Before we jump into this week’s edition, we want to acknowledge what’s
happening in the Middle East.

Our hearts go out to everyone affected in one way or another.

We don’t usually comment on world events but at the end of the day we do care
deeply about people and communities, wherever they are.

Here’s to safer, kinder days ahead ❤️

xoxo,
Gabby & The TRAppe. Team

Our founder Gabby was invited back to Channel News Asia’s CNA 938 Rewind, Singapore’s main news radio channel. This time, she shares a destination and experience very close to our hearts, taking listeners to an experience by Away Wanderlust on the east coast of Bali and a side of the island many travellers rarely see.

🎧 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.

🌱 Plant based: 6 plant based hotels to add to your 2026 travel list, proving conscious hospitality can still be stylish and unforgettable.

⛓️ Prison break: Japan’s former Nara Prison is reopening in 2026 as a hotel, giving new life to a 1908 landmark in a way few would expect.

⭐ Star bathing: Fancy a trip to Wales, where skies are so dark the Milky Way feels almost within reach?

💼 For job seekers: SafetyWing is looking for a 100% remote B2B Content Lead to create high-quality content and ensure that content drives real business outcomes.

📍Santorini, Greece
Website | Instagram

Santorini is one of the most photographed islands in the world. And yet, most travellers only see the tip of the iceberg.

Away from the cruise crowds and sunset queues, Santorini by Maria offers a quieter way to experience the island, shaped by local knowledge, family stories and a deep understanding of place.

Maria is a Santorini experience curator with roots on the island. Her grandmother was born here and that connection influences the way she designs every experience.

She invites travellers to slow down and see how the island actually works. Think visiting small family vineyards, learning about volcanic farming that has shaped Santorini’s food culture for generations, discovering village life beyond the caldera views and catching those perfect Santorini sunsets far from the crowds in places most travellers never find.

Maria works closely with small, locally owned businesses, from independent wineries to village producers, helping travellers connect with the people and traditions that keep Santorini’s culture alive.

In a place famous for its views, Santorini by Maria shows that the real beauty of the island is found in the people and stories behind it.

Discover more travel businesses around the world that are kind to the planet and good to its people on our Explore page.

In this week’s What’s Hot & What’s Not, meet Victoria, a solo traveller who views travel as a learning experience.

Having spent much of last year solo travelling, Victoria caught the travel bug and now she cannot stop. She feels most at home when she takes longer stays and enjoys city breaks as well as adventures close to home.

She views travel as a learning experience, one to be embraced thoughtfully, while acknowledging the socioeconomic issues deeply intertwined within the travel industry.

🔥 What’s Hot

Visiting places off-season, volunteering and/or working abroad, spending longer in places, revisiting the same café multiple times, swimming in the sea, booking locally run hostels/hotels/homestays, avoiding Airbnb's etc, sustainable alternatives to activities that usually aren’t (river cruises anyone?), locally made crafts, vintage shopping abroad, local cafes, travelling by train, growth mindset, women travelling alone, using a camera when travelling, trying new things (sports, crafts, music, books, and food), travel friendships.

❄️ What’s Not

Voluntourism eg orphanages, stating that ‘everyone should just go and travel’ before considering one’s own privilege, creepy men, poverty porn, an ‘all or nothing’ mindset- progress is still progress, being unable to swim in the sea because it’s cold, private beaches, making fun of locals, othering locals, saying ‘they’re so happy even though they have so little’, saying that travellers/consumers bear the brunt, the unsustainable exploitation of places for sort term profit, tourism leakage, unethical wildlife encounters, experiences where visitors spend little/no time interacting with the local community.

Want to get featured too? Drop your details here.

Hook your friends up with Help! I’m TRAppe-d and score a free copy of our Bali e-guide! Just refer 10 people, and the guide is yours ✌🏻

Psst… want to see what all the hype’s about? Flip through the Bali e-guide preview, to get a little taste of what’s inside: 100+ curated stays, eats, and experiences that are kind to the planet and good to its people ✌🏻

Or refer just 1 buddy and gain access to our weekly updated TRAppe Travel Cheat Sheet.