Sustainable travel is more important than ever
What does sustainable travel mean in 2020?
by Mathilda de Villiers
The travel landscape has been evolving for decades, but suddenly in the last six months it is being critically re-evaluated on a large scale. While the world of travel post COVID-19 still remains unclear, there are countless discussions about how things might change moving forward. One of these important discussions involves the protection and conservation of the environment, and the communities that have been so deeply affected by tourism up until this point.
A conversation with Jonny Bierman
Jonny Bierman’s passion for travel began directly after high school, when he planned to go on a four-month trip, and it ended up lasting for a year and a half. He decided to take that newly-found passion for travel and run with it. He headed to Vancouver Island University to study travel and tourism, but “The more I started to work and studied, the more I became quite fond of the environmental movement involved within it,” Jonny says. He has since worked in the travel/adventure marketing, content creation and communications world for companies such as GoPro, REI Co-Op, Lonely Planet, Banff Lake Louise Tourism and many more.
Eco Escape Travel
About three years ago Jonny founded Eco Escape Travel as the first community-based ecotourism content hub.
Described as “the home of all things ecotourism, sustainable travel and enticing adventure content”, their work is rooted deeply in their Four Pillars:
Environmental Stewardship – ‘Committing to the protection of the surroundings and environment for those who will come after you by using it responsibly and implementing conservation and sustainable practices.’
Ecological Connection – ‘Being conscious of the impact that is being made, through immersion and engagement with land, water, flora or fauna.’
Community Empowerment – ‘Having a direct socioeconomic impact on the community by employing locals, diversifying or donating. This pillar helps grow community leaders, is bold, change leading and entrepreneurial.’
Cross-Cultural Engagement – ‘Having a direct interaction with the culture that you are visiting. This means learning from them, about their history, textile skills, or staying with a local family in a homestay. This type of engagement with another culture will have a lasting impact after a long trip.’
“We are inspired by nature, and we grow through community,” Jonny says. The aim is to make sure that neither the tourism-impacted communities, culture nor environment are left behind from an influx of tourism dollars.
A Sumatra success story and role model for Southeast Asia. Bordering Way Kambas National Park, are 7 ‘elephant respond units’ where elephants who have been rescued themselves from conflict, entertainment centres, injury etc. are then trained to communicate with wild elephants and help keep them out of trouble when they wander into villages or farmland. This program is funded by various zoos, NGO’s, and sustainable tourism like staying at Satwa Elephant Ecolodge.
The program is so successful, that it can be found all over Sumatra, now in Borneo, and is used as a role model for others like it in Southeast Asia.
Overtourism:
The word ‘overtourism’ doesn’t appear in dictionaries yet, it’s such a new term. But we are very familiar with its meaning. In 1980, September 27 was declared World Tourism Day by the UN World Tourism Organization. They use their platform to discuss the impact that tourism has socially, environmentally, politically and economically. It highlights the importance of sustainable tourism; engaging the travel industry and its travellers to support proposals that include protecting the environment, minimizing plastic consumption, addressing climate change and expanding economic development in communities that are directly affected by tourism. It also includes hands-on protection of wildlife and natural resources when developing and managing tourism activities.
Jonny says one of the most important things you can do when you book a trip is to research the company you’re planning on booking with, whether it be a tour company or on your own. “You really just have to make sure that your money is going to the right place and is helping save and conserve those places for the next generation to want to come and see them, as well as for the people who live there [now],” he says.
Jonny believes that sustainable travel has the potential to save the world’s remaining ecosystems and restore those that are broken by “using it as a non-extractive industry that works to educate and inspire people about what the world has to offer and what is worth protecting.” And according to him, that’s exactly what sustainable travel does.
Over-tourism is a hot topic in the travel industry these days and while there are a lot of issues with it, there’s also a lot of successful strategies that have been developed to protect places like this. Machu Picchu uses a permitted system to control visitor numbers and at this time of day, the sacred sites were nearly deserted. @ecoescapetourism
Success Stories
Listed here are two locations that have used the concept and strategies of sustainable tourism, successfully benefiting the respective communities, protected the environment and grown their story into something worth spreading and hopefully inspire others to do the same.
