Can you remember the first time you travelled? It was so exciting ... the airports, terminals, getting dropped off, booking in your luggage ... you took photo's of everything. "Me at the terminal", "Us having a pre-flight drink", "Our window seat that we were fighting over", etc. And that was just the flight! Sadly, the flight itself has nowadays become commonplace, almost the same as driving a car.
Our holiday expectations have moved to the destination. "What can we expect? What are the people like? Is it safe? What's the food like? Is it clean? What can we do when we're there?" With information freely available the Internet has helped a lot in this regard, but no amount of books, videos and brochures can replace the actual experience.
Organised group tour packages ... we're all familiar with these well-worn, cheap and cheerful, vacations. When you're at the destination, the locals often focus entirely on the tourist market so that you don't get to experience the real country. For most people wanting a quick get-away, this option is great -it's a no-brainer, where everyone goes with the flow.
On the other hand, authentic adventures are uniquely designed for the traveller who wants to discover the real country, behind the usual tourist facade. As hotels / touring coaches / meal arrangements haven't been block-booked for cheaper rates, authentic adventures also cost more than their well-worn cousins. There are no pre-determined times of departure / arrival and they're often long haul destinations, like South Africa.
These experiences still conjour up feelings of nostalgia and rekindle our romance with travelling. They're considered exotic ... and they should be, it's often taken a day or two to get there! We still think that's half the fun, trying to catch 40 winks with your knees twisted behind your ears while you're flying over the Sahara.
We recommend that travellers partake in a 'red bus tour' (shows most common tourist spots, hop-on / hop-off bus ticket normally valid for the whole day) on arrival and stay put for the entire 2-3 hour route, for a quick orientatation and overall perspective. But from there, we're into "real experiences" - where you really discover the unique destination, where the locals hang out, off the beaten track.
Our adventures are provided by an insider who can share these secret spots, and introduce you to the real people of South Africa. You can see the past from their perspective and how they're facing the future. The most important thing is to experience this country through their eyes, take in the smells as they would and to live a snapshot of another's life.
Authentic experiences are what separate the traveller from the tourist.
"A traveller sees what he sees, a tourist sees what he's come to see." - Unknown
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment