Venture to The Edge

Hello my fellow intrepid adventurers! 2019 will be filled with a few travel destinations that will be on the edge of popular consideration. In my opinion, this is what travel is all about. After all things are considered (such as safety), venture to the edge. This is where you will find cultures that have been nominally affected by mass tourism. You may not have the best WiFi and GPS; bus stations and port cities can be chaotic, smokey, dusty, and a royal pain; talking with broken local languages and hand signals become the accepted norm; using that public restroom will require an acrobatic feat of balance and good ol’ hope; and driving on a road suddenly changes into a rally car course. It’s all worth the trouble if you accept the challenges as being part of the experience and a damn good story that can be eventually shared with a few laughs, fond recollection, and a sigh of relief.

This is the kind of travel that goes beyond hitting up all the Instagram-worthy spots. Nothing will ever replace talking with locals who have no idea what it’s like to be constantly tuned into social media. They share their world as they have always known it; unfiltered and unadulterated by the pressures of pop culture and tainted politics. There are a few places left on this planet where you can feel this way and where you can still talk with people where words are conveyed with eyes and hands; sitting down to meals are with the families of hosts; and your heart longs to return even before you’ve left.

I am excited to be with you every step of the way and thank goodness for our local hosts and guides who each have 15+ years leading the charge with the kind of tourism that has risen into the global scene as adventure tourism. For them, this has always been the way to share their home with whomever wanted to pay attention.

As we flourish in this growing space, our main goal above all else is to promote responsible tourism. My directive for everyone including guides and guests is to have our presence thrive without affecting the natural balance of the environment and local culture. In some way, this is a learning experience for all of us. We are learning from each other all the time and taking this knowledge back to our respective home countries can teach us about ourselves and the impact we have on the rest of the world.

I am a traveler just like you and desire experiences that shift me into a higher level of personal development which I hope you experience on these trips. Cheers to the adventure and we will journey together soon.

– Dianne Yahnny San Luis

Photo Credit (Picture of Dianne Yahnny San Luis) - Janna Cawrse Esarey (author of "The Motion of the Ocean: 1 Small Boat, 2 Average Lovers, and a Woman’s Search for the Meaning of Wife")

#YahnnyBlyandCo  #YBCtheWorld  #Travel #DASLPhotosandStories  #ResponsibleTourism