- Misool Eco Resort, situated in Raja Ampat in Indonesia. According to Jonny, this resort offers one of the most important stories of our time in relation to sustainable travel. It was an area where shark populations were declining heavily due to shark finning. Within 10 years, they have turned it around into one of the only places in the world where biodiversity is actually increasing in their oceans.
- South Africa’s Grootbos Lodge, based about an hour outside of Cape Town, launched a foundation in 2003, aiming to support the Masakhane Community Farm and Training Centre, where the local community is taught about food production and entrepreneurship. The locals who have completed the program have been given plots of land by the lodge, increasing their income and access to local, healthy food products. To date, the program has helped more than 138 community members. Every time someone stays at the lodge, they can walk away knowing that their stay has also made an impact on the program, and in turn the community that it serves as well.
“Most people don’t realize what the circle is of the trickle-down effects of tourism and conservation. When people are out on [a] game reserve, they might not even know that they’re funding the protection of the animals that they’re seeing,” Jonny says.
Social Media and Tourism
Over the years, social media has been playing a bigger role in many industries, travel being one of its top contenders. The power of a beautiful image on a platform such as Instagram has turned lesser-known locations into some of the most popular tourist attractions on the globe. With this, there have been many pros and cons attached. Bringing tourists into a location is highly beneficial for economic growth, but by tipping the numbers to the point where it becomes overvisited, a negative impact on the environment as well as community members can take hold.
Using an influencer’s platform to convey an important and powerful message as a movement in the travel industry, such as sustainable travel, would be a great place to start.
The future of sustainable travel might lie in the hands of influencers
“Someone who has the voice to empower and inspire a story or message, whatever their message might be,” is what an influencer is, according to Jonny. He has been working in the influencer marketing world since well before ‘influencer’ was even a term. Today, he says that he would like to see the landscape of the influencer switch gears in order to tell meaningful and impactful stories the way that it has always meant to be told. “Travel is largely a non-extracted industry. So where it was before COVID-19, was in my opinion, super unsustainable. It wasn’t talking about responsible travel, it wasn’t talking about where to spend your money so that you’re making a positive impact. It was just a very pay-to-play kind of space.”
Over the past decade, social media has changed the way that we live on a whole other level. The online world has taken the travel industry and turned it on its head. Often, many bloggers and travel photographers posting on platforms such as Instagram tell a one-sided story. This can contribute to the problem of overtourism instead of encouraging a more sustainable way of traveling to certain communities. Supporting these communities instead of exploiting them should always be the aim.
“Obviously there are a lot of important conversations happening right now and this is still one of them that needs to continue,” Jonny says.
When COVID-19 brought the world to its knees earlier this year, countless jobs were affected, and those who work in the travel industry felt the effects instantly. Even though it has had a troubling effect on many lives, it has also given many people the opportunity to pause and reflect. For Jonny, it allowed him to recharge but also re-asses the industry and has inspired him to cover stories that will hopefully inspire change towards the path that leads to more people travelling in more sustainable ways.
“That carpet that I stood on and raised my voice from definitely got ripped out from under me but that was in no way reason to give up,” Jonny says.
African Wildlife Conservation Show During COVID-19
A thrilling wildlife show supports conservation in East Africa during COVID-19
A team of six trying to make a difference
by Mathilda de Villiers
In the year where everything was canceled, a film project was born on the plains of the Serengeti that would make the dreams of a five-year-old boy come true while bringing attention to conservation efforts during the COVID-19 era.
Brendan Allen is from Cape Town, South Africa, and has been in Tanzania since the planet called “lockdown” because of COVID-19. Caught by travel restrictions on his way to filming on ‘Survivor USA’ in Fiji, he decided not to fly home to South Africa and instead stay where he was. What was a potentially dire situation quickly turned into something important that would shape the next few months, not only for Brendan, but for wildlife lovers and the conservation efforts in the highly acclaimed Serengeti National Park.
