“GT” Travel World

Travel with “Good Tour­ism” (scroll down for posts). Learn about spe­cial places, people to meet, and things to do from tour­ism insiders keen to show­case our plan­et’s good, bet­ter, best.

There are count­less reas­ons why good travel is a reward­ing and enrich­ing exper­i­ence. Here are just a few:

  • Cul­tur­al expos­ure: Trav­el­ling provides the oppor­tun­ity to exper­i­ence new cul­tures and ways of life, from tast­ing new foods to learn­ing about dif­fer­ent tra­di­tions and cus­toms. This can broaden your per­spect­ive and help you under­stand and appre­ci­ate the diversity of our world.
  • Per­son­al growth: Trav­el­ling can be a trans­form­at­ive exper­i­ence that helps you grow as a per­son. It can chal­lenge your com­fort zone, build resi­li­ence, and teach you new skills. It can also help you gain con­fid­ence and inde­pend­ence as you nav­ig­ate new envir­on­ments and situations.
  • Bond­ing with oth­ers: Trav­el­ling with friends or fam­ily can be a bond­ing exper­i­ence that strengthens rela­tion­ships and cre­ates last­ing memor­ies. It can also be a way to meet new people and make new friends from around the world.
  • Adven­ture and explor­a­tion: Trav­el­ling allows you to explore new places and try new activ­it­ies, from hik­ing to ski­ing to scuba diving. It can be an adven­ture-filled jour­ney that provides a sense of excite­ment and exhilaration.
  • Relax­a­tion and escape: Trav­el­ling can be a way to escape the stresses of every­day life and unwind in a new envir­on­ment. Wheth­er you’re loun­ging on a trop­ic­al beach or explor­ing a peace­ful moun­tain vil­lage, trav­el­ling can offer a sense of relax­a­tion and rejuvenation.
  • Learn­ing oppor­tun­it­ies: Trav­el­ling provides oppor­tun­it­ies for edu­ca­tion and learn­ing, from vis­it­ing his­tor­ic land­marks to attend­ing cul­tur­al events. It can be a way to expand your know­ledge and gain a deep­er under­stand­ing of the world.

Over­all, trav­el­ling offers a wide range of bene­fits, from per­son­al growth and cul­tur­al expos­ure to adven­ture and explor­a­tion. Wheth­er you’re trav­el­ling to a nearby des­tin­a­tion or embark­ing on a jour­ney around the world, the exper­i­ence of good travel is one that is sure to enrich your life in count­less ways.

Memories of Jordan (and celebrating the ‘bucket list’)

February 17, 2022

Memories of Petra and Jordan by Melanie Kay Smith

I was at a tour­ism industry con­fer­ence a few months ago listen­ing to a talk on the dev­ast­at­ing effects of COV­­ID-related travel bans on her­it­age des­tin­a­tions.  Pro­fess­or Mike Robin­son, the speak­er, cited Jordan as a prime example.  Amidst my sym­pathy for the des­tin­a­tion and its people, my ‘buck­et list’ quest react­iv­ated instantly in my mind.  It […]

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Living Laos by riding it

January 13, 2022

A photo opportunity somewhere in Luang Prabang Province, Laos. Image by Chris Mulder via KTM Laos.

Hav­ing lived in Laos for all but a year since 2009, I real­ise how little the gen­er­al vis­it­or to the PDR takes home with them in terms of exper­i­ences and memor­ies.  Per­haps that is because ever since I star­ted liv­ing in Laos I have wanted to explore my new home on a motor­cycle. And now […]

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Impressions of eastern Nepal & the gem that is Ilam

November 18, 2021

Tending tea near Shree Antu village, Ilam District, eastern Nepal

Leav­ing the com­forts of my home has always been not only excit­ing but also some­what com­fort­ing to me.  Travel has helped me grow, learn, unlearn, and relearn things in life.  The most pre­cious memor­ies I have of grow­ing up are of going to dif­fer­ent places, exper­i­en­cing dif­fer­ent cul­tures and lan­guages, and enjoy­ing the loc­al del­ic­acies. Tak­ing family […]

Read More Impressions of eastern Nepal & the gem that is Ilam

Find five-star dining in surprising Mae Sot

October 21, 2021

Instruction in the kitchen at HCTC's The Passport restaurant in Mae Sot, Thailand

The city of Mae Sot in west­ern Thai­l­and dis­plays most of the hall­marks of a small bor­der cross­ing hub. Rich in trade, the quiet little town is a fas­cin­at­ing melt­ing pot of people.  Over dec­ades, influxes of refugees flee­ing neigh­bour­ing Myan­mar, many from the per­se­cuted Kar­en tribe, have shaped the city and earned it the nick­name of […]

Read More Find five-star dining in surprising Mae Sot

Far and wide: Inspired by Hanoi’s hoa sữa

August 25, 2021

Hanoi's hoa sữa (“milk flowers”, named after their milky white petals). Picture courtesy of Minh Quan (c). httpswww.facebook.comshotgun911

Estab­lished some 4,000 years ago on the banks of the Red River, and chosen as the cap­it­al more than 1,000 years ago, Hanoi is widely regarded as the his­tor­ic heart of Viet­nam. It clings strongly to tra­di­tions. The city’s Old Quarter trans­ports vis­it­ors back in time. Over the cen­tur­ies, Hanoi has been exposed to the ups […]

Read More Far and wide: Inspired by Hanoi’s hoa sữa

Busting the borderland’s bad rap

August 18, 2021

The Sonora, Mexico landscape at El Aribabi. Picture supplied by author via the El Aribabi Conservation Ranch Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/ElAribabi

I enjoy sup­port­ing the ‘under­dog’ des­tin­a­tions of the world. They are often unique and beau­ti­ful in their own right, yet are under-vis­ited for one reas­on or anoth­er. An example I’ve already writ­ten about for “GT” Travel is the Amer­ic­an Prair­ie Reserve in Montana. Anoth­er place worth vis­it­ing by any­one seek­ing adven­ture is Ran­cho El Aribabi […]

Read More Busting the borderland’s bad rap