Low Season Traveller Insider Guides

Today we’re taking a trip to what is arguably the true soul of South Africa - KwaZulu-Natal.

Tucked away on the tropical eastern coast, this fascinating region promises a real African adventure in a beautiful and accessible environment.

If a visit to the huge nation of South Africa feels a bit overwhelming, KZN (as it’s affectionately known) offers a more pocket sized experience with so much to discover in an area spanning roughly the same size as Portugal.

Here you can immerse yourself in breath-taking Drakensberg mountain scenery, natural wildlife habitats, crashing waves, historic battlegrounds and Durban’s cool surfer vibes without needing to cover large distances.

Culturally distinct from the rest of South Africa, KZN is a true melting pot, mixing African, European, and Indian cultures, and it’s here that the South African Rainbow Nation really comes into its own. Crucially the name means ‘the place of the Zulu’ reflecting the power and the majesty of this formidable tribe, and their fiercesome fighting in the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War.

In this episode we catch up with KZN local and friend of Low Season Traveller, Helen Bolton from New Frontiers Tours, to learn more about her home destination...

Today we’re bringing you one of the most important podcast episodes we’ve recorded in a while.

We’ve all seen images of Sri Lanka on the news recently amid the turmoil of the ongoing economic crisis which the island is going through, but what is the reality behind the click bait headlines?  Are there any tourists in Sri Lanka now? What is the experience like? Is it safe to travel to Sri Lanka? And indeed, is it right to travel to Sri Lanka at the moment?

We caught up with Sri Lankan local, Chalana Perera from Retrace Hospitality who is on the ground in Sri Lanka as he paints an accurate picture of the blossoming, truly regenerative, tourism which is happening just now.

Have a listen and prepare to be very pleasantly surprised…

Huge thanks as always to Chalana for his brilliant insights today and if, like me, you are seriously tempted by the tourism offering which Chalana spoke about, then please do ask your travel agent or tour operator about their trips to Sri Lanka just now.  It may lead to the greatest journey of discovery you have ever had…

And if you’d like to learn more about the low season summer months in Sri Lanka, check out the latest edition of Low Season Traveller Magazine which releases in the coming days right here on lowseasontraveller.com

Have a great week wherever you are, stay healthy, stay safe, keep your travel dreams alive and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to be the first to hear our latest low season stories and guides.

Today we’re bringing you once again to beautiful Barbados as we catch up with the inspirational Tom Hinds of Naniki Barbados.

We recently visited Tom at Naniki to learn more about his particularly special part of the island.  He brought us on a trail around the verdant forests of Naniki, we enjoyed forest bathing, yoga and breakfast accompanied by the sounds of nature and sumptuous views of the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.

We caught up with Tom to learn a little more about Naniki and his approach to responsible tourism.

We highly recommend Naniki Barbados as the perfect antidote to the stresses of modern life and can’t wait to visit Tom and the team again next time. And You can learn more about Naniki by visiting nanikibarbados.com

Thanks as always, for your company, and if you enjoyed this podcast, it would mean the world to us if you could leave us a positive review on your podcast app.

Today we’re bringing you once again to Barbados in this second special episode.

We were recently invited over to Barbados by our wonderful partners at Barbados Tourism to experience the low season on the island for ourselves.

We had to fit in quite a lot but we recorded our final thoughts on the last day of our trip before heading out the the wonderful Primo Restaurant at St Laurence Gap.

This is the second part of our overview and we will be releasing a lot more content which we recorded in the coming weeks.

Have a listen and let us know what you think.

Next week we catch up with the super knowledgeable Tom Hinds of Naniki Barbados to learn more about his particular approach to nature and eco tourism on this wonderful island.

The low season experience really is absolutely wonderful in Barbados during the summer and I can tell you that there are some amazing deals out there so do check with your local travel agent.

We’re currently working on issue 2 of the Low Season Traveller magazine and we are looking for your low season stories.  Have you had any amazing experiences whilst visiting destinations during their low seasons? Perhaps you had an amazing local interaction which would not have been possible in the busy peak season? Let us know your story by dropping us a line at editor@lowseasontraveller.com and you may well find yourself in the next edition of Low Season Traveller Magazine and a guest on this show.

But That’s our show for this week. thanks as always, for your company, and if you enjoyed this podcast, it would mean the world to us if you could leave us a positive review on your podcast app – we know there are 50,000 of you out there all over the world and it would make our day to have a good review.

Episode Links:

Cool Runnings Catamaran Tours

Naniki Barbados

Fusion Rooftop Restaurant

Primo Bar and Restaurant

Southern Palms Beach Resort:

Visit Barbados:

Today we’re bringing you to Barbados in this special episode.

Last week myself and Kevin were kindly invited over to Barbados by the wonderful team at Barbados Tourism to experience the low season on the island for ourselves.

