TRAVELLER LOW S E A SON
Issue 9 October-December 2024
lowseasontraveller.com
TORONTO
FEATURED DESTINATIONS:
Shine bright in the big city by the lake.
TREKKING ALONG THE SNOWLINE Hiking the Tian Shan mountain range in Kyrgyzstan.
THINKING SMALL IN CROATIA Walking the groves of a Dalmatian olive oil farm.
San Francisco, USA Zona Cafetera, Colombia Toronto, Canada Austria Whitby, UK Zambia AND MUCH MORE...
AUTUMN COLOURS AND WINTER WHITE Low season adventures in Anchorage, Alaska.
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Balancing Tourism Seasonality
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08 OCTOBER 2024 AT ROUTES WORLD, BAHRAIN
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WWW.SEASONALITYSUMMIT.COM
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Low Traveller TeamSeason and Contributors
Contributors Publishing Team
Ged Brown
Publisher and CEO at Low Season Traveller Ged is the founder and CEO of Low Season Traveller; the world’s first organisation completely dedicated to the promotion of travel during the off-peak seasons in each destination as a way to alleviate the growing problem of over-tourism. A passionate advocate of the advantages of tourism, Ged has spent his entire career working with leading travel and tourism organisations.
Ryan Maley
Editor, Low Season Traveller Ryan is our Content Development and Community Manager, as well as Editor of the Low Season Traveller Magazine. Ryan has worked in the travel industry for almost a decade, developing content and campaigns in his home city of Manchester, UK. He is passionate about sustainable travel, and believes that travel should be accessible to all, as it truly makes for a more well-rounded and culturally intelligent society.
Chris Flynn Chris is a member of the LST Advisory Board and is also the Founder & Executive Chairman of The World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage. With more than 30 years’ experience in international tourism, Chris is a regular speaker at high profile international events and provides insights to leading news media channels such as BBC World News Asia Business Report.
Tony Hallwood
An award-winning writer who explored seven continents, dove many seas, and wrote for airline, Time-Life, and National Geographic media. Her books include “My Adventures” and “The Great Outdoors” for Quarto Publishers. Wrote for Oscar-winning and Emmy-winning projects. Co-founderCharityChecks.org; member of Space.com’s launch team and The Explorers Club.
Tony’s career has covered senior director roles for major travel companies including SAGA, Cosmos, Airtours and My Travel. Tony’s strengths are building strong partnerships with airlines, tour operators and national tourism partners alongside maximising his extensive PR and media experience to promote a wide range of new destinations, routes and services.
Fiona Greenhalgh
Chris McNicholl
With a wealth of experience in the global travel industry over the last 24 years (If Only, Carrier, Shearings & Airtours), Fiona believes it’s time for her to give something back to the industry she has been privileged to be a part of. She is a strong believer in responsible tourism and sustainable travel.
Chris is a designer with over 20 years experience in the design industry. Working with some of the biggest brands on the planet in top studios and publications in London. Chris has travelled extensively and worked with Low Season Travellor from the the very start. Now based in New Zealand where he runs www.overflowcreative.co.nz
Commercial Director
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Claire has crossed the globe, living and working on 6 continents. She’s now working on Low Season Traveller feature pieces and dreaming of her next adventure from her narrow boat home on a quiet stretch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, where it seems to be permanently low season.
Lisa TE Sonne Editor-at-Large
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Claire French
Business Development Director
Art Director
Advertising? Get in touch with fiona@lowseasontraveller.com or tony@lowseasontraveller.com
Low and Season Traveller Team Contributors
The Puglia Guys
Olly Beckett
The Puglia Guys are Puglia and spaghetti all’assassina ambassadors. They have written the definitive online guide to Puglia at PugliaGuys.com and contributed to Puglia guides for BBC tv and Rough Guides. Find them on Instagram: @pugliaguys X (formerlyTwitter): @pugliaguys and on Facebook: PugliaGuides
20 years in travel marketing, journeys through 90 countries and all seven continents, and years spent living and working abroad led Olly to finally realising his dream of becoming a travel writer, which he combines with his interest in hiking, history, architecture and making the planet a little bit better.
