July officially marks the start of the summer travel season for
many parts of the world ☀️

If you’re lucky enough to be heading off somewhere this summer, this is your
reminder to take that extra ferry, wander beyond the main attractions and leave a
little more room for the unexpected!

Here are a few things in travel that caught our eye this week, along with new locally owned businesses we've recently welcomed to TRAppe. for your next adventure 👇🏻

xoxo,
Gabby & The TRAppe. Team

Inspired by life in Swedish Lapland, this playlist by Huuva Hideaway brings together Arctic sounds, Sámi influences and peaceful Nordic melodies. Press play and let it transport you to the Nordic wilderness.

🎧 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.

Join us next week at Latitude’s The Global Relay, an immersive, virtual networking event passing the baton across four global regions over four days.

🗓️ 6-9 July 2026

TRAppe.’s founder, Gabby will be speaking at the Asia & Oceania edition on 6th July.

If you’re a purpose-driven founder, tour operator or accommodation provider looking to collaborate with like-minded innovators, there is a seat at the table for you.

Hope to see you there ☺︎

☕ Fika with a local: Meet the Locals pairs travellers with residents in West Sweden to share everything from hiking trails and fika to gardening, culture and everyday life.

🦋 Wild Asia: Here are some incredible wildlife experiences in Southeast Asia, tried and test.

🍝 Venice dining: Learn the local dining customs and etiquette that make eating in Venice a completely different experience.

💼 For job seekers: Climatebase is looking for a 100% fully remote (Western Hemisphere) Fellowship Operations Coordinator to support core areas of the Climatebase Fellowship experience.

📍Ohakune, New Zealand
Website | Instagram | Google Map

Some accommodations encourage you to stay in. Two Rivers Ohakune encourages you to head out and explore the local community.

At Two Rivers Ohakune, the day begins with a locally sourced breakfast overlooking the famous Mt Ruapehu before heading out to hike Tongariro National Park, cycle the Old Coach Road or explore the rivers, forests and volcanic landscapes of New Zealand's central North Island.

Founded by husband and wife team Nick and Ula, Two Rivers was created as more than just a bed and breakfast. Thoughtful decisions are built into every part of the guest experience, from solar power and rainwater collection to partnerships with local businesses and producers. Their approach recently earned them the 2026 Rising Star Bed & Breakfast of the Year Award from the Bed & Breakfast Association New Zealand.

One detail that perfectly reflects their philosophy is that, beyond breakfast, they chose not to serve lunch or dinner. Instead, guests are encouraged to explore the town's local cafés and restaurants, ensuring more tourism spending flows directly to local businesses rather than staying within the accommodation itself.

They've created a place that encourages travellers to discover the wider community, helping local businesses thrive while giving guests a richer experience of this remarkable part of New Zealand.

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In this week’s What’s Hot & What’s Not, meet Kerry, the founder of Echo.

Echo is a booking platform helping travellers discover locally owned and purpose-driven travel experiences across Africa. Through Echo, Kerry is making it easier for people to book incredible experiences that create more value for local people, communities and destinations.

🔥 What’s Hot

Slowing down to spend more time in one place to appreciate it properly. Visiting multiple cities within one country. Train journeys. Keeping plans loose enough to follow local recommendations. Remote working with jungle views and monkeys in the trees. Cooking classes to take my favourite dish home with me. Citizen science experiences to gets hands on and contribute to research and conservation. Buying furniture and decor for home from local makers. Doing your favourite hobbies somewhere else, for me it always horse riding new places with ethical stables.

❄️ What’s Not

Treating local culture as entertainment. Wildlife as props. Overtourism. Avoiding places because of stereotypes or bad reputations that do not tell the full story. Thinking of a place as 'completed' because you have seen the main sights. Sticking only to what you already know. Tourism leakage. Travel that turns people’s lives into content.

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 ✌🏻