We had to fit in quite a lot but we recorded our thoughts on our first impressions before our meal at the fabulous La Cabane Restaurant on the beachfront.

This is part one of our overview and we will be releasing a lot more content which we recorded in the coming weeks.

Oh, and it must have been the Rum Punch, but whenever we say East Coast we mean West Coast and vice versa!

Have a listen, let us know what you think & please do leave us a good review! ☺️🙏

Episode Links:

Barbados Jeep Safari: 

La Cabane: 

Harrison's Cave: 

Walker's Reserve:

The Fish Pot:

Little Good Harbour:

Worthing Square:

Southern Palms Beach Resort:

Eco Lifestyle Lodge:

Hamilton's Pottery:

Visit Barbados:

Hidden deep in the Amazon jungle is the little known and laid back destination called Alter do Chao which has some of Brazil’s most amazingly pure, powder white sandy beaches.

One of our listeners, Bec, visited in the wet season which traditionally sees little in the way of tourists so we were keen to learn more about Bec’s experiences.

You can read Bec’s account of her travels to Alter Do Chao in next month’s edition of Low Season Traveller Magazine which you will find on lowseasontraveller.com or direct to your inbox if you are one of our lovely subscribers!

We’re currently working on issue 2 of the low season traveller magazine and we are looking for your low season stories.  Have you had any amazing experiences whilst visiting destinations during their low seasons? Perhaps you had an amazing local interaction which would not have been possible in the busy peak season? Let us know your story by dropping us a line at editor@lowseasontraveller.com and you may well find yourself in the next edition of low season traveller magazine!

If you enjoyed this podcast, it would mean the world to us if you could leave us a positive review on your podcast app – we know there are 50,000 of you out there all over the world and it would make our day to have a good review – think of it as your good deed for the day where you are truly making a small and passionate team really happy 😃 

Have a great week wherever you are, stay healthy, stay safe, keep your travel dreams alive and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to be the first to hear our latest low season stories and guides.

This week we’re super excited to be talking about Israel in the low season months as we are joined by Sharon Bershadsky who is the Director of the Israel Government Tourist Office based in London. 

Israel is a popular destination and we were keen to speak with Sharon to find out what the experience is like for visitors to Israel and learn more about this fascinating country which has an incredibly rich culture and heritage.

Have you visited Israel in the low season months? Do you have any particular recommendations we should know about – especially Hummus Hangouts… Let us know your top tips by dropping us a line at ged@lowseasontraveller.com.

And if you’d like to know more about Israel in the low season months, then please do check out our new Israel Section for more excellent recommendations from our friends at Israel tourism.

We’re currently working on issue 2 of the low season traveller magazine and we are looking for your low season stories.  Have you had any amazing experiences whilst visiting destinations during their low seasons? Perhaps you had an amazing local interaction which would not have been possible in the busy peak season? Let us know your story by dropping us a line at editor@lowseasontraveller.com and you may well find yourself in the next edition of low season traveller magazine!

If you enjoyed this podcast, it would mean the world to us if you could leave us a positive review on your podcast app – we know there are 50,000 of you out there all over the world and it would make our day to have a good review – think of it as your good deed for the day where you are truly making a small and passionate team really happy 😃 

Have a great week wherever you are, stay healthy, stay safe, keep your travel dreams alive and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to be the first to hear our latest low season stories and guides.

Finally, remember that travel is always better and fairer for the planet, the local communities and you the travellers, when it’s without the crowds…

Welcome to this week’s episode of Low Season Traveller Insider Guides.

And this week we’re bringing you another episode of Low Season Stories  where we speak to locals in destinations around the world to learn their stories and their take on tourism in their destination.

We were recently on location in Rhodes for Low Season Traveller and hopefully you’ve already heard our story on Savas, The Rhodes Cobbler, which we featured last week and if you haven’t heard it yet, I would encourage you to give it a listen as Savas has a wonderful story.

But this week we are again bringing you to Rhodes as we sit down with Stavros, the owner of the legendary Mama Sofia Restaurant in the heart of Rhodes old town.

When we met Stavros 2 things immediately hit us. Firstly, this man is one of the most warm and genuinely hospitable people you will ever meet and secondly, he is outrageously passionate about the cultural heritage of his Rhodes.

As a man who was born, raised and continues to live in Rhodes’ perfectly preserved old town, I sat down with Stavros to get his thoughts on Rhodes in the low season months and his approach to tourism

Please do visit Mama Sofia’s and meet Stavros and his family when you visit Rhodes next.  The food is absolutely sensational and Stavros will be sure to greet you like an old friend.

But That’s our show for this week. thanks as always, for your company, Have a great week wherever you are, stay healthy, stay safe, keep your travel dreams alive and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to be the first to hear our latest low season stories and guides.

