IMAGE: 4CORNERS


Experiential Travel


EXPERIENCED? ARE YOU


Increasingly popular, experiential travel off ers a wide variety of fascinating, enriching opportunities. By Chris Moss


Experiential travel is a form of tourism in which people


focus on experiencing a country, city or particular place by connecting to its history, people and culture. It's often sold as 'responsible' travel, as it benefi ts and makes contact with local communities. “More and more people are wanting to really get to know


a place, to get under the skin of a culture and explore its history,” says Peter Sommer, of UK-based ASTA member Peter Sommer Travels. “We’ve seen a great increase in the number of people


telling us they don’t want to just lie on a beach or relax by a pool. Instead they want to learn about a country, its people, its past, its cuisine and so much more.” Experiential travel comes in many shapes and


sizes. Travelers may seek to improve their painting or photography skills, explore creative writing or try chocolate- making. Language-learning is another draw. What could be better than honing your French in Provence or doing basic Mandarin in Beijing? Volunteering holidays off er a combination of work


and pleasure. Popular with college-age kids, now mature travelers are increasingly looking into working with animals in Africa — perhaps before embarking on a safari, or helping Nepalese villagers build a well, before a Himalayan trek.


Middle-aged and senior American travelers have long


been drawn to travel with a cultural and/or historical theme, including specialist guided tours with historians and archaeologists, history-themed cruises and immersive experiences such as going to the opera or a music festival. Experiential travel needn’t be dryly educational. Active/


adventure tourism and wine-and-food travel are tried- and-tested areas. Dance holidays, for example, are more likely to be about meeting people while gently improving your tango, salsa or cha-cha-cha steps. Fashions come and go. Yoga is booming, and wellness holidays are on the rise. Egypt and Turkey are in decline, due to security issues. Cuba is emerging, as visa rules are relaxed and fl ights increase, and experiential travel — packaged as 'cultural exchanges' — is an established legal way into the market for US fi rms. “People want something diff erent — something more,”


says Roslyn Parker of Houston-based Travel to do Good, which specializes in volunteering experiences. “With a few exceptions, unless you're at an iconic travel


destination, the resorts, beaches and straw markets begin to look and feel the same; it becomes a monotonous vacation, with the only variable being the location. Experiential travel opens up possibilities; it's meaningful and purposeful.” ▶


ASTAnetwork | Summer 2017 | 61


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