Photo by admin

Why would it benefit me?

Be it an active holiday, or a cultural tour, everyone wants to get the most out of their holiday. If you choose to travel with a local company, you are immediately put in front of local experts, people who have lived there all their lives and know the area like the back of their hand. These are the people who can take you to places not featured in that well-worn guide book!

If I’m on holiday then for sure I want to see the great landmarks in that area, but I also want to find the best restaurant frequented by the locals, where the best curry or fish soup can be found – why wouldn’t you?! It is this very local knowledge which, for us, can make or break a holiday.

Does it help anyone else?

Ok, so we love the local travel, but we’re not the only ones to benefit from it. By actively choosing the local operators it is far more likely that the money you spend stays in the community, that it supports local businesses, and isn’t leached into the pockets of rich Western shareholders. It’s fair to say, that many places charm is brought about by the people who make the place what it is – the local people!

Positive impacts don’t stop there though. By choosing a local company, whether it be a Nepali Teahouse or a surf shack on a Mexican beach, you are recognising the local culture and customs that have shaped the area over millennia. If we are moving towards a world where every hotel is the same, trying to match what we are assumed to desire from a hotel, we are losing cultures of hospitality and we are losing the charm and personality that can come from a local, independent business. By choosing those local travel options you are saying ‘Yes, this is a culture we want to explore and experience’.

How do I really make a difference?

The thing is, the blame doesn’t lie with the big corporations – they are merely supplying the demand we as consumers have created. By choosing to stay with a large hotel chain you are reinforcing the impression that this is what should be supplied.
By travelling locally you are supporting the work local people are doing, encouraging their enterprising spirit and communicating to them that they are creating a desirable product – this is something that should be encouraged!

So there we have it – travelling locally really can be a great experience, and not just for you. In this interconnected world in which we live, it is up to us all to help preserve heritage and local environments. What was once a distant place is now coming ever closer, becoming our local. Next time you’re on the lookout for a holiday, have a think about whether travelling with a large international company is what you really want. Dig around, explore and help make the world a better place!

At Much Better Adventures we are trying to find the world’s best local, independent and ethical adventure operators!

The post Why Travel Locally appeared first on Europe Explored.

The cove has attracted countless visitors not only because of its beauty, but also because of its mysteries. The rocks that form the walls of the cove consist of bands of rocks which over the years have formed parallel to the coastline.

Lulworth Cove and surroundings, Dorset, England, UK by Arpingstone

The cove entrance is nothing more than a small gap that has been eroded away between some bands of limestone. Since the limestone is the most resilient of the shoreline rocks, it is found most abundantly in the area. The cove itself was once filled with sands and clays which over the millennia have been eroded away by the waves and through water run-off.

Over the years, as the waves started making their way into the cove, they started to reshape it. The uniqueness of the Lulworth Cove’s shape is as a result of what is known as wave diffraction. Needless to say, the cove is a very unique and picturesque geological landmark in the UK.

It is believed that only a few thousand years ago, the Lulworth Cove looked much different than it does today. Only about a kilometre away you will find a site that is known as Stair Hole. Many people believe that the cove started off very similar to the hole before reaching the shape it is known for today.

Anyone who makes their way to the Jurassic Coast has to stop at West Lulworth first. From here, most make their way to the Lulworth Cove before stopping off to see the many other popular sites along the coastlines. Here, where the land has simply folded over on itself time and time again, you will find some of the most amazing geological formations as well as the potential to find some fossils that date back to the day when dinosaurs called the area home.

The area is also importance to the nation as the sand beneath the area where the Lulworth Cove sits is one of the richest oil deposits in the United Kingdom. With the coastline being designated a World Heritage Site, special care must be taken to extract the oil from the seabed without affecting the coastline and the fossils buried beneath.

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Seisenberg Gorge, Austria by Aconcagua

For millennia, the Weissbach stream has been cutting its way through the gorge. Even long before reaches the ravine, it affords any visitor some of the most beautiful scenes of rapids and waterfalls as it meanders its way through the forest.

Due to the fact that the Weissbach stream can be extremely torrential during the spring season as a result of thawing snow, access to the canyon is restricted from October to May. For the rest of the year the canyon along with the wooden stairways that take you down into the depths of the Seisenberg Gorge are open to the public.

It can take you more than 30 minutes to walk the length of the Seisenberg Gorge; and that is only if you choose not to stop and admire the awe-inspiring beauty of this natural wonder. However, it is important to point out that there is no other exit out the other side, so you will have to walk back the way you came.

Waters in Seisenberg Gorge, Austria by vaka0627

While visiting the Seisenberg Gorge may not consume an entire day of your visit to Austria, you will find that nearby there is also the Vorderkaser Gorge which has been carved out by the Odenbach River. While not as long as the Seisenberg Gorge, the Vorderkaser is nonetheless deeper. There are also a number of lakes that can be found near the entrance of the gorge for those wanting to relax and take a swim.

Many of the people who make their way to the area to see the Seisenberg Gorge also take the time to stop by and check out the famous Lamprecht’s Cave which is considered one of the largest caves in the entire world which is entirely accessible by foot. But just remember, that you will need to bring a good pair of walking shoes because the way through the gorge can be rough and uneven.

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