The most popular type of travel for the masses is commonly of a one size fits all type of trip. Canadians will fly to our chosen destination, get on a bus, head to the all-inclusive resort where we partake in theme nights, drinking contests, beach parties, al a carte restaurants and possibly a resort sanctioned excursion to a popular spot or two. This goes on for a week or two before we're loaded back on the bus to the airport for the return flight home.
Much about travel has changed in a relatively short period of time. Travellers are eschewing the one size fits all holiday or getaway in favour of custom planned trips. I read a really interesting article published in KitchenerToday that looked at travel trends for 2020 and one key point that jumped out at me was the transformative journey. An excerpt from the article:
Transformative journeys: Travel has the power to change us. No one understands this more than those taking transformative journeys, which represents 7 per cent of Canadians travelling in 2020. To them, travel is a chance for them to get to know themselves through self-improvement like yoga or meditation retreats, or by completing charitable work like building schools or planting trees. (NB: This is a worthwhile read, so I’ve attached the link at the end of this piece.) - KitchenerToday.com
There is a deeper meaning now to getting away from it all. People want to explore the places that they visit in a real way. They want to see, eat and experience what the locals do. They want to visit places that are off of the beaten track to learn about the culture and create the most memorable experience.
I had the wonderful opportunity to be a guest on the TREE Exploration podcast #16, entitled 'Doing Different Things' with a close family friend Jordan Flagel, who is the Executive Director and Founder of TREExploration. Together, we had a fun and insightful conversation about any and everything travel related.
For some destinations, planning your custom adventure travel can pose a bit of a challenge. Enter TREE Exploration. TREE Exploration stands for Tropical Rainforest Education and Exploration and this sustainable 3 year old company's focus is just that! With a focus on environmentally-conscious adventures, this year’s trips will take you from the rainforests of Guyana, jungle lodges and island resorts in Belize and beautiful accommodations with the opportunity to explore stunning landscapes in Jamaica.
These trip of a lifetime experiences are led by Jordan and his team. Jordan has 44 countries in 5 continents (Africa twice, Asia three times and Europe 8) of travel experience under his belt. Amongst the places he has travelled to, he has lived in 10 countries – Canada, USA, Germany, Belize, Guyana, Brazil, Malta, Spain, Colombia and currently calls South Africa home.
[above, TREExploration founder, Jordan Flagel]
His motto is “The key is not to do less. It is to do more with less”, which is such a fresh and beautiful way to look at travel in today's world of excess. The TREE team’s philosophy and definition of progressive conservation is to travel more, explore more, learn more, go faster, farther and push our limits. The educational component of TREE explores and puts into practice all of the above with an added emphasis on supporting the areas visited by financially giving back to the communities visited. While I could go on and on about TREE’s progressive conservation efforts, you can find the impressive list here: https://www.treexploration.com/tree-conservation
Whether it's your bucket list trip or just a different kind getaway, TREE has you covered. Guided visits comfortably immerse you into the cultures of the countries that you are in. This is an experience that allows you to step outside your comfort zone as much or as little as you wish in a safe environment.
To learn more about TREE, check them out at https://www.treexploration.com
To hear my very first podcast and the rest of the TREE podcast lineup, click here: https://www.treexploration.com/podcast
To read the KitchenerToday article A Look at Travel Trends for 2020, click here: https://www.kitchenertoday.com/local-news/a-look-at-travel-trends-for-2020-2003661
Happy travels!
~Nicole
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