries to contribute to this ideal by offering shelter at private people’s houses, who are willing to share a bit of their every-day lives with their guests.  The system is not based on the principle of reciprocity: it is possible to stay at somebody’s place without being a host and vice versa; and there is no financial interest included. Hosts and guests do it simply out of interest for the cultural exchange expected from the encounters. CS has more than 1 million members worldwide with a rapidly growing membership.

Continue reading this interview @ Spotted by Locals

Tui Mali in the hammock / Photo by James Kerridge

Tui Mali is Chief of the Yavusa tribe which live in four small fishing villages on island adjacent to Vorovoro.  Tui Mali, his brother Poasa, and their families live in two small houses on Vorovoro where he is the chief landowner. Tui Mali welcomed Tribewanted to his home in September 2006.

JK: Well Tui, here we are… me and you and a tanoa full of grog sitting on your veranda (Clap… gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp… clap, clap, clap) Ahhhhh, strong mix…

I used to work as a barman in Suva. I spent three years, three years in the bar… serving people, drinking beer and all. Make cocktails, everything there mmmm.

JK: So after this bowl of grog we can fill it up with a mojito? Maybe a tequila sunrise?

Here, this a Malua Bus… high tide, drink up… hehehehehehehe.

JK: (Clap… gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp… clap, clap, clap) I can see a pattern developing here.

After the bar, was working on the wharf and from there I joined the Cable & Wireless ship when they needed a crew in 1971. My first trip was going to Darwin, after those big hurricane that strike Darwin. After we came up to Darwin… ohhh… place was flat like a pancake… mmmm… knocked down by the big hurricane. I spent about 26 years in the ship… mmmm… start as a Deck Boy and finish as a Quarter Master.

JK: Most sailors have tattoos, do you have any?

No, only memories and feelings tattooed on my brain… on my heart.

JK: When did you get married?

I married before I joined Cable & Wireless, meet in Suva and that’s where we got married. You spend a lot of time away working on a ship, very hard.

JK: Sound like you’re well travelled?

Well I visited many countries, many places… the UK… very cold place, stayed in Hawaii for 10 years, much hotter. We got two ships here, one stationed in Fiji and the other one in Hawaii. So you spend eight months here, four months off and eight months in Hawaii. Sail all over the world.

JK: Did you encounter any pirates?

Mmmm…there are places where there are pirates… mmmm… near the Philippines, they know many boats have only few staff on, very easy to rob. We get ready with hose, ready to shoot water but no one come.

JK: While you were sailing all over the world, did you ever think about your future, that you would take over and become the Tui Mali?

Well… when I was young I really don’t understand the chief thing. I only know I’m gonna look after myself. When I grow a bit older… my father telling me about staying in the village as chief of Mali. When he pass away… I was still in the ship, mmmm… so Poasa was holding the title for me. When I came back, he gave everything to me… so that’s when I’m holding it now.

JK: One day a sailor, the next day a chief…

Oh yeah, that’s a very hard thing for me. After 26 years, when I went through a village and I hear people asking “who is this man, first time I see him?” The problem on my side too, I don’t know them. So we both use the same thing, sooooo…. I try something, so they can know me and I know them. So it take along time… one years… two years… three years… mmmm… I have to go through all villages… walk to Nakawaga, Ligulevu, Vesi, Matailabasa… get to know each other.

JK: Was your wife happy to have you to herself after all those years?

My wife still working in Suva Grammar School. Well I told her… Anna, I put in my resignation to the Captain. I want to go home, plant cassava hehehehehehehe. I told my wife… see, don’t hold me to long over here, make sure I go straight home… to Vorovoro. You stay, you carry on and do your job, I’m going. I left her in Suva after one week, I stayed in Vorovoro for about nine… ten months, no contact, no nothing. So… on December before the school break I went back to see her. She told me I’ve got a school in Labasa to go, she got a release letter from the Suva Grammar School. We arrange for our luggage from Suva to be brought over to Labasa, we got a big container truck and load everything inside and that’s where we are now. Talo!

