On the Ganges in Varanasi, India
At a young age I always wanted to explore the world. Travelling has shaped the person that I am today, but it wasn’t until I started to travel with a purpose and spent more time interacting with the local people that my passion grew even more.
Back in 2008, is when I decided to venture off to Honduras to work with the local Garifuna communities that were interested in growing their local tourism industry. The nearby well travelled tourist destinations such as Utila, La Ceiba, and Roatan were attracting people from around the world to visit that region, and most of the people bypassed or were unaware of the welcoming and picturesque Garifuna communities a mere 2 hours up the coast. This opened my eyes that many people were missing out on the true essence of tourism, which is cultural exchange and interacting with the locals.
There are many beautiful and breath-taking places throughout the world, but what really makes a place special is the people. Sure you’re bound to meet all sorts of folks while travelling – the eccentric ones, the passionate ones, the hilarious ones, the talented ones, the kind and generous ones, and maybe even sometimes the annoying ones. Nonetheless, the people are what you remember most about a place and what will bring you back to a place.
On my travels, I always have an open mind and make it a mission to try to find those off the beaten track places. You never know what lies just around the corner. This different way of travelling has brought me to visit many places where we were one of the first visitors in certain communities, it got me invited into family’s homes, and most importantly made me build some long lasting friendships throughout the world.
Our philosophy with Travel Roots is to explore those unique places just around the corner and see the world from another angle. With Travel Roots we connect you with small locally owned businesses where you get a more intimate understanding of the places that we visit and a chance to spend time with the locals. Whether it’s taking a moment to have some chai with a local family, sharing stories over a campfire, or hiking through the forest you will have a chance to have a memorable moment that will last a lifetime and to build relationships with the local people.