Responsible Travel

We don’t look at ourselves as “tour operators” or a “tour company”, but instead, we approach what we do, as community storyteller. Each tour is a story of its own, and every story includes elements of what we call the “Big 9”  – cultural attributes that people unfortunately often see as “barriers and walls” because they’re used as “divisive barriers” by politicians and religious leaders.

However, we see the Big 9 as a bridge between cultures. In a word, we make the experience R E L A T A B L E:

R – for Religion (linked by trade and tradition – among others, it helped to define, unite, and separate societies and communities equally, providing “codes of conduct and living” – at times adapting to local norms, morals and cultures, as well as equally challenging and changing them, and constantly evolving – the meanings, “whys, hows, whats and whens” behind beliefs, and the uncanny similarities and threads between them)

E – for Eating (from enjoying local home-cooked meals with families and learning how to prepare local, generational dishes, to helping out on family farms, learning about the local dining etiquette, history, heritage and connections from centuries of trade that led to the local cuisines becoming what they are today)

L – for Language (including daily language lessons with phrases practical to use in daily interaction and “Words/Phrases of the Day” cards – the link between language and history, community interaction, international trade, the universal quest for “the meaning”, politics, prayer and power – is both highlighted, defined, mapped out and buried in linguistics)

A – for Arts (from traditional dance to contemporary and village folk music and dance, to local artisans, alternative musicians and filmmakers, learn firsthand from those who have dedicated their lives to keep these arts alive and the stories, traditions, social commentaries and deep roots they convey)

T – for Traditions/customs/rituals (from personal, family, generational and community points of views – which at times in sync, are at times debated and at odds, and constantly evolving – leading to cohesion and separation, unity and divide, and everywhere in between – sometimes all at the same time)

A – for Attire (from traditional dress and the influences and practicalities behind it, to generational gaps and continuity, and the historical, community, spiritual and progressive “threads” (no pun intended) between them)

B – for Buildings/Architecture (including architectural influences and why buildings and homes are made the way they are – architecture, like arts, language and food – is a glimpse into a people’s past, connectives, and conflicts defined and built by mud, rock, wood, bricks, mortar, steel and so much more)

L – for Learning (education – from educational systems and curriculums, to focuses, perspectives and practicalities, methodologies and why and how we learn what)

& E – for Etiquette (defined by tradition, customs, and social structure – the “hows, whys, whats and whens” behind the things we do and our behaviors to and amongst each other)

We strongly believe that once people learn about each other and get to know each other as individuals, they no longer see these cultural attributes as walls and differences, but rather they begin to see the similarities we all share in a positive, meaningful and respectful light.