‘Serengeti Show Live’ was born out of an idea to bring live action from the Serengeti to those who were stuck at home because of the virus, while raising awareness of conservation problems due to the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown. “People were sitting at home not really getting any good news, so what good news can you give people? Well, wildlife, if you like it,” Brendan says. Without tourists, there isn’t the usual money flowing into the national parks, which means there is a lot less support for wildlife conservation. Without so many bodies on the ground in the parks, there has also been a massive increase in poaching on the African continent and around the world, creating a “free-for-all” environment. Brendan and his crew came across a group of poachers on one of their game drives and succeeded in chasing them away, only confirming that the problem is still very real and unfortunately it’s not getting better.
Shooting a wildlife show with a crew of six
For more than two months, the small crew of six wildlife-loving souls has been traveling across the vast plains of the Serengeti following the migration, catching some incredible sightings along the way. They have released three episodes per week, a total of 24 to date. Brendan is behind the camera, in the director’s chair and behind the editing screen, with Carel Verhoef in front of the camera as the show’s host. The episodes hold well-rounded, highly acclaimed sightings and hosts great educational episodes alongside the main installments. Sally Grierson is production manager and they are traveling with three Tanzanians; – Zebadia Mmando is their camp manager, Alex Malkiady is the chef and Mashine (Joseph Swai) is the driver guide and mechanic. “We’ve got three South Africans and three Tanzanians trying to make a difference,” Brendan says.
Alongside the great wildlife viewing, ‘Serengeti Show Live’ is also home to a ‘Kids Corner’, educational episodes, where children can get to know the African wildlife better by learning interesting facts about the bush. This was a fundamental part of their first thought behind the show – involving the entire family. The episodes speak for themselves – the wildlife sightings that they’ve had has been absolutely incredible, reminding the viewer why there is such a huge need to help these animals stay safe and stay alive.
Fewer tourists means more poaching and less conservation
Since the pandemic began, national lockdowns, border closures, quarantines and many other measures put in place have severely affected Africa’s $39 billion tourism industry. Poachers weren’t taking risks before going into areas where tourists would visit, so now while those areas are empty, they have free reign. Down in Botswana, a country bordering on South Africa, six rhinos were poached in the first few weeks of the lockdown beginning in March. In South Africa, an organization that responds to rhinos that need immediate care via helicopter transport, Rhino 911, reported a poaching incident almost every day. These incidents occurred in tourist hot spots that are, under normal circumstances, safe for the animals to roam in.
Poaching has also increased in African countries due to hungry families feeding themselves and the means for illegal sales since COVID-19 has shut down many businesses on the continent and around the world.
Producing a show with not much more than an iPhone
One of the biggest surprises that has come out of this production is that the whole show is predominantly shot on an iPhone 11, with the tight shots being shot on a Canon 5D Mark IV. They record sound with another iPhone and also use two GoPros. This might be the first time that a large wildlife production such as this has been shot in this way. They didn’t have access to higher end gear so the small group used what they had on hand and probably ended up being the first ones to ever do this. They have minimal equipment, but they definitely don’t lack passion or desire to have made this happen. “When I’m shooting and I’m out there and I’m looking at the wildlife, it’s what dreams are made of,” Brendan says. Even though he hasn’t had the high-end gear he’s used to working with on large productions, all of their efforts have been very successful in creating a beautiful production.
The crew’s living quarters are as raw as one can imagine, having been the only people allowed into the park. They move across the plains, setting up camp in between the wild animals without fences. It’s not uncommon for hyenas and lions to wander into the campsite and Brendan has woken up to the sounds of a hyena sniffing his thin, material tent. Being surrounded by so much life, yet being so far away from civilization is an experience in itself, especially with the park being empty at the moment and is made more prominent with everything going on in the world.
