Today marks the start of the FIFA World Cup ⚽

If you've been following the headlines, you'll know the tournament has sparked conversations far beyond football, touching on immigration policies, visa access and
border controls.

Travel is often framed as freedom but the ability to move through the world
comfortably is not something everyone experiences equally.

We'll be diving deeper into these ideas later today at our community event, The Privilege of Travel. Join us if you'd like to spend an hour with like-minded travellers.

In the meantime, here are a few things that caught our eye this week 👇🏻

xoxo,
Gabby & The TRAppe. Team

In this episode of The Ultimate Inquiry, impact entrepreneur and travel writer Shivya Nath shares the raw truth about risking stability, navigating uncertainty and societal pressures with resilience, the impact of tourism on fragile ecosystems and local communities and simple ways to travel more consciously.

🎧 Share your go-to travel playlist or podcast with us. Whether it's road trip anthems or deep-dive travel stories, we want to hear and feature what fuels your adventures.

We’ll be hosting Phoebe from Steri Tours and Sarah from Cultured Creative for an honest conversation exploring the realities of balancing purpose, community impact, marketing and business growth for tourism businesses.

🗓️ Thursday, 25 June 2026
⏰ 10am ET | 4pm CET | 5pm EAT

🧮 Holiday math: Scientists have developed a mathematical formula for finding the best restaurants while travelling.

🚗 Long drives: The Norwegian government curated 18 driving routes that take travellers through some of the country's most spectacular scenery.

👌🏻 Europe’s A-list: Explore a collection of tours across Europe supporting local communities, conservation and cultural preservation.

💼 For job seekers: Questo is looking for a 100% remote Growth Marketing Manager to own and scale Questo's digital marketing engine.

📍Bali, Indonesia
Website | Instagram | Google Map

There is no secret that much of Bali's tourism industry is owned and operated by foreigners. Poggy Surf School stands out for a simple reason: it is 100% Balinese owned and operated.

Based in Uluwatu, the surf school offers lessons for everyone from complete beginners to more experienced surfers looking to improve their technique. Whether it is your first time standing on a board or you're chasing more consistent waves, the focus is on creating a fun, supportive, and safe experience in the water.

Founded by Lempog, who was born and raised on Bali's east coast, growing up around one of Bali's more challenging surf breaks, he began competing in local and international surf competitions by the age of 10. After more than 20 years in the water, he set out to build a surf school that goes beyond teaching technique to sharing local knowledge and the experience of surfing in Bali with the people who call it home.

Today, the school is run by a 100% Balinese team of coaches, drivers, photographers and videographers, while surf equipment and merchandise are sourced from Indonesian suppliers. The school also pays wages above local averages and actively supports the local surf scene through competitions and youth programmes.

Choosing a local operator might seem like a small decision, but in destinations like Bali it can make a meaningful difference. It helps ensure more of the money spent on tourism stays within the local community and supports the people who call the island home.

TRAppe. is looking for locals around the world to help us discover and onboard tourism businesses that are kind to the planet and good to its people in their home countries.

In this week’s What’s Hot & What’s Not, meet Tatiana, founder of Viajá Culturas (Travel Cultures in Spanish).

Tati is an intercultural specialist, social scientist and travel educator who believes travel can be a powerful tool for cultural understanding.

Through her brand, Viajá Culturas, she creates educational content that helps travellers navigate cultural differences with curiosity and respect, while collaborating with responsible tourism brands and operators committed to creating meaningful connections between people, places and cultures.

🔥 What’s Hot

One of the most exciting shifts I'm seeing in travel right now is a growing desire to connect with people, not just places. Travelers are increasingly looking beyond landmarks, museums, and bucket-list attractions to seek meaningful interactions with local communities, guides, hosts, and everyday culture. As someone who believes we should "travel cultures, not just countries," I see this as a very positive trend: people are becoming less interested in simply seeing a destination and more interested in understanding shapes it and brings it to life.

❄️ What’s Not

The idea that travel is neutral. More travelers are recognizing that how we move through the world and how the world responds to us are shaped by culture, history, power dynamics, and our own identities. Gender, nationality, language, and other aspects of who we are influence how we experience a destination and how we interact with it. Travel isn't just about where we go. It's also about who we are when we get there.

🤫 Hidden Spot

Second Home Hostel (@secondhomehostel)
📍Istanbul, Turkey

This is a very personal recommendation, the kind I'd share with a close friend. I ended up staying for five weeks. Between the homemade family dinners, board game nights, and incredible staff, it felt less like a hostel and more like a family abroad. It's a perfect example of how travel is ultimately about people, not places.

Want to get featured too? Drop your details here.

Curated stays and experiences around the world that are
kind to the planet and good to it’s people ✌🏻