Locally-sourced adventure travel blog

MPs (should) claim for holiday expenses

ben on 15th October 2009 | 0 comments

Embattled on all fronts and with the embarrassment of his £12k expenses payback, could things have been different if our Gordon had spent his allowance a little more wisely?

We're firmly of the opinion that money spent on home improvements, cleaners and the like is simply wasted travel budget. We once blew our new carpet fund on a 2 week jaunt to South Africa and never looked back. If only poor old Gordon Brown could have spent his £12k of dodgy allowances a little more wisely on some adventure holidays, surely he'd have a stronger chance come May.

1. "Suppose I should probably have one last go at sexing the son of the manse image up" Harley motorbike tour of South Africa --£4632
2. "Whilst I'm at it, there have been murmours recently about my in-decisiveness, must do something about that" Navigation course -- £99
3. "And this'll show-up David bloody Cameron and his soft bicycle entourage" Township tour by bike-- £77
4. "On to policy, we need a response to the growing food import dependency, but I'm not giving those tory voting, hand-out grabbing, fox hunting farmers another penny" Wild foraging course --£160
5. "Och aye, we'll also make those dastardly backbenchers sleep in a campsite on St James's Park, that'll save on second home allowances" Luxury Tipi in Herefordshire --£250
6. "Oh, and I really did want to do something about poverty in Africa, blasted Geldof stole my limelight."  Volunteer in the Gambia -- £1085
7. "That'll be just about my work done, I'll head off on a nice safari in the run up to the election and leave that Milliband boy to do the door-to-door, trust him like my own son I do!" Safari & tropical island in Malawi --£1720
8. "Although of course, for security reasons, it'll have to be business class" Return business class fare to Africa -- £3977

Total = £12,000 well spent

Instead of all this fun, poor old G is left to pony up £12k.  Somebody give the man an award for the most overworked, under holidayed politician.

It is only fair that we disclose our own ill-gotten expenses gains.

Ben: "errrm, it is true I spent over £40 of a client's expenses bill on a single shot of armagnac, there may have been some suspect taxi receipts too.  Give me a break I was young, foolish and a consultant (the three tend to go hand in hand)."

Anna: "not me gov."

Becky: "drunken lunches, but all of that was a long time ago"

The Intern: "Look, stop picking on me, there is nothing wrong with M&S luxury salads, I can't eat tuna sarnies every day.  And stop complaining about the dodgy photoshop hack, it was the best I could do."

Credits: photo of Gordon Brown caricature by Flickr user World Development Movement.  Photo of Harley Davidson burning rubber by Flickr user tirebiterz.  Photo of Metro newspaper by Flickr user renaissancechambara.  

Great Autumn Breaks

RobMillett88 on 14th October 2009 | 2 comments

Autumn is drawing on and winter is fast approaching. The perfect time to get out and make the most of the refreshingly cool weather before ‘refreshingly cool’ becomes depressingly cold…..  After all, within a matter of weeks crisp autumn leaves and clear night skies turn to something far darker indeed.

Close to home, the yurts and tipi sites (or glamping if you prefer!) finally have good availability after a crazy summer where it seemed everyone wanted an August weekend in a tipi.  Most sites have dropped their prices since the end of the peak season, and perhaps counter-intuitively it is a great time to go. What really separates out your average yurt or tipi from Blacks’s best is the cosy interior - think wood burning stoves, thick pile rugs and cosy duvets.

Further afield, autumn of course is a fantastic time for foodies.  Loads of fresh produce, foraging for mushrooms, and the worst of the summer hordes have departed.  How about a romantic weekend in Le Marche in a delightful rural farmhouse with cooking classes and some seriously good food?

Some ideas for your autumn break:

Yurt & Tipi Holiday Retreat in Wales £270 for two nights mid week:
Located on a 1,300 acre organic farm in the Dyfi Valley in Wales surrounded by nothing but unpolluted, fresh country air for miles around, this is the ultimate romantic relaxation hideout. Why not turn off your Blackberry and enjoy an expert reiki healing session or meditation class? Then snuggle up in your tipi with your significant other, heated by your very own wood burner and enjoy a complementary welcome hamper. These guys have been booked up all year and now have spaces available, but only until the 9^th of November so book quickly to avoid disappointment.

