The End of Innocence in Travel, A Conversation with Bruce Poon Tip

In In the early 90s, he explained, bigger meant better. Around the world, concrete high-rise hotels began to pop up - marring our planet's most beautiful coastlines - as cruise ships inflated in size, guzzled fuel and spat it back into the sea. Meanwhile, all-inclusive holidays exploded in popularity - people were ruining the Earth just by leaving their homes. The owners of hotel chains and big travel companies sat back comfortably with bulging pockets while native communities suffered - out of the £100 spent on holidays in developing countries, only £5 remained in the local community. In the next decade, according to Bruce, tourism will continue to grow to account for 10 per cent of global GDP, and he wants to make it count.

Bruce wanted to make travel an "emotional purchase". He asked: "What would it take for tourism to be the biggest form of wealth distribution the world has ever seen?" And so in 1990, the same year that the travel industry took a downturn, G Adventures was born, the world's first sustainable travel business. He had a strong vision, but no money and very little support. However he persevered, maxing out two credit cards to found the company.

Immediately he set about creating authentic travel experiences by turning the one-way street of tourism into a two-way street of travel. He invested in local indigenous communities, giving them tools to create their own businesses, and then brought people to them, making it a rewarding experience for both travellers and locals. Later he formed a fund called Planeterra which focused on the charitable aspect of his work. Bruce regularly speaks about sustainability at UN conventions, and even has a fan in the form of one of the holiest men on Earth, the Dalai Lama, who wrote the foreword to his best-selling book Looptail.

Serena Guen: If there was one thing that you wanted readers to take away from your book, Looptail, what would that be?

BRUCE POON TIP: It would probably be the idea that businesses have to change in order to really have an impact on the world, and that happiness drives performance for businesses.

SG: What made you suddenly want to write it now?

BPT: Well there are two reasons. My global public speaking demands have now overtaken my abilities, because as you know I have my company to run. But I know there are a lot of people who want to hear my story and want to know how we define social enterprise. As well as that, my company is coming up to 25 years old. We're a people business, and the people we have in the company don't know our history and don't know where we come from, so I wanted to document that.

SG: Why do you think travelling is important?

BPT: Travelling can be a main driver for happiness. First of all, one of the best perks about travelling is planning - the excitement in planning and looking forward to a trip. We all have that internal need to explore. On top of that, travel done in the right way is a form of wealth distribution which can transform some of the poorest countries in the world.

SG: Why was it important for you to start a travel company?

BPT: For me, it was about being passionate about what we do. If I was to start a business I wanted to be passionate about something that I loved. I saw the greater purpose in travel which can transform lives, whether it's those of the travellers, the customers or communities. And it was something that I was very passionate about, that message behind it was something that I thought didn't exist in the industry before we came along in 1990. Like every other entrepreneur I had my own eureka moment. I thought I could find an audience for something a little different.

SG: You mentioned that travel is important because it could be the biggest form of redistribution of wealth, what will it take for that to happen, apart from consumers creating demand?

BPT: Well business models have to change and travel companies have to do things right, they have to give back. They have to make sure money is staying in local economies, people have to stop going on all-inclusives, they have to get off cruise ships. Why not have that money benefit the local people? People have to live more like they do at home. They are living more sustainably at home. People are recycling, putting lower voltage light bulbs in their houses, eating organically. But they seem to suspend their beliefs when they go on holiday. My hope is that there is a tipping point - that people put those two things together and are smart enough to realise that the travel they are doing is not best for the planet.

SG: Can you recommend some small steps to help our readers make their travel more sustainable?

BPT: Firstly, they should book with more independents. They shouldn't book with a conglomerate - especially in the UK. Massive holding companies hold every resort and airline, and they just suck that money right up for the shareholders' benefit. So do your research about who actually owns the company and stay away from those that don't leave anything to the local people and offer no local benefits at all. Spend your money with different tax drivers and markets, get out of the compound, eat in different restaurants, make sure your money is being distributed when you're on vacation. Meet local people and use local services.

SG: Do you find that now you're older that you tend to travel in a different way?

BPT: Well recently my travel has been somewhat based around One Direction concerts. No I'm just kidding, but I have two girls so if One Direction is there, we will be there. I mean, I do travel very differently, I want to be more remote and be disconnected, we're all so wired today. I love when I can be completely lost and disconnected as it's so difficult these days. So there's a very big difference between now and ten years ago, when I loved the hustle and bustle of markets in Marrakech or travellers' towns with high rollers or lots of people being in exciting nightlife and those kinds of things. But you move on and you have an evolution like you do with any other part of your life. In different stages in your life you like different things, and right now I'm attracted to the more spiritual nature of different cultures and more remote places.

SG: Can you name any of the places that you'd like to go to have this experience?

BPT: Right now I'm trying to arrange a trip to go diving with whale sharks in the Philippines. I want to go to Mongolia again. I want to go to Eastern Tibet - there are a lot of unknown and minority tribes in Eastern Tibet that are calling to me right now.

SG: Tell us about one of the most special G Adventures trips that you've done.

BPT: The Silk Road in '99. It was amazing to drive solo for three weeks down the Silk road - we went to Western China and saw the whole cultural transition in between Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It was such a special trip, although that area has changed so dramatically and it's pretty closed off now. I was lucky to be able to go there as we did in a very peaceful time. I remember staying and having meals with local villages and with local people, the people were beautiful and peaceful and I just loved it.

SG: It's a shame you can't do that anymore.

BPT: You know in Pakistan I saw they had these polo matches in the centre path and my goal was to see one. Every city has these polo matches in this beautiful valley where thousands of people would come to camp and we were the only tourists in the area watching these - very vicious I may add - polo matches between the towns. It was magical.