A five-year-old boy’s dream comes true
Brendan has been in the film industry as a sound operator and boom swinger for over a decade. He’s a hobbyist wildlife photographer and he’s dabbled in filmmaking but this is the first time that it has been his main job on a shoot. But one thing has stayed true throughout his entire life – his passion has always been rooted in wildlife, ever since he began visiting the Kruger National Park in South Africa alongside his father when he was just five years old. It was always his dream to one day work on a wildlife documentary and to one day visit the Serengeti. “Lion King didn’t happen because someone dreamt about it. Someone actually saw the rock. The rock is going to be a part of one of our episodes, it’s here. It’s where Lion King comes from,” he says. Over the years, he has worked on many films and a few wildlife documentaries, but COVID-19 in effect made his biggest dream come true – to be involved in a large production of a wildlife show in “one of the most beautiful canvases in Africa.”
Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) granted the crew access and filming rights for the time that they would need for free, in effect sponsoring $60,000 in waived fees. The organization is the governing body of the Serengeti National Park, and through the show they are reaping the rewards through the positive effects it will have on the tourism in the area, equally the conservation.
With the world standing still, once borders and flights start to open up again, choosing a wild destination such as the Serengeti will help not only the tourism industry, but the animals that reside in the area. “By creating awareness of the park [and] if you’re generating sales eventually through this program, that is conservation efforts in itself. Because without tourists, there is no conservation,” Brendan says.
While the borders are still closed, how can you help?
- Donate to organizations that are dedicated to protect wildlife and help conservation efforts.
- Once the borders open up, make your first trip a safari in Africa
- Share information and educate yourself on what is actually happening on the ground.
- Think about volunteering your time at a local organization when things open up again, because many of these organizations depend on the work of volunteers to run. Some organizations haven’t stopped working because they can’t ask animals to wait for them to be relocated or looked after.
- If you have access to a backyard, you can do your part at home by planting a tree or making your backyard bird-friendly. And by planting native species and removing invasive plants.
The show and the subsequent conservation efforts wouldn’t be possible without donations. If you love wildlife, you will love this show – for yourself or for the whole family.
If you would like to watch this show, please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/c/SerengetiShowLive/videos
To donate, visit: https://shop.directpay.online/paymybills/Serengetishowlive
The donation link and more information on sponsors and organizations that have made the show possible can also be found in the show notes underneath each episode. If you’re unable to make a donation, a simple share on social media channels is also encouraged and welcome.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serengetishowlive/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SerengetiShow-Live-101733234832429
Creating and Reflecting During Quarantine
Still Creating and Connecting
We’re living in pretty strange times right now. No matter where you are in the world, you’ve all had your own restrictions put in place. But no matter where you’re living, one thing has stayed true – that we’ve had to stay at home as much as possible during this trying time. That in itself can pose a whole bunch of new challenges, there’s no doubt about that. But it can also inspire and create a whole new space for creativity. TripLit reached out to our global community to find out how they’ve been staying creative throughout this period. And this is what we came up with.
We sincerely hope that you’re staying safe, positive and healthy.
Video created by Mathilda de villiers @mathilda_dv
Thank you to everyone who participated in making this project come alive!
@thetynicholson Ty Nicholson
@chrisshikanai Chris Shikanai
@talisalanoe Talisa Lanoe
@lostinayaland Alexandra Karadzhova
@kev.wolf Kevin Wolf
@judithlee_ Judith Lee
@gabezack Gabe Zack
@viinceblais Vince Blais
@pete.dang Pete Dang
@jackcrapa Giacomo Crapanzano
@emmett_sparling Emmett Sparling
@gratefullyhannah Hannah O’toole
@whittletravels Sawyer Whittle
@thejessrachelle Jess Rachelle
@nomadfondness Dounya Cherqui
@joshball_images Josh Ball
Filmmaking and Freediving Inspiration and Tips
Finding the Quiet Below
Freediving and Filmmaking Inspiration and Tips
by Mathilda de Villiers
“I think freediving is the one thing that can totally calm down everything in my head. Just completely thinking about one thing at a time” – Emmett Sparling
Taking a deep breath in, submerging yourself underwater, diving down into the abyss below, and putting all your trust in yourself. You feel the immense pressure building as you’re diving deeper, all the while ignoring the voice in your head that’s screaming for you to stay above the surface in order for you to stay alive. Freediving opens up a whole new world in the depths below. It opens up a whole new understanding of our bodies and minds.
