Today we’re heading back over to Southeast Asia to join our roving reporter Nikki as she travels the world during the low seasons.

What does it mean to be an eco-friendly hotel?

Sadly the tourism business is flooded with green-washing. On major booking sites, many hotels and resorts simply compile a tick list without necessarily giving any proof of their environmental credentials.

As we’ve discussed several times on the Climate Friendly Travel Podcast, being truly green means more than asking guests to re-use their towels.  

This week Nikki meets Duc Bui who is relatively new to the hotel business having spent a decade working as a civil engineer before buying the Amanaki Hotel, a 43 room boutique hotel in the heart of Ho Chi Minh. He's one of a small number of Vietnamese hoteliers trying to make a positive change in Vietnam.

Nikki Morrison has been exploring the Low Seasons for us on her own Low Season Adventure, you can hear the hum of the city as she chats to Duc about the challenges of trying to bring an environmental awareness to a country like Vietnam.

And you can learn more about The Amanaki Hotel by visiting https://www.amanakihotels.com/

But That’s our show for this week. Thanks as always, for your company, and if you enjoyed this podcast, please do leave us a positive rating and review on your podcast app and also don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to be the first to hear our latest low season stories, articles and guides.

Have a great week wherever you are and remember that travel is always better and fairer for the planet, the local communities and you the travellers, when it’s without the crowds…

Today we’re heading over to Borneo to join Nikki as she travels the world during the low seasons.

Orangutans are one of the three species of great ape and - along with gorillas and chimpanzees - our closest cousins.  Their plight is such that the Orangutan Foundation International estimates that at current rates they will be extinct in 50 years; pressures from illegal logging and the palm oil industry being their greatest threats.

Despite that, one place where you are almost guaranteed to see them in the wild is Indonesian Borneo - also known as Kalimantan. As ever, tourism provides a vital role in saving these remarkable creatures by both protecting their environment and providing alternative sources of income for local people.

Former BBC journalist, Nikki Morrison, has been travelling the world during the low seasons for us and a highlight of her trip so far has been a four day river cruise with the eco-tourism organisation, Local Guides: It does what it says on the tin, cutting out the middle man and putting you the traveller in direct contact with a community of local experts who promote responsible travel in off-the-beaten-path destinations throughout Indonesia. Guides like Teguh Prakoso, who Nikki spoke to as their journey drew to a close on what also transpired to be his 27th birthday!

And you can learn more about Local Guides by visiting www.local-guides.org/ and you can also find out what they’re up to over on Instagram at instagram.com/localguidesadventures/

Nikki tells us that the High Season is June July August and September, so the low season is effectively the rest of the year from October through to May.

At peak times before the pandemic there could be as many as 100 people at a feeding station to see the orangutans.

The number of klotok (boats) working the river has halved since the pandemic from 100 to 50 so again there's urgent need to support Borneo tourism regardless of season.

But That’s our show for this week. Thanks as always, for your company, and if you enjoyed this podcast, please do leave us a positive rating and review on your podcast app and also don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to be the first to hear our latest low season stories, articles and guides.

Have a great week wherever you are and remember that travel is always better and fairer for the planet, the local communities and you the travellers, when it’s without the crowds…

For this week’s episode we’re heading back over to Southeast Asia as we catch up with Nikki in Bangkok, Thailand where she meets an incredible woman called Nok.

Nok is a rarity, a Thai woman who started her own tourism business and made a great success of it. She comes from humble beginnings, a rural farming community in Isaan where she jokes she never grew because her mum had to go back to working the fields soon after she was born and her grandmother fed her on Carnation as a milk substitute. As a result, she claims that both her younger siblings are much bigger than her! Nevertheless, Nok has made a big impact in her own way. She started as a guide for an internationally owned cycle tour company that is very big across SE Asia, before eventually breaking away to start her own tours with just four bikes.

Before the Pandemic, she had grown to have 50 bikes and a team of five guides working for her. However, the pandemic was tough, with little to no financial cushion, she had to return to Isaan to live with her elderly parents. But…now she's back!

Nok is a bundle of energy who always goes the extra mile and Low Season Traveller is happy to support her. Nikki took part in her “Back Streets of Bangkok” tour as part of her Low Season Adventure and managed to find a relatively quiet corner of Bangkok to chat afterwards....

And you can learn more about Nok and her brilliant tours by visiting https://www.justnoktours.com/ - it’s definitely on our bucketlist for our next visit to Bangkok!

But That’s our show for this week. Thanks as always, for your company, and if you enjoyed this podcast, please do leave us a positive rating and review on your podcast app and also don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to be the first to hear our latest low season stories, articles and guides.

Have a great week wherever you are and remember that travel is always better and fairer for the planet, the local communities and you the travellers, when it’s without the crowds…

Welcome to this week’s episode of Low Season Traveller Insider Guides brought to you in partnership with our good friends at Tourism Ireland

Today we head back over to Dublin one last time, where I spent a wonderful 3 days in the low season of January earlier this year.  With clear blue skies, low crowds and plenty of things to experience and do, Dublin rarely disappoints in the winter months.  And what better way to pass the time than meeting up with some wonderful people like today’s guest, Simon O’Connor who is the Director of the Museum of Literature Ireland or MoLI as it’s better known.