Finally, remember that travel is always better and fairer for the planet, the local communities and you the travellers, when it’s without the crowds…

This week we have a real treat for you as we are launching our first episode of Low Season Stories, where we speak to locals in destinations around the world to learn their stories and their take on tourism in their destination.

We were recently on location in Rhodes for Low Season Traveller and whilst there, we happened across a fascinating man called Savas who agreed to tell us his fascinating story.

Just as we had initially stopped recording, Savas had one last treat for us…he started telling us more about his love of traditional Greek music and how he used to play the bouzouki in a traditional band. He told us that he was not as good on the bouzouki these days as a lifetime working with his hands had left his fingers not as agile as they once were, but he wanted to show us his bouzouki. Listen to the end for what happened next!

  What a wonderful, spontaneous and authentic Greek experience we had with Savas,  and this really highlights just why low season travel is so wonderful. You simply would not have interactions like this during the busy peak months as the locals would simply not have enough time for you among all of the other visitors.

Be sure to tune in next week as we head again to Rhodes, for another low season story, this time with the utterly charming Stavros from Mama Sofia’s restaurant in the old town of Rhodes. Born and raised among the ancient walls of Rhodes old town, Stavros tells us what tourism and hospitality means to him and you cannot fail to be charmed by his enthusiasm and passion for his island, his town and his family restaurant.

But That’s our show for this week. thanks as always, for your company, Have a great week wherever you are, stay healthy, stay safe, keep your travel dreams alive and don’t forget to share this podcast with your friends, family and social networks.

Welcome to this week's episode of the Low Season Traveller Insider Guides podcast!

This week we bring you to Rio de Janeiro where our Founder, Ged Brown, reflects on his short stay in Brazil and Rio live from Copacabana Beach.

We discuss the merits of taking the bus versus flying in Brazil, what to do (and what not to do) in Rio and also why it might just be a mistake to take a "highlights tour".

Do you take day city tours when you travel? Do you recommend the experience? Let us know what you think and share your tips and advice for Rio with us - we may even feature you in the next edition of Low Season Traveller Magazine...

But until then, please do check out our live broadcasts on Facebook and Instagram so you can see for yourself what the low season experience is like in Rio.

Welcome to this week’s episode of Low Season Traveller Insider Guides.

This week we’re in Rio de Janeiro to learn more about the city, the cariocas and the low season experience.

In this episode, I caught up with the charming Juliana Girao, who works at the Sol Ipanema Hotel which is superbly located right in the heart of Ipanema Beach.   

Juliana was born and raised in Ipanema and we think you’ll agree that she is the perfect guest to help us to learn more about this amazing city by the beach.

This episode was recorded at the Sol Ipanema, overlooking Ipanema Beach just as the sun was setting…oh how I would love to be back there…

Huge thanks to Juliana for joining us for this episode and please do take a look at her fabulously located property at www.solipanema.com.br

The rooftop pool and bar provide possibly some of the finest views of Rio you will ever see!

Do join us next week where we’ll be bringing you to the famous Copacabana Beach for our roundup of low season Rio.

But until then, please do check out our live broadcasts on Facebook and Instagram so you can see for yourself what the low season experience is like in Rio.

This week, we’re following up on last week’s episode to Rajasthan by featuring wonderful Kerala in Southern India.

Once again, we’re joined by the supremely knowledgable and charming, Lovleen Sagar, from our partners in India, who is going to be telling us all about how we can enjoy Kerala more if we take it easy and do some seriously slow travel. This trip is definitely the antidote to the past two years…

This week we're joined by our local guide, Lovleen Sagar, as we head over to Rajasthan to discover the sights, smells and experiences which await you on our Signature Journey encompassing the very best of this incredible region.

This year, we have launched a small selection of intimate signature low season journeys with our partners which show off each destination in their very best light.

One of the first trips we created was a unique adventure with the Tuk Tuk Club in Thailand which will see us travel around the beautiful hills and countryside of Chiang Mai and the Mae Hong Son Circuit in Northern Thailand.

I’ll be joining you on this trip in August and in order to whet your appetite for what you will be able to expect, in this episode we catch up with Bruce Haxton from The Tuk Tuk Club to learn more about this unique, once in a lifetime trip.

And if you’d like to join myself and Bruce later this year for this journey, the tour runs from 13-24 August and costs just £1,299 with no single supplement for the first 3 confirmed solo travellers.  This price includes 11 nights fabulous accommodation, most meals and activities, your very own bright orange tuk tuk with all fuel, a £100 donation to the elephants and mahouts of Northern Thailand, and, of course, memories of a lifetime!

It's going to be a really fun trip and there are only 10 places available so please do visit our Low Season Journeys section to secure your place early.

