We, Isabel and Dana, met while working for a sustainability consultancy in Munich, Germany. Our joint passion for travel and sustainability lead to More than Travel. We are excited to see how this project will unfold and all the lessons to be learned!
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African Proverb
When I was only a few months old, my first trip took me to Büyük Ada, Turkey, where my Dede, my grandfather died. Many years of family holiday through Europe followed till I went hiking for 2 weeks with other youngsters through Norway, with 17. My travel bug was born.
Living in Spain for one year during my studies was nice and interesting, but my heart opened when I first hit Latin American soil. With Dana, we started a Skateboard project in Cuba.
Real discoveries about a country and myself begin, where my comfort zone ends.
It makes me realize how big diversity on our planet is.
It never stills my need for discovery, it just makes me wanna discover more.
It is the way to understand our world.
There is still so many cultures and places to discover, so I had to quit my job to find out about it.
I love traveling above all else… the feeling of being on the road and not knowing what I might find around the next corner, the encounters with people from all walks of life and the different ways we live our lives.
We wanted this new episode of our life having a positive impact. So the idea of a sustainability and conscious travel website came up. The questions that drives us are: what kind of challenges do the people in the countries really face and what are the solutions? How can we motivate more people to travel with a positive impact?
We have experienced that there is nothing better for an individual’s growth, than going travelling. We learn to see different realities of places far away and at home. We understand the paradigm, in which we lived and its invisible rules, that other social contracts come into play in foreign places, but that there are so many more things we have in common.
Traveling helps to break down preconceived notions of we hold of ourselves and other cultures. Those who move off the beaten track, discover warm hospitality, adventure and fascination. We learn, we teach and rethink old patterns.
“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley
As a global community we face significant social and environmental challenges: Climate change, the wealth gap between rich and poor, over use of our planets resources and inequality to name just a few challenges for a sustainable development of our society, which should ensure sustainable living conditions for future generations. Travelling can open our eyes to the these impacts around the world. At the same time we need to make sure we do not enforce negative trends in other countries.
That is why this website is about more than the typical travel advice and packing lists. We want to share thoughts, ideas and experiences on traveling more sustainably in the widest possible meaning. We are interested in the sustainability challenges of the countries we visits and how we can make a positive contribution as a traveller.
We want to figure out how we can minimize our negative footprint while travelling and do so in the most conscious, people and environmental friendly way. What can we do beyond that to leave a positive trace? Our philosophy and motivation is guided by one rule that guides our actions:
“Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe
Día uno – the Arrival Arrival. We climb out of the plane. The heat welcomes us creeping up our legs. We walk across the runway...
Continue Reading