JK: (Clap… gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp… clap, clap, clap) I’ll drink and you talk… carry on…

Before Ben came over, I was around in Vorovoro and I was looking for a partner to help build Vorovoro up. I work with Tevita, build a backpackers something like that, you know, we ask the Government what to prepare to give us some help. I found out: it’s very hard, I don’t have that money. So we stop. One day Tevita told me “You look after your life, the world will be coming here sometime.” You know, it’s like a dream… days are gone, years are coming… when NLTB and Ulai came over and said “Uncle, what about if I put up a website to put Vorovoro in?”. Same time… NLTB put the island on the internet. Suddenly Ben came in. He brought on this idea of Tribewanted… and when he told me about the idea… mmmm… I don’t know, I said “OK Ben, first of all I receive it, you come, make sure you think of me, I think of you, don’t forget me!” Hehehehehehehehehe…

JK: In the book ‘Paradise or Bust’, it claims you were approached shortly afterwards with a bigger deal…

Yeah, after Ben came, this American company come in, this TV show, what you call?…

JK: Survivor…

They come on the sea plane. They were looking for an island with beach facing north, the open sea.

JK: Did they bring some kava and present a sevusevu?

They bring the money with them. They say… “you give your island, plenty money here to pay you”. I say the problem is… I already got somebody here, and he’s gone… and he’ll be back sometime, I cannot afford to say “yes” to you because I say “yes” to him.

JK: So you turned down a lucrative deal based on a bundle of grog and a hand shake!? Plenty of people in this world would take the bigger cash offer, after all, no contracts had been signed yet…

Hehehehehe… I want to show Ben… the real heart here, when I say it to you… yes, it means yes.

JK: Any regrets?

When, I was sill working in Suva as a barman… my father he retired from work and he asked me “OK, I’m going home, I want to build a house… plant… I want to go by myself with Poasa. Can you look after you mother, two brother and sister here?” I said yes. For five years, he left home… no contact, no nothing. After that five years, he came back one day and he say “OK, thank you very much for looking after your mother, your sister, your bother. Well, I built and I plant and everything is ready, now I’m coming to take your mother with me.” When he about to leave me he told me a story about what he found in Vorovoro… “You know, there’s treasure but I’m too old to get it, if I was younger like you I could get it. You go and work when you’re young, then come home to find the treasure.” Hehehehehehe…

JK: Cool, a treasure hunt… it feels like The Goonies movie…

When I finished my work in the ship, I come to Vorovoro and look up and down for the money. So I start to weed the place, I cut all the place, I plant anything that can grow looking for treasure… but now I think I found the treasure…

JK: A giant treasure chest packed full of rubies, chalices ‘n’ gold!

It’s people from around the world that come to visit this place. My tribe, that is the treasure my father talked of.

JK: People often equate money to richness, but there are different types of richness…

I feel very proud of my tribe. You know, it’s not easy nowadays to see people of different colours and cultures live together but in Vorovoro people all over the world do this. There are no lines between visitor and Fijian, everybody is the same here, one tribe, one family in Vorovoro. Hehehehehehehe…

JK: And usually, on Tuesdays, you visit Vorovoro and we have a traditional Fijian ceremony where the new arrivals present their kava to you…

When you present sevusevu to me, I welcome you in to my family, I receive you to be a member… of my family. When people ask me… “Tui Mali what about your hotels and your resorts?” Oh no, I don’t have any hotels or resorts. “What about all the kavalagi (white) people who live on Vorovoro?” Ohhhhh, they are my family. There are no visitors there. Timoci, I think you need a drink… talo!

JK: (Clap… gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp… clap, clap, clap) You make me drink, next you’ll be making me meke…

Hehehehehehehehe… I feel proud when people see the tribe perform the meke… when the Fijians sing… you know where to put your hands, your arms, your head to the Fijian words. Well… people all over are asking me now for the tribe to come and meke. They want to see it with their own eyes. The Prison Officer saw the tribe meke in All Saints Secondary School, and he told me “Oh Tui Mali, if I knew from the first your tribe could do the meke, I would of sent you with all your tribe to meke in Suva” I told him… the tribe is there anytime, you want us, we come.

JK: We certainly will. I hear on the coconut wireless that chiefs from other regions now refer to you as the ‘Chief of the World’ because of the Tribewanted project?