MoLI is a museum of literature for the world’s greatest storytellers.  A tranquil oasis on St Stephen’s Green in the heart of Dublin, MoLI is where visitors from all over the world come to discover Ireland’s rich literary heritage from past to present via it’s immersive exhibitions and rare treasures from the National Library of Ireland.

And it is an utterly inspiring place which I had the pleasure of passing a few hours in before meeting up with Simon in his curator's office when we met up to find out more about Ireland’s literary past.

And if you’re interested in learning more about the Museum or indeed would like to plan a visit during your next trip to Dublin, you can learn more by visiting moli.ie.

But That’s our show for this week. Thanks as always, for your company, and if you enjoyed this podcast, please do leave us a positive rating and review on your podcast app and also don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to be the first to hear our latest low season stories, articles and guides.

Have a great week wherever you are and remember that travel is always better and fairer for the planet, the local communities and you the travellers, when it’s without the crowds…

Welcome to this week’s episode of Low Season Traveller Insider Guides brought to you in partnership with our good friends at Tourism Ireland

Today we return to Dublin where I spent a wonderful 3 days in the low season of January earlier this year.  With clear blue skies, low crowds and plenty of things to experience and do, Dublin rarely disappoints in the winter months.  And what better way to pass the time than meeting up with some wonderful people like today’s guest, Ronan Lynch.

Ronan is a 3rd generation Dublin publican, who’s family have been running the Swan Bar in Aungier Street for the past 85 years.  And as The Swan has been standing here since 1661, it is, as you would expect, like stepping back in time to set foot in a true Irish pub.  And Ronan pointed out to me that his is a drinking pub. It’s a place for drinking, conversation, craic and perhaps a little rugby banter.

So grab a pint and join us for this short conversation in one of the oldest, least touristy pubs in the whole of Dublin – it’s an absolute gem!

And you can learn more about The Swan by visiting theswanbar.com where you will be able to see the pub for yourself and indeed later this year, you’ll be able to stay at The Swan when they open their new accommodation which promises an experience true to the style of this old world pub. 

In the next episode, we continue our low season Dublin trip as we head over to meet Simon from the Museum of Literature Ireland in a fascinating conversation where we learn more about Ireland’s rich history of writers and try to find out just how it came to be that such a small nation with modest population was able to produce such an incredible number of literary legends.

But That’s our show for this week. Thanks as always, for your company, and if you enjoyed this podcast, please do leave us a positive rating and review on your podcast app and also don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to be the first to hear our latest low season stories, articles and guides.

Have a great week wherever you are and remember that travel is always better and fairer for the planet, the local communities and you the travellers, when it’s without the crowds…

Welcome to this week’s episode of Low Season Traveller Insider Guides brought to you in partnership with our good friends at Tourism Ireland

For this episode we head over to Dublin where I spent a wonderful 3 days in the low season month of January.

With clear blue skies, low crowds and plenty of things to experience and do, Dublin rarely disappoints in the winter months.  And what better way to pass the time than meeting up with some wonderful people like today’s guest, Eveleen Coyle.

Following a long (and happy) career in book publishing working with some of the world’s leading international publishers, Eveleen founded Fab Food Trails in 2006. Her aim is to celebrate the local food produce, reflecting the traditional and contemporary Irish table across the island of Ireland. While all trails are food led, guests also delight in shared curiosities relating to Ireland’s culture, history and architecture as they walk, chat, explore and taste the produce that has become an inherent part of Ireland’s story.

So sit back and relax as we head over to join Eveleen over a freshly baked Scone at the Powerscourt Townhouse just off Grafton Street…

And you can learn more about the fab food trails which Eveleen and her team run by visiting fabfoodtrails.ie where you'll be able to see for yourself some of the wonderful experiences which Eveleen spoke about in this episode.

Next episode, we continue our low season Dublin trip as we head over to meet the owner of one of the oldest pubs in Dublin which you’ve never heard of!  I do hope you’ll join us.

But That’s our show for this week. Thanks as always, for your company, and if you enjoyed this podcast, please do leave us a positive rating and review on your podcast app and also don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to be the first to hear our latest low season stories, articles and guides.

Have a great week wherever you are and remember that travel is always better and fairer for the planet, the local communities and you the travellers, when it’s without the crowds…

Today we’re joined by Anthony Lark who is the Executive Director of Shinta Mani Hotels in Asia.

I met Anthony just before Christmas when I interviewed him for the Climate Friendly Travel Podcast as Shinta Mani perfectly encapsulates the principles of responsible travel, tourism and hospitality practices.  At the end of a fascinating podcast which you can find here, I just knew that we had to welcome Anthony back for this low season traveller podcast as Anthony very much shares our passion for low season travelling.