Howard Cheng
Bella Falk
Howard is a UK-based freelance photographer. As a regular traveller, he enjoys the art of visual storytelling, using photography to capture and share the historical and cultural contexts of his destinations. Connect with Howard on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) at @WhereHowardGoes for more stories from around the world.
Bella Falk is a travel writer, photographer and documentary director from London. She writes the travel blog Passport & Pixels and has won or been a finalist for more than 20 industry awards including winning Blogger of the Year at the British Guild of Travel Writers’ Awards 2023 and Best Photography at the Travel Media Awards 2020. Her words and images have been published by National Geographic Traveller, Wanderlust, BBC Travel and Lonely Planet among others.
Julia Hammond
Lisa Maloney
Julia Hammond is a UK-based travel writer who’s a passionate geographer and an enthusiastic advocate for independent, budget travel. She first set foot on the South American continent in 1992 and has been back many times since. When she’s not on the road, home is by the Essex salt marshes.
Lisa Maloney has lived in Alaska for 35 years. She got her start as a newspaper columnist and reporter, going on to write three awardwinning guidebooks and edit for Alaska Magazine. You’ll find her work in National Geographic, Condé Nast Traveler, the New Zealand Herald, and many more.
Agnes Groonwald
Drew Barnes
Agnes Groonwald is a freelance writer and blogger who comes to travel writing after careers in journalism and education. Originally from Chicago, she’s currently based in a suburb of Paris seemingly untouched by high-season tourism. She loves finding the human and humorous stories behind destinations. Follow her adventures at www.travelonthereg.com.
Drew Barnes is a 31-year-old Manchester born photographer specialising in landscape, lifestyle, automotive and portrait photography. He has worked with many global brands and tourism boards around the world and has been fortunate enough to see some of the most beautiful places on the planet. He has an approach to taking photos that forces him to be slower and really take in his surroundings in the hope to tell stories through his art.
Published by: Low Season Traveller Ltd. Milnrow, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
Low Season Traveller is published by Low Season Traveller Ltd. Kind of obvious but our lawyers insisted we put this in. The entire contents are protected by copyright 2024 and all rights are reserved. This means you can’t copy or reproduce any of the content like the stunning photographs or amazing low season focused articles which are in this or any issue without prior permission. That said, we’re reasonable people who love travel and are keen to support others who are similar to us - Just ask us first and if we like the cut of your jib, we may well allow it. Our team take a huge amount of care when compiling the contents of each issue of our magazine, but sadly as publishers, we can’t assume any responsibility in any effect arising thereof. Readers are advised to seek professional advice before acting on any information which is contained in the magazine. We recommend a good local travel agent or similar. Finally, Low Season Traveller Ltd does not accept any liability for views expressed, pictures used, or claims made by our wonderful advertisers. That’s it. Now that wasn’t too bad was it… Copyright © Low Season Traveller Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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Guest Contributors
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Low Season Traveller
Northland is bursting with rich indigenous Mäori cultural and European heritage.
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As the place where both the Polynesian and European peoples first arrived to Aotearoa New Zealand, and connections were forged, there are stories to be discovered at every turn. When you visit in our low season, you get to meet locals who have the time to share our unique stories and manaakitanga (hospitality). Form a deep connection with Northland and discover what makes New Zealand the nation it is today from the place where it all began.
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Ceremonial war canoe (waka) at Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Bay of Islands, Northland New Zealand
NORTHLANDNZ.COM/VISIT
Low Season Traveller
COUPLES
FAMILIES
SPICE ISLAND BEACH RESORT, GRENADA UP TO 25% OFF Prices from £2,870pp, All Inclusive
SEA BREEZE, BARBADOS UP TO 50% OFF Prices from £1,750pp, All Inclusive
JAMAICA INN, JAMAICA UP TO 15% OFF Prices from £2,160pp, B&B
BLUE WATERS, ANTIGUA UP TO 25% OFF Prices from £1,960pp, B&B
CAP MAISON, ST LUCIA UP TO 25% OFF Prices from £2,190pp, Half Board
THE LANDINGS, ST LUCIA UP TO 25% OFF Prices from £1,790pp, B&B
Prices based on October/November 2024 departures for 7 nights with Economy flights & transfers. Subject to availability.