Hehehehehehehe… maybe it’s true, I don’t know.

JK: Is it true that you’re part of the Great Council of Chiefs?

Yes. There are about 14 provinces… in Fiji. You’ve got be elected in the provincial council. If you are elected there then you can go in. There are three in each province… what’s that… 42 or something and four people elected by the Prime Minister.

JK: Fiji is currently being run by the military… Commodore Bainimarama or ‘Bananaman’ as he’s more commonly known…

Bainimarama, when he came in… he cancelled the Great Council of Chiefs. He put himself at the top. On December 2006 just after the coup, we were called to Suva, the Great Council of Chiefs… we were all together to send the motion to Bainimarama to come for the meeting. He announced he wasn’t going to come… he said “it’s better for them to go and have a bucket of home-brew and drink it under the mango tree”… hehehehehehehehe… And now, last month, he sends an invitation letter to come for a meeting, he pay for a ticket… I think it’s better for me to drink some home-brew under the mango tree… hehehehehehehehe. I don’t want to go, thank you very much.

JK: Fiji has a history of political instability, the last coup almost ended Tribewanted in its first year. What are your feelings regarding the future for Fiji?

Hmmmm, well… at the moment you know… people know plenty things but the basic thing is that people have to come down, go low, try to start from the bottom. Right down to the ground here, we talk, we build, we build, we build… maybe we build something good. If you start from the top, it’s very hard.

JK: Well, my mouth has gone numb from all the grog, I’m feeling woozy… do you have a final message for tribe?

Well, the Christmas season in Fiji… we are looking at a family time. So… the message from me, to all the members wherever you are: make sure you bring all the family together… so when you are together there, and we are here… we are beginning to build a big family all over the world. Hold hands, be strong, move together as one. Vina’a va’a levu. Happy Christmas. Talo Timoci!

MTF:The timing of your guide book writing career and your impressive back catalogue of publications indicates that you were certainly involved in the golden years of guide book writing. Do you think this era is over? and what if anything do you think will replace the dog-eared paper handbooks we all carry around?

For the guidebook writer, the golden era definitely is over. Most publishers now require their researchers to sign away all rights and work a flat fee without royalties. Those who demur don’t get a contract. These days, writing for Lonely Planet can be an interesting experience and may look good on a resume but only the publisher gets rich. In the early days, LP paid its authors 10 percent of the retail price and allowed them to keep their copyrights. But in 1996 LP began insisting on owning the copyright, and by 2000 they had switched to the fee-only model. That’s one reason I no longer write for them. My last LP book was Canada’s Maritime Provinces published in 2002, which I did for a fee because I needed an excuse to explore the region. I still write for Avalon Travel Publishing of Berkeley, California, one of the last large publishers which continues to pay royalties and allow authors to retain their copyrights.

Frankly, I don’t believe electronic gadgets and the Internet are going to replace dog-eared paper guidebooks. Most of the information available electronically is either paid advertising or travel tips from fellow travelers. In both cases, it’s often misleading and incomplete. It’s wonderful to be able to use Internet bulletin boards such as Tripadvisor and the Thorn Tree to do advance research, but these sources don’t provide an overall picture of every travel option out there. They tend to focus on the specific and are no replacement for a comprehensive travel guide. The hobby websites of those interested in sharing their travel photos and stories are also fun to visit and often provide useful snipets of information, but they almost always lack the quality control of a professional editor. So I expect the traditional guidebook to remain the independent traveler’s best friend for many years to come.

MTF: Your work on the first edition of Lonely Planet Eastern Europe on a Shoestring was complete in 1989 just six months before the Berlin Wall came down.  It was the only guidebook existing for that area at the time.  What are an authors best tools for exploring a place that hasn’t already been published? and how does that experience compare to travelling with an existing guidebook in hand?

I also spent much of 1980 and 1981 traveling in India, long before Lonely Planet came on the scene. I’d often go two or three months without seeing another tourist. The only guide I had was “A Handbook for Travellers in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (Ceylon)” published by John Murray, London. This classic guidebook first appeared in 1859, and the 22nd edition I used hadn’t changed much in the 20th century. It was full of references to the Indian Mutiny, and provided directions to the burial places of 19th century British soldiers, most of them sadly neglected. It was fascinating tracking down obscure locations of that kind and seeing the subcontinent through British colonial eyes. That sort of experience is entirely missed by those who follow contemporary guidebooks.