Finally, in our first edition of Low Season Traveller Magazine next month, we have a feature by Mark Bibby Jackson who has done this trip before and he writes beautifully about the experience.  You can subscribe for free to get your copy.

And so what better way to start our new podcast season than by interviewing the amazing and inspirational Editor of Low Season Traveller Magazine, Rachel Jacgung, to learn more about what we can expect to see in the launch issue which, incidentally, you can be among the very first to get your hands on by subscribing here.

We are talking Regenerative Tourism, Local Tourism, Community Tourism and of course, Low Season Tourism. What are the challenges facing us for 2022 and are we, as an industry adapting quickly enough?

Welcome to this year’s penultimate episode of Low Season Traveller Insider Guides.

This year we’ve recorded over 60 episodes of our podcast and one of the most popular guests we’ve had on has been Carolyn Childs from MyTravel Research. Based out of Sydney, Carolyn has been a wonderful ambassador for “doing tourism the right way” for many years as she works with many high level organisations to help them to take decisions on evidence based research and insights.

We recorded this today on the 21 December 2021 and I wanted Carolyn’s help to make sense of the year we have just had in regard to the world of tourism. Have a listen to one of the sharpest minds in the global travel industry and also an all round wonderful person...Carolyn Childs. Let us know what you think about the issues discussed in the comments section below. Enjoy!

Episode Links:

Innamincka Hotel: https://innaminckahotel.com.au/ 

Detours in Zurich: https://www.detours-zurich.ch 

Welcome to this week’s episode of Low Season Traveller Insider Guides.

Today we're delighted to be joined by Denis, the general manager of the wonderful Maslina Mindful Luxury Resort in Hvar, Croatia.  

This podcast was recorded earlier this year when we visited The Maslina Resort during the low season month of September when much of Europe was in lockdown.

Denis showed us around his beautiful property and I must say, was the most incredible host not only to me, but also the many guests who were visiting.  Denis is the epitome of a luxury hotel manager; charming, attentive, efficient and unbelievably “present” as he was at all times clearly visible and leading from the front.

We were grateful he found time to speak with us about Maslina as we sat overlooking the azure sea at the Maslina’s fabulous A Bay Beach Bar...

Huge thanks again to Denis and his wonderful team at the Maslina for their hospitality and for taking the time to share their insights with us today and , if you’d like to book your next low season break at the Maslina, you can find  details of the best time to visit for low season prices on the low season traveller website under the Croatia section.

We’re currently planning a number of low season small group tours for 2022 including Chiang Mai, Vietnam, Switzerland, Ireland, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka and more.  They will all be wonderful culturally immersive experiences in small groups where we will really get under the skin of the destination in each case as we create our very own Responsible, Sustainable, guilt free travel experiences.

Keep an eye on our facebook, Linkedin and homepage for more info coming soon and let us know if you’re interested in becoming a low season pioneer with us!

But that’s our show for this week.

Thanks as always, for your company, Have a great week wherever you are, stay healthy, stay safe, keep your travel dreams alive and don’t forget to share this podcast with your friends, family and social networks. 

And Remember that travel is always better and fairer; for the planet, the local communities and you the travellers, when it’s without the crowds…

Today I’m delighted to be joined by the charming Marc Clement who is the General Manager of the Iberostar Grand El Mirador hotel in Adeje in Southern Tenerife.

This podcast was recorded earlier this year when we visited Tenerife during the low season month of May when much of Europe and indeed the world was in lockdown.  The El Mirador was welcoming guests who were taking the opportunity to escape the stresses of daily life and who were visiting the El Mirador to re-charge their batteries after a long hard winter.

The El Mirador, like most of the Select Properties in Adeje, had robust procedures in place to protect their clients from Covid and I must say it was all very reassuring to see this done in such a way that the client experience remained a highly positive one.  Without doubt, these procedures will have been even more finely honed since last May and therefore you should have every confidence in booking you escape to the El Mirador this winter.

Finally, Iberostar, as a group, have some incredible initiatives in place to ensure that they are at the forefront of Sustainable and Responsible Tourism practices.  You can learn more here: https://waveofchange.com/

Recently, there has quite rightly been a more focused shift in the travel industry, towards more sustainable forms of tourism and this is something which we really want to help promote at Low Season Traveller. 

We know that travelling in the low season is a more sustainable option but we also want to look at modes of transport, community engagement and local destinations as ways which we can ensure that our travel is not adding to the environmental problems.

As winter approaches lets find out what we can experience right here in the UK when we buy our railcard and head out to some of the places we barely knew existed!

They're easily accessible by train, with a new night train service now linking Paris with Toulouse, and the ferry is another low impact option. 

Here we speak with Penny Walker to learn more about The Pyrenees; this unspoiled, authentic mountain destination which is a great alternative for outdoors lovers who'd like a change from the busier Alps.