WHY BOOK WITH SIMPLY CARIBBEAN HOLIDAYS? •ATOL protected •Tailormade holidays including island hopping •Personal service from our expert team •Competitive prices that match those online
01732 810372
sales@simplycaribbeanholidays.co.uk |www.simplycaribbeanholidays.co.uk
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LAST MINUTE CARIBBEAN HOLIDAYS
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Contents
Contents 42
04 Contributors
54 Meet the Low Season Travellers: Bella Falk Award-winning travel writer, photographer and
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documentary director.
60 Featured Destination: Austria
10 Editor’s Note 12
Imperial grandeur, Alpine hikes, villages and wine.
alancing Tourism with Conservation B in East Africa Ged’s Update.
16 Featured Destination: San Francisco
Vibrancy, history, culture, cuisine, and hills... a whole lot of hills.
24 Trekking Along the Snowline 28 Featured Destination: Zona Cafetera, Colombia
70 Italy’s Brilliant Bari
Home to Santa Claus and a killer spaghetti.
74 Featured Destination: Whitby, UK 82 Thinking Small in Croatia
Walking the groves of a Dalmatian olive oil farm.
Embracing the harvest in Colombia’s coffee triangle.
34 Welcome the Spirit of Samhain in Derry Ireland’s largest celebration of the spooky season.
86 Featured Destination: Zambia
Authentic unspoiled wilderness in Africa’s best kept secret.
92 Cultural Heritage
In collaboration with The World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage.
36 Low Season Adventures in Anchorage, Alaska
98 Low Season Dream Stays
Autumn colours and winter white.
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The Wanaka Tree by Drew Barnes.
Spooky nights and seaside delights in this coastal Gothic town.
Hiking the Tian Shan mountain range in Kyrgyzstan.
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68 Featured Photograph
42 Featured Destination: Toronto Shine bright in the big city by the lake.
Bucket-list accommodation for low season travels.
104 Capturing Tanzania’s Culture
A Tanzanian artist is bringing his culture to life with a Bic biro.
48 Chasing the Aurora
A guide to the Northern Lights, and how to capture them.
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@lowseasontraveller
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Low Season Adventures in Anchorage, Alaska
and winter white
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Low season adventures in Anchorage, Alaska
36 Road towards Anchorage, Alaska in autumn
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Cultural Heritage Icons When it comes to cultural heritage wonders, some iconic sites like the Great Wall of China or the Taj Mahal often steal the spotlight. However, our world is filled with hidden gems that showcase the rich tapestry of human history and cultural diversity. In a regular feature in collaboration with our partners at The World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage, we embark on a journey to discover five lesser-known cultural heritage wonders which you may not be aware of. These extraordinary sites offer unique insights into ancient civilizations, artistry, and remarkable human achievements.
The Chocolate Hills, Bohol, Philippines Standing like an army of green (or chocolate brown during the dry season) sentinels, the Chocolate Hills of Bohol are a captivating sight. Over 1,200 mysterious mounds blanket the central Philippine island, their near-uniform conical shapes sparking wonder. Geologists debate their exact origins, but these unique formations are believed to be remnants of ancient seabed activity. The Chocolate Hills are a haven for a variety of endemic flora and fauna, making them a biodiversity hotspot in addition to their geological marvel. They’ve become a beloved symbol of Bohol and a top destination for both Filipino and international tourists.
The Chand Baori Stepwell, Abhaneri, India
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Descend into a mesmerising architectural marvel that blends beauty with functionality: the Chand Baori stepwell. Built in the 13th century, it boasts a staggering 3,500 steps that gracefully cascade down 13 stories into the earth’s embrace. The geometric precision and sheer scale of the Chand Baori are awe-inspiring. Beyond its captivating aesthetics, this stepwell served a vital function for the community. It provided a reliable source of water in the arid region and a cool sanctuary during India’s scorching summers. The Chand Baori is a testament to the ingenuity of Indian architecture and a reminder of the importance of water in arid regions.