Delivering experiences that change lives for their guests and in surrounding communities alike, Shinta Mani Hotels are designed by co-owner Bill Bensley whom Architectural Digest calls “a pioneer in sustainable hotel design.” Each of their small and unique properties reflects its natural and cultural environment, providing heartfelt hospitality that supports the people, animals and ecosystems of Cambodia through the Shinta Mani Foundation.

So sit back, and relax as we head over to Cambodia and meet one of the most passionate, knowledgeable and experienced hospitality experts in the world today…

And you can learn more about Shinta Mani by visiting shintamani.com where you will be able to see for yourself the incredible properties which Anthony spoke about in this episode as well as the video of the zipline entranceat Shinta Mani Wild and more information about the work of the Shinta Mani Foundation.

But That’s our show for this week. Thanks as always, for your company, and if you enjoyed this podcast, please do leave us a positive rating and review on your podcast app and also don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to be the first to hear our latest low season stories, articles and guides.

Have a great week wherever you are and remember that travel is always better and fairer for the planet, the local communities and you the travellers, when it’s without the crowds…

Today we’re joined by Paula Martin from First Class Holidays who are our new strategic partners for Canada. 

Some of our regular followers will have noticed that at the end of last year, we launched our very first guides to Canada when we released our low season guides to Vancouver, Quebec and Toronto. Well we were able to do that because we are delighted to have partnered with the absolute Canada experts at First Class Holidays. 

We could see that their passionate team of management and staff have a genuine love for what they do: which is making people’s dream holidays become a reality. And they have first-hand experience of the destinations they offer; the advice and tips they can give to their clients are based on a reliable wealth of knowledge that they’ve garnered from their own extensive travels. 

So, to kick off our partnership with the First Class Holidays Team, I headed over to their Head Office in the shadow of Old Trafford in Manchester to speak with Paula who is clearly the most passionate Canada expert you could ever hope to meet. 

Sit back, and relax as we hear from Paula just what makes Canada so special during the wonderful low season months. 

And you can learn more about the low season months in Canada by visiting lowseasontraveller.com and of course, if you have any specific queries about Canada in the low season months, you can visit fcholidays.com or give Paula a call on 0161 888 5630  

But That’s our show for this week. Thanks as always, for your company, and if you enjoyed this podcast, please do leave us a positive rating and review on your podcast app and also don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to be the first to hear our latest low season stories, articles and guides. 

Have a great week wherever you are and remember that travel is always better and fairer for the planet, the local communities and you the travellers, when it’s without the crowds… 

This past month we were invited over to the Islands of Tahiti by our good friends at Tahiti Tourisme so that we could learn exactly what the experience is like for visitors during the low season period.

The islands of Tahiti are arguably among the most stunningly beautiful in the world. Formed from the demise of 3 volcanoes, these islands not only have an incredible natural beauty, but they have an ancient, rich and diverse cultural heritage which remains strong to this day.

In this series, We seek to learn more about the traditions, beliefs, culture and heritage as We set out to discover the true essence of Tahiti when we ‘Meet the Tahitians’…

Heimata Hall is passionate about food.  And that's just as well, as Heimata is Tahitian Food Tour Guide with the strong belief that food is a leveller which transcends hierarchy and social constraints - it is a universal thing which connects us in ways which are simply not possible with any other activity.

I met up with Heimata in the Municipal Market in Papeete where, after a delicious lunch of Poisson Cru, we enjoyed a lively discussion about the local dishes in Tahiti, how food is perhaps the most universal element of culture and we equally pondered the future of tourism in Tahiti and Moorea. Does tourism protect and preserve cultural heritage or in fact, does cultural heritage protect and preserve tourism?

Enjoy!

You can connect with Heimata via:

Website: https://tahitifoodtour.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tahitifoodtours

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tahitifoodtours/

This past month we were invited over to the Islands of Tahiti by our good friends at Tahiti Tourisme so that we could learn exactly what the experience is like for visitors during the low season period.

The islands of Tahiti are arguably among the most stunningly beautiful in the world. Formed from the demise of 3 volcanoes, these islands not only have an incredible natural beauty, but they have an ancient, rich and diverse cultural heritage which remains strong to this day.

In this series, We seek to learn more about the traditions, beliefs, culture and heritage as We set out to discover the true essence of Tahiti when we ‘Meet the Tahitians’…

Manu is a local Tahitian tatoo artist who specialises in the traditional designs and styles of tatoo found throughout Tahiti and the islands.

Manu welcomed me into his private design studio which is adorned with local artefacts, designs, tradtional instruments and all manner of both tradtional and modern polynesian inspiration. During our conversation Manu explains how he approaches each client's tatoo design, the difference between the traditional and modern inking and how the tatoo's are an intricate part of the Tahitian culture.

Look out for the video of this conversation which we will be releasing soon, as the designs which Manu creates are incredibly intricate and visually stunning.

Enjoy!

You can connect with Manureva via:

Facebook: https://fr-fr.facebook.com/Tattoosbymanureva/