La Tavola Marche Agriturismo & Cooking School € 580 a couple for 3 nights accommodation, dinner for 2 with wine, horseback riding and custom cooking class:
If you fancy yourself as a bit of a nature lover, and like the idea of cooking and eating delicious organic food in a tranquil atmosphere then this could be your perfect autumn escape.  La Tavola Marche is a secluded stone farmhouse Agriturismo & Cooking School set on more than 500 acres of rolling hills and surrounded by breathtaking farmland scenery.  Ashley and Jason who run La Tavola Marche grow their own fresh, organic fruit and vegetables in the gardens and invite you to explore the surrounding woods and forage for porcini and other local mushrooms with their expert guide.  Visitors then return to the kitchen where the secrets of the Italian kitchen are revealed. Participants are shown how to create local seasonal dishes with the edibles they find in the nearby grounds and are also given a homemade apron as a souvenir of the trip!

Boutique San Sebastian Culinary Holiday $1920 per person based on four people travelling (including private guide, boutique accommodation &  meals in San Sebastian's finest restaurants):

So you think you know a thing or two about fine cuisine? Well then you’ll want to visit the town that boasts the most Michelin Star restaurants per capita in the whole world (with 7)!!  Get your lips around this mouth-watering culinary tour in the stunning Spanish coastal town of San Sebastian, a real hot-spot for fine food.  Included in this tour is a private Pinxtos (tapas) tour led by an expert guide through the impressive Old Town and an Iberian cooking lesson from top Spanish chefs. Plus, what food tour would be complete without a drop of vino?? This trip also includes a visit to the famous wine region, Rioja, which is one of only two areas in Spain to be awarded the prestigious DOC award. 

Alternatively if you are looking for a more active Autumn break, we have a great selection of  walking holidays and cycling holidays.  

Last Minute Oktoberfest Trips

Anna on 30th September 2009 | 1 comment

If you have been thinking about going to Oktoberfest, but not yet got round to organising your trip, or indeed are just wondering what to do this weekend, then look no further!

There are still places available on this weekend's tour to the Oktoberfest departing on the 2nd - 5th October.  The tour takes you to one of Bavaria'a most popular tourist attractions, the castle of Neuschwanstein, before taking in the Austrian village of Obergammerau.  After enjoying these cultural highlights, it's on to Munich for a tour of the city and then to the big event itself. Andy, who organises and leads the tours, has a table in the Hacker Festzelt where you can enjoy some fine beer and oompah songs!

To book, or for more information, please email us at help@tourdust.com

Adventures in Scotland

ben on 21st September 2009 | 0 comments

I'm currently up in Scotland reviewing some of our adventure operators up here.  The journey North is fascinating, the scenery gets wilder and wilder as you pass through the Peak District, the Lake District and then the Highlands.  For me, Scotland is easily the equal of New Zealand and a much under-rated destination.  Admittedly the weather can get a bit dismal, but as long as you come prepared for the worst, you'll be blown away by the scenery.

So far I've done a spot of sea kayaking in the Firth of Lorn, and have just got back on dry land after 4 days at sea exploring the Hebridean Islands on a wildlife and walking cruise.  The islands are simply stunning and hugely evocative with their abondoned dwellings.  My stomach has grown in size from all the fine food onboard.  Tomorrow I head to Glencoe for some scrambiling and hiking which I can't wait for (assuming the seeping rain relents!)

Reviewing our suppliers is a new devolpment for Tourdust.  We feel it is critical to provide an impartial view on the holidays we feature - so expect some no-nonsence opinions.  We'll be featuring our reviews alongside customer reviews to be able to provide the ultimate guide to the best adventure holidays and cultural tours from local experts.  Having said that everything on tourdust has already come through a fairly vigorous selection process, so you'll have to excuse us some (genuine) hyperbole along the way.

Throughout the trip I've been using the Google Mytracks application on my new gadget phone (HTC hero for the geeks out there) to track my progress and geocode my photos and notes, so I'm looking forward to getting it all online soon.

