Keeping

Keeping
up with G Adventures is no easy task. The world’s
leading adventure travel company turned 25 last year and celebrated
by launching a partnership with National Geographic that consists
of 70 travel experiences spread across 50 countries and six
continents. At the same time G made a commitment to establish
50 new community development
projects by the time the company turns 30 and just last month,
they launched three new initiatives to help
disadvantaged and marginalised women in Australia, Morocco and
Belize.

G Adventures’ Founder Bruce Poon
Tip also happens to be a bestselling author. His first release
Looptail (complete with a foreword written by the Dalai Lama)
detailed the process of creating a sustainable travel brand. “Quite
often we have business problems that we want to find a social
solution for,” says Bruce Poon Tip of G’s model. For example,
searching for a cost-effective and reliable airport transfer
service in India lead to the Women on Wheels programme, which
offers 18 months of chauffeur training to unemployed women, so that
they can hold down jobs as drivers in the travel industry. The
initiative has been so successful that it is now being implemented
in parts of Africa too.

This week sees the launch of Bruce’s second book called Do
Big Small Things, an adult activity journal that asks readers
to make a vibrant and personal record of their travels with a
series of ‘fill-in-the-blank’ lists. While the recent trend for
colouring books asks users to switch off, Bruce asks travellers to
consciously reconnect and re-examine the role that that travel
plays in their lives.

Bruce’s travel trends

Voluntourism has had its run

The idea of voluntourism has taken a lot of heat because it’s
hard to merchandise volunteering. I think people want to give back
while travelling but no one has been able to do it well. More and
more people are conscious consumers. They don’t necessarily want to
pay more – we don’t have the evidence to say that they will pay a
premium – but if they have the choice, all things equal, they’ll
take a more
sustainable or purpose-driven product.

The rise of cyber backpackers

Air travel has become so cheap that many people are just packing
their bags and heading out. Back in the sixties people would grab a
guidebook and go and they were called backpackers. We’re now seeing
cyber backpackers who plan their trips online beforehand but are
still quite independent.

Purpose-driven travel

People want to learn something. This whole idea of lifelong
learning – millennials are active-minded and want more out of their
vacation time – they want to learn something and see something. A
big reason why we created these trips with NatGeo is that people
want more out of their trips.

The desire to disconnect

Lately I’ve been looking to travel to places that are remote.
For me that’s the Galapagos,
Antarctica and Mongolia. I wasn’t like that 10 years ago – I
wanted to travel to towns like Hanoi or Cusco and the markets of
Marrakech. I’m not nearly as attracted to that anymore. I love
being disconnected and extremely remote. That comes with age I
think.

Bruce’s Bucket List

Colombia

I think Colombia
is emerging after having suffered negative press because of
violence and drug cartels in very isolated instances. If you ever
go you’ll realise how safe It’s so safe and religious and beautiful
the country is!

Kenya and Tanzania

I think Ebola unfairly damaged travel throughout southern and
eastern Africa. I think we’ll see a return to
Kenya and Tanzania for traditional safaris this year.

Australia

It was so expensive to travel to
Australia about five years ago, their currency went through the
roof. I think people will return as there’s a pent-up demand of
people who didn’t travel there while prices were high.

Bruce’s suitcase

Wine Gums, Starbursts and Fruit chews. I’m a big candy-eater so
always travel with supplies.

Music – creating a soundtrack for travel is always very
important to me. Recently I’ve been listening to The Beach Boys and
Bjork. I went to Iceland recently and downloaded all of her
lesser-known albums.

I’m also in fear of having dental problems in foreign countries
so I always carry a full prescription of antibiotics and
penicillin. I’ve been caught out a couple of times, once in Tibet
and I went to the local dentist who had a foot pump drill…

My favourite bandanas.

Melatonin, which is a natural cure for jet lag.

A bunch of travel
apps – Babel for translation (take photos of road signs and the
app will translate them into English for you), Travelex currency
converter, Shazam for music and Apple pay.