Our bodies, with the correct training, are capable of so much more than we think. Freediving goes against our natural instincts. It calls for a deep understanding of what happens to our body when it’s submerged deep underwater for minutes at a time without air and how our senses react to that unnatural state of being. Our minds are capable of being pushed far beyond what we think it’s capable of. For our minds, in the end, control everything.
Diving down, down into the blue abyss, interacting with the wild creatures that roam under the surface of the water, is a choice that a select number of humans on this planet make. Those that make that choice and that stick with it for long enough to become experienced divers, get to a point where they are able to experience a series of adaptations that translates into their dive reflex. It is how the body aids itself in breath holding and immersion in water. It allows the free diver to handle pressure and depth better, allowing the body to more efficiently use oxygen by increasing the body’s capacity of carrying oxygen through the blood system.
“You have to be hyper present, hyper aware.” – Chelsea
Emmett (@emmett_sparling) started freediving a little over a year ago, after he was introduced to it by his good friend, Chelsea Yamase. Since then, he has improved at an unprecedented rate, according to Chelsea. Since he started, he has taken his camera down with him and has created incredible underwater content. But it has been a difficult process to get to where he is today. “Underwater photography is challenging.” Since he has gotten more comfortable underwater, he has worked on various projects together with Chelsea and Josiah Gordon where they have created breathtaking images and films. The three of them are close friends and they understand each other in the working environment, whether that be on land or in the world of breath holds.
Chelsea (@chelseakauai) grew up in Kauai, Hawaii and today freediving is a huge part of her life. But she didn’t always spend her free time holding her breath underwater. Her path that led her to that world began with her scuba diving. But when she started to be surrounded by free divers it didn’t take long for the sport to take over. “When you see someone just hanging out at the bottom and they’re just dancing and interacting with whatever wildlife is there…it seems so easy and so blissful. I just really wanted that feeling,” she says.
Josiah (@josiahwg) started his underwater journey through spearfishing while he was living in Hawaii during his college days. “Freediving has always been a very meditative thing, and it’s all because of breath,” he says. He explains it in the way that when you free dive, you have a lot less space to think, so you enter into the meditative state where you’re not thinking about anything.
“The only thing you’re thinking of is what’s immediately in front of you. There are no distractions, there’s nothing else.” – Josiah
Tips for getting started with freediving:
- Always make sure that you never push yourself further than your own capabilities. Starting a new sport always requires safety measures, especially one that can potentially be dangerous. If you’re starting out with people who are more advanced in their training than you, then it could make you push yourself unnecessarily. So it’s important to stay true to yourself and your limitations. “Educate yourself on what happens in your body when you’re doing this. [Develop] that knowledge and comfort and self awareness,” Chelsea says.
- Invest in a course. As much as you can learn from others, going on a certified course teaches you about the biology of your own body and capacity as well as all the breathing techniques. On top of that, being surrounded by professionals in the learning phase also gives you an important sense of safety, giving yourself more space to learn and grow the talent.
- Always dive with a buddy. This is paramount in creating a solid safety net. Chelsea recently took Emmett to a spot in Hawaii where they went diving in a cave with sharks. She says that she would not have taken him there half a year ago. She only took him because she knew that he was comfortable doing it. Diving with a responsible buddy that won’t push you unnecessarily is also vital.