These days there are guidebooks to every country on earth, and I follow them myself when I travel. Without a guidebook you miss a lot and waste valuable time. And it’s usually very easy to get off the beaten track. Simply pick an area without tourist attractions or beaches and hang out with the locals. Even today, my most vivid travel memories are of places not usually covered in guidebooks.

MTF: As more people travel with laptops seeking out wifi spots and blogging on the road there is no doubt that information flow is increased. It’s often questioned whether or not technology pollutes the escapism that travellers seek in new destinations, disrupting communication with local residents and fellow travellers. How do you think the internet affects the travel experience these days?

The huge advantage of the Internet is that you can remain in daily contact with family and friends by checking email at Internet cafes found almost everywhere. This can sometimes be a distraction from the experience of wherever you are, but I think that the security of being in touch far outweighs that disadvantage. We are all free to use the Internet any way we like. When I’m traveling, I’m usually so wrapped up in what I’m doing that blogging and posting on Internet bulletin boards are pretty low priority for me.

MTF: Moon Handbooks South Pacific has recently gone out of print due to the economics of producing a book with a declining demand – It’s now available online for free as part of the google books catalogue.  Do you think that with the standard three year interval between guidebook editions publishers can still deliver reliable information in these times of rapid advancement? and is there any way they can compete with the wealth of up-to-the-minute information available on the online?

Actually, the 2004 edition of Moon Handbooks South Pacific is still in print and continues to sell well on Amazon. As you say, it’s now freely available on Google Books but it won’t be updated again. Competition from the Internet helped kill it, and after eight editions over 25 years, I was ready to retire. Avalon Travel Publishing and I are continuing with Moon Fiji and Moon Tahiti, and yes, they’re on three-year cycles. If they came out more frequently, returns of unsold copies of previous editions by bookstores and increased research costs would make the books uneconomic. How do they compare with the free information available on the Internet? Moon Fiji is conveniently packaged with 57 detailed maps, 389 pages of specific descriptions and listings, an index, and ample photos. Users get all that for US$19.95, or US$13.57 if they order online through Amazon.com. Considering the cost of just getting to Fiji, I consider that a bargain. Of course, some of the information in printed guidebooks will be out of date but there will also be a lot you won’t find on the Internet.

MTF: Publication dates of Moon Handbooks Fiji has been affected by military coups ever since the first edition was printed in 1985. You’ll begin work on the ninth edition next year. Do you think that country conflicts and political events covered by the media should deter people from travelling to those places, particularly Fiji given its apparent volatility?

Fiji’s fourth coup in December 2006 was the least disruptive as far as tourism was concerned. Tourists weren’t directly affected at all and they even benefited from discounted rates. I was in Fiji immediately after the May 2000 coup and rather enjoyed the exclusivity of being almost the only tourist in town. I never ever felt endangered. My experience has been that government travel advisories tend to err on the side of extreme caution and can be very misleading. Often only a small part of a country is potentially dangerous but the advisory will tell you not to go at all. Government travel advisories are often politically motivated and have no relation to facts on the ground. This was the case with the Australian and New Zealand travel advisories issued after the 2006 coup in Fiji. In that case, the real issue was that the Government of Australia lost political and economic influence in Fiji due to the coup and they used their travel advisory as a form of payback.

MTF: It is often said that development of high-end tourism is the best way for a country to benefit from its tourism industry, do you agree with this given the success of such projects as Tribewanted in northern Fiji that attract low-end expenditure but maximum community involvement and educate on environmental concerns?

Yes, high-end tourism certainly is more profitable and easier on the environment than quickie mass packaged tourism and I think we’ll see more emphasis on it in future. However, destinations must be careful to do this by offering higher quality products and not by imposing restrictions on visitors. Tribewanted was an excellent initiative which attracted much favorable publicity to Fiji and provided income for villagers in a far corner of Vanua Levu. Soon after the May 2000 coup, the Fiji Government realized that low-budget backpacker tourism could stimulate economic development in remote areas which had little to sell other than their spectacular environments and the genuine hospitality of their people. The small village-operated resorts which appeared up and down the Yasawa Islands chain have been a remarkable success. Check them out at http://www.fijibudget.com/ or consult pages 172-188 in Moon Fiji.

