Tripbod Raj: "if you're not living on the edge you're taking too much space'
Here at Tripbod HQ we’re gearing up for World Travel Market in London next week. It’s one of the busiest weeks of our year, with many fellow Tripbods visiting London from across the globe, representing wonderful destinations at this massive global trade event.
With some long-standing friends from the responsible tourism sector, we also host the ‘Fringe Travel’ event, which takes place next Wednesday evening. The Fringe events started during WTM 2007 because we felt there were not enough networking opportunities for grass roots entrepreneurs. These are the people doing awe-inspiring things at the local level but are often excluded from the corporate champagne receptions. So we hired out a space in a bar and over 100 people turned up – that was five years ago.
Fringe Travel events now take place throughout the year across the globe, from Berlin to Delhi, and each is a unique opportunity to meet like-minded people, share inspiring stories and find ways of collaborating on achieving a better future for travel. It really is the most amazing community.
This is also the time of the year that I tend to reflect on where we have come from and where we are going. During a rather philosophical Skype chat with Tripbod Raj this week, who will be at the Fringe Event, we were talking about the seemingly unending challenges we all face in trying to foster responsible tourism. Raj said he believes it is thanks to those tough battles and this exciting adventure that he is wiser and happier as a result, realising how lucky he is to love his work and be the proud father of a very special little girl. These truly are the things that matter.
For me Raj encompasses why I believe so strongly in the Tripbod ethos: travel is all about amazing people who challenge you, inspire you and encourage you during the journey to look back down the mountain and see the progress you’ve made… even if the top is still out of sight!
Tripbod is all about shining a light on these amazing people who are behind the places we visit and the adventures we seek, and I feel my life with Tripbod reflects that. It’s working with Raj and so many other inspiring Tripbods that reminds me what it’s all about and just how lucky I am. So in that sense I can’t wait for WTM next week, and especially the Fringe event, because it’s an opportunity to celebrate the wonderful people who turn our daily journeys into life-changing adventures.