- Stick with it. Of the free divers that I have spoken to, not one of them ever said that freediving was easy when they started with it. It’s the type of sport that you really need to stick with and push yourself with to exceed. You’re not only training your body, but you’re training your mind in a big way. Personally, from what I’ve learned, is that that’s the biggest lesson to be learned – the training of your mental capacity. Because if you’re diving down into a cave and you start to freak out mentally, that’s when accidents happen that can end badly.
- Be patient. Freediving opens up a world that is unique and you need to allow your body to adjust to the underwater world.
When Chelsea started, she struggled. The level of comfort and expertise she has today – that came with years of practice and dedication. It first took her getting comfortable being in the water, then followed by her developing her techniques.
Being a filmmaker under the surface:
- Having a good report with the person you’re shooting with is probably one of the most important things when it comes to shooting underwater, according to Josiah. He says that it’s a lot harder than what it looks. Knowing your own limitations as well as the model’s limitations is key because if you are both not synced up with one another, then it can take up a lot of time figuring that out and timing your breath holds with one another.
- While you’re still above the surface, work out a game plan. As soon as you duck down, you’re not only having to think of the composition – you’re having to be aware of your breath hold and your body. There is already a lot to think about, so if you have an idea of what you’d like to achieve before you head down, it makes the process that much more seamless.
- As a model, it’s vital that you know what you look like underwater, because as graceful as Chelsea makes it look, that’s not how people usually look when they’re submerged in the deep blue, according to Josiah. It’s actually quite a challenge to make yourself look that graceful and it comes with a lot of practice.
- Know your equipment and its limitations. Josiah says that on a recent trip that he did with Chelsea and Emmett, they dove down so deep that his housing started making a crackling noise and that the buttons stopped working. Knowing where those limitations begin is crucial, but it also allows you to create content you may not have known you could get if you didn’t allow that push. Their equipment got through unscathed, but they also knew where they could push it to.
- “A lot of the process is inspiration,” Josiah says. Inspiration from other creatives and from other images online. Often, for him, a quick search that comes up with an image he likes that he would like to try and recreate or make his own is how he comes up with an idea.
- Keep in mind that when you’re diving down with a camera and underwater housing, you’ll be expending a lot more energy than you would without it. A housing floats, so you have to push it down with your own body. One trick that Josiah and Emmett have both used is to add weights to the housing, which makes it a bit easier on the diver to go down with. What’s important to remember with added weights, is that your housing will not float anymore so there’s an added risk of it being dragged to the bottom if you let go of it.
- Underwater photography and working with housings are both very challenging skills. A lot of people think that having the gear alone is enough, although it requires a lot of persistence and dedication, just like freediving.
Josiah and Chelsea have worked together for a few years and they have developed an extremely natural way of knowing what the other person is capable of underwater. They have a strong love for the water they immerse themselves in and they know how the other person works, making their creative time together seamless and enjoyable. “No matter what the chaos is going on around me, [that’s] how can I stay in that really centred place with my mind and with my heart,” Chelsea says.
Audio Blog
TripLit Networking Event at Vancouver Outdoor Show
TripLit Networking Event at the Outdoor Adventure and Travel Show
The TripLit networking event at the Vancouver Outdoor Adventure and Travel Show was such a successful evening! Following on the heels of a busy day at the convention centre show where Emmett was a featured presenter on the International stage, we moved to a local pub to host a casual networking event with the exhibitors and local travel influencers.
It was such a privilege to have the opportunity to bring such an inspiring group of over 40 local photographers and filmmakers and over 150 representatives of travel brands together to meet each other at Moose’s Down Under pub in Vancouver.
It’s our goal at TripLit to create opportunities for content creators to grow meaningful careers and skills, while building a creative community network as well.
Besides the opportunity to create new business connections, it was also an opportunity for the creators themselves to connect with each other. In the Vancouver area we have such a positive, talented community of people, and when they get together the adventure stories are non-stop!
We are very grateful for the opportunity to create this unique evening with the support of the Outdoor Show and our generous sponsor for the evening, Corona.
