THE MAGIC OF
Meaningful Travel
A GROWING TREND PUTS LOCAL COMMUNITIES AT THE HEART OF THE TRIP .
WORDS / LESLIE LANG
Bernell King , owner of the concierge travel agency World Awaits Cultural Tours , defines meaningful travel as exploration that ’ s relational , not transactional . “ Typically , tourism , travel and trips are transactional ,” she said . “ They ’ re logistical . We book a flight , we book our hotel , we book some tours , some experiences . They ’ re transactions .”
When the travel experience goes further , so that you ’ re engaging with local people and immersing yourself in the local culture , she explained , that ’ s relational . It ’ s what she arranges for travelers , including one middleaged , experienced traveler she helped plan a trip to Cartagena , Colombia for last year .
“ She did not want to do one touristic thing ,” King said . “ She didn ’ t want to go to the UNESCO World Heritage sites . She didn ’ t want to go to the pristine Rosario Islands that everybody goes to . She said , ‘ I don ’ t even want to start my day until 1 p . m .’ She just wanted to engage with the local culture and people .”
So , King designed an itinerary that was meaningful and intentional , made up of food experiences and evening cultural activities . “ Cartagena has a lot of free cultural programming that ’ s very rich and high-level ,” King explained . “ Every day , she went to a different cultural program , including dance and performing arts . There were no tourists there , only the local people because tourists don ’ t readily look for these things or know they exist .”
BERNELL KING
King with three locals in Chiapa de Corzo in
Chiapas , Mexico
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