MTF: What do you most look forward to these days – the next adventure or spending time at home?

In 2003 my wife and I moved to Vancouver Island, Canada. We love it here and will never leave. I still try to make three trips a year to places I haven’t yet visited. In December, Turks and Caicos will become my 197th country. Next year I’m hoping to go to North-East Africa and Central Asia before beginning fulltime work on new editions of Moon Fiji and Moon Tahiti. Travel is one of life’s greatest rewards and I intend to reach all 49 countries and territories still on my to do list before I die.

Once you spend time in a place and work hard at understanding the people and the culture it is only natural that you start to feel for local issues and use all your energy to find solutions. That’s how it was for me. I set up Grass Routes with the conviction that travel can inspire and empower. Not only travellers, but local communities too. This is what I mean by “taking responsibility for the greater impact of tourism”. Most companies focus solely on satisfying their clients. Grass Routes looks at the other side too. We educate local communities on what motivates people to travel so they not only understand something of the travellers ethos, but can share the benefits of cultural exchange. Once this basic level of understanding is reached we can enjoy mutually enriching travel experiences.

MTF: Out of all of India what is it about the remote region of Orissa that has led to you putting down roots there?

I have travelled throughout India and my favourite spots are always what some would call backwaters! I always find the remoter the place the better the natural surroundings and the bigger the heart of its people. In Orissa I found a compatible co-founder for Grass Routes with a travel philosophy similar to my own and a stirring passion for people.

MTF: You Co-Founded and Manage Grass Routes Journeys with a local Indian. How important do you think it is that local communities have this sort of close involvement with how tourism develops around their community?

Absolutely vital. Local communities need to be involved in tourism for tourism to work. This is what I talked about earlier and why I set up Grass Routes. Local communities must have a say in how they are represented, otherwise you end up perpetuating stereotypes and creating a greater divide. If we are to develop mutual understanding and respect between different cultures then we need to encourage open dialogue and active participation.

MTF: Why do you think it’s important for us to travel long distances and experience life in other areas of the world, and what do you think there is to gain?

Travelling to countries and experiencing cultures different from your own is necessary to understand what is going on in the world. I mean what is really going on away from the media hype. Travel should expand your horizons and get you out of your comfort zone, as much to learn about different thoughts and beliefs, as to rediscover your own.

MTF: How do you think more people would benefit from living closer to nature and having regular camping experiences?

Urban life is so removed from nature. We forget the natural rhythm of life. Camping is all about getting back to basics, appreciating our natural surroundings and letting our souls breathe. I think living closer to nature teaches us to listen, adapt and reconnect to the cycle of life.

I spent most of my early work on research – from looking at the way people were using forest remnants to hard-core taxonomy; to be honest, it was always the villagers I have worked with that have given me the most inspiration. Seeing people not being respected by the “system” or being taken advantage of by expanding industries (plantations to tourism) are all my drivers for wanting to make things work – making business work for the environment and the communities they operate in.

MTF: What is your background and what initially prompted you to set up Wild Asia?

Research, research, research. Well grounded in modern biological sciences but after graduating, I found myself working on conservation issues with WWF – from marine to forest conservation. Wild Asia was my next step really – to build a new platform to seek new approaches to conservation. It did not happen overnight though and our starting point was my first website – wildborneo.net – which was setup to assist travelers find village tourism enterprises and a means to bypass mainstream tourism operators.

MTF: Can you explain a bit more about what you do?

My day to day job is shared between nurturing Wild Asia – a team held together with very little cash, lots of motivation and very little free time – and also working as an adviser for a wide range of conservation projects. Usually these are projects funded by international aid but we find, more and more, that these are projects we have dreamt of, such as the natural corridor initiative.

MTF: How succesful has your work on Oil Palm plantations been and why is it important?