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Cultural Heritage Icons Cappadocia, Turkey
Historic City of Ayutthaya, Thailand Unveil the grandeur of a bygone era by exploring the ruins of Ayutthaya, the former capital of Siam. Founded in the 14th century, the city flourished as a centre of trade and diplomacy, earning the nickname ‘Venice of the East’ due to its intricate network of canals. Ayutthaya was a vibrant hub of culture and commerce for centuries. However, its glory came to an end in the 18th century when the city was sacked by invaders. Today, the ruined temples, palaces, and monasteries stand as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, whispering tales of Thailand’s glorious past. Exploring Ayutthaya allows visitors to walk in the footsteps of ancient kings and witness the artistic and architectural legacy of the Siamese kingdom.
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Cappadocia is a land sculpted by both nature and human history. Volcanic eruptions millions of years ago created a dramatic landscape, and subsequent wind and erosion have further shaped it, producing the otherworldly ‘fairy chimneys’ – towering, cone-shaped rock formations. However, Cappadocia’s wonders extend beyond geology. Early civilizations, from the Hittites to the Byzantines, carved breathtaking dwellings, churches, and monasteries into the soft volcanic rock. These underground complexes and cliffside structures offer a glimpse into the resourcefulness and artistic expression of past civilizations. Cappadocia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that combines stunning natural beauty with a rich historical tapestry.
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Dream Stays In collaboration with our accommodation partners and low season traveller friends around the world, we highlight some of our favourite ‘dream stays’ which are on our bucket-list for future low season travels. This month we feature Koh Samui, Sydney, Abbeyleix, Praslin, Borneo and Wellawaya.
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Low Season Dream Stays Anantara Bophut, Koh Samui, Thailand (Left) Anantara Bophut offers a secluded paradise on the tranquil shores of Koh Samui. With elegant beachfront villas, serene tropical gardens (designed by Bill Bengsley no less), and a world-class spa, this luxurious retreat is the perfect escape for those seeking relaxation and indulgence. Experience the finest in Thai hospitality and cuisine while basking in the natural beauty of one of Thailand’s most captivating islands. www.anantara.com/en/bophut-koh-samui
Raffles Praslin, Seychelles (Above) Raffles Praslin is an opulent sanctuary set amidst the breathtaking beauty of the Seychelles. With private pool villas overlooking the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, this resort epitomises island luxury. Guests are pampered with world-class amenities, personalised service, and access to the pristine sands of Anse Lazio, one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. A truly unforgettable tropical escape awaits. www.raffles.com/seychelles
QT Sydney, Australia (Above) QT Sydney combines heritage charm with cutting-edge design in the heart of the city. Nestled within a stunningly restored historic building, this boutique hotel exudes sophistication and creativity. Expect bold interiors, impeccable service, and an artful blend of contemporary luxury. It’s the perfect base to explore Sydney’s vibrant cultural scene and iconic landmarks, while indulging in a truly unique hotel experience. www.qthotels.com/sydney-cbd
Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Malaysia (Above) Borneo Rainforest Lodge offers an immersive eco-luxury experience deep within Malaysia’s ancient Danum Valley. Surrounded by lush tropical rainforest, this secluded retreat invites guests to connect with nature in style. Explore exotic wildlife, trek through pristine jungles, and return to the comfort of elegantly appointed lodges. Ideal for eco-conscious travellers, it offers the perfect balance of adventure and relaxation in a truly unique setting. www.borneonaturetours.com/borneorainforestlodge Nestled in the heart of Ireland’s idyllic countryside, Preston House is a Georgian gem offering refined elegance with a personal touch. This historic boutique hotel exudes charm, with beautifully restored interiors, intimate guest rooms, and gourmet dining that celebrates local flavours. A stay at Preston House promises a serene retreat where you can unwind and embrace the heritage and tranquillity of Abbeyleix. www.prestonhouse.ie
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Preston House, Abbeyleix, Ireland (Above)
If you’d like to see your dream stay featured, drop us a line at: editor@lowseasontraveller.com
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Low Low Season Season Traveller Dream Stays Jetwing Kaduruketha, Sri Lanka
Jetwing Kaduruketha is a serene hideaway nestled in Sri Lanka’s lush countryside. This eco-friendly resort blends luxury with sustainability, offering elegant villas amidst paddy fields and forested hills. Immerse yourself in the region’s rich culture, enjoy authentic local cuisine, and unwind in natural surroundings. With a focus on wellness and relaxation, Jetwing Kaduruketha promises a rejuvenating escape rooted in harmony with nature.
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