SG: Where is one place that you'd tell our readers they have to go to in the coming year?

BPT: I would say the Galápagos Islands, it's a great place to go. The Galápagos Islands heavily regulates the ships that are allowed to go there, but right now it's easier to get to than ever before - you have to go to Ecuador first and then out to Galápagos. It's an incredible place that mixes complete isolation and stark beauty with education and the understanding of Darwin's theory of evolution.

SG: What is one of the most unusual trips that G adventures offers?

BPT: You know, one of our most exciting trips is our expedition trip that sails up the west coast of Africa. We have a trip that goes from South Africa to Morocco, going into all of those countries that you've never even heard of. The Congo, Sierra Leone, and all those tiny islands as well. The expedition goes right along the coast from South Africa to Morocco. It's long, it's thirty days. But you can split it in half and just do two weeks.

SG: Do you have wifi on the boat?

BPT: We do, we do. But it's not like what you think of as wifi, we have satellite. You can't go surfing YouTube but you can get your email, send messages...

SG: I can't imagine taking a month off work...

BPT: I know. My wife went and she did it over two years. It's in April every year and costs $25,000 per person so it's not cheap. But you can break it up into two halves and it's amazing. It's a great way of seeing these countries that you wouldn't want to see on your own. First of all, there's an issue with food. Anyone I know who's gone to West Africa gets sick from the food. So having our ship with beautiful food is a great way to knock off all those countries on the west coast.

SG: Do you ever have to worry about pirates or anything like that?

BPT: The pirates are generally on the other side of Africa, the Suez Canal side. But there are areas where we are concerned, so we wrap the ship with these thin wire-type things. Pirates pull up in these little boats. But we wrap the ship for security's sake. It's like a barbed wire-type metal as they can climb up the sides. But there's not really an issue with pirates on that side of Africa.

SG: Sounds a little terrifying. So how many weeks a month do you spend away?

BPT: There isn't a single answer. Between February and May this year, I was only home for eight days. But I'm trying to keep a schedule where I am away only one week a month. But the book, the book kind of ruined my life. That book [laughing]...

SG: In a good way?

BPT: Sometimes in a good way, sometimes not. I mean, I was in Niagara Falls this week and there was a line. I swear to god these people were lining up for the Star Wars sequel or something for me to sign their book. And there were a couple moments when I just wanted to walk away.

SG: You need a stunt double.

BPT: No, no, I like it to a point but there are just these surreal moments where you think: Is this really happening? Is this a thing? Another famous one was about a month ago, in India, and there was this press conference for a book launch. There was a luncheon and I was very excited as I thought I was going to be speaking on the stage. A woman was going to come on and talk about the book. The Dalai Lama is a very important figure for India. I came out from this curtain onto the stage and they introduced me and there was this mad stampede of cables flying literally everywhere. Photographers were running onto the stage. I was like, is One Direction here? So I was running onto the stage. Everyone just lost their shit. It was supposed to be a very nice press conference. Everyone was meant to ask questions. There were mics set up in corners of the room where people could go to ask their question. But when one person started to run up to the stage, then another did and then another. People kept storming up like it was a Madonna concert. That's another one of those moments where it was just weird. But anyway, they were very nice people and it was an amazing experience. I don't complain. It was just one of those moments where I was asking myself: 'Is this really happening right now?'

SG: When was the first time that you were inspired by the Dalai Lama? Was it when you read his book The Great Ocean?

BPT: Oh, it was long before then. The first time was in 2007. He was in Vancouver and I got an invite to come to a special audience. For his audience they were trying to select people and different leaders and entrepreneurs. People from all walks of life in Canada. I thought the luncheon would be five or six people but I walked in and there was maybe 150. It was big and not intimate at all. I got called up, as there was a group of people called up to ask him a question. It was filmed for television here. So there were all these Buddhist and religious leaders and they asked him all these questions. I was sweating it out. They were talking to him about things like, 'the ninth revelation of Buddha said this'. Or asking why the Buddha's hands are closed...I was thinking to myself: oh my god. It got to my question and I was like: "Is there a dog heaven?"

SG: Did you actually ask that?

BPT: No, I didn't actually. But I was going to ask something similar about the difference between reincarnation and heaven. So I changed my question down the line. Luckily I was second to last. If I had opened it up, it would have been highly embarrassing.

SG: You're not Buddhist are you?

BPT: No no, I'm not a practising Buddhist at all but I certainly relate to Buddhism more than any other religion. I believe all religions are linked, they are about being good people and your happiness is directly related to creating happiness in others. I believe all those concepts are linked. But no, I don't subscribe to organised religion.

SG: How do you balance your work with your travel?

BPT: I don't believe there is a balance between work and travel. Travel is my work so...so it's what I do. Not everyone does that but I think travel should be a priority in everyone's life. It would make the world a much better place. I would say there is no faster track to peace than people getting to know other people and cultures and travel can be that vehicle. I really believe that. I think fewer people would invade other countries if they understood how those people lived in those countries. I think that if people got to know other cultures and appreciate other religions, there would be so much more understanding. I don't want to sound all hippie but I think travel can be a vehicle.

SG: I agree. Do you think technology is helping or hindering travel?

BPT: It's changing it. When you look back to 1990, before technology and the internet, it was a beautiful time for travel. We had the element of surprise back then. We went and experienced something magical. Well technology has taken away any element of surprise. But it's also made it much easier and more enriching...people have more information and come more prepared. They learn more when they are away. I don't think it's necessarily better, it's different. There has been an evolution in how people travel.