Why authentic is the next big thing in travel

In their blog Entrepid Travel ( mentioned the top trends in Travel for 2018. One of those trends was “ADVENTURE TRAVEL WILL CATER TO EXPERIENCES. “

It looks like people are done with taking pictures from a cliff or making it to the base camp. A study made by the ATTA found out that “Risky adrenaline activities are favored 45% less than “experiencing a new culture” in the definition of adventure travel”. Thats means local food in a Khmer house in Siem Reap, for example.

Our Host Sareth.

Experiences are everywhere now, even Booking  and Tripadvisor are promoting now Things To do. But where to find those experiences? Tour companies rely on the expertise of their product managers and the DMC in the countries. Their dilemma is that customers want the classics like a local restaurant in Phnom Penh, plus safety, and then go off the beaten track and – as usual – don’t want to see other tourists.

More than a food tour in Siem Reap

What we (and others) do is connect travelers directly with those experiences. We do it through food, other through home stay or activities. But we don’t follow old models like a food tour in Siem Reap. We try a new approach, giving the customer more choices. Our advantage is that we can handpick our hosts, look for quality rather than quantity and provide something special. As a traveler, you don’t (usually) have access to a local home. Unless your tour guide made a deal with neighbors or brings you to his home.

We go even further: No guide needed. Authentic means to deal with what you see and have. Every solo traveler will tell you the best thing was, that he was forced to be engaged with locals in different ways, because language wasn’t a tool.

Although some of our hosts speak some English, the most fun comes when spoken language has to be replaced by body language. Then you connect, and then you have what we call an authentic local experience.