Our whole approach is to work from within, and so one of our biggest coups was to be drawn into one of the largest oil palm companies in the world. It took over a year to build their trust but we are now in a position to influence change – this has ranged from influencing the protection of natural areas; advising on approaches to sustainability and simply making plantation managers build better relationships with the local community. This is potentially of wide ranging consequence as these ideas now have a higher chance of being picked up by the other companies.

MTF: Why did you get involved in the tourism industry?

Tourism in Malaysia – or Asia – is most often than not based on natural areas and its people. These are the very environments we want to see conserved. We also saw that a clean “environment” and “local communities” is relevant for the entire tourism industry and not restricted to those so called eco-tourism operators. It was only natural, again, that we started looking at ways to influence this industry.

MTF: What are your hopes for the future, both for yourself and Wild Asia, and for the environment and world of travel?

Its a moving goalpost isn’t it? For whatever progress we make – we never quite seem to get there. Thats the nature of our times. What we see though is that we can make a difference, however small, its simply important to keep sharing, keep talking and keep connecting to connect with yet more like-minded people. Its this critical mass – whatever that may be – that I hope we can build which would kick start some major wins.

MTF: What advice would you give to a travel company that wants to make a real difference?

The one thing I have learnt is that to make RT work on the ground, you need patience and a strong financial base. Once you can get started and that you have a viable business, work to understand what responsible travel means; you can start by filling up our responsible tourism checklist!

More information:

• Listen to Dr. Reza Azmi on Kuala Lumpur’s BFM radio talking about Wild Asia and how it all got started.

My own background is in Communication and Journalism, though I’ve always had an interest in travel and web design.  With the advent of blogging, of course, it wasn’t long before I jumped on the bandwagon and starting publishing my thoughts to the world.  Unfortunately, I quickly ran out of material – or at least thoughts that I cared sharing with other people.  So after a year-long hiatus, I returned to the blogging scene with the idea of creating a group blog about the nature of travel.  Hence, Brave New Traveler was born.

MTF: How would you describe the content that Brave New Traveler publishes?

I would describe our material as essays/tips/and opinions about the “nature of travel.”  So rather than destination specific travel stories or fluff pieces about the best hotels and attractions to visit, BNT attempts to explore why and how we travel.  Travel today is also undergoing large changes with the advent of technology and travel blogging, so we include tips and tricks as well.  But by far, the most unique and rewarding articles we publish are the ones that challenge what it means to leave your life behind and hit the open road.

MTF: Can you explain a bit more about what you mean by ‘Exploring the inner journey through the outer world’, and how do you think travel is changing?

That tagline came to me as I was searching for something appropriate that set us apart from other travel mags – and I think I was able to capture it.  Basically, it relates to what the great travelers have told us since the beginning: travel isn’t about exploring new lands.  It’s about exploring yourself, and opening you mind.  It’s about the journey rather than the destination.  And it’s about leaving home only to return and see it anew once again.  On that note, travel hasn’t changed much since the first explorers pushed the boundaries of the known world.  As much as you research your trip before-hand, real travel will shatter your expectations…if you’re open enough to experience it.

MTF: Do you think that more young people could benefit from taking time out to travel before studying for a college degree?

Absolutely, I think everyone should travel extensively before heading into college. I made the mistake of entering University right out of high school, which resulted in a few years of disinterestedly wandering through courses that I hated.  About halfway through my program, I took off for Australia – working a variety of low skilled jobs and traveling for 8 months.  When I came back, I knew more about myself and the life I wanted to lead.  This gave me direction and motivation to complete my degree and start living.

There is a video on YouTube of you doing a shot of vodka at 7.19am when BNT passed 100 subscribers. What’s you next milestone and what sort of celebration can we expect?

The next milestone is 1000 subscribers.  I’m not quite sure how to celebrate, but rest assured, it will likely involve more alcohol.  And perhaps nudity…well okay, maybe just more alcohol.

MTF: What advice would you give to someone going off travelling for the first time?

Be prepared for the unknown. If you are truly traveling,  open your mind, and don’t be afraid to say ‘yes’ to situations outside of your comfort zone.  No doubt you will be miserable some of the time, but as for the rest, you will find yourself marveling at the most beautiful moments of your life.