Tourdust scholarship winners

ben on 9th September 2009 | 2 comments

Back in spring we decided to get involved with the Geotourism 09 prize.  The process of collecting entries from all over the world, sorting them and picking three winners has finally come to a conclusion.  We can announce that RiverIndia, CapeRace and Ger to Ger are our winners.

To me, Geotourism is travelling to experience (and support) local culture, local places and local people (you can read more about this in my previous blog on Geotourism).   Our three winners are all putting on simply amazing adventure travel and cultural travel experiences, that they are all managing to do so whilst putting huge amounts back into the local communities is a miracle!

1. Ger to Ger provide deep cultural immersion in Mongolia offering homestays, guided trekking, and horseback expeditions along nomadic trails.  Ger to Ger trains nomadic herders and teams them up with local guides to give travellers a thoroughly authentic taste of Mongolia.  We were delighted to pick Ger to Ger because our inspiration to start Tourdust came during a stay with a nomadic family in Mongolia.  There were a fair few disneyfied nomadic camps around, but we got lucky. With Ger to Ger you know you are staying with a real nomadic herder family - I can honestly say that there is nothing else like it on earth, the nomadic way of life is so different from the West, it is simply enlightening.  I was particularly tickled whan I read that they mongolize the visitors rather than westernising the nomads.
2. Cape Race is a unique eco-cultural experience in Newfoundland, Canada.  You stay in three spectacular historic coastal homes and explore unique and out-of-the-way nature sites, pubs and music venues under your own steam.  The key is a tailor-made professional guide book written specifically for your trip and full of local contacts. Cape Race is trying to facilitate the ultimate aim of any independent traveller, to explore and get to know a place as only a local could.  We love that they try to give you real local contacts at each pub or place they recommend.  Importantly they also strive to ensure local encounters are spontaneous and authentic and never staged.
3. River India offers culturally-immersive white-water rafting, kayaking, and fishing expeditions on the undiscovered but epic Siang River.  Whilst the region is undiscovered and the river truly epic, what really marks River India out is their approach to protecting the river environment and supporting the local economy.  River India supports and operates a river skills school which trains and supports locals to set up their own companies on the river.  So many adventure holidays are all about the adventure and forget about the local people and place.  River India serves up the ultimate river adventure whilst putting you up in traditional local bamboo huts and dishing up local food. That they can manage this and put so much back into the local community is awe inspiring.

We spend a large portion of our time trying to find really authentic operators who have a genuine local expertise and run thing the way we like them run (small groups, expert guides, owners involved in operations, fantastic experiences).  We were looking for a way to publicise this search with a contest to find the the most innovative exciting small travel companies from around the world and the Geotourism contest is a superb vehicle for it thanks to the efforts of the Ashoka Changemakers organisation.  Ashoka Changemakers organise the Geotourism 09 contest and it is heavily supported by the National Geographic magazine.

We thought long and hard about the prize and have comeup with something we hope will make a real and sustainable difference to the winners.  There is a financial element to the prize which includes budget towards online marketing and participation at an International travel show.  The other element is a mentor relationship with experienced travel industry professionals:

Christina Heyniger: Founder of Off The Radar and Xola Consulting Services, which works with owner-operators and innovative organizations blending adventure tourism and volunteer service. Christina is an Associate with the Adventure Travel Trade Association and serves on the board of directors for Sustainable Travel International, and Protect the Earth, Protect Yourself - an adventure travel/ volunteer tourism organization. She also serves as an advisor to the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Development.

Alex Bainbridge: Authoritative & insightful blogger on the travel ecommerce industry.  Alex is the founder and MD of Tour CMS, a web-based reservation system designed for small and medium-sized tour operators.  Alex has significant expertise in harnessing ecommerce and social media for small travel businesses.

Chris Noble: General Manager of World Nomads and co-founder of Footprintsnetwork. Footprintsnetwork is an alliance of online e-commerce companies making a difference with a solution that supports sustainable poverty alleviation community programs.

Photo of Ger courtesy of Flickr user the wandering angel.