When a friend of you writes a book, it’s an exciting moment. When they quote you in that book, it’s even more memorable.
And when the book is a must-read for any traveller looking to get more out of their trip (exactly what we write about here on The Travel Tester), it’s time for a review.
THE CREATIVE TRAVELER’S HANDBOOK REVIEW
About the Writer
Elena is a travel blogger, writer, polyglot, publisher, international speaker, PR & tourism consultant… and an allround wonderful person. I am happy to call her a friend and she always inspires me to get more out of life! She is THE creative tourism expert and I really couldn’t have thought about a better person to have written this book.
The Content of the Book
What is Creative Travel?
If there is anyone who can explain what “creative travel” is, it’s Elena herself. In her book, she answers not only who creative travel is for, but she gives practical tips on how to be creative on your travels and how to plan your next creative trip down to all the details.
In short, she says it’s about: “Hands-on experiences. Active learning. Participation and engagement.” It’s how Elena has been travelling since 2007 (‘officially’), but it’s really a travel style that she loved from her first ever trip. And chances are that you have also been a creative traveller yourself!
As a travel style, it goes beyond the typical boundaries of a fleeting ‘been there, done that’ tourism experience. The rise of creative travel has taken cultural travel to a new level of engagement and interaction.
Where can You Experience Creative Travel?
As Elena explains in her book, creative travel is really something that you can do all around the world. There are, however, some countries that have included creative experiences into their overall marketing and are a bit ahead when it comes to providing activities, workshops and cultural meetings.
For example, New Zealand, South-Africa and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates are some of the creative destinations that Elena mentions in her book. When it comes to cities, she recommends Porto Alegre in Brazil, Vienna in Austria and Santa Fe, New Mexico, among some other unexpected places to get creative.
Photos & Illustrations
In the book you can find many colour photos, as well as bright graphics and little colourful icons and highlighted text, that make reading the book super easy and fun!
Practical Use
This book is PACKED with practical travel tips, that’s why it’s called a handbook! You can plan your entire creative travel trip with this book, full of inspiration and practical addresses.
Favourite Quote
“Creative travel presents a wonderful opportunity to really engage with a culture entirely foreign to you. By seeking out the commonalities in all people – curiosity, a desire to learn and share skills, developing pride, and achievement – we can bridge cultural gaps more rapidly than through less intimate or less engaging travel experiences”
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Travel Tester Results
Being creative on your trip is all about taking it slow. If you’re the kind of person that really likes to get to know a certain destination, rather than just rushing through it, then creative travel is probably something for you. As Elena says: “The celebration of slow is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace, but at the right pace. It’s about savoring quality time on your trip, rather than ticking sights and places off a list.” And she adds to that: “Remember, creative travel is never about being right or wrong. It is about the joy of the activity.”
I personally think that creative travel is also for you if you are interested in learning more about yourself, on working on your own personal development. You have the chance to find out the skills you’re good in and/or choose activities that you enjoy doing and would like to grow in. It takes a bit of courage, an open mind and a positive attitude, all things that Elena describes just so well in her book!
GET THIS BOOK YOURSELF!
Title: The Creative Traveler’s Handbook
Subtitle: The art of world travel: life-seeing instead of sightseeing
Author: Elena Paschinger
Where to Buy: Amazon UK
Disclaimer: I got the book from the lovely Elena, but chose to review it myself!
Just ordered the book – looking forward to exploring the theme in more detail
Ahw, Elena would love that! I’m sure you’ll have a good time reading the book, it’s such an interesting topic! Enjoy reading!